Tatsuki still did not go to school. She called her teacher and asked for leave. With so many guests visiting the house for the first time, as the future lady of the home, she had to stay and help Tsunayoshi receive them.
Fortunately, Tsunayoshi's house was large enough. Even with the living room and dining room completely filled, it did not feel too crowded. After Tsunayoshi and Tatsuki bustled back and forth for a while, they finally managed to pour tea for everyone.
"Phew…"
Wiping away sweat that did not actually exist, Tsunayoshi finally had time to face the old man sitting on the single-person sofa, the existence who could summon wind and rain in the Seireitei: Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
And it was not just Yamamoto. Every captain and lieutenant of the Gotei Thirteen had arrived.
Fortunately, Rangiku had an outgoing personality. After arriving at Tsunayoshi's house, she accepted Tatsuki's invitation and took a group of female Shinigami upstairs to the entertainment room to start a party.
Otherwise, the first floor might truly not have been able to fit everyone. People like Ikkaku and Yumichika had no image to speak of and simply sat down on the floor. In this kind of situation, they really did not have much right to speak.
"No, hold on. Old man, why did you drag this whole big family over to my place? Are you abandoning Soul Society?" Tsunayoshi asked speechlessly.
Yamamoto opened his eyes into narrow slits and asked, "You know something happened in Soul Society?"
"How could I not know? Ikkaku and Yumichika's impostors came knocking at my door first thing in the morning. Had you arrived a little earlier, I wouldn't have had to do anything."
The more he spoke about it, the angrier he became. What kind of decent person had to start fighting the moment they woke up?
Hearing this, Ikkaku and Yumichika finally understood why they had been beaten up for no reason.
"You couldn't have already taken down Kagerōza Inaba, could you?" Yamamoto suddenly opened his eyes wide.
It would be terrible if the plan could not keep up with the changes.
"No. He escaped. That little thing was slippery." Tsunayoshi suddenly reacted. "Wait. Don't tell me you deliberately didn't capture that guy called Inaba?"
"Then that is good. This old man can rest assured."
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes again, looking utterly calm and composed.
Seeing that Yamamoto had no intention of communicating with him, Tsunayoshi could only turn his head toward Shunsui Kyōraku, who had been staring in the direction of the staircase the entire time. Right now, Kyōraku had already taken over most of the Seireitei's administrative work. Asking him would definitely be correct.
"Ahem."
Under Tsunayoshi's stare, Kyōraku withdrew his gaze and said seriously, "That's right. We know the mastermind behind this incident is Kagerōza Inaba. Or rather, Yushima Ōko."
"This man Inaba took advantage of the period when our Zanpakutō had materialized and began using the Reiatsu he had collected from us in the Dangai to create Modified Souls. He then combined them with Reigai to generate copies of us."
"Because our Zanpakutō were not always by our side, those copies first attacked isolated Zanpakutō. Without the assistance of their Zanpakutō, most Shinigami would become weaker. Inaba used this method to gradually replace the lieutenants and captains within the Seireitei, thereby achieving control over it."
"In fact, we were able to discover what he was doing thanks to Captain Zaraki. Captain Zaraki is one of the few captains whose strength did not decrease. After fighting his own copy once, he reported the matter."
"After learning the cause and course of the incident, Head Captain Yamamoto decisively decided to beat him at his own game. Every captain and lieutenant in the Seireitei cooperated with Inaba and allowed the replacement of the Seireitei's Shinigami to be completed."
"Even Head Captain Yamamoto was injured and forced to flee during his battle against his own Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka, and his copy…"
Hearing this, Tsunayoshi could not help looking at Yamamoto and cutting in.
"You couldn't beat Ryūjin Jakka?"
Tsunayoshi did not believe for a second that Yamamoto truly could not handle Ryūjin Jakka. With his Hakuda and Kidō skills, he could easily force Ryūjin Jakka back into Zanpakutō form and kill that copy together with it.
Yamamoto ignored Tsunayoshi.
Kyōraku coughed awkwardly. "It was acting. Teacher's copy is the version closest to him, so it still had strength. From the outside, it looked as though Teacher was injured and fled."
"So all of you escaped to my house? You really are bold. Aren't you afraid Soul Society will actually fall into chaos?" Tsunayoshi asked.
Yamamoto suddenly said, "With Ryūjin Jakka there, this old man is very much at ease. Besides, there needs to be a little chaos…"
"Hiss. Don't tell me you're plotting against someone again?" Tsunayoshi immediately noticed the key point.
"Heh heh. Little Tsunayoshi, there are always some people in the Seireitei who lack strength but still refuse to behave. This is a good chance to use the chaos to clean them out."
Kyōraku did not explain everything, but Tsunayoshi knew he was talking about the nobles within the Seireitei. Tsunayoshi had no interest in noble affairs, so he did not continue guiding the topic in that direction.
"That really is a bold plan. You trust Ryūjin Jakka that much? From what I saw, his temper is pretty explosive," Tsunayoshi asked with a grin.
"Ryūjin Jakka is ultimately this old man's Zanpakutō. His ideals are likewise for the sake of Soul Society. He merely thinks this old man's methods are not radical enough."
When Tsunayoshi heard that Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's methods were not radical enough, he almost laughed.
This butcher, who advocated strangling every budding threat to Soul Society, was not radical enough?
Then what counted as radical?
After exploring things over the past few days, Yamamoto had also understood the root of Ryūjin Jakka's dissatisfaction with him. However, that kind of radical action was not something Yamamoto could allow at the present stage.
What radical action?
Overthrowing the Royal Palace and governing the entirety of Soul Society himself.
In Ryūjin Jakka's view, Yamamoto's approach was far too conservative. For the prosperity and development of Soul Society, it would be best if the Royal Palace did not continue pressing down from above.
Put that way, Yamamoto's Transcendent Bankai would actually be quite easy to train.
As long as he dared to openly raise the banner and overthrow the Royal Palace, he would obtain Ryūjin Jakka's full recognition.
It was easy to say, but difficult to do.
The Seireitei did not yet possess power on that level.
"So this is a trap you deliberately set. Everyone withdrew, you let the Seireitei fall into chaos, and then you'll go back and execute some people you dislike as rebels," Tsunayoshi summarized.
"More or less. But it was not something we intentionally created. We merely followed the situation. After all, several among us did not bring their Zanpakutō with them. The fact that they have lost access to Bankai is undeniable," Kyōraku said.
Tsunayoshi swept his gaze around the room before asking, "So among you people, who still has the power of Bankai?"
"Captain Kuchiki and Captain Hitsugaya."
"Then isn't Byakuya Kuchiki the only one who brought Senbonzakura? I didn't even let Nozomi materialize Little Shiro's Zanpakutō!"
Tsunayoshi jumped up with a face full of dark lines and questioned him.
Because Tōshirō Hitsugaya was in the middle of absorbing the complete Hyōrinmaru, Tsunayoshi had not intended to let Hyōrinmaru come out and cause trouble for him.
"Ah, it's normal for there to be some degree of conflict between Zanpakutō and their masters," Kyōraku said with an expression that made it sound only natural. "It's just that Inaba seized this opportunity and used the copies' strength to perfectly counter the materialized Zanpakutō."
"Speaking of the copies, how did those outdated versions get made?" Tsunayoshi asked curiously.
"Allow me to explain that," Mayuri Kurotsuchi stepped forward and said. "Kagerōza Inaba used the Dangai to collect the Reishi of Shinigami who had carried out missions in the past, then used that Reishi to create Modified Souls."
"I see. Ever since I entered Soul Society, none of you have come to the World of the Living to carry out missions, so the data he collected is all from the past. And the old man's power is closest to the present because of the Kōga Kuchiki incident."
When Yamamoto brought Tsunayoshi to undo Kōga Kuchiki's seal, Inaba had stolen a small amount of his Reishi along the way.
"Then if all of you escaped to the World of the Living, wouldn't that give Inaba a chance to update his versions?" Tsunayoshi asked.
The passage connecting the World of the Living and Soul Society was called the Dangai. To travel back and forth between the two worlds, the Dangai was unavoidable. That meant the Shinigami's Reishi might be stolen again.
"Even if you don't trust me, you should trust that man Kisuke Urahara, right?" Mayuri said irritably. "We used certain methods. Any leaked Reishi will directly enter a Kyōgoku instead of remaining in the Dangai. Reishi that cannot be preserved will quickly lose its characteristics. Inaba will not have a chance to seize it."
The Dangai could be imagined as tunnels connecting the World of the Living and Soul Society. Within those tunnels drifted spherical spaces of various sizes. Some wandering Reishi and souls from the Three Worlds could enter those Kyōgoku.
"So that's how it is."
The combination of Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Kisuke Urahara was still extremely reliable.
Tsunayoshi continued asking, "Since you've planned everything, what are you preparing to do?"
"Heh heh. We're planning to rest in the World of the Living for three days. This is a vacation specially approved by the Head Captain. After three days, we'll launch a counterattack on Soul Society together."
Kyōraku narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Little Tsunayoshi, we'll have to trouble you for these three days."
Tsunayoshi rolled his eyes.
"Do you think my house can fit this many people? Though, maybe it can. If you stay in soul form, then as many of you can come as you like, as long as you don't mind being packed together."
"That won't do. We finally got a chance to come to the World of the Living. How can we not enjoy ourselves?" Kyōraku covered his mouth and laughed. "The shopkeeper has already gone back to prepare Gigai for us."
No wonder Kisuke Urahara, that profiteer, was nowhere to be seen.
He really was a profiteer. He would not waste even the smallest opportunity to make money.
"Then that's even more impossible. My house can't fit this many people."
Tsunayoshi refused without even thinking about it. Although his house was already considered large, there was absolutely no way it could accommodate the entire Gotei Thirteen.
"No need to trouble you, Tsunayoshi. The Head Captain has already agreed to temporarily stay with us," Shinji said.
After a hundred years in the World of the Living, their Visored warehouse base still had quite a few rooms. Housing a few people would not be a problem.
"Then that's fine. Everyone's going to your place?"
"How could that be? I only invited Head Captain Yamamoto. The other captains can go wherever they want. If they really have nowhere else to go, it won't be too late for them to come to us then."
Shinji's survival technique was simply refusing to take responsibility.
"I plan to visit the Kurosaki household. Since I finally came here, I should pay a visit to Senior Isshin," Tōshirō suddenly said.
After absorbing the Reiatsu of the other Hyōrinmaru, even his words came out with white, icy breath.
"It's good that you have a destination. You really should go," Tsunayoshi agreed.
After that, Tsunayoshi asked the other Shinigami where they intended to go. Those who had ideas planned to use this time to properly enjoy the World of the Living, while those without ideas would follow Shinji and the others back to the warehouse.
Speaking of which, Byakuya Kuchiki was still a rich man even after coming to the World of the Living. He exchanged a single accessory he carried with him for a large amount of money from the World of the Living through Kisuke Urahara.
The place he was staying was a luxury hotel in Karakura Town.
Not only that, he had also booked a one-day World of the Living yakuza experience tour.
According to Byakuya, he also wanted to experience what life in a World of the Living criminal organization was like. If time had not been so tight, he would even have wanted to go to Italy and experience authentic mafia culture.
It seemed he had been influenced quite deeply by the Tenth Boss.
No one brought up how they would deal with Inaba and the large number of copies after returning to Soul Society.
Because of their improved strength, everyone was confident that even without the assistance of their Zanpakutō, they could defeat their past selves using only Shikai.
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