If you'd like to read ahead without waiting, you can join as a member or make a one-time purchase on Patreon to get access to the story.
Patreon.com/HACKDWORLD
____________________________
Time, it never lingers.
Gosuke Shigure finally understood the meaning behind Kyoraku Shunsui's words from their drinking session that night.
Shortly afterwards, Captain-Commander Yamamoto convened a captain's meeting.
The captain of the Tenth Division, Shiba Isshin, officially stepped down.
He announced his resignation but said nothing about who would succeed him as the new captain of the Tenth Division. Furthermore, no one knew where Captain Shiba went after stepping down, as he was never seen again within Seireitei.
Soon after, Central 46 issued one of its harshest edicts.
The Shiba clan, once counted among the Five Great Noble Families, was officially expelled.
The reason for their expulsion was never publicly declared. Neither the main family nor the branch families knew what offence they had committed that warranted such an outcome. They were all forcibly removed from Seireitei.
The entire Gotei 13 was stunned.
Gosuke Shigure silently pondered, What did the Shiba family do to deserve this? For the rest of the great nobles to strip them of their status…
On the surface, it appeared that Central 46 alone decreed their removal.
But in reality, Central 46 lacked the authority to expel a Great Noble family. They could decide the fate of lesser and mid-tier nobles, but never the highest houses.
It was evident that Central 46 was merely the instrument. The true decision had come from the remaining Four Great Nobles.
For the Shiba family to fall in such a manner, they must have infringed upon the interests of the other noble houses, who then united to destroy them.
Indeed, "destroy" was not an exaggeration, because soon after, Gosuke Shigure received further news from Kyoraku Shunsui.
"The Shiba family's luck is truly bitter," Kyoraku Shunsui said with a deep sigh. "While they were relocating from Seireitei to Rukongai, they were ambushed by assassins. Most of the main house was killed, and even Shiba Kukaku lost an arm."
His tone was heavy with complex emotions.
Kyoraku Shunsui had been well acquainted with Shiba Isshin, the former head of the clan and Tenth Division Captain. Seeing the Shiba clan's demise left him conflicted.
But he could do nothing to stop it. In the end, it was the other Great Nobles who orchestrated their fall. The Kyoraku family, while influential, was only a high-ranking noble house. It could not intervene in decisions of the top-tier nobles.
"In Soul Society, there are still assassins operating?" Gosuke Shigure asked doubtfully.
"Of course," Kyoraku Shunsui replied. "After all, the original predecessor of the Gotei 13 was a group of killers. Soul Society is vast. There are always powerful souls unwilling to join the Gotei 13, content to serve as assassins under clandestine patrons."
His words hinted at deeper undercurrents.
Gosuke Shigure's gaze sharpened. "So, was the Shiba clan wiped out completely in the attack?"
Kyoraku Shunsui shook his head. "Not entirely. Lord Shihouin Yoruichi arrived in time to rescue some of them. She personally escorted the survivors to settle in Rukongai."
"I see."
Gosuke Shigure did not press further, but from Kyoraku's words, he gleaned much hidden truth.
What was known thus far was clear.
The Shiba clan, for reasons unknown, provoked the other Great Nobles. The nobles joined forces to strip the Shiba of their noble status – a fate tied also to the clan's decline in influence over the years.
This explained why Kyoraku Shunsui lamented earlier. For a genius like Shiba Kaien to appear in this generation was ill-timed. The clan no longer had the standing or power to protect him.
No one knew where Shiba Isshin, the former Tenth Division captain, had gone.
But one thing was certain – his fate was unlikely to be peaceful. Otherwise, the family would not have been attacked so viciously during relocation, nor would Shiba Kukaku have lost her arm.
Clearly, these assassins were sent by a Great Noble aiming to eradicate the Shiba clan completely.
The Shihouin family, though powerless to prevent the Shiba from being expelled, still stepped forward to shield the survivors. By doing so, they prevented further attacks. If any noble continued to target the Shiba remnants after the Shihouin family's intervention, they would risk provoking even their allies, inviting trouble.
"So that's how Shiba Kukaku lost her arm," Gosuke Shigure mused silently.
In the original timeline, Shiba Kukaku was introduced with a prosthetic arm. He had always been curious about how she sustained such an injury. Now he understood.
At the same time, he grasped the foundation of the strong bond between Yoruichi and Kukaku.
The Shihouin family had been the only Great Noble house willing to extend a hand to the Shiba when they fell from grace. Their relationship held meaning forged through crisis.
In the end, time flowed on.
The turmoil of the Shiba clan's collapse gradually settled.
Gosuke Shigure did not interfere in such matters.
In this life, he was merely Gosuke Shigure, an ordinary common-born soul. He was no Great Noble and carried neither obligation nor burden for such disputes.
Still, he harboured suspicions about who orchestrated the Shiba's downfall.
Who else could it be?
The Tsunayashiro family – the same clan that once reigned as the leader of the Five Great Nobles alongside the Shiba.
Originally, the Tsunayashiro clan sat at the pinnacle of noble hierarchy, barely keeping the Shiba family's strength in check.
However, after Gosuke Shigure's reincarnation into this era, that hierarchy had shifted. The Kuchiki family had risen to the head of the Five Great Nobles, relegating the Tsunayashiro family to second place.
That shift carried consequences.
Based on what Gosuke Shigure knew of them, the Tsunayashiro clan would never tolerate such humiliation. Their pride would demand a ruthless counteraction.
The Shiba clan's destruction was likely their doing. It was a demonstration of power – a reassertion of dominance by targeting one of their fellow nobles.
And Gosuke Shigure suspected it would not end there.
Today it was the Shiba clan. Tomorrow, the Tsunayashiro family might target another.
Why was he so certain?
Because in his previous life, he had been a Tsunayashiro himself.
He understood them better than anyone.
They were an inherently corrupt clan – a family line tainted since the era when their ancestors betrayed the Soul King, murdered him, and dissected his divine essence. Their depravity ran deep in their blood, manifesting as shamelessness, cruelty, and all forms of inferiority.
Except, of course, Gosuke Shigure himself in that previous life. He had been the lone exception, a Tsunayashiro who chose to walk a path of dignity.