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Lingling Court. First Division barracks.
Inside the office of the Commander-in-Chief, silence stretched. Yamamoto Genryūsai's face was unreadable as he listened to Su Li's words.
"…Let them serve as foreign aid?"
The old man's tone was heavy. He fell silent, unwilling to answer too quickly. Su Li did not press. Winning a nod from this stubborn elder was never simple.
After returning from the world of the living, Su Li had come directly to report. He told Yamamoto about the Visoreds. The reaction matched what he had expected. Yamamoto still bore grudges, suspicion lingering deep within his heart.
To Su Li, it was more embarrassment than reason. The punishment that had driven Shinji and the others away had been branded under Yamamoto's authority as well. To allow them now to fight as comrades meant admitting his judgment had been flawed, an open slap against his own dignity.
So his silence, his hesitation—Su Li found them understandable.
The older a man grows, the more unwilling he is to bow his head. He sighed inwardly, though without resentment. He was only guiding the old man toward the inevitable. Someone else would make the choice happen.
His gaze slid toward ChĹŤjirĹŤ Sasakibe standing nearby. Thoughtful, silent, his eyes already deep in calculation. In the original timeline, it was Sasakibe who had extended the hand and welcomed the Masked Legion to Karakura. Compared with Yamamoto, locked in the weight of the past, Sasakibe's view was far more open. He would smooth the path.
"Teacher," Su Li finally spoke, his tone calm, "consider carefully. Now, more than ever, we need to unite every power we can reach."
"Hm… the old man will think on it," Yamamoto muttered, expression dark.
"Then, teacher, allow me to raise a second matter. This one is more urgent." Su Li's tone shifted, sharper. Yamamoto and Sasakibe both lifted their eyes, startled.
The boy's next words stunned them.
"You intend… to go to Hueco Mundo?" Yamamoto's eyes flared. Sasakibe too froze, shock etched across his face.
Su Li nodded.
"No! Absurd!" Yamamoto roared, his face sinking into stormclouds. Sasakibe's voice joined quickly, equally disapproving.
But Su Li had already foreseen this response. His lips curved, his voice patient, almost light.
"A companion of Kurosaki Ichigo has been taken by Arrancar. Aizen will exploit that power to perfect his Hollow transformations. If we leave her in his hands, our enemies will grow stronger. The importance of rescuing Inoue Orihime is beyond question."
As his explanation unspooled, the two elders' expressions grew heavier. Cause and effect became clear in their minds, but still Yamamoto shook his head.
"Even so. Too dangerous. With war upon us, a lone army that marches into enemy territory breaks every rule of strategy. The old man cannot permit it."
"Yes, Captain Su Li," Sasakibe echoed grimly. "Hueco Mundo is the stronghold of the traitor himself. To go alone is reckless beyond measure."
Su Li only smiled faintly. "Teacher, Vice-Captain Sasakibe… do you still doubt my ability? If I wish to leave, who in Hueco Mundo can bar my path?"
Silence followed. The truth weighed heavy. With his speed, few could hope to even touch him, let alone hold him.
"Not to mention," Su Li added, "I have Urahara Kisuke's support. He has given me a portable gateway. If I meet something I cannot handle, I will return."
Still Yamamoto wavered, torn between reason and instinct. His eyes rose—and in that moment he saw the quiet smile on Su Li's lips. He stilled, breath caught, his gaze complicated.
"…So. You have already decided," Yamamoto said softly. "No matter the words of your teacher, you will go."
Su Li chuckled, voice gentle. "I still had to tell you, teacher. In case you misunderstood me again."
The old man's eyes closed briefly. He remembered too well the last time—when Aizen betrayed them, when suspicion had nearly driven him to brand the boy an enemy. A near disaster. Now, Su Li stood before him more resolute, more mature than ever before.
He was no longer the child he had once been, no longer in need of constant guidance. His strength and his mind had outstripped even the expectations Yamamoto had once harbored. Su Li had become someone who could stand alone.
A long silence. Then a sigh, deep, inaudible.
Years turn men old. Heroes are always born young.
"…Go," Yamamoto said at last, voice low.
"Master Chief—!" Sasakibe protested, panic in his eyes.
"Yes, teacher." Su Li grinned, bowed neatly, and departed without another word.
"My lord, this is not right…" Sasakibe tried again, but Yamamoto did not answer. He turned instead to the window, gazing toward the horizon.
There, a round red sun was climbing, bathing the sky in burning light.
"Dawn… far more beautiful than sunset," the old man murmured. His vice-captain fell silent, the air heavy with unshed tension.
—
Second Division barracks.
The announcement fell like a blade. Sui-Feng and Omaeda froze in shock, horror written plain across their faces.
"You want to go to Hueco Mundo… alone?!"
"Captain, think again!"
Su Li nodded lightly.
"No! That's suicide!" Sui-Feng's voice broke with urgency. "Even the Captain-Commander would not agree to this!"
Su Li scratched his head. "He already did."
"…What?!" Sui-Feng's face drained of color. Omaeda could only stare, mute.
Her lips trembled, bloodless. Then, with sudden force, she bit down, jaw set hard. "I will go to the Captain-Commander myself!"
Su Li caught her arm. "Bee. This is my decision."
The certainty in his tone crushed her protest. Her chest ached. The thought of him vanishing, of him leaving once more—she could not bear it.
If I had known, I would never have told them… Su Li thought helplessly, then chose silence. He turned away, voice soft.
"So be it. I'm going."
He made to step forward—when a sharp grip seized his hand.
"You are not allowed to go!" Sui-Feng's shout cracked with raw emotion, her fingers clutching his.
Su Li exhaled. "…Bee. I told you, the Captain-Commander has agreed—"
"I disagree!" she cut him off, voice ringing with fierce defiance.
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