"Tsunayashiro Kakyo?"
Hearing that name, Naraku Sora visibly froze for a moment.
If he remembered correctly, Kakyo was originally from the Rukongai. She was later chosen by the Tsunayashiro family for some reason and eventually became the wife of Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
At that thought, he snapped back to reality, realizing a very important detail.
"Where is Tsunayashiro Tokinada?"
Kakyo couldn't keep up with the boy's massive leap in logic and failed to react for a moment.
It wasn't until Sora repeated the question that she answered softly, "Tokinada left the Moriyama estate not too long ago."
"I saw him losing his temper in the study earlier, cursing Tsunayashiro Taketori for having no patience and so on. Shortly after, I saw him leave in a great hurry."
Hearing this, Sora's heart sank.
One of the primary objectives of wiping out the Tsunayashiro family was to get rid of Tokinada. He hadn't expected the man to have such foresight. Seeing that the situation was turning south, he had greased his heels and bolted.
'Talk about a keen sense of smell. That guy is like a rat.'
"Can we find him?" Sora asked, unwilling to give up.
Kakyo hesitated for a second, then reached out and began to trace patterns in the air while chanting a Kidō incantation in a low voice.
"Heart of the south, eye of the north."
"Finger of the slender, toe of the east."
"Gather with the wind, scatter with the rain."
"Bakudō #58: Kakushizui-jakko!"
Threads of Reishi instantly flew from her fingertips, spreading toward the horizon at a speed difficult for the naked eye to track. They headed toward the Rukongai.
Soon, Kakyo deactivated the Kidō with a look of disappointment, shaking her head helplessly.
"I'm sorry, Lord Naraku. Kakushizui-jakko cannot capture his Reiatsu."
"Either Tsunayashiro Tokinada has already fled to a very distant part of the Rukongai, or he has used Kidō to mask his spiritual signature."
Sora's face darkened.
He thought he had been fast enough, but he still let that guy slip away. Without the status of a Tsunayashiro family member to support him, Tokinada's future plans would lack resources, but with a personality that defined 'pure evil,' there was no telling what kind of nightmare he would stir up.
The mere thought of that man still being alive made Sora feel like he wouldn't be able to eat or sleep.
'No, I need to figure something out.'
Sora narrowed his eyes, a series of names flashing through his mind. Aizen, Yoruichi, Senjumaru...
But before that, he had to finish cleaning up the remaining Tsunayashiro remnants. Those who put up a desperate resistance were sent straight to the cycle of reincarnation, while those who surrendered on the spot were hauled off to Shino Prison.
Notably, perhaps out of guilt for failing to find Tokinada's trail, Kakyo proactively stepped forward to testify against her kinsmen.
As a woman who was naturally kind, watching the Tsunayashiro family commit sin after sin every day had been a form of spiritual torture. Although she had tried to reform them in her own way, the effect had been negligible.
However, in Kakyo's eyes, anyone had the potential to be redeemed—even an existence as wicked as Tokinada. Rather than letting these people be slaughtered, it was better to imprison them in Shino Prison. Perhaps with the passing of time, their twisted ideologies could be corrected.
"Cry, Suzumushi."
A sharp, insect-like chirping echoed, vibrating against the eardrums of the Tsunayashiro clansmen like a drill, tearing into their very souls. The sound waves materialized into physical ripples, spreading out with Kakyo at the center.
In an instant, several people were completely enveloped.
Reiatsu erupted, kicking up a fierce wind that swept through the ruins. The transition from silence to cacophony happened in a heartbeat.
Sora watched the scene with some surprise. If he remembered correctly, Suzumushi was the Zanpakutō of Tōsen Kaname.
After Kakyo was eventually murdered by Tokinada, Tōsen had inherited her blade at the funeral, infusing it with his own soul and Reiatsu to form a new Zanpakutō. He hadn't realized that while it was still in Kakyo's hands, the name was already Suzumushi.
And its Shikai ability was exactly the same as when Tōsen used it—releasing sound waves to strike the enemy on both physical and mental levels.
'Zanpakutō really are mysterious things,' Sora thought. 'They can not only develop power from a Soul Reaper's soul but can even inherit the abilities of the deceased.'
'I wonder, if I died and Aizen inherited Vajrayati, what would that look like?'
Sora's mind began to wander, engaging in a mental brainstorm.
Kakyo stole a glance at the youth beside her, a flash of gratitude in her eyes. The Tsunayashiro family had utterly lost this struggle. Normally, any other noble family would have slaughtered every survivor to leave no loose ends.
But this siege was led by Lord Naraku.
He didn't seem to have the intention of pulling them up by the roots. Instead, aside from those who resisted, he categorized the remaining members by their crimes and applied the appropriate punishments.
'What a gentle person Lord Naraku is...'
The corners of Kakyo's mouth curled up slightly, and she put even more effort into her work.
Even Kuchiki Kōga looked at her slender figure with suspicion, at one point wondering if she was also one of the victims framed by the Tsunayashiro.
With the death of Takeyuki, the chaos in the noble district finally came to an end. Because the family head had fallen, the main house members were either dead or eating prison food, and some of the branch family members actually managed to survive by accident.
They had no ambition, no talent for spiritual power, and were entirely ignorant of the main house's schemes. They were the 'mobs' among 'mobs,' with absolutely zero utility value. Sending such people to Shino Prison would just be a waste of food.
Sora didn't have the slightest interest in them.
Perhaps for the sake of noble reputation, Kuchiki Ginrei actually stepped in to vouch for them, allowing these people to continue living in the noble district to maintain their titles.
Kōga couldn't wrap his head around this. However, Ginrei had clearly lost the desire to explain himself to his son-in-law; he simply patted Kōga on the shoulder and let out a heavy sigh.
Watching his father-in-law's departing back, Kōga frowned, but soon relaxed.
'Forget it. The old man can think whatever he wants. I can't be bothered to care.'
'I'd rather spend this time talking to Sora about Hakuda techniques.'
After all, his success in clearing his name was entirely thanks to his best friend. Perhaps he could talk to his father-in-law about being transferred to Shino Prison?
This storm had swept through the entire Seireitei and the Soul Society at large, making the name "Naraku Sora" known to every Soul Reaper. Specifically, that pillar of light that pierced the sky over the 13th Squad barracks and the figure who had unhesitatingly dragged the enemy through the streets had left everyone in awe.
The Third Seat of Shino Prison had sacrificed himself for justice to protect the people. It was a sight that deeply moved every witness. They realized that outside of the Gotei 13, there were still such righteous individuals.
In an instant, many people felt a sense of longing and admiration.
During that critical moment, people had assumed the Third Seat was a dead man. Yet, not only had he returned unscathed, but he had also immediately organized a team to wipe out the source of evil in the noble district.
In less than ten minutes, the massive Tsunayashiro family had collapsed.
Like a hot knife through butter.
Such a clean and decisive result completely shattered the common Soul Reaper's "filter" regarding the untouchable nature of the high nobility.
And what happened next left countless people even more flabbergasted.
Just as everything was nearing its conclusion, the sky over the noble district suddenly shattered. A terrifying spiritual pressure, like the heavens themselves collapsing, poured down and instantly flooded the entire Seireitei.
For a moment, countless Soul Reapers grew solemn. The weaker-willed ones felt their legs turn to jelly, unable to imagine how powerful this new enemy might be.
Then, a heat so intense it reached the boiling point erupted from the shattered space. Like a falling sun, it surged violently across the sky.
"No matter who it is, I shall make them—"
From within the shimmering heat, a burning figure stepped out. Gripping an ancient, long blade, he entered the sight of everyone below.
"—pay the price!"
The previously harmonious scene was replaced by a shock that words could not describe as the owner of that aura appeared.
Even Sora, who was slacking off with Yoruichi in the ruins, looked up in stunned silence. He hadn't expected Yamamoto to return to the Soul Society in such a fashion.
From the looks of it, the old man had used sheer brute force to shatter space and then relied on his vast experience to find the junction point of the Soul Society within the Dangai.
It was a completely different method from Aizen's finesse. Truly, he was a monster among men.
Looking at the ruins before him, Yamamoto's brow furrowed. He didn't understand why so many Soul Reapers were gathered here. Aside from the Gotei 13, there were many members of other noble families.
'Had the Seireitei undergone a cataclysmic change while I was gone, causing the survivors to gather here?'
Just as the atmosphere grew heavy, a familiar figure appeared in Yamamoto's line of sight, trotting toward him with a cheerful look.
"Teacher, you're finally back!"
Sora decided to act first and explain later. "While you were gone, we settled the chaos and wiped out the source of all darkness. The Soul Society is now peaceful and serene."
Hearing this, a strong sense of unease instantly bubbled up in Yamamoto's heart.
"What exactly happened?"
Sora grinned. "Oh, nothing much. Tsunayashiro Taketori just lost his patience and tried to launch a 'Project Orange Juice' in the Soul Society."
Yamamoto's brow furrowed deeper.
Under the weight of that gaze, Sora gave a brief summary of the events in a few sentences. When Yamamoto heard that Taketori had teamed up with Gosuke to strike at Ukitake Jūshirō, the pressure radiating from him spiked. The ruined ground beneath them began to shriek under the unbearable weight.
Some of the weaker Soul Reapers even fainted on the spot.
Kuchiki Ginrei, Aikawa Love, and the others watched the suddenly reappearing Head Captain with cold sweat on their brows.
"And Tsunayashiro Taketori?"
"Dead."
Yamamoto's eyes widened, his unease growing stronger.
"And the rest of the Tsunayashiro family? Bring them to me!"
Sora pointed to the bodies covered by the Kidō shroud in the distance. "I can't exactly 'bring' them to you, but you can certainly take them away... in a bucket."
Yamamoto: "?"