No Cheat in Bleach ? Watch me help Aizen then.
Chapter 173: Gin Ichimaru’s Calculation

Chapter 173: Gin Ichimaru’s Calculation

In the streets of Seireitei, cherry blossoms fell gently. Petals floated between the feet of the strolling residents—a scene of fleeting beauty.

But within the 1st Division barracks, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Most of the captains of the Gotei 13 were present. Standing across from them was the current Great Blade Hunter of the Sword Hunt Corps.

There was much to explain.

The mysterious figure Higashi Shuuichi had returned from the Dangai with—he couldn’t be described in just a few words.

But for now, the captains faced a more immediate issue:

Higashi Shuuichi had been attacked by Gin Ichimaru—again.

Yes, again.

Decades ago, Shuuichi had claimed he was ambushed by Gin, who at the time was merely the 3rd Seat of the 5th Division. Gin had an airtight alibi.

Now, once more, Shuuichi was saying he’d been attacked—this time by Gin and several Arrancar.

But again, Gin had a flawless alibi.

At least three captains testified Gin had been with them at a calligraphy event when the alleged attack occurred.

"This is absurd!" Shuuichi stood before them, fury barely contained. "I saw him with my own eyes—Gin Ichimaru. He even used his signature Zanpakutō, Shinsō, to attack me! That kind of ability can’t be faked!"

"If that’s what you want to prove, Great Blade Hunter," Kyoraku Shunsui said, tossing a report in his direction, "then you should read this."

Shuuichi caught the document midair. The heading read: Postmortem Analysis of Arrancar Specimen: Aaroniero Arruruerie.

"Why give me this?" he asked, not bothering to open it.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi answered. "Using samples from the Aaroniero corpse you retrieved, I conducted an initial analysis. I discovered that in addition to inheriting traits from Atidice, he had an integrated structure designed to absorb and utilize shinigami spiritual power. In other words, if our hypothesis is correct, he could mimic the spiritual pressure and Zanpakutō abilities of the shinigami he consumed."

This wasn’t news to Shuuichi—Mayuri had briefed him earlier in private. But their relationship wasn’t considered ’special’ publicly, so Mayuri still gave the official explanation.

"You’re saying," Shuuichi scoffed, "that what I saw wasn’t Gin—but a specially engineered Hollow?"

"That’s a plausible explanation," Kyoraku said gently. "From our research, Aaroniero wasn’t a single entity, but a composite—assembled from multiple techniques. Which means it’s likely the Hollows have developed means of replicating shinigami powers with terrifying accuracy."

"So in the end," Shuuichi snapped, "you still can’t prove it wasn’t the real Gin. I ask you this—why do you always assume the one I saw was fake... and the one you saw was real?"

There was silence. Then Gin himself stepped forward, voice calm.

"That’s simple," he said. "It’s easy to fool someone mid-battle. You’re not watching for personality tics or speech patterns—you’re dodging death. Mimicking my power and reiatsu would be enough to fool anyone under pressure.

"But around fellow captains, that illusion wouldn’t hold. The impostor wouldn’t replicate my habits, phrasing, timing—it’d slip. Surely, Great Blade Hunter, you noticed something off in battle?"

Gin’s tone was polite. But Shuuichi knew—he was being baited.

This wasn’t just a clever retort. Gin had deliberately planted subtle inconsistencies in that encounter—crafted not to avoid detection, but to trigger it, given Shuuichi’s intellect.

And now he was leading Shuuichi into a trap—forcing him to say it aloud.

Shuuichi didn’t answer. He lowered his gaze slightly. That was enough.

Gin smiled. Success.

"You wrote in your report," Gin continued smoothly, "that the Gin you saw fled after being struck by Fuzan, despite having you surrounded with Halibel, Neliel, and Aaroniero—three of the Espada’s strongest.

"Tell me—if the plan was to reveal himself and kill you in that space, why would he retreat at the moment of greatest advantage?

"Even the Espada had mustered elite forces for you—clearly expecting a decisive battle. But in the end, only Aaroniero remained.

"Does that sound... logical to you?"

Gin’s words flowed like silk dipped in poison.

"It does sound strange..." muttered Komamura Sajin, the 7th Division Captain.

Shuuichi turned to stare. You too? He had never expected even Komamura, the poster-boy for loyalty, to start playing the funny man to Gin’s straight man.

"I can only assume," Gin said with mock solemnity, "it was all staged. A calculated drama, designed to deepen your rift with the Gotei 13—especially me. After all, your history with me, Kaname Tōsen, and Aizen Sōsuke isn’t exactly classified."

A plausible theory.

And Gin knew: if you trick someone into deducing something themselves, they’ll believe it ten times more deeply.

So rather than show Shuuichi obvious evidence of Hollow mimicry, Gin had instead orchestrated a scenario that would make Shuuichi rationally conclude Hollow mimicry was the only answer.

Genius.

Shuuichi almost wanted to play dumb—just to see Gin’s smug face crack.

But no.

That wouldn’t fit his persona. Calm, calculating, unclouded by emotion—that was the version of him respected by Kyoraku, by Genryūsai, by even Kisaragi.

"...So you’re saying there’s someone in Hueco Mundo masterminding all this?" Shuuichi’s tone shifted.

Kyoraku’s eyes lit up. Exactly the direction he wanted.

Because from his perspective, it was the Gin/Tōsen/Aizen conspiracy that had prevented Shuuichi and the other exiles from ever being accepted back into the Gotei system.

If he could unwind that knot—convince them they’d been played all along—Soul Society might gain a powerful new generation of warriors.

Especially now, with new threats looming.

Kyoraku looked to Genryūsai Yamamoto. The old man’s face was unreadable.

A traditionalist to the core, Yamamoto still didn’t recognize Hollowfied shinigami as legitimate—no matter how many enemies Shuuichi killed.

"Based on our intel," Kyoraku continued, "the one behind all this... may be Coyote Starrk. There’s evidence he pushed Baraggan to invade Soul Society—just to eliminate him and take the throne himself.

"Only—he didn’t count on you, Shuuichi. Killing Baraggan wasn’t in his script."

Shuuichi’s eyes narrowed.

So Gin and Kyoraku had clearly talked in private. Reached an accord. Gin wanted to clear his name. Kyoraku wanted to mend the bridge to the exiled shinigami.

Convenient for both.

And Kyoraku, with his laid-back smiles and lazy tone, had just helped cover for Gin—closing the case.

In a way, Kyoraku was more suited to lead the Gotei 13 than Yamamoto. But...

Shuuichi’s gaze shifted toward Genryūsai.

"So this wasn’t a random attack on the Day Moon Squad—it was premeditated. And the target was me."

Kyoraku nodded. That was his conclusion, at least.

"Then tell me—who was that First Generation Captain sealed in the Dangai? What’s his connection to Sakanade Kairai? And what does Starrk have to do with either?"

Shuuichi knew it was time to stop talking about himself.

He had asked Kisaragi these same questions before—but received only evasions.

Which made him doubt everything he’d been told.

That’s why, after Kairai appeared, he didn’t hand him over to the Kisaragi family.

He handed him to the Gotei 13.

And now, he was demanding answers. Directly. From Genryūsai.

Of course, Kisaragi Kigen had already noticed.

"That damned Shuuichi... he ran to the Gotei 13?" said a voice in the shadows.

Only Kisaragi Kigen was visible in the room.

"He won’t betray us," Kigen said confidently. "As long as Yamamoto Genryūsai is still Captain-Commander, he’ll never fully side with the Gotei. He’s just trying to trade Kairai for information. That’s all."

He sounded certain.

But Shuuichi had already started to suspect: everything he knew about the ancient war between Soul Society and the Fullbringers, the history fed to him by the Kisaragi family—it might all be a fabrication.

He had never once sought information elsewhere.

Everything had come from the Kisaragi clan. From Kigen. From Shitan.

And that’s what Aizen had warned him about.

"You’re stuck in your own information cocoon," Aizen had said.

And now... he realized it.

Now he stood before Yamamoto—not as a rogue, not as an exile—

—but as a blade demanding truth.