Division Life

Unlike Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, who still worried about his subordinates getting caught up in a life-or-death battle, Natsuki was a selfish person.

He lived by the principle, "Let someone else die, so I can live."

After all, he had finally gotten another chance at life in the world of the dead. He was the kind of person who cherished his life and would never casually gamble with it.

Azashiro Kenpachi's presence had dampened the morale of the 11th Division somewhat.

But the Division as a whole had not stopped functioning because of it.

When Hollows appeared in the Soul Society, the 11th Division was even more eager to charge into battle.

Aside from his cold personality, Azashiro Kenpachi was actually a perfectly capable captain in other respects. Whenever Hollows appeared, he always took the lead and went out to face them, never hiding behind his subordinates.

He was very strong, a man much like Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.

Because his Bankai had been forbidden by an edict, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi fought Hollows with his Asauchi. He rarely even used Shikai, relying instead on his overwhelming Sword Pressure to tear Hollows apart.

Azashiro Kenpachi was even more unconventional. He didn't swing his sword at all, using only the Ghost Way to deal with Hollows.

His mastery of the Ghost Way was formidable. Even Menos Grande were devoured by his spells and died.

Of course, in a Division that prized the thrill of clashing blades and fighting up close, many members couldn't accept the use of the Ghost Way against enemies. They didn't like fighting that way.

As a result, even when Azashiro Kenpachi defeated an enemy, the many members of the Division felt no particular admiration for him.

And after a victorious battle, Azashiro Kenpachi didn't hold a grand drinking party to celebrate, as Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had.

It was the same when they set out to battle. He didn't hold any sort of ceremony.

That might not have mattered without a comparison, but because there was one, Azashiro Kenpachi wasn't exactly popular at the moment.

Maybe people's opinions of you will change with time.

Thinking of the new Kenpachi's reputation, Natsuki couldn't help musing to himself.

Then he murmured, "But what does that have to do with me?"

Whether it was Kuruyashiki Kenpachi or Azashiro Kenpachi, Natsuki hadn't been in the Seireitei or the Gotei 13 for long. He didn't have much of an impression of either man, let alone any deep bond with them.

In Natsuki's eyes, they didn't even mean as much to him as the comrades he'd had in the Expeditionary Force in Hueco Mundo.

For one thing, he'd fought alongside those comrades for years.

Life in the 11th Division was monotonous.

Aside from fighting, there was training.

The other members also enjoyed drinking, but Natsuki couldn't hold his liquor and had no interest in it.

When there was no fighting to be done, he preferred to stay in his quarters and communicate with his Zanpakuto through Sword Meditation.

"Soon. It's almost time..."

Over the years, Natsuki had slain plenty of Hollows.

After they died, the Reishi they left behind was quietly drawn in and absorbed by his Zanpakuto. He could feel his own spiritual power growing stronger. As it did, whenever he tried to merge his spiritual power with that of his Zanpakuto, he gradually began to hear a faint voice. Unfortunately, he still couldn't enter his inner world, see his Zanpakuto, and master Shikai.

Not long ago, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had died in battle. Natsuki hadn't deliberately drawn his Zanpakuto to scavenge the battlefield, but after the fight, he still discovered that some of the Reishi left behind by Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had quietly been absorbed by his own Zanpakuto.

It seemed that whether he drew his sword or not made no difference to its passive ability.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

This ability wasn't something Natsuki could control at will. It was passive.

And a scabbard wasn't anything special, so it naturally couldn't seal away that passive ability.

Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's death was a heartbreaking loss for most of the 11th Division's Soul Reapers. For Natsuki, though, his own spiritual power had indeed increased again, bringing him one step closer to mastering Shikai.

After his daily Sword Meditation, as usual,

he headed to the 11th Division's training ground.

Even though the Kenpachi had changed and many people were dissatisfied with the new one, that didn't change the 11th Division members' combative nature.

Many members were sparring in pairs on the training ground. There were men and women, and quite a few of the Soul Reapers were women. Their bodies twisted as they fought, inevitably drawing attention to certain features, which brought a crowd of leering old perverts nearby to drink and watch.

But the female members seemed to have long since gotten used to it. They showed no embarrassment; if anything, they flaunted their assets while they fought.

Natsuki scanned the training ground, then found an open spot. He called out to some people nearby who were idle and watching the sparring out of boredom. "Anyone want to spar?"

At once, many Soul Reapers showed interest.

"I'm in!"

"Count me in!"

Given the 11th Division's nature, there were both men and women among those who answered.

Natsuki was a Seated Officer. Even if they lost to him, they could still learn something from fighting a Seated Officer. For members of the 11th Division who loved to fight, it was an opportunity they wouldn't pass up.

Natsuki didn't refuse to fight them just because the challengers were ordinary members.

But ordinary members were ordinary members, after all.

After just a few exchanges, they were defeated by Natsuki.

"No wonder you're Natsuki, the 9th Seat. We've got a long way to go!"

After losing, the members weren't too discouraged. They simply marveled at how cleanly and efficiently Natsuki had fought.

There was no trace of smugness on Natsuki's face.

Just then, a deep voice reached his ears. "Natsuki, the 9th Seat, how about a match?"

"That's Akagi, the Third Seat!"

Hearing this, many members immediately turned to the speaker and recognized him.

The Third Seat was the highest-ranking Seated Officer.

Above him were the captain and lieutenant. The captain appointed the lieutenant, whose strength wasn't necessarily exceptional; he might even have gotten the position through connections. But anyone who became the Third Seat definitely wasn't weak.

Back when Watanabe Yuji was in the 11th Division, he had only been the Fifth Seat.

Ashido, who had gone to reinforce the Expeditionary Force in Hueco Mundo, had been the 11th Division's Fourth Seat.

And now, Akagi Ryosuke was the Third Seat.

That didn't necessarily mean he was stronger than Watanabe Yuji or Ashido, but someone appointed Third Seat certainly wasn't weak.

"Third Seat Akagi!"

Natsuki greeted him without making any effort to get closer. At present, he was only on nodding terms with everyone in the 11th Division. He knew them, but they weren't close enough to share a bed.