Everyone present was utterly shocked by Aizen's final arrogant and domineering declaration.
Subsequently, Aizen's invitation caused everyone to turn their gaze toward Shin. His refusal filled everyone with curiosity about him.
This was exactly the effect Shin wanted. He needed to establish a good image for himself in the eyes of Soul Society to facilitate his future actions.
However, what he cared about most right now was that after all this time, he still hadn't received a system prompt, meaning this mission had undoubtedly failed.
What a pity about those 4000 Points.
He estimated that only by fully releasing Tenpa Jōsai would he have a chance to complete the mission, but Yamamoto definitely wouldn't allow him to wantonly destroy Soul Society.
This could be considered a test run for Tenpa Jōsai. The side effect of full-body exhaustion was still a bit too severe. He hoped that as his strength increased, the side effects would lessen.
After this battle, Shin urgently desired to get stronger.
Hueco Mundo!
That was the best place for him to acquire points.
Just as Shin was pondering how to wreak havoc in Hueco Mundo, a voice pulled him back to reality.
"Nohara-san, let me heal your injuries." Orihime looked at Shin with concern.
"Okay."
Shin had only suffered minor injuries, mainly from Aizen's strike.
"Sōten Kisshun, I reject!"
Orihime's ability is the rejection of all phenomena. Sōten Kisshun can heal wounds, regrow severed limbs, and undo control states. It cannot be explained by time reversal or spatial restoration. It is an ability that trespasses into the domain of the gods.
Shin felt a warmth spreading through his body, a tingling sensation as his wounds healed, and even his stamina was slowly recovering.
Orihime's ability is indeed powerful, though it still needs development.
—
Seireitei suffered heavy losses in this incident.
Sōkyoku was completely destroyed, the Palace of Penitence suffered massive collapse, and the buildings of some divisions within Seireitei were also damaged.
Three Captain-level Shinigami—Aizen Sōsuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tōsen Kaname—defected.
Most critically, the Central 46, the core of the governing power, was completely annihilated.
Three days later.
Except for Sōkyoku and the Palace of Penitence, buildings in other areas had been fully repaired. A new Central 46 had also been established amidst the struggles of the major noble clans.
During this period, the Gotei 13 held multiple Captain meetings, primarily discussing how to deal with Aizen and what stance to take regarding the Ryoka, especially Shin.
Finally, they decided not to pursue the damages previously caused by Shin and his companions. They decided to cooperate with Shin to jointly oppose Aizen, and they formally invited Ichigo to serve as a Substitute Shinigami.
Shin knew nothing of this, enjoying his leisure days relaxing at the Shihōin residence.
The Central 46 had not pardoned Yoruichi for the crime of helping Kisuke and others escape years ago, so Yoruichi was still active in her cat form.
Shin was holding Yoruichi while sunbathing in the courtyard, and the two were discussing Aizen.
"Shin, the 'poor soul' you mentioned must be either Gin or Kaname, right?"
"Hahaha, you figured it out. But which one do you think it is?"
Yoruichi genuinely didn't know which of the two it was. She had gathered some information about their pasts from Soi Fon over the past few days. But both of them seemed quite unfortunate.
"I don't know." Yoruichi shook her head.
"Onee-sama, Shino-nii, Soi Fon-san is here." A dark-skinned boy with long black hair walked over.
It was Shihōin Yūshirō, the current head of the Shihōin clan.
He and Yoruichi had been separated for over a hundred years, and her staying home for so long made him very happy.
Over the past few days, he had grown familiar with Shin and held great respect for this powerful, gentle-natured man who was also his sister's friend.
Yūshirō left after delivering the message.
As soon as Soi Fon entered the courtyard, she witnessed a familiar scene.
She had initially been happy at the thought of seeing Yoruichi, but now...
Her face instantly turned cold. "Nohara, I'm here to inform you that you are required to attend the Captains' meeting this afternoon."
Soi Fon had been sent to deliver the message because she was more familiar with Shin.
"Soi Fon, you're as cold as ever." Shin said while petting the cat.
Seeing that Soi Fon ignored him, Shin continued, "Why should I attend the Captains' meeting? I'm not even a Shinigami."
"The Gotei 13 has decided to invite you as an ally to jointly deal with Aizen."
"I see. I understand."
Seeing Soi Fon about to leave after delivering the message, Shin quickly tried to keep her. "Soi Fon, come chat with us. We were just talking about Aizen."
"No need, I have other duties."
Seeing her response, Shin walked straight over, took Soi Fon's hand, and led her to sit down in the courtyard.
When dealing with a tsundere, you have to be direct.
"W-what are you doing? Let go of me!"
It would have been easy for Soi Fon to dodge or break free, but for reasons she couldn't explain, she didn't.
Shin said, "Soi Fon, you live too exhaustingly, always wearing a stiff face."
Yoruichi agreed, "Shin is right, you need to loosen up a bit."
"Yoruichi-sama..." Soi Fon mumbled.
—
Captains' Meeting Room.
Shin stated his position and agreed to cooperate with the Gotei 13 to jointly address Aizen's threat.
Afterward, everyone discussed countermeasures together.
...
After the Captains' meeting concluded.
"Nohara-san, I'm actually quite curious about why you refused Aizen." Unohana said, walking up to Shin.
"I just want to do things I find interesting."
"Interesting things, you say?"
Unohana's gaze was profound, it was unclear what she was thinking about.
In fact, her proactively approaching Shin was merely to further ascertain his intentions.
Following this, another person sought out Shin.
"Nohara-san, may I ask about Kurosaki Ichigo's family background?" Jūshirō asked.
Shin knew what he was getting at, as Ichigo looked exactly like Jūshirō's deceased Lieutenant, Shiba Kaien. In fact, the position of Lieutenant in the 13th Division was still vacant to this day.
Shin said, "Kurosaki, huh? I don't know much about his family, only that his father is named Kurosaki Isshin."
'Isshin? Could it be? If that's the case, then it all makes sense.' Jūshirō frowned.
"Thank you, Nohara-san."
"No problem, but why did Captain Ukitake ask about this?" Shin asked curiously.
"It's nothing, I just found him quite familiar."
...
Meanwhile, Ichigo and the others were searching for Rukia.
Rukia, however, had already left Seireitei and arrived at the Shiba residence.
She had suffered greatly during her time in the Palace of Penitence. She frequently had nightmares about that incident years ago—when she personally killed her Lieutenant, Kaien.
This was something she could never forget and she couldn't forgive herself.
Today, she had come to the Shiba family solely to atone.
Seeing the familiar Shinigami who had killed his older brother in his memory, Ganju was instantly filled with rage and rushed toward Rukia.
"Ganju, stand down!" Kūkaku sharply ordered.
"I'm sorry. I've always wanted to apologize, but I was a coward, so I dragged it out until now. No matter how you wish to punish me, even if it's my life, I accept it." Rukia bowed deeply to the two of them.
Kūkaku had already learned the truth of the matter—Kaien was consumed by a Hollow and, to maintain his sanity and dignity, willingly impaled himself on Rukia's Zanpakutō, sacrificing himself.
Furthermore, a few days ago, she had learned from Jūshirō that the Hollow was actually an experimental subject created by Aizen.
"I have already learned the truth from Ukitake, and I know it wasn't your fault. You've been suffering too, haven't you?" Kūkaku said slowly.
"I decided long ago that as long as you offered an apology, everything would be forgiven. So, it's alright now."