The Shin'ō Academy recruits new students every year. After six years of rigorous training, those students graduate and are assigned to the Gotei 13, becoming official Shinigami. Among them, the most talented are appointed as seated officers, gradually replacing older members. In rare cases, true prodigies may even rise to the rank of captain.
Even if Sōsuke Aizen only manipulated a single class of Shin'ō Academy students at a time, the passage of years would allow that influence to spread across generations. The accumulation alone would be enough to affect a significant portion of the Gotei 13.
More importantly, Aizen was not only the captain of the Fifth Division but also an instructor at the Shin'ō Academy. Over decades, he had personally guided and subtly deceived countless students.
Shiba Isshin immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.
He didn't know precisely when Aizen began revealing his Zanpakutō to students, but it must have been many years ago. For the entirety of the Gotei 13, it was accepted as common knowledge that Aizen's Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu, was a water-type Zanpakutō.
If that were true, it would have been unremarkable.
But Kyōka Suigetsu was not a water-type Zanpakutō it was a Zanpakutō of complete hypnosis.
And according to Shigure Sōsuke's explanation, once someone witnessed Kyōka Suigetsu's Shikai release, they would fall permanently under its effect. From that moment onward, all five senses sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch could be perfectly manipulated by Aizen.
What one perceived would no longer be reality, but whatever Aizen willed it to be.
Such an ability was enough to unsettle even a seasoned Shinigami.
In battle, it became utterly terrifying. Every action, every perceived opening, every strike could be nothing more than an illusion crafted by Aizen. The opponent would fight with absolute conviction, never realizing they were merely moving according to Aizen's design.
"…How can there be such a monstrous Zanpakutō?" Isshin muttered, unable to hide his shock.
If what Shigure said was true, then Aizen's schemes extended far beyond the Academy. Any Shinigami deemed a threat including captains of the Gotei 13 could have already fallen under Kyōka Suigetsu's control.
At the same time, Isshin finally understood how Aizen had managed to erase suspicion from himself and frame Urahara Kisuke for the Hollowfication incident a century ago.
With Kyōka Suigetsu, rewriting perceived reality was effortless.
"Kyōka Suigetsu is certainly dangerous," Shigure said calmly, "but abilities that interfere with perception are not unprecedented in Soul Society."
He continued, his tone measured.
"Hirako Shinji's Sakanade reverses an opponent's sense of direction, and Tōsen Kaname's Suzumushi manipulates sound and can even deprive targets of their senses entirely. Compared to them, Kyōka Suigetsu isn't unique in category only in perfection."
A brief pause followed.
"What makes it truly terrifying… is Aizen himself."
Isshin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Shigure's words carried weight. As a former Kenpachi and a veteran of countless battles, his judgment was not something to dismiss lightly. For someone like him to speak so highly and warily of Aizen meant the threat was beyond ordinary comprehension.
Still, after a moment, Isshin exhaled quietly.
Even if Aizen was dangerous… what did it have to do with him now?
He was no longer a Shinigami.
Now, he was simply a human living in the World of the Living.
The tension in his expression eased.
People like Urahara Kisuke, Shihōin Yoruichi, and the Visored former captains and elites who had already clashed with Aizen would be the ones dealing with him. If they had opposed Aizen for so long, then surely they had their own plans in motion.
As for himself… his concern was his life here.
However, Shigure noticed the shift in Isshin's demeanor. It was clear he had begun to distance himself from the issue failing to fully grasp Aizen's reach.
So Shigure spoke again, his voice heavier this time.
"For over a century, Aizen has never stopped moving in the shadows. The Hollowfication incident involving captains and lieutenants was only one part of it. In Hueco Mundo, he has conducted extensive experiments…"
Isshin's gaze sharpened again.
"…and succeeded in creating Arrancar."
The word alone carried weight.
"By breaking the boundary between Hollow and Shinigami, he has allowed Hollows especially Menos-class like Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde to remove their masks and gain Shinigami-like powers. A Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar can rival, or even surpass, a captain."
Isshin's expression grew solemn once more.
Hueco Mundo was no longer a distant, irrelevant threat.
Shigure continued:
"Aizen isn't satisfied with natural evolution. He's begun artificially accelerating it interfering with the very process by which Hollows are born and develop. The result is a number of unstable, experimental entities."
He looked directly at Isshin.
"The Hollow that nearly killed Shiba Kaien… was one of Aizen's creations."
Isshin's eyes darkened.
Kaien.
With the Shiba Clan already diminished, Kaien and Kūka were among the few family members he still held dear. Hearing that Kaien's near-death encounter was tied to Aizen immediately changed the weight of the situation.
If Aizen remained distant, it was one thing.
But if he began to threaten those close to him… that was different.
Completely different.
Shigure didn't stop there.
"Recently, several Shinigami stationed in the World of the Living have been killed one after another. The Hollow you encountered the one Kurosaki Masaki helped you defeat was also one of Aizen's experimental subjects."
Isshin's expression hardened.
"It was unstable… but deliberate."
Shigure's voice lowered.
"If I were Aizen, I would already have taken note of you. More precisely he may have been observing from the beginning."
Isshin's pupils contracted slightly.
"That Hollow's target was likely you. Kurosaki Masaki's arrival was an unexpected variable that shifted its focus."
A brief silence followed.
"You should understand," Shigure added quietly, "Hollows do not normally appear so conveniently… nor act with such precision."
The implication was clear.
This was no coincidence.
Aizen had already begun to move pieces into place.
WE ARE CURRENTLY ON CHAPTER 351
ON PATREON.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCED CHAPTERS BEFORE PUBLIC RELEASE OR PURCHASE THE BOOK FOR LIFETIME ACCESS!
Patreon.com/HACKDWORLDaa