"You mean the Tsunayashiro Clan has its eyes on the Fullbringers?" Batsu'unsai asked, piecing the puzzle together.
"I think so," Kazuma nodded. "The Tsunayashiro deliberately provoked the conflict between Ginjō and Ukitake. They assassinated a member of XCUTION to make Ginjō hostile toward Soul Society."
"But just killing a single member shouldn't be enough to cause a full-blown rebellion," Batsu'unsai frowned.
"He could've easily contacted Ukitake to confirm the hit. Why abandon everything?"
"What if they threw gasoline on the fire?" Kazuma leaned forward, resting his elbows on the low table.
"The Substitute Badge Ukitake gave him is secretly a surveillance and restriction device. The Tsunayashiro likely leaked that detail to Ginjō, making him realize Soul Society never trusted him to begin with. Add in his natural hunger for power, and it's incredibly easy to push him down the path of treason."
"Sinister bastards," Saitō scoffed. "They exploited his paranoia and framed the Gotei 13, all so they could harvest his Fullbring in the chaos without drawing attention."
"The plan was nearly flawless," Kazuma said. "But Ginjō isn't a puppet you can easily control. He has his own brutal ambitions. And since I'm already on the board, their little conspiracy is doomed."
"But why go through all this trouble?" Batsu'unsai asked. "Just for power and status? The Great Nobles already possess absolute authority."
"Do you know exactly who in the clan is pulling the strings?" Kazuma asked, a dark smile playing on his lips.
"It's Tokinada Tsunayashiro."
"Him?" Batsu'unsai grimaced.
"You know him, my love?"
"Not personally," Batsu'unsai said, her tone laced with deep disgust. "But I've heard the rumors. Tokinada married a Shinigami, then murdered her in cold blood. Shunsui actually exposed him, but because of his Great Noble status, Central 46 buried the charges entirely. Everyone knows the man is a twisted psychopath."
"You only know half the story," Kazuma corrected quietly. "He is twisted, but his mind is sharp. His wife was Kakyō. He didn't just kill her for fun, he butchered her to harvest the fragment of the Soul King residing inside her soul."
"What?!" Saitō's single eye widened. "That's why he walked free?"
Batsu'unsai pressed further. "Then Tokinada's plot to harvest Fullbringers... is it related to the Soul King?"
"Yes. Tokinada learned the original sin of the Five Great Noble Families from their ancestral archives. After discovering the grotesque truth about how the Soul King was mutilated and sealed to create our world, his nihilism took over. He despises his noble identity, yet he wants to push his family's ancestral evil to the extreme. He intends to forge a new Soul King and control it as his personal puppet. That is why he's hunting Ginjō."
"Hold on," Saitō interrupted, crossing her arms. "Ginjō isn't an idiot. Why didn't he just confront Ukitake? Why jump straight to armed rebellion?"
"Saitō, you think Ginjō didn't try?" Kazuma smirked.
Saitō's eye narrowed as realization hit her. "He couldn't reach them. The Tsunayashiro Clan intercepted his communications and completely cut off his connection to the Seireitei."
"Exactly," Kazuma nodded. "Cut off from Ukitake, realizing his badge was a spy camera, and finding his comrade murdered by a Shinigami assassin... Ginjō naturally concluded the entire Gotei 13 had marked him for death."
"Those aristocratic bastards," Saitō growled, her hand dropping to her sword hilt. "Their ambition is a disease. If they cross my path, I'll carve them up."
"It isn't just Tokinada," Kazuma added quietly. "Aizen likely had a hand in stoking this fire. They share similar goals."
Kazuma leaned back, calculating the variables.
Aizen was building his Arrancar forces, and Tokinada was trying to forge a puppet god.
'If left unchecked, they'd burn the Three Worlds to ash,' he thought. 'But I already have the board locked down. Aizen will never reach the heights he did in the original timeline.'
...
Meanwhile, in the white dunes of Hueco Mundo, Aizen stood atop the dome of Las Noches, staring into the endless night.
"Gin," Aizen murmured, his brow slightly furrowed. "I've been feeling an unusual sense of unease lately. Like an invisible weight pressing down on the board. Investigate the Seireitei's shadows when you return."
Gin Ichimaru's smile stretched wider, his eyes closed in his perpetual snake-like squint.
"Oh? Is that so? How fascinating. But with your strength, Captain Aizen, who could possibly pose a threat in the shadows to you?"
Kaname Tōsen stepped forward, his expression severe. "Captain, could it be Urahara's faction making a move? Shall I strike first?"
Aizen shook his head, his tone returning to its usual, detached calm.
"No need to rush. Let Gin observe the currents, we must remain vigilant."
...
Back in Karakura Town, Kazuma's mouth lifted into a confident smile.
"Don't worry about Aizen right now. He's already caught in my web, the immediate priority is resolving the Ginjō issue before he slaughters any more of our squads."
Saitō couldn't care less about the political chess games.
She only cared about the practical, bloody reality. "So how do we actually find Ginjō? Do you have a plan, or are we just wandering the streets?"
Kazuma poured himself a cup of tea. "That's simple. We wait. Someone is going to flush him out for us."
Saitō tilted her head. "You mean..."
"The Tsunayashiro Clan exerts heavy influence over the SRDI's surveillance grid. Tokinada already knows exactly where Ginjō is hiding," Kazuma said, a lethal glint in his eyes.
"We'll strike the moment he sends his assassins to harvest the Fullbringer."
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