"Captain-Commander."
In the dead silence, Rosse exchanged a glance with Byakuya Kuchiki.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward two paces and stood directly in front of Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
He did not hide his forceful attitude at all, staring straight into those aged eyes.
"If this is a decision made by those muddle-headed fools in Central 46, then forgive me, but I cannot agree with it."
There was no need to think about it. Rosse knew very well that Aizen was fanning the flames behind the scenes.
This move of carrying out an early execution was vicious to the extreme, yet it perfectly matched the usual style of those nobles in Central 46.
When they had the upper hand, they boiled the frog in warm water. When they were at a disadvantage, they jumped the wall in desperation.
Once Captain-Commander Yamamoto insisted on upholding the authority of Central 46, it would be no different from directly standing against Rosse and every other captain present.
Judging from the momentum of yesterday's conflict, and Yamamoto's stubborn, unyielding temper, this was essentially putting him over a fire to roast.
Compromise, and his authority would be utterly destroyed.
Refuse to compromise, and he would be abandoned by everyone.
"This matter..."
Captain-Commander Yamamoto lowered his brows, the knuckles of the hand gripping his cane turning white.
At this moment, he was like a volcano on the verge of erupting, drawing everyone's fear and attention.
Most of the captains present were secretly guessing that the old man was about to push back head-on and forcibly suppress all dissent.
But in reality, after yesterday's private talk with Kyoraku Shunsui, Yamamoto had no intention of clashing head-on this time.
Since Rosse was ambitious and wanted to step into the spotlight, since he claimed he could solve everything, then let this young man draw all the fire.
If Rosse really could crack this seemingly deadlocked scheme, then he, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, would not even mind stepping aside and yielding his position.
However, just as Captain-Commander Yamamoto fell silent, ready to toss the ball to Rosse—
The one person who should least have spoken, spoke.
Kyoraku Shunsui suddenly took a step forward. That tall figure abruptly inserted itself between Rosse and the Captain-Commander, blocking Rosse's piercing gaze.
He adjusted his straw hat, his tone lazy yet every word hiding a barb.
"Captain Rosse, please calm down."
Kyoraku Shunsui raised his head, his eyes carrying a depth that was hard to read.
"According to the rules that Soul Society has followed for a thousand years, Central 46 governs noble law. There's no problem with that, is there? Kuchiki Rukia may be a member of the Gotei 13, but she is also a noble of the Kuchiki family."
"The Gotei 13 can choose not to pursue her responsibility as a squad member, but as a noble who violated the iron laws of Soul Society, Central 46 has absolute authority to punish her."
At this point, Kyoraku Shunsui looked at Rosse with a half-smile that was not quite a smile.
"Captain Rosse, if I remember correctly, this clause of 'each department performing its own duties without interfering with one another' fits perfectly with the 'Seireitei Internal Management Regulations' that you personally drafted two years ago, doesn't it?"
Kyoraku Shunsui's sudden intervention was like throwing a massive stone into calm water, instantly drawing the gaze of every captain present.
Confusion, shock, scrutiny. All kinds of complicated looks intertwined around him.
Among them were the deep, heavy stare from his mentor, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, and the utterly puzzled eyes of his close friend, Jushiro Ukitake.
Yet in the face of all this, Kyoraku Shunsui showed no intention of backing down.
He pressed down the brim of his hat, like an insurmountable mountain, standing firmly in front of Rosse, not yielding an inch.
If not for last night's trip to Muken, he would never have stepped forward at such a critical moment.
Before exposing Aizen, the mastermind behind the scenes, blindly challenging the rising Rosse head-on had no strategic meaning at all beyond internal friction.
But that existence in Muken made him change his mind.
The waters of Soul Society ran deep. So deep that even Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu could not completely cover every corner.
Since there were still people in this world who could escape its influence, and even had the ability to help them break free from manipulation, why should he sacrifice his mentor's lifelong reputation and the position of Captain-Commander just to compromise with an extremist like Rosse?
In his eyes, the current Rosse might be forceful, but he was nothing more than a pitiful soul, equally trapped within Kyoka Suigetsu without realizing it.
Counting on Rosse to deal with Aizen was no different from a fool's dream.
Since that was the case, the burden of protecting Soul Society still had to be carried by those who were truly clear-headed.
"Captain Rosse, do you have any other questions?"
Kyoraku Shunsui's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.
"That regulation was indeed proposed by me back then, and I have no intention of denying it."
The smile on Rosse's face was still as warm as a spring breeze, but in the eyes of the other captains, that smile seemed to carry an extreme, bone-chilling frost that sent a shiver down their spines.
Especially Toshiro Hitsugaya, who had once undergone Rosse's special training. When he saw that familiar expression, his body stiffened almost by reflex, a chill crawling up his spine to the top of his head.
Rosse's gaze leapt over Kyoraku Shunsui, as if he were still staring at something behind him, and he asked softly, "However, since we're following proper procedure, then I have the right to ask. This time, which judge was it who initiated the proposal for early execution in Central 46?"
Central 46 was composed of forty sages and six judges.
Although their voting rights were equal in name, by convention, all major proposals involving the execution of a Shinigami had to be initiated by a judge.
Rosse's seemingly casual question was in fact filled with lethal intent. His meaning could not have been clearer.
Whoever proposed it, he was prepared to make an example of them.
"It... it was a judge from the Shihoin family."
Chojiro Sasakibe, who had been kneeling on the ground all this time, threw out this bombshell with a stiff upper lip, with the Captain-Commander's tacit approval.
The moment those words fell, the air in the conference hall seemed to freeze for an instant.
Every captain present, including the expressionless Byakuya Kuchiki, had a flicker of astonishment flash through their eyes.
Among the six judge seats, the Kuchiki family occupied two, the Kyoraku family one, the Shihoin family one, and the remaining two were held by two other long-established high noble families.
In most people's assumptions, even if this proposal was not the work of the Kyoraku family, it should have come from those other two arrogant old noble houses.
How could it possibly be the Shihoin family?
Not long ago, hadn't the already-declining Shihoin family publicly shown weakness, even taking the initiative to extend an olive branch to Rosse in search of an alliance?
Was this some kind of suicidal backstab?
For a moment, all investigative, playful, and even sympathetic gazes fell on Rosse without exception.
Yet, facing looks sharp enough to see through a person, Rosse felt not the slightest trace of anger at being betrayed. Instead, there was only silent admiration for Aizen's exquisite layout.
'Brilliant!'
'Simply brilliant beyond words!'
Knowing full well that he had already reached a surface reconciliation with the Shihoin family, by normal reasoning, given Aizen's controlling personality, he would never lightly use the Shihoin family, such an unstable piece, as a vanguard.
Yet he did exactly that, and with such decisiveness.
There was only one possible explanation.
Aizen was absolutely certain that Rosse would not hesitate to sacrifice the Shihoin family, using it to balance the subsequent situation and pave the way for an even greater climax at the end.
But the problem was that the idea of sacrificing the Shihoin family was a decision Rosse had only made on the spot, prompted by Yoruichi's actions just moments ago.
'That bastard Aizen. From when exactly did he calculated this far ahead?'
'Is it because Shihoin Yoruichi returned to Soul Society? Or did it start from the appearance of that unexpected variable, Kurosaki Masaki? Or is this simply a part of his own script all along?'
The smile at the corner of Rosse's mouth grew even deeper.
This grand play was becoming more and more interesting.
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