Going to the New World

"Kenma, just you wait!"

Yoruichi shot Kenma a vicious glare, then stormed out of the study in a huff.

The situation had become thorny. She needed to find someone truly wise and dependable to answer her questions.

And perhaps help her find a way to save Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo.

For now, the two were being held in the Second Division's cells, and the matter had not yet reached the First Division.

There was still room to maneuver.

Watching Yoruichi's departing back, Kenma felt a complicated swirl of emotions.

Afterward, he sat back down beside Shisui and picked up the scissors to trim the potted plant.

Calm down. Calm down.

Shisui's gaze followed Kenma as he watched him carry on cultivating his temperament as though nothing had happened.

He had some understanding of the relationship between Kenma and Yoruichi.

But seeing it with his own eyes now, the feelings between them were even more complicated than he had imagined.

He softly said, "Master..."

"Shisui, I agree to what you proposed before."

Kenma's subdued voice left Shisui stunned. For a moment, he could not recall which matter he meant.

When he received no response, Kenma raised his head and looked at Shisui. Seeing his confused expression, he reminded him, "The matter of skipping a grade that you mentioned before."

"Master, you agree?" Shisui asked cautiously.

Kenma nodded and turned his attention back to the potted plant before him.

"You lived in the Ninja World for all those years and made quite a name for yourself. I assume you know what you're capable of."

"As long as you feel you have fully mastered the first-year curriculum and learned the skills the teachers taught, you may skip ahead."

"Thank you for your understanding, Master."

Shisui knelt on the floor, filled with nothing but relief.

He was relieved that the Master they had acknowledged was so considerate, rather than someone with an egotistical, tyrannical disposition.

The Uchiha Clan's clansmen would surely no longer suffer the same exclusion and oppression they had endured in life.

Thinking back to the argument in the room just now, Shisui secretly glanced at Kenma from the corner of his eye.

From the subtle shifts in his expression, he could tell that his Master had calmed down.

Summoning his courage, he asked, "Master, Urahara, Third Seat, exposed the trap you laid in front of Lady Yoruichi. Will that cause some trouble between you and Lady Yoruichi?"

"From what I saw just now, Lady Yoruichi seems to harbor some resentment toward you..."

"Hmph, it's more than just resentment!"

Kenma snorted and set down the scissors in his hand.

The scissors landed on the table with a dull thud, making Shisui's heart tremble.

Kenma said gloomily, "She never liked me to begin with. She only agreed to marry me because of her father's orders. After what happened today, she has probably cursed me thousands of times in her heart."

"Even if I explained every detail of this matter to her and told her I never set Kisuke Urahara up, she would not believe me. Instead, she would only think I was talking slick and trying to deceive her."

"What was that saying again? Prejudice in people's hearts is like a great mountain; no matter how hard you try, you cannot move it an inch."

People were stubborn and blind. They would not be swayed by facts, nor would they easily change their views.

Instead, they treated their own wishful thinking as reality. Only then could they continue living with peace of mind.

Shisui revealed a trace of surprise. "Master says you did not frame Kisuke Urahara, but judging from what happened today, it really does look more like it was your scheme..."

"See? Even you think so."

Kenma's sigh made Shisui lower his head deeply, his face full of shame.

"Shisui was wrong."

"What could you possibly have done wrong?"

Kenma was not particularly angry.

But if even Shisui saw it this way, then one could imagine what kind of opinion Yoruichi held of him.

"In your heart, am I the sort of petty man who only knows how to play dirty tricks?"

Shisui lowered his head even further.

Trembling with fear, he did not dare answer.

After following Kenma for these past few days, Shisui naturally had his own impression of him.

In his heart, his Master was a man of great talent and vision, exceptional ability, broad-mindedness, and natural bearing.

Though his face was often stern, making him seem like someone rigid and inflexible.

But as for his true personality...

He was not nearly as old-fashioned as he appeared. On the contrary, he was quite adaptable in how he handled matters, neither overly rigid nor overly particular.

As for whether he used schemes... Shisui truly did not dare make a firm judgment.

Seeing Shisui remain silent, Kenma already had his answer.

Silence was sometimes an answer in itself.

He could only sigh helplessly to himself.

Heaven and earth bore witness—he truly had not set Kisuke Urahara up on purpose.

When Kisuke Urahara had applied for funding, Kenma had merely stalled him a few times according to standard procedure.

Other than that, he had done nothing.

Even if the matter had been submitted to the First Division, no one could fault his actions.

Vice-Captain Chūbē would instead praise him for being conscientious!

Who could have imagined that Kisuke Urahara, whom Aizen would fear in the future and whom Yhwach would designate as one of the five Special War Potentials, would have such poor resilience at this age?

And that the Special War Potential known for [Means] would use a method so terrible that even Kenma could barely stand to watch it.

He had actually run to complain before Yoruichi at the slightest disagreement.

Exposing one's own incompetence and weakness like that was stupidity beyond measure. It even made Kenma feel that Kisuke Urahara was naive in an almost adorable way.

Even an intern who had just entered the office would not use such a lowly tactic.

How was this any different from stabbing himself twice before a fight?

And each stab had landed squarely in a vital spot.

Kisuke Urahara had made too many mistakes in the past, which was why Kenma had taken him down with a single chain of moves and thrown him into a cell to be dealt with as he pleased. That was the outcome.

"He has only lived safely all these years by relying on Yoruichi's protection. Otherwise, he would have been devoured so thoroughly that not even his bones remained."

"Yoruichi is no better. She dumps all the division's work onto the vice-captain and Seated Officers below her and spends every day fooling around. Even now, she does not clearly understand the division's rules or operational structure."

"She actually brazenly brought Kisuke Urahara before me. Not only did she personally hand Kisuke Urahara two knives, she nearly dragged herself into the mess as well... I have no idea where she got that confidence."

"Hachishō Ryo is even worse. She does not understand reason or rules and acts solely on emotion, harming others and herself alike."

Facing teammates like these, Kenma sighed helplessly in his heart.

At least he still had some sense of shame, so he had not made a bigger issue out of it.

Otherwise, Yoruichi would have been punished as well, and both the Shikokuin Family and Kenma himself would have lost face.

Look at the other divisions. The First Division, as the example for all others, went without saying.

Even the Fifth Division—its captain, Shinjī Hirako, looked frivolous and exaggerated on the surface but was actually extremely sharp, while Vice-Captain Aizen, though a great villain, was still a diligent man.

Then look at the Second Division. In the entire Onmitsukidō, only he and Vice-Captain Maeada were remotely reliable.

Hearing Kenma's words, Shisui did not dare move, much less make a sound. He could only desperately hide his presence.

Master, you can criticize them all you want, but why say it in front of him?

Were these words something a lowly attendant like him was allowed to hear?

But Kenma was openly staring at him now, so he could not say nothing.

Shisui forced himself to remain calm and softly asked, "Then, Master, should Urahara, Third Seat, be killed or spared?"

"Of course he will be spared."

Kenma sneered.

"Yoruichi cares so much about this childhood friend, yet he is under my control. Such a useful card can be revealed when necessary to restrain the dignified head of the Shikokuin Family. Wouldn't it be a pity to kill him now?"

"Besides, Kisuke Urahara himself is capable. A talent like him naturally cannot be wasted."

Shisui agreed, "Master is wise."

Kenma waved his hand.

"Let's not discuss this anymore."

"Shisui, I called you here this time because there is something I need to tell you."

"What does Master need Shisui to do?" Shisui asked in confusion.

Kenma gave his instructions.

"Go to the Shino Academy and request a few days' leave. Accompany me to a completely new otherworld."

"It is a world filled with oceans."