"Why must it come to this? Why must it come to this!" Naraku Sora's voice boomed from the hospital bed.
"Aren't we the best of brothers?"
"Everything I did was for our unfulfilled ideals! I couldn't just watch the Seireitei be destroyed, countless Soul Reapers die, and the hard-won order collapse!"
Hearing this, the eyes behind the flat-framed glasses flickered before turning even colder. Aizen Sōsuke said with a calm face, "Then you should understand even more."
"Order is never established and maintained by one person alone. In this battle for the Seireitei, the performance of the squad members was commendable, but the Captains were all slacking off."
"Placing all hope on one or two people."
"If one day, the enemy develops countermeasures against you or Head Captain Yamamoto, restricting you before a war even starts, wouldn't the Soul Society head straight for destruction?"
Naraku Sora didn't care. "But don't we still have you?"
"The mere tricks of the Quincy, even if they develop for another hundred years, couldn't compare to a fraction of Aizen-emon's power."
Aizen sneered disdainfully, not buying it at all.
A certain someone was too eager for quick success, didn't consult him before acting, and even specifically blocked the Tenteikūra communication.
To make this guy remember, he had to teach him a profound lesson.
"Anyway, just stay in Las Noches for now," Aizen said lightly, standing to the side.
"It just so happens that Szayelaporro has been looking for you recently. Once you're rested, you can visit his laboratory."
Naraku Sora grinned, revealing a satisfied smile.
Staying in Hueco Mundo wasn't unacceptable. Las Noches was currently in a period of rapid ascent, flourishing in all aspects.
Under the joint modifications of the three scientists, its development was changing by the day.
Arrancars, who previously numbered less than a handful in all of Hueco Mundo, were now numerous enough to form an army.
Although their combat power varied, together they formed a formidable force.
If he hadn't been worried about the prejudice of the Soul Society's Soul Reapers, he would have even considered pulling a team from Hueco Mundo to support the Seireitei.
At the very least, it would have reduced casualties.
Unfortunately, the war came too hastily, giving him no time to prepare.
If it had dragged on for ten days or half a month, he definitely would have organized a mixer between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society to foster mutual affection.
*A mixer?*
Naraku Sora's eyes lit up, suddenly realizing he had discovered another blind spot.
*It seems like something genuinely worth trying!*
Watching Naraku Sora's constantly shifting expressions, Aizen couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious.
Although he often acted crazy in the past, it was rarely this frequent.
*Could it be that this guy accidentally damaged his brain while inside Gagaku Kairyū?*
*It seems necessary to arrange a more comprehensive and detailed examination, preferably including his soul.*
He shook his head, turned, and left the ward.
Squad Four.
Although the war had ended and the forces of Hell had completely fallen silent, the Comprehensive Relief Clinic had become even busier.
The Togabito and the Wills of Hell had caused severe damage to the Seireitei, and the wounded were innumerable.
Among them were several Captain-class Soul Reapers.
For example, Squad Three's Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō, Squad Five's Hirako Shinji, Squad Six's Kuchiki Ginrei, Squad Seven's Aikawa Love, Squad Ten's Shiba Mokua, and Squad Nine's Muguruma Kensei.
It was worth noting that Shiba Mokua was a temporarily promoted Captain. He didn't possess true Captain-level combat power; he was merely slightly stronger than an average Lieutenant.
He was simply the best of a bad bunch.
Because of this, when facing the Togabito scattered throughout the Seireitei, he became the second Captain to fall.
If Komamura Sajin hadn't arrived in time to save him, the Shiba family might have lost another member.
Besides these Captains, several Lieutenants were also valiantly wounded.
Such as Sasakibe Chōjirō, Iba Chikane, Shirogane Ginjirō, Yadōmaru Lisa, and others.
Both the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Six had fallen in battle, truly a squad of loyal martyrs.
Because it was unsuitable for them to walk around for long periods during their recovery, Yamamoto scheduled the first post-war Captains' meeting inside the Comprehensive Relief Clinic.
Besides the current Captains, several former Captains also attended.
Shihōin Chika, Saitō Furōfushi, Katori Batsu'unsai, Ōtogawa Furūki, and Zenjōji Uhin.
As for the remaining first-generation Captains, because Naraku Sora had been entirely focused on dealing with Gagaku Kairyū and couldn't spare any attention, they were repeatedly hacked to death and directly returned to Hell.
Togabito were only truly immortal within Hell itself.
Once they left Hell, lacking a power source, they would be unable to form complete bodies after exhausting themselves, thus being forcibly dragged back to Hell.
As for the device Aizen developed based on the Impure World Reincarnation, it wasn't used because it required the Hōgyoku.
The Hōgyoku was a matter of grave importance, a secret known only to a few.
Until its development was completely finished, it absolutely could not be leaked.
Despite achieving final victory, the atmosphere in the ward remained heavy.
Kyōraku Shunsui, his head wrapped in white bandages and his hands tucked into his sleeves, offered a very forced smile as he looked at the equally battered Ukitake Jūshirō beside him.
"Jūshirō, how are you holding up?"
Ukitake sighed.
"I'm alright. Although Senior Sakahone was very strong, he was perfectly countered by my Sōgyo no Kotowari. Plus, my body could handle it, so I didn't suffer any major injuries."
"It's just our junior martial brother..."
At this point, a trace of worry appeared on his face.
Kyōraku Shunsui twitched his lips and comforted him,
"That kid has his own guardian angels. He'll be fine."
As one of the least injured Captains, he hadn't been idle these past few days.
Not only had he secretly visited Hueco Mundo to observe Las Noches from afar, but he had also specifically gone to the Shino Prison to search for clues.
Although he didn't find anything useful, his intuition told him that things were far from as simple as they appeared on the surface.
Hirako Shinji lay on his hospital bed, forcing himself to stay alert and observe the people in the ward.
Because he was forbidden from using his Bankai, he was one of the most severely injured among the Captains. However, his battle record was also glorious, having fought over ten Togabito head-on without losing ground.
In the end, he fought the first-generation Squad Three Captain, Yanbara Kinroku, to a mutual standstill.
When he woke up, he heard from his subordinates that after he fell injured, it was Lieutenant Aizen who saved him.
Aizen even suffered minor injuries because of it.
Because of this, Hirako Shinji couldn't help but wonder: *Were all my previous feelings wrong?*
*Would someone willing to face danger for a colleague truly harbor malicious intentions?*
Hirako Shinji couldn't help but fall deep into thought.
Just then, steady footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.
Accompanied by a surge of scorching heat, Yamamoto entered the ward.
The moment they saw the old man, the room instantly fell silent. Almost everyone's eyes focused on Yamamoto.
Without a doubt, the performance of this Head Captain, who spanned the entire history of the Gotei 13, had won everyone's recognition and shattered the past rumors in the Seireitei.
At this moment, he was their pillar of support.
Yamamoto leaned on his walking stick with both hands, his majestic gaze sweeping across the ward.
"Everyone, although the war has completely ended, it is far from time to relax."
"Hell is still spying on the world of the living. We absolutely cannot let our guard down."
"I have already commissioned the Department of Research and Development to focus on projects related to Hell."
Hearing this, Urahara Kisuke, who had been hiding in the corner in self-isolation, had to step forward and pat his chest in guarantee.
As the only outsider, he had been acting his heart out since arriving here, terrified that a single micro-expression would be caught by the shrewd Captains.
He couldn't really judge Aizen's previous plan.
But as a researcher, seeing that some Captains' battle records were even worse than his, it was indeed somewhat disappointing.
"Because of the intelligence on the Gates of Hell provided by the Mikado family, we already have some leads,"
Urahara Kisuke said seriously. "In a little while, there should be results. By then, we can pinpoint the location of the Gates of Hell or forcefully open them."
Hearing this, the Captains cast amazed glances at this seemingly ordinary researcher.
With messy light blonde hair and heavy dark circles under his eyes, he didn't seem to have any special traits.
But from his tone, it wasn't hard to hear this researcher's confidence in his abilities.
*The Soul Society truly has an abundance of talent nowadays.*
Several first-generation Captains quietly exchanged glances, feeling inexplicably emotional.
*As the dead, it seems we are gradually falling behind the times.*
Yamamoto nodded calmly.
*Just as that kid said, Urahara Kisuke is indeed useful.*
"As for post-war reconstruction, the manpower will be borne by the various squads. At the same time, Central 46 has discussed this with me and will dispatch family personnel to assist."
"The other noble families will do the same."
"Additionally, Lieutenant Ōmaeda has promised to bear all the expenses."
Hearing this, everyone's expressions turned a bit strange.
No one knew the virtues of the Soul Society's nobles better than they did.
How could those maggots, who only cared about their own interests, support the reconstruction work so easily?
There must be something Yamamoto wasn't mentioning behind the scenes.
Considering that the old man was in a sensitive period, Kyōraku Shunsui twitched his lips and swallowed the words that had reached his mouth.
"Next is the final and most important matter of this meeting."
"Regarding how to rescue the Shino Prison Warden, Naraku Sora."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the ward instantly grew much more heated.
Saitō Furōfushi was the first to voice her opinion, stating that they must invade Hueco Mundo and teach those ungrateful Menos Grande a lesson.
The other first-generation Captains echoed her sentiments.
Shihōin Yoruichi even volunteered, applying to become a member of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force.
When the discussion had somewhat settled, Yamamoto struck his walking stick against the floor, the dull thud silencing everyone once more.
"I have understood everyone's intentions."
"Since that is the case, the abandoned Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force shall be reinstated."
"We march today!"