After returning home, Yoshio was still a bit puzzled about what the Tsunayashiro Clan wanted him to do.
What exactly did they want from him?
He had just become a Lieutenant, and the Tsunayashiro Clan already had their eyes on him?
As a Lieutenant, Yoshio had the authority to refuse requests from the Tsunayashiro Clan.
But there was no need; he also wanted to see what exactly they intended for him to do.
In Seireitei, there are two special power structures.
The first is, of course, Central 46, the highest judicial authority in the Soul Society; once the Central 46 makes a decision, even the Gotei 13 has no right to oppose it and must carry it out without question!
The second is the Noble Houses, the governing body over all nobles in Seireitei, headed by the Five Great Noble Families—especially the Tsunayashiro Clan, the leader among the five.
On the surface, these two structures appear to have different roles, and the Central 46 seems to be the supreme authority. But on closer look, that's not really the case.
The Central 46 is indeed the public, recognized highest authority—but the so-called "wise men" who make it up are themselves nobles.
Since they are nobles, they naturally fall under the authority of the Noble Houses, which rules over the nobles.
In other words, by controlling the nobles, the Tsunayashiro Clan can easily control the Central 46, which is controlled by those nobles.
Thus, the "Five Great Noble Families"—especially the "Tsunayashiro Clan"—hold an extraordinarily elevated position in the "Soul Society."
A newly minted Lieutenant-level Shinigami like him might be a prominent figure within Seireitei, but to the Tsunayashiro Clan, which has ruled Seireitei for hundreds of millions of years, he probably doesn't amount to much.
If he became a Captain, that would be another story—but a mere Lieutenant…
That's hardly worth mentioning.
Still, Yoshio was happy to "cooperate" with the Tsunayashiro Clan; after all, that clan has a wealth of good stuff.
He wanted to see whether he could snatch a little benefit from those people.
With that thought, Yoshio didn't go back to sleep.
There were still three days until the mission. He planned to spend them training hard and improving his strength as much as possible.
So for those three days, he didn't go out to build goodwill with others; instead, he kept to a strict routine: work, train, brief rest.
…
On the third day, just as Yoshio entered the Fifth Division, he saw a Jigokuchō fluttering in the distance.
The Jigokuchō alighted on his finger, and the next moment the message flowed into his mind.
"Hm?"
Yoshio froze for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle. "Just as I thought."
He'd received a mission from the Tsunayashiro Clan—sure enough…
It was to go to the Human World and help the Tsunayashiro Clan investigate a group of people.
A group of humans with special abilities!
This was the conclusion Yoshio had reached after three days of thought.
To people from Soul Society, the Human World is a world where ordinary humans live. In such a reishi-thin environment, spirit bodies feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Why would a noble family like the Tsunayashiro take a liking to the environment of the Human World?
So, in the Human World, what could possibly attract them? After thinking it over, the only answer was the Fullbringers, who possess fragments of the Soul King.
Yes, Fullbringers have those strange abilities largely because they carry Soul King fragments within them.
Soul King fragments lure Hollows to attack pregnant mothers, resulting in the emergence of "Fullbring."
But asking him to investigate Fullbringers…
That was interesting.
Those guys…
Did they also see him as some part of the Soul King?
It wasn't impossible.
The Tsunayashiro Clan oversees surveillance of the entire Seireitei; many of his movements couldn't be fully hidden from them.
Though his fights had all taken place in Rukongai, traces might inevitably have been left in Seireitei, which the Tsunayashiro Clan may have noticed.
Do they suspect he might possess the Soul King's power?
Maybe they even planned to make a move against him in the Human World this time.
Knowing the Shinigami's schemes, he knew the Tsunayashiro Clan would sooner or later act against the Fullbringers. This time he would investigate their intel.
Once things were clarified, the Tsunayashiro Clan would likely eliminate those Fullbringers along with him and even frame him for it, claiming he killed them.
Yoshio felt he had already figured out the truth of the matter. Tsk, tsk—you little schemers dare to play games with me.
Yoshio let the Jigokuchō go and headed to the Fifth Division's office.
Aizen was processing the division's paperwork; when he saw Yoshio approach, he didn't react immediately.
It had to be said, Aizen's work ability was indeed outstanding; he arranged the Fifth Division's tasks meticulously all by himself.
Ichimaru Gin didn't look like someone who would work diligently, and clearly he himself wasn't—that meant most of the Fifth Division's work depended on Aizen's earnest efforts.
Thanks for your hard work, Aizen.
Yoshio walked in, greeted him, and said, "Captain Aizen, I'm heading to the Human World on a mission. Want me to bring you back some local specialties?"
Only then did Aizen look up, fixing his gaze on Yoshio. "Since it's a task assigned by the Tsunayashiro Clan, just go do it. The division doesn't need you anyway."
"Saying that really hurts my feelings—it's like I'm just someone you can casually sacrifice." Yoshio sighed. "I'm off, then. Oh, by the way…"
He turned as he spoke, looked back at Aizen, and added, "Since I'll be in the Human World, Captain, do you want me to say hi to an old acquaintance for you?"
"…"
Aizen was silent for a moment, then smiled. "That's your freedom. I never interfere with my subordinates' freedom."
"Alright." Yoshio then left the division office and headed for the Senkaimon.
Captain-class Shinigami have Zanpakutō permissions to open the Senkaimon, but Yoshio's mission was a "covert operation," so he couldn't go through the official Gotei 13 channels.
Following the intel received via the Jigokuchō, he made his way to a Senkaimon and then, through it, entered the Dangai.
The Dangai is a special spacetime corridor separating the worlds. Time density here is two thousand times that of the outside—an intimidating passage, to say the least.
There's also the Kōtotsu cleaner that appears once every seven days—if it touches you, even your soul will be cleansed.
Shinigami are no match for such an existence; no matter how strong you are, as long as you're a Shinigami, you cannot contend with that rule-born construct.
Yoshio did want to test whether his Special Beam Cannon could harm the Kōtotsu, but it wasn't time for it to appear, and he had no interest in waiting indefinitely for the cleaner to enter the Dangai.
What if it didn't work? He'd be done for!