"Everything about Aizen can be traced," Urahara stated calmly. "On the night of the Hollowification incident, Aizen could have used Kyōka Suigetsu to erase all evidence of his involvement.
"However, several captains and vice-captains being Hollowfied simultaneously created too much upheaval. If the culprit remained undiscovered, Soul Society would maintain heightened vigilance—hindering Aizen's subsequent plans.
"Therefore, he required a scapegoat.
"Because of my prior research into Hollowification and my selection of Mayuri Kurotsuchi from the Maggots' Nest, the nobles immediately identified me as the perpetrator.
"All of this fell perfectly within Aizen's calculations. Every step he took was meticulously planned. One could say he had mapped out the entire scenario from beginning to end."
In truth, Urahara and Hirako had begun suspecting Aizen long before either side made their move.
What they hadn't anticipated was Aizen exploiting their suspicion, turning it against them by setting a countertrapping and utilizing Kyōka Suigetsu to establish an unassailable alibi.
Having recognized Urahara's weakness, Aizen not only "silenced" them but also ensured that Urahara shouldered complete responsibility for the crimes.
At that critical moment, Aizen had left him precious little time or room to maneuver.
Urahara had no choice but to save Hirako and the others whose souls were collapsing after their involuntary Hollowfication.
This desperate action only served to corroborate accusations that he had conducted forbidden Hollowfication research, leading Central 46 to issue an execution order.
Beyond fleeing Soul Society, they had no alternatives.
This escape essentially confirmed their supposed guilt, allowing Aizen to transfer all blame onto them.
When Urahara used the Hōgyoku to stabilize Shinji Hirako and the others from their precarious condition, he permanently forfeited any possibility of overturning the verdict.
By that point, Aizen had secured absolute control of the situation.
The enemy could monitor activities throughout the Three Realms while wielding Kyōka Suigetsu as an unbeatable trump card. Urahara's group dared not even show their faces, let alone return to Soul Society.
Moreover, Aizen possessed both witnesses and a flawless alibi. Beyond unsubstantiated accusations, they held nothing—leaving them in a hopelessly disadvantaged position.
Under such circumstances, they couldn't even dream of testifying against Aizen to clear their names.
To further conceal the truth, Central 46 had sealed all information related to the Hollowfication incident.
The other Shinigami remained ignorant of what truly transpired, unaware that Urahara had identified Aizen as the actual mastermind. Consequently, until Aizen finally revealed his true nature, he maintained an image as pure as a white lotus.
A hundred years of apparent inaction made Urahara's group appear foolish in retrospect.
Urahara still dwelled on that devastating defeat.
Over the decades, he had reviewed the circumstances countless times.
Through repeated analysis, he had glimpsed the real Aizen hidden behind the illusions of Kyōka Suigetsu.
Previously, Aizen had operated from the shadows while they remained exposed—explaining their crushing defeat.
But now the situation had reversed: they worked from darkness while Aizen stood in the light.
This reversal of offensive and defensive positions provided Urahara an opportunity for vindication.
Even in worst-case scenarios, Urahara maintained contingency plans.
He always retained hidden measures—this represented his true "capital."
Yet these carefully cultivated advantages proved ineffective against Uehara Shiroha.
After witnessing Shiroha demonstrate abilities capable of destabilizing the world order, Urahara realized all his calculations and backup plans seemed trivial and powerless by comparison.
This revelation constituted his gravest concern.
Should Uehara Shiroha decide to fundamentally alter their world, Urahara could do nothing but watch events unfold.
"So," Tessai inquired, "does Uehara Shiroha also seek the Hōgyoku? Are his objectives aligned with Aizen's?"
The desire for greater power—for transcending Shinigami limitations—offered one possible explanation.
But if that were the case, what could possibly stop Uehara Shiroha?
"That's precisely what confuses me," Urahara admitted helplessly. "He assists the Shinigami and suppresses the Espada, yet doesn't eliminate them.
"Despite possessing overwhelming advantages in both power and intelligence, he allows the situation to deteriorate.
"It's as though all this represents mere entertainment for him.
"Or perhaps it's because..."
Uehara Shiroha's extraordinary strength certainly provided him the luxury to treat the world as his playground.
This appeared to be the case. The man had flaunted his power throughout Hueco Mundo, yet Aizen refrained from direct confrontation.
Other factions, including Urahara himself, adopted a wait-and-see approach toward Shiroha.
Perhaps to someone like Uehara Shiroha, the world truly represented nothing more than an elaborate stage for his amusement.
Could it be that he permitted Aizen to pursue his ambitions simply because the resulting drama proved more entertaining?
This thought triggered a flash of insight in Urahara's mind, revealing another possibility:
"In other words, Aizen is destined for defeat.
"Barring unforeseen developments, he will fall at what should be his moment of greatest triumph and glory.
"But why?
"What gives Uehara Shiroha such certainty that events will unfold precisely this way?"
In that moment, Urahara felt he understood a fragment of Shiroha's mindset.
Yet he couldn't identify the source of the man's confidence and self-assurance.
Unless Shiroha could somehow observe everything from a higher dimension, controlling events like a god!
Upon his throne in the Fifth Tower, Aizen unleashed his own Reiatsu, effortlessly countering the spiritual pressure descending from above.
The protective range of his power encompassed the entire Fifth Tower.
Areas beyond Aizen's protection had already begun developing cracks and fissures.
No matter how resilient the stone, it couldn't withstand attacks that severed space itself.
As the Reiatsu impact continued, the massive structure of Las Noches gradually crumbled under the overwhelming pressure.
This power demonstrated incredible strength that defied reason.
Regarding this development, Aizen merely frowned without comment.
Even with Aizen's protection, Gin and Tōsen experienced significant strain.
When the attack first descended, their hearts had palpitated violently while their heightened spiritual perception registered imminent death.
The familiar Reiatsu had surged forward, bypassing spatial limitations and all conventional defenses to strike directly at their souls.
Its power exceeded that of an ordinary captain's Bankai.
Standard captain-level Bankai releases wouldn't inspire such mortal dread within them.
Yet this terrifying assault represented merely a casual attack from Uehara Shiroha.
Moreover, this technique simultaneously affected all of Las Noches, impacting every Espada concurrently.
This level of power seemed outrageous and utterly implausible. Even formidable individuals like Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen found themselves helpless before such an onslaught.
Fortunately, Aizen had shielded them from the attack, reducing their exposure to its full force.
Gin maintained outward composure, though internally his mind raced at desperate speed—his mental "processor" nearly overheating from strain.
In truth, he felt profound concern for Aizen's position.
Uehara Shiroha had demonstrated with a single strike that the Espada were effectively inconsequential.
Given Shiroha's displayed strength, not only were the Espada rendered irrelevant—even he and Tōsen seemed equally insignificant.
This situation presented extraordinary difficulties.
Fortunately, Gin wasn't responsible for strategic decisions or public appearances.
The more powerful Uehara Shiroha proved to be, the greater Gin's own opportunities became.
Tōsen, lacking such complex considerations, spoke directly:
"Lord Aizen, is there a method to counter this type of attack? Such power poses significant danger to our forces."
Even now, fear lingered in his mind.
Tōsen's optimal offensive strategy involved utilizing his Bankai, Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi, to deprive enemies of their five senses—plunging them into complete helplessness before methodically destroying them.
Yet confronting an attack capable of consuming souls, he recognized that his Bankai amounted to little more than a child's game.
Their combined combat potential clearly fell short of what the situation demanded.
Thankfully, Lord Aizen could neutralize such attacks with apparent ease.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at p@treon.com/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
New Fanfic
Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~