Just as Yanagawa calmed Momo Hinamori down and prepared to discuss their next steps with Renji, Momo, and the others—
A hearty laugh accompanied the sudden arrival of a tall figure, instantly shattering the heavy atmosphere.
“Looks like I got here right on time!”
Everyone turned toward the voice.
Standing nearby was none other than the Captain of Squad 10, Isshin Shiba, who had slipped over without making a sound.
His signature sunny grin was plastered across his face, though his movements were oddly stealthy.
After craning his neck and looking around to make sure the other departing captains were well out of earshot, he finally sidled up to Yanagawa.
“Captain Shiba?” Yanagawa asked, a hint of surprise in his voice, though his expression remained composed.
Renji Abarai, Momo Hinamori, and the others hurriedly bowed, secretly wondering why a captain had doubled back to find them.
“Aw, don’t be so formal, brother Yanagawa!”
Isshin chuckled, scratching his messy, short black hair.
“I heard everything back in the assembly hall!” he began warmly, before quickly cutting to the chase.
“So, here’s the deal.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya—one of the main stars of this whole mess, that white-haired prodigy brat—he actually already agreed to join my Squad 10 once he graduates!
I’ve even secretly drafted his enlistment paperwork!
He’s my prized future right-hand man!”
He paused, the grin fading slightly to reveal the genuine concern and responsibility a captain held for a prospective squad member.
“So you see, he’s not just your classmate’s childhood friend.
In a way, he’s already a recruit of Squad 10.
With him in trouble, his future captain can’t just sit on his hands and watch, can he?”
The reasoning was completely sound—refreshingly straightforward, even.
“So—” Isshin pressed his palms together, shaking his hands in a playful plead with that disarmingly cheerful grin of his.
“Brother Yanagawa, can you count me in on this operation?
Don’t let appearances fool you.
The Shiba clan may have fallen on hard times, but it’s still a branch of one of the Great Noble Families.
As the head of this branch, I still carry some weight around the Seireitei.
Sniffing out intel, greasing the wheels…
I might actually come in handy!
Besides, I’m not half bad in a brawl either!”
He patted the Zanpakuto at his waist with absolute confidence.
Though it sounded like boasting, between his status as Squad 10 Captain and his Shiba pedigree, his words were far from empty talk.
Even if the Shiba clan was no longer as prominent as the Kuchiki or Shihōin clans, its ancient noble heritage and sprawling web of connections could work wonders when least expected.
More importantly, while Isshin seemed careless on the surface, he was remarkably sharp when it counted.
Generous, honorable, and well-liked across the Gotei 13, having him on board would undeniably open countless doors.
Yanagawa studied the captain standing before him, who dispensed with all ceremony to state his intentions directly.
Isshin’s demeanor was indeed unlike most Shinigami he had encountered—free of aristocratic pretension and captain’s vanity, driven instead by a rugged, warmhearted sincerity.
It was a personality Yanagawa found rather agreeable.
He did not dislike socializing; he merely detested hypocrisy and cumbersome formalities.
Isshin’s straightforwardness was a breath of fresh air.
Furthermore, just as Isshin had claimed, he could indeed be an immense asset.
The official backing of an active captain carried far more weight than that of a few lieutenants and seated officers, particularly when dealing with other squads—or the subordinate agencies of Central 46.
Yanagawa hardly needed to weigh the options.
He needed capable assistance anyway, and with Isshin offering it on a silver platter, there was no reason to refuse.
“You’re being overly modest, Captain Shiba,” Yanagawa replied calmly.
“Since Tōshirō Hitsugaya has a prior arrangement with Squad 10, it’s only natural that you’d be invested in this matter.
With your assistance, our mission will proceed much more smoothly.”
“Haha!
Fantastic!
That’s what I like to hear!” Isshin clapped Yanagawa firmly on the shoulder, beaming from ear to ear.
“I knew you weren’t one of those stiff, rigid types!
I’m fond of little Shiro too, so I’m glad I can lend a hand!”
Throwing an arm over Yanagawa’s shoulder like an old friend, he gave a wink to the still-dazed Momo, Renji, and the others.
“And don’t you kids worry either!
With me and brother Yanagawa on the case, we’ll get your little pal out in one piece!”
Isshin’s involvement was like a sudden surge of warmth, immediately dispelling the gloom and tension brought on by Yanagawa’s sudden change in status and the gravity of the incident itself.
His infectious optimism and larger-than-life presence lifted the spirits of everyone present.
After seeing Renji, Momo, and the others off, only Yanagawa and Isshin remained.
“Now then,” Yanagawa turned to Isshin, getting straight down to business.
“According to the plan, our first priority is to meet the two individuals involved.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Sōjirō Kusakabe should currently be held in separate solitary confinement within Central 46.”
At that, Isshin’s hearty grin dialed back.
Rubbing his chin, he nodded.
“Yeah.
The moment the ‘Twin Hyōrinmaru’ anomaly broke out, Central 46 took over custody for ‘protective’ detention and questioning.
Standard procedure.
Tsk, they call it protection, but it’s basically imprisonment.”
He paused, casting a subtle look at Yanagawa as he shared intelligence on the Soul Society’s highest judicial body, making no effort to hide his disdain.
“Central 46 consists of forty sages and six judges.
Those folks…
well, they’re a real pain to deal with.”
“Every single one of them fancies themselves the living embodiment of wisdom and law in the Soul Society.
Pompous, condescending, and arrogant to the bone.”
“Aside from archaic regulations and their so-called ‘greater good,’ there’s probably nothing rattling around inside their skulls.”
“They hole up all day in that sunless underground chamber, deciding people’s fates based on mountains of dossiers and their own self-righteous assumptions.”
Isshin clicked his tongue before continuing, “Still, Yanagawa, you’re a special case.
You’re here on behalf of Squad 0.”
He pointed at Yanagawa’s white haori.
“That robe is your ultimate hall pass and protective charm.
No matter how arrogant those fossils are, as long as they haven’t gone completely senile, they wouldn’t dare openly obstruct or defy the will of the Soul King Palace.
When it comes to head-on confrontation, they lack the spine.”
“Under the table, though?” Isshin’s tone shifted, a dismissive gleam flashing in his eyes.
“Petty tricks, playing both sides, procedural red tape, withholding crucial information…
that’s their bread and butter.”
“Those people value their authority and rigid bureaucracy above all else.”
“I’d bet good money that if Squad 0 hadn’t explicitly intervened and put the squeeze on them, their usual playbook would have been to conduct a hush-hush review and quietly hand down a verdict that technically follows the rules, but holds not a shred of justice.”
His analysis hit the nail right on the head, laying bare the true nature of Central 46, their probable countermeasures, and the underhanded friction Yanagawa would likely encounter.
Yanagawa listened quietly.
Everything Isshin laid out aligned closely with his own deductions.
The prestige of Squad 0 was a powerful banner—capable of intimidating on the surface, but powerless to halt undercurrents moving in the shadows.
The sages and judges who held absolute authority over legal interpretation and the power of life and death had let their exalted status and thirst for control swell their egos to the absolute limit.
Though Yanagawa represented Squad 0, he was exceedingly young, making it almost certain that those old fossils would try to pull strings behind his back.
“A game of power and protocol, is it…” Yanagawa murmured under his breath.
“I understand.
Thank you for the warning, Captain Isshin.”
“Don’t mention it!” Isshin waved dismissively, his boisterous demeanor instantly returning.
“We’re in this together now!
Come on, I’ll lead the way.
Let’s go pay a visit to those stuck-up old geezers!”