"These bastards. Doing this right under the Seireitei's nose," Kyōraku Shunsui said, frowning. The Junrin'an District was adjacent to the Seireitei, yet the Gotei 13 had been completely unaware of this operation. It was quite a slap in the face.
At that moment, there was a commotion in the hallway outside. A white-haired Shinigami entered, followed by several others.
Sora recognized him; it was the Captain-Commander's second-in-command, Squad 1 Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe.
"Lieutenant Sasakibe, you got here fast," Shunsui remarked with a raised eyebrow. He was clearly sent by the Captain-Commander.
"Captain Kyōraku, it seems you've made quite a discovery here. However, your unauthorized actions have greatly displeased the Captain-Commander," Sasakibe said.
"If he's displeased, he's displeased. I'm a captain now. The old man can't seriously lock me up, can he?" Shunsui said, unconcerned.
Sasakibe said nothing more and helped Shunsui secure the evidence. With that, the investigation could move forward and flush out whoever was behind it.
...
A few days later, Sora went to the Squad 8 barracks to check on the investigation, only to learn from a squad member that their captain hadn't been back for days. An inside source said the Captain-Commander had thrown Shunsui into confinement after those defiant words.
The evidence from that day was submitted to Central 46. They took it seriously and assigned a joint investigation to Squad 6 and Squad 10.
Soon after, Sora received shocking news. The forge "Ōtsuka Bō" was actually owned by the Azashiro family. The entire clan had been arrested, and even Kana Azashiro was taken from class on the spot.
Kensei, Shinji, and Uemon ditched class and ran to tell their teacher. After calming his students, Sora went with Batsunsai to the prison to see Kana. The guards recognized Batsunsai and let them in.
Kana was unharmed, but she was exhausted from repeated interrogations. When she saw Sora, her spirits lifted.
"Teacher!"
"Kana, I brought you some pastries," Sora said, handing her a food box.
"Teacher, is the Azashiro family done for... I heard the guards say we're accused of treason!" Kana said dejectedly, opening the box as if it were her last meal.
"Don't worry. I'll find a way to get you out," Sora said. "Kana, was Ōtsuka Bō your family's forge?"
"That's right. Do you remember, teacher? The wooden swords from the academy were defective, and I brought a new batch from Ōtsuka Bō to promote the new shop," she said.
"A new shop?" Sora frowned.
"Yes. It opened a month or two before I started at the academy. Master Ōtsuka handled everything from the build to the opening," Kana recalled. She didn't know much more about her family's affairs.
After comforting her, Sora left the prison. He had wanted to ask her parents, but they were under tighter control, and not even Batsunsai's influence was enough.
"It seems the Kasumiōji family's move wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. We just happened to get caught in the middle of it," Sora said. He believed this operation against the Azashiro family had been planned for a long time.
"This is very strange. If it were only the Kasumiōji family, they couldn't have taken down the Azashiro family so quickly," Batsunsai said, frowning. The Azashiro clan had been growing rapidly in recent centuries and wielded considerable power.
Fortunately, Sora still had one more card to play. While monitoring the Kasumiōji mansion with his shadows, he discovered they kept records of successfully forged Bakutō, and he knew where those records were stored.
...
A few days later, Kyōraku Shunsui was finally free. "For an old man, he's still got a strong grip. My shoulder still aches!" he said, rubbing his arm. After leaving Squad 1, he was dying for a drink.
"Captain Kyōraku, I've finally found you."
The sudden voice startled him. He looked around but saw no one. After probing his surroundings, he sensed an odd shadow in the corner.
Shunsui's hand was already on the hilt of his sword.
"Don't be alarmed. It's me." The shadow in the corner thinned, revealing Katori Sora.
"Katori-kun? Is that your Zanpakutō ability?" Shunsui said. "This concealment is strong. I didn't notice you at all."
"My shadow helps me hide my Spiritual Pressure," Sora said briefly. "Captain, have you heard what's happened to the Azashiro family recently?"
"I'm not completely out of the loop. I know about it... I didn't expect the forge we found to be theirs," Shunsui sighed, remembering that one of Sora's students was from that family. He had heard that Squads 6 and 10 later found a great deal of evidence of rebellion at the Azashiro residence, including many guards armed with Bakutō.
"The Azashiro family was framed. Through my investigations these past few days, I've discovered those swords were actually made by the Kasumiōji family," Sora said.
"Hey, hey, you can't just say things like that. Do you have any evidence?" Shunsui asked. He had also felt that the case was moving with unusual speed.
It was clear that a powerful force was pushing this matter forward.
"Of course I have evidence. But we have to go and get it ourselves." Sora had sought out Shunsui because of his status. He couldn't just produce a scroll and claim it was from the Kasumiōji family. He needed a witness with enough weight to legitimize the evidence, and as the Captain-Commander's disciple and the current captain of Squad 8, Shunsui had that weight.
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