The Central 46 archive was a crypt—silent, lightless, heavy with secrets.
Aizen moved like a shadow between shelves of forbidden knowledge. He was supposed to be searching for Urahara's bankai case files. Instead, he found something even more tempting. Half-crushed under a broken shelf was a black folder, sealed with melted noble wax. Old. Forgotten. Or intentionally hidden.
He glanced aroundNot a single reishi signature in range.He slid the folder into his robes and walked out like nothing had happened.Back in his quarters, deep within Squad 5, he unsealed it under candlelight. Each page he read only widened his smirk.
"Tsunayashiro Tokinada… hmm I have heard that name somewhere?said aizen "Inside were butchered reports—some pages incomplete, some smeared with dried blood. There were fragmented notes of hollow-spiritual soul grafting, failed soul resonance tests, and worst of all, vague references to noble test subjects gone missing—some of whom were never reported dead.And one phrase kept popping up:"Subject Nine – merger successful, spiritual compatibility unstable."It was signed by none other than Tokinada himself.That's when the idea took form.
"The Letter"
Later that night, under a thick ink sky, Aizen dipped his brush in black ink and began writing on fresh paper—each stroke slow and deliberate.
To Lord Tokinada, of the Tsunayashiro Family Consider this a friendly warning… or perhaps a gift.Today, buried deep in Central 46's lowest archive, I found a file you may have lost track of—one sealed and erased from the registry. Subject Nine was fascinating, even in ruin. Hollow grafting on noble souls? That's more ambitious than I expected from someone of your political taste.But your work… It's sloppy. Chaotic. Unfinished. You're working with dull tools and restricted space. I can offer you better.Access to cleaner specimens. Real hollows. Adjuchas. Vasto Lorde—ones you could only dream of.But I want something in return. Your influence. Your shadows. Your silence.If my offer interests you, meet me in the 5th District, midnight.
Alone.we can help each other in creating something groundbreaking
— Sōsuke Aizen.
Tokinada's fingers lingered over the edges of the letter Aizen sent. He didn't speak for a long time. Just sat at the edge of a stone bench beneath the paper lanterns of his private garden, rereading the last lines over and over.
"I can provide what you need… if you like my proposal, meet me in the 5th District."
He folded the letter slowly and burned it in a nearby incense bowl, the smoke swirling up like a ghost. Aizen had done something not even his own men dared — accessed his black file, hidden under Central 46's private archive, sealed and forgotten.
And worse… he understood it.
Tokinada didn't react with rage. He reacted with interest.
"A man willing to play with corpses… might just be worth my time," he muttered to himself.
Still, trust was not a word Tokinada ever spoke. He wasn't stupid. He sent his private guards — silent killers handpicked from the Tsunayashiro estate — to monitor Aizen for ten days. They watched him walk, work, breathe. He never once looked nervous.
That made Tokinada nervous.
🕯️ One Week Later – Shrine of the Fifth District
The meeting place was quiet. An abandoned prayer shrine between old Rukongai roads. The kind of spot that once heard prayers, now only hearing secrets.
Tokinada arrived with only one guard, keeping the others outside the perimeter.Aizen was already waiting. Calm. Polished. Unbothered by the dust, or the absence of light.At his feet was a burlap sack. Twisted, large, still breathing — barely.Aizen: "As promised. Adjuchas class. Captured intact. No external damage."Tokinada tilted his head. He didn't speak right away. He walked slowly around the creature, noting its body: the thick shell, broken mask, twitching arms. Even in its passive state, the thing radiated killing instinct.Tokinada: "Impressive. Most captains can't get something this fresh without alerting the entire Seireitei."Aizen: "You said you wanted quality."
Tokinada: "And you delivered."He took one last look at the Hollow, then back at Aizen
Tokinada: "But protection from Captain Mohit? That is not something I give lightly. That man is… precise. He listens too well. And once he suspects, he never forgets."
Aizen didn't flinch: "That's why I came to you."Tokinada chuckled."You have nerve. I like that. But before we move forward, I need you to do something. Something… simple."Aizen raised an eyebrow.
"What?"Tokinada handed him a letter — sealed in white wax this time, with his family crest.: "Inside are four names. Elders of my clan. Politicians. Quiet men with too much influence and too little imagination. They voted to block my research. Called me unfit to lead. Called Hikone a mistake."He stepped closer now, lowering his voice.
Tokinada: "You will remove them. One by one. Cleanly. Without creating public panic.""And frame it on a fugitive noble named Jin.""That will give me full control of my clan. Then — and only then — you'll have what you want."Aizen took the letter. He didn't even open it right away.: "If I do this, I want more than silence. I want permanence. No spies. No sabotage. I want a laboratory—off Seireitei's books, under your name. With no interference."Tokinada smirked : "You're not asking for silence. You're asking for sovereignty.""Fine. Do this clean. Convince the world Jin killed them, and I'll hand you a laboratory under the Tsunayashiro banner. No captain will question it."
Then Tokinada turned away, but paused mid-step."Oh… and Aizen—"
"The specimen you brought? Beautiful work. I've already begun dissecting it."
"Do not disappoint me next time."
📍 Later That Night – Squad 5, Aizen's Chambers
The room was silent. Gin leaned against the window. Tosen stood near the door, arms crossed. Aizen read the names inside the letter with no emotion"Four nobles. Assassination. Frame the fifth."Gin: "Bit heavy for a first job, ain't it?"
Tosen: "It's a trap. He wants to see what you're capable of. If you're reckless. If you're clever."Aizen folded the letter and tucked it under a candle flame until it vanished. Aizen: "It's not a trap. It's a trust fall wrapped in blood.""We'll kill them.""And we'll leave no proof we were ever there."He turned toward the hollow mask fragment on his desk — the early prototype for his Hōgyoku research.
"Let's begin."