Heading to the World of the Living Again

For now, protecting his wife was the most important thing, so he took a defensive stance.

But after waiting a moment, he realized something seemed wrong.

He tried making a casual slash toward the tree. A blade of water tore through the air and sliced the tree in half in an instant.

Boom! The enormous blade of water cut through the entire area, clearing his view in an instant. There was no one behind the tree.

Kaien Shiba frowned. The moment he used Bankai, he had indeed sensed Spiritual Power at that spot.

Now that he couldn't see anyone, it was very likely that the other party had left without his noticing.

He and his wife had fallen into the trap without noticing a thing, so it wouldn't be strange if the other party had a way to leave without a sound.

But had that guy really left?

He didn't withdraw his Bankai into his body. Instead, he maintained it and continued sending his Reiatsu into the sky.

A Captain-level Reiatsu unleashed so freely in Rukongai's third district would soon attract people from the Seireitei.

Normally, in a situation like this, both support and medical units would arrive at once.

Kaien Shiba had no way to confirm whether the enemy had actually left.

If he withdrew his Bankai and an enemy took the opportunity to attack, he really would die here today.

"Lieutenant Kaien, what happened?" Tokoyo Misao arrived quickly, calling out loudly.

Hearing the familiar voice behind him, Kaien Shiba's eyes lit up, and he called out urgently:

"Misao, I remember your Reishi Manipulation can stitch wounds. Hurry and give Miyako emergency treatment. She's about to lose too much blood."

Tokoyo Misao sped up again and rushed to Shiba Miyako's side.

He opened his hand, and five threads of Spiritual Power emerged from his fingertips.

As if they had a will of their own, the threads passed through Shiba Miyako's wound and stitched her flesh together, finally stopping the bleeding.

"Lieutenant Kaien, this is only an emergency measure. She needs proper treatment."

"I understand. Emergency treatment is enough for now." No sooner had Kaien Shiba spoken than dozens of figures appeared from all directions.

They were all dressed in dark clothing with their faces covered. They were the Stealth Force.

Then a figure in white appeared as well.

"What happened here?" Soi Fon, the Second Division Captain, fixed her eyes on Kaien Shiba, sensing his powerful Reiatsu.

She hadn't expected this lieutenant to be so strong.

"Lieutenant Kaien Shiba!" Soi Fon called out, her eyes wary.

The members of the Stealth Force all drew their short swords as well.

"Miyako and I were ambushed," Kaien Shiba said quickly.

But he remained standing in front of Tokoyo Misao and Shiba Miyako, his gaze fixed on Soi Fon.

The sword wound on his wife's back had definitely come from a Soul Reaper.

He didn't trust Soi Fon at the moment and remained on guard.

"Why are Captain Soi Fon and Lieutenant Kaien confronting each other? There must be some misunderstanding." A gentle voice rang out.

Sōsuke Aizen, the Fifth Division Captain, had arrived as well.

Looking very anxious, he spoke rapidly to Soi Fon beside him.

"Third Seat Miyako Shiba looks badly injured. This is no time for a confrontation. We need to get her treatment right away."

His voice was urgent, filled with concern for the injured.

Soi Fon frowned and thought for a moment before raising a hand and giving an order. Only then did the members of the Stealth Force put away their short swords and conceal themselves, continuing to keep watch over the surroundings.

A huge figure appeared in the sky.

Looking up, they saw an animal that resembled a manta ray.

Only then did Kaien Shiba breathe a sigh of relief, because the person on the ray was Retsu Unohana, the Fourth Division Captain.

Retsu Unohana descended straight from the sky to Shiba Miyako's side.

After she landed, the enormous ray returned to its sheath as Unohana sheathed her sword.

She immediately bent down and placed both hands on the sword wound that had already been stitched shut.

When she saw the wound, her pupils trembled twice, and she instantly understood why Kaien Shiba was still on guard against those around him.

A pale green light emerged from her palms and spread over the sword wound.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant Kaien. She'll be fine."

Only after hearing Captain Unohana's words did Kaien Shiba slowly withdraw his Reiatsu.

The vortex behind him gradually shrank and flowed back into his body, while the crystal trident in his hand turned back into a Zanpakuto.

The instant he withdrew his Bankai, his body pitched toward the ground.

Tokoyo Misao quickly reached out to catch him and asked quietly, "Your body..."

He could clearly sense that Kaien Shiba had suffered extremely serious internal injuries. They might even be worse than Shiba Miyako's.

"I can't actually use Bankai. This is a secret technique of our Shiba Clan and our Zanpakuto. Forcing myself to use it has serious aftereffects."

Kaien Shiba answered quietly, then closed his eyes and passed out.

Chapter 72: Heading to the World of the Living Again

The Tenth Division, Seireitei.

Tokoyo Misao arrived at the captain's office, pushed open the door, and glanced inside.

He saw Tōshirō Hitsugaya alone at the desk, sorting through reports.

He entered the room and closed the door behind him, a pleased smile appearing on his face as he walked in.

He had taught Tōshirō very well during this time. Though still young, he could already handle official duties and was so diligent.

Not only was he capable with paperwork, but he wasn't weak in combat either.

"Tōshirō, where did Captain Shiba and Lieutenant Matsumoto run off to?"

As he spoke, he walked over to the cabinet by the wall, opened the top compartment, and rummaged inside, taking out two plum rice balls.

Tōshirō continued looking through the reports as he answered without raising his head, "Lieutenant Matsumoto went to the back courtyard to find Captain Shiba."

Hearing the cabinet open, he continued, "Captain Shiba hid those rice balls there on purpose."

"So you don't want one?" Tokoyo Misao walked over to the desk and held one of the rice balls out to him.

Tōshirō looked up, his expression solemn, and accepted the rice ball.

A moment later, he opened his mouth and took a bite, then continued reading the report in his hand.

Tokoyo Misao finished his rice ball in a few bites and licked his lips.

"I have to say, the rice balls Captain Shiba brings from home are always better than the ones from the shopping street."

"That's because you don't have to pay for them, right?" Tōshirō quipped without looking up.

Tokoyo Misao widened his eyes. "Hey, this kid's gotten bold lately."

He was about to step forward and give him a talking-to when he saw the report in his hands and frowned.

With a clatter, the door leading to the back courtyard opened.

Captain Isshin Shiba and Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto appeared together and walked into the room.

Tokoyo Misao immediately turned and complained, "How can you leave Tōshirō to handle so much paperwork all by himself?"

"I couldn't help it. I went to look for the captain. It's not like I was deliberately letting him slack off." Rangiku Matsumoto put her hands on her hips, looking entirely self-assured.

"I wasn't slacking off either. I was observing and keeping watch out back."

Faced with Tokoyo Misao's questioning, Isshin Shiba hurriedly waved his hands and made excuses.

He couldn't admit that he'd fallen asleep in a tree in the back courtyard.

"Keeping watch for what? Ever since Lieutenant Kaien Shiba was ambushed, there hasn't been a trace of Hollows around Soul Society.

"With the alarms made by the Twelfth Division, there's no need for you to hide in a tree and keep watch in person, is there?"

Tokoyo Misao closed his eyes as he spoke. "Tōshirō is my own disciple, whom I taught myself. Even if he's going to help handle division business, he should be helping me."

"How can you two leave your own work for my disciple to do? That's going too far."

His words left both the captain and lieutenant speechless.

After all, one of the two had spent the whole morning sleeping.

The other had wandered all over the place under various pretexts in the name of looking for the captain, only returning when she thought enough time had passed.

Tōshirō gathered the thick stack of documents in his hands, placed it on the desk, and tapped it twice to straighten the papers before turning and handing it to Captain Shiba.

"The documents are sorted."

Isshin Shiba slipped both hands under Tōshirō's arms and lifted him up, laughing as he said loudly:

"You're amazing, Tōshirō! You really are worthy of being the next captain."

"Hey, hey, shouldn't Tokoyo Misao be the next captain?" Rangiku Matsumoto had long since given up on the idea of becoming captain herself.

Isshin Shiba shook his head. "If someone like Misao, who dumps everything on his disciple, became captain, the division would definitely fall apart."

As he spoke, he set Tōshirō down.

"Are you one to talk, Captain Shiba?" The corner of Tokoyo Misao's mouth twitched, and his eyebrows jerked twice.

Tōshirō kept his little face solemn as he looked up at Tokoyo Misao and said:

"Brother Misao, you know I'm training to achieve Bankai. If I learn it first, the captain's position will be mine."

Tokoyo Misao stepped forward, grabbed the white hair on Tōshirō's little head, and squeezed hard twice. "You brat, you think you're all grown up now, huh?"

"That's because Brother Misao keeps refusing to train for Bankai, which has slowed my progress too."

Tōshirō pouted, enduring the sharp pain in his head as his turquoise eyes stared at Tokoyo Misao.

"What do you mean, Misao not training has slowed your progress too?" Rangiku Matsumoto asked, somewhat puzzled.

She really couldn't understand the connection.

Enduring the great force on top of his head, Tōshirō turned his head slightly.

"Brother Misao's understanding of all kinds of techniques is incredible. As long as it's something he knows, his explanations are easy to understand."

"Whether it's Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kidō, Shunpo, or Shikai, it's thanks to Brother Misao's teaching that I've improved so quickly in such a short time."

"But Brother Misao refuses to train for Bankai, so naturally he has no way to learn how to train for it and teach me."

In fact, Tōshirō had always been curious about this.

Why was Tokoyo Misao, his older brother and teacher, so unwilling to train for Bankai?

Today, he had happened to take the opportunity presented by Captain Shiba's joke to ask.

"Huh? Why?" Captain Shiba was curious too.

"What do you mean, why? It's simply because my Reiatsu grade isn't high enough.

"To learn Bankai, don't you first have to materialize your Zanpakuto and then make it submit?"

Tokoyo Misao waved a hand. "I'm at Seventh-Class Rei'i right now. I can't materialize my Zanpakuto. I'm simply not strong enough."

"Is that so, Captain Shiba?" Rangiku Matsumoto asked in surprise. She didn't know how to train for Bankai.

Isshin Shiba frowned. "What you're talking about is the last step. Wait... I see."

"You and your Zanpakuto seem to get along well. You don't need to keep working on communication anymore."

Tokoyo Misao shrugged. He and the World-Crossing Principle had a very good relationship.

The World-Crossing Principle supported every decision Tokoyo Misao made.

It had even said that if Tokoyo Misao wanted Bankai, he only needed to raise his Rei'i Grade and materialize it.

There was no discord or resistance of that sort.