As soon as Urahara Kisuke spoke, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense. Several captains shifted slightly, their expressions sharp, though Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni sat unmoving, his gaze fixed forward with no intention of indulging further explanation.
Yuta leaned back casually, raising a hand to his ear as though the situation bored him. "Old man Yama, if Urahara Kisuke has something to say, give him the chance. Otherwise, you'll leave the explanation to me, and that would be needlessly troublesome."
Yamamoto's eyes slid toward him. After a pause, he finally gave a short nod. "Very well. We will hear him out."
Several captains exchanged glances, surprised that Yuta's words had been enough to shift Yamamoto's stance. If even the Head Captain weighed Yuta's voice in such matters, then the mystery surrounding his presence in Soul Society only deepened.
Some of the captains-such as Mayuri Kurotsuchi-already knew fragments of what Yuta was capable of. Others, like Kyōraku Shunsui and Yamamoto himself, had witnessed his power firsthand. The acknowledgment was not misplaced.
Urahara Kisuke cast a glance at Yuta, unsurprised that he had managed to sway Yamamoto. Even he could not fully grasp the depths of Yuta's strength. Turning back to the chamber, he began carefully.
"To clarify Aizen Sōsuke's situation, we must look back to the Hollowfication incident over a century ago."
He folded his arms, his tone steady. "You already know Sōsuke Aizen's Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu. Its ability grants complete hypnosis."
Murmurs rose through the captains, but Kisuke continued without pause. "Even then, there were clear signs that he was hiding his true strength, plotting against Soul Society. But no one uncovered it. The only one who became suspicious was Hirako Shinji. That suspicion eventually placed Aizen near him as vice-captain of the Fifth Division."
He sighed faintly, recalling the old mistake. "Shinji thought to monitor him. Instead, he was deceived completely, for the one he kept his eyes on was nothing more than Aizen's illusion under Kyōka Suigetsu."
"The transformation of Shinigami into Hollow was only one step toward Aizen's goal-to transcend the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow. To fully evolve required a medium: the Hōgyoku."
Heads in the room turned sharply toward him.
"Over a hundred years ago," Kisuke continued, "both Aizen and I were working toward the creation of the Hōgyoku. But through his manipulation with Kyōka Suigetsu, he shifted the blame for Hollowfication onto me. That was the trap."
The captains reacted with clear shock. Central 46 had formally condemned Urahara for that crime, but now it was revealed that the truth had been obscured entirely by Aizen's hand. As with the massacre of Central 46 more recently, deception had rendered Soul Society blind.
Kisuke's tone sharpened. "With Kyōka Suigetsu clouding perception, no one believed me and Tessai at the time. Yoruichi helped us escape into the world of the living."
He drew in a quiet breath. "Now, both Aizen and I completed prototypes of the Hōgyoku, but neither was whole. The one in Aizen's possession now is complete."
Mayuri leaned forward suddenly. "If what you say is true, how did your Hōgyoku end up in Aizen's hands? Were you defeated by him directly?"
Kisuke shook his head. "I realized how dangerous the orb was and attempted to destroy it. I failed. No method I applied could eliminate it, only conceal it. The hiding place I chose at the time was within Kuchiki Rukia's soul." He paused briefly before going on. "Eventually, that same Hōgyoku ended up with Yuta-and from him, it passed to Aizen."
All eyes in the room shifted toward Yuta.
Soi Fon narrowed her gaze. "Yuta… why would you give the Hōgyoku to Aizen Sōsuke?"
Yuta didn't offer them an answer, his posture unchanged. Kisuke's voice filled the silence in his place. "Most captains don't understand the reasoning. But Kyōraku and the Head Captain should already suspect… about the nobility of Soul Society, about the existence above us, and about Aizen's true objective."
He looked upwards. "From one perspective… Aizen might even be considered the just party in this."
The chamber fell silent under the weight of those words.
Soi Fon's eyes sharpened. "Justice? What could that possibly mean for him?"
Komamura's voice rose with sharp anger. "You call justice the slaughter of Central 46? Justice in conspiring with Hollows? Justice in planning to destroy Karakura Town? Explain yourself!"
Kyōraku raised a hand quickly, his voice light though his expression was serious. "Now, now, let's not turn this into a shouting match. What matters is that Aizen's goal stands against us-and against the Soul King himself. Whatever else is said, we can't allow it."
Kisuke exhaled and pressed on. "With the complete Hōgyoku in his grasp, Aizen has obtained a tool of terrifying capability. The Hōgyoku has its own will. It warps reality to fulfill the hearts of those nearby, drawing out and materializing desire itself."
His expression was grim. "And Aizen's target is Karakura Town. He intends to destroy its spiritual land, harvest the countless souls there, and use them to forge the Ŏken-the key to access the Soul King's Palace."
The captains' reactions shook the chamber. Shock and disbelief spread in equal measure.
"Unthinkable…!" one voice muttered.
"Such power in his hands would be a desecration," another added.
Mayuri's gaze slid back to Yuta. "If Aizen reaches the Soul King's Palace because of the Hōgyoku you passed to him, what judgment should fall on you? Would it not be that you yourself struck down the Soul King by proxy?"
He continued, deliberately measured. "Why not leave the Hōgyoku in our safekeeping? Do not mistake me-I value your ability. But as captain of the Twelfth Division, with the responsibility I hold, I must ask this directly." (T/N: Ngl.. i personally feel that the hogyoku would be better with aizen... mayuri give me the creeps.)
Yuta leaned back into his chair, his expression calm. He turned the seat slightly before settling in again, his voice steady.
"So what if Aizen defeats you? So what if Karakura Town falls? So what if he kills the Soul King?" His words cut into the tense air. "Have you ever even seen the Soul King? Do you even know what he truly is?"
Unease swept through the captains, none willing to respond immediately. The truth was clear-they had no knowledge of the Spirit King's true nature.
The silence that followed said more than denial could have.
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