Corpses…
Corpses and blood everywhere.
The once resplendent Tsunayashiro estate had turned into a living hell.
The bodies of the Tsunayashiro family members were hung in various areas, their blood staining the ground, trees, and walls like a horrifying painting.
The eyes of the Tsunayashiro clan members were filled with deep fear and a strong sense of shock, as if they had witnessed something terrifying before their deaths.
When Haruki and Rangiku arrived at the Tsunayashiro estate, this was the scene that greeted them.
Haruki had been here just yesterday, but today, the place had transformed into something entirely different.
"..."
Seeing this, both captains and vice-captains fell into a heavy silence.
The Tsunayashiro family…
Had been wiped out!
Amid the silence, Captain-Commander Yamamoto suppressed his rage and said, "Captain Soifon! What is the meaning of this?"
Soifon's expression was grim as she replied, "I apologize, but the Onmitsukidō was unaware of this. Last night, I was assigned a task by the Tsunayashiro family, so I wasn't present at the scene."
Unohana Retsu then said, "Judging from the state of the bodies, the Tsunayashiro family was annihilated early this morning."
"The audacity of the perpetrator…" Aizen said gravely. "To kill one of the Five Great Noble Families within the Sixth Division's district…"
"What task were you assigned?" Yamamoto asked Soifon.
Soifon replied, "To guard the Seventh Treasury located in West District 32."
Haruki noted this location, his mind racing. Good, now he knew the location of another Tsunayashiro treasury.
The Seventh Treasury wasn't in the main estate? What was stored there? Were there any Soul King fragments?
In truth, Haruki could tell at a glance that this Soifon was fake!
Because this Soifon had no soul ability, while the real Soifon possessed the soul ability "Love and Worship."
In other words, this Soifon was actually an "Imaginary Body."
Was it possible that the one who annihilated the Tsunayashiro family was "Soifon"?
Haruki frowned. It didn't seem right.
After all, "Soifon" had no personal grudge against the Tsunayashiro family…
If anything, Soifon's brother had been killed while protecting the Tsunayashiro family, but Soifon wasn't the type to seek revenge for her brother.
Well, it's hard to say…
After all, the thoughts extracted by the Negación threads would serve as the primary basis for the Imaginary Body's actions. If Rōka had extracted a lot of Soifon's thoughts related to her brother, then it was indeed possible for the Imaginary Body to act this way.
But aside from that, another possible motive could be…
Yoruichi?
If there was anything that truly concerned Soifon, it would definitely be Yoruichi. Could it be that the Tsunayashiro family posed a risk of forming an alliance with Yoruichi, which made Soifon wary of them?
Was the Imaginary Body driven by this wariness to annihilate the Tsunayashiro family?
Honestly, this possibility made more sense than seeking revenge for her brother.
In front of Yoruichi, what did a few brothers matter?
Of course, there was also the possibility that the one who carried out this massacre wasn't "Soifon" at all, but another Imaginary Body.
"Soifon" might simply have been cooperating with that Imaginary Body.
Regardless, their actions meant that Haruki would have to adjust his plans.
These guys wiping out the Tsunayashiro family might make it easier for Haruki to carry out his own plans, but it could also lead to the Gotei 13 increasing their protection of the Tsunayashiro family.
After all, only the main family had been wiped out. The branch families were still intact.
This meant that the Tsunayashiro branch families would now become the main family.
And now, Haruki's act of trapping Tsunayashiro Tokinada in the Lonely Hell would be seen as a "crime."
Well, to absolve himself of guilt, he might as well mercifully send the Tsunayashiro branch families to reunite with their main family.
Haruki had decided the fate of the Tsunayashiro branch families, but they were ultimately insignificant. The most important thing was to seize the Soul King fragments in their possession.
Oh, and the Tsunayashiro family also had a divine artifact, the Enrakyōten. It would be best to get his hands on that as well.
In a way, wiping out the Tsunayashiro main family while leaving the branch families intact was a good thing.
If the entire Tsunayashiro family were wiped out, their assets might be divided among the other Four Great Noble Families, or taken by the Central 46 or the Gotei 13.
In that case, it would be much harder for Haruki to gather those resources quickly.
So, Haruki listened with inner satisfaction as Old Man Yamamoto vented his fury at the Tsunayashiro estate.
For the Captain-Commander, such an incident within the Seireitei was a slap in the face—a series of slaps, in fact, that were about to bruise his old face!
The Central 46, upon seeing the state of the Tsunayashiro family, would undoubtedly pressure the Captain-Commander, as this incident proved that the Gotei 13 was utterly incapable of protecting the noble families.
"Regardless, even without Captain Soifon and the Onmitsukidō, the Tsunayashiro family's defenses were formidable," Shiba Isshin said.
He hadn't come for the first alarm, but this time, the Hell Butterfly had summoned all captains and vice-captains, so of course he had to show up.
"The fact that the enemy was able to annihilate the family without a sound shows that their strength is immense."
"Like that wasn't obvious," Zaraki Kenpachi said with a savage grin. "Didn't we already say that these 'intruders' are incredibly strong?"
When they returned from Hueco Mundo, Shiba Isshin had agreed to fight Kenpachi.
Unsurprisingly, Shiba Isshin lost.
Of course, everyone knew the real reason behind that loss.
If Shiba Isshin had won, Kenpachi would have been relentless, constantly seeking him out for more fights.
So Shiba Isshin had to lose!
However, Kenpachi seemed to sense that Shiba Isshin hadn't been fully focused during their fight, which left him dissatisfied. He had been itching for a rematch ever since.
But Shiba Isshin wasn't a battle maniac. His fight with Kenpachi had only been a promise to keep him from causing trouble in Hueco Mundo.
So, in response to Kenpachi's provocations, Shiba Isshin simply avoided him.
Yamamoto roared, "In any case, no matter how strong the enemy is, we cannot allow such an incident to happen again!"
"Yes, sir!" The other captains could only agree. There wasn't much else to say.
They would do their best to protect the nobles, but if more were killed, there was little they could do.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, I request access to all of Urahara Kisuke's research recorded in the Great Spirit Library. Perhaps we can find some clues related to this incident."
The Great Spirit Library was a unique institution within the Soul Society that compulsively recorded everything about the Soul Society.
Even the method to create the Ōken was recorded there!