Dong!
Dong!
In the silent environment, Tōsen Kaname could clearly hear his heart beating like a rapid drum.
He stared blankly at Tsugikuni Yoriichi, facing Yoriichi's question.
Even though he had great confidence in his Bankai, at this moment, he couldn't help but feel doubt.
It…
Really had no effect!?
This scene before him was like a violent storm, completely overturning Tōsen Kaname's understanding of Bankai.
It was like facing Yamamoto Genryusai's Zanka no Tachi (Blade of Ember) and being able to freeze and extinguish it with a single strike…
It's unscientific!
A heavy pressure instantly surged into his soul like a rushing tide.
He subtly retreated half a step; at this moment, he had even forgotten to swing his sword to attack.
He just wanted to know how many of his five senses Tsugikuni Yoriichi had recovered within his Bankai.
Just how much…
Combat power did he still possess…
"You…"
Tōsen Kaname's breathing gradually became suppressed, and his voice grew incredibly heavy, as if every word weighed a thousand pounds.
Before he could finish, Tsugikuni Yoriichi spoke again, interrupting him:
"Don't be nervous, Kaname."
"Since your Bankai can seal my spiritual pressure, presumably anything that happens in here cannot be seen from the outside."
"Given that, why are you so eager to defeat me? Or is it that your spiritual pressure cannot sustain Bankai for too long?"
"Let's assume it's the latter."
"I deeply understand your experience, but to resent all Shinigami because of it, Kaname, don't you think that idea is too extreme?"
"Some Shinigami come from the same Rukongai as you. What do you think they did wrong?"
They didn't do anything wrong; the only mistake was becoming a Shinigami…
Tōsen Kaname's eyes were filled with solemnity, his sightless gaze now like a deep, bottomless lake.
He growled:
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the appearance of Shinigami is evil, and the Soul Society itself is evil. A world built upon evil, even its existence is evil and corrupt!"
"The Five Great Noble Families have only deepened this corruption. You don't know the truth, so why do you think Shinigami are innocent!"
"Everyone should die! Including you and me, but I will never die easily. I want to cleanse this corruption and evil!"
"You cannot shake my resolve!"
Although Tsugikuni Yoriichi couldn't hear Tōsen Kaname's words, he could roughly infer what he was saying from Tōsen Kaname's muscle contractions…
Evil?
Corrupt?
A hint of confusion flashed in Yoriichi's eyes as he slowly spoke:
"So this is why you wish to betray the Seireitei and hide by my side?"
"Is this your own thought, or was it instilled in you by someone?"
"Does it matter?" Tōsen Kaname retorted coldly.
A hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes. He didn't want to answer any more questions, because the more he said, the more likely he was to expose Aizen behind him.
From the conversation, it could be deduced that Tsugikuni Yoriichi currently only suspected something was wrong with the Fifth Division, but he probably wasn't clear yet about who specifically he suspected.
This was natural; from beginning to end, only he had appeared before everyone…
Seeing Tōsen Kaname's resolute attitude, Yoriichi shook his head:
"It doesn't matter, but… how you learned the truth is very important."
"Have you ever considered that the person behind you is merely using you?"
Creak…
Tōsen Kaname's hands gripped the sword hilt tightly, with such force that it seemed he might crush it.
Upon hearing these words, the muscles of his upper body suddenly tensed, his posture extremely decisive.
"As long as it can eliminate all injustice, as long as it can clear away all evil, I am willing to be used!"
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi, there's no need to say more. You high-and-mighty Shinigami could never understand my thoughts!"
"If someone told you that your current status was obtained through the betrayal of your ancestors, how would you feel?!"
…
Yoriichi didn't have many thoughts.
Because the ancestors of Shinigami were probably figures from tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Such a distant past had no bearing on the present.
Not all of the Tsugikuni family's ancestors were honorable samurai.
If he learned this information, and found it unbearable due to his ancestors' actions, would he then have to destroy the Tsugikuni family?
Where would his family be?
Such an overly prejudiced way of thinking and acting.
Knowing that Tōsen Kaname had been completely brainwashed and would be difficult to correct in a short time, Yoriichi lowered his gaze and sighed softly:
"Kaname, I didn't expect you to be so deeply poisoned, but fortunately, it's not too late."
"I will set you straight, and those who have harmed you will also receive their just desserts."
"I'm sorry, Kaname."
"No need to apologize to me, because I was right all along."
Tōsen Kaname clenched his teeth slightly, a wisp of air escaping his lips.
He could feel a subtle change in the surrounding atmosphere the moment Tsugikuni Yoriichi's words ceased.
Though he didn't know what it meant, he still braced himself, ready to face the coming battle at any moment.
"I'm not apologizing for this…"
Yoriichi wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat…
It was meaningless.
He had wanted to say that if he had become a Shinigami earlier, perhaps he could have prevented Tōsen Kaname from being used by others.
But then he remembered.
The event that changed Tōsen Kaname happened ninety years ago, and at that time, he hadn't yet entered the Soul Society…
Everything naturally couldn't be spoken of.
What a pity…
This incident had been set from the very beginning.
He was apologizing for arriving in the Soul Society too late…
Whoosh!
The moment the thought settled, Tōsen Kaname drew his sword and moved forward.
Knowing that Tsugikuni Yoriichi might still retain some of his five senses, his attack was no longer relaxed or casual.
His sword transformed into a stream of light, darting like lightning towards Yoriichi's fatal weakness.
The sharp blade made no sound in the silent space, and in a mere instant, it was already closing in on Tsugikuni Yoriichi's chest.
Its speed was so great, like a meteor streaking through the darkness.
In Yoriichi's vision, the scene of Tōsen Kaname's arm muscles contracting, thrusting straight, and moving like lightning was reflected.
This strike was concise and efficient.
If it hit.
It would be a certain death.
Seeing this situation.
Yoriichi gently shook his head, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes:
"You've fallen, Kaname. Because my ideals don't align with yours, you've resorted to killing intent?"
As he spoke, he lightly waved his palm, striking Tōsen Kaname's Kiyone.
This seemingly light palm couldn't even swat a mosquito.
In reality.
Boom!
Kiyone instantly flew out of his hand, and Tōsen Kaname's tiger's mouth tore open and bled, as if a thousand-ton waterfall had rushed toward him, impossible for any will, no matter how strong, to resist, and he immediately lost all power to defend.
A gap was torn in the Bankai domain, and a loud roar erupted from outside, as if the ground had been lifted.
A sliver of sunlight poured in like a thin mist. Tōsen Kaname felt the stinging pain in his tiger's mouth, unable to believe what was happening to him at this moment.
—My Bankai…
Drip…
Drip…
The sound of dripping blood was clearly audible.
His breathing hitched.
—It was pierced through?!
…
Tōsen Kaname was utterly bewildered, his mind a mess.
Being suppressed by Tsugikuni Yoriichi during Shikai was understandable.
After all, at that time, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's spiritual pressure had not been weakened or shielded.
That he could crush his Kiyone with one hand, while shocking, was still within reason.
The only abnormal thing was that he was immune to Kiyone's control.
However, this improved quickly after he activated Bankai.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi's spiritual pressure was suppressed, and both of them were ordinary people.
The only difference was that he wielded Kiyone and was immune to the domain's effects.
Logically, under these circumstances, he should have had the upper hand.
Yet, the unexpected still happened.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi didn't have Kiyone, yet he was surprisingly immune to the domain's deprivation of four senses.
That was one thing, but what was with that power of his?
We're all clearly ordinary people, so why…
Can you just casually wave your hand…
And pierce through my Bankai?
And break my Kiyone again in the process!
What did my Kiyone ever do to deserve this?
No, no, that's not the point. The point is, Tōsen Kaname strongly felt that he was completely suppressed.
His Bankai, which he considered his trump card, not only had no effect, but instead became a backdrop to highlight Tsugikuni Yoriichi's power…
This shouldn't be!
How could such a thing exist in the world? It was as if the armor he had painstakingly crafted was easily pierced by a branch swung by someone else with a single slap.
The power of that branch couldn't represent the opponent's true strength at all; it was merely a bit of residual power, but it was precisely this residual power that made it unbelievable.
Could a mere bit of residual power instantly kill him?
What kind of ordinary person is this?!
Tōsen Kaname couldn't help but wonder if his domain hadn't suppressed Tsugikuni Yoriichi's spiritual pressure at all.
Tōsen Kaname wanted to retreat, but his legs seemed to have a will of their own at that moment, completely unresponsive.
He knew in his heart that these speculations were just excuses for his failure.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi was just an ordinary person with no spiritual pressure here, and what he displayed was simply the physical strength he inherently possessed…
Hoo…
Tōsen Kaname exhaled with difficulty, feeling as if a huge stone was pressing on his chest.
He, who was originally blind, now saw the true gap between them with astonishing clarity.
He slowly raised his head, wanting to say something to salvage the situation a little, but before the words could leave his mouth, he was interrupted by Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
"Let's talk about it when we get back to the Ninth Division."
"I'm not sure what changed you."
"But when you first entered the Seireitei, all your psychological indicators were undoubtedly normal."
"Go to sleep."
Upon hearing this, Tōsen Kaname's expression subtly changed.
His stiff muscles instantly relaxed, and in his urgency, he quickly stomped the ground, attempting to escape using Shunpo.
The result was a loud "bang."
Before he could even flash away, Tōsen Kaname's head tilted, and he immediately fainted.
As he fainted, Bankai gradually disappeared, and the black sky scattered like paper scraps, little by little, with the wind.
His sight, hearing, and smell gradually returned, and the gentle breeze that greeted him was so comforting.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi looked around.
Not far away, Ikkaku Madarame and Kuna Mashiro looked as if they had just woken from a deep dream, their eyes blank.
Clearly, they had been in Tōsen Kaname's Bankai domain for too long.
Depriving the four senses, every minute and every second was torture.
It wasn't until they saw light and heard sound that they reacted.
Following their instincts, they looked towards Tsugikuni Yoriichi's side. The sight of Tōsen Kaname collapsed and unconscious left them truly confused about what had happened.
One moment he was shouting Bankai, the next he was defeated?
What kind of Bankai was that?
No… Bankai?!
It was only then that Ikkaku Madarame suddenly realized the crucial element.
His eyes widened, and he quickly scrambled up from the ground, not even caring about his kidney that Kuna Mashiro had almost kicked to pieces, and hurried to Tsugikuni Yoriichi's side.
He looked down at Tōsen Kaname, his face full of disbelief as he said:
"Captain, he can use Bankai?!"
"When did this happen?"
"I'm not sure." Tsugikuni Yoriichi withdrew his gaze, his eyes also fixed on Tōsen Kaname, and he gently shook his head.
"But it's certain he didn't learn it during his time in the Ninth Division. He's been hiding it too deeply."
"Ikkaku." Tsugikuni Yoriichi suddenly looked up,
"You're not hiding anything from me too, are you? Like, you've learned Bankai but are keeping it under wraps?"
"Huh?" Ikkaku Madarame's mouth hung open, but a cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
He chuckled dryly, saying, "How could that be? If I could learn Bankai, I'd be too happy to hide it."
In truth, he did have that thought, but he couldn't admit it.
Because judging from Tōsen Kaname's performance, just learning Bankai was far from enough.
If he wanted to defeat Kenpachi, if he wanted to defeat Tsugikuni Yoriichi, he had to develop quietly.
Only then could he one day catch them off guard and shock everyone.
He didn't want to be like Tōsen Kaname, half-empty and rattling.
Immediately showing off his Bankai as soon as he learned it, only to be beaten like a clown and easily killed…
Ikkaku Madarame subtly took a breath, trying to ease his inner tension.
And all of his reactions were observed by Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Seeing this, Tsugikuni Yoriichi understood Ikkaku Madarame's thoughts and couldn't help but lament that these Shinigami were all hiding their true abilities.
If this continued, how could they protect the Seireitei?
Lest when the Menos Grande invade, the seemingly weak Gotei 13 suddenly produce a dozen, or even dozens, of Shinigami who can use Bankai…
Tsugikuni Yoriichi silently exhaled, turned to face the open field, and ordered Ikkaku Madarame:
"Take him back. This mission ends here. Remember to keep it a secret. I don't want anyone else to know about Tōsen Kaname's betrayal."
"What about the culprit?" Ikkaku Madarame frowned slightly, blurting out the question.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi turned and looked at him:
"There is no culprit. This mission, at its core, was a trap set by Captain Kyōraku and me to subdue Tōsen Kaname."
"Captain Kyōraku had already noticed something amiss with the Fifth Division a month ago. Coincidentally, Tōsen Kaname was hiding his strength and identity, so after some investigation, we made our move."
"Naturally, people from my Ninth Division cannot be handled by other Divisions. You must firmly forget about what happened today."
"This concerns the safety of the Seireitei, do you understand?"
Ikkaku Madarame was a straightforward person.
Although he didn't understand why Tōsen Kaname had to hide his strength and identity, nor did he know what was wrong with the Fifth Division.
But the only thing he knew was that his boss was Kenpachi, and his boss's boss was Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
So, he decisively said, "Understood."
Beside him, Kuna Mashiro leaned in and also echoed the sentiment.
Afterward, the group took Tōsen Kaname back to the Seireitei.
They used the Twelfth Division's latest invention, a device that shielded spiritual pressure and presence, so no one saw them.
Officially, Tōsen Kaname was on a secret mission in the Human World.
Therefore, it was normal not to be able to contact him for several months.