Go to the Fourth Division for a Physical Examination

Kurayashiki Kenpachi stood in place, unmoving.

He looked down at the youth lying on the ground, then raised his hand to look at the sword he held, then looked down again, then up again.

After looking back and forth like this three to five times, the expression on his face slowly changed from initial shock to bewilderment, confusion, and a hint of... disappointment.

He's down already?

The guy who made his back crawl, made every cell in his body tremble with excitement, the guy he thought would finally let him have a good fight, was felled by his own casual slash?

The grip on his sword handle slowly loosened.

The last drop of blood on the tip of the blade finally fell, making a small dark spot in the dirt.

"Captain," Ashido's voice pulled him from his daze, "I told you, this guy wasn't strong at all."

Ashido had already rushed to the youth's side and squatted down, carefully turning the youth, who was lying face down, over.

The wound on the youth's chest was exposed, slanting from below his collarbone to his ribs, deep and long, the flesh turned inside out, blood still seeping out profusely, looking quite terrifying.

Ashido frowned, a faint green light emanating from his palms.

He held his hands just above the wound, and the green light enveloped it.

"My Kaidō skills are average, I can at most help him stop the bleeding."

As he worked, he said, "We shouldn't be the ones to kill 'great villains' like this, or they'll find an excuse to send us on a 'paid vacation' to Hueco Mundo."

His tone carried a hint of helplessness, clearly not fond of such "vacations."

Ashido was also relieved in his heart.

It seemed his intuition was correct; this youth was no hidden master at all, at most just a madman a bit fiercer than the average great villain. The spiritual pressure readings didn't lie.

They, the Shinigami, especially the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, were nominally responsible for maintaining order in the Soul Society, but there was an unwritten, yet crucial, unspoken rule.

They could not arbitrarily kill residents of the Rukon District, especially the "great villains" who maintained a certain twisted order in the chaotic areas.

The reason? Ashido knew, although many ordinary squad members and even some Lieutenants didn't understand the inside story, as the Lieutenant of the Eleventh Division, he was qualified to know some truths.

The large number of abnormal deaths in the Rukon District would break the balance.

To maintain the stability of the Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo, once the number of deaths in a certain Rukon District area became abnormal, the Central 46 Chambers might issue an order to dispatch the Thirteen Court Guard Squads to Hueco Mundo for so-called "quantity adjustment."

To put it bluntly, it meant going to kill Hollows of the corresponding number to fill the gap.

And in places like the Gomukure District, the presence of a sufficiently strong "great villain" was, to some extent, a form of twisted "stability."

He could suppress other restless individuals, keeping the chaos at a relatively fixed level.

He could die at the hands of another great villain, but not easily at the hands of a Shinigami.

Think about it, if the recognized "strongest" in an area was suddenly killed by an outsider, what would the "second-in-command" and "third-in-command" below him, who were already itching for a fight, do?

Of course, they would immediately jump out to seize territory, and a new round of bloodier, more widespread fighting would begin, leading to countless more deaths among the Rukon residents.

Therefore, Shinigami had to act with extreme caution in the Rukon District, especially in the later-numbered areas.

Unless the other party actively attacked and posed a significant threat, or there was a clear crime requiring judgment, they should try to "subdue, not kill."

The green light in Ashido's hands slowly extinguished.

Although the terrifying wound on the youth's chest had not healed, the bleeding had basically stopped, with only slow seepage remaining.

His life should be saved; as for whether there would be sequelae or a significant drop in strength later, that was not something Ashido needed to worry about.

Ashido stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from his hands, and looked at his Captain, who was still in a daze:

"Let's go, Captain. It looks like this trip was in vain, no worthwhile gains."

Kurayashiki Kenpachi cast a final, deep look at the unconscious youth on the ground, his gaze extremely complex, filled with regret, confusion, and an unshakeable sense of awkwardness.

He ultimately said nothing, merely sighed heavily, sheathed his Zanpakuto with a "click," turned, and began to walk.

Ashido walked by his side, watching his Captain's dejected demeanor, his very posture seeming to droop, and understood perfectly.

He certainly understood his Captain's feelings.

Kurayashiki Kenpachi, Captain of the Eleventh Division, leader of the combat-focused squads within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

"Kenpachi," a title passed down through the ages in the Soul Society, meaning "strongest of the sword."

In the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, this title belonged only to the Captain of the Eleventh Division, and in a way, it was synonymous with "the strongest Shinigami."

Although this "strongest" referred more to fighting spirit and combat ability, it was enough to indicate its weight.

Normally, Captain Kurayashiki was cheerful, fond of smiling, like a caring and reliable older brother, always willing to help anyone in the division who had difficulties.

But Ashido knew that was just an outward appearance, or rather, a side the Captain was willing to show.

Look at his Zanpakuto, and his Bankai, "Gakurai Corridor," which was so terrifying that the Central 46 Chambers strictly prohibited its use within the Soul Society.

Its ability was essentially to devour everything and destroy all.

One could imagine the ferocity and hunger lurking deep within the soul of someone who possessed such a Bankai.

The Captain yearned for worthy opponents, yearned for battles that would let him fight to his heart's content.

This yearning might even surpass the gentleness he usually displayed.

And today, that craving was dangled high, only to... shatter into pieces.

The greater the expectation, the harsher the disappointment.

The two walked a long distance in silence. Ashido thought for a moment, then broke the silence.

"Captain, after we get back, do you want to stop by the Fourth Division?"

"Hm?" Kurayashiki Kenpachi was a bit absentminded. "Why go to the Fourth Division? I'm not injured."

He touched his stomach. That rusty sword hadn't even pierced his Shinigami uniform.

"It's not about injury," Ashido's tone became a bit more serious. "I mean, let's get a routine check-up.

Perhaps... you're too eager for battle, and there are slight, unnoticed discrepancies in your body or perception? A check-up would put your mind at ease."

He spoke tactfully, but his meaning was clear:

The severe misjudgment of the young man's strength was a manifestation of this "discrepancy." With the Captain's usual discernment, such a mistake shouldn't have happened.

Kurayashiki Kenpachi paused his steps, reached up to scratch his short hair, a hint of conflict on his face.

"You don't think so? I feel like I'm in pretty good shape. Eating well, sleeping soundly."

"But a misjudgment did occur," Ashido insisted, his voice carrying the seriousness befitting a Lieutenant.

"This is something that almost never happened before. Captain, being cautious can't hurt."

Kurayashiki Kenpachi looked at Ashido's serious expression, then recalled the extreme contrast of the scene just now, and his own confidence began to waver.

Could it really be that something was wrong with him? Was his perception distorted? Or had he been slacking in his training recently, causing his intuition to degenerate?

"...Fine." He finally compromised. There was nothing urgent waiting for him anyway.

"Let's go take a look. Getting checked by Captain Unohana would be good too."

They stopped talking and simultaneously increased their speed.

Their figures turned into two blurred shadows, rapidly streaking across the desolate streets and ruins of the Gomukure District, heading towards Seireitei.

Not long after they left.

On the edge of the central clearing in the Gomukure District, within the shadows of the broken houses, behind the cracks in the walls, a dozen pairs of eyes slowly emerged.

These eyes stared intently at the center of the clearing, at the young man lying in a pool of blood, unconscious.

There was no pity, no concern in their gazes, only the most primal greed, ferocity, and the patience of those waiting for an opportunity.

One pair of eyes belonged to the thin man who had been casually thrown aside by Kurayashiki Kenpachi earlier.

He licked his dry lips, a faint gurgle escaping his throat.

They didn't speak to each other, but exchanged glances silently for a moment.

Then, as if reaching some unspoken agreement.

One, two, three... more than ten figures emerged from their respective hiding places.