Can't Stand It Anymore!

When Natsuki finished his mission in the Rukon District and returned to the Seireitei, he was somewhat stunned.

So, Gosu Kenpachi had just died like that?

And a new Kenpachi had already been born?

Regarding the death of Kuruyashiki Kenpachi back then, Natsuki hadn't felt much. After all, he hadn't been in the 11th Division for long at that time. Even though Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had taken good care of him because of Watanabe Yuji, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi himself was an approachable person, so he didn't feel much lingering regret for him.

As for the subsequent Azashiro Kenpachi, Natsuki simply couldn't understand why the man had done what he did. In the end, Azashiro Kenpachi didn't die either; he was just imprisoned in the Mukaden, so there was nothing more to say about that.

Only Gosu Kenpachi was different.

Perhaps in the words of Unohana Retsu, the man's strength had been somewhat lacking.

But in the hearts of the 11th Division members, and in the eyes of Natsuki, he was truly a competent Kenpachi.

He was diligent and responsible, always leading the charge into battle, and even when he was repeatedly injured during combat, he never complained.

After Gosu became captain, he had served as the lieutenant for these past years, constantly assisting Gosu in handling the division's affairs.

It could be said that to Natsuki, Gosu was a very familiar person.

Even though he had long known about the 11th Division's unique captain succession ceremony.

The death of Gosu still left Natsuki feeling deeply emotional.

His sentimentality did not last for very long, however.

The 11th Division still needed to keep running.

After a change in Kenpachi, the new Kenpachi would not find it easy to adapt to the division's affairs. Back when Gosu became Kenpachi, the division was able to continue operating because he had already been the lieutenant. Before that, when Azashiro Kenpachi succeeded, it was also Gosu who had worked hard to ensure the division did not cease operations.

Now, that burden fell upon Natsuki, the lieutenant.

Natsuki suddenly became very busy.

He spent his days handling division affairs while also making contact with the new Kenpachi—a man who had received the appointment from the Central 46 after killing Gosu, formerly known as Kiganjo Kenji, and now referred to as Kiganjo Kenpachi.

To be honest, Natsuki did not like this man at all.

He was nothing but a fool.

He was barbaric, crude, and even illiterate.

Whenever he went to report on division affairs, the man was completely clueless, seemingly unable to even recognize characters.

Could a person like this really govern the division well as captain?

However, because the man had become Kenpachi through the proper channels, Natsuki could only bury his dissatisfaction deep in his heart.

For the first period of time.

Perhaps because he had just become Kenpachi, Kiganjo Kenpachi, though crude and barbaric, showed some restraint. After all, he hadn't been in the Seireitei for long and didn't want to expose the bad habits he had cultivated in the Rukon District.

But as time passed.

The various bad habits Kiganjo Kenpachi had developed in the Rukon District began to surface.

The further one went into the Rukon District, the harsher the living environment became. There, souls might engage in armed conflict every day over water sources. Because harsh environments breed tough people, it was actually more likely for powerful individuals to emerge from such terrible conditions.

While the strength of these powerful individuals was impressive, their character could hardly be called good.

Kiganjo Kenpachi was exactly this kind of person.

He had been accustomed to running rampant in the Rukon District, where the commoners at the bottom had to live at his mercy and flatter him in every way. Later, he grew tired of life in the Rukon District, so he came to the Seireitei.

Easily defeating Gosu Kenpachi, who bore the title of the strongest Shinigami, caused the arrogance in Kiganjo Kenpachi's heart to grow even further. He believed that the Shinigamis who had previously stood high above seemed to be nothing special after all.

I barely had to lift a finger to snatch the title of Kenpachi.

These Shinigamis should be serving me.

Back when Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was still around, because he believed in gender equality and that female combat power was not inferior to men's, there were many female Shinigamis in the 11th Division.

Even after years of fighting, especially the recent war against the Quincy, where many members had died in battle, there was still a large number of female members, and among them, quite a few were rather attractive.

Kiganjo Kenpachi was an incredibly overbearing person; he was tyrannical, selfish, and centered everything around himself.

After figuring out the situation in the 11th Division, he no longer bothered to hide his ugly personality.

"Captain, what are you doing?"

A female squad member looked with some panic at Kiganjo Kenpachi, who was pulling her hand.

Kiganjo Kenpachi reeked of strong alcohol and an unknown odor; he seemed to be a man who disliked bathing, and he had clearly had too much to drink today.

Facing the panicked squad member, he made no effort to hide the greed in his eyes.

"Beauty, seeing as you are so delicate and lovely, I will give you the chance to serve me in bed."

"Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you for nothing. If you serve me well, I don't mind giving you a position as a Seated Officer."

Under normal circumstances, a Seated Officer position was earned through strength.

But Kiganjo Kenpachi did not seem to think so.

After becoming Kenpachi, he had effectively treated the 11th Division as his own private property.

He began appointing Seated Officers at his own whim, a habit he had cultivated back in the Rukon District.

Resources were scarce in the outer reaches of the Rukon District. As a powerhouse who held control over abundant water sources, he forced the commoners to kneel and kowtow, begging him just to survive. If they managed to please him, he didn't mind tossing them a few scraps.

He had already grown bored of the common women.

He had yet to experience what a Shinigami tasted like.

Perhaps because it was his first time, he had been relatively civilized, even promising the woman a position as a Seated Officer. Since arriving at the 11th Division, he knew that for the lowest-ranking Squad Members, the position of a Seated Officer was their most desperate desire.

Having made such a promise, she should be kowtowing in gratitude, obediently stripping off her clothes to serve this Great One, right?

However, to Kiganjo Kenpachi's disappointment.

The female Squad Member continued to struggle, trying to break free from Kiganjo Kenpachi's grip. "Captain, you cannot do this!"

Kiganjo Kenpachi had been drinking today and his mood was volatile; hearing this, he immediately flew into a rage and pressed his advantage. "You don't know what's good for you, you wench. Who do you think you're talking to? This Great One taking a fancy to you is your good fortune!"

Faced with Kiganjo Kenpachi's brutality, no matter how much the female Squad Member resisted, how could she possibly be his match?

After all, he was the one who had defeated Gosu to become the new Kenpachi.

Fortunately, this was not an unpopulated area.

Kiganjo Kenpachi's actions quickly drew the attention of many 11th Division Shinigamis, who rushed over one after another.

"Captain, what are you trying to do?"

A Seated Officer asked Kiganjo Kenpachi in a cold voice.

Although this new Kenpachi hadn't been in power long, many members had already realized he was not a good man. Yet, the rules were the rules, and they could only accept his tenure as captain.

They never expected he would sink his claws into a female Squad Member.

"Tch, a bunch of meddlesome fools. What this Great One wants to do—do I need your permission?"

"Get lost, now!"

Seeing so many people gathering, Kiganjo Kenpachi felt a surge of irritation and barked a cold command.

The many 11th Division members felt nothing but contempt for Kiganjo Kenpachi's actions, but in the end, they forced themselves to restrain their anger, obeying the Kenpachi's order and retreating.

After becoming Shinigamis, there was one thing they had to do.

That was to follow orders and abide by the rules.

However, not everyone complied with Kiganjo Kenpachi's order to stand down.

A figure quietly emerged, gripping Kiganjo Kenpachi's wrist and forcing his hand to release the female Squad Member.

Kiganjo Kenpachi was instantly incensed, but then he saw a young face.

The Lieutenant, Natsuki!

Natsuki looked straight at Kiganjo Kenpachi and said calmly, "Kiganjo Kenpachi, you are drunk!"

Kiganjo Kenpachi instinctively wanted to retort, 'This Great One is not drunk.'

Yet, for some unknown reason, when he felt Natsuki's gaze, a sliver of trepidation rose within him, and in the end, he forcibly suppressed his fury.

"Tch, boring."

He abandoned the idea of taking the female Squad Member.

Seeing this, Natsuki released Kiganjo Kenpachi's wrist.

Kiganjo Kenpachi flicked his sleeves and left the scene.

Natsuki turned to the female Squad Member to comfort her.

The events of that night were merely a minor interlude.

Since becoming Kenpachi, Kiganjo's atrocities had gone far beyond this.

In his daily life, aside from throwing his weight around the division, bullying members, and acting on his own whims, he showed no intention of leading from the front when it came to battle.

Even when a Menos Grande appeared, he had no intention of striking.

When Natsuki asked if he would deploy, his reasoning was always the same.

"This Great One is the captain. What reason is there for a captain to fight personally?"

"You lot can just go and fight."

The result was that casualties in the 11th Division skyrocketed when facing Menos Grande. Even the lowest-level Menos were difficult for ordinary Squad Members to handle, and even Seated Officers faced danger when confronting them.

And within the 11th Division, Seated Officers were, after all, in the minority.

Even though Natsuki fought hard, there were times when it wasn't just one Hollow appearing in one place, but multiple Hollows appearing simultaneously in different sectors.

Natsuki inevitably had times when he couldn't cover everything.

Time flowed slowly by.

In the blink of an eye, several months had passed since Kiganjo became Kenpachi.

During these months, the 11th Division had been turned into a foul, chaotic mess by Kiganjo.

Natsuki's patience for Kiganjo Kenpachi had reached its limit.

Today, when Natsuki approached Kiganjo Kenpachi regarding the issue of pensions for fallen members, Kiganjo Kenpachi actually said, "Why pay pensions for guys who are already dead? With that money, it would be better to let this Great One enjoy himself."

"By the way, it's about time I checked if they left behind any assets; I'm going to confiscate them!"

These words completely ignited the fury in Natsuki's heart.

Consequently, he stopped dealing with squad affairs.

Instead, he went to the 4th Division and sought out Unohana Retsu.

"Captain Unohana, I want you to serve as a witness!"

If Kiganjo were allowed to continue serving as Kenpachi, there was no telling what kind of nauseating state the 11th Division would devolve into; he truly couldn't stand it for even a second.

Therefore, Natsuki prepared to challenge Kiganjo and kill him.