Kisuke Urahara placed the cups on the table, then poured a small cup of sake for both Kazuma and Isshin Shiba.
"All right, Captain Kazuma. Can you start telling us the story now?"
"As long as there's sake, everything is easy."
A faint smile appeared on Kazuma's face, but there was a slyness hidden within it.
He slowly picked up the cup and gently swirled it, as if considering how to tell the story.
"Then I'll properly sort out the entire matter for you. But don't get too worked up later."
"Tell us, Captain Kazuma. What exactly do you know? And was it you who ambushed Isshin today?"
Kisuke Urahara's gaze fell on Kazuma, his tone carrying a hint of questioning.
Kazuma sat there quietly, his eyes calm.
He lifted his cup, took a light sip, then placed it down.
After taking a deep breath, he began revealing a shocking truth.
"The one who ambushed Isshin today was an old friend of yours."
Yoruichi looked puzzled.
"An old friend? Don't tell me it was Shinji Hirako and the others?"
But she still spoke with certainty.
"Our friends wouldn't do something like that."
Kazuma took another small sip.
"Looks like you misunderstood. The old friend I'm talking about is—Aizen."
"What?!"
Unlike Kisuke Urahara and the others, who had expressions that seemed to say, "So it really was him," Isshin's first reaction was that this was simply absurd.
He repeatedly said it was impossible.
"How could it be Captain Aizen? Captain Kazuma, are you joking?"
As for the person who had struck from the shadows being Aizen, Urahara and the others had already suspected that possibility.
However, they had not been certain, because they truly had not seen him make a move.
"What's impossible about it? Why don't you ask Urahara and the others who caused them to end up like this?"
Isshin looked toward Urahara, hoping to get an answer from him.
Urahara did not answer directly. Instead, he asked in return, "Captain Shiba, do you still remember why we were hunted by Soul Society?"
Isshin frowned deeply.
"Of course I remember. Wasn't it said that you carried out Hollowfication experiments on Captain Shinji and the others, committing inhuman acts that violated Soul Society's laws, and then took them with you while escaping Soul Society? That was why you were all sentenced to death."
"That's right. Someone did perform Hollowfication experiments on Shinji Hirako and the others. But that person was not me. It was Aizen!"
When Urahara said those words, his fists clenched tightly.
Although this had happened long ago, his hatred had not faded with time.
Hearing this, Isshin was deeply shocked, but he still found it hard to believe.
"But Captain Aizen has always appeared so gentle and refined. How could he do something like that?"
Kazuma sneered.
"That is merely his disguise. His ambition is far beyond what any of you imagine. What he seeks is to evolve to a higher level and become the king of the three worlds."
Isshin fell silent for a moment, but in the end, he still shook his head.
"I still can't believe Captain Aizen would betray Soul Society. Not unless you have solid evidence."
Kazuma looked at Isshin.
"Evidence? I personally saw Aizen slash you."
Isshin's heart began to waver.
"Urahara, what exactly happened during that incident?"
Urahara took a deep breath and said, "Captain Kazuma is right. Everything that happened to us was caused by Aizen. He used souls from Rukongai for experiments and caused Shinji Hirako's group to undergo Hollowfication. And the ones who attacked us that day were not only him, but also Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru."
"But I still have one doubt."
Kisuke Urahara frowned tightly.
His gaze was sharp as he stared at Kazuma, as if trying to see through his eyes and into his heart.
"Captain Kazuma, you said you personally saw Aizen act. We were also watching the battle at the time. Why were you the only one who discovered him?"
Kazuma looked at Kisuke, the corner of his mouth rising slightly into an almost imperceptible smile.
He spread his hands and answered casually.
"That can't be helped. All of you had already fallen under the hypnosis of his Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu."
Hearing this, Kisuke Urahara's gaze sharpened.
His brows furrowed tightly as he thought over Kazuma's words.
Kyōka Suigetsu?
That name was not unfamiliar to them.
It was the name of Aizen's Zanpakutō.
However, spoken from Kazuma's mouth, it carried an unmistakable certainty that could not be ignored.
"Kyōka Suigetsu? Isn't Aizen's Zanpakutō a water-type?" Kisuke Urahara asked, his voice carrying confusion and doubt.
He could not believe that his understanding of Aizen's Zanpakutō ability had been so wrong all this time.
Kazuma chuckled softly, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes.
"Even now, you still believe his Zanpakutō is water-type? Are you not awake yet? It is an illusion-type Zanpakutō. When he releases it, it can hypnotize everyone who has seen his Shikai. That is why your perception was distorted."
Kisuke's expression instantly became grave.
His thoughts spun rapidly as he tried to connect this new information with everything that had happened before.
If Kazuma's words were true, then Aizen's Zanpakutō ability was far more dangerous than they had imagined.
And they had been kept completely in the dark all this time.
That realization sent a chill through Urahara.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly opened them again, determination flashing in his gaze.
"If that is true, then everything makes sense… Thank you for telling me this."
Kazuma nodded.
Urahara began thinking again.
Scene after scene from the past surfaced in his mind. Details that had once confused him now became clear.
He realized that they had been led by the nose by Aizen all along.
"Damn it…"
Kisuke Urahara cursed under his breath, his heart filled with regret and self-blame.
He knew they had to reexamine the entire incident.
All of the methods they had prepared for revenge would need to be discarded and redesigned from the ground up.
However, Isshin found a flaw in Kazuma's words.
"Wait. I remember that you have also seen Aizen's Shikai, Captain Kazuma. Why are you fine?"
"Me?"
Kazuma smiled.
"I knew the ability of his Zanpakutō long ago. Do you really think I would have no way to deal with it?"
Isshin hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he chose to believe Kazuma's words.
"Captain Kazuma, I have one last question."
"Go ahead."
"Why did you just happen to appear in Karakura Town today? And why did you just happen to see Aizen ambush me?"
This was not only Isshin's doubt. Urahara and the others were also curious.
How did Kazuma know so many things?
And why had he been here today?
Kazuma spoke casually.
"From the moment you left Soul Society for the World of the Living, I had been following you. I knew Aizen would do something to you, but I was not sure where it would happen. I stayed hidden the entire time. Only after he slashed you and left did I show myself."
Isshin widened his eyes.
"You mean you followed me from Naruki City all the way to Karakura Town, watched the whole time as I got beaten up by White, got ambushed, and then watched Masaki and me get wounded by White? I almost died, and you still didn't act?"
Isshin's way of thinking really was unusual.
Shouldn't he be wondering why Kazuma had followed him the entire way?
Instead, he was angry that Kazuma had not helped him.
Hearing this, Kazuma looked at Isshin as though he were looking at an idiot.
"Don't tell me you thought I followed you here specifically to save you. Besides, if I had stepped in to save you, wouldn't Aizen have discovered me? I have no interest in doing something so troublesome with so little benefit."
Once Kazuma said this, everyone was speechless.
Isshin in particular was so angry he almost spat blood.
What kind of logic was that?
Was he really not worth saving?
However, he also understood that Kazuma was right.
If Kazuma had acted to save him at that time, Aizen would definitely have discovered his presence.
Thinking of this, Isshin sighed helplessly.
"Fine, you have a point. But since you already knew Aizen would act against me, why didn't you warn me beforehand?"
Kazuma shrugged and answered,
"I'm not omniscient. How could I predict every single detail? Besides, even if I told you, with your personality, would you have believed that Aizen was a traitor? Would you have believed that he would suddenly slash you from behind? Rather than that, it was better to let you experience it personally. That way, you would remember the lesson."
After saying this, Kazuma looked at Isshin with an expression of gloating satisfaction.