"I probably won't make it... so I'm leaving this to the one I trust most."
"I wrote the whole truth in it."
"Why must Yuta be arrested?"
"Why must those who slandered Yuta be executed?"
"During my investigation, I found out the most unexpected thing."
"It turns out... the purpose of arresting Yuta isn't to kill him-"
"-but to seize it."
"His Zanpakutō."
"Yuta has... a terrifying Zanpakutō."
"It doesn't carry any ordinary ability."
"It possesses Quincy 'destruction' power."
"It is complete 'death'-not the 'purification' of the Shinigami."
"If that kind of destructive power is unleashed... the consequences would be impossible to control."
"Those seeking to capture Yuta want to destroy the entire Seireitei-and even Soul Society."
"The one behind it... is-"
"Hitsugaya Toshiro!"
Hitsugaya Toshiro stood silently, his face heavy with tension as he stared at Momo Hinamori. Her eyes were reddened with tears as she raised her Zanpakutō against him.
When had he ever planned to destroy Seireitei?
Would he betray Soul Society?
Accusations like that... they were too severe.
Could he even bear the weight of them?
There had to be some deception at play.
It was unclear when Momo Hinamori broke free from cell 217 and escaped the Fifth Division's prison. Given her Vice-Captain-level strength, it wasn't surprising that standard cells couldn't contain her.
What left him in disbelief was one thing-
"Did he... really write that? On Aizen's letter?"
How could Aizen Sousuke write those words?
"...Yes..." Momo's tears continued to fall. She couldn't believe that her former comrade-the one who raised his blade now-was the same person who planned to destroy Soul Society and end Aizen's life. Her hands trembled as she gripped her Zanpakutō tighter.
"Captain Aizen also wrote: 'I will meet him at the Great Holy Wall tonight. No matter what happens, I must stop him.'"
"'And if he refuses to listen... I will fight him to the death.'"
"'Hinamori... if I die-please carry my final wish... and avenge me.'"
"'I'm not asking as the captain of the Fifth Division-but as just one man.'"
At that moment, Momo's pain overflowed into action.
Her scream cracked through the air as she surged forward, striking without hesitation.
Hitsugaya barely stepped back in time as her spiritual pressure surged outward with her blade. He frowned sharply and snapped back-
"Idiot! Hinamori-can't you think for yourself? 'Avenging me if I die'-does that sound like Aizen to you?"
"The Aizen I know... even if he was walking into certain death, he wouldn't ask someone else to clean up after him. He's not that kind of man."
Behind him, Gin Ichimaru stood with his usual half-smile and narrowed eyes, watching the chaos unfold in silence.
"But he wrote it... I saw it with my own eyes... it's his handwriting!" Momo shouted, her Zanpakutō held in both hands as tears streamed down her face.
"I don't want to believe it either! I don't-but that's what Captain Aizen said!"
Sobbing, Momo charged once again, swinging her blade at Toshiro's defenses.
Hitsugaya dodged using Shunpo, refusing to strike back. He watched her silently-conflicted and stunned. Momo Hinamori was in agony. To come at him like this, she had to be suffering deeply. Deep enough to abandon reason.
Who would do this to her?
Play with her emotions and turn her against him?
She had once trusted him... and now?
"Aizen... Captain Aizen... I... I don't know what to do anymore... Toshiro..." Her sobs didn't stop as she fought to speak through them.
Watching her break down only sunk Hitsugaya's heart further. Though no tears emerged from his eyes, the weight in his chest grew heavier.
Hinamori slashed again. Hitsugaya jumped to avoid her blade, his expression tightening.
Damn it...
She's overwhelmed-she couldn't tell truth from lies anymore.
And Aizen's death... it completely shattered her trust in everything around her.
It didn't seem possible... that Aizen wrote that letter himself.
Who tampered with it?
Toshiro clenched his fists as the realization boiled up inside him.
Whoever it was... they wanted this outcome.
They wanted Hinamori and him to destroy each other.
And if he struck back now… then what?
He'd be doing exactly what they wanted.
Yet if he did nothing… Hinamori's strikes would only escalate.
In that moment, while high in the air, Hitsugaya caught movement behind him-
-Ichimaru Gin.
His eyesight locked onto the man's expression. Gin's usual enigmatic smile was fixed in place, but this time it seemed even colder. Sharper. Calculated.
It brought back Momo's words from earlier-about how Gin had been the last person to see Aizen alive.
"I see..."
"So this was your doing..."
"Ichimaru!"
Toshiro launched himself downward, drawing his Zanpakutō. He slashed with full strength at the man behind it-
-but just before his blade could reach Gin-
Hinamori appeared between them.
She slashed at Hitsugaya in desperation, forcing him to react mid-motion.
Though stunned, Hitsugaya couldn't stop the strike fully in time. All he could do was shift his own body to the side and redirect the momentum away from her vital points.
Poof!
They crossed in the air.
Momo's body twisted with the impact, blood trailing behind her. She struck the ground and rolled upon impact before lying motionless, her Zanpakutō flung from her hand.
"Hinamori!"
Hitsugaya shouted and turned back, staring at her crumpled form.
"Ouch... that was pretty harsh, Captain of the Tenth Division."
Gin's lazy tone slipped forward. "Facing someone who's lost themselves to grief... you really went that far?"
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