Inside the Seireitei's First Division Barracks, Yamamoto Genryūsai's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the smear of bright red on Retsu Unohana's finger.
"Didn't I tell you to show restraint? How is there still blood?"
"This is my blood."
Unohana sat kneeling on the floor, her voice tinged with an irrepressible excitement, as if she were still immersed in that strike from Jie Chengxian that had wounded her. For a thousand years, there had been very few who could trade blows with her in Zanjutsu, let alone leave a scar on her body.
Hehe, I truly look forward to seeing what realm this child will reach as he continues to grow.
Seeing that Unohana was about to revert to that villainous persona from a millennium ago, Yamamoto lifted his cane and lightly tapped the floor.
*Cough.*
"Forgive me, I lost myself for a moment."
Unohana instantly reverted to her gentle Yamato Nadeshiko image, straightened her posture, and reported the day's situation to the Captain Commander. Yamamoto remained as steady as a mountain when hearing about Jie Chengxian's talent in Zanjutsu—what scene had this old man not witnessed? But when he heard the words 'Fourth Seat Spirit Power Level,' his narrowed eyes snapped open, and he slammed his cane onto the ground, causing several fine cracks to silently spiderweb across the floor.
"Captain Unohana, are you certain?"
Yamamoto followed up, a rare occurrence. It was for no other reason than the current Gotei 13 being far inferior to its founding days, to the point where even the Central 46 under the Royal Family dared to order him around.
He had once pinned his hopes on Kyoraku Shunsui, but unfortunately—firstly, the Kyōraku family was a high-ranking noble house, and making him this 'blade' would easily cause instability; secondly, Kyōraku himself was the type to 'fish for three days and dry the nets for two,' slacking off whenever he could.
The eldest disciple was a lost cause, and while the second disciple, Jūshirō Ukitake, had the strength, he was chronically ill. The other new captains each had their own issues. Just as Yamamoto was almost ready to give up, he suddenly saw hope for restructuring the Soul Society; how could he not lose his composure?
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"Yūki, be careful lately."
Aizen, who had finished bathing first, had already changed and was sitting on the bed with his eyes closed in cultivation, offering a casual reminder. Word of the clash between Jie Chengxian and Captain Unohana today would surely spread, and there was no telling how many people would be unable to sit still. If he wasn't careful, it wouldn't be surprising if he were targeted by certain individuals.
"Be careful? Careful of what?"
Jie Chengxian, who was currently undressing, clearly didn't understand. Hearing this response that made his blood pressure rise, Aizen helplessly opened his eyes, prepared to talk sense into this 'humanoid creature'—and then he saw Jie Chengxian's practically perfect physique, with every proportion appearing as if meticulously carved.
"Hmm? Why did you stop talking?"
Jie Chengxian waved his hand in front of Aizen, who had frozen like a statue. Aizen snapped his eyes shut and took a deep breath, suppressing the waves churning within him.
"Stop waving... I'll explain it to you, you blockhead, in a moment."
After saying this double-edged sentence, Aizen became like a monk in meditation and stopped responding. Jie Chengxian found it bizarre and had no choice but to go shower first.
Listening to the sound of water from the bathroom, Aizen's tense body collapsed onto the bed as if his spine had been removed. The turmoil in his mind caused his surrounding Spiritual Pressure to shatter into pieces like a mirror. If Jie Chengxian were present now, he would probably think he had transmigrated to the wrong world—what kind of Aizen would have a brown high ponytail and clothes that could barely contain them?
Losing his composure twice in one day because of the same person... Aizen could no longer tell if Jie Chengxian was a companion bestowed by heaven or a torture device sent specifically to torment him.
Re-applying his original Illusion Kido on himself, Aizen reverted to the appearance Jie Chengxian was familiar with and resumed his upright sitting posture. Only when Jie Chengxian came out from his shower and began his daily harassment did he slowly open his eyes.
"Why do you think the Captain of the 4th Division came all the way to the Shino Academy today specifically to find you?"
"Obviously because I'm handsome, suave, and exceptionally talented; Sister Hana wants to take me under her wing~"
Aizen gave him an annoyed glare, giving up on the idea of guiding his thinking.
"You just sparred with Teacher Inoue this morning, and a Captain-level figure showed up in the afternoon—either Captain Unohana was delighted by a new talent, or the Gotei 13 is in desperate need of people, and not just ordinary geniuses. Even so, it shouldn't warrant such attention from a Captain..."
He paused, glancing at Jie Chengxian, who was pretending to think seriously, when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
"You came from Rukongai. Tell me, is there currently a large-scale conflict in Rukongai?"
Jie Chengxian tried hard to recall what he had seen on the road from District 80 to the Seireitei and nodded with certainty.
Aizen's eyes grew brighter, and his speaking speed gradually increased:
"It seems a riot has broken out in Rukongai. But a simple riot could be suppressed by sending two captains; the fact that the Captain Commander is being held back means he's being constrained—the only ones who can tie him down are the Central 46 Chamber, or rather, the Royal Family and the nobility. It's even possible that some captains haven't supported the Captain Commander, otherwise they could have quelled the unrest in secret, as they wouldn't face any severe punishment anyway."
Speaking to this point, Aizen looked at Jie Chengxian, who seemingly hadn't kept up with the logic, and patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"Congratulations, you are about to face more than half of the upper-tier powers in the Soul Society. If nothing goes wrong, you will be summoned by the Captain Commander tomorrow."
There was a hint of schadenfreude in Aizen's voice. Despite not knowing Jie Chengxian for long, he had already suffered quite a bit because of him. Now, seeing the other's 'constipated' expression, Aizen's frustrated mood lightened considerably.
"Sōusuke, you can't just stand by and watch me die!"
The more anxious Jie Chengxian became, the deeper the smile in Aizen's eyes grew, though his face still wore a 'powerless to help, good luck to you' expression.
However, how could such a small problem stump the brilliantly witty Jie Chengxian? He suddenly revealed a mysterious smile, looking like everything was under control.
"Haha, Sōusuke, do not underestimate me; my wisdom is not inferior to yours. Let me ask you—is it 'Jie Chengxian' whom the Captain Commander is summoning?"
Although the question was correct, an ominous premonition rose in Aizen's heart.
"I appoint you as Jie Chengxian, and I shall be Aizen Sōsuke. That way, won't I be safe?"
...The version of himself that actually believed he could come up with a good plan was truly an idiot.
Aizen silently crawled into his blankets, no longer paying any attention to Jie Chengxian, who was marveling at his own 'world-shattering wisdom.'
The night passed in silence.
The next day, before he could even step into the academy gates, Jie Chengxian was grabbed by Teacher Inoue, who had been waiting at the entrance, and was rushed toward the First Division Barracks. Watching his receding back, Aizen turned and walked into the academy, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Jie Chengxian will be busy for a while, so he shouldn't have much energy to focus on me... It seems the plan can take its first step.
He pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked toward the Central 46 Chamber, the symbol of the Soul Society's highest judicial power, with a mocking smile.
A fragile cage might be able to trap an aging tiger... but can it lock up a young and vigorous dragon?