"Alright, why the sudden sentimentality? If you want to come back, just come back."
The words fell lightly, yet they were like a giant boulder crashing into stagnant water.
Yoruichi's fingers, wrapped in her haori, suddenly clenched, the fabric wrinkling deeply in her palm.
The mist in her golden eyes had not yet dissipated, but shock had already surfaced on her brow. "...What did you say?"
"I said—" Hiroki's gaze swept over Rin, who was trying to shrink into a shadow in the corner of the courtyard, then fell back on Yoruichi. "If you really want to come back, then come back. I'll handle everything else."
Rin's breath hitched. She heard the faint chattering of her own teeth and hurriedly covered her mouth with her sleeve.
Lady Yoruichi's return? This was a taboo that would overturn the structure of the Seireitei! Could that sensational 'jailbreak' operation really be revoked so nonchalantly? And what about those captains who were Hollowfied?
She curled up in the shadow of a pillar, desperately trying to digest the earth-shattering implications in her brother's words.
As far as Rin knew, the final outcome of Lady Yoruichi's incident was the arrest of Urahara Kisuke, the true culprit of the Hollowfication incident, and the execution of the Hollowfied captains.
As for Yoruichi, who had broken them out of prison, she was only sentenced to a mere century of exile because she had been misled by Urahara Kisuke and forced to act as an accomplice.
Strange emotions also surged in Hiroki's heart.
He was initially resistant to this wife bound to him by political marriage.
Noble marriages were nothing more than an exchange of surnames and interests. In his eyes, the so-called 'Shihōin Yoruichi' was more like a symbol he had to deal with periodically. As people in an arranged marriage, it was common for everyone to show affection on the surface while living separate lives in private.
But over these years... unconsciously, the thought of 'just making do' had long since been replaced by something deeper.
It was just that he couldn't tell for sure whether it was habit, responsibility, or an affection quietly nurtured by time.
"Don't joke around!" Yoruichi's voice suddenly rose, carrying a tremor she hadn't even noticed. "Do you think the Captain Commander's title of'Strongest in a Thousand Years' is just for show? And what about Aizen?"
Hiroki suddenly chuckled, his laughter laced with a cold confidence.
"As for Old Man Yama, I'll go talk to him personally." His tone was flat, yet it sounded like a heavy hammer striking a drum.
Yoruichi's pupils constricted sharply.
She knew Hiroki—this was definitely not a bluff.
Hiroki silently calculated in his heart: one strike of Tai Xu Sword Qi, combined with Isayama Yomi's Hollowfication state.
Even if he couldn't beat Old Man Yama, it would be enough to force him to use his Bankai, Zanka no Tachi.
When the flames of Ryujin Jakka covered the entire Seireitei, when he had to exert all his strength to suppress an 'internal rebellion'... would it be the traitors who were destroyed, or the Soul Society itself?
Zanka no Tachi, Higashi: Kyokujitsujin! That was the apocalyptic flame that burned everything and evaporated all moisture in the Soul Society!
Once Captain Commander Yamamoto went all out, the entire Soul Society would be reduced to scorched earth!
So, he probably only needed to reveal the aura of his Tai Xu Sword Qi to force Old Man Yama to compromise.
This wasn't a war for racial survival like the one against Yhwach; it was just 'family business' among the Shinigami of the Seireitei.
He wouldn't desperately use all his power against him.
Old Man Yama knew better than anyone—his power was a shield to protect the court, not a hammer for destruction.
Besides... he was already an old man.
The haori slipped silently from Yoruichi's fingertips as she stared blankly at Hiroki.
When had this marriage partner, who had still been somewhat green before her back then, grown into someone who could negotiate with the Captain Commander?
"As for Aizen..." Hiroki suddenly changed the subject.
Rin's heart leaped into her throat again.
Captain Aizen! That gentle, elegant, and highly respected perfect Shinigami! But based on what her brother and Lady Yoruichi were implying... "You don't need to worry about him either. As long as you don't go looking for trouble with him, he won't bother with you."
Anyway, Yoruichi's threat to Aizen was near zero; she was no match for him in terms of power.
In terms of public opinion, the entire Thirteen Court Guard Squads stood on Aizen's side.
"Between you and Aizen??" Yoruichi finally caught the keyword.
"There are some things you don't need to know." Hiroki cut her off, his eyes deep. "We've had an 'exchange'... and reached a bit of a consensus." He deliberately emphasized the word "exchange" but said no more.
"..."
Yoruichi fell silent. The power and political maneuvering Hiroki displayed shocked her, but the abyss hidden behind the name Aizen made her instinctively wary.
"Finally—" Hiroki's tone was suddenly tinged with undisguised contempt, "it's those old bastards in the Central 46 Chambers?!"
This sneer completely shattered Rin's worldview. Those high and mighty sages who ruled the Soul Society were actually so pathetic in her brother's eyes?
"They're the easiest. As long as you want to come back," Hiroki spoke briskly, as if talking about the weather, "just send some benefits to those old bastards who eat but do nothing, and promise that the Noble Assembly will support some of their proposals next year... they could change your exile to house arrest by tomorrow. Then you can go wherever you want; those old guys will turn a blind eye."
The naked rules of the power game were torn open by Hiroki and slammed ruthlessly onto the ground.
Rin slumped in the shadows, losing even the strength to tremble.
She finally understood—the Soul Society appeared strictly ordered on the surface, but underneath, dark undercurrents were surging.
The so-called laws and codes were nothing more than scrap paper that the strong could rewrite at any time!
The courtyard fell into a dead silence.
Only cherry blossoms rustled down, landing on Yoruichi's messy purple hair and on Hiroki's calm brow.
Yoruichi slowly raised her head and looked at Hiroki in the distance.
Finally, a hoarse murmur broke the silence: "Can I... really come back openly and honestly?"
"Yeah. This is your home."
Meanwhile, Rin Kuroki in the corner had long since been completely swallowed by the tide of information. Her back was pressed against the cold pillar, and her brain was buzzing from overload.
The sages of the Central 46 Chambers... were just a bunch of old bastards who could be bought with interests?
This realization was like an ice pick, ruthlessly shattering the foundation of the noble education she had received since childhood—that the order of the Soul Society was maintained by the sacred will of the Central 46.
And now, with a single nonchalant sentence, Hiroki had torn that layer of sacred gold leaf to shreds.
Even more terrifying were the shocking words her brother had spoken about the Captain Commander. Her brother seemed to have some way to force the Captain Commander to negotiate. Was it interests? Or strength... and the name "Aizen" carried an even more bone-chilling coldness.
The Captain of the 5th Division, that perfect Shinigami who always had a gentle smile and was admired even by noble ladies during his lectures at the Shino Academy... in the fragments of conversation between her brother and Lady Yoruichi, he had actually become an existence closely linked to the 'Captain Hollowfication Incident,' the 'mastermind,' and 'dangerous deals'!
What did she just find out? The filth of the Central 46 Chambers? The Captain Commander's weakness? Captain Aizen's terrifying secrets? Any single piece of this information leaking out would be enough to turn her to ash.
"It's over... I'm going to be silenced..." This thought was like a poisonous vine wrapping around her heart, tightening more and more.
She curled up like a fledgling that had accidentally flown into the center of a storm, doing her best to minimize her presence. Her gaze darted frantically between her brother and Yoruichi, begging them to at least glance at this corner and realize what kind of earth-shattering secrets they were discussing!
Brother... Sister Yoruichi... when you're talking... can you please look at where you are... she screamed desperately in her heart.
Oh right... this is their home... the Shihōin Main House... but your poor little sister is still here.
Can't you be a bit more careful with your words?
Yoruichi was as silent as a statue. Hiroki's words were like heavy hammers repeatedly striking her solid mental defenses.
"I..." A thousand words were stuck in her throat. Yoruichi's lips moved, and she finally squeezed out with difficulty: "Sigh... forget it. Although you make it sound easy, I know you would pay a heavy price. Just staying like this is fine."
Hiroki didn't answer immediately.
"Fine, have it your way."
Hiroki turned his head, and only then did his gaze truly focus on the figure who had been shrinking into the corner and trying to embed herself in the shadow of the pillar since Yoruichi appeared.
His brow furrowed slightly, as if he had only just remembered there was such a living person in the house, and he let out a slightly surprised exclamation:
"Eh? Why are you still here?"
These words were like a petrification spell being lifted. Rin Kuroki, who had been frozen in place, twitched as if struck by lightning, then awkwardly forced a smile that looked worse than crying. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, carrying the relief of a survivor and a hint of imperceptible grievance:
"Bro... Brother... You... you finally remembered me..." She patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief, looking like she had just walked away from a trial.
"I... I almost thought I was going to be... silenced just now..." As she spoke, she shot a quick glance at Yoruichi out of the corner of her eye before quickly looking away. Clearly, the earth-shattering conversation between Hiroki and Yoruichi was still echoing in her head, leaving her with lingering fear.
Hiroki waved his hand dismissively, his tone as nonchalant as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather, completely unconcerned that his recent conversation had struck his little sister's young heart like a nuclear blast.
"Hmm... alright, it's no big deal. Don't just stand there like a frightened rabbit. Remember, not a single word of what you heard or saw in this room today is to be breathed outside. Understood?"
Rin immediately nodded like a chicken pecking grain, her voice pitching high with tension and absolute resolve: "Yes, yes, yes! I promise! I swear! I will never tell! I wouldn't say a word even if I died! Really, Brother, I swear on my life!!"
She was itching to raise three fingers to the heavens to take an oath, her small face tight with extreme earnestness.
Hiroki found her exaggerated reaction a bit amusing and somewhat helpless: "Mhm. I see." He motioned for Rin to relax before her tightly wound nerves snapped.
At that moment, Shihōin Yoruichi, who had been silent, finally seemed to recover from her intense internal struggle and self-consolation.
She took a deep breath as if she had reached a decision. Her short purple hair swayed slightly as she looked up, the complex emotions in her golden eyes settling as she looked back at Hiroki.
"Just now... you went to the Kuchiki Clan funeral, didn't you?" Her voice regained its stability as she shifted the topic to his previous activities.
"Yeah," Hiroki replied lazily, shifting into a more comfortable sitting position as if discussing an inconsequential social event. "Quite a spectacle. All sorts of ghosts and demons showed their faces."
"Byakuya... how is that child?" There was a rare hint of concern and worry in Yoruichi's voice.
Kuchiki Byakuya represented a piece of the friendship she held for her old friend, Kuchiki Sōjun. Back at the Shino Academy, Sōjun had been a close classmate to her and Urahara Kisuke, and they had fought side by side.
As Sōjun's son, even though Yoruichi was usually cynical, she still held a soft spot for the child she had watched grow up.
"How is he?"
Hiroki curled his lip, his eyes reflecting an indifference that suggested it was none of his business. "I didn't pay much attention to him. Just a boy standing in front of the coffin like a doll, wearing Clan Head robes a few sizes too big for him."
"His face was so pale it looked like he'd applied ten pounds of powder, and his eyes were staring blankly as if he'd lost his soul. Anyway, his state... tsk, one look and you know he's in for a rough time."
"Those old retainers the Kuchiki Clan left behind, and the hungry wolves outside waiting to carve up the meat—which one of them is easy to deal with?" His description was quite blunt, but his assessment of Byakuya's situation was exceptionally precise.
"Indeed..." Yoruichi sighed softly, a clear look of pity rarely appearing in those golden eyes that usually sparkled with cunning.
"After Sōjun passed, then that incident with Kōga, and now his only support, Lord Ginrei, is gone too... Byakuya is quite pitiable. To have to shoulder the entire Kuchiki Clan at such a young age..."
She paused, her gaze refocusing on Hiroki's face with a faint, almost imperceptible plea. "The thing is... there's something I want to trouble you with..."
'You're worried about the Kuchiki Clan? If it weren't for him, your brother Yushiro would be even more pitiable than Byakuya, okay?'
Hiroki lifted an eyelid, signaling her to speak plainly: "Hmm? Say it."
Yoruichi organized her words, trying to make her request seem less abrupt: "Could you... help look after Byakuya?" Seeing Hiroki's brow suddenly knit, she quickly added:
"I know this request might be a bit presumptuous, but... his current situation is truly difficult. And with my situation, it's really not convenient for me to step forward..."
Aside from Hiroki, she couldn't think of anyone else in the Seireitei who had enough weight and was trustworthy enough to be entrusted with this.
Hiroki's brow furrowed even deeper: "Huh? Look after Byakuya?"
It was as if he had heard a ridiculous joke. "What does that kid have to do with me? Am I close to him? We've met a few times; we're barely even acquaintances, right?" He completely failed to understand Yoruichi's sudden "entrustment" mentality.
In his eyes, Kuchiki Byakuya was just a troublesome brat crowned with the glory of the Four Great Noble Clans, being roasted over a fire, and still unrefined.
"Actually... I had a good relationship with Sōjun," Yoruichi's tone lowered, filled with reminiscence. "We were classmates in the same year at the Shino Academy, and later we... fought side by side several times. I've watched Byakuya grow up..." She tried to evoke a bit of compassion from Hiroki for the son of an old friend.
"Right now, I'm truly out of reach, which is why I thought to ask you. With your status and the current momentum of the Shihōin Clan, if you could offer him even a little protection, his situation would be much better."
Hiroki fell into silence, leaning back on the soft couch, his fingers habitually tapping lightly on his knee. His eyes were calm and waveless, but his brain was working rapidly, beginning to calculate.
Support Byakuya?
To gain a fighter who would grow into a Second Class Spiritual Pressure and master a powerful Bankai in the future?
But his status as the direct lineage of the Kuchiki Clan meant it was impossible for him to have "loyalty" toward Hiroki.
At most, it could only be considered a bond based on sentiment?
If handled poorly, wouldn't he just be paving the way for someone else?
This investment had a long payback period, high risk, and too much uncertainty.
Besides, he wouldn't be short of fighters in the future.
As for benefits, a starved camel from the Kuchiki Clan was still bigger than a horse—treasures, resources, and connections from a thousand-year heritage? That only sounded good on paper.
Within the Soul Society's vast network of power and resources, the Shihōin Clan had naturally become the core hub of wealth flow due to their firm control over the Onmitsukidō (Punitive Force).
The accumulation of wealth brought by this control rooted in the irreplaceable core responsibilities of the Onmitsukidō—and those responsibilities themselves were the path to making money.
The most basic and core function of the Onmitsukidō was to serve as the intelligence and assassination agency for the Shihōin Clan and the entire Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
What was the Punitive Force? It was the equivalent of the historical Jinyiwei!
Trading intelligence had always been a highly profitable industry.
By spreading throughout the Seireitei and Rukongai, the Onmitsukidō collected noble secrets, potential threats, resource distributions, reishi technology, and even the movements of other divisions. This intelligence itself was a priceless asset.
It could be sold directly to nobles and merchants in need, or used as political leverage in trades.
Mastering core intelligence meant mastering the initiative and the source of wealth.
Furthermore, the Onmitsukidō was one of the Seireitei's core "law enforcement" units. Especially when dealing with major cases violating Seireitei regulations—particularly those involving nobles—many things that needed to be covered up were often handled by the Punitive Force through arrests and the seizure of property after judgment.
Hiroki had directly reached a gray, systematic profit-sharing agreement with the old bastards of the Seireitei's highest judicial and legislative body—the Central 46 Chambers.
The vast majority of the wealth (seventy percent) flowed into the Shihōin Clan (specifically controlled by Hiroki), while a small portion (thirty percent) was distributed among the sages of the Central 46 as "processing fees" or "hush money."
As for assassination missions, that was also a decent business. As an elite killer force, executing high-difficulty assassinations was the Onmitsukidō's primary job.
Hiroki "marketized" it, accepting extremely secretive and high-cost commissions for massive fees. While not the main source of income, it provided a stable and high-profit supplement.
Other tasks, such as special escorting, infiltration, and sabotage, also brought in considerable rewards or indirect economic benefits.
The reason Hiroki had the confidence to do this was entirely due to the existence of the Uchiha Clan. For Ninjas, these things were truly their professional specialty.
Their skills in covert operations, disguise, and interrogation made them even more effective at intelligence gathering, with efficiency far exceeding that of ordinary Punitive Force members.
Eavesdropping, infiltration, and obtaining information through Genjutsu were the basic skills of a Ninja.
When executing high-risk missions, the Uchiha's powerful combat strength could efficiently and silently eliminate resistance, ensuring the safe transfer of property and classified documents.
Regarding the essential procedures for "raiding a house," such as inventorying, finding secret rooms, and lifting seals, the professionalism and meticulousness of the Ninjas far surpassed that of ordinary Punitive Force members.
As Hiroki's direct force, the Uchiha Clan's loyalty was far higher than that of other Onmitsukidō members. Moreover, their Ninjutsu system itself excelled at hiding traces and maintaining secrecy, maximizing the concealment of these gray operations and reducing the risk of being discovered by other factions.
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