Drowning Sorrows in Drink

Among the 11th Division,

the squad members were drinking.

This time, they weren't drinking to celebrate another victory. They were trying to drown their sorrows.

By now, all the squad members had learned what had happened to Azashiro Kenpachi.

They didn't know the exact details, such as what Azashiro Kenpachi had actually done.

But it was a fact that Azashiro Kenpachi had been stripped of his captaincy.

As for the title of Kenpachi, once someone claimed it, it could never be taken away. No matter how reluctant anyone was to acknowledge it, Azashiro was the Eighth Kenpachi. The moment he defeated Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, that had become a settled fact.

Natsuki still wasn't drinking.

He simply watched the dejected squad members in silence and made no attempt to console them.

Just as they had after Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's death, the squad members would get through this. The 11th Division members were far stronger than he had imagined, and sooner or later, they would move on.

As for Azashiro Kenpachi being sent to prison, Natsuki wasn't surprised.

He had discovered what Azashiro Kenpachi was doing long ago, and had even fought him. Afterward, he had considered reporting Azashiro Kenpachi, but for certain reasons, he had ultimately held himself back.

The one thing he hadn't expected was that Azashiro Kenpachi would turn himself in at the very end.

He was sentenced to Mukaden.

Natsuki was familiar with a place like Mukaden. In the original story, Aizen was imprisoned there.

Now it seemed that many other formidable figures were locked away in that prison, though the original story had never mentioned them.

Time slipped by like sand through one's fingers.

The Soul Society's administrative process was not very efficient.

The only reason Azashiro Kenpachi had been sentenced so quickly was that his crimes were too heinous. And even three powerful captains hadn't been able to take down someone as strong as him; he had surrendered of his own accord.

If they delayed any longer, no one knew whether Azashiro Kenpachi might change his mind and attempt a prison break.

To avoid any complications, it was better to lock him away in Mukaden as soon as possible.

Once imprisoned in Mukaden, Azashiro Kenpachi would have no chance of escaping.

It was only after Azashiro Kenpachi had been locked up that the Soul Society's administrative process began to drag on abnormally.

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

During that period, perhaps because word had reached Hueco Mundo, Menos Grandes began invading the Soul Society with increasing frequency.

The 11th Division was a combat division, so naturally, they had to fight back when this happened. Even without a captain, that fact wouldn't change.

The lieutenant Gosu, Third Seat Natsuki, and former Third Seat, now Fourth Seat, Akagi Ryosuke fought bravely against the Hollows.

Natsuki's strength continued to grow through battle.

Zanjutsu and Hakuda needed to be honed through actual combat, especially bloody battles.

Training matches within the division could help him improve, but only to a limited extent.

After fighting Azashiro Kenpachi, Natsuki had become even more determined to grow stronger. He didn't want to suffer another defeat like that or find himself facing death again. Even when death had loomed over him, he had felt neither regret nor fear.

But the experience had been awful.

With a single slash, he cut down a Gillian. Then he used Shunpo, his figure flashing as he appeared before another Gillian and slashed again.

The two enormous bodies fell almost simultaneously.

And with that, a fierce battle came to an end.

As with any battle, there were inevitably casualties.

In the past, everyone had cleaned up the battlefield while waiting for support from the 4th Division. But ever since Natsuki had learned Kaido, things had changed somewhat.

He sheathed his Zanpakuto and went over to an injured squad member.

"Sit down and relax."

His low voice rang out, and the squad member immediately sat up straight.

Natsuki raised a hand. A faint light appeared in his palm. Under his control, Reishi flowed into the wounded squad member's body, rapidly healing his injuries.

After treating this squad member, he went to another one who was badly wounded and treated him with Kaido.

Of course, he couldn't completely heal everyone.

If he could do that all by himself, what would they need the 4th Division for?

The 4th Division might as well shut down.

Natsuki only stabilized their injuries for the moment, reducing their severe wounds to minor ones. That would help them hold on longer and keep them from dying before the 4th Division members arrived.

Even so, Lieutenant Gosu came over to Natsuki and praised him. "Natsuki, your Kaido has become more and more refined. You could work in the 4th Division."

As he tended to the squad member in front of him, Natsuki casually replied to Gosu, "Captain Unohana did invite me to join the 4th Division, but I turned her down."

"I feel you need me more than they do."

Gosu froze, then his mouth fell slightly open. "Natsuki, you..."

Natsuki smiled, his expression gentle.

Not long after Natsuki finished treating the many badly wounded squad members, reinforcements from the 4th Division arrived. Natsuki had a real talent for Kaido, but when it came to treating the wounded, the 4th Division was still more professional.

The 4th Division members carried the injured away one by one. They would rest in the 4th Division's infirmary until their injuries had fully stabilized, then return to the 11th Division.

Natsuki, Gosu, and the other uninjured squad members returned to the 11th Division first.

Once they were back, Gosu immediately organized a drinking party.

After Azashiro Kenpachi's downfall, Lieutenant Gosu had revived the drinking-party tradition from Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's time to ease the squad members' gloom. It had to be said, the idea worked well. The 11th Division's morale recovered quickly.

"You're drinking without inviting me? That's pretty inconsiderate."

A teasing voice rang out.

Gosu, Natsuki, and the others turned to look. It was Kyoraku Shunsui.

Back when Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was still around, Kyoraku Shunsui often visited the 11th Division. After Azashiro Kenpachi was imprisoned, Kyoraku Shunsui, a veteran captain, also came by regularly to check on the 11th Division members.

"You're a busy man. It's not easy to track you down. By the time we found you, the party would be over," Natsuki said to Kyoraku Shunsui. After meeting so many times, the two had grown quite familiar with each other.

"Third Seat Natsuki, you're pretty sharp-tongued!" Kyoraku Shunsui quipped.

Then he told Gosu something.

"The new Kenpachi has been chosen!"