The first rays of dawn pierced the eternal night of the Seireitei.
When Setsuna returned with Koga, the remains of Tokiomi, and over a hundred Bakkoto assassin corpses, the entire Seireitei was plunged into unprecedented, violent shock and collective speechlessness.
The news swept through every corner like a hurricane:
"Did you hear? Captain Chiaki of the 11th Division caught that murderous madman Kuchiki Koga and brought him back."
"More than that, I also heard Kuchiki Koga killed the Third Seat of the Tsunayashiro Clan, and over a hundred unidentified Shinigami. How terrifying."
"Those unidentified Shinigami... they say they were all wielding Bakkoto! The same kind of evil weapons the Kasumioji Clan was messing with!"
"Could it be that the Tsunayashiro Clan is the real..."
"Shh! My Soul King, this... this is going to blow the lid off everything!"
Rumors, shock, fear, conspiracy theories... spread like morning mist.
Undercurrents surged within the Gotei 13. Every noble in the district felt imperiled.
Inside the Kuchiki Clan's traditional and solemn courtyard.
Morning light streamed through the delicate window lattices, spilling onto the tatami, yet it could not dispel the gloom and despair within the room.
Kuchiki Sakura's eyes were already swollen from crying. She knelt before her father, Kuchiki Ginrei:
"Father! Please, I beg you, save Koga! He was framed! He must have been set up!"
"You know him best! How could he possibly do those things for no reason? Please, find a way!"
Beside her, the pale-faced, frail-looking Sojun also bowed deeply:
"Father, I also firmly believe Koga is innocent. His character might be too forthright, easily incurring jealousy, but he is by no means someone who would betray trust and indiscriminately kill the innocent."
Ginrei sat upright in the main seat and let out a long sigh. "Sakura, Sojun, I understand your feelings. But the crimes Koga committed are truly too severe."
"Killing the directly affiliated guard of the Central 46, killing his guards, fleeing the Seireitei, and now, during his flight, he killed Tsunayashiro Tokiomi."
"Killing a core member of the Five Great Nobles is the most untouchable taboo in Soul Society. Even if our Kuchiki Clan had the will, there is very little room for maneuvering left."
Just as despair enveloped the room, and Sakura was on the verge of fainting...
The morning light in the courtyard distorted slightly, and an agile figure landed silently on the veranda.
"Yoruichi?" Both Ginrei and Sojun were startled.
The Shihoin and Kuchiki Clans had been on friendly terms for generations. Yoruichi was regarded by them as a little sister.
Yoruichi dispensed with pleasantries, a rare seriousness on her face.
She directly tossed a faintly shimmering, delicately structured recording device to Ginrei, her tone crisp and clear:
"Uncle Ginrei, Setsuna asked me to personally deliver this to you. He said that what's inside might force certain people who are pretending to be asleep to open their eyes and look at reality."
Ginrei took the device and input a trace of Reiatsu.
Instantly, scene after scene of clear images and sounds, accompanied by Reiatsu Fluctuation records, unfolded before them.
It was the entire process on the wilderness of Tokiomi personally admitting to the frame-up, revealing the plot against the Kuchiki Clan, and deploying over a hundred Bakkoto assassins to surround and attack Koga.
Sojun's face grew even paler, but within his gentle eyes, a blazing anger ignited, along with an indescribable guilt.
"Although it was not my wish, I did occupy a position that might have originally belonged to Koga. Yet even so, when the enemy proposed killing me as a bargaining chip, Koga still chose to refuse."
"That's wonderful, that's wonderful!" Sakura lifted her head sharply, tears streaming down her face once more.
"There's evidence now! Koga was framed! He is innocent! Father, you see, we have evidence! Koga can be saved!"
"Yoruichi, thank you, and please thank Captain Chiaki!"
However, after the initial shock and anger, Ginrei's face did not show the relief of joy.
Instead, that deep bitterness and gravity, like indelible ink, grew even stronger.
He slowly put down the recording device, his voice hoarse and tired: "Things have come to this point. Whether or not Koga was framed is no longer important."
"Not important?" Sakura and Sojun looked up in shock simultaneously.
"Yes, not important." Ginrei repeated. "Regardless of the reason, Koga has indeed committed irreversible acts."
"Moreover, precisely because the Central 46 might now know Koga was framed, know that the Tsunayashiro Clan was the mastermind, they will be even less likely to let Koga's case be overturned."
"Otherwise, wouldn't that be admitting that the wise sage of the Central 46 previously listened to one-sided words, hastily passed judgment, issued an erroneous arrest warrant, and forced an innocent genius Shinigami into rebellion?"
"They would rather compound the error and silence the troublesome Koga forever than change the verdict on him and shake the foundation of their rule."
Yoruichi could no longer bear to listen: "Uncle Ginrei! What kind of reasoning is that? We are, after all, one of the Five Great Nobles, the most ancient and venerable families in Soul Society!"
"Although I don't want to use this title to bully others, it absolutely does not mean we should be framed by dirty schemes and just swallow our anger, talking some considering the overall situation nonsense!"
"As long as our two families join forces, and bring in the Shiba Clan, which is also dissatisfied with the status quo, the combined pressure of the Three Great Nobles would force even the Central 46 to concede."
"Not to mention, this is fundamentally a completely unjust case!"
Sakura and Sojun listened, feeling inspired. Yes, why could the Tsunayashiro Clan act recklessly under the banner of the Five Great Nobles, while they were bound by rules?
Ginrei still hesitated: "For a million years, the Kuchiki Clan has been the model for all nobles in Soul Society. How could we be the first to take the lead in violating the rules?"
"Just because others violate the rules doesn't mean we can violate them too. Otherwise, wouldn't the order of Soul Society collapse?"
A powerful sense of powerlessness and indignation surged in Yoruichi's heart. She sighed, "I finally understand why Setsuna looks down on us nobles."
"It's not people like Tsunayashiro Tokiomi, those scumbags without principles or limits, who would do anything for power."
"It's people like you, clearly possessing the accumulated strength, status, and glory handed down for a million years, yet being so pathetically weak."
"As one of the Five Great Nobles, clearly possessing power enough to influence the direction of Soul Society, yet you let lower and upper nobles push you around without resisting, only knowing how to consider the overall situation."
"If this so-called overall situation means letting schemers go unpunished and letting the loyal suffer injustice and die, what meaning is there in protecting such an overall situation?"
However, even after she had argued herself hoarse, Ginrei still only showed a face full of shame, without making a decision.
Yoruichi snorted coldly. "Forget it. Do whatever you want. I'm done with this. I'm going to do what Setsuna said and turn Soul Society upside down!"