Yuta's eyes were sharp as he continued, "In other words, I also want to ascend to the Soul King Palace..."
"It's just that my methods are not as radical as Sōsuke Aizen's."
"Otherwise, maybe I would have supported him."
"And even if all of you are defeated by Sōsuke Aizen, I will take action in the end."
"Of course, this is not for the purpose of protecting Soul Society, nor the Soul King."
"...It's just that I don't want to see some of the girls in Karakura Town die."
Kyōraku Shunsui turned sharply and spoke with a grin, "I didn't expect Yuta to share the same hobbies as me. Nanao, don't you agree?"
Ise Nanao's voice was cold. "Get out."
Shunsui chuckled lightly. "I just like Nanao's indifferent look."
Mayuri narrowed his eyes and fixed them on Yuta. "You? I admit as the Grand Kido Chief, You possesses incredible technical ability in Kidō, and now perhaps considerable strength as well. But compared with someone wielding the Hōgyoku? A battle against Aizen Sōsuke might not be so interesting, don't you think?"
Yuta spoke evenly. "If you doubt it, you can experience it for yourself." Black energy began to form at his fingertips, a deep and pitch-dark concentration of Kidō.
Mayuri placed his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō as his eyes glimmered with interest.
Sasakibe Chōjirō stiffened at the sight. If Yuta unleashed that spell inside Division 1's assembly hall, he feared the building would be destroyed outright. Others may not know it, but he had seen the overwhelming destruction of Yuta's Kurohadō firsthand.
From Yuta's hand, a small black sphere formed. The captains present instinctively focused on it. Even those who understood little felt its extraordinary power. A murmur spread across the room: "What technique is this?"
Kyōraku lowered the brim of his straw hat and sighed. "Looks like we're arguing again..."
Boom!
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni struck his cane against the floor. His tone cut through the hall like iron. "Enough!"
"Yuta did commit an error by placing the Hōgyoku into Aizen Sōsuke's hands."
"But if he prevents Aizen's plans and makes amends for this mistake, he can be pardoned."
"These are extraordinary circumstances. Yuta will not be pursued for punishment at this time. His judgment will be addressed after the war."
The captains fell silent. Kyōraku understood what Yamamoto's words truly meant: if Aizen triumphed, Soul Society itself would not survive to impose judgment. If they triumphed instead, forgiveness for Yuta would be a simple matter.
The history of the Gotei 13 was not one of purity. A millennium ago, they had been a group of killers who bore the name but not the ideals of the Gotei. Each captain had slaughtered countless souls, yet no punishment had followed.
Mayuri's atrocities on Quincy subjects had long been known. Zaraki Kenpachi and Unohana Retsu's battles had claimed the lives of civilians in Rukongai. None of them had been condemned.
To Yamamoto, the Gotei had always been a weapon-a force where subordinates and enemies alike could be considered sacrifices if necessary. Yet with time, his heart had shifted, and the weight of things to protect had grown heavier. Yhwach's words echoed from the past: "It is precisely because you have more and more things to protect that you lose to me."
Perhaps it was that change that framed Yuta's actions as dangerous under today's standards. A thousand years ago, giving away the Hōgyoku might only have been a cause for excitement; another powerful enemy to kill. Now, it was betrayal in the eyes of protectors.
Even so, no one present could truly convict Yuta-not with the strength he wielded. His power was not something that could be restrained by law, only something he could choose how to wield. For Soul Society, the mission was to protect Seireitei and the Soul King. For Yuta, family remained his foremost concern.
In his earliest thoughts, ascending to the Soul King Palace might have been little more than a step toward escaping this world and returning to his own. But with each encounter with Rukia Kuchiki and Rangiku Matsumoto-women he now considered his own-his reasons began to change. Protecting stability itself had begun to matter to him.
Night fell over Soul Society. Yuta returned to his residence carved into the mountainside. Inside, a hidden passage opened-not a Senkaimon, but a Garganta.
[You observed the traces of the Garganta and successfully comprehended the method: "Garganta."]
In the human world, Yuta had already rented a house and purchased ingredients for hot pot. Using his control over reishi, he converted those ingredients into spirit form to bring them back to Soul Society. He could have manufactured anything directly from spirit particles, but he wanted the true taste of these human delicacies at least once.
That evening, he sat opposite Rangiku Matsumoto as the hot pot bubbled between them.
Soon, footsteps approached. Rukia Kuchiki entered the residence. She looked briefly surprised-the house was bright and spacious, built differently than usual Soul Society structures. Her eyes caught on the steaming pot at the center, shared between Yuta and Rangiku.
"Rukia, you're here too. Do you want to eat with us?" Rangiku called out warmly.
"...Alright," Rukia replied as she sat beside Yuta and lifted her chopsticks.
As the three of them began to eat together, a knock sounded on the door.
Rangiku set her chopsticks down and went to open it. "Hinamori... Come in and join us for hot pot."
Momo Hinamori stepped inside quietly. Her eyes flickered to Yuta with lingering emotion before she bowed deeply. "Thank you, Yuta, for saving my life."
Yuta nodded and said nothing more.
Rangiku, seeing Hinamori's downcast expression, gently guided her to the sofa and placed a piece of meat into her bowl. "I know you're worried about Aizen. Don't be. With everyone here, this will be resolved."
Hinamori's chopsticks trembled in her hand. Her voice broke slightly as she stared at the food before her. "Why would Captain Aizen do this? Did he truly betray us? I can't believe that… someone as gentle as him... would do such a thing. I... I don't know what to do anymore."
Rangiku pulled her into a soft embrace as Hinamori's composure broke and she quietly wept into her arms.
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