This group was led by a man with dark green hair.
He walked over, squinting as he stood there, not bowing his head, looking down with an arrogant attitude. "Yo, Captain Uzumaki, this is our first time meeting, isn't it?"
Greeting someone in such a manner was incredibly rude.
As one of the thirteen most powerful individuals in all of Soul Society, a captain held a very high status.
Traditionally, the 2nd Division Captain was the head of the Shihouin Clan, and the 6th Division Captain came from the Kuchiki Clan.
At the very least, in terms of etiquette, captains should be treated on par with the heads of the Four Noble Clans.
However...
This man didn't just fall short—he completely lacked even basic courtesy, acting as if he were inherently superior.
The Tsunayashiro Clan truly lived up to its infamous reputation.
Naruto already had a bad impression of this clan.
Especially after learning about Tōsen Kaname's situation the previous night.
Among the Four Noble Clans, the Tsunayashiro Clan had the worst reputation. Once hailed as the "foremost noble clan," they valued power too much and ignored the responsibilities that came with their title, committing countless vile acts. Nowadays, the model noble clan was the Kuchiki family.
"Is this how you greet a captain?" Naruto looked at him, releasing a trace of spiritual pressure.
The man with dark green hair smiled nonchalantly, unaffected.
He was fairly powerful—on par with Byakuya Kuchiki.
However, the other nobles around him were weaker. Feeling that spiritual pressure, their expressions changed, and they subconsciously took a step back. They couldn't withstand such overwhelming force.
"Captain Uzumaki doesn't recognize me?" The green-haired man feigned surprise. "I thought I was pretty famous in the Seireitei."
He grinned widely.
"My name is... Tsunayashiro Tokitake."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, and his spiritual pressure fluctuated, becoming more oppressive.
He'd heard of this name.
The most representative figure of the Tsunayashiro Clan.
Infamous for countless crimes—bullying the weak, abusing women—he embodied all the worst traits passed down through his clan.
But what Naruto remembered most was—
This was the man Tōsen Kaname had spoken of—the one who had murdered a fellow Soul Reaper, and his own wife.
"Ah, so Captain Uzumaki has heard of me after all," Tokitake sensed the blatant disgust in Naruto's gaze and didn't get angry. Instead, his grin widened. "I knew I couldn't be that unknown."
Naruto's voice turned cold. "You rude bastard. What do you want?"
Tokitake stretched out his hand, speaking with bold confidence. "Captain Uzumaki, hand over Tōsen Kaname's corpse to me."
"To you?" Naruto scoffed. "Of all people, you're the least qualified to say that."
"Such hostility," Tokitake waved his hand. "Seems like that Tōsen guy told you a bunch of nonsense before he died?"
He paused, speaking meaningfully, "But you do know, he was a criminal."
"He harmed his own comrades just to gain power."
"And you actually believe what he said?"
Naruto strolled forward with a smile.
Tokitake still didn't lower his head, only casting a sidelong glance downward.
"I think there's something you need to learn first." Naruto suddenly punched him square in the stomach.
The pressure in his fist made Tokitake instinctively double over in pain.
Naruto grabbed his hair, yanking his head up, his voice laced with fury: "When you're speaking to a captain, you use honorifics."
"And second—I've got a lot of anger to vent right now."
"So thank you for showing up."
"And lastly—"
"Tōsen Kaname being a criminal doesn't mean that you, his enemy, are a good person."
"You're both despicable."
Though Tokitake had been punched and looked disheveled, he still didn't get angry. He just kept grinning. "So full of righteousness, Captain Uzumaki."
"No wonder so many in the Gotei 13 like you."
"But—"
"This isn't a personal request. It's a command from the Tsunayashiro Clan."
"The Great Spirit Book Archive must record everything known in Soul Society, including the secrets behind Tōsen Kaname's 'Hollowfication.'"
He lifted his head and locked eyes with Naruto. "This is one of Soul Society's highest commandments."
The Great Spirit Book Archive was meant to record everything in Soul Society.
But... it wasn't a magical artifact. It relied on humans collecting and documenting information.
"Is that so." Naruto tossed him aside, speaking calmly. "Then come ask me for it again once I've dug out his secrets."
"Maybe in a hundred years, maybe two hundred—or even a thousand."
"But for now..."
"Get lost."
Tokitake squinted, his grin growing even wider.
Byakuya Kuchiki stepped forward. "Tsunayashiro Tokitake, this is also the will of the Kuchiki Clan."
"We believe in Captain Uzumaki's abilities more."
Holding his stomach, Tokitake said, "So this is the answer from Captain Uzumaki and the Kuchiki Clan?"
"Understood."
"Then I'll await Captain Uzumaki's results. Until next time."
He waved as he left with his entourage.
Though he had achieved nothing this visit and had been punched, he didn't seem discouraged.
Naruto could even sense a trace of pleasure in his aura.
"Sorry for dragging the Kuchiki Clan into this," Naruto said.
Byakuya shook his head. "The Kuchiki Clan has long detested the Tsunayashiro family. They lack any sense of responsibility or leadership as nobles."
"If such power fell into their hands, who knows what chaos it would bring."
"Besides..."
"This is just a minor matter compared to what you've done for the Kuchiki Clan, Naruto."
Naruto smiled.
Byakuya bowed and took his leave.
Back at his office, Naruto sat at his desk, staring at the piles of documents before him, but he had no motivation to process them.
"So the real killer was that guy Aizen, huh?" Kurama said, surprised. "I thought it was the blind one."
"How did you figure it out, Naruto?"
He hadn't sensed anything himself.
Naruto gently explained—for Kurama and to organize his own thoughts. "Just like I said before—he was too weak."
"His sword technique was mediocre. If that had been the real Tōsen Kaname at the start, he would never have survived two of my strikes."
"There were only two captains present at the time."
"And we both know Captain Zōden's abilities very well."
"So it was clear—the one we were with from the start wasn't really Aizen. It was Tōsen Kaname pretending to be him."
"The one who appeared later, disguised as Tōsen, was actually Aizen in disguise."
"That's how he was able to appear so quickly in the crowd and attack Vice-Captain Kuchiki."
Kurama nodded thoughtfully, then was struck by a realization. "Wait—so all that time, Aizen was being impersonated by Tōsen?"
"Doesn't that mean... during the captains' meeting, even that old man got fooled by the fake Aizen?"
Not even Captain-Commander Yamamoto saw through it?
Naruto thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm not certain."
"But it's highly likely. Especially since the Dangai was sealed off at that time."
"He can twist perception—but he can't erase traces of his presence."
"If he'd traveled early, he'd have left signs."
"And that's exactly why I didn't make a move against him just now."
Aizen had never revealed his strength in front of Naruto.
Still, Naruto could vaguely sense it during their interactions.
All the high-level Kido spells Naruto knew—those ranked below #90—he'd learned from Aizen, who could cast them without incantation.
And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Now that Aizen had revealed he could deceive even Captain-Commander Yamamoto...
Naruto wasn't confident he could take him down in a straight-up fight.
"What's most urgent now is figuring out how he deceived everyone," Naruto said. "What kind of illusion did he use? And how do we break it?"
Kurama whispered, "An illusion, huh?"
"The Uchiha Clan were all masters of genjutsu."
Naruto shook his head, not replying.
"Speaking of which, that brat who's always with Aizen..." Kurama added, "That guy Gin Ichimaru? He gives me bad vibes too."
"His aura feels evil."
"He may be your friend, but shouldn't you be more cautious?"
"After all, he's Aizen's lieutenant."
Naruto paused and stood up.
Kurama's warning struck a chord.
Gin Ichimaru...
Though they got along well, now that he thought about it, Gin didn't have strong bonds with anyone else—not even Byakuya, who had trained with him in Bankai.
Was he intentionally getting close to Naruto?
Kurama was right. It needed to be confirmed.
The next day, at a tavern...
Naruto invited Gin Ichimaru out.
"Eh, just Captain Naruto?" the white-haired boy asked as he arrived, peeking at the table with his trademark exaggerated grin. "Is this a private invitation?"
He squinted, already guessing what this was about.
Naruto nodded, his expression a bit grim. "Gin, I have something to ask you."
"I hope you'll be honest with me."
Kagura Shingan activated.
"If it's you, Captain Naruto," Gin sat down and tilted his head, "I could never lie to you."
Naruto took a sip of water. "I want to know—what do you really think of Captain Aizen?"
Gin spoke softly, "That question, huh."
"Let me think about how to answer."
He paused, then opened his eyes, his tone still gentle, but overflowing with killing intent:
"I want nothing more than to personally kill Captain Aizen."
"I just don't have the strength yet. I'm waiting for the right moment."
"That's the only reason I stay by his side."
Naruto was stunned.
Kagura Shingan confirmed—it was a heartfelt truth, without a shred of falsehood.
(End of Chapter)