Kenpachi Zaraki Comes to Challenge Him

Besides, even Kenpachi Saki had been no match for him. No matter how strong Tokoyo Misao was in actual combat, the gap in rei'i was plain to see. There was no way he could win.

Yachiru Kusajishi held her head high, the corners of her mouth curling into an exceedingly cute, happy smile.

"Because he likes fighting. He's happiest when he's fighting."

Faced with that seemingly innocent smile, Iba froze, at a loss for words.

Tokoyo Misao reached out and rubbed Yachiru Kusajishi's head, answering softly:

"I'm not ready yet. If you want Zaraki to have the fight that makes him happiest, now isn't the time."

"Really?" Yachiru Kusajishi tilted her head and stared at Tokoyo Misao for a moment. "Then hurry up and get ready."

With that, she skipped back to the center of the training ground and scampered up from Zaraki's feet to his shoulder. She whispered in his ear:

"He's not ready yet."

"Tch, how boring." Zaraki lowered the sword in his hand, his interest fading. He looked over the crowd again and asked:

"Doesn't anyone want to avenge this guy?"

The assembled squad members remained utterly silent.

"What you just fought was a Kenpachi Duel. It's been an 11th Division tradition for as long as anyone can remember. Whoever wins inherits the title of Kenpachi."

Tokoyo Misao spoke as he walked toward the center of the training ground.

He was still a member of the 11th Division for the time being, so none of the other squad members objected to him explaining.

He walked over to Saki's body and looked down.

He hadn't expected the white haori that marked Saki as a captain to have survived Zaraki's slash intact.

Or had Kenpachi Saki known he was no match for Zaraki and chosen to protect the Captain's Haori at the moment the blade came down?

Tokoyo Misao crouched, removed the haori from Saki's body, then walked over to Zaraki and handed it to him.

"Put it on. From now on, you're the captain of the 11th Division, Kenpachi Zaraki."

In fact, Zaraki had never once introduced himself since arriving.

But when he heard Tokoyo Misao call him Kenpachi Zaraki, he thought the name and title sounded pretty good.

He took the Captain's Haori and draped it over his other shoulder rather than putting it on. Then he said:

"I came here for one thing: fighting."

"Anyone who can't keep up, or isn't interested in fighting, can leave."

The squad members around them finally broke their silence and began murmuring among themselves.

The new Kenpachi's style was completely different from that of his predecessor Saki and Azashiro before him.

Saki could be said to have inherited Kenpachi Azashiro's style entirely. Both had been relatively quiet and reserved, and followed the rules.

But the beastlike new Kenpachi before them left many of them feeling uneasy.

They didn't think they could follow this man into battle.

At that moment, Kiyoyuki Yamanaka shouted from the corridor:

"Captain Kenpachi Zaraki has spoken. Anyone who wants to leave the division should go back to their room and think it over. Bring me all the paperwork tomorrow."

The squad members looked over and saw that Kiyoyuki Yamanaka was already holding a transfer request.

They understood at once that Kiyoyuki Yamanaka intended to leave.

Kenpachi Zaraki waved a hand and said, "Do what that guy said. Go back and think it over."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sheet of white paper appeared before him.

"Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, sorry for the trouble, but could you sign my transfer request first?"

"Oh, if you really can't, a fingerprint will do."

Tokoyo Misao had thought of everything and already brought out an ink pad.

Seeing that Kenpachi Zaraki still looked a little confused, he continued:

"You just said that anyone unwilling to fight alongside you could apply to leave."

"All right." Kenpachi Zaraki finally pressed a finger onto the ink pad, then onto the corner of the transfer request, leaving his fingerprint.

Tokoyo Misao quickly tucked the request back inside his robes.

By then, the squad members had all left to consider whether they wanted to transfer divisions.

Kiyoyuki Yamanaka walked to the center of the training ground and used the needle and thread in his hands to sew Saki's body back together, stitch by stitch.

When he finished, he bowed to Kenpachi Zaraki, then pointed toward the barracks beside the training ground.

"Captain Zaraki, from now on, everything the 11th Division owns is yours."

"Ah, great! We get to live in a big house!" Yachiru Kusajishi cried happily, patting Kenpachi Zaraki's head repeatedly with her little hand.

Zaraki frowned. "That guy I just cut down definitely wasn't the strongest."

"Who's the strongest one, anyway?"

Kiyoyuki Yamanaka froze, unsure how to answer.

At that moment, Tokoyo Misao said with a smile:

"There's a Soul Reaper in Soul Society who's been acknowledged as the strongest for a thousand years."

"His presence safeguards all of Seireitei and Soul Society."

"Any enemy before him will be reduced to nothing."

"If you really want to find the strongest person in Soul Society right now, he's the only one."

"An old man?" Kenpachi Zaraki said dismissively. "There's no fun in cutting down an old man."

"Don't worry, Captain Zaraki. That old man is the captain-commander of the Gotei 13, the pinnacle of Soul Reapers, the strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years and captain of the First Division, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai."

Tokoyo Misao maintained his gentle smile and turned his gaze to Yachiru Kusajishi.

"He's much stronger than I am now."

"Really? What about when you're ready?" Yachiru Kusajishi's eyes lit up, and she asked the question excitedly.

"Who knows?" Tokoyo Misao gave a slight shrug.

"Ken-chan, he's not lying." Yachiru patted Kenpachi Zaraki's face and pointed at Tokoyo Misao with her other hand.

"That's great!" Kenpachi Zaraki grinned, battle intent erupting from him.

The exchange left Kiyoyuki Yamanaka and Iba standing nearby with their mouths hanging open.

Both gave Tokoyo Misao slightly strange looks.

They both believed he was deliberately setting a trap for Kenpachi Zaraki.

That was Captain-Commander Yamamoto they were talking about. Even this beast was bound to end up defeated.

But Kenpachi Zaraki was now effectively the captain of the 11th Division, so Kiyoyuki Yamanaka immediately called out:

"Captain Zaraki, you can't just disturb Captain-Commander Yamamoto whenever you like. You'll be punished for it."

Kenpachi Zaraki looked down at him from the corner of his eye. "You saying this kid lied?"

Kiyoyuki Yamanaka shook his head repeatedly. "Tokoyo Misao didn't lie."

"Then that settles it. You, lead the way." Kenpachi Zaraki turned to Tokoyo Misao as he spoke.

Yachiru Kusajishi chimed in excitedly, "Misao, lead the way~!"

Tokoyo Misao spread his hands with a smile. "Captain Zaraki, I'm no longer a member of the 11th Division.

"Besides, it's only been a few months since I came to Seireitei and became a Soul Reaper. I can't even find my way around properly, and I don't know where the First Division is."

"Have Third Seat Yamanaka take you instead."

"You can't even find your way around? Useless." Kenpachi Zaraki shook his head, grabbed Kiyoyuki Yamanaka by the collar with one hand, and headed out of the Eleventh Division Barracks.

"Misao, hurry up and get ready~!" Yachiru Kusajishi shouted from where she lay on Zaraki's shoulder.

Tokoyo Misao waved back at her.

From the very beginning, Yachiru Kusajishi had singled Tokoyo Misao out on the training ground as the strongest person present.

But all the squad members, as well as Iba, who had remained behind, thought it was just a child's innocent remark.

Quite a few squad members even thought that Tokoyo Misao had seemed stronger to the little girl because he was handsome.

Iba sighed. "Whatever the case, Kenpachi Zaraki is the captain of the 11th Division now. How could you set him up like that?"

"What are you talking about, Senior Iba? Captain Zaraki wants to fight the strongest person. Who besides Captain-Commander Yamamoto can claim to be the strongest?"

Tokoyo Misao raised a finger and wagged it. Then he turned, his expression growing serious.

"Notify the Fourth Division and have them send someone to collect Lieutenant Saki's body."

"All right, I'll contact them right away."

Iba had only taken two steps when he said without looking back, "Let's have a drink when you're free."

"Sure."

Tokoyo Misao agreed, then left the 11th Division ahead of him with a light step.

Chapter 62: Kenpachi Zaraki Comes to Challenge Him

Several days earlier.

The First Division's general affairs office in Seireitei.

Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe found Captain-Commander Yamamoto watching the sunset from the corridor.

He walked slowly forward and stopped one step behind Captain-Commander Yamamoto, then said:

"Tokoyo Misao disrupted the Kenpachi Duel and intervened to kill Kiganjō."

As he spoke, he took a sheet of paper from inside his robes and respectfully held it out.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto turned his head slightly and glanced at the information written on it from the corner of his eye. Only then did he take it, quickly scan it, and speak in a steady voice:

"How young and naive."

The paper contained brief reports on Tokoyo Misao's various activities in the 11th Division.

They recorded the missions he had undertaken after joining the division, the people he had befriended, his eventual interference in the Kenpachi Duel, and his conversation with Captain Shiba in Junrinan.

The conversation had also been recorded by the Stealth Force members who had been watching.

"Still, the boy's strength is fairly impressive. With only Ninth-Class Rei'i, he moved after the other man but reached him first and saved him."

After offering this brief assessment, Captain-Commander Yamamoto handed the paper back to Chōjirō Sasakibe.

"He has applied to Kenpachi Saki to leave the 11th Division and join the Tenth Division," Chōjirō Sasakibe reported, though he looked somewhat hesitant.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto noticed his hesitation and said gravely, "That is the captains' right."

Transfers, reassignments, and recruitment between divisions were among the powers held by each captain of the Gotei 13.

Even as captain-commander, he would never interfere lightly.

At least, he had never interfered once since establishing those rules when he founded the Gotei 13.

"Understood." Chōjirō Sasakibe nodded. "However, the major noble families have now uncovered just about everything concerning the Tokoyo Clan. Only the Tsunayashiro Clan has yet to let any news out."

"No news will ever come out of that family," Captain-Commander Yamamoto said in a tone tinged with contempt, as though it were only natural.

"Pay them no mind. The Tsunayashiro Clan has just about reached its end."

"As for this Tokoyo Misao..."

Captain-Commander Yamamoto narrowed his eyes and paused.

He stared at the dusk over Seireitei for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.

Only when the twilight gradually faded and night quietly fell did he speak again:

"Bring that man from Rukongai into the 11th Division."

"So soon?" Chōjirō Sasakibe's eyes widened sharply.