The Power of the Villain
There was no time for the intruder to speak.
Yamamoto Genryūsai unsheathed Ryūjin Jakka with one hand and swung it forward. The tip of the blade erupted in a raging flame that swallowed the figure of Zaraki Fuuya, reducing him to ash.
Yet after the flames faded, Yamamoto's expression betrayed no satisfaction. His sharp eyes slid to the side. Spiritual particles swirled and condensed, forming Zaraki Fuuya's body again.
"Captain-Commander, please don't waste your energy," he said calmly. "This is only a fragment of me. Burn it as many times as you like, it will always reform."
Yamamoto's voice rumbled with restrained fury. "Zaraki Fuuya, you surrendered yourself to the Muken of your own will. Now you've escaped. State your purpose."
The old man's spiritual pressure thickened the air into a suffocating weight. But Fuuya did not flinch.
"My goal hasn't changed. I intend to transform the residents of Rukongai and launch a large-scale assault on Hueco Mundo. But this time, purification alone isn't enough. I intend to cut the Hollow curse off at its root."
Yamamoto's brow twitched. "At its root?"
"Humans," Fuuya replied simply.
He spoke as if delivering a lecture. "It is human resentment, hatred, and obsession that breed the seeds of Hollows. Erase those emotions, and the chain of causality collapses. No more Hollows, no more suffering."
"You should recall from the Shin'ō Academy's modern studies that there is a branch of medicine called psychiatric surgery. One such operation, lobotomy, removes parts of the brain to strip away destructive impulses. I will apply the same principle—on souls. If humans can be reshaped, purged of those flaws, Hollows will never arise. Even Hell itself would be unnecessary."
He paused, his gaze cutting across the room. "I am still working on how to implement it on a mass scale. Until then, do not interfere. And do not touch Shiraishi. He is my ally now."
"Ridiculous!"
The captains had remained silent, but Matsumoto Rangiku burst forward, eyes blazing. "What do you take people for? Puppets to be rewired at your whim? If a soul suffers injustice, stripped of the right even to hate or rage—what's left of their humanity? The world you describe is hell itself!"
Fuuya's expression didn't shift. "I am only fulfilling a Shinigami's duty. Our responsibility is balance. Nothing more. You're too emotional, Matsumoto Rangiku—it's meaningless to argue with you."
He turned back toward Yamamoto. "Captain-Commander, think carefully. What I propose could end all suffering. If you lend me your aid, Soul Society itself will prosper."
"Impossible," Yamamoto answered coldly.
"Is that so?" Fuuya sighed, his form flickering, particles scattering back into the air. "Then at least don't stand in my way."
When he was gone, silence lingered like ash.
"Suspend the pursuit of Zaraki Fuuya and Shiraishi," Yamamoto finally ordered.
Rangiku gasped. "Captain—surely you don't agree with him!?"
"Do not mistake me." The Captain-Commander's tone softened with patience. "This is a matter of priorities. We lack the strength to subdue all six escaped prisoners at once. Of them, Fuuya's ideals cause the least immediate harm. The others are far worse."
He lifted his staff and struck the floor. "Hear me well."
"Mad King Munemasa, once Tsunayashiro Munemasa, attempted to storm the Soul King's Palace two millennia ago. He sought to abduct the Soul King himself and collapse the Three Realms. Only I and the heads of the Five Noble Houses subdued him."
"Evil Doctor Genjiro, pioneer of Hollowfication, sought to consume all of Soul Society to evolve into something beyond Shinigami or Hollow."
At this, Aizen's hidden eyes gleamed faintly with curiosity.
"Demon Fist Tendō Kaoru, a martial artist obsessed with proving strength, lives only to crush the Gotei 13. From now on, no captain is to travel alone."
"Kiyashiro, creator of forbidden Kidō. He has halted time, reversed causality, warped space, even attempted to resurrect the dead—almost collapsing Soul Society entirely."
"Silver Flash Yagyū Tsukikage, a twisted thief who steals not just treasure but people, subjecting them to unspeakable torment, shredding the order of Seireitei itself."
"Each of these five is more dangerous than Fuuya's delusion," Yamamoto declared. "They must be our priority."
A heavy silence followed, broken only by Zaraki Kenpachi's eager laugh. "Heh. Now that's what I like to hear. So many monsters to cut down."
Yamamoto ignored him. "Our focus begins with Kiyashiro, Munemasa, and Genjiro. Then Tendō Kaoru and Tsukikage. Only afterward will we turn to Zaraki Fuuya, Shiraishi, and Shiba Kūkaku."
At that, Kyōraku Shunsui lowered his straw hat. "Then perhaps… we can use Shiraishi."
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed.
Shunsui continued quietly. "There is only one way to reach the Soul King's Palace—from below—by means of the spiritual cannon created by the Shiba family. With Shiba Kaien dead and Shiba Isshin gone, only Kūkaku still holds that knowledge. If Munemasa moves, he'll threaten her brother, Ganju. If we do nothing…"
His words trailed off, distaste plain in his voice. To use a child as bait left a bitter taste, even for him.
But Yamamoto's decision was swift. "Increase surveillance on Shiba Ganju. His safety is paramount. Whatever it takes."
For the world's balance, some burdens must be carried in shadow. That was the captain's duty.
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