Later, at the Urahara Shop, Shinji Hirako, Kisuke Urahara, and the others gathered once more.
The events of that night had been far too bizarre.
First, Isshin Shiba had been ambushed by Aizen.
Then Kazuma had appeared and held a secret discussion with them.
After leaving, he had suddenly fought a great battle against Aizen. Everything had happened too abruptly.
Soul Society's losses that night could only be described as disastrous.
Gin Ichimaru, captain of the Third Division, had been severely wounded by Kazuma, and his survival was uncertain.
Wasn't he supposed to be an undercover agent?
Kazuma, captain of the Seventh Division, had died by Aizen's blade, and his corpse had been stolen by mysterious figures.
Kaname Tōsen, captain of the Ninth Division, had been reduced to ash by Kazuma, leaving behind only his Zanpakutō as proof that he had ever been there.
Isshin Shiba, captain of the Tenth Division, had lost his Shinigami powers and become an ordinary human.
Everything was a complete disaster.
The door opened, and Yoruichi Shihōin hurried back.
"How did it go?" Urahara and the others asked gravely.
Yoruichi shook her head.
"Those two masked figures were too fast. Even I couldn't catch them!"
"What? Even you, the so-called Flash Goddess, couldn't catch them?" Shinji was stunned. "Then who in the world are they? Did you see what movement technique they were using?"
"I can't be completely certain…" Yoruichi said. "It looked somewhat like our Shunpo, somewhat like a Hollow's Sonído. But there was also another technique mixed in that I've never seen before."
As expected of the Flash Goddess, even though she had not been able to fully make it out, she had still roughly identified the techniques contained in that footwork.
"There's no one in Soul Society who uses that kind of movement," Urahara said after thinking for a moment.
"Could they have come from Hueco Mundo? Or could they be Quincy?"
His brows were tightly furrowed, his heart filled with doubt and unease.
"Why would they take Captain Kazuma's corpse and Zanpakutō?"
It was a baffling question, and everyone sank into thought.
"I think the ones who acted were very likely Quincy we have never come into proper contact with," Yoruichi said, her tone extremely serious. "When I was chasing them, I sensed fluctuations in the reishi."
"The Quincy and us Shinigami are mortal enemies," Urahara said. "And people like them have rarely been active in the open for a long time, aside from Masaki Kurosaki and Ryūken Ishida, who appeared today."
His words made everyone's mood even heavier.
Kensei Muguruma suddenly voiced a bold guess.
"Could they be planning to study Captain Kazuma's corpse and Zanpakutō?"
The thought sent chills down their spines. If that was truly the case, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"If so, this is troublesome. The fact that even Yoruichi couldn't catch those two means the Quincy still have powerful individuals hidden away, perhaps even stronger than us. What have they been hiding for?"
That question weighed on everyone's heart like a boulder.
After a long silence, Isshin Shiba finally broke the quiet.
"No matter what, we have to find those two masked people as soon as possible. We can't let them succeed."
Shinji could no longer sit still either.
"Should we notify Soul Society about this? It involves the Quincy, after all."
Yoruichi took the matter upon herself.
"I'll handle it. Although I left Soul Society, I still have ways to contact the Shihōin Clan."
...
At that moment, Soul Society was already in complete chaos.
After Aizen returned to the Seireitei, he immediately reported the events that had occurred in the World of the Living to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
An emergency captains' meeting was convened in the middle of the night.
"What? You're saying Kazuma ambushed Isshin Shiba while he was carrying out a mission in the World of the Living, killed Kaname Tōsen, severely wounded Gin Ichimaru, and then you personally stepped in and dealt with him? Impossible. That is absolutely impossible."
Jūshirō Ukitake's words were intense.
He was only a step away from grabbing Aizen and tearing into him.
"Aizen! Captain Kazuma is not that kind of person!" Byakuya also stepped forward at that moment.
"Silence."
Captain-Commander Yamamoto shouted, his voice booming through the room.
Then his blazing gaze turned toward Aizen.
"Sōsuke Aizen, do you understand what you are saying?"
Aizen remained calm and unruffled.
"Captain-Commander, captains, everything I said is true. Captain Kazuma was indeed a traitor to Soul Society. I personally witnessed him in Karakura Town together with Kisuke Urahara and his group."
The instant those words were spoken, the First Division barracks fell silent.
The silence was so complete that one could have heard a pin drop.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's expression turned frighteningly dark.
He looked at Aizen, fury and suspicion flickering in his eyes.
Aizen, however, maintained his composed expression, as though he had anticipated all of this from the beginning.
"Captain-Commander, if you do not believe me, you may wait until Third Division Captain Gin Ichimaru wakes and question him personally. After all, he is the true victim of this incident."
Aizen's tone was sincere.
Yamamoto was silent for a moment before finally nodding.
"Very well. I will personally look into this matter. We will handle it once Ichimaru awakens. As for now, Aizen, I want you to remain temporarily within the Fifth Division barracks, surrender your authority, and await the final results of the investigation."
Aizen bowed slightly in obedience.
"I understand, Captain-Commander."
"Dismissed."
With that order, the meeting ended, and everyone left one after another.
Aizen also turned and departed from the First Division barracks.
His back looked somewhat lonely, but deep in his eyes, a trace of cunning remained hidden.
...
In the First Division captain-commander's tea room, Retsu Unohana, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Jūshirō Ukitake, who had all returned after leaving, were now present.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto slammed his hand heavily on the table, making the teacups jump.
"That brat Kazuma! To think he would pull something like this without even discussing it with us!"
Shunsui was not at all surprised by Kazuma's move.
"Old Man Yama, I'd say Kazuma played this pretty well. At the very least, he killed Kaname Tōsen and cut off one of Aizen's arms."
Ukitake, however, was having none of it.
"Shunsui, stop talking nonsense. That brat is obviously throwing off his responsibilities! He gets to act carefree now."
"Captain-Commander…"
In truth, everyone present knew perfectly well what Kazuma was thinking.
Kazuma simply wanted to slack off.
After all, he and Batsu'unsai Katori had not seen each other in a long time.
This time, he was using the opportunity to stay in the World of the Living and live comfortably for a while.
Unohana hurriedly changed the topic.
"Then what should we do about this matter?"
Captain-Commander Yamamoto said helplessly, "What else can we do? Announce it according to Aizen's report. Seventh Division Captain Kazuma colluded with Kisuke Urahara and the others, killed Kaname Tōsen and Isshin Shiba, wounded Gin Ichimaru, and was then slain by Aizen."
"Kazuma, Kazuma…" Jūshirō Ukitake could already picture the scene after the Aizen incident was over, with Kazuma being hung up and beaten by Old Man Yama.
"You've really put Old Man Yama on the fire this time."
...
Meanwhile, in a small house in Karakura Town, Batsu'unsai Katori was slapping Kazuma's face several times in quick succession.
"Actor of the century, wake up. Stop sleeping!"
"Hey! Wife, what are you doing? Is this how you wake someone up? I was stabbed by Aizen, you know. I'm a patient. My wound still hurts."
After taking several slaps, Kazuma hurriedly grabbed Batsu'unsai's hand.
That's right.
Kazuma had been acting the entire time.
Could he really not defeat Aizen?
That might fool people who did not know the truth, but Batsu'unsai, who knew him inside and out, did not believe that nonsense for even a second.
"A patient? You?"
Saitō stood nearby with a wicked grin.
"Kazuma, you've got it comfortable now. Genryūsai is probably furious enough to explode. Once you return to Soul Society, I'd be shocked if he doesn't hang you up and beat you."
"Batsu'unsai, you be the judge. I've been a captain for so many years. Can't I take a little rest? You two resigned ages ago, so don't stand there making sarcastic comments."
Batsu'unsai spread her five fingers, grabbed the soft flesh at Kazuma's waist, and twisted.
"You still have the nerve to say that? When you were captain, I was the one handling most of the Seventh Division's duties. You spent all day drinking and sleeping!"
"Pain! Pain, pain, pain!"
Kazuma's face twisted from the pain.
"Wife, let go already!"
In the corner of the room, Hiyori, who had been tied up like a rice dumpling, stared blankly at the three of them as they bickered and roughhoused.
She looked completely out of place.
Earlier that night, when Isshin Shiba and White had entered Karakura Town, Batsu'unsai and Saitō had bundled her up like a package.
She had not even known what was going on.
Later, she sensed Shinji Hirako and the others' reiatsu, and she struggled desperately to break free.
After that, Batsu'unsai and Saitō had put on masks and slipped out quietly.
When they returned, they brought back a captain's corpse.
No, not a corpse. He was alive!
He had only been a corpse a moment ago.
After a few loud slaps, the captain woke up.
Then the others started talking about the Captain-Commander, Aizen, and acting.
Hiyori felt like her small head was about to explode.
"What the hell happened? Can someone tell me already?!"
Hiyori screamed hysterically at them.