The Gotei 13 is finally taking action against Urahara Kisuke!
This is also one of the reasons why Haruki and Aizen deployed the Imaginary Bodies—to stir up the waters of the Seireitei and push the indecisive Central 46 into motion.
And now, as expected, they are ready to act.
"Captain Kurotsuchi is currently tracking Urahara Kisuke's whereabouts, but there's a high chance he's hiding in Hueco Mundo, which is a significant problem for us," Aizen continued. "For us Shinigami, Hueco Mundo remains a mysterious and largely unexplored territory."
"That world is filled with too many dangers. If Urahara Kisuke is hiding there, it will indeed be troublesome."
"However... there's no other choice," 'Kyōraku Shunsui' chimed in. "We must take the initiative."
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto has given us three days to prepare. After that, more than half of the captains will head to Hueco Mundo to establish an exploration base for further investigation by the Research and Development Institute," Unohana added. "By then, even you vice-captains will likely be sent to Hueco Mundo."
"The remaining captains will be split, with some heading to the human world to search for traces of Urahara Kisuke."
"In that case..." Haruki couldn't help but say, "won't the Seireitei's defenses be left vulnerable?"
"With Old Man Yamamoto around..." 'Kyōraku Shunsui' said softly, "that will be enough."
"Moreover, Captain Soifon will also remain in the Seireitei. As the commander of the Onmitsukidō, the Central 46 has other orders for her."
Everyone nodded, and it seemed the battle plan was set.
The three captains and their vice-captains parted ways and headed back to their respective divisions.
On the way, Haruki asked, "Captain Aizen, will the Fifth Division be heading to the human world or Hueco Mundo?"
"Well..." Aizen, walking ahead, adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "The teams heading to Hueco Mundo will be the Fourth Division and the Eighth through Thirteenth Divisions."
"So, along with the Third, Sixth, and Seventh Divisions, we will be heading to the human world."
"The four divisions will conduct a search across Japan, covering Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, Hokkaido, and surrounding areas. Our assigned region is Shikoku."
Shikoku, huh? It seems like this won't involve me much.
After all, Urahara Kisuke is in Tokyo, which is on Honshu, far from Shikoku. I can treat this as a vacation trip to the human world.
Of course, calling it a vacation is just for fun. This whole situation was orchestrated by me and Aizen. While Aizen can sit back and remain unmoved, I can't.
I need to take this opportunity to deal with the Tsunayashiro family.
So, with three days left to prepare, Haruki decided to use this time to make some early arrangements.
After returning to the Fifth Division, Haruki explained the reason for the meeting to the squad members and informed them that they would be heading to the human world for an investigation.
Then, he found an excuse to leave.
He headed to the Sixth Division's district and, in a hidden corner where no one would notice, activated his soul ability, "Resembling Visage"!
This time, he didn't transform into a powerful figure but instead took on the appearance of an elderly man in his fifties or sixties.
His hair was white, his face aged, but he wore luxurious attire and exuded an air of authority and nobility.
Since he had set his sights on the Tsunayashiro family, he needed to make some preparations.
This man was a high-ranking figure in the Tsunayashiro main family. Haruki planned to use this identity to investigate the internal affairs of the Tsunayashiro family.
Stepping out of the alley, Haruki recalled the Tsunayashiro family's demeanor and adopted a somewhat arrogant posture as he walked through the streets toward the Tsunayashiro estate.
The Tsunayashiro family was divided into the main family and branch families. The main family naturally held the power and was considered the absolute elite of the Soul Society.
Even the lowest-ranking members of the branch families held significant authority.
The person Haruki had transformed into was a high-ranking member of the main family, someone who could even influence the decisions of the Central 46.
"Lord Munemoto," the two guards at the entrance immediately bowed respectfully.
Haruki nodded and strode inside.
The Tsunayashiro estate was vast, even larger and more luxurious than the Kuchiki family's. Although they were the head of the Five Great Noble Families, this was still the Sixth Division's territory. Their ostentatious display seemed almost like a deliberate slight to the Kuchiki family.
There weren't many people inside, mostly guards and servants, but they were all useless.
Haruki felt like he could single-handedly wipe out the entire Tsunayashiro family. These old fools relied solely on their noble status to bully others. On the battlefield, they'd be as good as dead.
Sigh, most of the nobles in the Seireitei are like this. It's hard to tell the difference between them and pigs.
But the weaker they are, the better. The weaker they are, the easier it will be for me to act.
"Lord Munemoto."
Just as he was about to search for the location of the Soul King fragments, a man with dark green hair stood in front of him.
Haruki glanced at him and noticed that this guy actually had a soul ability.
'Source of All Evil: When activated, certain evil deeds and sins will be linked to you.'
"..." Haruki's response to this ability was six dots.
Well, that's... kind of funny.
Haruki knew who this man was.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada, a character from the later novels of Bleach, a complete lunatic with a messed-up mind.
He was the Shinigami who killed Tōsen Kaname's best friend, though he later quit being a Shinigami.
He was also the one who massacred Kūgo Ginjō's teammates, leading Ginjō to believe it was orchestrated by Jūshirō Ukitake.
He was the man who proposed to the Central 46 and the Noble Assembly that Ise Nanao, the daughter who secretly possessed the Priestess Sword "Hakkyōken," be executed. However, this proposal was vetoed by Kuchiki Ginrei.
In short, this guy had done a lot of evil deeds. His existence served to shoulder the blame for some of the darker actions that would otherwise tarnish the image of the Gotei 13.
After all, how could our Gotei 13 possibly kill Kūgo Ginjō's comrades? It must have been the Tsunayashiro family's doing!
He's somewhat similar to Danzō from Naruto—a character who emerges to bear all the darkness as the plot's black marks pile up.
Truly, greatness needs no explanation.
Perhaps that's why he had this soul ability.
Haruki had no interest in this soul ability whatsoever. Was he out of his mind to willingly attract sins to himself?
Well, unless he developed a power that could utilize sins in battle, then maybe he'd consider it.