The meeting was not particularly long.
After addressing the key issues for the day, it quickly neared its conclusion.
With Yamamoto's firm declaration of "Dismissed," the gathered Captains immediately shifted into a more relaxed state.
The first to leave was Kenpachi Zaraki—his expression as unreadable as ever, clearly uninterested in these formal gatherings.
Of course, it was equally possible that he simply did not want to make eye contact with Unohana Retsu, let alone exchange words with her.
Right behind him was Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
It seemed he had been preoccupied with some sort of experiment, as even during the meeting, his lack of enthusiasm had been obvious.
Judging by his demeanor, it was likely his research had hit a dead end.
Meanwhile, those who remained turned their attention to Seiya, their expressions a mixture of curiosity, concern, and disbelief.
Sui-Feng, standing on the outer edges of the group, crossed her arms and scowled.
"Weakling."
At the same time, Aizen Sōsuke observed the scene with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Tōsen Kaname seemed conflicted—he initially appeared as though he wanted to approach but hesitated.
In the end, he simply remained near Aizen, as though uncertain of his place.
Komamura Sajin, on the other hand, gave his friend a puzzled glance, clearly unsure of what was going on.
Since Komamura and Seiya had never been particularly close, his decision to maintain distance was the most expected reaction.
By contrast—
Those who stood closest to Seiya were the ones who genuinely cared.
Byakuya Kuchiki, ever the stoic, stood rigidly behind Seiya, his expression unreadable.
His hands, however—
Were clenched tightly into fists.
A rare display of tension.
Not a man of words, indeed…
On either side of Seiya stood Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō, both wearing their usual, easygoing expressions.
"Is this for real~? Are we really going to have another chronically ill Captain in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads?"
"Shunsui! This is not the time for that kind of talk!"
"Relax, relax~ Seiya doesn't seem to mind, right?"
With a playful grin, Shunsui turned to Seiya.
"Right, Seiya?"
What could he even say to that?
All Seiya could do was smile wryly.
The already tight space became even more crowded as yet another individual forced his way to the front.
Ichimaru Gin.
He said nothing.
He simply stared at Seiya in silence.
For a brief moment—
It almost felt uncomfortable.
Had it not been for their former superior-subordinate relationship, one might have assumed there was some kind of grudge between them.
Even Seiya himself felt a bit awkward.
'Uh… Say something, Gin?'
"..."
'Why are you just standing there?'
"..."
Tch. I don't recall ever teaching you to answer with silence!
Internally frustrated, but knowing Gin was simply concerned, Seiya sighed and let it slide.
Even if he found it annoying, he wasn't about to be rude to someone who genuinely cared.
And then—
Unohana Retsu stepped forward.
"While a proper diagnosis would be more thorough back at the Fourth Division, for now—"
Her gentle smile disappeared, replaced by a far more serious expression.
"Seiya, let me see the handkerchief you were covering your mouth with earlier."
"..."
Could he refuse?
Even if he wanted to, he quickly noticed—
Behind him, Byakuya coughed pointedly.
"Oh? The silent one finally makes a move?"
Given the situation, even if Seiya were at full strength, he wouldn't be able to escape.
Thus—
With visible reluctance, he pulled the handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it over.
"Uh… It's a bit dirty."
"Do you think a healer would care about that?"
Fair point.
Unohana took the handkerchief and unfolded it.
And the moment she did—
A stunned silence overtook the room.
The stains of blood were fresh and vivid.
No wonder Seiya had tried to hide it.
Having seen the evidence firsthand, Unohana's eyes narrowed slightly.
Her expertise as a healer immediately led her to a firm conclusion.
"If you are coughing up blood, that means your condition is already quite severe…"
"Seiya, are you absolutely sure you are fine?"
She pressed him for an answer.
Seiya waved his hands dismissively.
"It's nothing! I already had Isane take a look at me—she couldn't figure out anything either."
Unohana's expression shifted.
"Isane has already examined you?"
"Yeah. My Lieutenant was really worried, so I figured I'd at least let her check."
Hinamori had been so anxious about his condition that she couldn't sleep.
In order to ease her mind, he had reluctantly agreed to see Isane.
Of course—
The results had been exactly what he expected.
Because the truth was something only he understood.
That night—
To ensure that the Hollowfication process successfully transferred into Masaki Kurosaki, he had compressed his spiritual pressure to its absolute limits.
To balance the fine line between "injured but not dead" required deliberate precision.
In the end—
He succeeded.
He had felt a distinct shift as his Yaksha fragment transferred a part of its essence into Masaki.
But in doing so—
Seiya experienced a pain unlike anything before.
It was as though an axe had split him in half—both his body and soul.
The pain was unbearable.
Even he, a Captain, had blacked out.
And by the time he awoke—
He was already back in the Fifth Division barracks.
Looking back, he could only assume Aizen and Tōsen had taken him back to Seireitei.
Otherwise, he would have likely ended up in the hands of either the Visored or Kyōraku Shunsui.
But now—
There was an even bigger problem.
The Yaksha fragment was missing.
No—
To be precise, he could no longer feel the part of his soul connected to his Zanpakutō.
Somehow—
During that transfer process, his Yaksha fragment, his Hollow essence, and even a part of his own soul had been sealed within Masaki Kurosaki.
His current weakened state was simply because—
Half of his soul was gone.
For a normal person—
Losing half of their soul would mean instant death or, at best, a lifeless coma.
Yet Seiya—
Was still standing.
Still moving.
A testament to his sheer strength.
And that was exactly why he couldn't let anyone diagnose him properly.
If word got out that a Gotei Captain had lost half his soul, chaos would ensue.
So—
To maintain the illusion, he had been using his Eight Aspects of the Heavenly Dragon: Gandharva to manipulate reishi, creating a false presence to hide his true state.
It was exhausting—but necessary.
And yet—
With one simple touch, Unohana had seen through it all.
"...?!!"
A barely audible crack echoed through the air.
The illusion shattered.
At that moment—
Seiya's true spiritual presence was fully exposed.
"!!!"
"What the—?!"
"Wait… He's this injured?!"
The entire room fell into shock.
Even the Lieutenants, standing outside, had sensed it.
"Seiya, what the hell happened to you?!"
Questions bombarded him from all sides.
Before he could respond, a single clap silenced the room.
"Please, everyone. Let's remain calm."
Aizen Sōsuke smiled gently.
Placing a firm hand on Sui-Feng's shoulder, he addressed the room.
"Let's first hear from Captain Unohana, shall we?"
For once—
Seiya had to admit.
Aizen had given him a way out.
Unohana's eyes softened slightly, yet her words carried weight.
"Seiya, I will not press you for details."
"But you are missing a significant portion of your soul."
Her tone grew grim.
"Even with my help… recovering from this will take at least ten years."
Seiya, still smiling—
Paused.
"Ten years?"
Wait—
That actually didn't sound too bad.
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Powerstones?
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