The Shihoin Clan's New Crisis

Following the three of them, the entire faculty and student body stood in silent mourning in the rain for ten minutes.

After the mourning ceremony ended, the oppressive atmosphere gradually dissipated with the sunlight that had just appeared.

The actual graduation ceremony began in the academy's grand auditorium.

Shin'ō Academy's graduation ceremony was far simpler than anyone might have imagined, and it was even full of the Gotei 13's hard-edged style.

There was no long-winded speech from the principal, nor any unnecessary formalities.

As the dean of instruction called their names, each qualified graduate walked onto the stage and received a black shihakusho from him. That was the entire ceremony.

After everyone had received their shihakusho, the academy principal stood on the raised platform and roared in a booming voice.

"Students! Once you put on these black shihakusho, you will no longer be fledglings under someone else's protection! From today onward, you are true Soul Reapers, entrusted with the survival of Soul Society!"

"Here, I hope that every student who leaves this academy will prosper in battle and achieve new glory!"

After that brief graduation ceremony, the heavy main doors of the auditorium were thrown open with a bang.

On the training grounds outside the Spiritual Arts Academy, enormous flags bearing the division flowers of the Gotei 13 had already been raised.

What followed was the true highlight of the graduation ceremony—the Gotei 13's own "recruitment scramble"!

As the doors opened and Xuanxin stepped onto the grounds, the eye-catching pair of swords at his waist instantly drew the gaze of every recruiter present, like a lighthouse in the ocean!

"Quick, quick! The one with two swords is Fujiwara Genshin! Go! Go!"

The Seated Officers from the various divisions swarmed toward Xuanxin like sharks that had smelled blood.

They tried desperately to play up their connections with him while pitching their divisions, spittle flying.

"Brother Fujiwara! Come to the 11th Division! The captain said that if you join, he'll make you Third Seat on the spot! We can spar every day, and I guarantee you'll have a great time!"

"Don't listen to that muscle-brained idiot! Junior Xuanxin, come to the Eighth Division! Captain Kyōraku said that if you join, you'll have all the fine wine you want every day!"

The divisions competing for him were mainly the Eighth Division, the 11th Division, and the Thirteenth Division, all of which had formidable combat strength.

At the very edge of the crowd, a few Seated Officers from the Fourth Division had no idea why their captain wanted them to fight over this "god of slaughter,"

but under the threat of their captain's fearsome authority, they could only grit their teeth and hold up signs behind the crowd, feebly calling out slogans like "The Fourth Division has great medical coverage and treats every ailment."

Seeing this, Yoruichi stayed right at Xuanxin's side, glaring fiercely at the rivals around them with her golden eyes, terrified that someone would talk him into leaving.

Just as the scene was about to turn into an all-out brawl between vice-captains, someone no one had expected walked over gracefully.

The noisy crowd fell silent in an instant, watching the figure approach.

Chōjirō Sasakibe, vice-captain of the First Division, walked calmly up to Xuanxin and said evenly:

"Fujiwara Genshin. The Captain-Commander hopes you will join the First Division. He will personally instruct you in swordsmanship."

The moment he said that, a deathly silence fell over everyone.

The vice-captains of the other divisions looked at one another. Though unwilling to give up, they had no choice, and all of them grumbled inwardly that someone was playing unfair!!

Yoruichi reacted as though facing a formidable enemy when she heard this. She wrapped both arms tightly around Xuanxin's arm, then raised her head and fixed her pitiful "kitten eyes" on his profile, her eyes full of grievance and pleading.

Seeing Yoruichi's expression, Xuanxin couldn't help softening. He smiled faintly, then raised his head and said to Sasakibe:

"Sorry, Vice-Captain Sasakibe. I already promised Yoruichi... that I'd join the Second Division. So I'll have to turn down the Captain-Commander's generous offer."

Sasakibe's stern face showed no sign of surprise.

He merely nodded and said, "I understand. I'll report this to the Captain-Commander exactly as you said it," then promptly turned and left.

Seeing that this great catch had already been claimed, the Seated Officers from the other divisions stopped pressing him and immediately turned their green-glowing eyes on the other surviving students.

After all, these students had survived that battle. Even if they weren't as talented as Xuanxin, they were undoubtedly elites far above the ordinary!

To prevent anything else from happening, Yoruichi took Xuanxin by one hand and grabbed Kisuke Urahara, who was still watching the show nearby, with the other, then rushed straight to the Second Division's registration desk.

Only after Xuanxin had been pressed into a chair did he discover that his personal file and enlistment paperwork had already been filled out in full. All that remained was for him to sign his name.

Xuanxin shook his head helplessly, then, under Yoruichi's gaze, quickly signed "Fujiwara Genshin" in large characters on the enlistment form.

Only after watching Xuanxin finish signing and affix his seal did Yoruichi let out a long sigh of relief. She then picked up a pen and signed her own enlistment application.

Others might not have known, but Kisuke Urahara knew that Yoruichi had been fully prepared to follow Xuanxin to another division.

After all, she was Yoruichi Shihōin, a woman who never followed the usual path.

Meanwhile, at the First Division Barracks in the center of Seireitei.

Old Man Yamamoto looked at Sasakibe, who had returned alone. Without saying much, he turned to look at the clear blue sky outside the window and said:

"Sasakibe, of my three disciples, one is frail and one is a libertine. Tell me, this one won't turn out to be a lovesick fool, will he?"

Hearing that, Sasakibe, who had always paid close attention to noble decorum, couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twitching wildly a few times as he said:

"Probably... not. Captain-Commander, probably... not."

Old Man Yamamoto sighed heavily again, making even his beard tremble.

"I hope so..."

Chapter 27: The Shihoin Clan's New Crisis

Seireitei, Second Division Barracks.

Unlike the other divisions of the Gotei 13, the Second Division was a violent organization responsible for assassinations, executions, and top-secret intelligence, and it had always been under the Shihoin Clan's control.

Because of the special nature of its administration, the place maintained a cold, grim atmosphere year-round. Most of the squad members passing through wore hurried, expressionless looks.

There were exceptions to everything, however.

Deep inside the Second Division Barracks, in a room originally used to hold serious offenders, the aroma of tea now drifted through the air, utterly out of place with its surroundings.

"Oh my, it seems I could improve this hot spring formula a little more..."

Kisuke Urahara was sitting cross-legged in a most undignified manner before a huge laboratory bench, holding a small fan in one hand and scribbling on a sheet of paper with a pen in the other.

Normally, a newcomer who had just joined the Gotei 13 could never have had a private laboratory of his own.

But Kisuke Urahara had the future captain of the entire Second Division, Yoruichi Shihōin, behind him.

And so, thanks to Yoruichi's arrangements, Kisuke Urahara had a perfect laboratory and didn't even have to take part in daily training. All he had to do was check in at the Maggot's Nest once a day, and he could carry on with his research. He wouldn't have traded the arrangement even for a captain's position!

Compared with Kisuke Urahara's easy, carefree life, Yoruichi and Xuanxin's days—or, more accurately, Xuanxin's days—could only be described as "living hell."

Second Division, Executive Militia command office.

The solid wood desk, a full five meters long, was piled high with case files and intelligence reports.

After all, the entire Second Division would eventually be entrusted to Yoruichi. To prepare her to take over smoothly, Shihoin Seigen had arranged for her to rotate through the Executive Militia, Patrol Corps, Correction Corps, and other core departments over the course of a year, familiarizing herself with every management process.

And Xuanxin, as Yoruichi's "permanent accessory," naturally followed her everywhere, rotating through the departments alongside her.

Officially, the Second Division's Seated Officers still subjected the two "newcomers" to strict, rigorous military discipline.

But in private... everyone in the Second Division, from top to bottom, knew perfectly well: newcomers, my ass! These two were clearly the future commander-in-chief and the commander's wife!

What, you wanted to know which one was the commander's wife? That wasn't important, all right!!

Yoruichi's attitude toward managing the division and reviewing paperwork remained the same as ever—she loathed it.

In truth, Yoruichi handled paperwork no more slowly than anyone else. It was simply that the endless, complicated documents were fundamentally at odds with her love of freedom.

And so, all the paperwork that originally belonged to Yoruichi ended up on Xuanxin's desk.

"Young Master Fujiwara! This is the monthly outer district security report from the Patrol Corps. Please review it!" A masked squad member knelt respectfully on one knee before the desk and offered an urgent document with both hands.

Without looking up, Xuanxin reached out with his left hand and took the document with practiced ease. He skimmed it at a glance, wrote precise instructions at the end, stamped it with Yoruichi's personal seal, and casually tossed it back to the squad member.

Watching the squad member leave, Xuanxin rubbed his aching brow, glanced at Yoruichi licking her own fur beside him, and sighed deeply:

"Did I come here to be a Soul Reaper, or to be Yoruichi's free, high-level workhorse?"

Meanwhile, deep within the Shihoin main residence.

Shihoin Seigen looked at the pile of flawlessly handled documents on his desk, his feelings complicated.

Although all these documents bore Yoruichi's seal, the handwriting used for the annotations had absolutely nothing to do with hers.

Seigen gave a cold snort and said, "Xuanxin reviewed all these documents, and Yoruichi stamped them, didn't she?"

The Seated Officer standing beside him opened his mouth but said nothing. Seeing his hesitation, Seigen said, "Don't tell me Yoruichi wrote these. I know her handwriting. Tell me the truth."

At that, the Seated Officer immediately dropped to one knee, cupped his hands, and said, "My lord, your insight is as unfailing as ever. Young Master Xuanxin did personally review all these documents, but..."

"But what?" Seigen glanced at the Seated Officer out of the corner of his eye and asked casually.

"But Young Master Xuanxin also stamped them afterward. No one knows where Miss Yoruichi went."

"..."

Seigen froze when he heard the Seated Officer's words, then waved a hand to dismiss him.

He then looked at the forceful, vigorous handwriting in the annotations, a flicker of complicated emotion passing through his eyes.

He was gratified. He truly hadn't misjudged the boy! Xuanxin was not only a peerless genius in swordsmanship but equally outstanding at handling clan affairs. He was a born leader.

By now, Xuanxin could probably handle the Second Division's internal affairs perfectly well on his own.

But after the gratification came an inexplicable sense of crisis that welled up in Seigen's heart.

That boy is too capable... and that girl Yoruichi is completely lovestruck...

At that thought, Seigen stroked his chin, a flash of deep alarm and worry in his eyes.

At this rate, everyone in the Second Division will definitely give their hearts to Xuanxin. If those two get married someday, given how Yoruichi always sides with outsiders... she wouldn't get carried away and change the Shihoin Clan's name to Fujiwara, would she?!

This fear was not groundless; he knew his own daughter. Faced with the crisis of his clan's impending "destruction," Seigen shuddered violently.

No, no! Absolutely not! It seems I have to find a way to hurry Yoruichi along, get her to win that boy over completely, and make him change his surname as soon as possible!

Xuanxin naturally knew nothing about the Shihoin Clan's "crisis of destruction."

Unlike Yoruichi Shihōin, the hands-off boss who slacked off every day, Xuanxin's life was so packed that he barely had a moment to catch his breath.

From Monday through Friday, he had to work alongside Yoruichi on the mountains of Second Division administrative affairs. On the two days of the weekend, he faced training under two powerful figures.

On Saturdays, he went to the Fourth Division to get slashed. On Sundays, he went to the First Division to get beaten up.

Ever since word that he had killed a Gillian with a single sword strike in the World of the Living had reached Retsu Unohana, the intensity of his weekly training had steadily increased.

"Pfft!"

Blood sprayed across the dojo. A horrific wound had been brutally torn across Xuanxin's chest, deep enough to expose bone. He flew backward like a kite with its string cut and slammed heavily into the wall.

Although Retsu Unohana suppressed her Reiatsu to Xuanxin's level every time they sparred, Xuanxin was obviously still too young and was no match at all for Yachiru Unohana, the First Kenpachi.

Every time, Sister Hana used her swordsmanship, honed to the utmost for killing, to cut Xuanxin down with precision until he was on the brink of death, with only one breath left!