Night deepened. Inside the Shihoin Clan's estate, lamps were brightly lit.
Yoruichi found her father in the study and faithfully recounted the question Setsuna had raised during the day.
Ken'ichi sat behind his desk, candlelight casting flickering shadows on his face.
After hearing his daughter's question, his expression became unusually complex. He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking. "The three-world balance certainly exists. But the balance on the soul level... is actually not as fragile as publicly proclaimed."
He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed into the night in the courtyard. "Both the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo are composed of Reishi. But these Reishi constituting the worlds are fundamentally different from what we usually call 'souls'."
"These particles are called inert Reishi. They exist in stable world forms and almost never flow spontaneously. The reason high-level Kido is difficult to master is precisely because the caster must use their own Reiatsu as a catalyst, exerting immense effort to leverage these inert Reishi."
"And even if successfully mobilized, after the technique ends, they quickly return to an inert state, becoming the 'foundation' of the world once more."
Yoruichi suddenly understood. She had previously only dealt with low and mid-level Kido. Now she finally had a clear concept of high-level Kido.
Ken'ichi turned around, his gaze deep. "Reishi like souls are called active Reishi. They do indeed circulate within the three worlds, flowing from the Living World to the Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, and returning through various pathways."
"If we say the three worlds are a precise scale, with the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo as the trays on either end, then souls are, at best, specks of dust on those trays."
Ken'ichi paused, then continued. "A speck of dust certainly affects the scale's balance, but its impact is minuscule. It's like the grassland ecosystem in the Living World. If wolves go extinct, it leads to overpopulation of herbivores, grassland degradation, and ultimately the collapse of the grassland ecosystem. But we've never heard of it causing the grassland itself to collapse."
Yoruichi frowned tightly. "If that's the case, then why has the Soul Society always propagated the notion that 'Shinigami and Hollows must maintain a dynamic balance, and completely eliminating Hollows would disrupt the three-world balance'? Isn't that misleading everyone?"
Ken'ichi's gaze turned sharp. He said gravely, "If all Hollows were eliminated, what would be the purpose of Shinigami? Without external enemies, internal strife breeds. The Gotei 13, the noble system, even the entire order of the Soul Society, all require a 'common enemy' to maintain."
Yoruichi's eyes widened in shock. "Just for that reason?"
"Of course not only that," Ken'ichi's voice grew even lower. "But the truth behind this is too heavy, involving the will of the Soul King Palace, the secrets of the Five Great Noble Families, even the very foundation of the Soul Society's existence."
"You don't need to bear these burdens yet. Some truths, known too early, become a burden themselves. Remember, our conversation today must not be told to outsiders."
Yoruichi nodded solemnly. "I understand."
…
The next day.
Yoruichi privately found Setsuna and promptly told him all the secrets her father had shared with her yesterday.
She thought to herself, 'Setsuna is a friend I acknowledge. Of course he doesn't count as an outsider.'
After hearing Yoruichi's account, Setsuna's mind suddenly cleared.
He recalled that in his memory, after Kuruyashi Kenpachi, Azashiro Kenpachi had attempted to purify Hueco Mundo but ended up being hunted by the Central 46.
This showed that Shinigami purification actions couldn't be expanded indefinitely either.
Setsuna thought to himself: 'So it seems, the so-called three-world balance was merely an excuse used by the Five Great Noble Families to eliminate the Quincy from a moral high ground.'
'Besides that, perhaps there was an even deeper reason.'
'The legal basis of the Soul Society was originally to protect the Soul King. But in reality, the Five Great Noble Families were committing cruel acts like imprisoning the Soul King, even reducing him to a limbless torso.'
'If such atrocities became known to the Soul Society, it would certainly cause the collapse of the legal justification for their rule.'
'Therefore, they needed to pin a crime on the Soul King.'
'Since the Quincy were guilty, then the Soul King, as the progenitor of the Quincy, naturally became the source of sin.'
'This way, even if their atrocities were exposed, they had ample reason to continue their rule, even painting themselves as heroes maintaining the three-world balance.'
Setsuna sighed inwardly, 'No wonder Yoruichi would later actively flee the Shihoin Clan's cage. Even scum like Tsunayashiro Tokinada felt the Five Great Noble Families were the root of evil. It showed just how rotten these nobles had become.'
Thinking this, Setsuna actually relaxed somewhat.
Now he could continue making soul feasts with a clear conscience.
Just then, Aizen excitedly found Setsuna, his usual composure noticeably absent.
"Setsuna-nii, I've attained Shikai!"
Hearing this, Yoruichi, who was nearby, almost lost her mind.
'Even Aizen had attained Shikai? Even I, the young lady of the Shihoin Clan, still hadn't touched the threshold of Shikai.'
Remembering what Setsuna had said earlier about surpassing Aizen first, she grew even more agitated.
Setsuna looked at Aizen with interest. "Come, demonstrate it for me."
Aizen hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "No. My Shikai hypnotizes those who see it for the first time."
Setsuna actually felt a flicker of approval inwardly. If Aizen had tried to use this opportunity to control him, he wouldn't have minded letting the other experience his surging Cosmos.
"It's fine," Setsuna smiled. "Go ahead and use it."
Aizen took a deep breath and slowly drew his Zanpakuto.
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."
The blade shimmered with ripples like water. The surrounding scenery began to subtly distort.
Aizen explained quite proudly, "Kyoka Suigetsu's ability is to dominate the five senses. It can make the enemy see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the illusions I wish to present."
Setsuna listened quietly, then asked, "And then?"
Aizen was stunned. "What then?"
Setsuna sighed softly. "Just dominating the five senses? Aizen, you're useless. This ability... to be honest, is a bit ordinary."
Yoruichi interjected in shock, "Isn't that ability incredibly strong? It's practically unbeatable!"
Aizen was also somewhat puzzled in his heart, 'Was my ability really that bad?'
"You seem somewhat skeptical?" Setsuna said, smiling. "Come on, attack me."
Aizen still hesitated. "But..."
"No need to worry. Just strike."
"Setsuna-nii, be careful."
Aizen struck at Setsuna. As his blade light rose, he felt the world spin.
He didn't even see how Setsuna moved. The next moment, he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall.
"How...?" Aizen looked at Setsuna in disbelief. "Setsuna-nii, weren't your five senses under my control?"
"Yes, they were," Setsuna nodded matter-of-factly. "But I also have a Sixth Sense, Seventh Sense, and Eighth Sense."
Aizen was completely dumbfounded. His usually steady face rarely showed such a bewildered expression, 'What was going on? How could there be so many 'senses'?'