Rather than let a fool like you be Kenpachi, I'll do it myself!

Unohana Retsu looked at Natsuki, whose expression was resolute, and felt a touch of surprise. She then asked softly, "What is it that you wish for me to witness?"

Over the years, Natsuki had frequently come to the 4th Division to seek her guidance. Initially, he studied Kaidō under her, but later, after Azashiro Kenpachi was imprisoned and Gosu became the new Kenpachi, the focus of his studies gradually shifted toward Zanjutsu, or swordsmanship.

The relationship between the two had become quite familiar.

Natsuki said in a deep voice, "I wish for you to witness my challenge against Kiganjo Kenpachi!"

"According to the traditions passed down through generations in the 11th Division, as long as one can defeat the current Kenpachi in the presence of two hundred squad members and one captain, the challenger—regardless of their previous status—will inherit the position and become the new Kenpachi."

"That was how Azashiro Kenpachi defeated Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, and it was the same when Kiganjo Kenpachi defeated Gosu Kenpachi."

"Now, I intend to challenge Kiganjo Kenpachi, and for that, I require a witness!"

Natsuki did not hold back, laying his true intentions bare before Unohana Retsu.

A strange glint flickered in Unohana Retsu's eyes.

Although she resided in the 4th Division, she was well-informed regarding the situation within the 11th Division.

If she had merely felt that Gosu lacked the strength to serve as Kenpachi when he first took the title, she felt genuine contempt for Kiganjo after he assumed the role.

Perhaps Kiganjo Kenpachi was significantly stronger than Gosu, but could a fool who committed atrocities within his own division and turned the entire unit into a cesspool truly be fit to be Kenpachi?

Thinking about it, Natsuki's decision was not entirely unexpected.

Any normal person would find the existence of a fool like Kiganjo unbearable.

Ordinary 11th Division Shinigamis lacked the strength to resist, leaving them no choice but to endure Kiganjo's oppression. But Natsuki was different; Unohana Retsu had mentored him for a long time, and she was well aware of the potential he possessed.

Generally speaking, once a Shinigami reaches a certain level of growth, they hit a so-called bottleneck, making further progress difficult.

Yet, in Natsuki, Unohana Retsu had never seen such a thing.

It was as if Natsuki was constantly improving, never pausing.

When she first witnessed Natsuki's strength, it was already quite respectable. Since then, he had changed with every passing year, always sprinting forward on the path of growth—specifically, the growth of his Rei-pressure.

Unohana Retsu often instructed Natsuki, so she had a profound sense of his Rei-pressure.

It was truly hard to imagine what heights Natsuki would reach once he hit his prime.

Although many years had passed since Natsuki first became a Shinigami, for the long-lived beings that they were, this was merely the beginning.

Within the Gotei 13, there were several Shinigamis who had held the position of captain for over a century.

"Why choose me as your witness?" Unohana Retsu asked another question. "If I recall correctly, the previous two duels between Kenpachis were witnessed by the 8th Division captain, Kyoraku Shunsui."

Unohana Retsu did not ask why Natsuki wanted to challenge Kiganjo Kenpachi, as there was no need.

A man like Kiganjo only tarnished the reputation of the 11th Division by remaining there. Bound by the ritual of Kenpachi succession, she had been forced to let such a man take the title, and she secretly hoped someone would challenge him.

That Natsuki would step forward at this moment did not surprise her.

Through her interactions with him, she knew Natsuki to be a man of great responsibility.

Having become the lieutenant of the 11th Division, he could not simply stand by and watch Kiganjo bully the members.

"While Captain Kyoraku has witnessed two Kenpachi duels, I am not particularly close to him. The captain I am most familiar with is you, Captain Unohana."

Natsuki provided his explanation.

In his heart, however, the real reason was that Unohana Retsu was the First Kenpachi.

Having the First Kenpachi witness his challenge against Kiganjo would certainly add a sense of gravitas to the ritual.

"I see," Unohana Retsu nodded. "Then I shall be your witness."

Inside the 11th Division.

Kiganjo Kenpachi sat in the center of the training grounds, drinking boisterously.

The 11th Division Shinigamis, who had been sparring, stopped immediately upon his arrival.

This drew Kiganjo Kenpachi's dissatisfaction.

"Fight! Why have you stopped?"

"I want to see you Shinigamis brawl!"

"Hurry up, get moving, all of you!"

Although Natsuki had stopped him from molesting the female squad members that night, Kiganjo was a man whose nature was hard to change. He had been a notorious villain in the Rukon District, and he had brought that ugly temperament into the Seireitei, which clearly wasn't going to change easily.

He wanted to turn the entire 11th Division into his own personal fiefdom, just as he had in the Rukon District, where everyone worked to please him, and in return, he would occasionally toss them a few scraps.

He viewed the positions of Seated Officers as the ultimate reward.

After learning how the Gotei 13 functioned, Kiganjo understood what these Shinigamis desired most.

If that woman had truly pleased him that night, he wouldn't have minded granting her a seat.

But he had been stopped.

As he watched the Shinigamis, who were now too terrified to move or fight, Kiganjo Kenpachi thought back to the man who had stood in his way that night.

If it weren't for the fact that the other party was the Lieutenant of the 11th Division, and that he had only just arrived and still needed to rely on him to handle the so-called squad affairs, he would have taught him a lesson long ago.

However, he noted this incident; sooner or later, he would strip the man of his Lieutenant position and make him kneel on the ground, begging him, Lord Kiganjo.

Just as Kiganjo thought of Natsuki and his thoughts returned to reality, preparing to reprimand these Shinigamis for not fighting and depriving him of entertainment, a low voice rang out.

"Everyone is here, I see!"

"That works out perfectly, it saves me the trouble of having to summon you all."

Hearing this voice, Kiganjo Kenpachi raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes filled with a trace of disgust.

"You fellow, what are you trying to do?"

Kiganjo Kenpachi looked at Natsuki, who had arrived, and asked in a cold tone.

"Or are you saying that you've finished handling all those squad affairs?"

Facing Kiganjo Kenpachi's icy gaze, Natsuki showed no signs of fear and chose to meet his eyes. "Squad affairs can be handled at any time, but today, there is only one thing I want to do."

As he spoke, Natsuki shifted his tone and brought up another matter.

"Within the Gotei 13, our 11th Division is a very special squad. Aside from the Captain being titled Kenpachi, the succession ceremony for the Captain is also completely different from the other divisions."

"Today, there happen to be two hundred Squad Members here."

"Therefore, I want to challenge you!"

"Kiganjo... Kenpachi!"

When he spoke the last two words, Natsuki's tone carried a hint of mockery, as if he were expressing disdain and contempt for Kiganjo's status as Kenpachi.

Bang!

Kiganjo Kenpachi smashed the sake flask in his hand onto the ground. The flask shattered with a crisp sound, and he stood up abruptly, looking at Natsuki with a ferocious sneer on his lips. "You fellow, who do you think you're talking to? I am Kenpachi!"

"You want to challenge me? You're still far from ready!"

"In consideration of your position as Lieutenant, I can give you one chance. If you back down now, there's still time."

Natsuki's expression remained calm as he said in a steady voice, "Back down? My apologies, I have been thinking about challenging you today for a very long time. For this purpose, I even specifically sought out a Captain to act as a witness."

"That's right, I am here to act as a witness."

Following Natsuki's words, another gentle voice rang out.

Hearing this gentle voice, the members of the 11th Division began to whisper among themselves.

"It's Captain Unohana!"

"Lieutenant Natsuki, he..."

"..."

They had not expected that Natsuki was actually serious.

Since Kiganjo became Kenpachi, his style had been completely different from the previous Kenpachi.

The former Azashiro Kenpachi, although a cold person, rarely interfered with the squad's affairs; at most, they were just a bit unaccustomed to him, but otherwise, there were no issues.

Only Kiganjo was different.

He was a selfish and incredibly tyrannical man. His various behaviors since joining the squad had long since caused dissatisfaction among many members, but because Kiganjo was, after all, the Kenpachi, many could only bury these grievances deep in their hearts.

They never expected that someone would finally be unable to endure it any longer.

They chose to challenge Kiganjo Kenpachi.

And the challenger was none other than their Lieutenant, Natsuki.

They were very familiar with Natsuki. Although he didn't attend many drinking parties and sometimes kept to himself, he had never once retreated during battle. He was someone they truly acknowledged. In all honesty, they also hoped that Natsuki could defeat Kiganjo Kenpachi.

But, could he really do it?

During the era of the previous Kenpachi, Gosu, Natsuki had only been a Lieutenant, which proved that Gosu's strength was greater than Natsuki's.

And Kiganjo Kenpachi was the one who had defeated Gosu to become Kenpachi.

Natsuki was unaware of the lack of confidence the many members had in him.

With the appearance of Unohana Retsu, the various additional requirements for the Kenpachi succession ceremony had been met; now, all that remained was to determine the victor.

He looked at the furious Kiganjo and spoke once more.

"Rather than letting a guy like you serve as Kenpachi and tarnish the name, I might as well take the title of Kenpachi myself!"