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Inside the First Division Captain's Office, the atmosphere was heavy, as if shrouded by an invisible gloom.
Yamamoto sat at his desk, leaning on his cane.
His brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes as sharp as blades, and his forehead seemed to have gained a few more deep wrinkles.
On the adjacent seats, Aozaki Reiji and Kyōraku Shunsui appeared relaxed, making it impossible to guess their thoughts.
Jūshirō Ukitake, however, was filled with worry, looking deeply troubled.
As the only survivor of the incident who had directly engaged the culprits, Aozaki Reiji began to recount the entire pursuit process to everyone.
By interspersing a small amount of truth with a large amount of fabricated details, the true nature of the events became bewildering, yet every detail was described with extreme thoroughness.
After Aozaki Reiji finished his report, Yamamoto asked, "Are you truly certain that the culprit used Bankai?" His voice was low, carrying a barely perceptible hint of doubt.
Aozaki Reiji answered nonchalantly, "Absolutely certain, I clearly felt the opponent's Reiatsu surge dramatically."
His words conveyed a sense of confidence and certainty.
Yamamoto slightly raised and waved his hand, signaling the Lieutenant Team, who had been waiting nearby, to withdraw.
Only after the Lieutenant Team had departed did he speak again, his voice even heavier:
"Then, do you have any idea what abilities the culprit's Bankai possesses?"
A Shinigami who has mastered Bankai has undergone a qualitative leap in power; their dangerousness is many times greater than that of Shinigami who merely possess Captain-class Reiatsu.
Aozaki Reiji gently shook his head, stating with great certainty:
"No, when that guy used Bankai, I didn't see any obvious changes to his Zanpakuto."
"But the Reiatsu he released indeed had the massive magnification of a Bankai-level!"
"A Bankai with no change to the Zanpakuto?"
Yamamoto couldn't help but frown upon hearing this, muttering softly to himself.
Aozaki Reiji's words made him suddenly recall the newly appointed Third Division Captain—Aizen Sōsuke.
That man's Zanpakuto could manipulate mist and water, and the form of his Zanpakuto itself did not change in the slightest.
However, based on this alone, Yamamoto still could not determine the true identity of the suspect.
After all, this only indicated that the opponent's Zanpakuto did not undergo a change in form after Bankai; as for its specific abilities and power, it remained unknown.
"Since there are no clues, let's temporarily set aside the matter of the Zanpakuto, but there's still something peculiar about this incident," Jūshirō Ukitake said with a grave expression.
His voice was cold and firm:
"There is likely an inside accomplice within the Gotei 13, or even… the culprit himself is a member of the Gotei 13!"
This conclusion was not difficult to reach, as the culprits who invaded the Tsunayashiro Family this time understood the Gotei 13 to an unimaginable degree.
They were able to begin their retreat even before the Gotei 13 arrived, clearly having obtained internal intelligence beforehand.
Kyōraku Shunsui, seeing this, pushed his straw hat, his eyes growing deeper, and couldn't help but frown in agreement:
"The invaders are not only familiar with the Gotei 13's combat methods but also know everything about the Tsunayashiro Family."
"It appears that this person must hold an important position, and is very likely hidden among the high-ranking members of the Gotei 13, at least a seated officer!"
Within the Gotei 13, only seated officers and above are considered true leaders.
Most regular Squad members merely act on orders, only concerned with bravely charging into battle with their swords, and may not even be fully aware of the Gotei 13's specific combat methods.
Therefore, if there truly is an internal traitor, their identity must be extraordinary.
Thinking of this, a hint of worry and vigilance involuntarily arose in both their hearts.
Yamamoto frowned, pondering to himself.
High-ranking position within the Gotei 13 and a Zanpakuto Bankai that doesn't change form—these two conditions made him think of the recently promoted Third Division Captain.
But based on these two points alone, it was clearly not enough to convict someone, or even to suspect him was a bit far-fetched.
"Reiji, according to the reports from the Eleventh Division Squad members, do they believe there was more than one intruder in this incident?"
Yamamoto asked with a serious tone.
Aozaki Reiji nodded slightly, confirming: "Indeed."
"I also happened to encounter this culprit after receiving messages from my Squad members."
"And before that, we found several bodies on the other side of the Tsunayashiro Family that were turning into spiritual particles."
Yamamoto sighed lightly after hearing this; the situation was becoming even more confusing.
If there was more than one culprit capable of using Bankai, the situation would undoubtedly be even more dangerous and difficult.
What was initially thought to be a simple family dispute now seemed to be far from simple.
Jūshirō Ukitake hesitated slightly before saying:
"Teacher, in my student's opinion, this matter still needs to be thoroughly investigated."
"However, allowing the enemy to hide within the Gotei 13 is undoubtedly extremely dangerous, and perhaps measures should be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring."
Yamamoto frowned slightly upon hearing this, a look of suspicion on his face, and asked, "Then do you have any good suggestions?"
Jūshirō Ukitake replied with a serious expression: "This student has heard that the Twelfth Division has developed a monitoring tool."
"Oh? Could it be the Recording Bug?" Aozaki Reiji raised an eyebrow and retorted.
As expected of the steady Jūshirō, even Ginjō Kūgo hadn't gained recognition from the Soul Society yet, and the Substitute Shinigami monitoring plan hadn't even started, but he's already monitoring the Gotei 13.
Jūshirō Ukitake nodded without hesitation:
"Precisely the Recording Bug. Perhaps we can place these Recording Bugs within the Gotei 13 to monitor any unusual activity within the Gotei 13!"
Yamamoto pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "Hmm… Regarding this matter, let Chojiro handle it."
As he spoke, his previously taut brows gradually relaxed.
Hearing this, Aozaki Reiji's lips curved slightly upward, and he mused to himself.
His current experiment was past the halfway point, with most of the Shinigami Souls collected. If he could gather some more Souls from Rukongai as materials, he should be able to proceed smoothly.
Next, he planned to shift his research focus to Hollows.
Meanwhile, Aizen was preparing to initiate his Hollowfication experiment, but the soon-to-be deployed Recording Bugs and other equipment would likely cause him some trouble.
Thinking of this, Aozaki Reiji couldn't help but reveal a hint of schadenfreude, standing up with his hands on his hips, and said:
"Old Man, since there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now. I still need to hurry up and practice my Bankai!"
Yamamoto, Kyōraku Shunsui, and Jūshirō Ukitake exchanged smiles.
It seemed that encountering enemies capable of Bankai twice had greatly stimulated him.
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