CHAPTER 479: CHAPTER 479: SOUL SOCIETY WEST BRANCH

The mood in the joint training ground was steadily intensifying. All around, injured Shinigami and Quincy sparring partners were clutching their arms and legs, crying out in pain.

Although the exercise avoided fatal injuries, the swords and Kidō used in combat were real—so getting hurt was unavoidable.

Just then, Masatsuki Aozaki was about to dig deeper into the details of his future family members when Nanao Ise suddenly appeared, seemingly out of thin air.

She relayed,

"Captain-Commander, Lieutenant Aizen is looking for you."

Masatsuki Aozaki’s brows immediately furrowed.

It wasn’t that he had any issues with Aizen—it just puzzled him why a Lieutenant wasn’t managing his duties in the squad and had instead come looking for him.

He silently wondered,

"Is he here to catch me slacking off?"

But he quickly shook his head and dismissed the thought.

After all, it wasn’t like neglecting his duties was anything new.

Besides, how could the actions of the Captain-Commander be called slacking?

It was a clear sign of his trust in Aizen’s capabilities!

And this was a major event—joint exercises across the Divisions. Of course, as Captain-Commander, it made perfect sense for him to oversee things personally!

It had to be something else.

Masatsuki rubbed his chin, thinking it over.

He began reflecting seriously on whether he had done anything recently that might cause trouble.

Up until the day before the day before yesterday, he’d been slacking off in Hueco Mundo—for six straight months.

The day before yesterday, after returning, he’d gone with Senna to the Valley of Screams in the Dangai... to keep slacking off.

And yesterday? He’d gone with Nozomi Kujō to the World of the Living to slack off again.

Looking back, it seemed his life had been nothing but slacking off lately.

Masatsuki reviewed his uneventful past and reassured himself—there was nothing Aizen could use to lecture him.

Then, rubbing his chin, he turned to Nanao Ise.

"Nanao, that Aizen guy... what does the Lieutenant want with me?"

Nanao Ise shook her head. She didn’t know the specifics, only that Masatsuki needed to go in person.

Masatsuki rubbed his chin again, paused to think, then said to Aura Michibane,

"Aura, you take the little one home first. I’ll be back soon. Retsu, I’ll leave things here to you for now."

"Nanao, let’s go!"

Masatsuki’s lazy voice rang out as he stuffed his hands into his sleeves, turned, and walked off.

Retsu Unohana immediately took over and began coordinating the field with practiced precision.

From the smoothness of her response, it was clear—this wasn’t the first time Masatsuki had left everything to her.

Nanao Ise sighed helplessly. This elder sister didn’t even complain or tease him—a sign of just how much she spoiled Masatsuki Aozaki.

...

Masatsuki and Nanao made their way to the 1st Division.

Along the way, they chatted about mundane things, not touching on official matters at all.

When they arrived, they passed through the corridor and reached the door of the Captain-Commander’s office.

Masatsuki’s heart tensed slightly. He thought to himself,

Looks like this is official business. Aizen wouldn’t choose such a formal setting otherwise.

Still, it probably isn’t that serious. If it were, Nanao wouldn’t have been the one to come get me.

With that thought, his mood lightened. He grinned, swaying casually as he pushed open the door.

Inside, he saw Aizen kneeling in front of the desk.

One hand held a teacup, while the other tapped lightly on the desktop.

His eyes were fixed on an envelope, as if deep in thought.

"A letter? Did it come from the Soul King Palace?"

Masatsuki Aozaki looked puzzled.

At this point, the only place in all of Seireitei still using letters for communication was the Soul King Palace. After all, last time it had been a letter that tricked Kirio Hikifune and Senjumaru Shutara into coming down.

He walked slowly to the seat at the head of the room and sat down with practiced ease.

Staring straight ahead, he spoke casually and to the point.

"Sōsuke, what’s going on? Why did you call me here?"

Nanao Ise stood quietly behind him, also casting a curious glance.

Aizen glanced briefly at her, then shifted his gaze to Masatsuki and gently placed the letter on the table.

Masatsuki glanced at the open envelope and was surprised to see it written in English. His curiosity grew stronger.

But in his past life, he’d been terrible at English, and he hadn’t bothered to improve in this one either. Even if he recognized every letter, it still made no sense to him.

Aizen’s voice was calm and deliberate as he spoke.

"It’s nothing especially urgent. We just received some new information regarding the Wandenreich."

"After evaluating it thoroughly, I still believe that even though their threat has significantly diminished..."

"Yhwach, being the son of the Soul King, remains a potential danger. That’s why I felt you should hear this first."

Masatsuki’s expression turned serious in an instant. His brow furrowed, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

"So he’s finally resurfaced after hiding all this time? Where is that brat? I’ll deal with him right now!"

Aizen gave a faint smile, one laced with a hint of amusement.

"No rush. He’s not going anywhere. Let’s talk about the letter first. You’ve been Captain-Commander for quite a while now—you’ve heard of the West Branch of the Soul Society, haven’t you?"

"Huh?"

Masatsuki blinked, clearly confused.

He could barely recall the finer details of Bleach’s storyline anymore. Even if this short arc was set in the same universe, how was he supposed to remember something like that?

To him, those three words were, at best, a vaguely familiar place name.

Aizen, seeing his reaction, didn’t seem surprised and replied calmly,

"It’s perfectly normal if you don’t know. After all, the Soul Society hasn’t had any contact with them in over a thousand years."

He paused for a moment, then continued.

"If I hadn’t studied the Tsunayashiro Clan’s archive thoroughly, I probably wouldn’t know this place existed either."

"A thousand years ago, when Yhwach led the Quincy in their invasion, he escaped from that territory."

Masatsuki didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he sank into deep thought, trying to digest the meaning behind Aizen’s words.

The idea of Yhwach coming from the West didn’t really surprise him.

From their names, attire, mannerisms, and even lifestyle, everything about them felt fundamentally different from the East.

Thinking of Westerners, he recalled his first encounter with Kūgo Ginjō.

That blond-haired, blue-eyed priest had referred to Hollows as "dragons," and had even been ridiculed by Shinigami stationed in the World of the Living.

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now that he considered it, he vaguely remembered that the "dragon" was somehow connected to this so-called West Branch. It might be something akin to the Hollows.

That faint memory stirred a spark of curiosity in him.

And with it, his interest in this West Branch began to grow.

Thinking along those lines, he asked directly:

"Sōsuke, what exactly is this Soul Society West Branch? Is it the Wandenreich’s old base?"