"What do you mean by that, sir?"
Ishida Sōken set down his teacup, staring nervously at the figure seated in the chair beside him.
"I mean exactly what I said, of course."
The man paid no mind to Sōken's defensive attitude. He spoke calmly, as if catching up with an old friend.
"If I remember correctly, the Quincies of the Human World are quite unwelcome, aren't they?"
"For various reasons, the Soul Reapers of the Soul Society have sent representatives more than once to discuss certain matters."
"When the last conflict fully erupted, a fanatic among the Soul Reapers killed Mr. Utsunomiya Wan, the leader of the Human World Quincies, on the spot, forcing all of you to sign numerous unequal treaties."
The man looked at Sōken with a faint, enigmatic smile. His voice was soft and gentle, as if he were advocating for the Quincies' grievances.
"The most severe of these being the absolute prohibition against hunting Hollows in any form."
"As a Quincy, to see a Hollow and be unable to strike it down—what a cruel fate."
"It is like caging a fierce tiger, stripping it of its fangs and claws, and then letting wild rabbits roam freely before it."
"Are you... truly resigned to this?"
Sōken's eye twitched violently as he looked at the man in astonishment.
Initially, he had assumed the other party was here for official business, but hearing that last sentence instantly dispelled the thought.
"Mr. Ishida, you seem quite afraid."
Sōken's expression stiffened, and he forced a strained smile.
"You must be joking, sir. The surviving Quincies are absolutely loyal to Lord Naraku. There is no need to test us."
Hearing this, the man paused for a moment before the corners of his mouth curled up, as if he had just heard an amusing joke.
"So you thought I was sent by Naraku Sora. What a beautiful misunderstanding."
"Hmm, I wonder, has Mr. Ishida ever heard of the Five Great Noble Families?"
"The Five Great Noble Families?"
Sōken was taken aback, his brows furrowing deeply.
As a Quincy, he naturally wasn't very familiar with the power structure of the Soul Society. The only thing he knew was that the Gotei 13 was the highest military organization among the Soul Reapers.
The highest judicial body was the lofty Central 46, which he had heard was composed of individuals with high status but little to no combat power.
Could it be that the person before him was a member of Central 46?
The man tilted his head, gazing at the contemplative Sōken, and said mildly,
"It seems you do not know. The Five Great Noble Families are the highest-ranking entities in the Soul Society."
"They stand above both the Gotei 13 and Central 46, holding absolute authority over everything."
"A single casual word from them can often determine the fates of countless people, and Quincies are no exception."
Hearing this, Sōken's eyes widened.
"This..."
Although he did not trust the man before him, he could tell the other party wasn't lying.
On the contrary, the man had maintained an air of sincerity from the very beginning.
A sincerity so profound that it made Sōken, who was actively doubting his motives, feel a pang of guilt.
"Surprising, isn't it? But this is the system of the Soul Society. This is the true nature of the world."
The man sighed.
"Now, Mr. Ishida, if an opportunity to change the fate of the Quincies were placed before you, what would you choose?"
"Would you continue to cower in a corner, watching helplessly as the Quincies march toward extinction, or would you rise up in rebellion and exact your revenge on the Soul Reapers?"
Sōken froze.
He never expected a man who was a Soul Reaper to utter such treasonous words.
Observing him closely, the man was dressed in luxurious attire, and his every movement exuded an indescribable, archaic elegance—just like a true aristocrat.
As if guessing a certain possibility, Sōken murmured,
"Could it be that you are..."
The man stood up, preparing to end the conversation. As far as he was concerned, the purpose of this trip had already been achieved.
Just as he had anticipated, Ishida Sōken was inherently indecisive, but his sole concern was the Quincy clan in the Human World.
The bait had been cast; whether the fish would bite depended entirely on its greed.
"Mr. Ishida, think it over carefully. This will be the only chance in your lifetime to change the destiny of the Quincies, and I am the only one who can offer it to you..."
"I will be waiting for you in the Karakura District."
"Furthermore, I trust your character, Mr. Ishida. I believe you won't leak our conversation to anyone else."
Just as he turned to leave, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
"Wait!"
"Who... exactly are you?"
The man looked back, his serpentine gaze landing on Sōken's conflicted face. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Exactly who you think I am."
"I am a member of the Five Great Noble Families. My name is Tokinada. Tsunayashiro Tokinada..."
Hearing this, Sōken's pupils shrank drastically.
Before he could ask him to stay, the figure before him suddenly flashed and vanished from the spot.
Sōken chased him out into the corridor, staring blankly at the empty courtyard as a thoughtful look flashed through his eyes.
The man's speed seemed even faster than Lord Naraku's back then.
After a long while, an almost imperceptible voice echoed in the empty corridor.
"The power to choose our destiny, huh?"
He had to admit, Tsunayashiro Tokinada's words were incredibly tempting.
Even an honest man like Ishida Sōken found himself somewhat swayed.
"That is the entire sequence of events."
Looking like a scolded child, Sōken sat rigidly in his chair, recounting everything that had happened at the Ishida Manor word for word.
Across from him, Naraku Sora wore a bizarre expression.
"You're saying a guy calling himself Tsunayashiro Tokinada came to you, spouting nonsense about changing the fate of the Quincies, letting you live openly in the sun, and even standing as equals against the Soul Reapers?"
Sōken nodded with an honest expression.
In truth, he had agonized over this for a long time before coming to the Soul Society.
If Sora's combat performance at the manor that day hadn't left such a profound impression on him, and if he hadn't already revealed the secrets of the Wandenreich to him, he might have actually sided with Tsunayashiro Tokinada in the end.
"Sōsuke, what do you think?"
Sora crossed his arms, pondered for a few seconds, and then turned his gaze to the person beside him.
Aizen sighed. "Mr. Ishida, let me give you the bad news first. Everything Tsunayashiro Tokinada said is true."
Sōken's expression froze, his pupils contracting as he spoke with a trembling voice.
"Then... then there must be good news too, right?"
Aizen nodded. "The good news is that the Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Families, was completely wiped out recently by the guy sitting across from you, along with a group of Captains."
"Tsunayashiro Tokinada is merely a member who managed to escape by a stroke of luck."
"?"
Sōken's eyes widened in sheer shock.
The highest echelon of power in the Soul Society, an existence above Central 46, was just casually wiped out like that?
Could it be that this Lord Naraku was the true apex of the Soul Society?!
"Mr. Ishida, you should consider yourself fortunate to have made the right choice,"
Aizen said nonchalantly.
"But since you've already made your decision, you might as well see it through to the end."
"We'll be relying on you to act as our guide for our upcoming trip to the Human World."
After a few seconds of silence, Sōken nodded with a solemn expression.
In the pitch-black Dangai, three figures moved steadily forward along a Reishi pathway.
Sōken trailed at the very back, suffering in silence.
He couldn't understand why he was able to take the official, legal route when he arrived, but leaving the Soul Society had suddenly turned into an illegal border crossing.
Did Lord Naraku not know that if other Soul Reapers discovered this, they would be subjected to extremely severe punishment?
As a Soul Reaper, he was knowingly breaking the law.
Looking at the two figures ahead of him and recalling what he had heard earlier, a strong sense of unease inexplicably welled up in Sōken's heart.
*Did I just throw my lot in with a bunch of criminals?*
"Sōsuke, there was no need for you to tag along. I can deal with a mere Tsunayashiro Tokinada with a wave of my hand."
Sora casually used his Reishi manipulation abilities to widen and extend the Reishi pathway beneath their feet, transforming it into a broad avenue that led straight ahead.
In this kind of environment, Quincy abilities were actually quite handy.
If it were a Soul Reaper, creating such a Reishi path would require at least the power of a Captain.
"Head Captain Yamamoto should have taught you that even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Besides, Tsunayashiro Tokinada is no weakling."
"Furthermore, I suspect this might be a trap."
"A trap?"
Sora looked puzzled.
Jogging along in the back, Sōken pricked up his ears.
"He keenly sniffed out the approaching crisis before the Tsunayashiro Clan fell and chose to leave ahead of time."
"Would a man like that really fail to consider the possibility of Mr. Ishida turning on him and acting as an informant?"
Aizen analyzed calmly.
"Or do you think someone like him would pin his hopes on the conscience of a man he had never met before?"
"In fact, the way I see it, Mr. Tsunayashiro Tokinada has likely accounted for both scenarios."
"First, Mr. Ishida chooses to cooperate with him. The Human World Quincies outwardly abide by the previous treaties, but secretly become Tsunayashiro Tokinada's assets."
"Second, Mr. Ishida chooses to inform on him, luring the Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13 to the agreed-upon location to ambush him."
"But regardless of the outcome, Tsunayashiro Tokinada will be prepared to face it calmly."
"Perhaps right now, a trap has already been set in the Karakura District, waiting for us."
Listening from the side, Sōken broke out in a cold sweat that nearly soaked his temples.
He suddenly realized there was a reason why Quincies could never outsmart Soul Reapers.
He was already considered one of the brightest among the Quincies, yet he was still being played for a fool.
As for the rest of those smooth-brained idiots, they would probably help count the money after being sold out.
The Human World, Karakura District.
When the Senkaimon opened in the sky above, Tsunayashiro Tokinada, standing on a rooftop, narrowed his eyes slightly, a delighted smile appearing on his lips.
"It seems Mr. Ishida has broken our agreement."
"To descend upon the Human World in such a manner... you certainly are full of confidence."
However, before he could finish his sentence, a dazzling crimson light burst from the gateway. Appearing even faster than the figures was a blade as radiant as moonlight.
A terrifying, heart-palpitating shockwave swept down from the sky, hurtling straight toward the rooftop.
Tokinada's pupils shrank drastically as he instinctively used Flash Step to dodge.
Boom!
Like a falling meteor, the building collapsed instantly. Countless clouds of dust surged upward, spreading out in all directions.
The ground trembled as a Zanpakutō, wreathed in fierce light, plunged into the earth, radiating endless light and heat.
This exaggerated scene made the corner of Tokinada's eye twitch.
Only then did an overwhelmingly oppressive figure step out of the Senkaimon.
Naraku Sora stood upon the sky, looking down condescendingly at the figure in the dust:
"Tsunayashiro Tokinada, do you like my gift?"