After leaving Squad One, Tsunayoshi suddenly realized he had nowhere urgent to go.
The sudden appearance of Sōjirō Kusaka had disrupted many plans. A large number of Shinigami had been dispatched to search for Hitsugaya Tōshirō, and Yamamoto's orders had only just been issued—they wouldn't return anytime soon.
After thinking for a moment, Tsunayoshi decided to head to Squad Eight.
Recently, many of Yamamoto's responsibilities had been handed over to Kyōraku Shunsui, and Squad Eight—essentially the intelligence division—was the most well-informed place in Seireitei.
Besides, going there would be entertaining. Kyōraku was easy to deal with.
Having made up his mind, Tsunayoshi headed toward the Squad Eight barracks.
"What? Your captain was seriously injured?"
At the entrance to Squad Eight, Tsunayoshi learned from a seated officer that Kyōraku had been gravely wounded.
What kind of nonsense was this?
At this point in time, who in Seireitei could seriously injure Kyōraku Shunsui?
The incident had occurred the previous night.
After finishing some research, Kyōraku had been ambushed in an alley. He was stabbed three times and sent to Squad Four for emergency treatment.
At the scene of the attack, a large number of ice crystal fragments had been found.
After hearing the details, Tsunayoshi's expression became rather colorful.
Ice crystals?
Anyone with half a brain could tell that someone was trying to frame Hitsugaya.
And Tsunayoshi knew exactly how strong Kusaka was. When Kusaka attacked Kyōraku, there was no way he had used the Ōin.
If Kusaka had taken out the Royal Seal, its Reiatsu would have been detected immediately by Yamamoto.
In other words—
Kusaka alone had supposedly defeated Kyōraku Shunsui?
With that pathetic imitation of Hyōrinmaru?
The more Tsunayoshi thought about it, the funnier it seemed.
Kyōraku was the kind of old fox who usually tricked other people—not the one getting tricked.
There was no way Tsunayoshi believed this story.
The only explanation was simple:
Kyōraku had deliberately held back.
As for why?
Most likely he had grown tired of work lately and used this incident as an excuse to take a vacation.
No wonder Yamamoto hadn't even bothered notifying Kyōraku earlier when issuing orders.
Clearly, the master and disciple both understood the situation perfectly—but chose not to expose it.
Tsunayoshi immediately changed direction and headed toward Squad Four.
Kyōraku's antics were amusing enough that Tsunayoshi was willing to break his personal rule of avoiding Squad Four at all costs.
"S-Sawada-san?"
The moment Tsunayoshi entered the Squad Four barracks, he ran into a timid figure—Hanatarō Yamada, who looked both nervous and slightly resentful.
Because of the Hitsugaya incident, the lieutenant training program had been temporarily suspended. Hanatarō had finally returned to Squad Four.
The reason he looked resentful?
Tsunayoshi had personally nominated him for that training.
And the training had been absolutely brutal.
"Shh!"
Tsunayoshi quickly looked around before sneaking close and whispering:
"You didn't see me. Don't tell anyone I was here."
"But…" Hanatarō stammered.
He wasn't someone who could lie easily. If someone questioned him, he'd probably reveal everything immediately.
"No 'but.' Unless you want special attention from me."
Tsunayoshi gave him a small but effective threat.
Hanatarō instantly mimed zipping his mouth shut.
"Special attention" clearly meant extra training assignments.
Between the two options, silence was obviously the better choice.
Satisfied, Tsunayoshi asked,
"So where's Captain Kyōraku's room?"
Hanatarō didn't dare speak. He simply pointed in a direction.
He definitely wasn't going to escort Tsunayoshi there.
The more people who saw him, the harder it would be to keep the secret.
He had already decided to hide in his room for the rest of the day.
"Thanks."
Tsunayoshi continued his stealth infiltration.
With his level of strength—and his deliberate concealment—none of the other Squad Four members noticed him.
"Little Nanao, I'd like an apple."
"Could you peel it for me?"
"Ah~ Don't you want your teacher to recover faster, Nanao-chan?"
Before Tsunayoshi even reached the room, he could hear Kyōraku's shameless flirting with Nanao Ise.
Just as he suspected.
Kyōraku was completely fine.
His injuries clearly weren't serious at all.
Suddenly—
The sliding door opened.
Unable to endure Kyōraku any longer, Nanao stepped out—only to collide directly with the sneaky Tsunayoshi.
Her refined upbringing made her instinctively open her mouth to call someone—
But Tsunayoshi instantly covered her mouth and pushed her back into the room.
He quietly shut the door behind them.
Only then did Kyōraku sigh lazily.
"Tsunayoshi-kun, could you at least show some manners? Nanao-chan is a lady."
"Oh please, you glasses-obsessed pervert."
Tsunayoshi glanced at the blushing Nanao before kicking Kyōraku's leg.
"I heard you were attacked. You're not dead yet, right?"
"Hiss! Kick any harder and I really will be injured," Kyōraku said dramatically.
"Cut the act. Even Old Man Yamamoto is letting you take a break."
Tsunayoshi snorted.
"You expect me to believe Sōjirō Kusaka could injure you like this?"
"Oh? You know about Kusaka too?" Kyōraku asked with interest.
The night Hitsugaya supposedly defected, Kyōraku and Nanao had investigated his past all night before discovering Kusaka's name.
And that same night, Kyōraku had been "attacked."
"Hitsugaya told me," Tsunayoshi said. "The guy also stabbed me once."
He briefly explained the situation.
"So Captain Hitsugaya went to see you?"
Kyōraku nodded thoughtfully.
"No wonder the old man revoked the order."
Then he gave Tsunayoshi a strange look.
"You didn't hold back too, did you? Getting stabbed by someone like him?"
Clearly, Kyōraku also looked down on Kusaka's strength.
His own injuries had been self-inflicted.
Similarly, Retsu Unohana had instantly seen through the act.
She hadn't even bothered using Kaidō on Kyōraku—just wrapped his wounds in bandages and tossed him into a hospital room.
"He used the Ōin," Tsunayoshi replied. "First time seeing it. I underestimated it."
"He can use the Ōin?"
Kyōraku finally grew a bit more serious.
Maybe he should have captured Kusaka last night after all.
Letting him escape might have created a troublesome enemy.
But the regret vanished quickly.
Looking at the slightly flushed Nanao beside him, Kyōraku immediately decided he had made the correct decision.
After all—
If the sky collapsed, there were plenty of taller people to hold it up.
Yamamoto. Tsunayoshi. The Royal Palace.
No matter what, the responsibility wouldn't fall on him.
Watching Kyōraku's expression cycle from seriousness to instant self-justified relaxation, Tsunayoshi knew exactly what he was thinking.
"You're supposed to be the future Head Captain, you know," Tsunayoshi said sarcastically.
"Shouldn't you be chasing down the misguided comrade and crushing the enemy's schemes instead of lying in a hospital bed?"
"Please," Kyōraku scoffed.
"If you want the Head Captain position, you can have it."
"As long as I'm not the Head Captain, I can stay carefree."
Tsunayoshi chuckled.
"I'm only going after Kusaka because he stabbed me. I just need to return the favor."
"With one move?"
Kyōraku smirked.
"Pretty sure there won't even be ashes left."
Tsunayoshi ignored him and suddenly changed the subject.
"How are things with the Tsunayashiro Clan?"
This was the real reason he came.
Kyōraku's face instantly changed to a serious expression.
"The guards around that Zanpakutō have been adjusted as planned."
"But the Tsunayashiro family has tightened their defenses even more."
"More and more external members affiliated with the clan are being allowed into the estate."
"They've become a completely sealed fortress."
"I can't even activate my undercover agents anymore."
Without contact with those informants, Kyōraku couldn't see what the clan was planning.
"Actually," Tsunayoshi said quietly after some thought,
"I think that's a good thing."
"A good thing?"
"Your expectation was that they'd tighten security—but not this much, right?"
"Exactly," Kyōraku said irritably. "If I'd known, I would've planted more spies earlier."
"What if the Tsunayashiro Clan has already become completely unified?"
"That's impossible."
Large noble clans were never truly united.
But the moment Kyōraku said that, his expression suddenly changed.
"…You mean they've been controlled?"
"If not," Tsunayoshi replied calmly,
"then how could it justify you loosening the guard on Enrakyōten?"
"Control… hypnosis…"
Kyōraku's eyes widened.
"Kyōka Suigetsu?"
He immediately thought of Sōsuke Aizen's infamous ability.
If Enrakyōten replicated Kyōka Suigetsu's power, controlling the entire Tsunayashiro Clan would be completely possible.
That would be disastrous.
Not only had they failed to provoke internal conflict within the clan—they might have unleashed an even worse monster.
Kyōraku knew Tsunayashiro Tokinada's nihilistic personality very well.
Originally, he had agreed to Tsunayoshi's plan of "letting the tiger devour the wolf."
Now it seemed they had underestimated the situation.
"Relax," Tsunayoshi said.
"Have your people monitor the outer perimeter of the Tsunayashiro estate."
"Something should happen within the next couple of days."
"You think Tokinada will kill his own clan members?" Kyōraku asked.
"What's the benefit? With Kyōka Suigetsu's ability, he already controls everything."
"Madmen don't follow logic," Tsunayoshi replied.
"If you gather everyone together… one 'accident' can wipe them all out."
Kyōraku tried to argue.
But deep down, he knew—
That was exactly the kind of thing Tsunayashiro Tokinada would do.
"And if Tokinada doesn't act," Tsunayoshi continued casually,
"we can always lure Kusaka to the Tsunayashiro estate."
"If he dies in an 'accident' there… well, dead is dead."
Kyōraku raised an eyebrow.
His admiration for Tsunayoshi increased yet again.
No wonder Yamamoto paid so much attention to him.
He had compassion, cunning, and above all—overwhelming strength.
The only problem?
He had zero interest in power.
Kyōraku was already quietly thinking about how he might drag Tsunayoshi into leadership someday.
Just as the two of them were quietly plotting against the Tsunayashiro Clan—
The door suddenly opened.
A gentle-looking woman stepped inside.
"Captain Kyōraku seems perfectly healthy," she said calmly.
"Perhaps you can return to work now."
Then she looked toward Tsunayoshi.
"Oh? The famous Mr. Tsunayoshi is here as well."
"I thought you planned to hide forever."
Her smile grew slightly sharper.
"Since you're here… would you care to spend some time with me?"
Tsunayoshi and Kyōraku both froze.
No matter how carefully Tsunayoshi had tried to hide his presence—
Retsu Unohana had still discovered him.
Tsunayoshi silently added extra training assignments for Hanatarō in his mental notebook.
What he didn't know was that Unohana had already developed a special chemical reagent based on Tsunayoshi's Reiatsu signature.
The substance had been mixed into the disinfectant spread throughout Squad Four.
Whenever Tsunayoshi appeared, the reagent reacted with his Reishi, allowing Unohana to track his presence instantly.
"You two enjoy your chat—goodbye!"
Kyōraku reacted first.
He grabbed Nanao, blasted a hole through the hospital wall with Reiatsu—
And vanished in an instant.
Leaving Tsunayoshi standing there alone…
Quietly plotting how he would get revenge on Kyōraku next time.
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