Chapter 59: Don't You Dare Come Closer
Yamamoto Genryusai had once encouraged Takeru at a tea gathering.
He had mentioned that this was not the first time a genius had achieved Bankai while still enrolled at the Shinō Academy.
In fact, not only did such examples exist in the records of history, but the most recent case had occurred less than thirty years ago.
That genius was the current Captain of the Tenth Division.
The wielder of the strongest ice type Zanpakuto.
Toshiro Hitsugaya.
Now, the innate and painstakingly cultivated spiritual power that defined him was unleashed without restraint.
The ground under his feet sank and shattered, collapsing into a circular basin of roiling spirit particles. The Reiatsu that poured out of him whipped the air into a howling vortex.
The surrounding space dimmed as if it were about to cave in. The invisible gravity pressing down from above was enough to almost crush the Vice Captains present.
"Captain…!"
"Ah…!"
"My body…!"
"?!"
In the eyes of the squad members, these people were also giants of the Captain level. Yet now their faces had gone pale, sweat pouring down as their knees buckled.
Their strength was being drained away without a single attack being launched.
If this continued, it would not be long before they lost all ability to resist.
This was the difference between a Captain and a Vice Captain.
Yet Toshiro had never used a show of force like this to assert his authority.
So when he released his power this way now, it could only mean one thing.
His reason had been eroded to the brink of collapse, and his emotions had been driven to the extreme.
A moment later, his figure blurred and then reappeared where he had been standing.
Now he held a girl in his arms.
A girl who had already been dead for some time.
He had brought her down from the Great Eastern Wall.
Judging from the way he had nearly crumpled into a crouch as he landed, from the uncontrollable tremor in his arms, it was not hard to imagine how carefully Toshiro had handled her during that short transfer.
Even his almost berserk Reiatsu had been forcibly reined in on instinct.
He was afraid of damaging her remains.
"Hina…mori…!"
Toshiro's pupils shook violently.
His hand rose halfway, wanting to pull Hinamori Momo's Zanpakuto from her chest, but he could not bring himself to do it. His face was a picture of helplessness, his mind completely blank.
"Captain Hitsugaya, she is already dead. Please hand the body over to me at once. If you do, I may still be able to find clues left behind by her killer."
Retsu Unohana stepped forward. Her tone was stern, but there was regret in her eyes.
Matsumoto Rangiku also squeezed through the crowd, her expression tight with worry.
"Captain…!"
Though both women acted out of concern, none of that registered in Toshiro's mind.
The instant he sensed someone approaching, he snapped. His voice tore through the air in a hoarse roar.
"Stay back! All of you, stay back!"
"Captain, calm down!"
"Take one more step… and I will kill you."
"!?"
Rangiku's feet froze in place as Unohana lifted an arm to bar her way.
Even without that gesture, she no longer dared to move.
Because Toshiro's words were not a thoughtless scream.
They were spoken in the same cool, level tone he used for official orders.
He was serious.
Unohana exhaled softly, then helped the trembling Isane back to her feet. She was about to question her in detail about what she had seen at the scene when a languid voice drifted over.
"How very tragic."
"A popular, clever, lovable girl dying like that… This world really is cruel, always hurting such kind and gentle girls first."
"The one who did this is even crueler than the world itself."
"I wonder who it could be… It is so hard to guess. If only we had seen that person's true nature sooner, this might never have happened."
Everyone instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.
In this suffocating, powder keg atmosphere, they saw Gin Ichimaru lounging casually on the corridor eaves, perched on the wooden railing as if none of this had anything to do with him.
"What a terrible sense of timing…"
Shunsui Kyōraku muttered, tugging the brim of his hat down.
"He is doing it on purpose."
Jushiro Ukitake's expression had grown heavy.
Anyone could tell that Gin was deliberately provoking Toshiro.
He pasted on a surface level look of regret and sighed while he spoke, but his ever smiling eyes held no tension or remorse. The only thing one could feel from him was a bone deep mockery.
"Captain Ichimaru…"
Aizen seemed about to step forward and shield his Vice Captain, but Toshiro suddenly rose to his feet and glared at Gin, killing intent pouring off him.
"Was it you, Ichimaru…!"
"What are you talking about all of a sudden, Captain Hitsugaya?"
Gin's face showed a look of shock, but the expression was so exaggerated it made the act obvious.
"You…!"
Those familiar words had appeared once already in his conversation with Aizen not long ago.
Coupled with the line Gin had just uttered, "If only we had seen that person's true nature sooner, this might never have happened," a memory surged up in Toshiro's mind.
He recalled Gin's ambiguous, unsettling behavior after driving off Urahara's group yesterday.
In an instant, he felt as if he had found the answer.
As if he finally understood the truth.
He understood the reason behind the unease in his chest.
He understood why Aizen had warned him about Ichimaru with no evidence yesterday.
And now that same man was sitting there with a smirk, like an artist admiring his own handiwork.
Every detail, every fragment, pointed straight at Gin Ichimaru.
Under normal circumstances, one would still need evidence to turn a suspect into a criminal.
But Toshiro no longer cared about such things.
The moment the thought "Hinamori was probably killed by this man" formed in his mind, the last fragile strand of reason, already thinned to a single hair by his rage, snapped.
"Ahhhhhh! I will kill you, Ichimaru!"
The sheath in his hand dissolved into spirit particles.
The blade, wrapped in a storm of ice and snow, was raised high as Toshiro prepared to swing it down.
He had already decided to exact revenge at all costs.
"Bankai…!"
Bang.
Just as the swelling Reiatsu was about to erupt into a blizzard that would engulf the area, a sharp blow struck the back of Toshiro's neck.
His eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The others slowly lowered their arms from in front of their faces and saw the old man standing with his cane beside the white haired Captain.
Only then did they realize what had happened.
"Captain Commander… sir!?"
"So many of you present, and not one of you was able to restrain a single Captain. This old man had to intervene personally. This is becoming more and more disgraceful."
Yamamoto Genryusai's rebuke left the other Captains lost for words and the Vice Captains shaken to the core.
After he finished scolding them, Shunsui chuckled weakly.
"Do not be so angry, old man Yama. We were just worried about making things worse, so we wanted to observe for a bit longer. Besides, this is the First Division barracks. In every sense, it is not really our place to take charge here."
"Enough nonsense. What exactly is going on?"
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed.
His calm, heavy gaze swept over Hinamori's corpse, then over the unconscious Toshiro, then finally landed on Gin Ichimaru, who was still smiling silently, before shifting to Unohana.
"Isane."
"Ah… y yes!"
Isane flinched, then hurriedly began to speak.
"T that is how it was! I met up with everyone in the Vice Captain's office, but Vice Captain Hinamori never arrived. We were all wondering why she, who is always so diligent and responsible, could be late. When the meeting was almost over, I went to the restroom, and when I came back out, I saw Vice Captain Hinamori… like that."
"So when you exited, she was already in that state, correct?"
Unohana stepped forward to carefully examine the body, her brows knitting together.
"Yes! I swear I am not lying!"
Isane's voice shook. She was terrified that she would be suspected as the culprit.
"I can confirm that everything Vice Captain Kotetsu said is true."
Renji raised his hand, his expression serious.
"She was gone for less than half a minute before she screamed. At that distance and in that span of time, it is impossible that we would not have noticed something if anything had happened inside."
"I also agree with Abarai's judgement."
Kira Izuru cast a complicated glance at Gin.
"Vice Captain Kotetsu and Hinamori are on good terms, so she has no motive. And she is from the Fourth Division's medical team. To put it bluntly, she does not even have the ability to commit such a crime."
"In that case, the incident must have occurred even earlier. Aizen, do you have anything to say?"
Suì Fēng pinched her chin, then abruptly threw the question at Aizen.
Feeling everyone's eyes turn toward him, Aizen's face stiffened with grief and disbelief.
His emotions were clearly complex.
"Hinamori… she worked very hard, incredibly hard. Yesterday, when she said she wanted to deliver a report to the First Division on her way off duty, I did not think much of it. It was not until this morning that I learned she had never returned. I was worried, of course, but I thought perhaps she had stayed elsewhere overnight and would still attend the meeting, so I came here first."
"Then I joined the meeting, heard the commotion, and rushed over with everyone else."
"I am ashamed. As a Captain, I was far too careless. If only I had sent her a message asking about her situation, I might have noticed something was wrong. Perhaps… Hinamori would not have had to die."
"I failed her."
Hearing this, Yamamoto gave Suì Fēng a meaningful look. She immediately understood.
"I have recorded your testimony. Until I bring people to investigate in detail, you are not allowed to leave the First Division."
"Understood. I will cooperate fully."
Aizen seemed immersed in self reproach over having failed to protect his Vice Captain. Being placed under such a restriction almost felt like a form of atonement, and therefore made him feel slightly better.
"And you, Ichimaru…"
Suì Fēng turned her cold gaze on Gin.
"Come on now, I have not done anything. Do I have to stay here and be investigated too?"
Gin raised his hands as if surrendering, putting on an innocent act.
"Drop the act. You are not afraid at all. But I am not like Captain Hitsugaya. I will investigate and gather evidence before I move. If this really has anything to do with you, then no amount of pretending will save you."
"So you are not going to restrict my movements, right? In that case… Izuru, let us head back. There is a lot going on right now, we cannot just stand around here forever."
"Wait."
Yamamoto suddenly spoke, stopping Gin just as he was about to leave with Kira.
"Was there something else, Captain Commander?"
Gin halted and turned to look at him.
Yamamoto ignored him and instead swept his gaze over everyone present.
Then he slammed his cane into the ground.
The impact left a small pit in the floor.
"This is a special wartime order."
"All personnel are permitted to carry and release their Zanpakuto at any time."
"In the event of special circumstances, you may leave your jurisdiction and take independent action as you see fit, but you must notify the First Division immediately."
"In addition, one more thing. You will maintain regular contact with all Divisions and those around you. No one is to become unreachable without a valid reason."
"That is all."
"Yes."
Everyone answered in unison, their voices solemn.
The gathering then broke apart, and each person went to handle their respective duties.
Aizen silently watched as Unohana's subordinates lifted Hinamori Momo's body and carried her away.
He stood lost in thought for a while.
Then he turned and headed toward the room where the unconscious Toshiro had been placed.
Because his own movements were now restricted, he was forced to entrust the crucial task of investigating his Vice Captain's death to others.
There was simply no way around it.
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]