I Want to Be Lieutenant

As soon as he finished speaking, someone stepped out of the ranks. Ye Yang recognized him as Number One from a few days ago. His real name was Kato Hisaya.

Ye Yang asked, "Have your injuries healed?"

"I'm fine. I recovered half a month ago. I knew one of you would definitely challenge me for my position as Third Seat, so I've been ready to fight for a long time. Don't let your guard down. I lost that day because they ambushed and injured me. Today, things are different." Kato Hisaya's voice was full of confidence.

Ye Yang's eyes gleamed. "I see. I'll give it everything I've got."

"Empty words are useless. Use your true strength to defeat me! Bite it—Golden Snake!" With Kato Hisaya's shout, his Zanpakuto transformed into a golden saber, its S-shaped blade looking remarkably like a snake.

In an instant, their Zanpakuto clashed, but the moment the blades collided, Ye Yang sensed something strange. Golden Snake suddenly bent as it touched his Zanpakuto. Kato Hisaya's blade began to coil around Ye Yang's like a snake, wrapping from the tip to the hilt. Seeing the danger, Ye Yang hurriedly spun his sword, loosening Golden Snake's grip a little, then seized the chance to pull his blade free.

Kato Hisaya said, "Ye Yang, hurry up and release your Zanpakuto. You can't defeat me without releasing it."

Ye Yang shook his head without speaking. If he released his Zanpakuto, he could undoubtedly defeat Kato. That wasn't to say Kato Hisaya lacked strength; rather, his Zanpakuto belonged to the direct-attack type. Ye Yang's Zanpakuto could be said to completely counter all direct-attack Zanpakuto. No matter how many variations a direct-attack Zanpakuto had, it still used its blade to cut the enemy directly. Ye Yang's sword could cut straight through an opponent's blade, unless their Zanpakuto was harder than space itself.

Ye Yang vanished from where he stood. Kato Hisaya froze for a moment, then swiftly swung his Zanpakuto behind him. Clang! Metal rang against metal as Ye Yang's blade met Golden Snake. "Your Senka isn't fast enough. If you were as fast as Lord Tono, I might have met my end under that move."

Having failed to land the blow, Ye Yang gave him no chance to counterattack and immediately used Shunpo to retreat. Kato Hisaya gave chase and tangled with him. His Zanpakuto's nature wasn't one of wide, sweeping movements, but of extreme subtlety and softness. Every thrust targeted a particularly tricky spot, leaving Ye Yang with no good way to deal with him for the moment. Ye Yang considered various martial arts, but none were particularly effective against this kind of soft, entangling style. Only by combining the Nine Swords of Dugu's Saber-Breaking Stance and Whip-Breaking Stance could he counter it, but Ye Yang didn't want to reveal an earth-shaking martial art like the Nine Swords of Dugu. As the fight continued, Ye Yang gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Ten minutes later, several wounds had appeared on Ye Yang's body. This couldn't go on. Just then, Kato Hisaya suddenly said, "You can't defeat me without using Shikai. And your body should be feeling strange by now, shouldn't it?"

Ye Yang moved, and sure enough, his movements were noticeably less natural than usual. "My Zanpakuto is called Golden Snake. How could it not have venom? Its other ability is to paralyze enemies it wounds. In your current condition, you can last another five minutes at most. Can you defeat me in five minutes?"

Ye Yang said slowly, "I have no choice. Break free of your bonds—Silver Rend!" A double-edged sword instantly appeared in his hand. Its blade was silver-white, and a lifelike dragon along its spine gave it a magnificent appearance.

Ye Yang then vanished from where he stood. Using Senka once more, he appeared behind Kato Hisaya.

"That move won't work on me."

Ye Yang smiled. "Want to test that?"

This time, Ye Yang once again stabbed at the back of Kato's blade, but the result was different. Silver Rend pierced straight through it, and its edge came to rest against Kato Hisaya's neck. The victor was decided!

By then, Ye Yang was also unable to move because of the paralyzing venom. Fortunately, Kato hurriedly neutralized the venom for him. Shihoin Tōno walked over and said to Ye Yang, "Do you know why your victory was so hard-won?"

A solemn look appeared on Ye Yang's face. "I was careless. I didn't use my full strength at the start. Today, I learned what it truly means to give your all even when a lion fights a rabbit. Captain, I won't make that mistake again."

Ye Yang lowered his head and reflected on the battle. If his Zanpakuto hadn't countered his opponent's, he very likely would have lost. Shihoin Tōno's voice rang out. "All right, it's enough that you know where you went wrong. Remember, there won't be a next time!"

"Yes!"

Ye Yang bowed to Kato Hisaya and said, "Thank you."

Kato froze, then said, "It's nothing. I only happened to do it by chance. Congratulations on becoming Third Seat."

"Mm."

Ye Yang returned to the ranks, and the division members began discussing the fight.

"I didn't expect him to be this strong already. He can even defeat Kato."

"Yeah, it's terrifying. At the start, he was almost evenly matched with Kato in Shikai without using his own Shikai. Once he released it, he defeated Kato in an instant. With that kind of strength, he could be lieutenant, couldn't he?"

"Does this mean our Second Division finally has someone for the lieutenant's position?"

"Oh my god, they only just graduated from Shin'ō, and one of them can already become lieutenant?"

"That's Shin'ō Golden Triangle for you. I wonder how strong Yoruichi is."

Shihoin Tōno's voice interrupted their whispers. "Are there any other members who wish to challenge someone?"

Ye Yang tugged at Yoruichi, signaling that it was her turn. Yoruichi said quietly, "Little brother, play along with me in a bit."

"How?" Ye Yang asked.

"It's not the first time you've played along. Don't you know what to do?"

"All right, but I have a feeling it's definitely nothing good."

"Don't you trust your big sister's character? It'll definitely be good for you."

Ye Yang couldn't help retorting, "Your character? You have any? But since you're being so sincere, I'll help you out."

With Ye Yang's agreement, Yoruichi stepped out of the ranks and said, "Captain, I don't want to challenge a Seated Officer. I want to be lieutenant."

Her words shocked the members below, shocked Ye Yang, and shocked Kisuke Urahara as well.

Everyone had thought she would challenge the Fourth Seat, and her words left them all stunned. While everyone was in a daze, only one person spoke calmly. "You want to be lieutenant? But the lieutenant is appointed by the captain, and generally speaking, it's the Third Seat. You don't hold any seat now, so how can you convince everyone?"

Yoruichi's golden eyes radiated confidence. Her purple hair drifted as a smile curved her lips. "Then I'll challenge the current Third Seat. If I succeed, won't that prove I have the strength?"

Shihoin Tōno pondered for a moment. "In theory, yes."

"Then I challenge the current Third Seat—Ye Yang Shihoin."

Ye Yang's face turned green as soon as he heard that. Why did he feel like he'd been set up? Helplessly, he took his place opposite Yoruichi. She blinked. "Even though we're siblings, I won't go easy on you~"

Ye Yang groaned inwardly. What she meant was that he couldn't beat her, and he couldn't let anyone else notice. That put Ye Yang in a difficult position; it would take some skill.

As Ye Yang dealt with Yoruichi, he wondered why she, usually so free and unconcerned with details, would want the exhausting job of lieutenant. A lieutenant had to review all kinds of documents and sort the captain's paperwork. In short, it was a very troublesome position, and Ye Yang had never considered taking it.

In fact, it had all started the night before. Under cover of darkness, Yoruichi had secretly gone alone to Shihoin Tōno's captain's office.

Knock, knock, knock. A knock sounded at the door. Shihoin Tōno wondered, Why is someone here so late? He said, "Who is it? Come in."

Yoruichi pushed the door open and entered. "Grandpa, it's me."

Shihoin Tōno smiled. "It's you, little Yoruichi. Is there something you need, coming to see me so late?"

Yoruichi took hold of Shihoin Tōno's sleeve. "Grandpa, there's something I wanted to discuss with you today."

"What brought you to see me in the middle of the night?" Shihoin Tōno asked curiously.

Yoruichi asked, "Grandpa, are you thinking of making little brother lieutenant?"

Shihoin Tōno didn't deny it. "Little Ye Yang is excellent. He's strong, smart, and knowledgeable. He's a very good candidate."

"Grandpa, don't I have those qualities too?" Yoruichi asked indignantly.

"Of course you do. You only lack a certain bearing, the bearing of someone in authority. Little Ye Yang is practically a born leader," Shihoin Tōno said gravely.

Yoruichi, too, abandoned her usual carefree manner and said seriously, "But he doesn't want the job."

"Why?"

Yoruichi let out a long breath. "Because he's a free wind. Nothing can hold him down. He'd never take such a troublesome position as lieutenant."

Shihoin Tōno sensed what she intended. "So you're planning to be lieutenant?"

"Yes."

"All right"...

Back at Ye Yang and Yoruichi's match, the two were evenly matched at first. Later, Ye Yang was the first to release his Zanpakuto. "Break free of your bonds—Silver Rend!"

Yoruichi likewise used Shikai. "Hum softly—Mongoose!" Then the two resumed their fight.

Yoruichi used her superior speed to strike and retreat, avoiding a direct confrontation with Ye Yang. To outsiders, it looked like a contest of speed. The two exchanged attacks for hundreds of rounds, but in the end, Yoruichi's speed proved superior.

In truth, only the two of them knew that Ye Yang hadn't used Silver Rend's ability at all. Moreover, Ye Yang had competed with Yoruichi in speed so she could win without anyone else noticing. Yoruichi was definitely faster than Ye Yang, so competing with her in speed was effectively a disguised way of holding back.

After Yoruichi defeated him, Ye Yang stepped down, and the crowd erupted.

"I didn't expect Yoruichi to be even stronger than Ye Yang."

"Yeah, the lieutenant's position has to be hers."

Shihoin Tōno said, "Then, if no one has any objections, the next lieutenant is—Yoruichi Shihōin!"