"Captain, the situation is like this..."
Shiba Isshin, noticing Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's increasingly dark expression, stepped forward and quickly explained everything.
From Hirako Shinji sending his vice-captain to spy, to showing up himself at the Seireitei Kendo Hall, posing as a teacher, pressuring Aizen, and finally, Ran Yan defending his younger brother by nailing Hirako to the wall with a single sword strike—Shiba laid it all out, point by point.
"Presumptuous!"
Yamamoto Genryūsai's anger surged like a tidal wave.
His Reiatsu exploded unintentionally, sweeping through the examination ground like wildfire. All around, even seasoned vice-captains buckled under the pressure, falling to the ground as if submerged in flames.
"The captain of a division—who should be guiding and uplifting new talent—abuses his power instead, and targets those with genuine ideals?"
"Was Seireitei's authority given to him so he could act this recklessly?!"
Boom!
Yamamoto's words echoed with fury, his spiritual pressure physically pressing down on everyone present.
Hirako's petty revenge had stirred something in the ancient general. After all, Ran Yan—whom he now recognized as a generational talent—had slipped past his grasp once already due to his own hesitation. To learn that another captain tried to suppress such brilliance only ignited the fire further.
"Maybe Hirako misunderstood…" Jūshirō Ukitake tried to intervene calmly.
"Misunderstood?!"
Yamamoto shot back, cutting Ukitake off.
"Just because someone excels where he cannot? Just because someone is upright and asks for nothing in return?"
"Because of his narrow mind, he turned his resentment into vengeance?"
"Aizen—who walks the path of humility and grace—is a rare jewel in this age, and Hirako dares treat him as a threat?!"
Yamamoto's fury grew hotter, and his Reiatsu—already scorching—began to take form, flickering in waves of heat.
"This Reiatsu…"
"Sixty chariots… no Shikai, no Bankai… and still above all Shinigami!"
Ran Yan's eyes behind his glasses sparkled with sharp insight.
Yamamoto's spiritual pressure wasn't merely immense—it bore the imprint of his Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka. His flame element had merged with his Reiatsu over centuries, fusing his nature into his very presence.
And that sparked a thought.
Could he do the same? Could Candle Yin fuse into his Reiatsu?
Suddenly, his system responded.
[Your Zanpakutō says: "Do you really need to learn this? How cute."She's been busy with Bankai development but will take 30 seconds to fuse Light and Darkness into your Reiatsu. Enjoy."]
The next moment, Ran Yan felt a subtle shift.
His Reiatsu hadn't grown stronger in scale—still 18 chariots—but it had changed in nature. It now pulsed with the dual essence of Shokuin: Light and Darkness.
A new power flowed through him.
He would need a test subject to feel its effect—but the fusion had already begun.
"Ran Yan," Yamamoto said after a moment of silence, "You need not attend this battle. I will personally reprimand Hirako Shinji. There's no need to engage."
Ran Yan's eyes remained calm.
"Captain, with respect… I must attend."
He bowed slightly, but his resolve was unshakable.
After all—this was the plan from the beginning.
He and Aizen had discussed it. Removing Hirako from Division 5 was essential.
And the one who would take the vice-captain role in Division 1 was not Ran Yan—but Aizen himself.
"You don't trust this old man?" Yamamoto asked, clearly displeased.
It wasn't about the old man.
It was about Hirako.
"Captain," Ran Yan said, "What exactly will be done with Hirako?"
"Will he be stripped of his title? Removed from the Gotei 13?"
Yamamoto Genryūsai hesitated.
Even with all the anger, Hirako had broken no explicit law. His actions were rooted in personal bias, not legal violations.
And he was still a captain—his rank carried more weight than many noble clans.
At most, he'd receive a verbal reprimand… maybe a written warning.
Nothing more.
"I see…" Ran Yan understood immediately.
The system would protect its own.
You don't exile a fellow captain over personal vendettas—not officially.
"A reprimand may silence him for now," Ran Yan said coldly, "but it will not change his nature."
"After you punish him, his resentment will only deepen."
"You said it yourself—he is narrow-minded. Once released from your supervision, he will only come at us harder… more secretly."
"There's an old saying: 'You can guard against a thief for a day—but never for a thousand.'"
With that, Ran Yan accepted the Shinigami robes from Shiba and turned toward Division 5.
He had an appointment.
And he would end it—once and for all.