Captain-Commander Yamamoto’s earth-shattering announcement sent shockwaves rippling through the assembly.
Yet these were the captains—beings who stood at the absolute zenith of the Soul Society.
Once the initial shock subsided, several of them quickly parsed the deeper logic and clues hidden beneath the bizarre revelation.
“A provisional member of Squad 0…”
Squad 8 Captain Shunsui Kyōraku murmured under his breath.
From beneath the brim of his woven hat, his contemplative gaze drifted over Yanagawa before shifting toward Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, whose expression remained entirely unreadable atop the dais.
“Investigating twin Zanpakuto…
Having Squad 0 handle it does, in fact…
make a certain kind of sense.”
His murmur seemed to click for a few other captains.
Squad 4 Captain Retsu Unohana set down her teacup with gentle poise.
The warm, spring-breeze smile never left her face, though a glimmer of realization flickered in her eyes.
“Indeed.
If this anomaly touches upon the fundamental laws of Zanpakuto, an intervention from Squad 0 couldn’t be more fitting.
After all…”
She paused, her voice soft yet carrying clearly to every ear in the hall.
“…Lord ‘God of the Sword’ resides in the Soul King Palace as well.”
The God of the Sword, Ōetsu Nimaiya!
A member of Squad 0, the legendary creator and forger of every single Zanpakuto in existence!
That name acted as a key, instantly unlocking the riddle of why Squad 0 would take an interest in the matter.
The unprecedented emergence of “twin” Zanpakuto struck at the very core of the Zanpakuto system itself.
For Squad 0—the founders and architects—to step in was entirely logical; if anything, it was well within their purview.
Their awe of Squad 0 and recognition of its authority allowed them to grudgingly accept the arrangement, even if having an obscure member of the Kidō Corps act as their representative felt intensely jarring.
Yet it was precisely this dissonance that shifted the captains’ attention away from *why* Squad 0 was intervening, and squarely onto Yanagawa himself.
Just who on earth was this young man, who was on the verge of ascending to the Soul King Palace and entrusted with the authority to investigate such a monumental crisis?
Just then, Gin Ichimaru—who had maintained his signature fox-like smirk while observing in silence—let out an amused “My, my~” in his characteristically slick drawl, as if something delightful had just occurred to him.
“Yanagawa…
Yanagawa…” Gin tapped a finger against his temple in mock contemplation, his squinting eyes curving into narrow crescents.
“That name does ring a bell~ Wasn’t there word of some ‘prodigy’ coming out of the Shin’ō Academy years back?
“Frighteningly high grades, exceptional Kidō talent…
Wasn’t that the story?”
He spoke as if musing aloud, though every word served to prompt the gathered captains.
Jogged by his remarks, several captains began fishing vague fragments of memory from the backs of their minds.
The top graduates from each Shin’ō Academy class—especially those branded with the label of “prodigy”—
tended to leave at least a faint impression on the squad captains as potential recruits or individuals of interest.
“Yanagawa…” Squad 10 Captain Isshin Shiba rubbed his chin before letting out an enlightened “Oh!”
“Now I remember!
There *was* a guy like that!
His graduation marks were crazy good, almost acing the Kidō exam across the board, right?
But then…”
He furrowed his brows, racking his brain.
“Didn’t he skip the Gotei 13 entirely?
Where did he end up again?”
“The Kidō Corps,” a cool voice answered.
It was Squad 6 Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.
His tone was flat and devoid of ripples, as if stating an inconsequential fact.
“Upon graduation, he enlisted directly into the Kidō Corps.
Little was heard of him thereafter.”
Byakuya’s words served as the final puzzle piece, sketching out the rough contours of Yanagawa’s obscure past:
A prodigy from the Shin’ō Academy with peerless Kidō aptitude, who made the shocking choice to shun the frontlines of combat in favor of the Kidō Corps, focusing solely on research and support.
Fading from the public eye ever since, only to burst back into the highest echelons of the Seireitei today in such a thunderous fashion.
“I see…
So he was that prodigy from back then.”
Captain Unohana looked upon Yanagawa with a touch more understanding and subtle appreciation.
Through it all, Sōsuke Aizen maintained his gentle, benevolent smile, looking every bit the tolerant senior admiring an exceptional junior.
Adjusting his glasses, he smiled warmly.
“Congratulations on your promotion, Yanagawa-kun.
Should you require any assistance from Squad 5 during your investigation, please do not hesitate to ask.”
In truth, Aizen *had* kept an eye on Yanagawa in the past.
Yet Yanagawa had kept such an excessively low profile that even Aizen found himself completely baffled as to why Squad 0 had singled him out.
His remarks were polished and gracious, offering congratulations while pledging full cooperation—in flawless alignment with his cultivated persona.
Yanagawa gave Aizen a subtle nod in acknowledgment.
Whatever the case, his status as a “provisional member of Squad 0,” combined with the Captain-Commander’s explicit mandate, had wrapped him in an intangible layer of armor that none could lightly challenge during the upcoming investigation.
“Thus, the matter is settled,” Captain-Commander Yamamoto summarized, his torch-like gaze sweeping across the chamber.
Yet after delivering his verdict, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto did not dismiss the assembly just yet.
His profound gaze rested heavily upon Yanagawa, pausing as if gauging how the young man carried such immense honor and weight.
Yanagawa simply weathered the scrutiny in silence.
His bearing was immaculate—free of both wild ecstasy and trembling dread, displaying only a still, tranquil focus.
“Sasakibe,” the Captain-Commander rumbled.
“Sir.” Chōjirō Sasakibe, who had stood like a shadow at his master’s side, stepped forward.
Resting upon the lacquer tray in his hands was a garment, neatly folded.
It was…
a white haori.
The uniform of Squad 0!
The arrival of this haori carried a symbolic weight even more visceral and impactful than Yamamoto’s verbal decree!
Bearing the lacquered tray with steady footsteps, Sasakibe halted before Yanagawa and presented the haori.
Yamamoto’s aged, resonant voice boomed once more.
“This is the uniform of Squad 0, prepared personally by Lady Senjumaru Shutara, the Great Weave Guard of the Royal Guard.
“Ordinarily, it would be bestowed upon you during the formal induction rites at the Soul King Palace.
“However, the matter of the ‘Twin Hyōrinmaru’ is of grave consequence.
As you have been commanded to resolve this incident and act in Squad 0’s stead, you require the corresponding token and insignia.”
Senjumaru Shutara!
The “Great Weave Guard,” member of Squad 0, and creator of the Shihakushō and the haori!
Looking at the pristine white garment, Yanagawa understood completely.
Yamamoto was stripping away any bureaucratic friction or resistance he might encounter in the field.
In cut, the haori differed little from a standard captain’s coat, save for the emblem emblazoned upon its back—the exclusive crest of the Royal Guard.
Yet he could feel the extraordinarily intricate spiritual particle lattice woven within its fabric.
It was far more than a mere ornament.
Taking the garment, he draped the Squad 0 haori over his black Shihakushō.
At this moment, standing before the captains of the Gotei 13, Yanagawa had undergone a complete transformation.
No longer was he merely an operative of the Kidō Corps, nor was he simply a brilliant former graduate of the Shin’ō Academy.
He was a provisional officer of the Royal Guard—a special envoy carrying the will of the Soul King Palace, invested with full authority to investigate the Twin Hyōrinmaru crisis.
“Now then,” Captain-Commander Yamamoto broke the heavy silence with a deep rumble.
“The matter is decided.
Meeting dismissed.”