"No need to worry, Tōsen Kaname."
Aizen raised his hand to cut him off.
"To us, the Gotei 13, including those high-and-mighty nobles, are all a bunch of useless mediocrities."
"Instead of worrying about their vigilance..."
"...we should worry about when our experiment will succeed."
"It's been fifty years, countless experiments, yet so far we can only guide Gillian-level Hollows to gain a certain amount of Shinigami power."
"This is far from enough."
"We need more subjects, more experimental results."
"Tōsen Kaname, remember, we are fighting for the future of Shinigami. If we can guide Shinigami to Hollowfy, making them like Arrancar, breaking racial limits..."
"...you and I will both be etched into the annals of Soul Society's history."
"Sacrificing a few Shinigami is nothing."
Aizen's tone was slow, seemingly possessing a special charm.
It immediately re-energised Tōsen Kaname.
He promptly seized the Shinigami locked in the prison, preparing to conduct another experiment.
At this moment...
Aizen recalled something.
He looked at Tōsen Kaname and couldn't help but ask, "By the way, Tōsen Kaname. How are the Menos Grande in North Rukongai? Have they been slain by Tsugikuni Yoriichi?"
Tōsen Kaname pondered for a moment, scanned a string of characters on the computer, and replied, "Lord Aizen, those Hollows are dead, but..."
He frowned slightly, "It seems it wasn't Tsugikuni Yoriichi who killed them."
"The map shows that the perpetrator is still in North Rukongai District 79."
"By the time it should be..."
"He should have returned by now."
Those Hollows had been tampered with by Aizen beforehand.
Their blood contained a pheromone, colourless and odourless; once it touched something, it would remain for three months, no matter how much it was washed.
He had planned to use it to constantly pinpoint Tsugikuni Yoriichi's location, to make other arrangements targeting him, but...
Hearing Tōsen Kaname's words,
Aizen subconsciously raised an eyebrow: "Not him?"
"Then who could it be?"
"Who completed this mission first?"
Tōsen Kaname lowered his gaze slightly: "My apologies, Lord Aizen, it seems there's been a problem with this matter. I will investigate it thoroughly."
"Based on the perpetrator's location, I think it's probably a Rukongai resident from North Rukongai... This fellow ruined your plan, he deserves to die."
"Please give me some time, I will surely capture and execute him as a warning to others!"
...
"Achoo!"
Just as Tōsen Kaname uttered these words, Kenpachi, located in Yachiru, couldn't help but sneeze.
He stood with his sword amidst a pile of corpses, the air thick with the stench of blood. Some of it had soaked into his feet, making them sticky.
Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa were playing dead, lying in the pile of bodies.
They tried their best to suppress their breathing, but they never expected...
"Hey, you two, get up right now!"
"Were you two just cursing me in your hearts?"
Rough voices echoed in their ears.
Knowing that their act of playing dead had been exposed,
To avoid being cut down with a single stroke,
They quickly got up, and under Kenpachi's sharp gaze, they bowed without hesitation:
"Greetings, Boss! The boss is invincible, righteous, and saved the countless people of District 79 by eliminating these villains. We truly admire you!"
"May we know your esteemed name, Boss?"
"How should we address you?"
"I, Ikkaku Madarame..."
"I, Yumichika Ayasegawa..."
"We swear to follow Boss to the death! Please give us a chance, Boss!"
"..."
"Huh?!"
This sudden flattery made Kenpachi widen his eyes slightly. He swung his sword through the air, feeling as if an alpaca had run through his mind.
Who the hell are you? Who's your boss?
He was about to retort.
The next second,
A faint sense of crisis emerged from within.
It was as if he was being watched, making him feel uncomfortable all over.
Kenpachi looked up at the sky, his eyes like a hawk's, piercing through the clouds, as if he could see the source of the danger.
Just then,
Aizen scanned Kenpachi's location on the computer.
Listening to Tōsen Kaname's suggestion, he thought for a moment.
He lowered his hand:
"No need."
"It's merely a failed plan; there will be other opportunities in the future."
"At this critical juncture, avoid creating new complications."
"For now, just record his spiritual pressure. Perhaps we will meet again if there's an opportunity..."
...
Aizen's next move was seven days later.
After all...
Today was the day Tsugikuni Yoriichi was promoted to Vice-Captain of the Tenth Division.
Aizen was somewhat surprised when he first heard the news.
In terms of age, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's talent was far more dazzling than Kyōraku's and Ukitake's.
He had expected a long delay regarding his assignment.
He didn't expect...
The matter is to be settled in just a few weeks.
Being promoted to Vice-Captain meant that his identity would no longer be easily controlled by him, and there would be no possibility of him becoming one of his own.
Therefore...
"Heh..."
"Did they sense something?"
"Or... were they simply protecting him?"
"Yamamoto Genryusai has indeed grown old; he lacks his former resolve. If this were before, he would have surely used force to assert his authority."
"And not resorted to subtle hints."
Aizen's slender fingers tapped the desk. He sat at the table and in a short while deduced the general cause and effect of the matter.
Of course, there might be other motives involved.
For example,
Inducement.
But that had nothing to do with him.
Besides himself, there were many other ambitious individuals in the seemingly calm Seireitei.
They were all nobles who, to achieve their ambitions, would spare no effort to win over external Shinigami.
If the news was true,
They would also be unable to sit still.
Yamamoto Genryusai might have sensed this, but due to the nobles' status, he couldn't act directly, which is why he resorted to subtle inducements...
Thump, thump—
At this moment, Tōsen Kaname walked in slowly, his footsteps echoing on the floor.
Entering the Vice-Captain's office,
He informed Aizen of the latest developments.
Upon hearing this, Aizen nodded slightly, showing an expression of 'just as I expected'.
"Indeed..."
The latest development was that some minor families were quite dissatisfied.
A seemingly normal action,
In Aizen's eyes,
It was full of flaws.
Dissatisfied? What was there to be dissatisfied about? This was the Captain-Commander's order.
At such a critical moment, those who dared to contact them were undoubtedly restless individuals.
Even if they weren't, they certainly held a repellent attitude towards Yamamoto Genryusai himself...
Clatter!
Aizen put down the brush in his hand and said indifferently:
"Tōsen Kaname, in a moment, go as me to congratulate the new Vice-Captain of the Tenth Division, and by the way, give him a gift."
"Let's decide on a clock or something similar for the gift."
"Don't contact the rebels for now, lest you be influenced by them."
"Afterwards, remember to send some Hollows to West Rukongai District 1 and have Inuno act quickly."
"Shinigami with stronger spiritual pressure are more suitable for Hollowfication, especially during moments of intense emotional fluctuation..."
.......
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