Night fell, leaving behind a Shadow Clone as a cover, Uehara Shirayuki silently made his way towards the noble district of Seireitei.
The noble district was located east of the Sixth Division's barracks, roughly in the heart of Seireitei.
Its central area was lined with luxurious mansions, medical institutions, high-end culinary establishments, and other facilities exclusive to the nobles.
Unless one was a noble themselves or had obtained permission, even a captain-level Shinigami wouldn't be qualified to set foot in this place.
Actually, if one wasn't averse to it, the Seireitei's sewer system could also be used to approach the noble district.
However, Uehara Shirayuki, possessing the ability to Hollowfy, naturally wouldn't need to resort to such means.
The security measures of the noble district, while not as absurd as the Seireitei's defenses leading to the Soul King Palace, were still not to be underestimated.
Along the way, Uehara Shirayuki had already detected several invisible barriers and obstacles made of Killing Stones.
Even an ordinary captain-level Shinigami wouldn't find it easy to break through these defenses.
But these obstacles were completely nonexistent for Uehara Shirayuki in his Hollowfied state.
As he moved forward, he mused to himself that it would be great if he could draw a tool similar to the Marauder's Map from Harry Potter.
Would that map be bustling with activity?
On the surface, Seireitei appeared peaceful and harmonious.
In reality, it was a place teeming with hidden talents, a chaotic dance of demons. As night fell, all sorts of strange and wicked beings would emerge to roam.
There was Aizen, who loved to learn, the kind older sister who cared for her younger brother, Nēmu who fiddled with experimental materials, Tousen Kaname who observed from the shadows, and Gin Ichimaru, who was preparing to "wipe out his entire clan" ...
Each of them possessed unique skills.
But none of them could "surpass" his Hollowfication ability.
Moving effortlessly, Uehara Shirayuki soon arrived at the central area of the noble district.
There, he saw mansions one after another.
One of them, with a distinct nouveau riche vibe, had a nameplate that read "Omaeda".
This must be the Omaeda family mansion. They were a famous nouveau riche family in the Shinigami world, obscenely wealthy.
"Former God" Omaeda Marechiyo was just a vice-captain, yet he could easily buy a gemstone mine.
However, at this point, Omaeda Marechiyo hadn't yet taken up the positions of Second Division vice-captain and Hidden Mobile Corps Second Division captain.
This was because his father, Omaeda Marechijō, had just retired and hadn't fully completed the handover process.
These days, Omaeda Marechijō and some of the veteran Executioners should be guarding the vicinity of the Kuchiki family mansion, just in case.
In that location, Uehara Shirayuki vaguely sensed several spiritual pressures. Clearly, with Kuchiki Rukia's defection, there were forces that had set their sights on this juicy piece of the pie.
Although these nobles were like those twisted nationalists, with the concept of "hierarchy" and "rules" deeply ingrained in their bones, "uprising" was also part of their tradition.
Don't forget that the power of the Five Great Noble Families stemmed from their backstabbing of the Soul King.
If anyone truly believed that abiding by the rules would ensure their safety, they would be eaten to the bone.
The Five Great Noble Families weren't a monolithic entity. They were constantly calculating and plotting against each other, engaging in endless secret struggles.
Thinking about this, Uehara Shirayuki looked up and saw an exceptionally luxurious building.
This mansion was significantly taller than all the other buildings in the vicinity.
Its roof was long, wide, and extravagant.
The prevailing architectural style of Soul Society resembled that of the Heian Period. The buildings along the streets were mostly four-cornered structures with white walls and red tile roofs.
The style was simple, blending into nature. With the exception of special facilities, they rarely exceeded three stories.
This was true even for the noble mansions of the noble district.
Kuchiki Byakuya's single "Silver White Flowing Silk" was worth ten buildings. He was rich, wasn't he?
But the Kuchiki family mansion, located in the opposite direction, was simply ordinary. It wasn't like this current mansion, which seemed to be proclaiming itself as the ruler of this place.
And this was the mansion of the Gin family. It was the Gin family who, back in the day, had been the first to stab the Soul King in the back and ruthlessly dismembered him.
"Overbearing arrogance, you're asking for death!" Uehara Shirayuki instantly condemned the Gin family to death in his heart.
He couldn't stand the extravagant wealth of the other nobles either. A single street monopolizing ninety-nine percent of Seireitei's wealth and resources, was that fair?
Uehara Shirayuki decided to take action to break the wealth disparity in Seireitei.
He was going to reclaim justice for the people of Soul Society.
Besides, while he wasn't sure, perhaps the Gin family had already targeted him, intending to manipulate him.
This was already a death sentence.
With time running out, Uehara Shirayuki didn't hesitate. He immediately sent his Shadow Clone to "randomly select a lucky victim".
…
The next day, news spread throughout the noble district, causing a major stir among the major noble families.
Last night, Gin Kumakawa, a member of the Gin family head branch, had been murdered. The only evidence found at the scene was a symbol of the Executioners.
Although Gin Kumakawa had a bad reputation, he was notorious for his evil deeds and had several lives on his hands.
But for the Gin family, what were a few lowly lives? They were like ants, so who would care if they died?
The Gin family, who always considered themselves superior to the other Five Great Noble Families, looked down upon the Shinigami, the commoners, and even the lower-ranking nobles.
Shinigami could die easily, commoners could die easily, but a noble Gin family member couldn't just die for no reason.
This was an insult, a disgrace.
Therefore, the Gin family immediately put pressure on the Central 46.
Generally, internal affairs of the Five Great Noble Families and major decisions concerning Soul Society were decided by the "Golden Seal Noble Assembly".
The Golden Seal Noble Assembly was a subordinate body of the Five Great Noble Families and held a position above the Central 46.
While the Central 46 was primarily responsible for handling matters related to the Gotei 13, managing the daily affairs of Seireitei, and establishing relevant rules, it was the Gotei 13 and the Hidden Mobile Corps who were ultimately responsible for execution.
So in the end, the responsibility fell to Yamamoto, the Head Captain.
At that moment, the old man stood with his staff, eyes closed, and asked:
"Last night, a member of the Gin family was murdered. The scene contained a symbol of the Executioners.
What's going on here?"
Although the Hidden Mobile Corps was nominally part of the Second Division, in reality, its ownership belonged to the major noble families.
The Hidden Mobile Corps served as a buffer, preventing direct conflict between Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and the noble families.
This way, both sides could save face.
But with Kuchiki Rukia's escape from Soul Society, the situation had changed.
"I have no idea, Head Captain!" Yoruichi was also dumbfounded. Could it be that the Kuchiki family was going to clash with the Gin family?
She hadn't heard anything about it.
Her head was spinning.
Yoruichi felt like she hadn't had a moment's peace since encountering that Uehara Shirayuki.
Not long ago, two Executioners were labeled as accomplices to a thief by Uehara Shirayuki and then frozen solid.
That case hadn't been resolved yet, and Uehara Shirayuki, the perpetrator, hadn't received the punishment he deserved.
Yoruichi was already furious, and now this incident had happened. It was just...