"That Aizen... there's definitely something off about him."
Hirako Shinji narrowed his eyes as he walked away, recalling the subtle expressions Aizen had made during their exchange.
"He wasn't afraid at all when I drew my sword. It was like... he knew what I was going to do before I did it."
He grew more certain of his instincts.
"As for Ran Yan…"
"Is he just a good brother who cares deeply for his sibling? Or is he the mastermind behind it all—someone even more terrifying than Aizen?"
He couldn't say for sure. And that uncertainty gave him a headache.
Aizen? He could read.
His actions, his hidden edge, his manipulations—Shinji could detect the shadows lurking beneath the gentlemanly surface.
But Ran Yan...
He was unreadable.
If Ran Yan was merely a kind older brother, then Shinji could work with that—just expose Aizen and let the truth speak for itself.
But if Ran Yan was consciously enabling Aizen—or worse, manipulating events behind the scenes—then Shinji wasn't just dealing with a threat.
He was dealing with a monster.
"Maybe you don't want to hear this, but your little brother isn't the good person you think he is."
"Frankly, I think he was born bad. Before he even left your mother's womb."
Shinji's tone was cold, but not cruel—more like that of someone burdened by truth.
"I get it if you don't believe me. But ask yourself this—why would I, the Captain of the Fifth Division, have any reason to target a humble, gentlemanly student at the Spiritual Arts Academy like Aizen Sōsuke?"
He paused and looked directly at Ran Yan, eyes sharp as blades.
"If you don't want to lose him… watch him."
Ran Yan's golden eyes flickered slightly.
He understood what Shinji was doing. He was probing.
Trying to figure out whether Ran Yan was simply a loyal brother...
...or a dangerous man who was hiding behind a benevolent mask.
But Shinji didn't know the full picture.
Ran Yan did care about his younger brother.
That's why he had vowed to walk a different path—to rewrite the tragedy that Aizen's future held.
He wouldn't let Aizen fall alone into despair and arrogance again—betrayed, isolated, abandoned by Hōgyoku and outplayed by Urahara Kisuke, all while reaching for a godhood that refused him.
No.
This time, he would walk beside him. Guide him.
Strengthen him where needed, correct him where necessary.
Even if it meant standing in the way of Soul Society itself.
And that path began… with the Visored.
Shinji kept watching Ran Yan.
"…I was stabbed today, but that one strike convinced me. You and Aizen are not the same."
"Still—take my advice. Keep an eye on him."
He glanced at the wound on his shoulder. The blade had only just missed hitting something vital.
Shinji was confident it hadn't been luck.
Ran Yan had done it on purpose.
"You know," Ran Yan said coolly, "Aizen is my little brother."
A strange glint passed through his eyes.
Shinji frowned. Something about Ran Yan's tone felt… off.
It was confident.
Too confident.
He had misread him.
People? Shinji was good at reading them.
But Ran Yan? He wasn't just a person. He was a storm hiding in sunlight.
If not for the system that had gifted him endless techniques and abilities, Ran Yan might've been even more ruthless than Aizen—more cold, more absolute.
But now, he chose to walk a different path.
A better one.
"That's all I wanted to say."
Shinji turned, walking away toward the entrance of the Kendo Hall.
He had said what needed to be said.
Whether Ran Yan listened or not, the seed of doubt was now planted.
That was enough for now.
But as he passed Aizen, he paused.
Aizen's gentle, spring-like smile never faded. His calm demeanor didn't waver. His posture, his tone, his aura—flawless.
And yet Shinji felt a chill in his heart.
Too perfect.
He'd been watching Aizen since the moment he entered.
Not one single flaw.
"Captain Shinji," Aizen said with an apologetic smile, "you seem to have a rather deep prejudice against me."
Shinji didn't smile back.
"Aizen Sōsuke," he said coldly. "Keep hiding. But know this—I'll keep watching. Until the day your mask cracks."
He raised two fingers—first pointed to his own eyes, then toward Aizen's.
"You're ignoring my warning already?" Shiba Isshin's voice was low and grim.
He took a step forward, Reiatsu beginning to surge around him like a tide.
Shinji turned, unfazed.
"Captain Isshin," he said, "as a Shinigami captain, your strength and moral compass are top-tier."
He gave a thumbs-up.
"But your judgment of people? Absolutely terrible."
He flipped the thumb downward.
Boom—
Reiatsu exploded from Isshin's body, sweeping through the gym like a thunderclap.
He reached for the Zanpakutō at his waist.
"Don't be impulsive, Captain Isshin," Shinji warned, unfazed. "Central 46 forbids captains from releasing Zanpakutō in Seireitei."
"Unless you want the Shiba Clan—what's left of it—to collapse even further."
Isshin froze for a second, eyes narrowing.
Shinji wasn't wrong.
The Shiba Clan, once among the Five Great Noble Houses, had already fallen from grace.
Now, it was hanging by a thread—propped up only by Isshin, his students, and a handful of kin: Kaien, Kūkaku, and Ganju.
Any more missteps, and even those last threads would unravel.
The only reason the clan still had standing was because of Spiritual Arts Academy's quiet support.
But still—
He had been lied to by Sarugaki Hiyori.
Ignored by Shinji.
And worst of all, his students had been endangered.
Isshin didn't need long to decide.
Clang—
He drew a few inches of his Zanpakutō, eyes burning cold.
His silence was louder than any threat.
He wouldn't say it.
He would show it.
He would protect his students, no matter the cost.