The 'Scheming' Unohana Retsu

"If those Quincies remain as they always have, simply tending to their own patch of land, then we of the Gotei 13 won't bother with them for now!"

"But should they overstep their bounds in any way, I will personally show them with this Ryujin Jakka in my hand how the Gotei 13 protects Soul Society and how we 'guard' the Seireitei…"

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's gaze was like a torch, and his entire being radiated a chilling Spiritual Pressure.

Even Araki, who had already attained the rank of Captain in the Gotei 13 and defeated the previous Kenpachi, Unohana Retsu, to claim the title of Kenpachi, couldn't help but flinch when he felt the immense Spiritual Pressure emanating from Yamamoto Genryusai.

"Then I'm relieved!"

Araki looked at the 'tiger-like' Genryusai before him and smiled faintly.

Even Araki, who was also a Captain in the Gotei 13 alongside Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, felt a jolt of alarm when faced with Genryusai showing his fangs!

If it were any other member of the Gotei 13, even a Vice-Captain level Soul Reaper, they would probably have already been knocked unconscious by the Old Man Yama's immense Spiritual Pressure…

Such was the power of the Gotei 13's Captain-Commander, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni!

After Araki felt relieved, he and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni had a brief discussion about the plan to deal with the Quincies in the 1st Division's Captain's Office…

In fact, it was less of a plan and more of a warning!

Besides subtly revealing the Quincies' abilities to Old Man Yama, the most frequent thing Araki said to him was, "Caution is the parent of safety!"

In the end, Araki was thrown out of the 1st Division barracks by Old Man Yama because he had repeated too many times that Old Man Yama "must be careful when dealing with the Quincies, and if he gets a chance to kill the Quincy leader, he must not miss it and act decisively with full power."

Old Man Yama, who was already incredibly hot-headed, decisive, and ruthless, and who believed in "when in doubt, don't hesitate, just do it if you're not convinced," literally kicked Araki out of the 1st Division barracks!

Oh, and Unohana Retsu, Araki's Vice-Captain, was also kicked out by Old Man Yama along with him.

"That old geezer Genryusai just won't listen to advice!"

"Sigh… If you don't listen to your disciple, you'll suffer for it soon enough, Old Man Yamamoto!"

Araki stood outside the 1st Division barracks, helplessly scratching his cheek.

Since Genryusai founded the Gotei 13, Araki was the first Captain to be personally kicked out of the 1st Division barracks by Old Man Yama, the Captain-Commander, simply because he talked too much and pushed Old Man Yama's patience to its limit…

Moreover, Araki was probably not only the first Captain to be kicked out of the 1st Division barracks by Yamamoto for talking too much, but there likely wouldn't be any successors in the future either! If nothing unexpected happened, Araki would be the only Captain to be kicked out of the barracks by Yamamoto for being too talkative!

In fact, the other Captains of the Gotei 13, except for Araki, upon hearing that Captain-Commander Yamamoto had summoned them, not only wouldn't dare to speak up, but they would be so frightened that their legs would turn to jelly!

Even Captains who hadn't received an 'invitation' from Captain-Commander Yamamoto still harbored a deep-seated fear of Old Man Yama! Even if they merely happened to pass by the 1st Division barracks, they would unconsciously quicken their pace, or even use Shunpo to move at high speed past the 1st Division barracks!

For these Captains, when passing by the 1st Division where Old Man Yama resided, they would run as fast as they could, fearing that Genryusai might see them and call them over for a scolding!

Araki, however, was different; he actually annoyed Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni by talking back…

To put it bluntly, since Araki took over as Captain of the 11th Division, he had set a new record in the Seireitei!

"So, Araki… Captain, what should we do next?!"

Unohana Retsu had been faithfully following Araki. Now that Old Man Yama had kicked them out of the 1st Division barracks, it was up to Araki, as Captain, to decide where they should go next.

"Sigh…"

"Never mind! Since that old geezer won't listen to reason! Then, Retsu, let's head back to our barracks!"

Araki sighed helplessly at her words. He never expected that he and Unohana Retsu would ultimately be kicked out of the 1st Division barracks by Old Man Yama…

Left with no choice, Araki could only lead his Vice-Captain, Unohana Retsu, back to the barracks of the Gotei 11th Division, which he commanded.

Upon returning to the barracks, Araki immediately plunged back into the 11th Division's Captain's Office, ignoring everyone else in the barracks!

At the same time, Araki issued an order that within the entire Gotei 11th Division, only he, as Captain, and Unohana Retsu, as Vice-Captain, were allowed to enter the 11th Division's Captain's Office!

No one else was allowed to enter the 11th Division's Captain's Office under any circumstances, nor were they allowed to bother him with trivial matters! Even if they encountered him in the barracks, they were not to strike up a conversation…

If the squad members had any questions about the 11th Division, they could directly ask Unohana Retsu, who was the 11th Division's Vice-Captain.

There was nothing for it; Araki actually suffered from an incurable illness called '100% Inability to Communicate with Rough Men Syndrome!' Anyone afflicted with this condition would feel irritable when communicating with rough men, and once Araki became irritable, he would want to hit people~

So Araki wasn't forbidding squad members from talking to him out of laziness; he was doing it for the safety of all the squad members! In this regard, Araki was truly selfless! For the sake of all the squad members, he even chose to lead by example and isolate himself from the entire 11th Division…

Therefore, although Araki was nominally the Captain of the Gotei 11th Division, in reality, the Gotei 11th Division was still controlled by Unohana! This even gave the 11th Division members the illusion that their division's Captain had not changed.

As for why Araki did this, it was purely because he was too lazy for useless social interactions. In the Gotei 13, being able to serve for decades was considered an old squad member, and very few could successfully retire! As for befriending the Captains of the original Gotei 13, there was no need; these people should first find a way to survive for a thousand years or more~

As for the ordinary squad members, they should first worry about surviving Yhwach's invasion! Even if they did survive, their weak Spiritual Pressure and fragile Spiritual Bodies would hardly allow them to live for another thousand years…

Araki was the kind of person who would grow attached even to a cat or dog. He feared that after becoming familiar with the squad members, a hundred years would pass, and he would see nothing but piles of yellow earth returned to spirit particles, adding to his sorrow.

Perhaps this was the tragedy of the long-lived! Soul Reapers of third-grade Spiritual Power or higher were no longer on the same dimensional level as those below them…

And so, several months passed…

Finally, a 'guest' arrived at the 11th Division barracks, looking for Araki.

And it was precisely with the arrival of this 'guest' seeking Araki at the 11th Division barracks that the members of the 11th Division suddenly remembered that their Captain had changed!

Outside the 11th Division barracks, a tall figure stood quietly! Undoubtedly, this tall figure had come to find Araki!

The person seeking Araki had short silver-gray hair and eyes that matched its color. His face appeared somewhat young, and he was quite handsome…

Although the young man's looks were still slightly inferior to Araki's, among the 'mismatched' Captains of the original Gotei 13, he was definitely considered handsome!

Most importantly, compared to the 'murderous' and 'crude' members of the Gotei 13, this silver-haired man appeared incredibly polite, giving off the impression of an 'English gentleman.'

At this moment, the young man, dressed in a black Shinigami Robes with a white Haori woven over it, exuding a 'gentlemanly' aura, stood before the main gate of the 11th Division barracks. He smiled and spoke to the guards: "Could you two squad members please go inside and inform your Captain Araki that Vice-Captain Chōjirō Sasakibe of the 1st Division has come to see him! I know your Captain Araki doesn't usually see people, but if you mention my name, he will most likely agree to meet with me…"

Yes, this polite, somewhat "gentlemanly" young man was precisely the person most loyal to Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni of the Gotei 13! He was none other than Chōjirō Sasakibe, the Lieutenant of the 1st Division...

He was also one of only two lieutenants in the Gotei 13 permitted to wear a white Haori!

In terms of strength, Chōjirō Sasakibe was undoubtedly Captain-level!

His Zanpakuto, Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū, was incredibly powerful! It was an extremely rare Zanpakuto in Soul Society, capable of directly influencing the weather...

Incidentally, currently, within the Gotei 13 in the Seireitei, the only other lieutenant besides Chōjirō Sasakibe allowed to wear a white Haori was Unohana Retsu, a special exception granted by the Captain-Commander...

"Huh? Captain Araki?! That's odd, why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Oh, right! I remember now, I think our 11th Division's captain is named Araki..."

The guards at the 11th Division's gate were startled after hearing Chōjirō Sasakibe's words, then muttered to themselves.

"Is... something wrong?"

Chōjirō Sasakibe was taken aback after hearing the two 11th Division guards.

"Our apologies, Lieutenant Sasakibe! Our 11th Division has always been managed by Captain Unohana!"

"As for Captain Araki, whom you're looking for, we're not sure if he's in the barracks! Therefore, please allow us to go inside and report your presence to Captain Unohana, and then inquire about Captain Araki's whereabouts..."

The two guards exchanged glances, then explained to Chōjirō Sasakibe.

"Hmm? Captain Unohana?!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of confusion appeared on Chōjirō Sasakibe's face!

While a division's lieutenant could indeed be loosely considered part of the captain's echelon, and in some divisions, lieutenants would temporarily assume the captain's position if the captain was unexpectedly reassigned or killed in action...

Furthermore, some "powerful" and "charismatic" lieutenants were indeed directly addressed as "Captain" by their own squad members when within their own division! However, that was usually when no outsiders were present, when they were speaking amongst themselves.

Normally, in the presence of outsiders, no matter how outstanding a lieutenant was, their own squad members would still address them as "Lieutenant"! But these two guards, when addressing Unohana, did not include the "Lieutenant" prefix!

It was as if these two guards genuinely believed that Unohana Retsu was the true captain of their division...

Secondly, what puzzled Chōjirō Sasakibe was that he could clearly sense Araki's Spiritual Pressure within the 11th Division barracks! Yet, these two 11th Division guards seemed rather unsure about their captain Araki's whereabouts, which left Chōjirō Sasakibe extremely bewildered. In his opinion, no matter how unprofessional a division's squad members were, they should at least have a general idea of their captain's movements, right?!

"So what exactly is going on?!"

"Could it be that Araki returned the captain's position to Captain Unohana again?"

"Ah, I really want to ask for clarification..."

"But this is, after all, a matter between 'husband and wife.' Wouldn't it be impolite for an outsider like me to inquire?!"

For a moment, Chōjirō Sasakibe's curiosity was greatly piqued.

In fact, based on Chōjirō Sasakibe's understanding of Araki, Araki was indeed capable of such "unconventional" actions as returning the captain's position to Unohana Retsu!

As for Araki's motive for doing so...

Chōjirō Sasakibe remembered Araki once telling him: "Life as a couple needs a bit of fun and excitement~ That's how a relationship lasts..."

Regarding this, whether it was the Chōjirō of the past or the Chōjirō of the present, he completely failed to understand what Araki meant by that!

"Husband and wife" and such, in Chōjirō Sasakibe's view, were unnecessary things!

In Chōjirō Sasakibe's eyes, having Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was more than enough!

Cough, cough...

"You're Lieutenant Sasakibe of the 1st Division, aren't you?!"

Just as Chōjirō was deep in thought, a clear voice interrupted his reverie, bringing his mind back to the present.

Chōjirō Sasakibe looked up in the direction of the voice and saw Unohana Retsu, clad in her white Haori, walking towards him...

Evidently, Unohana Retsu, who had been urging her squad members to undergo "Zanpakuto" training within the barracks, had sensed the Spiritual Pressure inadvertently released by Chōjirō Sasakibe, who was standing outside the 11th Division's main gate.

"Captain Unohana!"

With Unohana Retsu's arrival, the two 11th Division guards on duty immediately bowed respectfully to her and greeted her loudly.

"Lieutenant... Unohana! Hello, I'm here to see Captain Araki!"

Chōjirō Sasakibe looked at Unohana Retsu approaching him, hesitating repeatedly in his mind, but still added the "Lieutenant" prefix to her title.

"Kondo, Minamoto, listen carefully! I am no longer the Captain of the 11th Division! When there are no 'guests' in the division on a normal day, it's fine if you address me that way~ I won't force you to change, after all, you are veteran squad members, and it's unavoidable that you're used to addressing me by my former rank! However, once 'guests' from other divisions arrive, you must address me as 'Lieutenant' according to protocol!" Unohana Retsu first gently lectured the two guards at the gate, then looked at Chōjirō Sasakibe with a slight smile, "Lieutenant Sasakibe, you've arrived?! Captain Araki is already waiting for you in the Captain's Office~"

"Huh?! Oh, alright..."

Chōjirō Sasakibe felt cold sweat break out on his forehead upon hearing this. He had a strong feeling that Unohana was "hinting" at something.

And Chōjirō wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Unohana Retsu seemed to have changed, becoming more "benevolent" than before, and at the same time, seemingly more "scheming."

This chapter is four thousand words! And there's more!