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Earlier — Pagoda Kulim.
Blood spread like ink beneath Hitsugaya Tōshirō's collapsed body, the icy landscape painted red as his breaths grew shallow. Disbelief clouded his eyes, unable to grasp what had just happened. One blow. A single slash had shattered him, even in his Bankai state. That kind of power… it shouldn't exist. And yet, it had. The Fifth Division's gentle and polished captain, Aizen Sōsuke, had revealed a strength so absolute it rendered Tōshirō helpless—his world upended in an instant. The gap between them was more than strength; it was despair. His thoughts faded to black.
Aizen, calm amid the ruined frost, looked over the glistening ice and snow with quiet appreciation. "A beautiful view," he murmured, voice wrapped in serenity. "Though the season disagrees, the snow's arrival isn't unwelcome." Without sparing another glance at Hitsugaya, he stepped over the boy's broken form and turned to leave, his expression unreadable.
But just then, two spiritual pressures pressed into the air, and two figures stepped through the shattered doors.
"Aizen-taichō…" The voice that broke the silence was soft, but its presence was commanding. Aizen and Ichimaru Gin both turned. There, standing calmly at the entrance, were Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane.
Unohana's voice held no emotion, only certainty. "No… perhaps I shouldn't address you as captain anymore." Her eyes narrowed. "You've committed high treason, Aizen Sōsuke." Aizen offered a small, serene smile. "Captain Unohana… I figured you'd arrive about now." His tone was almost fond. "This place is so rarely visited—it's ideal. I knew you'd track me here."
Unohana met his gaze, calm as ever. "If someone wished to hide, this is the only place they'd think to come. It's perfectly secluded." Aizen nodded slightly. "True. But I didn't come to hide. I'm here for something Urahara Kisuke left behind. He treated it like garbage, but I believe its value remains." His gaze drifted around the room, almost wistful.
Kotetsu Isane, voice trembling, stepped forward. "Then what about… your body? The one we found?"
Aizen lifted a hand, revealing a corpse-like figure resting within it, limp and lifeless.
"My Zanpakutō—Kyōka Suigetsu," he said smoothly. "What you saw… what everyone saw… was only an illusion." The corpse unraveled into spiritual particles, dissolving into the shape of a blade. Isane gasped, eyes wide with confusion. "But that's not its ability… Kyōka Suigetsu doesn't do that!"
Aizen's voice remained tranquil. "You misunderstand. It is Complete Hypnosis. Once you witness its release—even once—your five senses become mine to command. Sight, sound, touch… all subject to illusion."
Isane's legs nearly gave out, horror dawning across her face. Unohana said nothing, but her mind reeled with the implications. If not for Su Li's warning, she might have laughed at the idea. But now, standing before Aizen, she understood. This Zanpakutō alone made him nearly invincible. Years ago, when he was promoted to captain, Aizen had publicly demonstrated his Shikai in what appeared to be a ceremonial formality. In truth, it had been the beginning of this long deception. Every captain, every lieutenant—every witness had unknowingly fallen under his spell. None of them could see the truth anymore. No one could be sure what was real.
Unohana's thoughts turned inward. Maybe—just maybe—there was still one person who could see past it. She held her silence.
Isane's voice broke through the air again, laced with fear. "No… this can't be…"
Aizen turned his gaze away, indifferent. "It's nearly time." Beside him, Gin cast a length of white silk into the air. The shimmering fabric twirled, encircling the two men like a serpent preparing to strike.
"One last thing," Aizen said, his eyes meeting Unohana's. "Among all those who inspected my corpse, you remained in contact with it the longest. The fact that you noticed even a trace of inconsistency... remarkable. You're as sharp as they say, Captain Unohana."
The white silk twisted faster, forming a protective spiral. Unohana stood motionless, her gaze steady, but her mind alert.
"Farewell," Aizen said, his smile faint and final. "I doubt we'll cross paths again."
"Wait! Bastard!" Isane cried out, her voice cracking as she lunged with her blade, but in the blink of an eye, both Aizen and Gin vanished.
---
Earlier — Beneath Sōkyoku Hill.
Within the forested ravine, the clash between Sui-Feng and Shihōin Yoruichi raged like a storm. The air was alive with static, spiritual energy exploding with each strike. Their movements blurred, blades sparking against each other as they danced through the ruins of peace. Sui-Feng's face was a mask of unrelenting focus, her attacks fueled by a fury that only deepened with each wound she suffered. She was bleeding, breathing hard—but her resolve only hardened.
Yoruichi, fast and controlled, was the more experienced of the two, yet unease crept into her expression. Something was different. Sui-Feng wasn't fighting like she used to. Her techniques were precise—too precise. The rhythm wasn't born of instinct. It had been taught. Yoruichi caught her blade mid-strike, pushed off, and created distance with a sudden Shunpo.
"Sui-Feng," she called across the ravine, "who taught you those moves?"
The younger woman's expression twisted in scorn. "You're a deserter. A traitor. You don't deserve answers."
But Yoruichi was already narrowing her eyes. "Those techniques… they're not yours. I've seen them before."
She inhaled slowly.
"You learned them from him, didn't you?"
Sui-Feng froze.
Yoruichi hadn't even said the name, but the moment hung in the air like a blade at her throat. "…Su Li."
The sound struck Sui-Feng like thunder.
Her guard dropped for a moment. "How… how do you know about him?"
Yoruichi crossed her arms, voice steady. "Forty years ago, in the Human World, I fought him. The way you move—it's unmistakable. He taught you, didn't he?"
Sui-Feng's mind reeled. She remembered Su Li's trip to the Human World years ago—but he'd never told her he had fought Yoruichi. Why wouldn't he say anything? What happened between them?
She stared hard. "So? Who won?"
Yoruichi's face darkened with a rare, bitter grimace. "…That freak."
The insult hung in the air, but Sui-Feng's reaction was the opposite of outrage—her lips curled into a small, proud smile.
"So Ah Li beat you…"
She didn't know why, but it filled her with satisfaction. She felt a strange sense of calm. Safety. Maybe even… joy.
"Don't call him that!" she snapped, anger breaking her reverie.
Yoruichi blinked, then softened slightly. "Sui-Feng… I'm warning you. Stay away from him."
Her eyes averted, just for a second. "Back then… when we fought… he saw me completely naked. And he didn't even blink."
She paused. Her cheeks tinted, but she forced herself to continue.
"And he touched… everything."
The forest trembled.
In an instant, a massive surge of killing intent burst from Sui-Feng's body. Her aura flared like a typhoon, spiraling upward in raw, blistering rage. Her eyes burned with crimson fury, her breath coming in feral growls. Yoruichi recoiled, stunned by the sudden explosion of spiritual pressure.
"I… did I say something wrong?" she whispered, too late.
Sui-Feng's voice erupted with unrelenting fury, the air around her crackling with the force of her wrath.
"Say that again," she snarled. "Where. Did. He. Touch. You?"
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