Kapitel 170: Aizen's Scheme (2)

"Not good!"

The thought barely flashed through Gin's mind before Ailin vanished from his sight, reappearing instantly before him. Gin's eyes widened in shock as Ailin's finger pressed against his chest.

"Hakuda – Shisō!"

"Pierce—"

Ailin gently tapped Gin's chest with his finger and then turned to face Aizen.

Behind him, a powerful shockwave erupted from Gin's back, distorting the air with visible ripples. The shockwave shot diagonally towards the sky, scattering the clouds above.

Gin slowly collapsed, blood pouring from his lips.

"Now, it's your turn, Aizen."

Ailin's gaze locked onto Aizen, his expression finally shifting.

Over a century ago, Ailin's primary goal had been simply to survive the various calamities that befell Soul Society, including Aizen's Hollowfication experiments.

However, as his own strength grew and he gained access to the "Soul King's Will," his aspirations evolved into protecting those he cared about from these very calamities.

Sōsuke Aizen was an individual who had attracted the attention of the Soul King's Will.

By creating the Hōgyoku and attempting to forge the Ōken with his own power to replace the Soul King, Aizen had become, in essence, the "Chosen One" of the Shinigami world.

Even the Soul King desired Aizen's success, hoping for his own release.

Typically, Ailin would turn a blind eye to Aizen's actions. However, causing some trouble for Aizen, a bit of payback for the fear and anxiety he had endured in the past, could be considered one of Ailin's guilty pleasures.

Today's encounter with Aizen and his companions was undoubtedly orchestrated by Aizen himself. The tactics were eerily similar to those he had used to frame Kisuke Urahara decades ago.

But for Ailin, breaking free from this scheme was simple – apprehend Aizen.

"Captain Ailin, are you certain you want to attack me?" Aizen inquired.

"What's this, Captain Aizen? Don't tell me you're afraid now?" Ailin scoffed.

"No, I simply meant to say... the people I've been waiting for have arrived."

...

An hour earlier, within the Seireitei...

A Shinigami from the Fifth Division rushed out of his barracks, heading towards the First Division.

"Urgent report! Urgent report!" he shouted, waving a letter in his hand as he reached the gates of the First Division. "I have critical information that needs to be reported to Captain-Commander Yamamoto immediately!"

The letter was quickly delivered to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

Boom!

After reading its contents, Yamamoto's reiatsu erupted, the sheer force of it sending his captain's haori billowing behind him like a kite caught in a storm.

"Chōjirō, sound the emergency captain assembly alarm. I'm calling for an immediate captain's meeting," Yamamoto ordered. "Also, send someone to inform Lieutenant Zaraki of the Eleventh Division to attend this meeting."

"Yes, Genryūsai-sama."

Following the Captain-Commander's orders, Chōjirō Sasakibe swiftly made the arrangements. Within five minutes, all the captains present in the Seireitei had gathered.

"Oi, old man, I was in the middle of a good fight. Why did you call me here for some captain's meeting?" Zaraki grumbled, his annoyance evident. "Where's Ailin? Isn't he the Captain of the Eleventh Division?"

Zaraki, his fighting spirit dampened by the interruption, showed little respect for Yamamoto.

"Hmph." Yamamoto merely grunted, ignoring Zaraki's question.

"Chōjirō, distribute the letter to the captains."

"Yes, Genryūsai-sama."

Chōjirō carefully retrieved the letter from the nearby table and handed it to Soi Fon, who stood at the front of the group.

"This is impossible!" Soi Fon exclaimed after reading the letter. "Captain-Commander, this is clearly slander!"

Yamamoto remained silent, merely opening his eyes slightly to glance at Soi Fon. The weight of his gaze silenced her further protests.

"Oh? Let's see what could possibly agitate Captain Soi Fon so much," Shunsui Kyoraku stepped forward, taking the letter from Soi Fon and shielding her from Yamamoto's intimidating aura.

"My, my, this is quite the situation..." Kyoraku remarked after reading the letter, his usual smile fading. He passed the letter along to the next captain.

Soon, all the captains present at the meeting had reviewed its contents.

"Captain Aizen, Captain Tōsen, Captain Gin, and Captain Ailin are all absent..." Yamamoto began.

"Tell me, how much credibility do you give to the contents of this letter?"

"Captain-Commander, I believe the contents of this letter are absurd and slanderous. It holds no credibility whatsoever," Soi Fon was the first to speak, outright rejecting the accusations.

"Indeed, to accuse Captain Ailin based on mere speculation is preposterous. I, too, am skeptical of this letter's validity," Kyoraku added, echoing Soi Fon's sentiment.

"If the accusations are true, I will personally apprehend him," Byakuya Kuchiki stated. "But if this is slander, the perpetrator must be punished."

Byakuya remained neutral regarding the letter's content. However, his tone made it clear that if the accusations proved false, the author of the letter would face his wrath.

"Captain-Commander, our words here are merely conjecture," Retsu Unohana, Captain of the Fourth Division, interjected. "The letter claims that they will follow Captain Ailin discreetly to investigate. The location is specified. Why don't we go there and see for ourselves?"

Truthfully, Unohana harbored doubts about the letter's content as well.

"Indeed, we can ascertain the truth of this letter by visiting the location mentioned," Soi Fon agreed, supporting Unohana's proposal.

In the end, the captains decided that seeing was believing. Regardless of the truth, visiting the location would reveal the answer.

"Very well, it seems we all agree to investigate. However, the Gotei 13 cannot be left without captains to protect it," Yamamoto declared.

"Therefore, I, Captain Soi Fon of the Second Division, Captain Kuchiki of the Sixth Division, Lieutenant Zaraki of the Eleventh Division, and Captain Ukitake of the Thirteenth Division will conduct the investigation."

"Captain Kyoraku of the Eighth Division will temporarily assume command of the First Division, assisted by Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division, Captain Shiba of the Tenth Division, and Captain Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth Division to maintain order within the Seireitei."

"Yes, Captain-Commander."

Back at the First Division barracks, Kyoraku watched Yamamoto and the others depart, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"Troubled times indeed..."

A sense of unease gnawed at Kyoraku. It reminded him of the feeling he had experienced decades ago when he witnessed Aizen's true nature.

Just like then, Aizen had seemingly absolved himself of any suspicion beforehand. Even with the knowledge that Aizen might be behind certain events, there was no concrete evidence. Everything relied on "conjecture."

"It's fortunate that this time, Aizen's target is Captain Ailin..."

"Surely, with Captain Ailin's vigilance towards Aizen, he wouldn't fall prey to his schemes so easily, right?"

Compared to the accusations in Aizen's letter, Kyoraku's trust in Ailin was far greater.

...

"Captain-Commander, over there!"

After leaving the Seireitei, the four captains and one lieutenant used Shunpo to reach the Rukongai.

Even the weakest among them, Captain Soi Fon, possessed captain-level strength. Additionally, the Second Division specialized in stealth and assassination, making Soi Fon's Shunpo skills exceptional. Within half an hour, they arrived at the location mentioned in Aizen's letter.

However, they found no trace of any Hollowfication experiments.

Boom!

Just as they began to suspect this was all a farce, a loud explosion echoed nearby, accompanied by the sound of Captain Aizen's voice.

"Captain Ailin, I thought you preferred to remain at the Kuchiki Manor. Why are you here at this hour? And why would you interfere with our attempt to capture this Hollowfied Shinigami?

Could it be, Captain Ailin, that you've been the one conducting Hollowfication experiments all these years?"

Aizen's words caused the captains' expressions to shift.

What did he mean?

Could it be that Captain Ailin was truly responsible?

Unfortunately, they couldn't hear the rest of the conversation as the battle commenced.

Golden ripples of spatial distortion appeared in the air. Even from a distance, the captains recognized Captain Ailin's signature ability. Decades ago, he had used this very power to overwhelm the Twelfth Division and apprehend former Captain Kisuke Urahara.

Boom, boom, boom...

The sounds of battle echoed through the area. Soon, Captain Tōsen's reiatsu weakened significantly, almost fading completely.

Next, Captain Gin's spiritual pressure also diminished after a massive shockwave tore through the sky.

"Everyone, the traitor Ailin Kenpachi has attacked his fellow captains, a grave violation of the Gotei 13's laws. We must apprehend him immediately!"

"Yes, Captain-Commander!"

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...

The five figures rushed towards the battlefield. As they approached, they noticed Captain Aizen's reiatsu declining as well, indicating that he had been injured in the fight with Ailin.

They swiftly intervened, separating Ailin from Aizen. Yamamoto surveyed the scene, his gaze lingering on the Hollowfied Shinigami bound by Ailin's Bakudō #63.

"Captain Ailin, can you explain why you are here attacking Captains Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen?"

...

A few moments earlier before the captains showed up:

"No, Captain Ailin, I simply meant to say... the people I've been waiting for have arrived," Aizen replied as the five powerful figures intervened, separating him from Ailin.

Yamamoto stood at the center, flanked by Soi Fon and Byakuya, their hands resting on their Zanpakutō, their eyes locked onto Aizen. Any suspicious movement from Aizen would be met with immediate action.

Zaraki and Ukitake faced Ailin.

"Captain Ailin, can you explain why you are here attacking Captains Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen?" Yamamoto demanded.

"Captain-Commander, your question assumes guilt," Ailin countered. "Why couldn't it be that Aizen and his companions attacked me instead?"

"Hmph!" Yamamoto grunted and retrieved a letter from his robes, tossing it towards Ailin.

"Captain Ailin, read the contents of this letter, and then consider carefully how you will explain your actions," Yamamoto warned. "Otherwise, I will have no choice but to detain you for attacking your fellow captains."

"Oh?" Ailin raised an eyebrow as the letter fluttered towards him, landing gently in his hand.

He arranged the pages and began to read.

"To Captain-Commander Yamamoto:

By the time you read this letter, I, Captain Gin, and Captain Tōsen may have already been killed.

I will detail the information I have gathered in this letter. If we return safely, I will destroy this letter, as it will have been nothing more than my speculation, and Captain Ailin will be innocent.

However, if we haven't returned by evening, it will mean that we have fallen victim to Captain Ailin's treachery.

I will share everything I know in this letter. I hope that those who read it will learn from our mistakes and work towards exposing Captain Ailin's true nature. We will die without regrets.

Decades ago, Captain Ailin's disciple, Gin Ichimaru, left the Eleventh Division and joined the Fifth Division. The primary reason was that Gin had discovered Captain Ailin's secret..."