Vacant Vice-Captain

Happy times are always fleeting.

Even if Natsuki intended to return the 11th Division to its former glory, it was impossible to hold banquets constantly.

Combat was, after all, the primary duty of the 11th Division.

Over the past few months, due to Kiganjo's reckless management, the 11th Division hadn't exactly descended into total chaos, but the situation was dire. In particular, Kiganjo had even tried to embezzle the pensions of fallen members, something Natsuki found absolutely intolerable.

Now that Natsuki had become captain, besides cleaning up the mess Kiganjo left behind, he never hesitated to step onto the battlefield whenever combat missions arose and his intervention was required.

However, this brought about a brand-new problem.

Every time he returned to the division after participating in a battle, he had to deal with administrative duties.

He was busy—truly, incredibly busy.

There was simply no time left for cultivation!

Although the paperwork in the 11th Division was not as heavy as in other divisions, it still consumed a significant amount of Natsuki's time.

Natsuki knew the reason for this.

The main cause was that the 11th Division currently lacked a lieutenant.

When Azashiro Kenpachi succeeded to the position, the lieutenant was Gosu.

When Gosu succeeded, the lieutenant became him.

When Kiganjo succeeded, the lieutenant remained him.

But now, after he had succeeded to the position, the lieutenant's seat had remained vacant.

Do not underestimate the absence of a single person; the existence of a lieutenant was vital to a division. It wasn't just about being the second-strongest combatant after the captain; they were the captain's right-hand assistant. In many divisions, the captain only made decisions on major events, while the daily administrative duties were handled entirely by the lieutenant.

The most prominent examples were the 8th Division and the 13th Division.

Kyoraku Shunsui, captain of the 8th Division, had a lazy personality and loved to slack off whenever he had the chance, so the vast majority of his division's duties were handled by his lieutenant. As for the captain of the 13th Division, Ukitake Jushiro, he was a responsible man, but his poor health prevented him from handling administrative work for long periods, so his lieutenant shouldered much of the burden for him.

"So, Ryosuke, are you interested in becoming the lieutenant?"

Natsuki looked at Akagi Ryosuke standing before him and asked.

Back when Gosu became Kenpachi and Natsuki was promoted to lieutenant, Akagi Ryosuke had returned to the position of Third Seat. However, there were some changes; there were several new scars on Akagi Ryosuke's face. These were just the visible ones; beneath his Shihakusho, there were many more. The primary reason was that the battles over these years had been far too frequent. Even the former Kenpachi, Gosu, had suffered severe injuries that forced him to recuperate, and Akagi Ryosuke, as Third Seat, had followed behind Gosu to charge into the fray, suffering heavy wounds himself.

Fortunately, he hadn't been crippled.

Not all Shinigamis were like Head Captain Yamamoto in the original history, who, despite losing an arm after fighting Aizen, saw no impact on his combat prowess. For other Shinigamis, any injury resulting in disability would affect their combat ability, forcing them to retire obediently.

For some Shinigamis, being able to retire was a good thing.

But for the Shinigamis of the 11th Division who loved to fight, this was unacceptable. They would rather die in battle than become crippled.

"Lieutenant? Me?"

Akagi Ryosuke was stunned. "Forget it. Captain, you know me—I'm not at all suited for handling those documents and such. Honestly, if I could, I wouldn't even want to be the Third Seat."

Natsuki understood Akagi Ryosuke very well.

The Third Seat was an adjutant position. Just as a lieutenant assisted the captain with administrative duties, the Third Seat was required to assist the lieutenant.

In some divisions with heavy workloads, it was common to see the captain, lieutenant, and Third Seat all in the captain's office working on files together.

The 11th Division hadn't reached that point yet, and in the past, Natsuki rarely took the initiative to ask Akagi Ryosuke to help him.

It wasn't that he liked doing everything himself.

It was simply that Akagi Ryosuke was truly inept at such work.

"It seems that is the case. It looks like I will have to look for someone else."

Natsuki didn't force Akagi Ryosuke to become lieutenant; it had just been a casual inquiry.

Since Akagi Ryosuke wouldn't do, he would just have to look for someone else.

A lieutenant didn't necessarily need outstanding combat ability.

As long as they had the combat strength of a Seated Officer, it would suffice.

When selecting a lieutenant, Natsuki's primary hope was that the person could share his workload.

He asked for the opinions of several Seated Officers within the 11th Division.

Some were indeed interested in the lieutenant's position, but when Natsuki brought out the test papers he had prepared in advance, these guys didn't even have the most basic common sense. Natsuki couldn't trust their ability to handle administrative duties at all, so he had to give up on them.

The busy and fulfilling days gradually passed.

Although Natsuki had defeated Kiganjo and stood at the pinnacle of the Gotei 13, he did not relax himself because of it.

Whenever he thought of those powerful figures from the original history, Natsuki felt that the road ahead was long and arduous; he needed to become even stronger.

Moreover, the position of Kenpachi was inherently a dangerous one.

The unique captain succession ceremony destined him to face challenges from all sorts of powerhouses.

No one could say when someone similar to Azashiro Kenpachi might pop up, challenge him, and cut him down.

Although Natsuki felt no fear when death truly arrived, if he could live, no one wanted to die. He didn't have any cheat that allowed him to resurrect after death and become even stronger.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Inside the training ground hidden within the mountain, two figures flashed past one another incessantly, their fists and feet colliding with powerful fluctuations of spiritual pressure.

The Hakuda of a Shinigami is not merely fighting with bare hands.

During combat, one must concentrate spiritual pressure throughout the body, allowing every movement to possess sufficient destructive force; otherwise, it would be nothing more than a common brawl, and it would be impossible to derive a specialized power system from it.

The existence of spiritual pressure allows Shinigamis to accomplish things beyond the reach of ordinary people.

When released externally, it can be used to cast Ghost Way.

When applied solely to the body, it grants the physique formidable defensive capabilities and striking power.

Another punch was thrown.

The two fists collided in mid-air, sending invisible shockwaves rippling outward from the center. The two figures instantly pulled apart, eventually ceasing their movements to reveal themselves: Natsuki and Yoruichi.

"You really are diligent!"

Yoruichi shook her hand. She possessed no innate supernatural strength, and when facing Natsuki, who was a man, she was at a slight disadvantage. If nothing else, her hand stung after clashing fists with him.

"And that's despite already becoming a Kenpachi."

"It is precisely because I have become a captain that I dare not slack off in the slightest. Only by continuing to grow stronger can I live up to this title," Natsuki replied to Yoruichi.