Bleach: The Fifth Division Captain

A state of emergency.

This term was typically reserved for incidents beyond control—unforeseen events with unknown causes and outcomes.

Under normal circumstances, such cases required the Head Captain's involvement, a formal vote among the captains, and a structured plan before execution.

Seiya calmly organized the documents in his hands, placing them on the table before speaking in an even tone.

"If we trace things back, the first incident was the disappearance of souls about ten years ago."

"There was a period of silence, but recently, the phenomenon has resumed."

"In regard to this, Captain Urahara, do you have any insights?"

Seiya's report was straightforward.

Shinji Hirako, standing nearby, added to the explanation.

"The general outline is correct, but I'd like to make an additional note."

"The previous disappearances were… peculiar. The souls vanished completely, yet their clothing and personal belongings remained untouched."

Resting his hand on the wooden table, Shinji's gaze met Urahara's, his voice dropping slightly.

"As we all know, everything in Soul Society is composed of reishi—including clothing."

"Normally, if something happened to a soul, it wouldn't just leave behind garments in perfect condition."

"It's almost as if the souls themselves… suffered some uncontrollable phenomenon."

Urahara furrowed his brow in thought.

At his side, Hiyori abruptly cut in.

"Couldn't they have just been eaten by Hollows?"

"No," Seiya replied calmly.

"A Hollow's feeding behavior targets the body, but they don't… gently remove clothing first."

To put it simply—

"Have you ever seen a wild beast carefully skin its prey before eating it?"

"…"

The analogy was disturbingly apt. Even Hiyori, known for her loud mouth, fell silent for a moment before grumbling.

"Shut up! I knew that already!"

"Oh~ then I suppose I was just being redundant."

Shinji shot the two of them an exasperated look.

"Oi, at least pretend to be serious in front of the captains, will you?"

Seiya shrugged, while Hiyori muttered something under her breath.

"Like it even matters… You're all just bald freaks anyway."

…She really had no filter.

Still, she was probably acting so freely because she was among familiar faces.

Take her outside this circle, and she'd likely clam up.

Urahara, meanwhile, had finished skimming the documents. He tapped his fan against his palm, then spoke.

"I see the issue. But… does this really qualify as an emergency?"

After all, disappearances had occurred for over a decade. Reports had been filed, investigations conducted, and yet—

Nothing conclusive had ever been found.

To be blunt, the vanishing of a few souls—especially those from Rukongai—wasn't something that warranted a full mobilization.

Shinji nodded slightly before adding,

"Three days ago, the Ninth Division received intelligence related to the case. They sent ten squad members to investigate."

"None of them returned. No messages, no signs of contact for a full twenty-four hours."

"They're now officially classified as missing."

Urahara's brows furrowed.

"Ten members...?"

That was certainly concerning, but still not enough to trigger a full-scale emergency.

Shinji delivered the final piece of the puzzle.

"Yesterday, Ninth Division Captain Kensei Muguruma—along with his lieutenant and several officers—went to investigate."

"It has now been twenty-one hours since they left."

"And we still haven't heard anything from them."

A tense silence followed.

The implication was clear.

This wasn't just some minor incident anymore.

Even if they had encountered trouble, Kensei Muguruma was a captain. A situation dire enough to delay him would be—

Alarming, to say the least.

Urahara remained thoughtful.

"But his spiritual pressure hasn't disappeared, has it?"

If Kensei had died, surely they would have sensed it.

Shinji neither confirmed nor denied the question.

"I understand. That's why I'm asking the SRDI to send personnel. Even a few could make a difference."

Ah.

So that was the plan all along.

Rather than escalate the situation and cause widespread panic, Shinji was opting for a low-profile approach.

Minimize chaos. Assess the situation first.

Smart.

"That was your goal from the beginning, huh?" Urahara murmured.

Shinji let out a breathy chuckle.

"Figured you'd catch on."

In times of uncertainty, the best approach was careful intervention—keeping the situation under control before it could spiral further.

That was a captain's responsibility.

Urahara then turned toward Hiyori.

Before he could say anything, she immediately sprang from her seat, already marching toward the door.

"Got it! Leave it to me!"

"…You're never this eager to work."

"It's different when I'm going out with this bald freak. You don't need to worry so much!"

She was already grabbing her Zanpakutō from the storage rack.

Urahara sighed.

Something felt off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Still… the plan seemed reasonable enough.

"Then I'll be counting on you, Captain Hirako."

"You don't even have to say it~"

Urahara turned to Seiya next, smiling slightly.

"Seiya-kun, Hiyori isn't exactly polite, so if she causes any trouble, I'll apologize in advance."

Why did that sound like a father sending his unruly daughter on a trip?

Seiya chuckled lightly.

"I'll do my best."

—

Leaving the Twelfth Division, Hiyori was already eager to set off.

"Oi! So where exactly did Kensei disappear?"

Shinji rubbed his temple.

"Some remote district in Rukongai. It'll take a while to get there, so don't rush."

"Hah?! But you were acting all urgent earlier!"

"Had to, or your boss wouldn't have let you come along."

"You damn bald freak! Don't treat my captain like an idiot!"

As the two started bickering, Seiya exhaled slowly.

Not just over this nonsense—

But over the situation as a whole.

Because, truth be told... things were already deviating.

And the biggest wildcard was Tōsen.

Originally, events played out in a specific order—

Kensei and his men would eliminate the initial Hollow disturbance. Mashiro would discover the missing squad members. She and Kensei would remain behind while others returned for reinforcements.

But now?

Tōsen had jumped the gun.

He'd already killed those officers.

This meant no backup requests.

The Ninth Division was entirely cut off.

They were waiting for support that would never come.

Meanwhile, here in Seireitei—

No one had a clue what was really happening.

Aizen hadn't interfered much so far—perhaps he was testing his subordinates.

But regardless of his motives, Seiya didn't want things straying too far from the original script.

Some coincidences had to be maintained.

Otherwise…

Seiya watched as Hiyori playfully shoved Shinji.

He exhaled slowly.

Otherwise, things could spiral beyond repair.

—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Don't just stand there—get everyone assembled!"

"Verify the intel again! Make sure it's accurate before reporting!"

"We can't afford false alarms—this is serious!"

The emergency bells rang loud and clear.

Their sharp, urgent clangs echoed throughout Seireitei, alerting every stationed Soul Reaper.

What could possibly warrant this level of response?

In the First Division headquarters—

A set of footsteps moved quickly through the halls.

Jūshirō Sasakibe, holding a newly compiled report, wore a grim expression as he advanced toward the meeting room.

He maintained proper decorum but moved with purpose.

Upon reaching the doors, he wasted no time.

Pushing them open, he stepped inside.

"Apologies for the intrusion!"

His firm voice carried across the room.

Every captain turned to face him.

Sasakibe took a deep breath before delivering the report.

"Firsthand confirmation received."

"Ninth Division Captain Kensei Muguruma's spiritual pressure was detected until approximately—"

"Thirty minutes ago."

A pause.

Then—

"It has now gone completely silent."

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Powerstones?

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