Bleach: Soul Society Domination Through Check-ins

After a moment of silence, Yamamoto Genryūsai lifted his gaze slightly and spoke:

"You have all heard Captain Suì-Fēng's report."

"Therefore, the greatest merit for this Hollow extermination mission belongs to Vice-Captain Segawa of the Thirteenth Division."

"Are there any objections?"

Not a single captain responded.

With such undeniable facts before them, even those who might wish to object found it utterly impossible.

Captain Suì-Fēng's testimony, combined with Kenpachi Zaraki's reaction, provided more than sufficient evidence of Segawa's pivotal role in this mission.

This marked the only instance in any mission involving the Eleventh Division where they had concluded without engaging in combat.

Small wonder Kenpachi Zaraki was seething with frustration.

After all, upon hearing of the Hollow outbreak, he had been the most enthusiastic of all.

"Since none of you object, I shall now announce a decision."

Yamamoto Genryūsai opened his eyes fully, his voice rising with sudden authority.

Instantly, every captain straightened with serious attention, their gazes fixed intently upon the Captain-Commander.

After all, if this were merely a routine decision, he would never adopt such a formal stance.

What he was about to announce must carry significant consequences and potential controversy.

Yamamoto Genryūsai rose to his feet, both hands gripping his staff for support.

His piercing gaze swept rapidly across each captain's face before he continued:

"The outcome of this mission has thoroughly demonstrated that Vice-Captain Segawa Shigure possesses indisputable strength and character."

"He swiftly rendered aid to Captain Suì-Fēng in her moment of peril."

"He rapidly assessed an ambiguous situation and successfully quelled the Hollow outbreak."

"Such character and capability are indistinguishable from those of the captains assembled here."

"Therefore, I hereby declare..."

"Effective immediately, Segawa Shigure shall be granted permanent Acting Captain status!"

?!

The moment these words left his lips, every captain's breath caught simultaneously.

The entire assembly hall plunged into absolute silence.

Shigure's heart lurched violently.

He had never anticipated that Yamamoto Genryūsai would make such a sudden decision.

Yet Yamamoto Genryūsai paid no heed to their stunned expressions and continued:

"The Acting Captain shall wield all the genuine authority of that rank, identical to any captain."

"Which is to say, he possesses the right to participate in every subsequent captain's meeting!"

Having spoken these words, he raised his arm deliberately, then brought it down with decisive force.

The staff struck the floor with a resonating impact that shook every heart present.

THUD!

Every captain stared at Yamamoto Genryūsai in utter shock.

They recognized that the Captain-Commander's action constituted an immediate, unilateral decree.

He had actually employed autocratic authority... to elevate Shigure's position by force!

Byakuya Kuchiki's expression darkened as he began to speak: "Captain-Commander, please—"

Before he could finish, Unohana Retsu beside him immediately cut him off.

"Captain Kuchiki, please comply with the Captain-Commander's orders."

Upon hearing this, Byakuya instantly grasped the full implication of her words.

The Captain-Commander's so-called "decision" wasn't actually subject to the captain's meeting deliberation.

This was an appointment!

He had exercised his millennial authority as Captain-Commander to directly appoint Shigure to the position of Permanent Acting Captain!

Even though this completely violated Seireitei's thousand-year-old protocols, he had done it nonetheless.

The very man who had once valued rules above all else had personally shattered those rules for Segawa's sake!

Byakuya Kuchiki gazed deeply at Shigure, observing him with head slightly bowed, expression remaining perfectly composed.

After a prolonged moment, Byakuya closed his eyes and spoke in measured tones: "I understand, Captain-Commander, Captain Unohana."

Witnessing Byakuya Kuchiki's acquiescence, the remaining captains naturally abandoned any thoughts of pursuing the matter further.

As Captain-Commander, Yamamoto Genryūsai had always possessed unilateral decision-making authority.

Moreover, unlike the noble Byakuya Kuchiki, they didn't attach such profound significance to certain traditional protocols.

Thus, following their initial surprise, no one raised objections.

"It appears... for the foreseeable future, the Gotei 13 will effectively have fourteen captains..."

Kyōraku Shunsui remarked with an amused smile.

The surrounding captains immediately comprehended his meaning.

This time, due to Ukitake's illness-related absence, Shigure had attended as acting captain.

However, when Ukitake resumed attending meetings in the future...

Shigure would retain his right to participate as well.

In essence, he had virtually become... the concealed fourteenth captain!

Nevertheless, Kyōraku had specified "for the foreseeable future."

After all, given Shigure's demonstrated capabilities, he would inevitably become the genuine captain of the Thirteenth Division eventually.

At that point, the Acting Captain position would naturally become obsolete.

Having reached these conclusions, Shigure naturally understood the implications as well.

Yamamoto Genryūsai intended to directly elevate his standing within Seireitei, enabling him to stand as an equal among the thirteen captains.

However, since no captain position currently stood vacant, he had bestowed this authority upon Shigure instead.

At this juncture, Unohana Retsu inquired: "Captain-Commander, this matter... doesn't it require approval from Central 46?"

Yamamoto Genryūsai's expression remained unchanged as he replied with calm certainty: "Since I have spoken, I naturally possess the means to secure their agreement."

His words immediately caused the captains to feel a collective unease.

The Captain-Commander was displaying unusually forceful behavior toward Central 46—a rare occurrence indeed.

Clearly, he valued this decision tremendously.

No... more accurately, he valued Segawa Shigure tremendously...

Suì-Fēng regarded Shigure thoughtfully. Had this occurred before today, she would certainly have shared Byakuya Kuchiki's dissatisfaction with this decision.

However, after experiencing the afternoon's events alongside Shigure, she found herself instantly accepting this decree.

Beyond mere acceptance, she actually felt somewhat pleased on his behalf.

Observing that no captain wished to speak further, Yamamoto Genryūsai cleared his throat and declared:

"In that case, today's meeting concludes here."

"Dismissed!"

...

Moments later, Aizen Sōsuke departed the First Division barracks.

Walking alone along the path toward the Fifth Division, his features bore a subtle smile.

"Captain Aizen!"

The patrolling squad members, upon spotting Aizen, immediately offered respectful salutes with loud voices.

Aizen responded with his characteristic gentle smile.

Yet within his mind, he contemplated the events that had just transpired in the meeting.

"What a pity, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni..."

"You've placed your wager on the wrong person."

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

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