The Head (首)"Conduct an autopsy on Tsunayashiro Tokinada."

This was the decree from the renowned Kin'in Council.

The director of the Shin'o Medical Institute, upon receiving the order, declared without hesitation, as though addressing a trivial matter:

"No doctor would look at a headless corpse and claim it to be alive. If one does, they're a fraud, not a doctor."

According to the testimony of a household servant, the headless body, clothed in the master's garments, was found lying in a pool of blood in the room used by the head of the Tsunayashiro family.

"Fool We need only determine if this is Tsunayashiro Tokinada himself."

The middle-aged bureaucrat, whose demeanor was nothing if not pointlessly authoritative, reprimanded the director.

At this, Seinosuke raised an eyebrow, as if finally grasping the situation.

"Ah, I see. You suspect Tokinada might still be alive"
"Y-you just said this is a corpse"
"Indeed. However, I have yet to confirm that this is Tokinada himself. And neither have you."

The bald bureaucrat, now rendered speechless, stood gaping like an octopus. Ignoring him, Seinosuke efficiently began preparing the autopsy table and documentation with practiced movements.

The recent incident — Aizen Sōsuke's rebellion — was still fresh in everyone's memory. Even Unohana Retsu had been deceived by an exquisitely crafted gigai, though it had unfortunately been destroyed before Seinosuke could examine it.
If this body were such a gigai, it would be an intriguing discovery. However, it would also imply that Tokinada was still alive.

Even if that were the case, crafting a decoy realistic enough to withstand scrutiny by Seinosuke or the Fourth Division would be child's play for Tokinada. He was thorough when it suited him, but maddeningly careless about what he deemed trivial.

Seinosuke had always thought this was Tokinada’s fatal flaw. The man didn't care to maintain a lie indefinitely; he relished the moment his opponent uncovered the truth, savoring their shock and fear.

As a doctor, Seinosuke saw only a lifeless corpse before him. Yet, as a man familiar with Tokinada's twisted nature, he knew that the man found pleasure in having his deceptions revealed.

The oppressive spiritual pressure lingering faintly around the body ruled out the possibility of a mere body double.

Growing tired of the bureaucrat's incessant prattling, Seinosuke kicked him out of the examination room.

It was late at night. Alone in the facility, under the shadowless light of the examination lamp, Seinosuke began his one-sided conversation with the corpse.

"Honestly... ever since you became head of the family, it's been one headache after another for me. I've been shadowed by the Captain-Commander and forced to work for free in my spare time."

Of course, the corpse offered no response. Tokinada had never been the listening type, anyway.

Seinosuke scrutinized the body once more. It had been dead for two days. The white, waxy skin from the neck to the chest bore countless small holes, resembling a beehive.

Despite this extensive damage, the deeper tissues showed only minimal decay, retaining a faint reddish hue.
From the blood loss, it was clear that death had been caused by a fatal wound to the heart. However, that wound had not been inflicted first.

The numerous stab wounds from a small blade — far smaller than a zanpakutō — suggested that the victim had been defenseless, with no remaining spiritual energy to retaliate.

"Such recklessness... Did you really want to die that badly"

Seinosuke let out a wry smile. The neck wound suggested the head had been severed postmortem, though the purpose remained unclear.

For a Shinigami autopsy, dissection was unnecessary.
Placing his left hand on the corpse’s cold chest, Seinosuke channeled his spiritual energy gently into the body.

He examined the shattered Chain of Fate and the lingering remnants of the soul.

The Chain of Fate and Saketsu could be physically destroyed. But the soul That required either a Hollow’s devouring or a zanpakutō with soul-destroying abilities.

In this case, the soul hadn’t been damaged from the outside. It had been torn apart from within.

The remnants showed that the soul had withstood the damage for years but had finally succumbed in its last moments. It was as fragile and fleeting as a dandelion seed, dispersing with the slightest gust of wind.

Seinosuke knew this soul's original form. He knew the unblemished white back of the corpse, the location of the branding mark from Tokinada’s time in prison, and the meticulously trimmed toenails.

He had even witnessed the ritualistic painting of Tokinada’s olive-colored eyes with iridescent ink in the early mornings.

The only thing he did not know was the whereabouts of the missing head.

Pushing aside these unnecessary memories, Seinosuke concluded that this was indeed the body of Tsunayashiro Tokinada.

He could explain this without revealing his personal connection to Tokinada. But would the antiquated minds of the Kin'in Council grasp the nuances of soul structure and spiritual degradation Probably not.

Furthermore, revealing the ability of the Tsunayashiro family’s heirloom zanpakutō would undoubtedly invite repercussions.
Though their house was already in decline, this would give their rivals cause for vengeance.

Seinosuke sighed, lamenting his misfortune in being tied to noble society.

Suddenly, a loud **bang** echoed as the examination room door was struck, and the bald bureaucrat slithered back in without waiting for permission.

"There was a suspicious fluctuation of spiritual energy"
"Do you think I'm reviving him"
"They say you can save anyone"
"That's quite the compliment, but I'm no god. This body won't move again."

Seinosuke’s tone was dismissive.

"Maybe you should hand it over to the Twelfth Division I hear the current captain has been turning corpses into zombies for experiments. Though without a head, it'll just be a lump of regenerating meat."

The bureaucrat scowled, face reddening with rage.

"Y-you... insolent—"
"Calm down. The corpse is indeed Tokinada. I'll prepare the official report. Pick it up in the morning."

Relieved, the bureaucrat seemed to deflate. His anger faded, and he hurried to complete his task.

Several other men, similarly octopus-faced, entered the room to collect the body.

"We'll take it now."
"Can’t you wait until I finish the report"
"No. Orders from above."

Seinosuke sighed.

"Then relay this message to your superiors: This corpse has already been desecrated enough. Please, no more. That’s my plea as the examining doctor."

He added a small lie at the end to cover his tracks. But it wasn't entirely untrue.

Though Seinosuke valued life above all, he held respect for the dead. Even if this particular corpse had been a notorious threat in life.

As dawn approached, Seinosuke completed the stack of autopsy reports.

However, no one from the Kin'in Council ever came to retrieve them.

In the end, Tokinada’s death — along with all related matters — was buried in obscurity, fading into forgotten history.

Even now, Seinosuke remains unaware of the whereabouts of Tokinada's severed head.