"Unexpectedly, this live-in son-in-law who clings to power actually has some skill, to be able to escape from Vice-Captain Aizen."
"Especially that strange fist of his, able to shatter a high-level Kidō like Black Coffin. It's really surprising."
On the streets of the Seireitei.
Aizen walked in front, followed by Tōsen Kaname and Ichimaru Gin. The three were walking toward the 4th Division.
Hearing Ichimaru Gin's comment from behind, Aizen recalled the probing battle that had just erupted.
Whether it was the weapon that chipped his Zanpakutō, the bizarre move that shattered his Kidō, or the vast spiritual pressure that had erupted during the battle...
All of it left Aizen with a sense of surprise that would not fade.
"I must admit, I underestimated him before."
"I never thought this senior of mine was hiding so much power, and such strange abilities."
"Truly intriguing."
A smile appeared on Aizen's face, his interest growing.
He believed that the power his senior had just displayed was definitely not his limit.
Deeper down, he was surely hiding many more techniques and abilities.
'This is truly... something one can't help but want to peek at.'
After the three left the destroyed area, Aizen seemed to just remember his two companions' injuries, asking with warm concern.
"Kaname, Gin, are you alright?"
"We'll be at the 4th Division soon. Please bear with it for now."
Tōsen Kaname looked at his arm, which felt numb, and shook his head. "It's a light injury, not life-threatening."
"I've already used healing Kidō to temporarily stop the bleeding and numb the pain, but I won't be able to use my full strength until it recovers. I fear it will delay your plans, Lord Aizen."
Ichimaru Gin spat out a mouthful of dark blood, staining his lips red.
"My deepest apologies, Vice-Captain Aizen."
"We failed to defeat the enemy, and were even injured like this. We have truly failed to live up to your expectations, Vice-Captain Aizen."
Aizen retracted his gaze, his face still holding that gentle smile.
"It's fine, Kaname, Gin."
"You've already done very well to get this far."
"No need to blame yourselves. Did I not also fail to defeat my opponent?"
Hearing this, Tōsen Kaname frowned deeply. "But Lord Aizen, are we really letting them go?"
"Since they possess such power and have hidden it so deeply, they must be planning something significant."
"Why not take action now and eradicate them, to prevent them from obstructing our future actions?"
Aizen's gaze under his glasses slanted, glancing at Tōsen Kaname beside him.
"Kaname, are you questioning my decision?"
The gentle expression on his face did not change. His voice was as warm as ever, a sound that seemed to melt one's bones.
But it made Tōsen Kaname instantly lose his composure, and a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Your subordinate wouldn't dare."
"I overstepped. Please punish me, Lord Aizen."
"Kaname, no need to be so tense. I didn't mean to reprimand you."
Aizen shook his head lightly, and the expression on Tōsen Kaname's face immediately relaxed.
Seeing this, Ichimaru Gin, at his side, spoke up. "Then... killing them would be a simple matter for you, Vice-Captain Aizen. Why did you leave them?"
"Because this is very interesting."
When Aizen said this, the smile on his face was very different from his usual disguise. It was both malicious and full of mockery.
Then, it returned to normal.
"He has hidden himself so deeply. Aren't you curious about his purpose?"
"Now that he has been exposed to us, it's better to let him make his move. Let's see what he plans to do, and why."
"If he truly impacts our plan, he is just dust to be wiped away. It won't take much effort."
Hearing these words from Aizen, Ichimaru Gin was suddenly stunned.
For some reason, he had actually detected a trace of extremely real emotion in those words.
'Joy.'
Although it was only a trace of emotion, and it vanished in an instant.
Ichimaru Gin had a faint feeling...
'This emotion, which appeared and vanished in a moment, held no falsehood at all.'
After sensing this true emotion from Aizen, Ichimaru Gin's first reaction was disbelief.
He had been by this unfathomable Shinigami's side for some time, but he had never seen a single speck of true feeling from Aizen.
All he sensed was a false, hazy, Kyōka Suigetsu.
And now, he was actually seeing... someone like Aizen having a genuine reaction?
Afterward, a deep question arose in Ichimaru Gin's heart.
'Why? Why would Aizen feel joy over this?'
'If I can analyze the reason for Aizen's joy...'
'If I can use this to analyze all of Aizen's emotions, then will I be able to successfully get my revenge?'
The moment this thought emerged, Ichimaru Gin immediately buried it in the deepest part of his heart. On his venomous face, his squinted eyes curved even more, and the corners of his mouth hooked high, his smile deeper than ever.
"Vice-Captain Aizen, you really have a twisted sense of humor."
"It's nothing, Gin. Just think of it as a little fun to pass the time after a meal."
His voice paused, and Aizen added, "Besides that, the situation at the time didn't allow me to make a move."
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto had already marked him and me. If I had attacked, I'm afraid it would have aroused our Captain-Commander's suspicion."
"That would be even more detrimental to our future plans."
"I understand, Vice-Captain Aizen," Ichimaru Gin said softly.
'It seems... this Captain-Commander Yamamoto, hailed as the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, is truly no simple character.'
'To think he suppressed both his own unfathomable Vice-Captain Aizen and that deeply hidden live-in son-in-law of the Shihoin family, pinning them down so they couldn't act rashly.'
'They didn't even dare to cause too much of a scene, only able to operate in the shadows, terrified of bringing things into the light and attracting his attention and vigilance.'
'He's like a guardian king of hell. What a terrifying old man.'
Tōsen Kaname recalled the anomaly he had discovered on his enemy during the battle. He frowned and said, "Lord Aizen, there is one more thing. That man I fought... there was something special about him."
"Mm, I noticed that as well."
Aizen pushed up his glasses, the lenses glinting white.
Fushiguro Toji's image flashed through his mind, and Aizen's brow furrowed slightly.
"He is indeed very strange."
"He clearly has no spiritual pressure in his body, yet he possesses superhuman physical abilities. His strength, speed, and reaction time... all far exceed those of an ordinary Shinigami."
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to imagine such an individual case actually exists."
"Perhaps... this is also a direction for evolution."
Tōsen Kaname nodded. "I will pay more attention to this person in the future."
During the battle, he had tried several times to release his Zanpakutō, but the opponent had sensed it, stopping him in advance with astonishing speed and skilled combat experience.
Otherwise, he would not have been injured so badly.
On the other side, Kenma, leading Shisui and Toji, also rapidly fled the area that had been turned to ruins.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]