Shihōin Yoruichi was not only the former captain of the Second Division and Commander of the Onmitsukidō
she was also the head of the Shihōin Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Houses of Soul Society.
To Central 46, the position of "Second Division Captain" alone did not carry decisive weight.
After all, from a legal standpoint, all captains are appointed by Central 46, and the Gotei Thirteen exists as a military force directly subordinate to their authority.
However
The head of a Great Noble House was an entirely different matter.
Historically, Soul Society had once been ruled by Five Great Noble Houses.
• The Shiba Clan had long since been expelled from the ranks of the nobility.
• The Ise Clan withdrew from public affairs and vanished into obscurity.
• The Tsunayashiro Clan, after internal upheaval and bloodshed, had fallen into decline.
At present, only the Kuchiki Clan and the Shihōin Clan remained at the peak of noble influence.
Because Kuchiki Ginrei, head of the Kuchiki family, was already advanced in age, the Shihōin Clan, led by Yoruichi, was effectively the most influential noble power still active within Seireitei.
For this reason alone, Yoruichi's actions placed Central 46 in an extremely awkward position.
They were deeply troubled by a single question:
Why would Shihōin Yoruichi assist the alleged traitor Urahara Kisuke?
Yet despite their suspicions, Central 46 dared not issue a formal arrest warrant against her.
This situation was fundamentally different from the case of Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
Tokinada had slaughtered his own clan, committed unforgivable atrocities, and left behind irrefutable evidence. His crimes were absolute.
Yoruichi, by contrast, had done only one thing
She helped Urahara Kisuke escape.
That alone was not enough to justify condemning the head of a Great Noble House.
If Central 46 rashly declared Yoruichi a traitor, it would imply that one of the Great Noble Houses itself had betrayed Soul Society.
Such an admission would shake the very foundation of the noble system.
And more importantly
It would force Central 46 to acknowledge that their judgment in the Hollowfication incident might have been wrong.
That was something they would never allow.
After all, they had already:
• Determined the nature of the incident
• Named Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai as the culprits
• Approved the execution of Hollowfied captains and vice-captains
To now admit error because of Yoruichi's actions would be to deny their own authority.
Thus, Central 46 chose the path of self-deception.
On one hand, they issued a comprehensive manhunt for Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai.
On the other hand, they pretended not to see Yoruichi's involvement at all.
However, this very contradiction only deepened the doubts within the Gotei Thirteen.
To many captains, Central 46's ruling now appeared deeply flawed.
Coupled with their trust in Yoruichi's character and the sheer number of captains implicated
very few within the Gotei Thirteen truly believed Urahara Kisuke was a traitor.
Even so, figures such as Kyōraku Shunsuiand Ukitake Jūshirō understood that the truth behind this incident was far more complicated than it appeared.
Unfortunately
The key individuals had already vanished.
Shihōin Yoruichi.
Urahara Kisuke.
Tsukabishi Tessai.
And the Hollowfied captains.
There was no one left to question.
Among Kyōraku Shunsui's private suspicions, one possibility stood out:
Gosuke Shigure might know something.
After all, both Yoruichi and Urahara had once addressed Gosuke Shigure as "teacher."
If anyone had received parting words from Yoruichi before her disappearance, it would likely be him.
Yet Gosuke Shigure remained deliberately vague.
After spending some time at Kaien-dō with Ukitake Jūshirō, Kyōraku escorted Gosuke Shigure back to the Eleventh Division.
The Gotei Thirteen had suffered unprecedented losses.
Six captains vanished at once.
If the long-vacant Tenth Division captaincy was included, nearly half of the leadership was gone.
However
None of this directly affected Gosuke Shigure.
The Eleventh Division continued operating as usual.
After all, the Eleventh Division existed for a single purpose
Battle.
When war came, they would fight.
Politics and investigations were never their responsibility.
That day was different from the rest.
Dressed neatly, Gosuke Shigure arrived alone in the outer wilderness of Rukongai.
Before long, the space in front of him distorted.
A vertical seam of light opened, tearing through the air itself.
From it stepped a figure clad in elegant robes, draped in a white haori distinct from that of the Gotei Thirteen.
It bore the unmistakable markings of Squad Zero.
The woman was Shutara Senjumaru.
Strictly speaking, the Shinigami uniform and the captain's haori both originated from designs refined within Seireitei.
And it was Shutara Senjumaru herself who had once elevated those designs to their present form.
She was a figure of immense importance to Soul Society.
Since their last meeting, Gosuke Shigure and Shutara Senjumaru had made arrangements to see each other again.
Although she now belonged to Squad Zero, access between realms was possible through a specialized Senkaimon-type gateway reserved for the Royal Guard.
This gate allowed limited travel between the Royal Realm and Soul Society.
However, its usage was heavily restricted.
The time allowed was short.
Once the limit was reached, the gate would forcibly return its user.
In earlier eras, Squad Zero members used such gates more freely.
But over time, the limitations made them impractical.
Few bothered with them anymore.
For Shutara Senjumaru, however, it was enough.
At intervals, she used the gate to meet Gosuke Shigure in private.
As for the waiting period
Even Royal-grade technology required time to recharge.
Standing together in the quiet wilderness, the two spoke at length.
There was little to say about daily life in Squad Zero.
So Gosuke Shigure did most of the talking.
He told her everything that had happened in Soul Society.
After listening, Shutara Senjumaru let out a slow breath.
"…This is no small upheaval."
She had never served as a Gotei Thirteen captain, but she had lived in Seireitei long enough to understand their role.
Seven captain-class combatants lost at once
If the Gotei Thirteen truly lost control of the situation, the consequences would be catastrophic.
However, now that she belonged to Squad Zero, direct intervention was not permitted.
How to escape this crisis was ultimately the Gotei Thirteen's burden.
It was Gosuke Shigure's next words that finally made her expression grow serious.
And for the first time
Shutara Senjumaru felt unease.