The person Yoruichi was looking for was, naturally, the person she trusted most in her life.
Her father, Shihoin Shun'gen!
When she arrived at Shun'gen's sickroom, the angry look on her face had not yet subsided.
Crash!
She pushed open the wooden door rather violently and walked in.
Shun'gen was startled. Seeing that it was Yoruichi, he lay back down.
"Yoruichi, I'm recuperating right now. Can you not be so rough? Don't you go scaring me to death one day."
Shun'gen watched as his daughter entered and, without a word, sat down beside him.
Seeing the lingering expression on her face, he already had a good idea of what had happened.
"Did you and Kenma have a fight?"
"To get you this angry... he's truly worthy of being the son-in-law I chose!"
Shun'gen chuckled, and the sickly look on his face seemed to improve a lot.
Hearing her father say this, Yoruichi was immediately displeased.
"Old man, am I your biological daughter, or is he your biological son?"
"You don't even care about your own daughter, yet you're so biased towards an outsider son-in-law."
Shun'gen didn't immediately retort. Instead, he looked his daughter over from head to toe, shook his head, and sighed.
"He's much better than you."
"I rather wish he were my biological son."
"But a son-in-law isn't bad either."
He couldn't decide the abilities and personalities of his own blood, but he could decide the personality and abilities of his son-in-law.
After searching for so long, he had finally found a son-in-law who satisfied him. Naturally, no amount of praise was too much.
Shun'gen's words immediately made Yoruichi's face puff up with anger, just like when she was a child who hadn't grown up.
'Sigh, in the end, she's still my daughter...'
Shun'gen sat up with the help of a servant and looked at Yoruichi.
"Tell me, what happened between you two this time?"
"These old bones of mine are still around. I can still give you some advice."
Yoruichi recounted everything that had just happened from beginning to end.
By the end of her story, even she couldn't help but sigh.
"Old man, this fiancé you recruited for me is so flawless. I can't find any opening to attack."
"He does his work diligently and follows the code of conduct to the letter. Naturally, there are no flaws."
After hearing the story, Shun'gen was even more satisfied with his son-in-law.
'As expected of the son-in-law I personally chose! So steady!'
It was precisely because of this character that he had taken a liking to Kenma.
In comparison, what kind of person was his daughter's follower, that Urahara Kisuke?
"Kenma was right. In the end, it was your follower's fault!"
"He's been acting recklessly under your protection for too long, violating regulations more than once, habitually disregarding the law. A person like that is full of filth. Naturally, he can't withstand scrutiny. One investigation and he's done for!"
"Now look at that boy Kenma. He's experienced in his work and does everything by the book. Even if you deliberately try to find fault, you won't find any mistakes."
Being told this by Shun'gen, Yoruichi's face grew darker and darker.
"Father, why are you also speaking up for him and belittling Kisuke so much... Wasn't he the one who framed Kisuke?"
"What, where was I wrong?"
Shun'gen snorted, his face showing displeasure.
"Let's not even talk about whether it was a setup by Kenma. Even if he did deliberately frame him, I would be even more satisfied with him."
"Skillfully using the rules without leaving a single piece of evidence, everything so reasonable—that's what's truly commendable!"
"Now look at your follower. He actually had the audacity to list items explicitly banned by the Seireitei in his funding application. Does that seem like something a normal person would do?"
"Not only that, but he even tried to drag you, the captain, down with him! He has no sense of responsibility, no means, and is even more unsightly!"
"If it weren't for Kenma suppressing this matter in time, our Shihoin clan would have been disgraced along with you!"
Yoruichi pouted and muttered, "How could that be? It's not that serious..."
"Not that serious? How is it not that serious!"
Shun'gen's tone became incredibly grave.
"If Kenma hadn't suppressed it in time, once it was reported to Squad 1, a mere Urahara Kisuke's death would be of no consequence. But what about you? At that time, even you, the head of the Shihoin clan, would be punished. What face would the Shihoin clan have left?"
"Kenma is so sensible, but what did you do? You didn't see this layer. Based solely on your follower's one-sided story, you acted impulsively without thinking. And now you're blaming him. What face do you have?"
After her father's barrage of accusations, Yoruichi lost her spirit and no longer continued to argue.
After a moment of silence, she asked unwillingly, "Father, I don't understand. Why do you think so highly of that guy? Is he really that outstanding?"
Shun'gen nodded emphatically. "He is that outstanding! Otherwise, why would I have chosen him to be my son-in-law?"
He looked at his daughter's face and sighed, understanding.
In the end, Yoruichi was still against this marriage; she was still angry about it!
But what could he do?
The Shihoin clan's great legacy, the inheritance of generations of ancestors, couldn't just be thrown away.
His daughter was so unreliable, his son was still young, and he himself didn't have many years left to live. If he didn't rely on this steady son-in-law, who else could he rely on?
Shun'gen softened his tone and said gently, "Yoruichi, you are too arrogant. You have never looked at him properly, so naturally, you cannot see his good points."
"I have not."
"If that's the case, then tell me about Kenma's past."
"I..."
Yoruichi was at a loss for words.
Only now did she realize that she had never really learned about her fiancé's past experiences.
"You see? You don't even know the background of the person you will share a bed with in the future. Isn't that a sign that you haven't taken him seriously?"
Shun'gen had expected this and didn't react much to Yoruichi's current behavior.
He just sighed again.
'My clueless daughter, you really need to be more mindful.'
"Kenma came to the Soul Society after he died. He was taken in by a soul, joined the yakuza, and eventually became the wakagashira of that organization."
"After that, he joined the Shin'o Academy, graduated with honors, and became a member of Squad 11."
"We few idlers even gave the three most outstanding students who graduated in those years the title of 'The Three Greats'."
"It was only later, when the Kuchiki clan recruited Kōga as a son-in-law, that I realized why that old fellow Kuchiki Ginrei had nothing better to do than to give the three of them a title. It was to build up Kōga's reputation, so that his marriage into the family wouldn't cause too much of a public stir."
"The title for all three not only made a name for Kōga, but also had the other two share the spotlight with him... Hmph, a very clever move."
"And I was worrying about you and the Shihoin clan's affairs. Seeing the Kuchiki clan do this, I followed their example and chose that child, Kenma."
The title of "The Three Greats," although it now seemed to be the handiwork of Kuchiki Ginrei, Shun'gen had to admit that all three were talented individuals, each with their own unique characteristics.
One was proud and aloof, like the high-hanging moon.
One was gentle as jade, as kind as water.
And the last one, steady and prudent, as firm as a rock.
The three had even attracted the attention of the Captain-Commander, who had personally given them the high praise of "with a little tempering, they can become pillars of the Gotei 13"!
After hearing this, Yoruichi nodded and then asked, "Who was the last of the Three Greats? And why didn't you choose him?"
"His name is Aizen Sousuke."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]