Night draped Seireitei in stillness, but the silence was a lie.
The orchestrated "incident" — a staged explosion during a joint training session, with conveniently placed evidence implicating Akira and Aizen — had sent shockwaves through the Gotei 13. Whispers multiplied like wildfire: that Akira had lost control of his Zanpakutō, that Aizen had implanted false memories in the minds of witnesses, that they were spies from some forgotten noble line. A few even whispered the word "traitor."
But beneath the rumors, two brothers were already moving.
Seireitei – Abandoned Archive Storage
"Here," Aizen said, kneeling beside a scorched section of floor beneath the explosion site.
Akira stood over him, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
"Doesn't feel right. The blast pattern's wrong."
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: Anomalous Kidō signature detected. Reconstructing spiritual energy flows… Initiating EVENT RECONSTRUCTION protocol.]
A translucent overlay shimmered in Akira's vision — golden lines traced the direction of spiritual pressure, converging unnaturally in a spiral that mimicked a detonation, but had no central source.
"Manufactured," Akira muttered.
Zhuoyin's voice echoed in his mind, cool and condescending.
"A child's illusion of destruction. The light bends too perfectly. The darkness behind it is orchestrated."
Aizen's fingers brushed the edge of a fragmented seal embedded in the stone — a glyph.
"Tsuyanoshiro sigil," he said quietly. "Old. Noble-grade spiritual binding."
Akira's jaw clenched.
"They planted this. Made it look like our power surged out of control."
"They wanted eyes on us," Aizen agreed, standing. "And a scapegoat when the balance tips."
Shin'o Academy Records Vault – Midnight
Aizen held a forged passkey in one hand, and Kyōka Suigetsu in the other. With the flicker of its Shikai activation, the night guards would see nothing but routine.
Akira stepped in first, guided by Zhuoyin's glow — its Light aspect illuminating residual energies that shimmered in unnatural hues.
"Someone's erased records here. But not cleanly."
[SYSTEM DETECTED: Spiritual displacement residue. Tracing archival redactions… Estimated time of deletion: 8 days ago. Matches incident timeline.]
They followed the trail to a hidden compartment behind the history of noble lineages. Inside: a ledger.
Not official. Handwritten. Coded.
Aizen's eyes narrowed as he flipped pages.
"Experiments. Spirit particle manipulation. Subject classifications..."
Akira leaned over his shoulder.
"'Fragment-bearer candidates. Controlled breeding. Recessive markers. Disposal protocols.'"
Aizen's voice dropped to a whisper. "They've been trying to recreate the Soul King's power... through bloodlines."
Akira's knuckles whitened. "And we're just iterations to them."
Yamamoto's Office – Later
Ukitake entered with calm footsteps.
Yamamoto didn't look up from the report scrolls scattered across his desk. "I take it they're investigating."
Ukitake nodded. "Thoroughly. They're careful. Focused."
"And?" the Head Captain asked.
"They're getting close. Perhaps... too close."
Yamamoto finally looked up. "Then the noble families will act again."
He tapped his cane once, hard.
"Let them. I want to see how far these boys will go to uncover truth... and how they react when truth bares its fangs."
Tsuyanoshiro Estate – Hidden Courtyard
A shadow knelt before Tokinada Tsunayashiro.
"They found the ledger," the agent whispered.
Tokinada sipped tea, unbothered. "Of course they did. I left it for them."
The agent hesitated. "My lord?"
Tokinada smiled faintly. "We can't kill them yet. Not while Yamamoto watches. But if they know enough to fear us... they'll overreach. Desperation makes fine puppets."
He placed the teacup down.
"Send the next message. Escalate the game."