Chapter 179: The Long Game
Of course.
Big talk aside, Matsushita Yusuke knew exactly what the current reality looked like.
Promising future, sure. But right now, as things actually stood, the old man could probably handle Matsushita Yusuke without even bothering to release his Zanpakuto.
Just strip off the top, roll up the sleeves, and flatten him with both fists. Flat as a speed bump. The general shape of events would look a lot like what happened to Wonderweiss.
Actually, Yusuke might come out of it worse.
He definitely didn't have Wonderweiss's Hierro.
Some mental images were brutal just to contemplate. Fortunately, Aizen Sosuke was the kind of leader you could actually have a reasonable conversation with.
As it turned out, the boss was considerably more considerate than the assignment had initially suggested.
"This plan is not something to be rushed. In my estimation, this is a preparatory process that spans years, possibly decades... we don't need to see results right away, and we have no intention of acting in the near term."
Long live the Boss!
As long as nobody was sprinting toward a direct confrontation with the old man tomorrow, Matsushita Yusuke had at least some level of confidence. Plenty of time. Surely even Yamamoto had moments where his hands were tied.
Probably not.
Back to the matter at hand.
With that much established, Aizen Sosuke gave the question some thought and continued.
"Regarding this operation, I have worked through a rough estimate of the necessary conditions and timeline... but before those conditions are met, Matsushita-kun."
He looked over at him, his tone entirely serious.
"Setting aside the two abilities you have already demonstrated, do you have anything remaining? Strength you have not yet shown in front of the Captain-Commander?"
It took Matsushita Yusuke approximately one second to follow the question.
Aizen was asking whether he had more Bankai forms.
"Yes Boss, I do... there are three more, just as strong as what you've seen!"
The moment the conversation turned to something he was actually good at, even with Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni as the backdrop, Matsushita Yusuke's chest came up without thinking and his expression went distinctly smug.
"That many?"
Even Tosen's composure gave slightly, an involuntary note of surprise finding its way into his voice.
Matsushita Yusuke gave a firm nod. There was no particular reason to hide this, so being straightforward was the natural call.
With one caveat.
"The other three I can't use very comfortably yet. If we're adding them to the plan, I'll need some more time to settle them properly."
Right. More time to settle them.
When the opponent was the old man, no amount of preparation was too much.
Tosen had essentially no standing to weigh in on this topic, but he still understood the basic principle of avoiding unnecessary risk. Hearing Yusuke's answer, he nodded along in quiet agreement.
"That makes sense..."
Aizen Sosuke gave a measured nod of his own.
Very well, then.
"Let's put together a simple outline."
He raised his right hand and, thinking through it as he spoke, delivered his thoughts in a steady, unhurried tone.
"With the Captain-General as our hypothetical target, we should all be working through specific action plans whenever work allows. Any ideas you have, share them openly. Three heads are better than one, as you both well understand... and naturally, I won't be holding anything back on my end either."
In summary.
"For the sake of our grand goal, keep at it, both of you."
Under normal circumstances, a moment like this called for some kind of rallying line. But Matsushita Yusuke and Tosen stared at each other for a beat, then replied in perfect unison.
"We'll do our best, Boss." x2
Tosen appeared to be developing some of Yusuke's verbal habits.
Leaving Squad 5, Matsushita Yusuke's expression had taken on a noticeably more burdened quality.
The bold talk he had thrown out back there was, objectively, no small commitment to take on. But when he thought through the specific rewards attached to the quest, his expression steadied itself relatively quickly.
Couldn't be helped. Rougher water, better catch.
If you had some real ability, you had to go test it somewhere. Even if sparring with the old man was roughly equivalent to drag racing past a police car in broad daylight.
But the matter was settled. Even if it was a minefield, he had to walk through it.
"With the boss as the safety net, even the worst-case scenario should have an exit..."
That was in theory, of course. So it was on Yusuke himself to show up fully prepared.
"Matsushita-kun. Under a lot of pressure?"
He half-turned at the voice from beside him and managed a somewhat awkward smile.
"Yeah... just thinking about possibly facing someone that strong, I can't stop my hands from shaking."
"Is that a warrior's trembling?"
"Can't it just be plain fear? I'm not exactly the battle-maniac type."
Tosen pressed his lips together briefly, then spoke quietly.
"My strength is limited. In a situation like this, I'll probably be of little use. But if you need anything... just say the word. Anything within my ability, I'll give it everything."
Matsushita Yusuke let out a quiet breath and reached over to pat him on the shoulder.
"That means enough."
Honestly, there wasn't much Tosen could realistically contribute here. Yusuke was going to have to work this out himself, on his own terms.
Back at Squad 11, he went straight to his room, locked the door behind him, and started thinking through countermeasures.
The question: at his current level, what tools could he actually put on the table?
Working from strongest to weakest, in order.
Kido. Zanpakuto. Hollow Power.
Those three combined created a synergy that was genuinely not to be underestimated. At full output, Matsushita Yusuke could pull off something considerable.
But the fundamental constraint was exactly as the boss had described.
To protect his identity, the two Bankai he had already deployed publicly could not be used. His two most reliable release forms, completely off the table for this engagement. That was a genuine headache.
And beyond that, he needed to take active steps to further conceal who he was.
Kyoka Suigetsu was useful, but not something you could rely on at one hundred percent.
It wasn't that Yusuke suspected the boss of selling him out when it mattered. His concern was simpler: Yamamoto's combat instincts were in a different category. Sharp enough that midway through a fight, something might catch, some small detail that didn't fit, and the old man might start pulling on that thread.
You could not underestimate a walking fossil this old.
In fact, both of the major antagonists across two story arcs had approached Yamamoto with extreme caution.
Aizen spent years laying the groundwork, placed the fire-suppressor specifically as a trap, and only then made his move. Yhwach used his own subordinates as live bait and refused to enter the field until Yamamoto released his Zanpakuto.
Both of them, from every angle, had the old man thoroughly accounted for before they moved.