Chapter 163: Suspect

First Division Barracks

All twelve captains were present.

Isshin Shiba spoke quietly, "That is the encounter I had in the World of the Living."

He withheld information about the Quincy and altered the ending to say that Naruto had saved him.

"Is that so?" the Captain-Commander responded calmly. "You mentioned that… just as you were about to use Bankai, a Shinigami attacked you."

Isshin Shiba nodded and lifted his clothing. "Yes."

His chest was a mess of blood and flesh.

Amidst the various wounds from the clash of spiritual pressures and slashes, a faint sword wound could be seen piercing through his chest.

Only Shinigami fight with swords.

"Did you see what they looked like?" The Captain-Commander raised his cane and gently tapped the floor.

Isshin Shiba shook his head. "I didn't see them."

"He only attacked me once."

"His spiritual pressure, appearance, and build were all well-concealed."

He turned his head.

Naruto stepped forward, his face expressionless. "Before I responded to the message from the 13th Division and went to the World of the Living, I conducted an investigation of the other divisions."

"Aside from the position of 3rd Division Captain, which is temporarily vacant, only Captain Aizen Sōsuke of the 5th Division was not in the Soul Society."

Nearly all the captains turned their gaze to the brown-haired, bespectacled man.

The captains who were unaware of the situation were taken aback.

They hadn't expected Naruto to suddenly point the finger at another 'nice guy.'

"Captain Sōsuke," the Captain-Commander spoke slowly, "regarding the accusation made by Captain Uzumaki… do you have anything to say?"

Aizen raised his hand and shook his head. "What Naruto-kun said is quite damning."

"I was indeed in the World of the Living."

"However, the location I applied for was in Kagoshima."

Naruto remained expressionless. "That was just the location you applied for."

"Moreover… I had Nine-Tails keeping watch over the 5th Division."

"I can confirm that Captain Aizen only returned after Captain Shiba was attacked."

Aizen smiled faintly but said nothing.

The Captain-Commander thought for a moment before making a decision. "Given the circumstances, there are very few beings capable of silently ambushing a captain during a battle with a Vasto Lorde."

"Aizen Sōsuke, since you are under suspicion, I have made the following decision."

"Captain Aizen Sōsuke of the 5th Division will be detained and guarded by the 2nd Division within the 5th Division barracks."

"A joint investigation will be conducted by the 2nd Division, 8th Division, 9th Division, and 12th Division."

He paused, slightly opening his eyes to look at the two men.

His spiritual pressure surged within him like a blazing fire.

"Captain Uzumaki, Captain Sōsuke, do you have any objections?"

This was not a question; it was a notification.

Aizen's expression remained unchanged. "Of course not."

"Captain-Commander, I would like to participate in the investigation as well," Naruto said, openly expressing his desire.

The Captain-Commander shook his head. "You cannot."

"You are the accuser."

Naruto's tone was calm. "At the very least, let Nine-Tails participate in the investigation."

"If Captain Sōsuke is indeed the one who ambushed Captain Shiba and orchestrated everything, then… he must have a way to conceal his actions from the other captains."

"Nine-Tails has the ability to see through any illusion."

The Captain-Commander considered this briefly. "Your request is approved."

"The 7th Division's Nine-Tails will participate in the investigation, but only with the authority to provide opinions."

Naruto said nothing further.

The Captain-Commander was about to adjourn the meeting and instruct them to begin the investigation.

"Wait, I have one more thing to say," Isshin Shiba spoke up, raising his hand high on his toes.

The Captain-Commander looked at him.

"Please allow me to resign," Isshin Shiba said with straightforward determination.

The Captain-Commander shook his head and immediately rejected the request. "Denied."

Isshin Shiba didn't press the issue and simply laughed sheepishly.

The Captain-Commander narrowed his eyes, his aura becoming heavy.

Within the Soul Society, a small storm was brewing, causing ripples of unrest.

The 5th Division barracks were completely sealed off by the Onmitsukidō.

In the captain's quarters.

Naruto was invited to set up surveillance and sealing barriers.

When it came to sealing techniques, this 7th Division captain possessed the most advanced skills in the entire Soul Society, surpassing even the Kidō Corps, who specialized in Kidō.

Once all the techniques were in place…

"Did we really lock him down so easily?" Shunsui Kyōraku looked at the barracks, which now resembled a cage, with a sense of unease.

Naruto shook his head solemnly. "No."

In this incident, Aizen had barely used his abilities to interfere.

It was as if… once he realized that he had been exposed, he voluntarily surrendered, allowing himself to be detained.

"I fear something major is about to happen," Naruto said softly, his thoughts drifting to the Hōgyoku in Kisuke Urahara's possession. "He must have something planned."

Soi Fon's expression was cold. "The 2nd Division will uncover all of his crimes."

Naruto and Shunsui Kyōraku merely shook their heads and smiled.

"I'll leave Nine-Tails here," Naruto said, glancing at the fiery red figure lying on the roof. "He hasn't fallen under Aizen's control yet."

"If anything happens, I'll let you know."

Shunsui Kyōraku nodded.

The news of Captain Sōsuke being placed under 'control' caused quite a stir within the Soul Society.

Just how popular he was became evident during this incident.

Leaving aside the 5th Division, even within other divisions, there were many who voluntarily stepped forward, hoping to testify on Captain Sōsuke's behalf.

They sincerely believed that Captain Sōsuke was innocent.

The 2nd Division was overwhelmed.

They meticulously investigated the backgrounds and life histories of everyone who stepped forward to ensure they had no connection to Aizen Sōsuke.

And during this time, something even more unexpected happened.

Former 10th Division Captain Isshin Shiba escaped from the Soul Society.

He forcibly handed over the position of captain to the former 3rd Seat of the 10th Division, Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

In the World of the Living, at Urahara Shop

Isshin Shiba dragged his heavy body out of the laboratory and slumped to the ground with no regard for his image. "So this is what it feels like to be human?"

"My body feels so heavy."

"And also…"

He looked down at his hands.

Something he could previously do with a sweep of his spiritual pressure now required his eyes to see the world around him.

"Isshin, you really do look clumsy now," Naruto teased, standing beside him with a grin.

But Isshin Shiba kept staring at his hands, not hearing a word.

"Naruto, he can't see or hear you now," Kisuke Urahara reminded him.

He pulled out a scroll from his sleeve and tossed it over.

"Try this."

Isshin Shiba looked up. "Huh? Naruto, did you say something to me?"

Naruto entered his gigai. "How do you feel now?"

"Not bad," Isshin Shiba said, clenching his fist. "Humans aren't as weak as I thought."

"What are you going to do next?" Naruto asked him.

Isshin Shiba placed his hands behind his head. "First, I need to learn how to live as a human."

"It seems like it's going to be tricky."

"But Naruto, why are you here to say goodbye? Don't tell me you'll miss me and start crying…"

Naruto shook his head, cutting him off. "I'm here to investigate the case of former 10th Division Captain Isshin Shiba defecting from the Soul Society."

"The Captain-Commander is furious."

"He ranted about you for a long time."

Isshin Shiba scratched his head and laughed heartily. "If he had just granted my request back then, none of this would have happened."

"It's clearly the old man's fault."

"Naruto, how do you plan to report back?"

Naruto spread his hands. "I'll tell the truth."

"Shihōin Family Head was the one who stopped me."

A black cat suddenly leaped out, landing on Naruto's head and stomping on it several times. "I did no such thing."

"But you're certainly very useful, Yoruichi-neesan," Naruto said righteously.

The lab door opened again.

Masaki Kurosaki emerged, the Hollow hole in her chest now completely gone.

"Is Kurosaki-san okay now?" Naruto asked.

The orange-haired girl nodded cheerfully. "I'm fine!"

"It felt like a bad dream."

She laughed foolishly. "I got scolded by Uncle Isshin."

"He was babbling away even though he was stark naked."

Isshin Shiba looked exasperated. "You should really reflect on your actions."

"Since everything's fine, I'll head back to the Soul Society now," Naruto said as he stood up. "I'll visit when Ganju enrolls and graduates."

Isshin Shiba grinned and nodded.

"Wait, Shinigami-san." Masaki Kurosaki raised her hand, stopping Naruto.

Naruto turned to look at her.

"I have a question," she said, her tone serious. "Are the Shinigami starting to hunt down Quincies again?"

Naruto shook his head. "I haven't heard anything like that. Why do you ask?"

Masaki Kurosaki frowned. "Because… recently, there have been a lot of Quincy disappearances."

"Our numbers were already small."

"And now, we're being targeted like this."

"If it's not the Shinigami, then it must be Hollows, right?"

Naruto frowned. "Disappearing? Is it happening often?"

"Not too often, but not too little either," Masaki Kurosaki shook her head, looking worried. "It's happening to both the strong and the average ones."

Naruto's mind raced.

His first thought was that this might be Aizen's doing.

But…

If it were Aizen, the Quincies wouldn't just disappear; there would be strange changes in their bodies.

The next person that came to mind was Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

He remembered the promise Mayuri made after they captured the Hollow that attacked Miyako Shiba.

He wouldn't use human or Shinigami souls.

Mind's Eye of the Kagura had confirmed that these were indeed the truth.

But when the meeting took place that afternoon…

He already had a significant amount of research done.

At the time, Naruto was impressed by how much Mayuri had accomplished without any test subjects.

But…

Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn't that he had no test subjects.

He only promised not to use humans or Shinigami.

He never promised not to use Quincies.

"I understand," Naruto said with a smile, nodding. "I'll look into it when I return to the Soul Society."

Masaki Kurosaki grinned and gave a deep bow. "Sorry, Blond Shinigami!"

"I misunderstood you that day."

"You're a good person!"

"Even better than Uncle Isshin said."

Isshin Shiba scratched his head, his gaze lingering on Naruto's hair.

This brat's hair…

It's so brilliantly golden.