"If you fall here, Hinamori won't have the slightest chance of survival. Take her to get treated, Tōshirō."
Kōe kindly reminded Hitsugaya, hoping the other party wouldn't let anger swallow his reason and consequently lose what he truly ought to cherish.
But just like last time, whether it was a reminder laced with threat and mockery or gentle persuasion, Hitsugaya refused to listen, acting just like a brat in his rebellious phase.
"I told you I was going to kill you, Aizen."
"Don't say it so fiercely," Aizen said softly. Hitsugaya clearly didn't see him move, yet in the next second, Aizen was suddenly standing right in front of him. "It only makes you look weak."
*How?* Although Hitsugaya was somewhat surprised, he subconsciously drew his blade. 'Kill Aizen' was absolutely not a feigned threat; he was truly going to do it!
"What a pity..." Before the slash could even be swung, Hitsugaya felt his body become paralyzed. Aizen's voice came from behind him. Even trying his best to turn his head, he could only see half of a silhouette. And with just that single glance, his vision was obscured by a spray of blood—his own blood.
"It seems you aren't very good at teaching students, Kōe." Aizen slowly exhaled a breath of white mist. "But thanks to you, we get to see this unique scenery. Even though it's not the season for it, seeing ice right now isn't too bad."
*Can you really blame me for that?* Kōe smiled bitterly and shook his head. If he wasn't good at it, then he wasn't good at it. Some flaws couldn't be made up for with mere words.
"Shouldn't you hand the person over to me now?"
"Oh? Are you rushing me to leave?" Aizen turned around, stepping away from the wooden structure that had been reduced to a mere raised platform. "It is about time. Let's go, Gin."
"You seem to have gotten the order of things wrong..." Before Kōe could finish his sentence, he suddenly turned to look toward the entrance of the cavern. "Who's there!" Once he got a clear look at the arrivals, Kōe subconsciously furrowed his brow. "Sister Hana?"
Appearing at the entrance were Unohana, Kaien, and the others. Kaien looked ready to draw his blade and charge forward, but Unohana reached out and blocked him behind her.
"You really are here, Kōe, and..." Unohana's gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Aizen in the back. However, judging by her expression, she wasn't all that surprised. "And Captain Aizen. No, I shouldn't address you as 'Captain' anymore, you treasonous criminal—Aizen Sōsuke."
"Hello, Captain Unohana." Aizen didn't look the least bit surprised either. If there was anyone in the Seireitei who could discover his faked death despite being under the influence of Kyōka Suigetsu, it would definitely be Unohana Retsu standing before him.
"Sister Hana, how did you find this place?"
"The only area in the Seireitei that is completely forbidden to enter for any reason is this Seijōtōkyorin. Since Aizen went through so much trouble to create an exquisite corpse doll to hide himself, he would definitely come to the safest and hardest-to-find place in the Seireitei."
Unohana answered Kōe's question frankly. Similarly, she had a question for him: "And what about you? Why are you hiding here?"
"To save someone."
"To save someone?" Unohana found this strange. Between Aizen and Ichimaru Gin, who was he trying to save? And did either of these two look like a hostage?
Although Kōe rarely told the complete truth, he wasn't one to tell such a clumsy lie. If this wasn't a lie, then...
"Although Kōe could explain it, it would be clearer if I clarified." Aizen's tone was relaxed, as if he had no conflict with Unohana and the others. "First, you are mistaken on two points. One, I did not come here to hide. Two, this is no corpse doll."
As Aizen spoke, he suddenly raised his hand. In his grasp was the very exquisite corpse doll Unohana had mentioned. But shouldn't it have been safely stored in Squad 4?!
"Wh-When did he..."
"When? I have actually been holding it in my hand this entire time. I simply didn't want you to see it until this very moment."
Aizen's words thoroughly confused Isane. Although she was only a lieutenant, she could clearly see that Aizen hadn't moved just now, nor did he have such a conspicuous object in his hand.
"Wh-What in the world is..."
"Time to reveal the answer. Watch closely, I am going to release it." Aizen extended his hand, holding out the lifeless corpse so that Unohana and the others could see it clearly. "Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."
*How is that possible!* Kotetsu Isane rubbed her eyes. She was certain she hadn't blinked, but why was there a sword in Aizen's hand? And where did the corpse go?
Unohana was no less shocked. Although she didn't make any sudden movements, she couldn't hide the panic in her expression. This wasn't some cheap trick; it was real. The corpse in Aizen's hand had turned into a sword—or rather, it had been a sword all along.
"My Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu. Its ability is Complete Hypnosis."
"This is why I couldn't act recklessly," Kōe sighed softly. "Because I simply couldn't find where he hid that person. Even if she was right in front of me, I still wouldn't be able to find her."
*Couldn't find?* Unohana noticed Kōe's choice of words. It wasn't that he couldn't see, hear, or sense her. 'Couldn't find' meant that she clearly existed, but he just couldn't discover her, no matter what method he used.
*Complete Hypnosis... just what kind of ability is it?!*
"But, as a running-water type Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu uses the chaotic reflection of mist and water currents to disorient enemies and make them kill each other. Isn't that what Captain Aizen said himself?" Isane subconsciously asked Unohana. "He even gathered us lieutenants and demonstrated it in person."
*Demonstrated it in person?* Isane and the other lieutenants had confirmed this ability. Unohana thought about it carefully; hadn't the captains also confirmed Kyōka Suigetsu's ability? If all of that was fake, just like the corpse from a moment ago...
"So that's how it is. That was actually the hypnosis ritual, wasn't it?" Unohana said, looking at Kōe. Kōe nodded, confirming her theory.
"Complete Hypnosis can dominate a person's five senses, causing them to misjudge appearance, form, mass, touch, sound, and even smell, leading them to view a target as an enemy." Aizen said, slowly sheathing Kyōka Suigetsu. "In other words, it can make you mistake a fly for a dragon, a swamp for a flower garden, or Kōe Shihouin for Aizen Sōsuke."
*What's with that last sentence!* Kōe looked at Isane and Kaien, who had subconsciously taken a step back, and waved his hands. "Don't be nervous, stay calm! You must stay calm. Remember, right now, at least three people here are your allies."
"But two people are your enemies, and you have no way of telling who." Aizen picked up where Kōe left off, continuing, "As long as you have seen it once, you will fall under Complete Hypnosis from that moment on. After that, whenever I release Kyōka Suigetsu, that person will be completely hypnotized."
At this, Isane and Kaien grew even more tense. After all, they couldn't be sure if Aizen had released Kyōka Suigetsu again right after deactivating it.
However, Unohana seemed to notice something unusual. If seeing it just once resulted in Complete Hypnosis, then it wasn't strange at all that she and Kōe had fallen for it. Even Zaraki Kenpachi had been completely hypnotized.
Exactly how many people had seen the release of Kyōka Suigetsu? Unohana couldn't be certain, but if Aizen's description was accurate, there was one person who absolutely could not be hypnotized.
"In other words, if someone hasn't seen it..."
"It seems you've figured it out. Naturally, those who haven't seen it cannot be completely hypnotized." Aizen smiled, making no attempt to hide the truth. "Therefore, the blind Tōsen Kaname is also my subordinate."