Chapter 96: Tsunayashiro Tokinada

This group of people was led by a man with dark green hair.

He walked over, standing with squinted eyes, his head held high, and his gaze slightly downward, his attitude quite frivolous. "Oh, Captain Uzumaki, this must be our first meeting."

Greeting someone in such a manner is highly disrespectful.

As one of the thirteen most powerful individuals in the entire Soul Society, a Captain holds a very high status.

Traditionally, the Captain of the 2nd Division is from the head of the Shihōin Clan, and the Captain of the 6th Division from the head of the Kuchiki Clan. At the very least, in terms of etiquette, Captains should be treated with the same respect as the heads of the Four Great Noble Families.

But this man didn't even come close to such a standard; he lacked even basic courtesy and seemed to consider himself "above" everyone else.

The Tsunayashiro Clan truly lives up to its notorious reputation.

Naruto had a very poor impression of this family.

Especially after last night when he learned about Tōsen Kaname.

Among the Four Great Noble Families, the Tsunayashiro family is the most infamous. They were once the "leader of the nobles," but they valued power too much, ignoring the responsibilities that came with the title, and committed countless evil deeds. Now, the Kuchiki Clan has become the role model for the nobility.

"Is this how you greet a Captain?" Naruto looked at him, releasing a strand of spiritual pressure.

The man with dark green hair smiled, unfazed.

His strength was decent, on par with Kuchiki Byakuya.

But the other noblemen, whose abilities were more average, slightly changed their expressions when they felt the spiritual pressure. Unable to withstand its force, they took a step back.

"Captain Uzumaki doesn't recognize me?" The man with dark green hair feigned surprise. "I thought I was quite famous in the Seireitei."

He grinned widely.

"My name is Tsunayashiro Tokinada."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, his spiritual pressure fluctuating slightly, becoming more oppressive.

He had heard of this name.

He was the most representative figure of the Tsunayashiro family.

A man who committed all sorts of evil deeds, bullying the weak, fully embodying the vile nature passed down in his family.

But what Naruto remembered most was—

What Tōsen Kaname had mentioned—the man who killed his comrades and murdered his wife, Tsunayashiro Tokinada, who stood before him now.

"So, Captain Uzumaki has heard of me." Tokinada sensed the overt and undisguised disgust and wasn't angered at all; instead, he smiled even more brightly. "I knew I couldn't be that unknown."

Naruto's voice turned cold. "What do you want, you disrespectful man?"

Tokinada extended his hand, speaking boldly, "Captain Uzumaki, hand over Tōsen Kaname's body to me."

"To you?" Naruto sneered. "You are the last person qualified to make such a request."

"You're quite hostile toward me." Tokinada waved his hand. "I suppose Tōsen said some nonsense to you before he died?"

He paused, speaking meaningfully, "But he was a criminal."

"To gain power, he harmed his comrades."

"Do you really believe what he said?"

Naruto smiled and walked forward.

Tokinada still didn't lower his head, only casting his gaze downward.

"I think you need to learn something first." Naruto suddenly punched Tokinada in the stomach.

The spiritual pressure forced his body to instinctively bend forward.

Naruto grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head up, his voice laced with anger: "When addressing a Captain, you should learn to use respectful language."

"The second thing, I have a lot of anger built up right now, and I don't know where to vent it."

"Thank you for showing up."

"And lastly."

"Tōsen may be a criminal, but that doesn't make you, who stands against him, a good person."

"You are just as much a villain."

Tokinada, after being punched, looked disheveled but wasn't angered in the slightest, still smiling happily: "You're quite righteous, Captain Uzumaki."

"No wonder so many in the Gotei 13 like you."

"But…"

"This isn't just a personal request; it's an order from the Tsunayashiro family."

"The Great Spirit Book Gallery must record all known things and information about the Soul Society, including the secret of Tōsen Kaname's Hollowfication."

He raised his head, meeting Naruto's gaze: "This is one of the highest orders in the Soul Society."

The "Great Spirit Book Gallery" records everything about the Soul Society.

But this isn't some kind of rule-based ability; it's done through human collection and documentation.

"I see." Naruto tossed him aside, his tone calm. "Then come back to me once I've uncovered his secrets."

"Maybe in a hundred, two hundred, or even a thousand years."

"But for now…"

"Get lost."

Tokinada squinted his eyes, grinning even wider.

Kuchiki Byakuya stepped forward: "Tsunayashiro Tokinada, this is also the will of the Kuchiki Clan."

"We trust Captain Uzumaki's abilities more."

Tsunayashiro Tokinada clutched his stomach. "Is this the answer given by Captain Uzumaki and the Kuchiki Clan?"

"I understand."

"Then I'll look forward to Captain Uzumaki's results. We'll meet again later."

He waved his hand and said goodbye to the two.

Although he gained nothing this time and even took a punch, he wasn't discouraged.

Naruto could even sense a hint of "pleasure" in his emotions.

"I'm sorry for involving the Kuchiki Clan in this," Naruto said.

Kuchiki Byakuya shook his head. "The Kuchiki Clan has long been disgusted with the Tsunayashiro Clan. They lack any sense of responsibility or leadership as nobles."

"If this power fell into their hands, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause."

"Besides, this small matter is insignificant compared to the kindness you've shown the Kuchiki Clan, Naruto."

Naruto smiled.

Kuchiki Byakuya took his leave.

Returning to his office, Naruto sat at his desk, looking at the piles of documents and files, but had no desire to deal with them.

"The culprit really was that man called Aizen," the Nine-Tails said, somewhat surprised. "I thought it was that blind guy."

"How did you know, Naruto?"

It hadn't sensed anything.

Naruto quietly recounted the events of the previous day to the Nine-Tails, and to himself: "It's because of the reason I mentioned; he was too weak."

"His swordsmanship was ordinary. If the first person had been Tōsen Kaname, he wouldn't have been able to withstand my two strikes."

"There were only two captains present."

"We are well aware of Captain Sajin's abilities."

"So, it's clear. From the beginning, the Aizen who was with us wasn't the real Aizen; he was Tōsen Kaname in disguise."

"The Tōsen Kaname who appeared first was meant to deceive others."

"Aizen then replaced Tōsen Kaname, who had been impersonating him."

"That's why Tōsen Kaname was able to appear so quickly in the crowd and attack Vice-Captain Kuchiki."

The Nine-Tails nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly exclaimed, "So, before this, all the Aizens were impersonated by Tōsen Kaname?"

"Does that mean... even during the meeting, the Aizen in front of that old man was Tōsen Kaname in disguise?"

Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto couldn't see through his illusion?

Naruto thought deeply and shook his head. "I'm not sure."

"But it's very likely. After all, at that time, the Senkaimon was sealed."

"He can distort perceptions, but he can't erase the traces of real events."

"If he had crossed over in advance, the traces would have been detected."

"For this reason, I didn't act against him earlier."

Aizen had never shown his true strength in front of Naruto.

But during their interactions, Naruto had faintly sensed something.

All the Kido Naruto knew had been taught by Aizen. He could cast any spell below number 90 without incantation effortlessly.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Now Aizen had revealed that he had the ability to deceive even Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

Naruto wasn't very confident that he could completely defeat Aizen in direct combat.

"The most urgent thing now is to figure out how he managed to fool everyone," Naruto paused before continuing, "What kind of illusion did he use? And how can it be broken?"

The Nine-Tails muttered softly, "An illusion?"

"The Uchiha clan is known for their expertise in illusions."

Naruto shook his head without replying.

"Speaking of which, that kid by Aizen's side," the Nine-Tails reminded him, "That little guy named Ichimaru Gin? I don't have a good feeling about him either."

"His aura is very sinister."

"Even though he's your friend, shouldn't you be careful with him?"

"After all, he is Aizen's Vice-Captain."

Naruto paused and stood up.

The Nine-Tails had a point.

Ichimaru Gin...

Although Naruto got along well with him, thinking about it more carefully, his relationships with others—even with Kuchiki Byakuya, with whom he practiced Bankai together—weren't great.

Was he deliberately getting close to Naruto?

The Nine-Tails was right; it was worth confirming.

The next day, at an izakaya.

Naruto invited Ichimaru Gin out.

"Oh, is it just Captain Uzumaki?" The white-haired youth came over, peering at the table with his trademark exaggerated smile. "Did you invite me alone?"

He squinted his eyes, already guessing what this might be about.

Naruto nodded, his expression serious. "Gin, I have something I want to ask you."

"I hope you can be honest with me."

Mind's Eye of the Kagura activated.

"If it's Captain Uzumaki asking," Ichimaru Gin sat down and tilted his head, "there's no way I could lie to you."

Naruto picked up his cup and took a sip of water. "I want to know, Gin, what do you think of Captain Sosuke?"

Ichimaru Gin spoke softly, "That question, huh."

"Let me think about how to answer it."

He paused, then opened his eyes, still speaking gently but with fierce killing intent, "I want to kill Captain Sosuke with my own hands right now."

"But I'm not strong enough yet, so I'm waiting for the right opportunity."

"I stay by his side with that thought in mind."

Naruto was stunned.

Mind's Eye of the Kagura confirmed that this was a heartfelt statement, 100% true, without a trace of insincerity.

~~~

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