Chapter 346: It's Over, It's Over!
Satoru pressed his left hand against his right shoulder, rotating his arm back and forth as he proudly showed off his "fully restored" body.
Ishida Ryūken was trembling with fear.
He tried desperately to stop him, but the guy on the bed paid no attention, instead gleefully teasing him.
Just then, the door abruptly opened.
Under Satoru's stunned gaze, Aizen stepped inside.
He surveyed the scene in the room.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Aizen first gave a slight bow to Yamamoto:
"Captain-Commander."
Then, he walked directly to Satoru's bedside.
"Lie down."
"O-okay."
Satoru hurriedly lowered his arm and lay back on the bed.
Without a change in expression, Aizen raised his hand and swept it through the air. Satoru's hospital gown and the bandages beneath it instantly tore apart.
Staring at the condition of the flesh beneath, Aizen fell silent for a few seconds.
"The suturing is remarkably precise. Even with the blood vessels shattered to this extent, you managed to reconnect them and maintain circulation. I doubt even a seated officer of the Fourth Division could achieve this level."
Hearing this, Satoru grinned widely:
"Of course! When it comes to identifying and manipulating terminal blood vessels, I'm confident I rank among the best in Seireitei!"
"Did I say I was praising you?"
Aizen looked at him with a gaze as cold and disdainful as if he were staring at a bug.
"Since you enjoy pain so much, I'll give you more of it."
As he spoke, he took out a syringe and without hesitation, injected it directly into Satoru's body.
Satoru remained frozen in place, eyes wide open and mouth agape as if about to speak.
Seeing Satoru suddenly become still, Ishida Ryūken showed surprise.
"...What did you use?"
He looked warily at Aizen.
To the Quincy, Satoru's existence was too important.
Although he knew this man was Satoru's friend, how strong could friendship truly be when faced with malicious intentions?
At the very least, he didn't believe in such things.
If this Shinigami truly came with ill intentions, he would protect Satoru even at the cost of his own life!
Sensing the hostility emanating from Ishida Ryūken, Aizen glanced at him.
"Don't worry, it's just a sensory enhancement drug."
"After injection, a person's five senses become much more acute than normal."
"In many games, there's an ability called 'bullet time'."
"Even though bullets travel at hundreds or even thousands of meters per second, they appear to move as slowly as crawling insects to the protagonist."
"What I gave him simulates this ability."
"However, since the researcher only has a semi-finished product, the effect differs slightly from 'bullet time'."
"In his perspective, time has slowed down thousands of times."
"Our current conversation, from his viewpoint, won't begin for another hour or two."
"What takes us less than a minute to say will require three days or longer for him to hear."
"And not just that - he'll need the ability to decipher what these thousands-of-times-slowed sounds actually mean."
Hearing Aizen's words, Ishida Ryūken's eyes widened.
He suddenly realized the most terrifying aspect of this drug.
Sure enough, under his gaze, Aizen smiled:
"The pain from forcibly stitching his body together with shadow threads will also be prolonged thousands of times."
"Now begins the lesson-remembering period."
Ishida Ryūken's legs felt weak.
This man... was he a devil?
How could anyone speak such terrifying words with such ease?
While Satoru lay on the bed, motionless as if paralyzed, Aizen raised his hand and pressed his palm covered in green light against the wound.
Satoru's shadow thread surgery only addressed symptoms, not the root cause - the flesh was forcibly pieced together without true healing.
He planned to provide emergency treatment first, then return to Soul Society for proper healing in the red-white hot springs.
After about ten minutes, he lifted his hand and nodded with satisfaction.
This reckless fool indeed had the capital to boast.
His physical recovery speed was truly absurd.
Even without any treatment, just resting would probably have him out of bed in about ten days.
Looking at Satoru lying there wide-eyed and completely still, he remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, sighing, he took out another syringe and injected it into Satoru.
Seconds later, Satoru abruptly sat up.
For everyone else in the room, only about ten minutes had passed.
But from his perspective, over a month had gone by!
For over a month, he could only lie in bed, feeling the excruciating pain coursing through his body, completely unable to move. The sounds around him seemed unnaturally slow, like a demonic noise stretched thousands of times, making them utterly incomprehensible.
Watching Satoru's condition, Aizen slightly furrowed his brow.
Had he gone too far?
Having known this guy for so long, he had never seen him so panicked before.
He opened his mouth, ready to apologize.
But Satoru turned his head to look at him.
"Sōsuke."
"Hmm?"
"You always come up with ideas so quickly—do you use this method?"
"Whenever you run into trouble, do you inject yourself with something, spend months desperately thinking of a solution, and then act all casual as if you came up with it on the spot?"
Aizen: "..."
He had been too naive.
To think he had fantasized about defeating this stubborn brute with psychological attacks.
He sighed and turned to walk toward Yamamoto.
Watching Aizen's retreating figure, Satoru bared his teeth in a grin.
Without a doubt, what Aizen had used on him was Mayuri Kurotsuchi's invention, the "Superhuman Drug."
He had to admit, the stuff was absolutely absurd.
It could be considered a form of torture.
Fortunately, he had reacted quickly and pretended to be completely unfazed by it.
Before Aizen figured things out, he probably wouldn't use that drug on him again.
Before that happened, he needed to hurry and find Kisuke Urahara to develop an antidote!
Heh heh, Aizen lacked wisdom, Mayuri lacked strategy—how could they possibly outwit someone with his world-shaking intellect?
...
...
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed since Yamamoto and Satoru disappeared.
During those two days, the atmosphere in the Soul Society grew incredibly tense.
Everyone was waiting for the final outcome of that battle.
Would Captain-Commander Yamamoto retain his supreme authority? Or would Satoru succeed in his rebellion?
Among them, Shunsui Kyōraku was especially panicked.
At first, the thought of Satoru and Head Captain Yamamoto taking each other out and lying low for a few years had given him a certain schadenfreude.
But as the two truly went off the grid, he began to feel uneasy.
What if something really happened to them? In the current Seireitei, wouldn't he be the one pushed forward to deal with the mess left by the Captain-Commander?
The mere thought of this possibility made Shunsui break out in a cold sweat.
Maybe he should find a way to disappear too?
Fortunately, on the third morning, a savior arrived.
The captain of the Eleventh Division, Satoru, entered the Seireitei through the White Road Gate!
Upon hearing this news, the entire Seireitei erupted.
People reacted in various ways.
The Eleventh Division and other areas under the Mikami Group's influence were overjoyed.
He succeeded!
The boss defeated Yamamoto! The boss humiliated Yamamoto! The boss is going to become the new king!
The Fifth Division, along with its captain and others, were utterly shocked.
Yamamoto is gone? The traitor Satoru won?
What kind of dream is this?!
In no time, forces from all sides gathered at the White Road Gate.
Satoru hadn't walked far down the street when figures began appearing via Flash Step.
"Boss!!"
"Satoru!!"
"Captain Mikami!"
Looking at the crowd surrounding him, Satoru raised a hand and greeted them with a smile.
"Hey, everyone, have you eaten?"
"..."
The crowd fell into silence.
Ukitake quickly asked, "Satoru, where is the teacher?"
"The teacher... is resting."
Satoru hesitated slightly before giving his answer.
"Resting?"
Ukitake frowned slightly—the response was rather strange.
He couldn't help but press further: "Where are you resting?"
Hearing this, Satoru scratched his head, revealing a subtle expression.
He recalled the scene before he returned—
Yamamoto was soaking in the red and white hot spring, a white towel on his head, with a small wooden basin floating beside him containing sake.
Watching Satoru, who had already dressed and was ready to leave, the old man said sternly:
"Kid, after you go back, don't reveal my whereabouts to anyone!"
"If I find out you've told anyone my location or situation, you can look forward to eating stir-fried meat!"
Tch.
That old man, always threatening me with violence.
Am I, Satoru Mikami, someone who fears authority?
Under everyone's gaze, his eyes were resolute:
"I don't know."
You don't know?!
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions changed.
Kyōraku adjusted his straw hat:
"Uh, Satoru, what have you been doing these past few days?"
"Recuperating."
Satoru pointed to his shoulder: "The old man cut me pretty badly, I've been recovering for a long time."
Kyōraku hesitated for a moment, then asked: "What about Old Man Yama? Was he injured?"
Satoru snorted, about to speak.
But, as if suddenly remembering something, his expression changed abruptly.
"I don't know."
How could he not know again?!
Kyōraku's eye twitched slightly.
"Then, did Old Man Yama say anything?"
Satoru nodded: "Yes, he said that all affairs of the Seireitei would be temporarily handed over to..."
At this point, he seemed to remember something and stopped speaking.
Looking at Kyōraku before him, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered something new.
"...temporarily handed over to Captain Kyōraku to handle!"
"Including all Captain-Commander affairs, everything is entrusted to you!"
Shunsui Kyōraku: "..."
He'd bet all his liquor that those weren't Old Man Yama's exact words.
He turned to exchange a glance with Ukitake.
After sharing a look, both nodded.
Based on their understanding of Satoru, Yamamoto was probably fine.
At present, either Old Man Yama was too severely injured to return, hence the cover-up, or he was plotting something.
Whichever it was, both of them had to cooperate fully.
Just then, a voice suddenly spoke up:
"No, the Captain-Commander's orders weren't like that."
Without anyone noticing, Aizen had appeared beside Satoru.
Even among the captains present, almost no one had detected his arrival.
Shinji Hirako rubbed his eyes.
He hadn't been distracted - where had this guy come from?
Under everyone's gaze, Aizen unfolded a document.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto has decreed that until his return, all affairs of the Seireitei shall be temporarily handled by Eleventh Division Captain Satoru Mikami."
"During this acting period, Satoru may exercise the Captain-Commander's authority as he sees fit."
"All division captains must cooperate fully!"
After speaking, he turned the document around to show everyone.
Looking at the powerful, distinctive handwriting, Ukitake was the first to nod.
Without doubt, that was Yamamoto's writing - impossible for others to imitate.
Even their junior brother who was quite accomplished in calligraphy couldn't replicate it.
Shinji Hirako was horrified.
It's over, it's over!
Previously it was just speculation, but now with Aizen's appearance, he could confirm it completely.
These two rebels must have Yamamoto under control.
This document was absolutely fake, absolutely!
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But after looking around at those present, he silently held back.
Yoruichi Shihōin, Retsu Unohana, Sajin Komamura, Kenpachi Zaraki...
Any one of them was a monster who could give him a tough fight.
Especially Aizen standing there, occasionally glancing at him from the corner of his eye.
That guy was probably the one who most wanted him to speak up right now!
Thinking this, Hirako felt furious.
Satoru stared wide-eyed at the document before him.
What was going on? How come he didn't know about this?
He opened his mouth, thinking rapidly.
Could he throw Kisuke Urahara under the bus at a time like this?
Suddenly, inspiration struck him.
He looked at Shunsui Kyōraku.
"Good, then I'll issue my first instruction using the Captain-Commander's authority."
"Captain Kyōraku will serve as the Captain-Commander's acting substitute, handling all Captain-Commander affairs with full authority until sensei returns!"
"?"
Kyōraku felt utterly defeated.
Please, couldn't you do something reasonable for once?
Under everyone's what-the-hell-is-going-on stares, Satoru casually tossed away all the authority he had just gained and walked off smiling toward the Eleventh Division.
Everyone looked at each other, at a loss for words for a moment.
Kenpachi Zaraki scratched his head.
He had no idea what was happening at all.
But he was happy that the boss had returned.
Carrying Yachiru on his back, he strode forward to follow.
Ichimaru Gin glanced at Kaname Tōsen standing beside him.
"It seems the teams controlling various areas of Seireitei can be withdrawn now."
"Mm, I'll notify them immediately."
Kaname Tōsen nodded.
Just like that, the Seireitei that had been as tense as a drawn bowstring for two days inexplicably returned to normal operations.
Even though Captain-Commander Yamamoto hadn't returned, everyone inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
In the past, such a thing would have been absolutely impossible.
Without Captain-Commander Yamamoto, even if Seireitei didn't immediately collapse, it would at least fall into a massive emotional slump with widespread panic.
But now... aside from some speculative rumors, Seireitei itself remained largely unaffected.
Faced with this unbelievable scene, Shunsui Kyōraku didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He couldn't even tell whether this was a good thing or a bad thing...