Indiscriminate Poison-Tongued Strikes

Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, five days on and two days off...

Over a hundred years...

Rounding it off, that came to nearly thirty thousand seeds!

Although each seed only absorbed the Reiryoku unconsciously dispersed by soul bodies, accumulated over time, that was still an utterly terrifying rate of Reiryoku accumulation.

When the time comes, I won't be cultivating alone—the entire Thirteen Divisions will be helping me cultivate!

At that thought, Chiba Makoto's lips curled upward, and he could not help but reveal a faint smile.

Seeing this, Yamada Seinosuke sensed Chiba Makoto's pleased and relaxed expression. He raised a brow and asked, "Chiba, are you really that happy just to be joining the Fourth Division?"

Chiba Makoto paused slightly, then quickly answered with a resolute expression.

"Of course. Saving lives and healing the wounded is my dream, so ever since the day I enrolled in Shin'ō Academy, I've always hoped to join the Fourth Division and become a glorious and great Soul Reaper..."

After a brief pause, Chiba Makoto looked at Yamada Seinosuke's somewhat cold and sharp-featured face and said, "Now that I feel my dream is within reach, how could I not be happy?"

"Mm..."

Yamada Seinosuke nodded, then said venomously, "You're celebrating a little too early."

?

Chiba Makoto.

Seeing Chiba Makoto's stunned expression after being choked by those words, Yamada Seinosuke smiled, then casually remarked, "Chiba Makoto, you're sure you want to apply for the Fourth Division, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Wait a moment. Once we've finished recruiting the other graduates, we'll discuss it properly."

With that, Yamada Seinosuke went off to recruit the other graduates.

Seeing that, Chiba Makoto took the opportunity to bid farewell to Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika, while also harshly criticizing them for acting on their own.

Although it was precisely because Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika had tried to drag Chiba Makoto into the Eleventh Division that he had fortuitously gained the chance to plant a Seed of the Forest within Zaraki Kenpachi.

Even so, Chiba Makoto sternly condemned their behavior, making it clear that if they pulled anything similar again, he would retaliate. Let no one say he had not warned them.

Madarame Ikkaku, however, seemed rather reluctant to part with Chiba Makoto. He claimed that he would definitely visit Chiba Makoto in the Fourth Division whenever he had the time.

Chiba Makoto, who knew Madarame Ikkaku's personality well, did not doubt that in the slightest.

With Madarame Ikkaku's weak-but-battle-hungry personality, once he officially joined the Eleventh Division, which was packed with battle maniacs, it probably would not take long before he was carried into a Fourth Division ward.

As for Ayasegawa Yumichika, he said nothing much, merely expressing some regret. Still, the vaguely suggestive look in Ayasegawa Yumichika's eyes made Chiba Makoto unconsciously tense up.

However, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika still had to recruit another batch of graduates on Zaraki Kenpachi's behalf, so they soon became busy as well.

Amid the graduates' hesitant deliberations throughout the venue, it took more than an hour for the preliminary division selections to conclude.

Then, the representatives from each division led the graduates out of the venue and began their internal division assessments directly within Shin'ō Academy.

Yamada Seinosuke, however, did not seem inclined to remain at Shin'ō Academy. He directly led the eighteen graduates, including Chiba Makoto, out of Shin'ō Academy and into the Seireitei.

The Seireitei.

The center of rule and military power for the entire Soul Society. Separated by a towering ring of pure white walls that reached into the clouds, the outside was the chaotic and impoverished Rukongai, while within lay the magnificent Seireitei—the place the Soul Reapers of the Thirteen Divisions were tasked with protecting.

After leading the graduates into the Seireitei, Yamada Seinosuke continuously introduced them to its internal layout, the locations of each division's barracks, special areas, various taboos, and more.

"Um, Senior Yamada..."

In the midst of Yamada Seinosuke's animated explanation, a somewhat uncertain voice rose from among the graduates.

"Is it really alright to introduce these things to us in advance? Have we already passed the Fourth Division's assessment?"

"Of course!"

Yamada Seinosuke turned to look at the tall graduate with conspicuous short silver-gray hair, glanced down at the roster in his hand, and said, "Kotetsu Isane, right?"

"Yes, Senior Yamada," Kotetsu Isane hurriedly replied.

"Mm, that's right. From today onward, you are already members of the Fourth Division," Yamada Seinosuke said.

"Ah? But... but haven't we yet to undergo the division assessment?"

Kotetsu Isane asked uneasily, "If our Kaido and Medical Skills aren't up to standard, wouldn't that affect the injured?"

"That sort of thing isn't important at all..."

Yamada Seinosuke shook his head and smiled. "Even if you know absolutely nothing about Kaido, it's fine. The Fourth Division is also severely short on people to transport corpses."

In an instant, Kotetsu Isane's little face turned pale, and the other graduates' expressions became rather ugly as well.

After all, eighteen graduates had applied to join the Fourth Division this time. Most of them had been won over by Captain Unohana's gentle temperament and intended to become Captain Unohana's subordinates.

But... transporting corpses?!

They had not diligently trained in "Zankensoki" every day just to fight for the right to haul corpses around! Bastard!!!

For a moment, nearly all the graduates' faces darkened, and the looks they gave Yamada Seinosuke were brimming with resentment.

After all, aside from oddballs like Chiba Makoto, who were genuinely devoted to Kaido and Medical Skills, the vast majority of Shin'ō Academy students focused their efforts on "Zankensoki"—the four fundamental combat techniques of Soul Reapers: "Zanjutsu," "Hakuda," "Shunpo," and "Kidō."

As for Kaido, it was merely a specialized branch of Kidō and not one of Shin'ō Academy's primary assessment subjects, accounting for only a very small portion of the score.

As a result, quite a number of students had mastered only the most basic Kaido—probably just enough to perform emergency hemostasis.

Even among these graduates applying to join the Fourth Division, most lacked confidence in their own Kaido proficiency.

After being dealt such a blow by Yamada Seinosuke, some of the graduates gradually seemed to shut down.

Even Chiba Makoto had to admit that Yamada Seinosuke's inherently sharp tongue, which he made no attempt to conceal, launched indiscriminate attacks practically every moment.

Perhaps... the reason the Fourth Division is short on people every year has quite a lot to do with having such a sharp-tongued Vice-Captain...

Chiba Makoto could not help inwardly complaining about Yamada Seinosuke as well.

If Aizen Sōsuke were the Vice-Captain instead, with that seemingly flawless gentleness and approachability, the Fourth Division probably would never be short on people.