Shuhei was only a step behind his captain when the Hell's Butterfly arrived with the new orders.
Any shinigami found to be aiding Ryoka are traitors to Soul Society and must be met with lethal force.
Any shinigami found to be aiding the fugitive Kuchiki Rukia are traitors to Soul Society and must be met with lethal force.
Upon apprehension, Kuchiki Rukia is to be brought to Sokyoku Hill and will there be executed immediately.
He stumbled to a stop, and it was all he could do not to vomit. Most of his friends and his family had labeled traitors. He was under orders, not to contain them or capture them but to kill them. Rukia's execution was not going to end anything. It was just going to be the first-Kyoraku, Ukitake, Kenpachi would likely fight to the death, and how many would he take with him? This was madness!
"We are but servants of justice," Tosen said. "It is not for us to decide who will live or die. We must obey the commands of those who pass judgment; that is the duty of every shinigami. Those who would defy justice must be stopped."
Shuhei nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Do not forget you are on the side of justice."
Shuhei followed after him quickly, almost jogging the rest of the way down the road to the tiny house that had once been the home of the former lieutenant Ichimaru Gin.
Tosen raised one hand as they approached and pointed his hand at the wooden building. "Hado 31: Shakkaho."
A ball of brilliant red reishi slammed into the structure, shattering the barriers and dissolving the entire face of the house. Within the house's front room Shiba Kaien stood with his right hand up, absorbing the remainder of the kido blast.
Rukia was on the ground behind him, covering her head with her arms, and Yumichika appeared on the broken roof, his zanpakuto already drawn and ready.
"Captain Tosen," Kaien said, nodding slightly before he drew Nejibana. "It's an honor to face you."
"I will accept your surrender if you will lay your zanpakuto down. You need not die today," Tosen said calmly, setting his hand on Suzumushi but not yet drawing the blade.
"I can't complain if I die today," Kaien answered. "In defense of a subordinate, to fulfill my captain's will, what better way to die? Still, I don't plan to die."
"Your subordinate has been condemned, and your captain imprisoned. If you choose to stand with them you are standing against justice, and you deserve to share their fate."
Kaien shrugged. "Never thought much of justice, I prefer mercy, but I am more than willing to share their fate."
"That is your choice," Tosen answered, drawing Suzumushi from its sheath.
"If you've got the captain then I suppose that leaves the lieutenant to me," Yumichika said. "Hisagi-san, follow me. We should give Shiba-san and Captain Tosen some space."
It took Kira about three minutes after receiving the orders to decide to break out of his cell. He was pretty sure the only reason he was still there was because he'd been forgotten anyway. He hadn't done anything that should've earned more than overnight in a cell anyway.
But in the time he'd been locked away it sounded like the entire Gotei had gone mad, and he wasn't about to sit around a wait to find out who had killed who. He had to get out there and help.
The orders arrived as Ikkaku reached the gate of the Eleventh. He could hear his captain laughing out loud. By the time he reached the steps, Kenpachi burst out the front door, Yachiru and Orihime each on a shoulder. The Ryoka, Ishida, following just behind them was the only one not smiling.
"Did ya find her?" Kenpachi demanded loudly.
"Yes, sir! She's with Shiba at-"
"Don't just stand there! Lead the way!"
Captain Komamura sighed as the butterfly dissolved. This was a very unhappy state of affairs. More people would be dying. He did not understand why Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake had broken Captain Kuchiki's little sister out of prison, but he had known from the moment they were arrested that the issue would not be settled peacefully. Those two were well-respected throughout the Gotei and there was no doubt that they had many followers who would do whatever it took to fulfill their wishes.
The orders of Central 46 were necessary to end this thing before it became an all out civil war. He did not like it, but he would do his duty, even if it meant killing some of the brightest young shinigami in the Gotei.
"Let's go," he said to Iba. He could already sense the growing reiatsu of lieutenants and captains as they began gathering in one district of the city.
Nemu stood up abruptly, abandoning her monitor mid-calculation.
"What do you think you're doing, you silly girl?" Kurotsuchi demanded. They were never going to get these tests done if she kept putting other things before her work. He had half a mind to make a new lieutenant, a male this time; it wouldn't be as pleasing to look at, but females seemed to have an entire host of flaws he hadn't considered during her construction.
"Shiro-chan won't want anyone to be hurt," she answered.
Kurotsuchi rolled his eyes. "Then he shouldn't have broken the young Kuchiki out of the Senzaikyu. A violent conclusion was inevitable."
"I have explained he was with me all night," Nemu answered. "He could not have rescued Rukia. I do not understand why even you will not believe me. What reason would I have to try to deceive you?"
"Women lie for their men. It is a fact of nature," Kurotsuchi answered. "Now sit down. You have 5,382 calculations to complete before we can begin our analysis of stage two."
"I'm sorry, but I must go. Shiro-chan will need help getting out of prison," Nemu informed him, and without any further explanation she started for the door.
"He already has that ridiculous friend of his, Captain Kyoraku. What could he possibly need you for?" Kurotsuchi protested, but she was already gone. He turned to Akon, who had been watching the entire interchange in silence. "Are all women this difficult?"
General Yamamoto Genryusai looked out over Seireitei as the orders faded from his ears. "Chojiro," he said, shortly. "Inform Captain Soifon that Shunsui and Jushiro will be escaping soon, and she will be able to follow them to the missing prisoner and the traitors. Her forces should focus on recapturing the prisoner and eliminating the Ryoka. The traitors will be engaged by ranking officers of the Gotei, and I will come to deal with my misbehaving students myself."
The gray-haired lieutenant bowed. "Yes, general."
Unohana had returned to Captain Kuchiki's room after Toshiro had left. It was difficult, even after Kyoraku and Ukitake had shared everything they had learned about Aizen, to believe that he was capable of inflicting so much damage. The most shocking thing of all was the knowledge that Byakuya had not been able to fight back. Senbonzakura had been in its sheath when they had brought the captain down from the Sokyoku Hill. He had been hit by multiple, high level kido, but he had not so much as drawn his own weapon.
She had gone to the hill herself to examine the remains of the fight. There were the remnants of many kido burns, but they were all focused on the location where Byakuya had fallen. The only evidence there was that Byakuya had even known he was under attack was the faint remnants of a kido shield. If she was right and it had been Bakudo 81, his opponent had either managed to shatter one of the highest level shields any shinigami could call or he had somehow used his illusions to avoid it entirely.
Aizen was brilliant, of that she was certain, and the power to create complete illusions was powerful in any hands, but a man of his intellect could use it in ways that would leave his enemies absolutely powerless. Against him and his awesome power the Gotei had only three weapons, shinigami so junior he had not bothered to catch them in his illusion, a very ill captain who, at his best, could break the illusions, but was likely to collapse from the effort and then the illusions could be remade, and the third weapon was Ichimaru Gin, who might be on their side, but was extremely unlikely to actually risk his own skin until there was absolutely no other option left.
Byakuya's fate made it clear there was no way anyone could fight Aizen with his illusions head on. No matter how strong you were, you could not destroy an enemy you could not find.
"Captain Unohana, sir?" A soft voice interrupted her musings and she turned to find Hanataro peeking in the doorway, looking, as always, a bit like a mouse.
"Yes, Yamada-kun?" She asked.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you. I was just going to wait, but it seemed like you were going to be a while, and Lieutenant Hinamori asked me to tell you something, and she said it wasn't important, but I've been thinking about it, and I think maybe it is, and I don't think she would have left if it wasn't."
"Lieutenant Hinamori left?" Unohana repeated. A chill ran down her spine at the thought. Had Aizen's lieutenant received some sort of instruction? What would the girl do if she thought it was for her beloved captain? She'd already tried to kill one of her best friends.
"Yes, Captain," Hanataro said, looking even more worried by his captain's reaction. "She said to tell you that Captain Ichimaru, Toshiro, that is, had figured out where someone was and it was Central 46, and he was going there or something like that, I'm sorry, I-"
His captain rushed past him before he finished talking, and he sighed. That did seem pretty typical.