The Seireitei was quite vast. It wasn't as small as it looked. Because it covered such a large area, fights could sometimes break out without anyone noticing—but only if they weren't near the fighting.
First, the high Reiatsu Wave activity from the 11th Division was detected by the nearby 12th Division's Seireitei Research Institute. Then the 1st Division learned what had happened in the 11th Division, and passed the news on to the entire Gotei 13.
The high Reiatsu Wave activity that the 12th Division had detected earlier finally had an explanation, too.
The truth was, another challenge for the title of Kenpachi had taken place in the 11th Division.
In front of two hundred squad members, with Fourth Division Captain Unohana Retsu as the witness, 11th Division Vice-Captain Natsuki had challenged the 10th Kenpachi, Kiganjo Kenpachi. In the end, he had killed Kiganjo Kenpachi decisively.
According to the Kenpachi Succession Ceremony,
after killing Kiganjo Kenpachi, Natsuki had become the new Kenpachi.
When news of this spread throughout the Gotei 13, it caused an enormous commotion.
The uproar wasn't just because Kiganjo Kenpachi had been defeated.
It was also because the Kenpachi had changed hands far too often in recent years.
It was as though, starting with the 7th Kenpachi, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, the position had changed hands every few years.
Other Divisions had their share of captaincy changes, too. The saying, "Few Shinigami serve as captains for more than a century," was well known in the Seireitei. But other captains had served for at least several decades. The 11th Division, on the other hand, seemed to be running a Kenpachi wholesale business, with one succession after another.
There was no need to dwell on the 7th Kenpachi, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi. He was a true powerhouse. After defeating the 6th Kenpachi, he held the title for over a hundred years and accomplished many great feats during his tenure. The one people talked about most was how easily he had defeated a Menos Grande of Vasto Lorde level.
He had fallen at the hands of Azashiro Kenpachi.
Starting with Azashiro Kenpachi, the position of Kenpachi seemed to have been cursed. None of his successors had lasted long.
Azashiro Kenpachi had held the title for barely a year before committing a grave crime and being imprisoned in Mukaden.
After Azashiro Kenpachi was imprisoned, the 11th Division captain's seat remained vacant for a while.
Eventually, after deliberation by Central 46, 11th Division Vice-Captain Gosu was chosen to fill the vacancy. And so Gosu became the 9th Kenpachi.
Soon after Gosu became Kenpachi, the war between the Shinigami and the Quincy broke out. When the years-long war ended, Gosu Kenpachi was challenged by Kiganjo, a thug from Rukongai, and died as a result.
Kiganjo, a thug from Rukongai who had never been registered with the Gotei 13, had suddenly become the 10th Kenpachi.
During the few months he held the title,
the entire 11th Division had been thrown into chaos.
Shinigami from the other Divisions knew about it, of course, but they had no desire to get involved—and there was little they could do. The Kenpachi succession followed its own rules, and Kiganjo had won his position through his own strength.
Only someone stronger could defeat Kiganjo and claim the title of Kenpachi.
But there weren't many people that strong in the entire Soul Society.
Even if someone like that did appear, it would probably be many years from now.
No one had expected that, in just a few months,
the 10th Kenpachi, Kiganjo, would become a thing of the past.
When Kiganjo's brutal behavior had made the 11th Division's situation unbearable, 11th Division Vice-Captain Natsuki had stepped forward and killed him.
"What an astonishing turn of events!"
In the 8th Division, Captain Kyoraku Shunsui was drinking in his office while his vice-captain handled the division's paperwork. He looked utterly at ease. His vice-captain wasn't Yadomaru Lisa, as in the original story, but a bespectacled middle-aged man. He was taciturn and kept the division's affairs in perfect order.
Although Kyoraku's vice-captain wasn't a woman, he seemed to have a fondness for choosing people who wore glasses.
Kyoraku was deeply moved by what had happened in the 11th Division.
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had been a close friend of his. Because of that, he had a good relationship with the 11th Division and had witnessed two Kenpachi succession ceremonies. He had been there when Kiganjo defeated Gosu, and had remarked on how Rukongai kept producing such heroes.
By comparison, Kyoraku hadn't cared as much as one might expect about what kind of person Kiganjo was.
After all, he had lived a long time, and he had been born into nobility. Compared to the darkness within the noble houses, Kiganjo was nothing much.
He hadn't expected the Rukongai hero he had once praised to be cut down just a few months later.
The one who had killed Kiganjo was Natsuki, the 11th Division vice-captain who usually kept to himself.
"Looks like I misjudged him. I can only say that the old-timers are the old-timers—they saw his potential from the start."
The 8th Division's main duty was intelligence gathering. It was an intelligence division.
Kyoraku might have been lazy by nature, but he enjoyed watching the drama unfold. Nothing happening in the Seireitei escaped his ears, whether it was a secret or a bit of gossip. Of course he knew that Unohana Retsu had once taught Natsuki.
He also knew Natsuki's history.
He had come up through the ranks without formal backing. In just a few years, he had become 11th Division Third Seat, and then vice-captain.
He was a genius by any measure.
It was understandable that Unohana Retsu would want to nurture such a talent.
But no one had expected that, before many years had passed, the genius would have fully come into his own.
Now he was to bear the name of Kenpachi and serve as a captain of the Gotei 13.
Kyoraku Shunsui thought of something else, too.
Natsuki had once been the vice-captain of Gosu Kenpachi. Gosu Kenpachi had been killed by Kiganjo, and now Natsuki had killed Kiganjo. That proved Natsuki had been stronger than Gosu from the very beginning. Yet even so, Natsuki had never tried to challenge Gosu Kenpachi for the title.
Now, though, Natsuki had chosen to kill Kiganjo.
Some people really weren't very likable.
The other Divisions also learned what had happened in the 11th Division, and one after another, their members voiced their amazement.
The Kenpachi succession might have been happening a little too often, but it had already happened, and all they could do was accept it.
"Knock, knock, knock, knock!"
A crisp knocking sound suddenly echoed near the captains' offices throughout the Gotei 13. Black Hell Butterflies also flew through the various Divisions. As they fluttered about, Captain-Commander Yamamoto's voice traveled to the ears of the captains through Tenteikūra, a special Bakudo.
"All Division captains and vice-captains are to proceed immediately to the First Division Meeting Hall for a captains' meeting."
"That is all!"
The message was extremely concise. It also specifically stated that the vice-captains were to come along, which meant that the matters to be discussed at this meeting weren't especially secret.
Captains' meetings in the Gotei 13 usually fell into one of two categories.
In one, both captains and vice-captains were required to attend. In the other, only the captains were invited.
The first kind dealt with matters affecting the entire Gotei 13, so captains and vice-captains alike needed to attend and listen. The second was for matters of exceptional importance—so sensitive that even vice-captains weren't allowed to know about them. Only captains had the right to participate.
In his office, Kyoraku Shunsui turned to his vice-captain and said softly, "Come on. Let's head to the 1st Division's First Division Meeting Hall and meet the new Kenpachi."
Although the Captain-Commander's message hadn't mentioned the subject, Kyoraku had guessed from recent events.
There was no doubt about it. Today was the new Kenpachi's appointment ceremony.
The Kenpachi Succession Ceremony had certain requirements.
Once all the conditions had been met, whoever defeated the current Kenpachi could become the new one.
However, that didn't mean the victor could take up the position as soon as he killed the current Kenpachi.
Afterward, the captain who had witnessed the event still had to report it to the 1st Division. The Captain-Commander would then inform Central 46. Only after receiving Central 46's official appointment could the victor formally be given the title of Kenpachi. The new Kenpachi also had to go through the motions in the First Division Meeting Hall and meet the other captains and vice-captains, much like the inauguration ceremonies of other Division captains.
Along with Kyoraku Shunsui, the captains and vice-captains of the other Divisions also headed to the 1st Division as soon as they received the Captain-Commander's order.
The 1st Division stood in the central area of the Seireitei, atop a tall mountain. It was the highest point in the entire Gotei 13. Outside the 1st Division captain's office was a garden, and from there, anyone who climbed a little higher could look down over most of the Seireitei.
It was also the Division with the highest-seated barracks in the Gotei 13.
The reason for its special position wasn't just that it was the 1st Division and the head Division. It was also because the Great Underground Prison of the Soul Society lay beneath it. Its lowest level, "Mukaden," was infamous, holding the most vicious criminals in history.
One after another, the captains and vice-captains arrived at the 1st Division. Its gates had already been opened. They passed through the entrance and came to a wall. Many plaques hung there. Captains and vice-captains went up and turned them over, revealing the writing on the other side. This indicated that their Divisions had arrived. It was a kind of check-in ritual.
After checking in, the captains and vice-captains entered through a door beside the wall. They passed through a series of corridors and finally arrived at an extremely spacious hall: the First Division Meeting Hall.
It was where the captains of the Gotei 13 usually held their meetings.
The First Division Meeting Hall was completely open, with no seats, so all the captains and vice-captains stood.
Then the Captain-Commander arrived.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto wore a white Haori and looked extremely old. He leaned on a cane.
Thump!
He tapped the wooden floor lightly with his cane, and all the captains fell silent.
"Since you have all arrived, I will spare you a lengthy explanation. I expect you can all guess what this is about. Recently, the 10th Kenpachi, Kiganjo Kenpachi, was defeated in a one-on-one fight. According to the Kenpachi Succession Ceremony, the one who defeats him will become the new Kenpachi—the 11th Kenpachi!"
"Captain Natsuki, step forward and introduce yourself to everyone."
At Captain-Commander Yamamoto's words, a figure in a white Captain Haori walked in through the door. Natsuki had interacted with the captains and vice-captains before, back when he was vice-captain, so they weren't strangers to him.
Even so, he said, "Everyone, I look forward to working with you from now on!"
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