It has to be said, Tsukishima's ability is just too busted.
Just like Yhwach can see the future and change it, Tsukishima can see the past and change it!
The difference is, once Yhwach's eyes are open he can use his power freely, while Tsukishima has to cut someone first to apply his ability.
Against true experts, it's not that easy to land a clean hit—unless you're up against Zaraki Kenpachi, who practically begs you to cut him.
But then again, even if you rewrite Kenpachi's past to make you his best friend, would he stop trying to cut you?
Impossible. For Kenpachi, his creed is "cut if you can." If you're a worthy opponent, he'll happily cut you down even if you're kin.
Ishida Sōken, however, clearly didn't have that kind of ability. He was old and feeble, and didn't even realize he'd been slashed.
"However, I didn't fully complete what you asked."
Tsukishima said, "The research you mentioned is too long-term—it spans decades. I could only retrieve the early segments."
"As expected. The beginning is enough," Yoshio nodded.
The first step is always the hardest; once you've opened the path, you can push forward from there.
This research is quite important. It can not only let Ishida Uryū avoid the Auswählen, but also allow him, to a certain extent, to slip past Yhwach's The Almighty.
Yhwach's most troublesome aspect is his godlike power. If you can evade even a small part of The Almighty, dealing with him becomes much easier.
Having Tsukishima write down everything he saw in Ishida Sōken's memories, Yoshio put the notes away and sent Tsukishima back.
He then returned to Brainleaf Co. and opened Sōken's research there.
Sure enough, it was complicated—but not the hard-science kind of complicated; more like chantwork akin to sacred hymns.
This hit Baelz's weak spot. He joined the Wandenreich too recently. He's strong and quite capable in research, but he doesn't know much about the Quincy ancestral secret arts.
In fact, that's the Wandenreich at large now. Aside from traditionalists like Quilge, the rest of the Sternritter focus on their Schrift and Vollständig. Who still digs into ancient incantations?
They're useless anyway—why spend ages chanting when a casual Schrift strike hits harder?
To many Sternritter, such things are dross.
Baelz is already one of the few Sternritter who values holy chants and holy disciplines, yet even he has only dabbled.
Traditional families like the Ishidas have every member grind fundamental skills, training chants and disciplines—something exceedingly rare in the Wandenreich.
So Yoshio now found himself looking at the papers and… not understanding some parts.
And this was only preliminary research. Replicating Ishida Sōken's work wouldn't be easy.
Frowning, Yoshio set it aside.
Looks like Baelz will need to study ancient Quincy knowledge and incantations more deeply.
After staying in the World of the Living for a while, Yoshio returned to Soul Society.
He first went to Division 1 to see Yamamoto.
Yamamoto was teaching the Division 1 Shinigami the tea ceremony. Seeing Yoshio, he stopped and received him alone.
Yoshio placed a Quincy corpse before Yamamoto and lodged a complaint about Mayuri.
"Captain-Commander, at least for now, we haven't completely fallen out with the Quincy, and the Living World Quincy are cooperating with us," Yoshio said. "It's already pushing it to have me work in the shadows like this. So why is Captain Kurotsuchi openly attacking Quincy?"
Yamamoto opened one eye. "Kurotsuchi Mayuri?"
"Yes," Yoshio said. "I was preparing to discreetly move against an elderly Quincy when I saw Captain Kurotsuchi deliberately guide five Gillians to attack him."
"But just as he was succeeding, a Shinigami stopped the five Hollows. Seeing this, Captain Kurotsuchi not only didn't stop—he even tried to blow up that Shinigami along with the Quincy. Isn't that going too far?"
"He even used members of the 12th as human bombs. It's outrageous!"
Yoshio put on a show of righteous anger.
"A Shinigami?" Yamamoto was surprised. "Who?"
"Hm?" Yoshio frowned. "Not someone from Division 10. I don't know."
Yamamoto felt something was off. He knew Division 13 had stationed Shinigami in Karakura Town, but their strength shouldn't be enough to easily take down five Hollows and survive a human-bomb explosion by Mayuri.
Also…
Mayuri truly had gone too far.
Acting so brazenly—and using human bombs!
Yamamoto knew Mayuri needed Quincy corpses for research; Central 46 had issued orders to support Mayuri's needs. Since those were Central 46's orders, the Captain-Commander could only comply.
However, what Mayuri had done now wasn't sanctioned by Central 46.
He'd overstepped.
Thinking of this, Yamamoto narrowed his eyes. "I understand. Captain Yoshio, you may go. I will look into this."
"In that case, I'll return to my division."
Yoshio withdrew.
After a month away, Rangiku would be ready to blow the roof off.
Sure enough, as soon as Yoshio returned, a book came flying at him.
Expressionless, he tilted his head and let it whistle past.
"What are you doing?" he asked Rangiku.
"You! Do you still remember you're Division 10's captain?! Disappearing without a word for so long—you made me worry sick!" Rangiku shouted.
"And what do you take your job for?!"
"You were obviously sulking because Captain didn't take you along, dumped work on you, and… reflect on that last part too!"
Yamiko walked by and said this deadpan.
Yoshio and Rangiku both quieted down. He cleared his throat. "I was on a Central 46 assignment. Speaking of which, Rangiku… did you handle the workload while I was away?"
"Of course… I did." Rangiku tilted her head and whistled.
Then realizing Yoshio was changing the subject, she said, a bit snarky, "So you finally came back."
Yoshio raised a brow. "What do you mean 'finally'? Where else would I go?"
"Let me see what you've turned Division 10 into while I was gone."
He entered the captain's office. The scene was different from what he expected—he'd thought files would be stacked like mountains.
"Ahem…" Rangiku coughed. "Yamiko handled them for you. I'm so jealous you have such an excellent cousin. You should just give her the captain's seat."
"Of course," Yoshio said proudly. "Yamiko was trained by me. It's a pity some people haven't learned a single one of my virtues."
"As if I could," Rangiku flipped her hair. "By the way, Hitsugaya came looking for you the day before yesterday."
"He did?" Yoshio was puzzled. "What for?"
"How would I know?"
"Alright, I'll go check."
Yoshio vanished.
Rangiku gaped, slapping the desk. "Yoshio! You run off the moment you return! What do you take your work for?!"
But Yoshio couldn't hear. He was already on his way to Division 13.
He walked into Division 13 like it was home—familiar with every corner.
He headed straight to Hitsugaya's office. Hitsugaya was buried in paperwork.
How can a division have so much paperwork? He's only so busy because he does part of the subordinates' work himself, and then personally re-checks what they've finished.
What a diligent boss!
"Hard at it, Captain Hitsugaya," Yoshio said as he entered.
Hitsugaya looked up. "You're back from your mission?"
He didn't know what mission Yoshio had; even as a captain, he wasn't privy to the details.
It wasn't exactly a glorious assignment, and Central 46 had ordered Yoshio to execute it in secret.
Still, Gotei 13 officers are professionals: if it's a secret mission, we don't ask.
"Mm." Yoshio nodded. "Rangiku said you were looking for me?"
"Kira came to see me," Hitsugaya said, setting down his papers. "He told me about Hinamori."
"That guy…" Yoshio sighed. "I told him to find evidence before getting paranoid. Whatever. What did he tell you?"
"Hinamori keeps disappearing for stretches."
Hitsugaya's voice lowered. "Kira said he secretly tailed her; at night, Hinamori isn't in the lieutenant's office for a period."
"Isn't that a bit creepy? Spying on the lieutenant's office at night?"
Yoshio found it odd. Hinamori was under Aizen's wing—how would she leave such an obvious trail?
Strange.
Hitsugaya ignored Yoshio's jab and continued, "I checked it myself, and didn't see what Kira claimed. So I suspect there may be something wrong with Kira's mental state."
?!
Whoa, that's even more absurd.
But…
With Aizen's ability, he can indeed make someone look crazy.
Once Kyōka Suigetsu is active, Hitsugaya sees Hinamori in the room, Kira doesn't—someone has to doubt reality.
Judging by mental stability, Kira is the likelier one to be seen as unstable.
No doubt, Aizen is toying with minds again.
Yoshio's interest waned. Does Aizen really find this that fun?
"So, you wanted me to…?" Yoshio prompted.
"You get along with both Hinamori and Kira. I thought you could call them in and get them to talk openly."
"Let me think." Yoshio's eyes flicked. "Forget it. I'll just go ask them individually."
He left immediately.
He didn't go to Hinamori—he went to Aizen.
"Captain Aizen, this is pretty underhanded," Yoshio grumbled as he entered. "I just got back and I'm already tangled up in your mess."
"Hm? You mean Hinamori?" Aizen kept reading, speaking without looking up.
"Yeah," Yoshio said. "You're planning to make Kira your next target?"
"How is that persecution?" Aizen smiled. "Well then, it's time you knew."
"Come with me."
He closed the book, stood, and left Division 5.
Yoshio followed him to the training grounds. The shadows on the ground began to shift.
Yoshio was surprised—wasn't this shadow stuff… a Quincy technique?
Has Aizen learned it? Or is it some kind of simulation?
Given Aizen's collaboration with the Wandenreich, creating a Shadow Realm isn't impossible.
They stepped in, entering a wholly different space.
It was scorching, like a furnace. Yoshio looked around—plum trees were planted everywhere.
Each petal on the blossoms radiated heat like flame.
Looking up on entry, you could see branches laden with blossoms overhead, glowing crimson like stars.
In the dim realm, it held a special beauty.
"This is… Hinamori's Bankai?" Yoshio asked, surprised.
"Mm," Aizen said. "Hinamori's Zanpakutō is Tobiume. Her Bankai is 'Tobiume Shōsei.' Want to know its ability?"
"Let me guess…?" Yoshio smiled. "This entire grove is her Bankai. When she goes to kill, the blossoms appear at her side and fight for her?"
Aizen pushed up his glasses. "No. They only shine when they fight for me."
"Hinamori's Bankai is an incomplete conclusion—awakened for my sake."