Communication between the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo was usually subject to delay, but this time—with the deaths of two Captains and a Vice-Captain—the remaining members of the Expeditionary Force were forced to activate an emergency relay.
By the time dawn had yet to break the following day, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, had already summoned an emergency Captain's meeting.
Given the severity of the situation, even the chronically ill Jūshirō Ukitake, Captain of the 13th Division, arrived at the 1st Division barracks, pale-faced and short of breath.
"There's no doubt, Captain-Commander—this was a direct provocation from those Hollows!" Kanekawa Rensuke, Captain of the 3rd Division, was the first to voice his outrage. "That Baraggan bastard clearly isn't satisfied being just King of Hueco Mundo anymore!"
"So what's your plan then?" Love Aikawa, Captain of the 7th Division, stood with his hands in his pockets, unimpressed.
"In the last Hollow Hunt, we were prepared. Sure, the noble families and the districts in Rukongai suffered heavy casualties, but we in the Gotei barely lost anyone. The Hollows, on the other hand, were devastated. Only those two special-class Menos we classified as Arrancar, and a handful of Adjuchas, even escaped our encirclement."
Shunsui Kyōraku, Captain of the 8th Division, spoke at the perfect moment, his tone calm but grave.
Normally, this report would've come from the 10th Division Captain, since post-battle cleanup fell under their jurisdiction. But due to the obvious—the 10th Division's Captain being among the dead—Shunsui had stepped in.
"What are you implying, Kyōraku?"
Kanekawa bit back his question as soon as it left his mouth. It was rhetorical. They all knew what it meant.
The imbalance between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society could only lead to one outcome.
Even Kensei Muguruma, the usually brash and quick-tempered Captain of the 9th Division, now stood silent, brow furrowed, head lowered.
"Enough," the Captain-Commander interrupted, his deep voice slicing through the tension. "I didn't summon you all to dwell on what's already done. Last night, Central 46 issued their decree. At least five Captains from the Gotei will advance into Hueco Mundo to carry out the punishment—Baraggan Louisenbairn must be destroyed."
His eyes swept the room."Who among you volunteers?"
Shunsui was the first to step forward.
"Count me in."
He spoke without much enthusiasm. Death meant little to him these days. He didn't want to go—but more than that, he didn't want to stay in the Soul Society only to be tasked with executing Rukongai innocents under the guise of "restoring balance."
Kensei thought the same. If the mission had been about purging evil from the fringes of Rukongai, he would've volunteered without question. But cleansing masses of wandering souls to preserve cosmic equilibrium? That wasn't something he could stomach.
The remaining volunteers followed: Zaraki Kenpachi of the 11th, Love Aikawa of the 7th, and finally Kanekawa of the 3rd.
Unohana Retsu, Captain of the 4th Division, declined. As she left the 1st Division barracks, her thoughts turned elsewhere.
"Isn't Higashi Shūichi on vacation?"
She recalled her Lieutenant, Yamada Seinosuke, mentioning it a few days ago.
Unohana soon found herself in the 4th Division's Captain's quarters, scanning the recent shift rosters. Sure enough, Shūichi had begun a seven-day leave six days ago.
"Could it be you, Higashi Shūichi?"
Her gaze sharpened, icy and calculating.
Too many clues pointed to something unusual—specifically, his possible ties to the Hollows.
But what she lacked was evidence.
So Unohana made no report to the Captain-Commander. She would investigate on her own.
She summoned a random 4th Division member and easily confirmed Shūichi had taken his leave in the World of the Living—again. That alone was odd enough to stick in the minds of his fellow squad members.
To most Shinigami, the Human World was backward and primitive. Outside of the 13th Division, which was "forced" to maintain a constant presence there, no one went unless duty demanded it.
But Shūichi? Every time he had the chance, he went.
And when the Human World was involved, the 13th Division was impossible to avoid.
Aside from anomalies like Aizen or Urahara Kisuke, any Shinigami wishing to travel to the World of the Living had to request the 13th Division to open a Senkaimon.
"So, Captain Unohana came all the way here just to ask about your former Vice-Captain?"
Jūshirō Ukitake coughed from his chair, peering at the composed but obviously focused woman seated opposite him.
"I simply had something I needed to speak to him about, and was told he was on vacation."
Unohana offered a gentle smile.
A poor excuse.
Ukitake didn't buy it. He knew Unohana too well—once known as the first Kenpachi, a woman of unfathomable instincts and razor-sharp purpose.
"Something to speak to him about"? More like: something wrong with him.
Still, he didn't call her out. It was an internal matter for the 4th Division, and he had no intention of meddling.
Soon, the 13th Division's Lieutenant arrived with two squad members in tow.
Facing two Captains, both subordinates looked visibly nervous.
"C-Captain, I was just drinking with Shūichi-san three nights ago—in that country across the sea in the Living World! I remember, we both got completely hammered. Someone from the observation post had to drag us back, and we didn't wake up till noon!"
"I-I was with him yesterday! I was gathering supplies and told him I'd return to the Soul Society, but he insisted on a farewell dinner—turned it into this whole send-off ceremony! I only got back early this morning... Captain, he's not in trouble, is he?"
The tension in the room thickened.
Ukitake shot Unohana a look full of amusement.
See? Everyone's figured you out. Even these nobodies can smell that something's off.
But Unohana wasn't listening to Ukitake.
Her thoughts were elsewhere.
Had she... misjudged Higashi Shūichi?
She should've felt relieved. Instead, her suspicion deepened.
That, more than anything, troubled her.
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