Tōsen Kaname, in the original manga, was an important figure. He was the captain of the Ninth Division and a close subordinate to Aizen Sōsuke. When Aizen defected from Soul Society to Hueco Mundo, Tōsen and Ichimaru Gin were the two captains who followed him.
Unlike Ichimaru Gin, who acted as a double agent harbouring secret intentions, Tōsen Kaname truly and loyally followed Aizen to the end.
Of course, his end was tragic. Ultimately, he was killed by Aizen himself.
But leaving aside his fate, the deeper question remained: why did he follow Aizen and betray Soul Society in the first place?
According to his own words in the manga, his only friend had been killed by her husband, and despite seeking justice for her, he failed. That failure made him witness the darkness entrenched within Soul Society, and he was left in utter despair.
So he chose to follow Aizen, intending to subvert the decayed world.
In his previous life, Gosuke Shigure had read the Thousand-Year Blood War manga. However, he didn't know that after its conclusion, official novels like Can't Fear Your Own World were released. Naturally, he never read those novels, and thus he hadn't known Tōsen Kaname's friend's name or the exact details of her death.
But it didn't matter now. After listening to Kyoraku Shunsui's recounting of the story, he pieced together the essence of what had happened.
First of all, the female friend's name was Ge Kuang. She was Tōsen Kaname's childhood companion, and she did not marry an ordinary person – her husband was a member of the Tsunayashiro clan.
Still, Gosuke Shigure couldn't figure out why her husband had killed her.
'Could it be… he suspected his wife was cheating with a blind man, and, thinking himself humiliated, killed her out of rage?'
The thought flitted through his mind, but he soon dismissed it.
People of the Tsunayashiro family often had dark green hair; envy or dishonour for such a superficial reason made little sense among nobles. There must have been another, deeper cause behind her death.
But what that reason was, Gosuke Shigure could not guess. What mattered was understanding how Tōsen Kaname became who he was.
After struggling all the way from Rukongai into Seireitei to accuse Tsunayashiro Tokinada before Central 46, Tōsen wasn't even allowed to see Tokinada's face. Instead, he was mercilessly beaten down. Even after Kyoraku Shunsui intervened and passed his plea to Central 46, there would be no true justice.
A murderer, protected by noble status, would walk away unpunished.
Anyone learning of such a reality would inevitably experience a mental collapse, leading to profound hatred and disillusionment with the world.
"Although nobles enjoy privileges," Gosuke Shigure murmured, "for nobles to kill their fellow Shinigami without any real punishment… if such things happen too often, people will eventually lose faith in everything."
Kyoraku Shunsui, hearing the veiled anger in Gosuke's words, raised his brows slightly. "Gosuke, what are you planning to do?"
"Even if you're a captain, Central 46's judgment probably won't change," he added, reading the undercurrent in Gosuke's tone.
Gosuke Shigure's lips curled into a faint, enigmatic smile. "Of course I know that."
"That's why I won't appear myself."
"But," he continued, his eyes narrowing slightly, "I believe someone will be very interested in this matter."
Kyoraku Shunsui looked at him deeply. Though Gosuke's words were ambiguous, he sensed an unyielding determination beneath them.
Why, he wondered, would Gosuke Shigure care about something that seemed to have no connection to him?
But if he thought about it more darkly… Soul Society was full of secrets and shadows, countless matters forever beyond anyone's control.
"Why, Gosuke?" Kyoraku asked quietly.
Gosuke Shigure smiled faintly. "Although this world is steeped in darkness, there must still exist a glimmer of light. Some fragment of justice. If there is none… then this world is too hopeless."
"Don't civilians have the right to justice?"
"Captain, you helped that soul out of goodwill, but you couldn't help him gain justice. In the end, it doesn't count as truly helping him."
Then his expression became calm and resolute. "And don't forget… I'm a commoner too."
Kyoraku Shunsui froze. Then he chuckled quietly. "I really did almost forget that."
After finishing his conversation with Kyoraku Shunsui, Gosuke Shigure didn't rush to meet Tōsen Kaname.
Indeed, Tōsen Kaname was like uncut jade. In the original manga, he had become a Gotei 13 captain. Whether his combat strength ranked high or low among captains was irrelevant; the fact he had achieved such a position proved his unlimited potential.
If possible, Gosuke Shigure would naturally want to take Tōsen under his wing. Although blind, his abilities were exceptional, especially his unique combat awareness.
But before that, Gosuke Shigure had another destination. He went to visit someone else.
As he had said to Kyoraku Shunsui – though there was darkness everywhere, light and justice still existed beyond it.
Of course, as he moved through these plans, he could not deny a trace of personal motive. After all, this matter involved Tsunayashiro.
Even though he had been a Tsunayashiro himself in his past life, it didn't mean he felt any attachment or goodwill towards that clan. If he could uproot them, he would do so without hesitation.
⸻
Central 46.
Recently, another case had reached their desks.
It involved the Tsunayashiro family.
Through Kyoraku Shunsui's report, they learned of a female Shinigami's murder. Her name was Ge Kuang, and her killer was none other than her husband – Tsunayashiro Tokinada, the last surviving member of the Tsunayashiro branch family.
The report said the whistleblower was a blind soul from Rukongai.
Initially, Central 46 had no intention of pursuing it further. To them, it was unthinkable that a mere soul could speak the truth about a great noble. Besides, Tsunayashiro Tokinada was a noble. Even if such a thing had happened, without irrefutable proof, it was easy to dismiss the claim. Perhaps she had died from an attack by a Hollow, or perished from a sudden illness.
Still, out of respect for Kyoraku Shunsui's standing, Central 46 decided to hold a trial and review the matter.
After all, though the Kyoraku family wasn't a great noble house like Tsunayashiro, it was still an upper-tier noble family with considerable influence within Soul Society.
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