Days marched on beneath a surface calm that roiled with hidden currents.
Hiroki's daily life was confined to the Shihōin Clan's narrow patch of turf. Since seizing control of the family's operations and finances, and after spending ten years folding the Uchiha Clan's strength into the Onmitsukidō system, he had mastered the art of biding his time.
Outwardly, the squabbles of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the nobles' infighting barely warranted a glance unless absolutely necessary.
As for the Second Division, that was Yoruichi's territory; he couldn't be bothered with such trifles.
Then, one afternoon, Hiroki woke languidly from a lazy nap, still warmed by the thin quilt, only to have his thoughts interrupted by the panicked voice of his personal maid, Tamaki Chizuru.
'Lord Hiroki! Suì-Fēng requests an urgent audience!'
Chizuru knelt outside the door, reporting at break-neck speed.
'Suì-Fēng?'
Hiroki frowned, rubbing his temples as he sat up. Normally Suì-Fēng followed Yoruichi; if Yoruichi was absent, Suì-Fēng would never come to his sleeping chambers unless something catastrophic had happened.
A sense of foreboding crept in. 'She came alone? Let her in.'
'Yes, my lord!' Chizuru answered hastily and rose to summon her.
Yet the scene that entered surprised him. Suì-Fēng was not alone; she was escorted—more accurately, marched in—by several elite clan guards led by Uchiha Shisui.
Even more jarring, her Onmitsukidō uniform was torn and stained with fresh blood, her body crisscrossed with new wounds. Pale and frantic, her aura was in chaos.
'What happened?' Hiroki reclined against a cushion, voice flat, but his gaze swept sharply over Shisui and Suì-Fēng. Chizuru had already retreated to stand obediently at his side.
Shisui dropped to one knee in perfect form and reported evenly, 'My lord, Suì-Fēng attempted to force her way into your chambers. Our on-duty personnel intercepted her as per protocol. She refused to stand down, drew her blade first, and we were compelled to subdue her.' His words were brief but clear: they had restrained an intruder.
'Oh?' Hiroki offered a detached syllable.
He knew well that the Shihōin estate's core had long since been turned into an iron bastion by his Uchiha bodyguards. Yoruichi could come and go freely—partly because Hiroki had expressly permitted it (she was, after all, nominally his 'wife'), and partly because her own strength and status made real obstruction impossible.
As Yoruichi's lieutenant, Suì-Fēng had always accompanied her without hindrance and had never encountered the hidden might of Shisui's team. Today was evidently her first lesson—and a painful one.
'Enough,' Hiroki waved his hand. 'Let her speak. What could be so urgent that you'd storm in here?' He already had a vague idea but needed confirmation.
Suì-Fēng struggled; Shisui and the others released their hold. Gasping, she looked at Hiroki with a panic he had never seen, her voice trembling: 'M-my lord… something terrible! Lady Yoruichi… she just…'
'She's caused another scandal?' The words slipped out by reflex. Over the years, Shihōin Yoruichi's reckless, high-handed style had offended countless nobles and given the Central 46 Chambers no end of headaches. Most of the messes had ultimately been cleaned up—overtly or covertly—by him, her 'husband,' at considerable cost.
'Y-yes!' Suì-Fēng nodded frantically, voice cracking. 'Just now—moments ago—Lady Yoruichi forced her way into the Central 46 Chambers! She broke out the condemned prisoner Urahara Kisuke, and… and the captains who'd been sentenced after Hollowfication!'
'Huh?' Even with mental preparation, Hiroki blanked for a second, shock flashing across his face.
No way—already? Aizen's captain-Hollowfication incident, the plot against Hirako Shinji and the others, Urahara taking the fall and fleeing… the story's iconic turning point—today?!
He couldn't be blamed for the lapse. He recalled the broad strokes, but even the 'original work' never specified the exact day or hour. These past decades he'd lacked the patience to track every trivial event in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Since he'd judged the course unstoppable—or the price of stopping it beyond what he could pay—he'd opted to let it flow.
Even if he jumped out now and beat Aizen senseless, how would he explain himself to Captain Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto? Future knowledge? His only trump card, the Taixu Divine Sword, was single-use; after that he'd be spent. Not worth staking everything to alter this 'history.'
'My lord?' Suì-Fēng's anxious call snapped him back. He even caught a flicker of doubt and reproach in her eyes—surely Lord Hiroki shouldn't react like this to news of Yoruichi's monstrous crime.
He collected himself at once, expression grave, as though the momentary blank had never happened. 'Understood. I was weighing how to handle this catastrophe.' He paused, showing the decisiveness of a clan head. 'Suì-Fēng, summon every Clan Elder currently in the court to the council hall—emergency meeting, now!'
'Yes, sir!' Buoyed by his resolve, Suì-Fēng found her anchor. Ignoring her bleeding wounds, she pushed herself up, bowed deeply, and staggered out to carry out the order.
Watching her determined, exhausted back, Hiroki's eyes held a complex mix. The girl's loyalty to Yoruichi bordered on suicidal… no surprise.
Once she vanished, his tone shifted, deeper schemes already unfolding.
'Chizuru.'
'Here, my lord.' The maid who had stood silently behind stepped forward.
'Bring Fugaku and Itachi here,' he ordered quietly.
This incident was not merely a crisis—it was a golden opportunity, a chance for him, the nominal 'live-in son-in-law,' to seize real, absolute control of the entire Shihōin Clan. In chaos, authority was forged and obstacles swept away.
Deploying Uchiha Fugaku and Shisui—two Captain-level monsters—onto the stage would not only deter outside predators but also crush any remaining Clan Elders who still looked down on the 'son-in-law head.' Let them see what power truly rested in his hands!
As for Uchiha Itachi… a gleam flashed in Hiroki's eyes.
The man returned from the Pure Land, wielding the oversized sword of totsuka and SSS-rank Kido, would stay hidden for now. At the most critical, most fatal moment, that trump card would flip the board!
Yoruichi… finally gone! The good life… was about to begin! Whom to taste first—little maid Chizuru… or perhaps Chizuru again? Tch, just thinking of the past ten years made him shudder. He'd almost—really almost—let that wild woman warp his very tastes!