The only player in the world of Bleach

Only Yusuke Matsushita remained.

Now, Yusuke Matsushita watched from afar as Isshin Shiba, who looked bewildered yet whose expression gradually hardened, sighed with a smile.

It seems the matchmaker's mission has come to a temporary end. Being able to bring these two together and achieve a balance of power among the three forces within Kurosaki Masaki's body is essentially equivalent to declaring a stage victory.

It's practically a done deal that little strawberry will appear.

Old King Ling! I've maintained your script for you, how are you going to reward me?!

Of course, this is just talk... after all, Matsushita Yusuke hasn't actually had any contact with that guy yet...

From the perspective of the person involved, this is just one phase of the task; what's next?

What should we do, what path should we take, and how can we maximize our benefits?

These are the issues that Yusuke Matsushita needs to consider and deliberate on.

However, he did not feel anxious or upset, since Matsushita Yusuke now had plenty of time to think and deliberate.

Just as Aizen Sousuke said, proceed step by step, advancing gradually.

Only after everything has settled down can the net be closed in, in order to maximize profits in the literal sense.

If you lose your composure and reveal your plans prematurely, you'll only end up hurting yourself, the one who orchestrated the whole thing.

It can only be said that Aizen, as a teacher, is still making efforts. At least through his behavior of suppressing his inner desires today, Aizen has indeed taught Matsushita Yusuke a lot.

That's why it's so different to follow behind a capable person.

Whether as a leader or a guide, Aizen continues to point out specific directions for Matsushita Yusuke to this day.

He followed behind Aizen Sousuke, calmly stepping into the Dangaimon Gate, taking one last look at the night sky, which was completely different from Soul Society and appeared as a hazy gray expanse.

Ah, the world...

Although it's too 'distant' for Yusuke Matsushita right now, he can just wait a little longer.

Because after the next version, this will be the final battlefield!

Let's go!

The three returned to Soul Society and quickly resumed their respective posts, quietly waiting for quite some time...

"The Commander-in-Chief requests your presence!"

Seeing that his acquaintance, Chojiro, was visiting again, Matsushita Yusuke understood what was going on, tidied himself up a bit, and followed him.

As expected.

"I'll be right there."

Following the other party, Matsushita Yusuke moved into the First Division's meeting room and saw several familiar figures as he entered.

Aside from Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who sat in the main seat, Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro were by his side, and behind them...

Shiba Kaien was also in the meeting room this time.

Hearing the commotion, the group turned and looked over.

"Captain Matsushita is here..."

For some reason, Matsushita Yusuke felt that the tense atmosphere seemed to ease slightly after he arrived.

Without giving it too much thought, Matsushita Yusuke quickly stepped forward, nodded to everyone, and naturally sat down in a corner.

Ugh... meeting time.

After becoming the team leader, these kinds of things happen quite often.

Let's have some tea first, since we're in the first team and the Gong Cha tea is pretty good... If I want to drink it myself, I'll have to pay for it.

Matsushita Yusuke naturally picked up the bamboo cup in front of him and took two sips.

Then...

He realized that something seemed amiss.

He put down the bamboo cup, glanced to the side, and found that everyone present was looking at him.

"...???"

Sitting next to him, Shiba Kaien leaned in and whispered something.

'Captain Matsushita, please move to the front... this is not your seat...'

position.

This thing sounds simple, but it's actually quite complex within the Gotei 13.

After all, it was a feudal society, and the positions one was in were very different whether it was a meeting or a banquet.

Normally, only Yamamoto's right-hand men, confidants, or captains who are relatively trustworthy are allowed to sit near him.

—Has the old man suddenly gone crazy? Why did he suddenly make me lean over?

Although that's how I initially thought about it, if I think about it carefully, considering Matsushita Yusuke's current level of strength... he's probably one of the few 'strong' members of the Gotei 13 who can be considered formidable.

Even if you're holding your nose, you still have to say a few words of praise...

Matsushita Yusuke moved over with his cup and sat down next to Ukitake, but the handsome white-haired man stopped him by tugging at his sleeve with a smile.

"Ahem... Captain Matsushita, please sit over there."

The person in question looked in the direction the other party was pointing and found that it was the first seat on Yamamoto's right.

"...?"

Isn't this too close? I feel a little scared.

There's always this anxiety that Yamamoto might suddenly strike and stab you, and you can't dodge it even if you want to.

"Matsushita, come here."

Since Yamamoto had already urged him, it seemed there was no way to refuse. He felt a little uneasy, so he could only sigh and step forward.

and so……

"What problems are there today?"

"It's very serious."

Seeing Matsushita Yuzuru sit down, Yamamoto breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then spoke in a serious tone.

"Shiba Isshin has disappeared."

Sure enough, this is it.

When he returned from the present world, Yusuke Matsushita had roughly predicted this situation.

As a team leader, being absent from one's post at the beginning could be temporarily considered 'dereliction of duty,' perhaps because one suddenly wanted to slack off.

Even other members of the team would help provide cover.

After all, strictly speaking, this is a family matter. If people from other squads get involved, it will only escalate the situation and make everyone uncomfortable.

So when it was truly discovered that Shiba Isshin was missing...

"About a week ago."

"I said firmly," said Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.

"We learned the approximate time from the members of the 10th Division and searched some places he frequented... but we couldn't find Shiba Isshin at all."

It was as if he vanished into thin air.

But everyone knows that this is absolutely impossible... especially Yusuke Matsushita.

He frowned slightly and pondered for a moment, then spoke softly.

"A week ago? To be honest, it's been about two weeks since I last saw him."

Two weeks ago.

It was during the time when Matsushita Yusuke and Shiba were focused on their mission.

"We did keep in touch because of the joint patrol work, but I haven't seen him recently... Has Shiba Isshin disappeared?"

Yamamoto nodded solemnly and sighed.

"You haven't seen him these days either? That's troublesome... We've almost completely lost all information about him."

The claim of being missing is even more exaggerated than the claim of defeat.

Because at least the latter has traces to follow, but now even the whereabouts of Shiba Isshin cannot be found, and there is no conclusion as to whether he is dead or alive.

And this is exactly the 'effect' that Aizen Sousuke wanted to create.

When he returned to the Gotei 13, Matsushita Yusuke originally intended to report the matter in his personal capacity.

They said it was a sudden attack or something—but this claim was refuted by Aizen.

"Don't take the blame upon yourself. The more questions Yamamoto asks, the more energy we need to fabricate. Rather than setting up our own schemes for the enemy to uncover, it's better to release completely false signals from the beginning and mislead their judgment."

Using the ability of Kyoka Suigetsu, Aizen created the illusion that Shiba Isshin continued to operate normally for several days before removing it.

Without a doubt, the current Gotei 13 has indeed entered a state of 'headless chaos'.

Illusion magic is really useful.

With a sigh, Matsushita Yusuke watched as Yamamoto scratched his head, looking quite troubled.

Another team leader lost... What on earth happened?!

P.S.: The author next door has started a new book; those who like stories about magic can check it out.

Jujutsu Kaisen: The Number One Villain

264: The organization has decided to put you in charge.

Realizing that there might be no clues from Matsushita Yusuke either, Yamamoto's expression became very serious.

Not only the captain who had worked with him, but even his subordinates and relatives of the same clan had no idea where he had gone.

This phenomenon, which seemed to vanish into thin air, caused Yamamoto to silently close his eyes.

"……Why."

The captains kept disappearing and betraying their teams.

Yamamoto can be said to be sorrowful in the literal sense.

Even though I'm already this old, I still have to go through all this mess.

Unfortunately, the opponent was a strange thing that was 'invisible,' 'ungraspable,' and 'intangible'... This made the old man feel like he had a lot of martial arts skills but no way to use them.

The invincible old man of the mountain was once again manipulated by the illusion of life.

Seeing that aged and helpless expression, even someone as bitter and resentful as Matsushita Yusuke felt relieved at that moment.

—Even though you almost killed me several times, looking at your constipated expression, we're probably even.

"Uncle Shan, are we just supposed to sit here and wait to die like this?"

Although Kyoraku Shunsui spoke in a calm tone, one could probably sense that he was somewhat emotional.

The reason is also very simple.

Kyoraku Shunsui has stopped laughing...

This guy, who usually has a cynical look and seems uninterested in anything, is now showing a rare serious expression.

"Although similar things have happened before, now that Captain Shiba is in trouble, I think we should do something."

Jushiro Ukitake glanced at him, but didn't speak immediately. Instead, he shrank back slightly and coughed softly as he spoke.

"So what can we do now? We have no leads whatsoever. Are you planning to launch a purge within Team Thirteen?"

"That's still better than sitting here and waiting to die. I can't tolerate this situation continuing."

"You need to understand your own identity and position first... Kyoraku, we are members of the Gotei 13, and our main responsibility is to maintain stability."

"Sacrificing our captain, like a mysterious priest offering up our comrades for a moment of peace? Don't you think this behavior is too bizarre and strange?"

"Please be mindful of your words and actions in front of the Commander-in-Chief."

They started arguing.

But there was nothing unexpected about Yusuke Matsushita.