At this moment, Ukitake had lost Rukia, which made Byakuya's words somewhat sharp.
He directly used the past incidents of Shiba Kaien and Miyako Shiba to make his point.
Ukitake's Vice Captain and Third Seat had also met with disaster right in front of him, their Captain. Now that Byakuya was bringing it up, Ukitake's face couldn't help but turn somewhat pale.
Byakuya did not continue to dwell on that point, but instead said:
"Let's head over to the Captain-Commander's place first."
After saying that, he walked toward the First Division.
"..."
Ukitake looked at Byakuya's back and let out a deep sigh.
Ukitake had some understanding of the conflicted thoughts in Byakuya's heart; after all, the feelings Byakuya had for Hisana back then were plain for everyone to see.
For the sake of Hisana, Byakuya did not hesitate to break the rules of the Five Great Noble Families to marry her.
Therefore, he was absolutely not a cold-blooded or heartless person.
Faced with Byakuya's reproach, Ukitake truly had no way to defend himself.
After all, he really had lost someone else's sister under his watch.
Byakuya had specifically arranged for Rukia to be in his Thirteenth Division, which could be said to be out of trust for him.
After all, looking across the entire Gotei 13, only the Fourth, Eighth, and Thirteenth Divisions could be considered the most secure placements.
The Captains of these three divisions were all veterans who had weathered hundreds of years of storms without falling.
However, Rukia's talent in Kido was limited, so she couldn't go to the Fourth Division; Shunsui of the Eighth Division acted flippantly, and no one would feel at ease entrusting their sister to such a person.
Counting it all up, the Thirteenth Division was indeed the most suitable choice.
And yet, something still happened to Rukia.
First it was Miyako Shiba a few years ago, then Shiba Kaien, and now it was Rukia...
Having those close to him meet with disaster one after another made Ukitake feel exhausted in both body and mind.
Perhaps, he really had reached the age where he should retire.
...
When Ukitake arrived at the First Division with Byakuya, the Captains' Meeting was about to begin.
The so-called Captains' Meeting was an important gathering where all Captains and Vice Captains of the Gotei 13 assembled. However, Captains and Vice Captains usually discussed matters separately, and the true decisions were still determined by the Captains through consultation.
As for the Vice Captains, they would simply wait in the adjacent room for the results discussed by the Captains.
"It seems the negotiation didn't go very smoothly."
Shunsui had already arrived. Upon glimpsing Ukitake's expression, he knew that Ukitake had hit a wall with Byakuya.
"You certainly arrived early." Ukitake didn't want to talk much about the matter and only responded flatly.
"Can't be helped, the Old Man is absolutely furious this time." Shunsui lowered his voice and shrugged helplessly: "If one were to be late at a time like this, I'm afraid they'd be scolded until their head spun."
First Division Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the Supreme Commander of the Gotei 13, the pinnacle of all Soul Reapers.
At this moment, he was sitting solemnly in the main seat.
He hadn't joined the battle when the Five Elders raided previously; after all, according to protocol, the Captain-Commander cannot easily be deployed.
As the strongest Soul Reaper, Yamamoto spent most of his time stationed at the First Division barracks.
Not only were a vast number of classified documents kept here, but it also directly suppressed the Central Underground Great Prison, Muken, below.
If the First Division were to fall, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Back then, the Five Elders had arrived too suddenly. Yamamoto worried it was a diversionary tactic, so he had remained guarding the barracks throughout.
In his view, although the Reiatsu of those five monsters was very powerful, with so many Captains taking action, it should not have been a problem.
But he never expected that even with so many Captains deployed, the Five Elders would still cause such heavy losses!
Those five monsters not only possessed some form of immortality, they could even transform Soul Reapers into demons!
"It seems everyone has arrived."
Captain-Commander Yamamoto's gaze swept across the Captains lined up on both sides, his voice low and majestic:
"Now then, who would like to explain?"
His gaze eventually landed on Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri looked somewhat annoyed at the moment. He said: "My research has only just begun. What kind of explanation can you get by asking now?"
It hadn't been long since that great battle ended, and the samples waiting to be studied in the laboratory were piled up like a mountain, yet he had to put down his work to attend this long-winded meeting.
"It's simply a waste of life! My time is much more precious than this meeting!"
When Kurotsuchi Mayuri's emotions flared up, he didn't care if the person in front of him was the Captain-Commander or anyone else; he vented his dissatisfaction right then and there.
"Where is that fly buzzing incessantly?"
Kenpachi Zaraki strolled slowly into the meeting room at this point, bandages wrapped around his chest, and that black eyepatch had already been put back on.
"I hear noisy shouting as soon as I walk in, it's really annoying."
"Who are you calling a fly, you brainless barbarian?"
"Whoever answers is the one I'm talking about." Kenpachi Zaraki grinned, revealing a battle-hungry smile: "I've been annoyed with you for a long time."
"All of you, shut your mouths!"
Captain-Commander Yamamoto finally reached the end of his patience. He struck his cane heavily on the floor and barked:
"Look at yourselves! What do you think you're doing?!"
Seeing that Yamamoto was truly angry, the two stopped talking. They merely glared at each other and stood back in their places.
Kenpachi Zaraki and Kurotsuchi Mayuri were both Captains, but they had been displeased with each other for a very long time.
"This time, with so many of you Captains deployed, the situation still developed into this state."
Yamamoto said angrily: "To this day, not only do you lack any sense of remorse, you are even so insolent in the Captains' Meeting. I truly find it hard to believe that these are the Captains of the Gotei 13."
See, I told you the Old Man would definitely be angry.
Shunsui signaled to Ukitake with his eyes.
Stop making faces. If the teacher catches you, you'll get scolded.
Ukitake signaled back to Shunsui in the same way.
Old Man Yama had rarely flown into such a large rage in recent years, but Shunsui could understand; after all, the losses right now were truly too great.
And most importantly...
They didn't even know who the enemy was!
Those five monsters came suddenly and left suddenly!
Furthermore, they weren't Soul Reapers, they weren't Hollows, and they weren't...
Quincies!
It was as if a new species had suddenly appeared within the Three Worlds, which was simply baffling.
"Currently, that magic circle has been sent to the Kido Corps, and even sent to the West Rukon District for investigation, but no results have been found yet."
While everyone was suppressed by Yamamoto's anger and didn't dare to speak, Fifth Division Captain Sosuke Aizen was the first to step forward and say:
"But it is certain that those five monsters used this magic circle for spatial traversal."
Just like their Senkaimon.
This meant...
Yamamoto's eyes moved slightly as he said: "Continue."
Aizen then said: "For the monsters to arrive at the Seireitei, they needed to carve this magic circle. That is to say, someone carved those five magic circles first, and only then were they able to come to the Seireitei."
"So... who was it that carved them?"
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the Captains couldn't help but change.
Aizen's words were very clear: there was a mole within the Gotei 13!
A mole had set up those five magic circles there beforehand, and only then were the five monsters summoned!
"Indeed..." Shunsui also said: "Even if the Shakonmaku wasn't deployed and the Seireiheki wasn't lowered, if someone enters the Seireitei via spatial transmission, the Department of Research and Development would definitely have an early warning."
The Seireitei had its own set of security measures.
Normally, whether it was a Hollow or a Soul Reaper trying to reach the Seireitei, they would receive a warning in advance.
Before the traversal reached them, they would be able to lock onto the opponent's location.
But this time, the arrival of the Five Elders was completely sudden. They didn't pass through the Dangai, and there was no Reiatsu warning.
But if there was a traitor, who would it be?
The Captains all arrived afterward, but could such a massive commotion be caused by an ordinary Soul Reaper?
"What you say makes a lot of sense." Yamamoto also approved of Aizen's and Shunsui's views, and then said:
"After you return, investigate the Soul Reapers of your respective divisions. Find out what they were doing before the monsters arrived. Each division will conduct an internal investigation. If the internal investigation yields nothing, the Onmitsukido will be deployed."
"Yes." The Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukido and Second Division Captain, Soi Fon, nodded.
"Has their origin been investigated clearly?" Yamamoto looked at Soi Fon again and asked.
He hadn't let the Onmitsukido start investigating from the beginning because the Onmitsukido was currently focused on searching for traces of those five monsters, and they didn't have much manpower right now.
Soi Fon shook her head: "Currently, there are no leads. We have only roughly identified their types based on their appearances."
"Speak."
"That giant boar resembles a Houki, a legendary Great Yokai."
"The half-man, half-horse monster should be a Bakotsu."
"The spider with bull horns is an Ushi-oni."
"The one with the giant mouthparts that swallowed the Seireitei buildings is a Sandworm."
"Finally... the firebird flying in the sky is very likely an Itsumade."
"What about that black shadow?" Yamamoto asked again.
"This..." Soi Fon shook her head: "We haven't found anything yet."
The individual monsters transformed into by the Five Elders still had traces to follow, but Imu, created by the fusion of those five monsters, truly exceeded her understanding.
In reality, that black shadow was the most troublesome part.
"Looking at its abilities, it couldn't possibly be a so-called 'demon,' could it?" Gin Ichimaru said as if joking.
But everyone fell silent at this.
Calling it a demon...
Didn't seem to be a problem.
After all, those Soul Reapers controlled by it had all grown demonic wings.
"I believe this matter should not be left solely to the Onmitsukido."
Byakuya said softly at this point: "Those monsters have already seriously threatened the safety of the Seireitei. I believe an expeditionary force should be formed."
"Not just the Soul Society, but the World of the Living and even Hueco Mundo should be targets for the search."
Hearing this, Ukitake felt a sense of relief.
He had really thought Byakuya was going to give up on Rukia.
But hearing this, one could tell Byakuya's intention immediately.
Searching in the Soul Society and the World of the Living was just a front; he mainly wanted to mention Hueco Mundo!
After all, as long as they entered Hueco Mundo, they could do more than just search for traces of the monsters; they could also look for Rukia!
Although it was said that Rukia had been swallowed in one bite by the Azure Dragon, being swallowed didn't necessarily mean she was truly dead.
Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he felt they couldn't give up.
"I support Captain Kuchiki's view."
Ukitake was the first to stand up and show support.
☰