Kenpachi Zaraki's Sudden Interruption!

Just hearing the voice from outside and the names mentioned in it, Yoru knew trouble had come knocking.

The person who walked into the Fourth Division's recruitment office was a tall, fierce-looking man with a scar on his left cheek, an eyepatch over his right eye, and black hair tied into spiky hedgehog-like tufts with little bells dangling from the ends.

Perched on his shoulder was a pink-haired loli wearing a miniature shihakushō, who looked no older than ten.

Following behind the man were Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa, who had just joined the Eleventh Division.

"That guy Yoru said before he wanted to join the Fourth Division the most, so he should've come here first."

Faced with his idol's question, Ikkaku, as a so-called friend, had no qualms about selling Yoru out...

Ikkaku and Yumichika actually knew Kenpachi Zaraki—they'd been thrashed by him back in the Rukongai.

And who knew why Kenpachi Zaraki had taken it into his head to show up at this recruitment drive, but anyway, the moment Ikkaku saw Kenpachi Zaraki, he got incredibly excited and immediately challenged him again.

A fresh graduate, a rookie shinigami, daring to challenge the man known as "Kenpachi" in the Soul Society—for most people, that was unthinkable, but Ikkaku just went for it.

Little Steel Ball Head figured that during his years at the Shino Academy, while his Kidō wasn't great, he'd mastered the other skills of Zanpakuto, Kidō, Hoho, and Hakuda pretty well.

With systematic training, he was much stronger now than when he was in the Rukongai, so the moment he saw his idol, he wanted to test how much he'd grown over the years.

Whether as "Kenpachi" or "Captain of the Eleventh Division," Kenpachi Zaraki wasn't someone a rookie shinigami could just challenge on a whim.

If it were another division's captain, they'd probably ignore Ikkaku's challenge, but not Kenpachi Zaraki.

A battle maniac at heart, he didn't have much sense of his own identity as a shinigami—or rather, he'd come to the Seireitei because there were more worthy opponents to cut here.

Ikkaku remembered Kenpachi Zaraki, but Kenpachi Zaraki didn't remember Ikkaku's name, because the only people whose names he bothered to remember were those who could get his blood pumping, and clearly Ikkaku and Yumichika, who'd been crushed by him back in the Rukongai, hadn't reached that level.

Faced with a challenge coming to him, seeing Ikkaku's eager expression, Kenpachi Zaraki naturally had no reason to refuse.

And so a one-sided fight began. Though Ikkaku's Reiatsu had grown a lot over the years and he'd learned more standardized swordsmanship and Shunpo at the Shino Academy, before Kenpachi Zaraki's absolute power, he was crushed all over again.

But this time, Ikkaku's strength barely managed to pique Kenpachi Zaraki's interest, and he remembered his name.

After his defeat, a frustrated Ikkaku accidentally let slip Yoru's name, saying that if it were Yoru, he could probably last longer against Kenpachi Zaraki, maybe even manage to wound him.

Said without thought, but heard with intent. After hearing Ikkaku's muttering, Kenpachi Zaraki's lips curled into a grin, and he finally looked at Ikkaku with excitement and said, "This guy you mentioned named Yoru—where is he now?"

There were plenty of worthy people to cut in the Seireitei, but the Gotei 13 had rules: captains weren't allowed to fight each other privately, because captain-level Reiatsu was too powerful, and if they got serious, it could affect the Soul Society.

But according to Ikkaku, this guy named Yoru Machi was just a rookie shinigami who'd graduated this year, and he was even stronger than Ikkaku.

Since he wasn't a captain, the rules didn't apply. If he couldn't cut a captain, cutting an ordinary shinigami should be fine, right?

And that's why the Eleventh Division was now at the Fourth Division's recruitment office.

Strolling boldly into the Fourth Division's recruitment office, Kenpachi Zaraki had the swagger of a thug, with a Zanpakuto slung over one shoulder and the pink-haired loli on the other, flanked by two guardian henchmen. As soon as he entered, he shouted, "Which one of you is called Yoru Machi? Come out and fight me!"

Beside Yoru, the rookie shinigami Kotetsu Isane, who had never seen such a scene, was scared stiff. She'd heard before that during recruitment, some divisions would compete to snatch new members.

But she never imagined the Eleventh Division would have its captain personally lead the team to steal recruits!

Was that to be expected from a combat division? Their style was utterly reckless!

"Captain Kenpachi, this is the Fourth Division's recruitment site. May I ask what business you have here?"

If Isane were the only one at the recruitment office right now, facing the menacing Kenpachi and his crew, she'd probably have collapsed from fear. But the key point was that she wasn't alone—Yoru was there, and so was the woman once called "the greatest villain in Soul Society's history."

Kenpachi Zaraki's group might look impressive, but Sister Hana remained perfectly calm, squinting with a smile as she asked the Eleventh Division's intentions.

"Little Ken's here to find someone called Little Yoru—he wants to fight him."

At Unohana Retsu's question, before Kenpachi Zaraki could speak, the pink-haired loli Yachiru on his shoulder raised her hand and answered.

"Vice-Captain, the person we're looking for is named Yoru, not Little Yoru..."

Hearing Yachiru's words, Ikkaku beside Kenpachi Zaraki kindly corrected her, but unfortunately, the pink-haired loli didn't appreciate it. Giving people nicknames she liked was her hobby, and Ikkaku's ungrateful behavior clearly annoyed her.

"Shut up, Little Steel Ball Head. Don't interrupt me. Ptooey."

Ikkaku was dumbfounded. His well-meaning correction earned him no thanks, only a new nickname—"Little Steel Ball Head"—and even his carefully waxed and polished head got spat on. How could he take that lying down?

"Yumichika, don't stop me! I'm going to take down that arrogant loli!"

For a bald man, his shiny head was his pride. Now that his pride had been trampled, even though Ikkaku usually didn't hit women or kids, he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Calm down, Ikkaku. The vice-captain didn't mean it, and besides, we might not even be able to beat her..."

What Yumichika said wasn't just comfort—it was the truth. Yachiru might look like a little kid, but she genuinely had vice-captain-level strength.

Earlier, when Ikkaku challenged Kenpachi Zaraki, Yumichika had been curious why the Eleventh Division's vice-captain was a child, so he tried to make a move. But before he could even act, Yachiru's figure had appeared behind him like a ghost!