As night descended, chaos had already consumed Seireitei.
Nearly every member of the Gotei 13 had been mobilized, hunting for any trace of the Ryoka intruders.
Shigure stood atop the hill behind the 13th Division barracks, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
Tonight would be a sleepless night.
Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions would clash with the lieutenants and captains of the various divisions.
But none of that mattered to Shigure.
What truly mattered was his knowledge—
Aizen's staged death would officially commence at dawn.
...
Dawn broke over the 5th Division barracks.
Since no Ryoka had been detected within the 5th Division's territory, the patrol conducted by Captain Aizen Sosuke and Lieutenant Hinamori Momo had concluded quickly.
All that remained was to deploy squad members for the night watch.
In Captain Aizen Sosuke's office, Hinamori Momo slept peacefully nearby.
Seeking comfort from Aizen due to her anxiety, she had drifted off without realizing it.
Aizen hunched over his desk, pen moving across a blank sheet of paper.
Yet they were not alone in the room.
Another figure stood in the shadows.
Ichimaru Gin.
He observed Aizen's writing with his characteristic smile, believing he already knew what would be written.
But when he glimpsed the name flowing from Aizen's pen, his eyebrows arched in surprise.
"Oh my, Captain Aizen... are you planning a little change to our arrangement?"
Aizen continued writing without pause, his smile never wavering.
"Does it matter, Gin?"
Ichimaru Gin tilted his head slightly.
"The name you're writing now isn't the previously agreed-upon Captain Hitsugaya."
"You've suddenly switched to... Segawa Shigure."
Aizen set down his pen deliberately, folded the paper with precision, then raised his eyes to meet Gin's gaze.
His smile remained unchanged.
"I mean... what difference exists between the two?"
"Both are prodigious Soul Reapers. Both harbor suspicions about you. Both possess... the ideal qualities of bait."
"If anything, this unexpected Segawa Shigure..."
"Actually surpasses Hitsugaya Toshiro as the perfect lure."
Aizen rose slowly, his voice measured and calm.
"Let's proceed outside, Gin. From here, we follow the original plan."
Ichimaru Gin bowed slightly, his smile widening. "Understood."
He turned and departed from the 5th Division barracks.
Dawn's light now streamed through the windows as Aizen, draped in his captain's haori, stepped outside.
Simultaneously, he subtly roused Hinamori Momo from her slumber.
Hinamori Momo's eyelids fluttered as consciousness returned, immediately recognizing her surroundings in the captain's office.
Her cheeks flushed crimson as she stammered:
"I-I'm so sorry!"
"I fell asleep without realizing! Captain Aizen..."
"Huh?"
As she took in her surroundings, Hinamori Momo froze.
The captain's office lay eerily silent—Aizen was nowhere to be seen.
Turning her head, she noticed the door standing ajar.
"Captain Aizen...?"
Sunlight poured through the opening, and realization struck—the morning assembly was about to begin.
"Oh no! I'll be late!" She bolted from the captain's office, rushing to her quarters to change.
She prepared to take the shortest route to the assembly point.
"Why didn't Captain Aizen wake me..."
"I should still make it..."
Hinamori Momo rounded the corner with practiced agility, but in the next instant, her breath caught in her throat.
Her entire body went rigid, color draining from her face.
Staring at the towering wall before her, her frame began trembling violently.
Words tumbled unconsciously from her lips:
"No... no... this can't be... Cap... Captain Aizen..."
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
An anguished wail tore from her throat.
Upon the high wall, Captain Aizen Sosuke's lifeless form hung pinned by a blade.
His blood cascaded downward like a crimson waterfall, pooling and spreading across the ground.
Behind those familiar black-rimmed glasses, his eyes had grown dim and vacant.
Hearing her tortured screams, Matsumoto Rangiku and other patrol guards rushed toward the scene.
What none of them noticed, however, was Aizen himself standing not far from Hinamori Momo, wearing his gentle, familiar smile.
He murmured softly, as if to himself:
"Excellent work, Hinamori."
"You've fulfilled your final purpose... as my lieutenant."
........
Meanwhile, at the 13th Division barracks.
Morning assembly time approached as Shigure emerged from his quarters, preparing to depart.
A frantic figure suddenly burst into view.
Third Seat Kotetsu Kiyone.
Her expression was grave as she spotted Shigure, immediately crying out in panic:
"Lieutenant! Disaster has struck!"
Shigure's attention sharpened as he secured his door.
"What's happened?"
Kotetsu Kiyone caught her breath before continuing anxiously:
"Word just arrived from the Onmitsukido..."
"Captain Aizen of the 5th Division... is dead!"
Shigure's expression hardened, his gaze intensifying.
Kotetsu Kiyone pressed on:
"According to Onmitsukido intelligence, death resulted from Zanpakuto extraction of both the Chain of Fate and Soul Sleep... plus cardiac destruction..."
"Meaning... this wasn't accidental death—it was murder!"
"The perpetrator remains unknown..."
"Given the joint Level 1 alert issued by the Captain-Commander and Captain Hitsugaya of the 10th Division..."
"The information should be accurate..."
Kotetsu Kiyone spoke with mounting distress, her face reflecting shock and grief.
To these squad members, Aizen Sosuke had always represented one of the Gotei 13's most compassionate and approachable captains.
For such tragedy to strike during the Ryoka invasion exceeded all expectations.
Yet upon hearing her report, a sharp gleam flashed through Shigure's eyes.
He turned back to Kotetsu Kiyone, his expression growing solemn.
"The situation is critical. I'm heading there immediately to assess... Handle the routine patrol duties!"
"Yes, Lieutenant!"
Kotetsu Kiyone responded with a swift nod.
Shigure employed Shunpo and vanished instantly.
Soaring above Seireitei at tremendous speed, Shigure had barely begun his journey when he spotted Kyoraku Shunsui ascending from below in the distance.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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