Captain Unohana Retsu,
Greetings. By the time you read this letter, I will either be captured and in prison or deceased. At this point, you will open this letter to uncover the true culprit.
The perpetrator is Captain Sosuke Aizen. He is not as gentle as he appears and possesses great power. Eighty years ago, he already reached the pinnacle of a Shinigami's strength.
He has been relentlessly pursuing advancement, aiming to transcend the limits of the Shinigami. To achieve this, he developed an object using the souls of Shinigami, known as the Hogyoku.
The Hogyoku can shatter the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollows, granting Shinigami greater power. However, Urahara Kisuke was also researching this power and trying to develop a Hogyoku.
Seventy-one years ago, Aizen used his Hogyoku to force eight Captain-level and Lieutenant-level Shinigami into a state of Hollowfication. Urahara Kisuke was framed, and the Captain of the Kidō Corps, Tessai Tsukabishi, was also sentenced but saved by Yoruichi Shihoin and went into hiding in the world of the living.
[Tessai Tsukabishi - img]
Whether it's the recent events like Metastacia, which can make Zanpakuto disappear, or the attack by Lamierez, they are all Aizen's doing. If I suddenly die or get imprisoned, it's undoubtedly his counterattack.
Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru are his subordinates, constantly aiding him covertly, so please do not believe any statements involving these two individuals.
So, if I were to be detained or killed now, please hand this letter over to Captain Yamamoto. However, before that, please verify my body to ensure it is indeed mine. It's very likely that Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu and his abilities to mimic me.
If the body isn't mine or if they haven't discovered my body at all, or if I vanished without a trace after defection, it suggests I might not be dead, and perhaps I'm still alive.
In that case, Captain Unohana Retsu, please patiently await. I will return here within thirty years to expose Aizen's conspiracy.
If the thirty-year time frame has passed, and I haven't returned, it means my other contingency plans have failed, and I might have perished long ago.
Furthermore, Aizen has two objectives. One is to research the perfect Hōgyoku to aid his evolution to a higher form. The second is to enter the Soul King's palace. He learned about the Soul King's palace after Captain Kirio Hikifune of 12th Division left the Soul Society for Zero Division. Therefore, he will create a Ōken(King's Key) in the traditional manner to attempt access to the space where the Soul King's palace resides.
[Soul King's palace - img]
[Kirio Hikifune - img]
[Ōken(King's Key) - img]
Aizen won't proceed with the second objective until he obtains the perfect Hōgyoku, which requires Urahara's Hōgyoku.
Now, Urahara's Hōgyoku resides within Rukia, but Aizen is unaware of this.
[Urahara's Hōgyoku in Rukia - img]
So, once Rukia Kuchiki is sentenced to death by the Central 46 and they decide to execute her using the Sōkyoku, it will indicate Aizen's attempt to strip Rukia of her soul to obtain the Hōgyoku.
[Sōkyoku - img]
[The Sōkyoku released - img]
At that time, please deliver this letter to Captain-Commander Yamamoto before Rukia's execution, and set up an ambush to try and kill Aizen in one go.
Additionally, Aizen's Zanpakutō ability is "Kyōka Suigetsu." The ability he reveals to you is the manipulation of visual perception using flowing water and mist. However, the true ability is to hypnotize all five senses of a person. Once hypnotized, a person will remain in a permanent state of hypnosis, and no one can escape from it.
He can make the hypnotized person mistakenly believe that others are him, and there will be no way to detect any flaws from any angle, effectively altering one's complete perception of another person.
At this moment, nearly all the Shinigami in the Seireitei, including Captain-Commander Yamamoto and you, Captain Retsu Unohana, have been hypnotized by Aizen.
The way to dispel Aizen's Zanpakutō's influence is to touch the blade of his Zanpakutō with your hand before the full hypnosis is initiated. If you decide to kill Aizen, secretly inform Captain Gin Ichimaru of this method; he will assist in taking down Aizen.
Furthermore, Aizen's power is immense, and he has already reached the pinnacle of a Shinigami's strength. He can use his Hadō #90. Kurohitsugii without an incantation and can effortlessly block the Bankai strikes of others with a single hand. For him, a Captain-level Shinigami is nothing more than a single strike or a high-level Hadō away from being dealt with. Only Captain-Commander Yamamoto is qualified to engage in combat with him.
[Kurohitsugii without an incantation - img]
In a battle against him, please exercise extreme caution.
Respectfully,
[Year XXX], Yamahiko!
…
After reading this letter, the eyes of Unohana Retsu narrowed, and a strong sense of anger spread around.
The fact that Sosuke Aizen was the mastermind behind the events seventy-one years ago, creating Metastacia and Lamierez, and potentially being responsible for Yamahiko's death, was hard to believe. Aizen had always appeared gentle and refined, making it difficult for Unohana to accept. However, the existence of this letter left Unohana with some doubts.
Additionally, the information that Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen were Aizen's subordinates raised further questions. Why did Kaname Tōsen go into a state of Hollowfication? Could it be that he was abandoned by Aizen?
However, during the on-site battle, Gin Ichimaru was indeed present and could testify to the fact that Kaname Tōsen attacked Yamahiko. The letter also mentioned that as long as the method to release the ability of Kyōka Suigetsu was revealed to Gin Ichimaru, he would assist in killing Aizen.
Was Gin Ichimaru a traitor? Unohana Retsu was confused and had many questions, but this was a message written by Yamahiko with his life, which significantly supported the credibility of his words.
Even with some lingering doubts, she wouldn't make the decision on her own. Instead, she would leave it to Yamamoto, as was also requested in Yamahiko's letter.
Furthermore, Aizen's strength and abilities were apparently incredibly potent, capable of hypnotizing everyone, and even a group attack might be deceived because they would mistake each other for him.
According to the letter's content, it should only be delivered after Yamahiko's betrayal or death. However, given that Yamahiko was currently missing and might not be dead, the letter couldn't be handed over just yet; they would have to wait at least thirty years.
Then, let's observe the situation for now.
Unohana Retsu carefully put away the letter. At that moment, the voice of Isane Kotetsu resounded, "Captain, Captain-Commander wants you to come to the 1st Division barracks."
"Captain-Commander? I'll go right away."
Unohana Retsu got up and left the barracks, making her way to the First Division barracks. Inside, in addition to the Captain-Commander, there were also Captain Shunsui Kyōraku and Captain Isshin Shiba.
[Isshin Shiba - img]
"Captain-Commander, what's the matter"
Unohana Retsu looked at Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni with confusion.
Yamamoto replied, "Captain of the Ninth Division, Kaname Tōsen, has betrayed us and was killed by Suì-Fēng, leaving the position of the Ninth Division Captain vacant. Yesterday, Juushiro Ukitake recommended Kaien Shiba to me, and I gathered three senior officers to assess his suitability. Today, I have called upon Captain Isshin Shiba, Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, and Captain Unohana Retsu, the three of you, to conduct an assessment of him. I trust there are no objections to this arrangement."
To assess a new captain, it requires a nomination by the current captain of the division, approval from the senior officers, and then an evaluation conducted by Yamamoto and the three oldest captains, who should be Captain Unohana Retsu, Captain Kyouraku Shunsui, and Captain Ukitake Jushiro. However, Ukitake Jushiro was the one who made the recommendation, so he was excluded from the group. The only eligible candidate besides him is Isshin Shiba.
Isshin Shiba smiled and replied, "Of course, I have no objections. Should I proceed with the evaluation?"
Isshin Shiba and Kaien Shiba were from the same noble clan, with Shiba Isshin being the head of the branch family and Kaien Shiba being the head of the main family. Moreover, Isshin Shiba was Kaien Shiba's uncle.
Yamamoto said, "Very well, go ahead."
Kyōraku Shunsui commented, "He was already a Vice-Captain eighty years ago, and back then, Kaname Tōsen was just the Fifth Seat of the Ninth Division. With his talent, he is certainly capable of being a captain."
Retsu Unohana nodded in agreement and asked, "Kaien Shiba, his personality and abilities are excellent. Has he mastered his Bankai?"
Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni called out, "Come in."
[Kaien Shiba - img]
In response to his call, Kaien Shiba slowly entered the First Division headquarters, greeted everyone, and respectfully said, "Greetings, Captain-Commander and the three captains."
Shiba Isshin's expression suddenly became serious, and he asked, "Kaien,are you sure you're ready to take on this role?"
Kaien Shiba nodded resolutely and replied, "I'm prepared."
Yamamoto said, "In that case, demonstrate your Bankai."
Kaien Shiba drew his Zanpakuto and shouted, "..."
~End of the chapter~
LazyXalien: First of all, this is not a cliffhanger, as Kaien's Bankai will not be revealed for now.
Additionally, with this chapter, we have reached the end of the first volume.
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