Ichigo's sudden question was like a bucket of ice water, instantly dousing the joy brought by the successful Hollowfication.
The harmonious atmosphere across the entire place shattered in that instant.
All the captains' gazes withdrew from Aizen in the air and locked onto Ichimaru Gin beside Ichigo.
There wasn't much surprise in those looks.
What filled them was scrutiny.
Their eyes weren't blind.
That shot from Kamishini no Yari just now, whether it was the speed, the angle, or the timing, carried a chilling killing intent.
If someone said it was merely to relieve the situation, it would be an insult to the battle-hardened captains present.
But seeing through something didn't mean saying it out loud.
Everyone here was an old hand. They all understood that the grievance between those two wasn't important.
What mattered was Captain-Commander Rosse's attitude.
If Rosse wanted to pursue it, then Ichimaru Gin was a traitor and would die today without question.
If Rosse didn't want to pursue it, then even if Ichimaru Gin had placed a blade against Aizen's neck, it could only be called an overly aggressive rescue that caused a misunderstanding.
"Ara~ Ara~ Captain Kurosaki, you can eat carelessly, but you can't speak carelessly."
Facing the accusations of the crowd, Ichimaru Gin showed not the slightest panic. Instead, he pushed his hands even deeper into his wide sleeves.
He tilted his head. The foxlike smile on his face grew deeper, even carrying a hint of innocence.
"Why make groundless accusations against a good person?"
"I admit that my attack on Captain Aizen just now was a bit aggressive. But didn't Vice Captain Matsumoto already block it? And besides…"
He opened one eye. Mockery filled the pale blue pupil.
"Do you really think that with my insignificant strength, I could kill Captain Aizen, who fused with the Hogyoku and evolved into a higher dimension?"
"Spiritual pressure is the foundation of a Shinigami."
"With the density of Captain Aizen's spiritual pressure in that state, even if my blade had somehow pierced his heart, it would probably feel no worse than a mosquito bite. There's no way it could cause any fatal injury."
"I believe the Captain-Commander, who possesses extraordinary spiritual pressure perception, can also clear things up for a weakling like me, right?"
"As for what you said about killing Orihime Inoue?"
Ichimaru Gin exaggeratedly widened his eyes, looking completely confused, "Who's that? Oh, I remember now. The girl from the human world that the traitor Kyoraku has been hiding."
"Come on, I don't even know her. I've never exchanged a single word with her. Putting such baseless accusations on my head is nothing more than naked framing, isn't it?"
In just a few sentences, Ichimaru Gin had washed that dirty water clean off himself.
He even struck back, turning Ichigo into a mad dog biting people out of personal hatred.
"I can testify."
At that moment, a cool and weighty voice sounded.
Matsumoto Rangiku stood beside Rosse. The blade of Haineko had already been sheathed.
She gave a slight nod and spoke in an objective tone.
"Although that strike was extremely fast, the spiritual pressure contained within it was indeed only at the level of an ordinary third-class spiritual might. An attack of that level would most likely not break through Captain Aizen's spiritual pressure defense even if I hadn't stepped in to block it."
As soon as those words came out, many of the scrutinizing gazes around them lessened.
Who was Matsumoto Rangiku?
She was Rosse's direct subordinate.
She was the woman beside that man's pillow.
Her words largely represented Rosse's intentions.
However, Matsumoto Rangiku knew in her own heart that what she said was half true and half false.
The terror of Kamishini no Yari had never been its piercing damage.
It was the deadly poison on the blade that could dissolve cells in an instant.
If that strike had truly pierced the Hogyoku, Aizen would have been gravely injured even if he didn't die.
But muddying the waters was Rosse's order.
That was her stance.
"Ahhh! You're still twisting the truth!"
This upside-down argument completely ignited Ichigo's anger.
He glared at the two people who were playing along with each other, his eyes bloodshot, veins on his temples bulging as if about to burst.
"You two obviously know each other well! Maybe you already planned this together!"
"That spiritual pressure! That cold feeling! Captain Kuchiki sensed it too! That spiritual pressure is still lingering on Orihime's body, and it's also in my room!"
"Ichimaru Gin, if you've got nothing to hide, then release your spiritual pressure right now and let Captain Kuchiki compare your spiritual pressure fluctuations on the spot!"
"Ha!"
Ichimaru Gin suddenly interrupted Ichigo's roar.
His expression turned extremely strange, as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world.
"So what you're saying is that one day I got bored, killed someone, sneaked into 13th Divison, then carefully moved the body to the head of your bed, and finally kindly left behind my own spiritual pressure as evidence for you?"
"Captain Kurosaki, do I look like someone with an intellectual disability to you?"
In truth, even now he was still confused about the whole matter.
This was the first time he had even heard about it.
But with his level of intelligence, just hearing fragments of the story was enough for him to guess roughly what had happened.
This incident was most likely Rosse's doing.
'Tsk! I thought Rangiku stepped out to protect me because she truly cares.'
'Who would have guessed that it is also part of the arrangement?'
'Rangiku… you've really changed.'
"That's right! The logic sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth! Even though the murderer erased most of the traces, I swear with my life that the lingering spiritual pressure is yours!"
Ichigo ground his teeth as he spoke with certainty.
"I have personally sensed that spiritual pressure as well."
The silent Kuchiki Byakuya finally spoke.
Everyone's attention instantly focused on the noble captain known for his fairness and strictness.
Byakuya looked at Ichimaru Gin, then glanced at Ichigo, who was nearly losing control.
After a moment of contemplation, he gave an extremely rigorous answer.
"Indeed, the faint spiritual pressure remaining on the corpse is seven parts similar in quality to Captain Ichimaru's spiritual pressure. That cold and sharp characteristic is difficult to imitate."
Ichigo's eyes lit up, but before he could speak, Byakuya's next sentence stopped him.
"However, based solely on residual spiritual pressure, I cannot determine in legal terms that they belong to the same person. After all, most of the spiritual pressure traces were erased. If an expert skilled in Kido deliberately forged them, it would not be entirely impossible."
As the head of the Kuchiki family, every word he spoke had to stand up to scrutiny.
He could not convict someone based on intuition.
But the phrase "seven parts similar" was already enough to tilt the scale in everyone's hearts.
Ichimaru Gin's suspicion instantly soared.
Unfortunately, this accusation was destined to lead nowhere.
Because Rosse had already shown his stance from the very beginning.
"Since even Captain Kuchiki cannot confirm it, why must I be the murderer?", Ichimaru Gin asked with a smile.
"Ichigo."
Only now did Aizen speak, as if he had just sorted through his thoughts.
"On which day exactly did the incident occur?"
Ichigo froze for a moment before answering.
"Sensei, it was the night I became captain. According to Captain Kuchiki's autopsy, Orihime likely died around three in the morning that day. I woke up before seven. The time when Orihime's body was placed in my room should be within that period."
"Three to seven in the morning…"
Aizen repeated the time, but said nothing more.
"Then it can't be Captain Ichimaru."
Hinamori Momo, who had been standing behind Aizen all along, stepped forward and positioned herself between her captain and Ichigo.
"Huh? Why?", Ichigo's eyes widened.
Momo took a deep breath and spoke seriously, "That night, after attending your celebration banquet with Captain Aizen, we didn't return to the barracks. Instead, we went directly to 12th Divison's Research and Development Institute to perform the final adjustments before the Hogyoku fusion."
"According to the rules previously set by Captain-Commander Rosse, any experiment related to Hollowfication must be supervised by three additional captains besides Captain Kurotsuchi."
"And that night…"
Momo pointed at Ichimaru Gin.
"Captain Ichimaru was one of the three captains responsible for supervision. And he never left from beginning to end."
"I can testify."
Before Ichigo could react, Hitsugaya stepped forward with a frown.
Although his eyes were still filled with dislike toward Ichimaru Gin, he chose to speak the truth.
"That night, I was also one of the supervising captains. This fox may not be a good person, but he really did stay in 12th Divison's laboratory all night, right under my watch."
"Huh?"
Ichigo froze completely, as if struck by lightning.
He had imagined countless possibilities.
He had imagined Ichimaru Gin denying it.
He had imagined Rosse covering it up.
But he had never imagined that Ichimaru Gin would have such a perfect alibi.
"Keh! Heh! Heh! That's right, it's exactly like that."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri casually played with his fingers. His sarcastic tone became the final straw that crushed the camel.
"At Captain-Commander Rosse's request, 12th Divison's laboratory is filled with the densest spirit particle monitoring network in all of Soul Society. Every second of that night's footage is still perfectly preserved in my database."
"The five senses can be manipulated, and spiritual pressure can be forged. But data purely recorded by machines will never lie."
"Besides…"
Mayuri bared his yellowed teeth.
"Our latest surveillance methods can already identify individuals through spirit particle wavelengths. If the Captain Ichimaru that night had been a fake, the alarm would have gone off long ago."
"If Captain Kurosaki is interested, you're welcome to visit the Research and Development Institute and check the recordings anytime."
Those words delivered the death sentence to this accusation.
The facts were right in front of them.
Ichimaru Gin might have similar spiritual pressure.
He might be the most suspicious.
But he had no time to commit the crime.
He could not have appeared in two places at once.
In truth, the reason Hitsugaya stepped out at this moment might partly have been for Hinamori Momo.
He didn't want his childhood friend dragged into this mess.
But the real reason Mayuri immediately stepped in to reinforce the argument was simple.
He saw Matsumoto Rangiku's attitude.
Rangiku protected Ichimaru Gin.
And Rosse did not object.
That meant it was Rosse's intention.
As a smart scientist, he knew exactly where to stand.
Rosse was the only person whose side he needed to be on.
Whether Ichimaru Gin actually did it or not, today he absolutely could not be the culprit.
"How… how is that possible…"
Zangetsu in Ichigo's hand drooped weakly. His eyes were full of confusion and self-doubt.
'That spiritual pressure was so clear. So real.'
'Then why are all the witnesses and evidence telling me that my perception is wrong?'
'That night, Ichimaru Gin really was at the 12th Divison?'
'Even Aizen-sensei agrees.'
'That means... it is true'.
'But if it isn't Ichimaru Gin, then who is it?'
'Who possesses that cold spiritual pressure and can perfectly avoid everyone's attention?'
'Could it really be that my own senses are wrong?'
Looking at the orange-haired boy teetering on the edge of collapse, the smile at the corner of Ichimaru Gin's mouth deepened.
But hidden within that smile was deep wariness toward Rosse's methods.
'Too perfect.'
'Even the timeline has been arranged so precisely.'
'This is not a coincidence.'
'It is a trap carefully designed from the very beginning.'
Because he himself knew nothing about it, his reactions would be the most natural.
Moreover, Rosse's behavior, Aizen's responses, and the people who stepped forward to speak all seemed to fall perfectly within the calculations of those two.
They only needed to express their intentions subtly at the right moments, and the entire play would unfold smoothly on its own.
Perhaps after everyone eventually learned the truth, they would marvel at the terrifying power these two had in manipulating the five senses.
But that wasn't it. The most frightening thing about them had nothing to do with the Zanpakuto that could manipulate the five senses.
It was them. Their own strength and intelligence both stood at the peak of this world.
Against them alone, unless someone struck with a completely unexpected move, there would be no chance of victory.
At least, Ichimaru Gin couldn't see any hope.
"Captain Kurosaki, do you have anything else to say?"
Rosse, who had remained silent all this time, finally looked at Ichigo and spoke.
"I… I don't! But Orihime really did die in my room! And the spiritual pressure I sensed really was exactly the same as Ichimaru Gin's! I swear it with my life! I ask everyone to find the real murderer!"
Ichigo could not refute the evidence.
All he could do was look at Rosse with hope, begging him to treat the matter fairly.
"Captain Kuchiki, please explain the entire situation to all the captains present," Rosse did not question Ichigo. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Kuchiki Byakuya.
"The matter is like this…"
Byakuya nodded slightly and retold the entire incident.
He spoke in an extremely objective tone, describing everything from Rukia coming to find him to the discoveries he made within 13th Divison.
Finally, he summarized.
"After my confirmation, two spiritual pressures indeed remained on the human girl's corpse. One originated from the former 13th Divison captain, Ukitake Jushiro. The other source is unknown and was specially concealed."
"Is it possible that the human really was killed by Ichimaru Gin, but that bastard Ukitake brought the body to the 13th Divison captain's quarters?"
Yoruichi yawned and casually offered a guess.
After talking for so long, aside from confirming that it was related to Ukitake, everything else was just speculation.
Continuing to argue about something like this would lead nowhere.
But she simply found Ichimaru Gin annoying.
Walking around every day with that poisonous snake expression.
What was wrong with tossing out a few words to stir the pot?
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