"Captain Araki, Captain Unohana, I have been awaiting you here for quite some time! Please come with me at once! Captain-Commander Yamamoto and the captains of the other divisions are already assembled in the conference room."
When Araki and Unohana Retsu arrived at the gates of the Gotei 1st Division barracks, a 1st Division member clad in black Shinigami Robes immediately approached them.
"Looks like we really were the last two to arrive."
Upon hearing that, Araki did not forget to smile at Unohana Retsu beside him.
"Get to the conference room already!"
"Otherwise, Captain-Commander Yamamoto will blame you later!"
Unohana Retsu rolled her eyes at Araki's utterly carefree demeanor.
"Then we'd better hurry~"
"Old Man Yama's lectures can put people to sleep, and he still won't stop!"
Araki chuckled as he made a small joke about his beloved teacher, Captain-Commander Yamamoto of the Gotei 13.
"Uh..."
The 1st Division member leading the newly appointed 11th Division Captain Araki, who was attending a Captain's Meeting for the first time, along with Araki's vice-captain Unohana Retsu, to the 1st Division conference room...
After hearing Araki openly mock Yamamoto Genryusai, his own division captain, cold sweat could not help but pour down his forehead.
Across the entire Gotei 13, perhaps only Araki—the sole menkyo kaiden inheritor of the "Genryu" whom the Captain-Commander regarded as his successor—would dare to mock Yamamoto Genryusai like this!
"Retsu, do you know? Old Man Yama actually isn't at all like the imposing figure you all imagine him to be! That's all an act. You have no idea what Old Man Yama is like in private..."
Before the 1st Division member could wipe away his sweat, Araki's complaints sounded out from behind him once again.
This made the 1st Division member even more panicked! To keep himself from hearing something he should not hear, he quickened his pace...
"We're here..."
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto and the captains of the other divisions are waiting for you behind that door! Actually, Captain Unohana should know the way too. I still have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave!"
After saying that, the 1st Division member used Shunpo and vanished from before Araki and Unohana Retsu as though fleeing for his life.
It had to be said that everyone who could serve in the Gotei 1st Division was smart! He understood full well that Araki could casually tell certain "secrets," but he absolutely could not truly listen to them! Otherwise, he would not even know how he died...
What a joke. In this vast Seireitei, who would dare gossip about Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni?
Was he not afraid that the next day, he would be deemed a spy and immediately sentenced to death just because he stepped into the barracks with his left foot first?!
"Why are you running? It's not like I'm some demon!"
Araki helplessly shook his head as he watched the division member flee. He had merely talked about the foolish things their Captain-Commander Yamamoto had done back when he was still young and teaching at the Genji School. What was there to fear?
"Retsu, let's go in~"
Seeing that someone else's division member clearly did not wish to hear Yamamoto's little secrets, Araki said no more. He led Unohana Retsu beside him forward and pushed open the door bearing the 1st Division insignia.
"Creeeak..."
With a soft sound, the captains of the Gotei 13, who had long since taken their places, appeared before Araki.
"Yo! Everyone's here already?!"
Araki walked through the door and greeted the captains in the conference room "warmly," as though he himself were the Captain-Commander. At the same time, his gaze swept across the faces of the Gotei 13 captains gathered in the room...
"Mm, the captains of this First Generation Gotei 13 really do look so kind and approachable!"
"Not a single one of them even looks human! Where did all these monsters come from?!"
Araki kept shaking his head as he looked at the captains to his left.
Since Araki had just entered the conference room, his position was mirrored against Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who stood at the forefront of the Gotei 13 captains.
Thus, Araki's left was Yamamoto's right—the side where the captains of the even-numbered divisions stood: the 2nd Division, 4th Division, Sixth Division, 8th Division, 10th Division, and 12th Division.
Compared with the captains of the odd-numbered divisions, these even-numbered division captains at least looked somewhat human! As for the odd-numbered captains, Araki did not want to look at them. Their appearances were simply too outrageous; he truly could not bear even a glance...
Among the even-numbered divisions, Shihoin Sennichi, the captain of the 2nd Division, could absolutely be called a handsome dark-skinned man. As one of the Soul Society's oldest and most elite families, the Shihoin Clan had always possessed excellent genes. Aside from being a bit darker due to historical reasons, both the men and women of the clan could be called striking beauties.
Shijima Tomokiri, captain of the 4th Division, had a pale, bloodless complexion, dry gray hair, and eyes filled with endless exhaustion. His body was thin and frail, utterly devoid of strength, and he looked as though he were perpetually dozing off, as if he might sleep himself to death at any moment...
Although Shijima Tomokiri's looks could not compare to Shihoin Sennichi's at all, he at least looked human! He was just a little too weak. He only needed to nourish his kidneys a bit more...
Ahem...
As for the captain of the Sixth Division, Araki did not need to explain. Those who understood, understood...
Only when Araki's gaze landed on the captain of the 8th Division did his eyes light up. "When a woman looks down and cannot see her toes, she is peerless beauty! The ancients truly did not deceive me!"
Katori Bakuunsai, captain of the 8th Division, had gone far beyond merely being unable to see her toes when looking down. When she lowered her head, all she could see were two patches of white clouds, with nothing else in sight!
"What waves! What surging tides?!"
Araki discovered that he was actually at a loss for words, unable for a moment to find any vocabulary capable of describing the beautiful sight before him. All he could say was that its magnificence and splendor were absolutely not of this world!
"Araki, what are you looking at?!"
Just as Araki was stunned by Katori Bakuunsai's peerless ultimate weapons, Saito Furofushi, standing beside Katori, could no longer stand it. She stepped in front of Katori and blocked Araki's line of sight.
"Could you please move to the side? Standing there, you're blocking everything from view..."
Seeing Saito Furofushi suddenly cut in, the appreciation for art that had been burning in Araki's heart was immediately extinguished, as though several copies of Boruto had been dropped on his head...
What? You think watching Boruto would make you fired up? It was impossible to get fired up at all, okay?!
If Katori's art was on the level of Shippuden, then Saito Furofushi's art was on the level of Boruto! That was Araki's most direct impression of the difference in size between Katori and Saito.
"Hah? What else do you want to see?"
Saito Furofushi's eyelids twitched. Did size really matter that much?!
She, Saito Furofushi, could certainly work hard to become stronger, but the size of some things was something she had been born with! There was nothing she could do about that!!
"Damn you, Araki!"
Humiliated into anger, Saito Furofushi moved directly in front of Araki and reached out to grab his collar.
Araki stood perfectly still, not even bothering to raise an eyelid, because...
Slap~
With a soft sound, Unohana Retsu, who had been following behind Araki all along, slapped away Saito Furofushi's hand that had been reaching for Araki's collar.
"Do not disrespect my captain!"
As Unohana Retsu looked at the "small bowl"-level Saito Furofushi, a faint smile formed on her beautiful face...
Unohana Retsu deliberately thrust out her ample chest in front of Saito Furofushi.
"I lost! I lost?!"
As Saito Furofushi stared at Unohana Retsu's proud figure, it was as if heavenly lightning from Chōjirō Sasakibe's Bankai, Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū, had struck the crown of her head.
"No, that's not right!"
"Unohana, this is a meeting of Gotei 13 captains! You are no longer the captain of the 11th Division, so why are you here?"
Saito Furofushi finally remembered something. With a hint of ferocity on her face, she shouted at Unohana Retsu.
"I was the one who permitted her to come!"
Before Unohana could say anything, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out from directly before the assembled captains.
"C-Captain-Commander Yamamoto?!"
Saito Furofushi turned her head in disbelief and looked toward the man who had been standing before the captains with his Zanpakuto in hand and his eyes closed in repose.
Yes, the one who had spoken was naturally Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13!
"Enough! This farce ends here!"
"Araki, have Unohana take you to where you should be immediately!"
"The other captains, take your respective positions as well! The Gotei 13 meeting is about to begin."
With a stern expression, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni declared an end to the little farce Araki had caused in the Captain's Meeting room.
"We obey!"
Upon hearing this, the captains of the Gotei 13 immediately returned to their respective positions.
Even the normally lawless Saito Furofushi silently took her place as captain of the Sixth Division.
Under Unohana Retsu's guidance, Araki also took his place between the captain of the 13th Division and the captain of the Ninth Division.
"I want to change positions. At the very least, I'd like the captains standing on either side of me to look human."
Araki looked at the captain of the 13th Division standing to his left, a gaunt old man with a sinister face, then at the captain of the Ninth Division standing to his right, a burly man eight feet tall with glasses perched on his nose and a ring of large gold teeth embedded around his lips. He instantly felt utterly exhausted.
Sorry, everyone! Something came up today, so this update was a little late~ Also~
Before you continue