Inside a ward of the Fourth Division.
Aikawa Rabu, Kensei Muguruma, Hirako Shinji, Shiba Isshin, Kuchiki Byakuya, Yushirou, and six other Captain lay side by side on the hospital beds.
Meanwhile, the other Vice-Captains sat by the beds or on chairs.
In the Gotei 13, these six Captain were more severely injured and could only lie here to receive treatment.
In addition to these Captain, there were also some Vice-Captains present, such as Lisa Yadomaru, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, Tosen Kaname, and others.
It is worth mentioning that Aikawa Rabu and Kensei Muguruma's injuries were the most severe among the group.
There was nothing they could do.
Their Reiatsu levels were average, and their Zanpakuto abilities were relatively ordinary, yet they bore the responsibility of a Captain to fight those monsters.
It was already quite remarkable that they managed to survive such a battlefield.
Immediately after the battle ended, Aikawa Rabu and Kensei Muguruma were once on the verge of death.
Fortunately, Unohana arrived in time and personally treated them, which saved their lives.
However, due to their severe injuries, they still needed a long period of rest to recover.
Furthermore, given the large number of severely injured Captain, it would be inappropriate to place all hospital beds in the First Division's conference room.
Therefore, this Captain' meeting was chosen to be held in a ward of the Fourth Division.
In addition to the current Captain, all the Vice-Captains also attended this meeting.
Seeing Aozaki, Jūshirō Ukitake's face was adorned with a radiant smile, like the warm sun of spring, and he cordially waved to him:
"Reiji, over here, over here!"
The people around seemed accustomed to Jūshirō Ukitake's enthusiastic behavior.
After all, everyone knew full well.
This Thirteenth Division Captain, who had been tormented by illness for hundreds of years, had become increasingly cheerful and fond of his junior brother.
In contrast, Shunsui seemed a bit flippant.
He bared his teeth in a cunning smile, speaking rebellious words and teasing:
"Captain Reiji has certainly made a big splash this time. At this rate, it's probably only a matter of time before he replaces the Captain-Commander."
"Keep it up, Captain Reiji. Just a little more effort, and you'll definitely be able to take down the old man and kick him out of office!"
Shunsui continued to stir the atmosphere, a hint of playfulness flickering in his eyes.
"If Captain Reiji can't bring himself to do it, we two senior brothers can help."
"Back in the day, that old man didn't take advantage of us any less; we've been wanting to get revenge on him!"
Aozaki nodded helplessly, then reached for a disk-shaped object from his waist and said to it:
"Old man, you heard all that, right? This wasn't something I started; it was all Senior Brother Shunsui talking."
Upon hearing this, Shunsui's face immediately turned pale, his eyes widened, and he stammered, "Junior Brother, you..."
Shunsui looked at the familiar object before him, and a wave of memories welled up in his heart.
Isn't this the communication artifact he once borrowed from the Shihōin Family and used to trick Aozaki?
That was decades ago, and he never expected this kid to still remember.
People said his junior brother was vengeful, and now it seemed that was absolutely true.
He had always been open and honest with his junior brother, but his junior brother had harmed him in this way, which was truly disheartening.
Thinking of this, Shunsui's face showed an expression of deep anguish.
At the same time, when Unohana saw Aozaki, her usual gentle smile immediately appeared on her face.
When Aozaki turned to look at her, she elegantly clasped her hands over her lower abdomen, her eyes as gentle as water, full of the aura of a virtuous wife and loving mother.
This intoxicatingly gentle aura was probably why she was consistently voted the "Most Desirable Female Shinigami to Marry" by the Ninth Division.
Hirako Shinji stood quietly in the corner, silently observing the subtly shifting atmosphere between the two, and couldn't help but avert his gaze.
He hated office romances the most, especially for a thousand-year-old bachelor like him, it always made him feel awkward and uncomfortable.
So, he subconsciously shifted his gaze elsewhere, which happened to fall on his former Vice-Captain, and his eyes became somewhat complicated.
Over the years, even though they were in different Squads, Hirako Shinji had never stopped paying attention to and observing Aizen.
Recalling that night.
If Aizen hadn't stepped forward and shared the pressure from Hell, perhaps the Captain-Commander wouldn't have been able to hold on until Aozaki arrived on the battlefield.
Hirako Shinji remembered clearly.
At that time, Aizen instantly killed the Jailer leader with astonishing speed, simultaneously stopping the two First Generation Captains and quickly clearing out the Hell Togabito and Jailers.
Whether Aizen acted for the benefit of the Seireitei, or feigned a show of responsibility as a Captain, or harbored other motives.
In that instant, he had to set aside his prejudice against Aizen and acknowledge him as a qualified Captain.
The current Aizen seemed to have changed.
So, was he truly the complete villain he had believed him to be?
Hirako Shinji fell into deep thought, his brows furrowed.
Meanwhile, Yushirou, lying on the hospital bed, gazed at Aozaki with teary eyes.
He felt increasing admiration and respect for his brother-in-law.
Back then, his sister's foresight was truly profound and brilliant! She stubbornly insisted on marrying him.
It was just hard on his sister, who always spoke of "freedom," but sacrificed her life for the greater good of the family.
If he weren't a man, Yushirou would rather have married into the Aozaki Family himself than let his sister suffer this hardship.
Just thinking about how Aozaki usually taken advantage of him, Yushiro could already imagine Yoruichi's situation in the Aozaki Family.
His eyes reddened, and he was almost on the verge of tears.
Urahara Kisuke grinned at Aozaki, winking and making a funny face.
During the invasion of Hell, he did not go to the battlefield but was ordered by the Captain-Commander to stay with Kurotsuchi Mayuri at the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
The reason was simple: Yamamoto wanted to see if these two great scientists could find a way to close the Hell Gate.
However, the result was self-evident; they failed to find a solution until the war ended.
However, it was fortunate that Aozaki ultimately succeeded in finding a way to suppress the Hell Gate.
Indeed, this world is much better. If they went to that monotonous and boring world of Hell, it would be so boring that one would want to die.
Urahara Kisuke thought this as he looked at the smiles on everyone's faces.
Just then, Yamamoto entered the room with steady steps.
Seeing Yamamoto, both the Captain and Vice-Captains immediately quieted down.
Under everyone's gaze, Yamamoto slowly walked to the clearly visible main seat and sat on an empty hospital bed.
He leaned on his cane with both hands, his gaze sweeping over each person one by one.
"Everyone, you have worked hard. Seeing all of you here, this old man is very pleased."
"In this war against Hell, you all endured bloody battles, and countless Shinigami paid the price with their lives, finally achieving victory."
"Once the Yomotsuki Family completes its final observation of the interior of Hell, this battle can be definitively declared over."
Upon hearing this, expressions of relief appeared on everyone's faces.