"Hmm? From the Captain-Commander?"
Soifon's eyes widened as she stared at the note in her hands, filled with neatly written addresses.
Kaelith leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and propping up one leg, a smug grin on his face.
"Exactly. After thorough discussions between and the Captain-Commander, we devised this plan."
"All we need to do is hit the locations on this list one by one, and we're bound to find evidence of the Tsunayashiro family's collusion with the rebels!"
"Once that happens, no matter how much influence he has in Central 46 or even as one of the Five Great Noble Families, they'll have no way out!"
Hearing this, Soifon's eyes lit up with determination.
"In that case, we'll also find out who ordered the attack on Lady Yoruichi, right?"
Ever since Yoruichi was injured, Soifon had sworn to uncover the culprit who dared harm her and make them regret ever being born.
In her excitent, she glanced at Kaelith.
For soone who had imdiately gone to the Captain-Commander to set this plan in motion, it was clear he cared deeply about Yoruichi's situation.
Yoruichi squinted at the paper in her hand.
From the perspective of revenge, targeting the subordinate families of the Tsunayashiro clan was indeed a sound approach.
But… would this really uncover evidence of their collusion with the rebels?
If mishandled, it could even backfire.
The Tsunayashiro family wasn't foolish.
In such a sensitive ti, having their subordinate families attacked would imdiately make them suspicious, linking it to the ongoing conflict.
With that old fox's personality, he'd likely hide any evidence even deeper than before.
Pondering this, she glanced at Kaelith again.
The list ca from the Captain-Commander himself, and that old man wasn't the type to act impulsively or overlook the bigger picture just to spoil a disciple.
Which ant that if he instructed Kaelith to do this, he must have had deeper intentions.
Though she couldn't fathom what exactly that old man was planning, with two thousand years of wisdom under his belt, he was undoubtedly ticulous.
Might as well give it a try.
Slap!
Yoruichi clapped her thigh. "Alright!"
"Kaelith, Soifon! Tonight, the three of us will pick one from this list and teach them a lesson they won't forget!"
Kaelith nodded. "Excellent."
Soifon blinked a few tis.
Was it just her imagination, or did these two seem more excited about having fun than carrying out a mission?
Hopefully, it was just her imagination…
---
Late at night, in the aristocratic district of Seireitei, a certain mansion.
Amid deafening cries and clashing sounds, three figures darted out from the estate.
Under the cover of darkness, the trio moved swiftly and disappeared into the distance before long.
Several Shinigami erged from the courtyard, shouting in frustration as they watched the trio vanish into the night.
The mansion's owner, clad in luxurious attire, hurriedly rallied his servants to assess the damages.
It didn't take long for the butler to return with the report—
None of the valuables were stolen, but every letter hidden in the secret compartnt of the study, all correspondence with other noble families, was gone.
The owner's face turned ashen.
The next day, another grand mansion in the noble district suffered the sa fate, attacked by the sa trio of highly skilled intruders.
As with the previous night, the only thing stolen was the correspondence with other noble families, and nothing else was taken.
The consecutive thefts of letters had put the entire noble district on high alert.
Almost every noble family had the sa thought:
"The intruders an trouble."
In response, each family quickly increased security, bracing themselves for further attacks. At the sa ti, correspondence between families was either burned or hidden away in new locations. Despite the nobles' vigilant preparation for the thieves' next move, the culprits didn't appear.
It wasn't until the following morning that they learned what had transpired.
The previous night, in the second district of South Rukongai, the manor of the upper-class noble family, the Tadas, was attacked.
To prevent the theft of important letters, the head of the Tada family, Tada Koji, had secretly left Seireitei with all his correspondence and taken refuge at the family's estate in Rukongai.
However, the thieves had sohow caught wind of his plans and pursued him to Rukongai, successfully stealing every letter he had taken.
Now, the noble families were in a state of panic.
Lesser noble families urgently sent pleas for help to the great noble houses.
anwhile, the great noble houses turned to the Five Great Noble Families for assistance.
The once-peaceful noble district descended into chaos.
Shinigami ssengers darted back and forth between neighborhoods, their figures disappearing and reappearing in bursts of flash steps, seen all throughout the district.
Finally, on the fourth night, this series of terrifying "attacks" ca to an abrupt end.
Under the cover of night, three thieves infiltrated the estate of a noble family, rummaging through their letters.
Suddenly, a guard wearing a kasa hat leaped out from a corner of the room. (t/n kasa hats are hats woven with straw.)
After a brief clash, the three thieves quickly fled the scene.
When news of this reached the noble district, its residents finally let out a collective sigh of relief.
---
**Seireitei, Noble District**
A sprawling mansion, comparable in size to a small Town, stood quietly amidst the district.
Deep within the estate, inside a towering structure, several figures were gathered.
Each of them wore a kasa hat, with white cloth draped down to conceal their faces.
Had Kaelith been present, he might have exclaid in surprise, likening the scene to a gathering of the Akatsuki.
As the last person arrived, one of them angrily broke the silence:
"Kaelith! It has to be Kaelith!"
"Even though we only exchanged a few moves, I am one hundred percent certain—it's him!"
His declaration left the others visibly startled.
"Kamikawa, do you have proof? Did he use his Zanpakutō's abilities?"
Kamikawa shook his head. "No, but his fighting style is unmistakable. I could recognize it even with my eyes closed!"
He scoffed, then added coldly, "As for the other two, one of them is undoubtedly Soifon. The other I don't recognize, but they must also be from the Stealth Force."
At this, the group exchanged glances, their eyes hidden behind the white cloth, yet filled with a peculiar unease.
"Kaelith targeting nobles… This sort of thing doesn't benefit him at all, does it?"
"Exactly. No matter how you look at it, this doesn't seem like sothing he'd orchestrate himself."
"Could it be… Captain-Commander Yamamoto?"
At this suggestion, a chill ran down the group's spines.
After a brief discussion, all eyes turned toward the figure seated at the head of the room.
Like the others, he wore a kasa hat.
Draped in an elaborate noble's haori, his presence was imposing.
In the silence, he spoke slowly:
"Kaelith, is it?"
"A re child from Rukongai, no matter how gifted, would never have the audacity to pull off sothing like this on his own."
"It seems Yamamoto has indeed made his move."
Kamikawa, both alard and furious, exclaid, "How can that be? Wasn't Yamamoto ordered by Central 46 not to get involved? Why would he act now?"
Under Kamikawa's intense gaze, the figure at the head slowly raised a hand and removed his kasa hat.
An aged yet sharp face erged, its features exuding a commanding presence.
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