Borrowing Wine to Drown Sorrows

Inside the 11th Division.

The members were drinking.

This round of drinking was not to celebrate a victory, but to drown their sorrows.

By now, the news regarding Azashiro Kenpachi had reached every member of the division.

Though the specific details remained unclear—such as exactly what Azashiro Kenpachi had done—the fact that he had been stripped of his captaincy was undeniable.

As for the title of Kenpachi, once claimed, it could never be revoked. Even if they were unwilling to acknowledge it, Azashiro was the Eighth Kenpachi; that had become an established fact the moment he defeated Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.

Natsuki still refrained from drinking.

He simply watched the dejected members quietly, making no attempt to comfort them.

Just as they had when Kuruyashiki Kenpachi died, these members would eventually move on. The members of the 11th Division were far more resilient than he had imagined; they would recover sooner or later.

Natsuki was not actually surprised that Azashiro Kenpachi had been imprisoned.

He had discovered what Azashiro Kenpachi was doing long ago and had even clashed with him. Afterward, he had once considered reporting him, but for certain reasons, he had ultimately restrained himself.

The only thing he hadn't expected was that Azashiro Kenpachi would choose to surrender in the end.

He was sentenced to the Mukaden.

Natsuki was no stranger to the Mukaden; in the original history, Aizen was imprisoned there.

It seemed now that many formidable figures were likely locked away in that prison, even if they were never mentioned in the original records.

Time passed like sand slipping through fingers, hurrying by.

The administrative efficiency of the Soul Society was not high.

The only reason they had sentenced Azashiro Kenpachi so quickly was because the nature of his actions was too heinous, and even with three powerful captains unable to subdue him, he had surrendered of his own volition.

If they had dragged it out, no one knew if Azashiro Kenpachi might change his mind and attempt to break out.

To avoid further complications, it was better to lock him in the Mukaden as quickly as possible.

Once confined to the Mukaden, there would be no possibility of Azashiro Kenpachi ever escaping.

It was only after Azashiro Kenpachi was imprisoned that the administrative efficiency of the Soul Society began to drag again.

For a long time, the 11th Division remained without a captain.

During this period, perhaps because word had reached Hueco Mundo, Menos Grande frequently invaded the Soul Society.

The 11th Division was a combat division; when faced with such matters, they naturally chose to fight, even if the lack of a captain could not change that reality.

The Lieutenant, Gosu, the Third Seat, Natsuki, and the former Third Seat—now Fourth Seat—Akagi Ryosuke, all fought valiantly against the hordes of Hollows.

Natsuki's strength continued to improve amidst the fighting.

Zanjutsu and Hakuda required tempering through real combat, especially life-or-death battles.

Simple sparring within the division could lead to improvement, but it was very limited.

After his battle with Azashiro Kenpachi, Natsuki's resolve to become stronger had only hardened. He did not want to experience another defeat like that, nor another brush with death. Even if he had no regrets and no fear when death loomed, that feeling was truly unpleasant.

With one slash, he cut down a Gillian, then used Shunpo to vanish and reappear before another, swinging his blade to strike again.

Two massive bodies collapsed almost simultaneously.

A rather intense battle thus drew to a close.

Since it was combat, injuries were inevitable.

In the past, everyone would clean up the aftermath on the battlefield while waiting for the 4th Division's support to arrive, but since Natsuki had learned Kaidō, this situation had changed somewhat.

He sheathed his Zanpakuto and walked over to the injured members.

"Sit still and relax."

A low voice came from him, and the member who heard him immediately sat up straight.

Natsuki raised his hand, a faint light shimmering in his palm. Under his control, reishi flowed into the wounded man's body, rapidly mending his injuries.

After treating this member, he moved on to another severely wounded member, using Kaidō to provide treatment.

Of course, it was impossible for him to heal everyone's wounds completely.

If he could do that all by himself, what would be the point of the 4th Division?

The 4th Division would be out of a job.

Natsuki only provided temporary treatment to stabilize their condition, turning severe wounds into minor ones so they could hold on longer, preventing them from dying before the 4th Division arrived.

Even so, the Lieutenant, Gosu, still came to Natsuki's side and offered praise, "Natsuki, your Kaidō is becoming increasingly refined. You could work in the 4th Division."

While continuing to treat the member in front of him, Natsuki replied casually to Gosu, "Captain Unohana did invite me to join the 4th Division, but I refused."

"Because compared to the 4th Division, I feel like you all need me more."

Gosu froze for a moment, then his mouth opened slightly, "Natsuki, you guy..."

Natsuki smiled, his expression gentle.

Not long after Natsuki finished helping the many severely wounded members treat their injuries, reinforcements from the 4th Division arrived. Although Natsuki possessed great talent in Kaidō, when it came to handling casualties, the 4th Division was far more professional.

One by one, the wounded were transferred away by 4th Division members; they would head to the 4th Division's infirmary to recuperate for a while, only returning to the 11th Division once their conditions had completely stabilized.

As for Natsuki, Gosu, and the other uninjured members, they returned to the 11th Division first.

Upon returning, Gosu immediately presided over a drinking party.

Ever since the incident with Azashiro Kenpachi, in order to alleviate the frustration in the members' hearts, Vice-Captain Gosu had revived the tradition of drinking parties from the era of Kuruyashiki Kenpachi. It had to be said that this tactic was very effective, and the morale of the 11th Division recovered rapidly.

"You guys are drinking without calling me? That's truly unkind."

A teasing voice rang out.

Gosu, Natsuki, and the others turned their heads to look, and it was none other than Kyoraku Shunsui.

Back when Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was still around, Kyoraku Shunsui had often visited the 11th Division. After Azashiro Kenpachi was imprisoned, in order to look after the 11th Division, Kyoraku Shunsui—a veteran captain—also frequently came by to offer his condolences to the many 11th Division members.

"You're a very busy man. It's not an easy task for us to find you; by the time we did, the party would already be over," Natsuki said to Kyoraku Shunsui. Through multiple encounters, he and Kyoraku Shunsui had become quite familiar with one another.

"Third Seat Natsuki is truly sharp-tongued!" Kyoraku Shunsui retorted with a grumble.

Following that, he brought up a matter to Gosu.

"The candidate for the new Kenpachi has been decided!"