"His name is Aizen Sousuke."
At the mention of this name, the image of the gentle man with glasses flashed in Shihoin Shun'gen's mind.
For some reason, he couldn't quite see through this person, as if layers of mist covered him, or like a dream seen through a mirror or a flower in the water—hazy and illusory.
Shun'gen couldn't help but shake his head.
"He is also outstanding, but just too perfect, so perfect that it makes me feel a little strange."
"My gut tells me that Aizen is definitely not as simple as he appears."
"Besides, I have Kenma. Isn't that enough?"
After hearing her father's explanation, Yoruichi nodded thoughtfully.
"So, Aizen needs to be watched..."
"You don't need to be the one to watch him. Captain-Commander Yamamoto is not someone to be trifled with."
"That's true."
After hearing the stories, Yoruichi immediately brought the conversation back to the purpose of her visit.
"Let's not talk about that for now. Kisuke and Suì-Fēng have been captured. I don't dare to act rashly, which is why I've come to you for help, old man."
"Father, is there any way you can save them?"
Shun'gen said with subconscious disdain, "What value is there in saving a person like Urahara Kisuke?"
"The Hachi clan have been vassals of our Shihoin clan for generations. That little girl from the Hachi clan is also completely loyal to you, so it's fine to save her. But Urahara—"
Shun'gen stopped mid-sentence, a dazed expression on his face.
He turned to look at his daughter, a look of disbelief in his eyes.
"I say, Yoruichi, were you not paying attention to what I just said, or did you hear it and not think deeply about it?"
"Huh?"
Yoruichi didn't know why her father had suddenly changed his attitude.
The expression on his face was a colorful mix of emotions—shock laced with disappointment, helplessness with a touch of disbelief, and finally, a hint of relief.
It was truly complex.
She could only say weakly, "Of course I was listening. Why do you ask, Father?"
'So she didn't think deeply about it!'
'Heh, so now she's not calling me 'old man'?'
Shun'gen couldn't help but cover his forehead, his heart filled with gloom.
What sin had the Shihoin clan committed to have such a simpleton sent to their family?
And how could he have such a foolish, incompetent, and unreliable daughter?
He wondered if she was deliberately trying to anger him.
"Yoruichi, I said before that Kenma suppressed this matter. Do you still not understand what that means?"
"Out of consideration for the Shihoin clan's reputation, he suppressed it, which means he doesn't want to make a big deal out of it and have everyone know. Do you understand?"
Shun'gen scolded her harshly.
But Yoruichi had always been thick-skinned. Having been reprimanded by her father since she was a child, she was now indifferent to his scolding, feeling nothing.
"That is to say, he is even less likely to kill Kisuke and Suì-Fēng because of this."
On the contrary, her father's reminder made her realize, and she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
She pinched her chin and said, "In that case, that guy Kenma was just putting on a show. So I can rest assured?"
"Rest assured, my foot!"
At this moment, Shun'gen had completely lost hope in his daughter's rusty brain.
How could she have no sensitivity to the situation at all?
"Kenma won't kill them, but that doesn't mean he will let them off so easily."
"Even if he doesn't kill them, the Onmitsukidō has plenty of ways to torture people, to make your two followers wish for death but be unable to die. Wouldn't that be easy?"
Yoruichi quickly asked, "He won't kill them, and he won't let them go. Then what does he want?"
"Naturally, to control you, for his right to speak in the Shihoin clan."
Shun'gen stated his opinion directly.
"As long as you still care about those two, they are a weapon in Kenma's hands to threaten you."
"In the future, when you have a conflict with him, he only needs to bring up those two to force you to submit!"
"He's using this as leverage, step by step, to make you admit defeat, admit your mistakes, to make you give in, to weaken your right to speak, and thus expand his position in the Shihoin clan. It's not impossible for him to eventually become the actual master of the family!"
Yoruichi exclaimed, "Since he's so sinister, why did you even recruit him into the family? And why do you admire him so much?"
"Isn't it all for you! For your brother!"
Shun'gen's glare immediately silenced Yoruichi.
"It doesn't matter if the Shihoin clan is controlled by him. As long as he doesn't have the most crucial part, everything can be handed over to him."
"As long as you two have a child, that child will be the most orthodox heir of the Shihoin clan. And Kenma is a man who values relationships. For the sake of his own son, he will surely protect the Shihoin clan!"
Yoruichi had a realization. She asked her father tentatively, "The most crucial part... Father, are you referring to the treasures bestowed upon our family by the Soul King?"
"That's right! So you do have a brain after all."
Shun'gen sighed.
Although his daughter didn't use her brain often, she still had one.
Occasionally, it could even turn.
She could easily see the essence of the matter.
"I am very satisfied with Kenma, so I have given him the greatest degree of authority. Connections, information, funds—I have let him control everything."
"But the most crucial power lies in your and Yūshirō's hands!"
The Soul Society, the Seireitei, may seem glamorous, but the power gap between individuals is huge. In essence, it is a world where the strong are respected.
Otherwise, Yamamoto wouldn't have been able to sit in the position of Captain-Commander for over a thousand years!
Otherwise, the Four Great Noble Clans wouldn't have been so noble for so many years.
The financial power Shun'gen gave to Kenma was powerless in the face of true strength.
The connections of the nobles would also spontaneously follow the strong after seeing the gap in power.
Although those intelligence networks were formidable, they couldn't investigate information at the captain level. In the face of power, they still couldn't make a wave.
"So my bottom line in the future is to guard these treasures and make myself incredibly strong."
Yoruichi was lost in thought. She gradually understood her father's arrangements.
She then asked, "Does my fiancé know about this?"
"With his intelligence, how could it be hidden from him? He probably knew from the very beginning."
Shun'gen said, "And as for this current matter, perhaps it wasn't started by Kenma, but he definitely had a hand in pushing it along."
"This is a test, and also a preliminary investigation."
"He is observing how you will respond, and what moves you will make. Once he has thoroughly familiarized himself with your response patterns, he will strike decisively, delivering a thunderous blow to make you submit completely."
Yoruichi pleaded, "Then what should I do now?"
"That will depend on you personally."
Shun'gen held up two fingers and explained.
"One, you give up on Urahara Kisuke and Hachi Shōryō. Kenma will naturally be unable to threaten you."
Yoruichi shook her head repeatedly. "No, Kisuke is my friend, and Suì-Fēng admires me. I can't abandon them."
"Then the second path: you admit defeat."
"Just admit defeat like that?"
"Or what? You don't have any pieces to trade with him."
Shun'gen said earnestly:
"This time you admit defeat, you must learn your lesson. In the future, you must think through the cause and effect of your actions, and you can no longer be rash and impulsive."
"...I understand, Father."
Kenma was unaware of the private conversation between father and daughter.
He was just using this time to try and free up some leisure for himself.
And finally, to take a few days off.
To go to a familiar yet strange new world.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]