The halls of the 1st Division barracks were quieter than usual. A heavy air lingered, thick with anticipation.
Head Captain Yamamoto sat cross-legged behind a wide, scroll-covered desk. His eyes, old and sharp as folded steel, narrowed at the stack of formal letters laid before him. These were not casual dispatches. These were declarations, petitions signed and sealed by names so historically heavy they might as well have cracked the Seireitei stone they rested on.
Yamamoto picked the first.
Letter of Formal Petition – Liberation of Squad 10 from Noble Guard Protocol
Submitted jointly by:
Captain Jushiro Ukitake (13th Division)
Captain Shunsui Kyoraku (8th Division)
Former Commander Yoruichi Shihoin
Captain Shinji Hirako (5th Division)
Captain Arthur (11th Division)
Captain Love Aikawa (7th Division)
Captain Rose Otoribashi (3rd Division)
Summary of Motion:
In accordance with Central 46 Article 88-b (Non-interference of Military Squads in Extended Noble Service) and Article 112-c (Proportional Distribution of Guard Duty), we hereby submit this formal motion:
That the duties of Squad 10 under enforced noble protection protocol be immediately suspended, and the squad returned to standard operation as per military regulation.
Grounds for this motion include:
Excessive term of noble guard service (9 years continuous).
Absence of rotation protocol as per C46 Articles.
Political coercion by Tsunayashiro representatives.
Evidence of misuse of guard command hierarchy, especially toward Captain Mohit and Lieutenant Isshin Shiba.
Furthermore, given the renewed political legitimacy of the Shiba Clan under Head Isshin Shiba, and the official support of the Ukitake and Kyoraku clans, we believe the time has come for the Shiba family to resume equal footing within noble council matters.
As Yamamoto read, his eyes glinted—not in surprise, but interest. Shunsui. Ukitake. Shihoin. These weren't names one ignored lightly. And yet, as soon as word of this proposal leaked, the Tsunayashiro Clan retaliated like a wounded beast.
Scene Cut: Tsunayashiro Compound, Inner Council Room
In a room carved of black cedar and ivory, Tokinada Tsunayashiro stood with arms crossed, facing five seated clan elders.
"I warned you this would happen," he said coolly, voice dripping with bitter pride. "I told you—allowing a mongrel like Isshin Shiba to rise would lead to this farce."
One elder slammed his fist. "How dare they try to remove our personal protection!? Squad 10 is ours by decree!"
Another, more aged, shook his head slowly. "By temporary decree. We extended it far beyond its intended term. This petition is dangerous, Tokinada."
Tokinada walked to the paper sliding doors and stared at the garden beyond.
"It's not dangerous," he replied. "It's warfare. Political warfare. And clearly, that bastard Mohit knew how to play his pieces. Kukaku with Kyoraku. Shiba's revival with Ukitake. This isn't just about freeing a squad—it's about dismantling our leash over the Gotei 13."
One younger noble leaned forward. "Shall we block the motion through Central 46?"
Tokinada smirked. "No. We'll oppose it formally—we'll send our own signed motion. Claim that Squad 10's continued presence is necessary for 'noble stability' and that removing them now could 'trigger unrest.' But it's a delay, not a solution. And Mohit knows it."
Scene Cut: Squad 10 War Room – Days Later
Mohit stood before his seated officers. Kukaku was present, her demeanor regal and sharp—draped in subtle robes signifying her Shiba status.
Isshin leaned on a post, chewing a toothpick, but alert.
Mohit raised a parchment.
"The head captain has summoned a formal council in three days. All clans involved will present arguments. This is it. The endgame."
Kukaku stepped forward. "Let me speak for the Shiba. I've trained under Kyoraku-Taicho. I know the formal dialects now. And I know Tokinada's weaknesses."
Mohit nodded. "Very well. Isshin?"
Isshin stood straight, no longer the boisterous goof—today, he was the Clan Head of the Shiba, and every step showed it.
"I'll give the speech of my life. I swear it."
Scene: Central 46 Political Hall – The Gathering
The hall brimmed with silent intensity. Banners of various noble clans draped across the stone pillars.
Tsunayashiro Clan was seated left, in black.
Shiba Clan, flanked by neutral nobles, sat right.
At the head: Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
Shunsui sipped quietly beside Ukitake, who kept a hand on his sword hilt. Yoruichi, in civilian robes, stood in the back as observer.
Yamamoto opened:
"Let the petition be heard. Speak now."
Kukaku rose, in full formal wear. She bowed perfectly, and then spoke:
"Honored elders, for nine years Squad 10 has served the noble clans with diligence unmatched. Yet even loyalty has boundaries when it becomes exploitation.
Article 88-b grants military squads freedom from prolonged noble servitude. Yet here we stand—a squad stripped of its true role, reduced to bodyguards and errand dogs for power-hungry families.
The Shiba Clan stands not only for its own return to nobility—but for the justice denied to Captain Mohit, whose squad has suffered long in silence.
If you deny this motion, you declare to all of Soul Society that the Gotei 13 is no longer a military force—but a private army of nobles."
Gasps. A few elders shifted.
Tokinada stood with that same smile he wore the day Gin was framed.
"Bold words. But if we unshackle Squad 10, what's next? Allowing peasants into noble halls? Removing guards just as threats rise in the Rukon District?
The Shiba were stripped of power for failure. Now they return not with strength—but with sympathy votes and backroom dealings.
This is not justice. It is a popularity contest. And Central 46 should not be governed by sentiment."
Mohit watched, stone-faced.
Yamamoto lifted a hand. "Enough. The vote will be cast."
Scrolls were passed. Wax seals applied.
After ten tense minutes, the decision was handed to Yamamoto.
He stood, his presence silencing all.
"By a majority vote, the motion is carried.
Squad 10 is to be released from Noble Guard Protocol effective immediately.
Captain Mohit and Lieutenant Isshin Shiba shall return to full operation within standard Gotei 13 command structure.
Furthermore, the Shiba Clan is hereby reinstated as an active noble house, recognized by both the Kyoraku and Ukitake branches."
Silence. Then murmurs. Then ripples of shock.
Tokinada sat down, fists tight beneath the table.
Aftermath Scene: Squad 10 Barracks
Mohit stood at the gates as his squad returned from final patrol.
"I have news," he said.
One by one, they stopped. Looked at him.
"You're free."
Shock. Then joy. Then tears.
Isshin clapped Kukaku on the back, grinning ear to ear. "You pulled it off, sis."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't go soft on me now, big bro."
Mohit finally allowed himself a smile. A small one. But real.
He looked up at the sky.
(Inner Monologue)
"The game of politics is not about swords drawn…
It's about when not to draw them.