Bleach: The Fifth Division Captain

"Seiya? Seiya?"

A voice echoed near his ears, sometimes close, sometimes distant. It was disorienting—

Yet, at the same time, it was like grabbing onto a rope as he sank, pulling his consciousness back to the surface in an instant.

Seiya took a sharp breath, his eyes snapping open as he regained his senses.

The first thing he saw was Urahara Kisuke's face.

The man was visibly tense, his sharp gaze locked onto Seiya as if he were wary of something.

Seeing the boy react, Urahara immediately pressed forward with his questions.

"How do you feel?"

"Any discomfort?"

"Do you feel nauseous or like you're about to vomit?"

So many questions…

And yet, his own consciousness still felt muddled.

It was like seasickness—Seiya forced himself to stand, his unsteady vision scanning his surroundings.

He was still in the Twelfth Division's laboratory.

Urahara stood beside him, while Yoruichi and Tessai were near the doorway.

Were they just about to leave?

Judging from the situation, it hadn't been too long. But more importantly—

The Hōgyoku in Urahara's hand was gone.

Had he already hidden it?

Before Seiya could process this fully, a sharp pain stabbed through his head, causing him to groan.

"Ugh…"

He felt like throwing up.

"Seiya?"

"No, I'm fine. Just give me a moment…"

But more than his own condition—

What concerned Seiya was something else entirely.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"At most, thirty seconds."

That was incredibly short.

Hearing this, Seiya let out a small sigh of relief—but the next second, his brows furrowed.

As his mind cleared, he quickly realized the problem.

Ichibē Hyōsube.

That damn monk had directly forced information into his mind using the power of 'Black'…

Honestly—

Seiya had considered the possibility that his actions might alert Ichibē.

He had even entertained the idea that the monk might get pissed and come rocketing down from the heavens with his squad to crush him on the spot.

But he hadn't expected this.

"In fact, this method makes it even scarier…"

There was no doubt—Ichibē had locked onto him.

As one of the final bosses of the Soul Reaper side, the monk was on a power level comparable to Aizen in his prime.

Seiya, as he was now, didn't stand a chance.

But, thankfully—

The monk didn't seem to intend to act against him directly.

And more importantly—

He had gotten what he wanted.

The blackened name—had been completely unveiled before his eyes.

Like a censored mosaic gradually fading away into clarity.

████

A string of familiar characters surfaced in his mind, fully revealing their true form.

Bankai.

Eight Aspects of the Heavenly Dragon.

"..."

That's it?

Seiya froze for a moment the instant he grasped the name.

Just as the monk had said—a name brings power, and a name defines existence itself.

Because of that—

The moment he comprehended his Bankai's true name, its abilities were fully laid bare before him.

But even after learning everything, Seiya didn't feel even a shred of excitement.

Instead, he ran a hand over his forehead, momentarily at a loss.

Everyone knows that expectation is an emotion that builds up over time.

And when a mystery is finally revealed, the emotions it evokes depend on how well reality aligns with anticipation.

Right now, Seiya felt—nothing.

No.

Even more than that, something was off.

"If it was just this, it shouldn't have drawn Ichibē Hyōsube's attention."

The reason Yhwach's presence in Ichigo's inner world had been sealed was to prevent him from learning the truth about his Quincy heritage too soon.

It made sense.

Ichigo was an unprecedented fusion of Soul Reaper, Quincy, Hollow, and Fullbringer.

With such a unique existence, it was logical for Ichibē to act preemptively.

But Seiya was different.

Even now that he knew his Bankai's true name—he was still no match for the Zero Division.

So—

Where was the problem?

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Seiya suddenly heard a commotion from outside.

"Don't move!"

The voice was unfamiliar.

Looking up, he saw Yoruichi and Tessai, who had already stepped out, slowly backing into the room.

They were supposed to be on their way to report to Central 46.

But now they were retreating?

Beyond them—

Figures with masked faces and drawn weapons loomed.

And the moment Seiya recognized their uniforms, it clicked.

They weren't from the Gotei 13.

They were Central 46's personal guards.

Like a bursting pressure valve, more and more of them flooded into the room in an instant—

Encircling them completely.

Faced with such overwhelming numbers, Tessai glanced around for support.

Urahara did the same.

Because at this moment—the only one with enough experience and authority to handle this was Yoruichi.

She remained completely calm.

Raising her hands in a non-threatening gesture, she subtly signaled that she didn't intend to resist.

It was a clear message—

She didn't want things to escalate unnecessarily.

Tessai and Urahara exchanged glances and slowly lowered their gazes, following her lead.

As for Seiya?

He could barely walk properly, let alone put up a fight.

A man with a stern expression stepped forward, sheathing his sword.

"Lady Yoruichi, we received a report from Central 46 that dangerous experiments were being conducted here. We are here to investigate."

"..."

She said nothing.

Though the bodies had been moved, the time constraints meant that their actions had likely already been exposed.

They had been preemptively accused.

The same thought crossed everyone's mind.

Seeing their silence, the leading guard stepped forward slightly, preparing to disarm Yoruichi.

"My apologies…"

It was an impossible situation.

But—

That didn't mean the head of the Shihoin Clan would simply surrender.

"Put your weapons down, you bastards!"

There wasn't an ounce of fear in her voice.

Despite being a woman, the authority of a Shihoin clan leader radiated from her.

With a swift motion, she slapped away the restraints aimed at her.

Her golden eyes burned with fury.

"I was here to investigate as well! I received orders from the Captain-Commander last night!"

"This is part of my duty. Don't lump me in with these people!"

"Step aside and get out of my way!"

It was impossible to fully clear her name in a few words.

But her sheer presence was enough to leave them speechless.

Faced with her intensity, the guards hesitated—then moved aside.

So this was the strength of the Shihoin Clan's leader.

Despite her usual carefree attitude, she had authority when it counted.

Without sparing the others a glance, Yoruichi walked past the encirclement.

In the blink of an eye, her Shunpo activated—

And she was gone.

"Now then. The rest of you—come with us."

They had no choice.

Under heavy escort, the three were marched toward Central 46.

Even if they wanted to speak, with so many eyes watching, there was no room for discussion.

—

Central Underground Detention Zone.

Chamber of Judgment, Central 46.

With their hands bound and their spiritual pressure suppressed by iron restraints, Seiya stood to Urahara's right, facing the circular council chamber.

Before them—

The nobles of Central 46, concealed behind numbered panels, observed them from the shadows.

"Urahara Kisuke. Where were you last night?"

The moment Seiya heard that, he knew—

This part of the story was playing out exactly as expected.

Urahara confessed, attempted to explain.

But under the influence of Kyōka Suigetsu, his words fell on deaf ears.

Seiya watched as Urahara shifted from calm, to uneasy, to outright stunned.

Tessai, too, was visibly sweating.

"Then we shall pass judgment."

A gavel struck the floor.

And the sentence was passed.

"In three days—

The eight Hollowfied captains and lieutenants…

Will be taken to the Human World—

And executed."

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Powerstones?

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