Regardless of the reason why Kyoya had clashed with Yamamoto, the moment he stood in opposition to the Captain-Commander, even if Ginrei held Kyoya in high regard, he would not hesitate to raise his blade against him if the Captain-Commander gave the order.
"Hmph!"
Seeing the arrival of so many Captains, Yamamoto snorted coldly.
'These lazy brats…'
'During Captains' Meetings, they always arrived at the very last minute.'
'Yet now, just because I had released my Reiatsu here, almost all of them had arrived within a minute.;
"Captain-Commander, third seat Kisaragi's condition doesn't seem too good. Let me take a look first."
The gentle and poised Unohana stepped forward, speaking softly beside Yamamoto.
Those who didn't know Unohana's true identity might assume she was a kind, compassionate woman.
But only those aware of her nature understood that Unohana Yachiru was a battle-crazed madwoman who reveled in slaughter.
However, if someone could suppress their true nature for hundreds of years, who could say she wasn't genuinely gentle?
"Mm. I leave it to you, Captain Unohana."
Yamamoto retracted his spiritual pressure and handed Kisaragi over to Unohana.
Green Reiatsu emanated from Unohana's hands, enveloping Kisaragi.
After sensing Kisaragi's condition, Unohana looked up at Kyoya in surprise.
With her mastery of Kaido, she could easily discern Tsukishiro's current state and the traces of prior treatment. Just this level of Kaido proficiency might already rival that of 4th Division Lieutenant, Yamada Seinosuke.
As for why Unohana assumed Kyoya had treated him… first, Kisaragi's body still carried traces of Kyoya's Reiatsu. Second, before she arrived, only Kyoya and Yamamoto had been present.
Yamamoto's Reiatsu was far too violent and unsuitable for Kaido.
Seeing Yamamoto withdraw his Reiatsu, Kyoya also dispersed his own.
With both Yamamoto and Kyoya standing down, the other Captains inwardly relaxed.
Though no fight had broken out, the Reiatsu Yamamoto had unleashed was genuinely terrifying.
"Ah, right, Captain Unohana."
Arriving next to Captain Unohana, Kyoya seemed to have just remembered something, "Captain Aikawa of the 7th Division was injured earlier and fell unconscious. I performed some emergency treatment, but further healing will require your expertise."
"Captain Kyoya's Kaido skills surpass even those of my 4th Division's Lieutenant."
"If even Captain Kyoya finds the situation difficult, then Captain Aikawa's injuries must be quite severe..."
Unohana continued treating Kisaragi while responding to Kyoya, "However, if Captain Aikawa's condition is similar to third seat Kisaragi, even I may not be able to do much."
"Huh? It's that serious?"
Isshin scratched his head in confusion.
In his memory, as long as Unohana intervened, anyone who wasn't dead could usually be saved.
'But now, third seat Kisaragi clearly wasn't in mortal danger… why was Unohana being so cautious?'
"Yes, perhaps even worse than imagined."
Unohana said gravely, "Third Seat Tsukishiro's injuries aren't physical wounds but damage to his soul."
"It's as though something terrifying has stolen a portion of his soul and Reiatsu."
"Even I am powerless in such a situation."
"What? Stolen his soul?"
Hearing Unohana's diagnosis, not just Isshin but all the other Captains were shocked.
"Are you kidding me?"
The Soul Society is the world of the dead. The beings here, even those born within it, are all souls.
For a soul to be stolen is akin to a living person in the human world having their organs ripped out… it would terrify any ordinary person.
'What kind of despicable monster would do such a thing?'
'This is practically inhuman!'
"Captain Unohana is correct."
Kyoya nodded and said, "The weapon that inflicted such injuries upon third seat Kisaragi is an extremely sinister blade."
He then proceeded to describe the appearance and abilities of the Bakkoto to the gathered Captains.
Most importantly, he emphasized the terrifying nature of the Bakkoto… how it fed on a Shinigami's Reiatsu and, in turn, enslaved them.
"This… this is…"
After hearing Kyoya's explanation, the expressions of several Captains changed instantly.
Yoruich, Unohana, Ginrei, Kyoraku, Kirio and Ukitake.
These people either belonged to noble clans with inherited knowledge of the Bakkoto, or were researchers themselves… meaning the Bakkoto was likely documented in the Technical Research Institute's records.
However, since this matter involved the noble clans, none of them spoke up despite their awareness.
Especially when considering the Central 46's earlier condemnation of the Gotei 13's incompetence regarding the Kasumioji Clan's recent attack… it was hard not to draw connections.
Their gazes then shifted toward Yamamoto.
Given what they knew, they were aware that the Bakkoto had been created by an ancestor of the Kasumioji Clan and had nearly become the standard weapon for Shinigami.
Now, it seemed the Kasumioji Clan had blatantly disregarded the Seireitei's ban… or at least, while pretending to comply, they had secretly resumed research on the Bakkoto.
'No wonder the number of Shinigami's casualties had risen so sharply recently. The Kasumioji Clan must have hit a bottleneck in their research, requiring more Shinigami as test subjects… or even as nourishment for the Bakkoto's growth.'
'Captain Kyoya was unaware of these hidden truths. Having discovered a weapon that devoured Shinigami, he naturally wanted to investigate thoroughly.'
'Now, it was clear why Kyoya had clashed with the Captain-Commander earlier.'
'However, Captain-Commander embodied the will of the Gotei 13.'
'If he refused to allow Captain Kyoya to pursue the matter, then this case would likely be buried.'
"Captain-Commander."
Kyoya met Yamamoto's gaze.
"I, too, am a Shinigami."
"My family… they are also Shinigami."
"I cannot ignore something that threatens their lives, lurking in the shadows and hunting our comrades."
"If my hesitation today leads to harm befalling those I care about tomorrow…"
His voice hardened.
"Then even if I slaughter every last one of those who forged this cursed blade-"
"-it still won't ease my rage."
"The Gotei 13 exists to protect the Seireitei."
"And the Seireitei does not belong to any single family or clan… it belongs to all of us."
"If certain people truly regard the Seireitei, and even the Shinigami within it, as their private property, freely killing or capturing us for their experiments, while the Gotei 13 turns a blind eye..."
"Then I'm sorry. This is not the Seireitei I wish to protect, and this is not the Gotei 13 I believe in."
Yamamoto stared into the unwavering determination in the young Kyoya's eyes. For some reason, it reminded him of his own youthful dreams.
But with age, concepts like justice and heroism had long been buried in the deepest recesses of his memory.
Now, what drove the man named Yamamoto was nothing more than a decaying old man, clinging only to the concept of 'protection'.
"Captain Kyoya, if I forbid you from investigating further... would you betray the Gotei 13?"
"Hah, isn't that obvious?"
Kyoya grinned.
When he was weak, he had to weigh his actions carefully, considering risks and gains.
But now, Kyoya's strength has greatly increased, and he has also awakened his Conqueror's Haki.
If he wanted to act, he would act.
Besides, if he did defect from the Gotei 13, he'd probably earn some kind of achievement… likely a gold-tier one.
After all, this would be the equivalent of an Admiral abandoning the Marines.
Just like Kuzan leaving the Marine to become a pirate… even if he joined an Emperor-level crew, he'd stand as an equal to its captain.
Hell, if Kuzan started his own crew, he'd instantly be considered Emperor-level.
Of course, what supports Kyoya's idea is his own strength.
"Hmph. Arrogant."
Perhaps influenced by Kyoya's sheer audacity, Yamamoto only snorted… but he didn't say, 'This ends here.'
Instead, he muttered: "The duty of the Gotei 13 is to protect the Seireitei."
With that, the Captain-Commander turned and walked away, leaning on his cane.
"What was the old man even trying to say?" Isshin frowned, "Isn't that something every Shinigami already?"
"What the old man means is that as long as we don't threaten Seireitei's safety or disrupt its stability, he won't interfere."
Kyoraku adjusted his straw hat, a faint smile playing on his lips.
'It seems the old man wasn't as senile as he seemed.'
"Kyoya-kun, the sheer audacity you showed tonight was enough to scare even me."
Approaching Kyoya, Shunsui draped an arm over his shoulder and grinned, "I wouldn't dare confront the old man so directly. You did what I've always wanted to but never had the guts for..."
"That was so cool!"
"Captain Kyoraku, we can talk about that later."
"There's something I'd like to ask you."
"Go ahead, Kyoya-kun. What do you want to know?"
Shunsui straightened up, his tone turning serious.
His intention had always been to communicate with Kyoya, ensuring that the upheaval he caused wouldn't spiral out of control.
Though Yamamoto had tacitly allowed them to continue investigating the Bakkoto Incidens, everyone understood that this was the old man's special leniency toward Kyoya.
Only if Kyoya led the investigation would the ensuing chaos not provoke the Captain-Commander's wrath.