Chapter 35: 12th Division Third Seat, Uchiha Yato! - Bleach: This Captain Is an Uchiha

"Where is he? Uchiha Yato!"

The crisp voice reached the boy's ears. He sat up groggily, staring blankly at the dimly brightening sky.

"That guy called Uchiha Yato is in there, right?"

"Y-Yes, Lieutenant Sarugaki, perhaps we should..."

"Stop dawdling, it's annoying!"

Bang! The door was kicked open. Hiyori Sarugaki, her golden pigtail jutting straight upward, swaggered in and shouted:

"Hey! Where's that guy called Uchiha Yato? Get up and come with me..."

Before she could finish, she abruptly leaned back. Her Soul-Cutter Sword slid from behind her back and came to rest across her chest.

Boom!

The next instant, a Hollow's claw slammed into her Soul-Cutter Sword.

It had six limbs and two heads, resembling a tiger or leopard. A white mask covered its hideous faces as its savage, man-eating spiritual pressure burst forth without restraint.

"...An Adjuchas?" Hiyori Sarugaki sucked in a breath.

"There's actually a Grand Hollow inside the Seireitei?"

Countless possibilities churned through her mind. An intruder? A traitor? Had Hueco Mundo invaded the Soul Society?

Yet the instincts honed through years of battle took over at that moment. Her body's subconscious movements suppressed her chaotic thoughts as Hiyori Sarugaki slammed her hand against the guard of her blade, spiritual pressure erupting.

"Sever him, Head-Cutting Serpent!"

A massive serrated cleaver appeared in Hiyori's hands. She swung it upward, twisted at the waist, then brought it crashing down in one fluid motion!

There was not the slightest hesitation in her counterattack. This was exquisite skill forged through countless battles!

Yet that fierce slash struck only the floor. Apart from making the dormitory building shake twice, it achieved nothing.

Hiyori Sarugaki raised her head in a daze and saw a handsome black-haired boy.

The bewitching tomoe within his scarlet eyes were slowly fading away.

Uchiha Yato was rather famous. Scarlet Eye, the Soul Society's only existing multi-stage release Soul-Cutter Sword, and its abilities were vaguely known to others. Hiyori Sarugaki quickly understood what had happened.

"You bastard!" She leaped up in anger, her golden pigtail bouncing wildly.

"You dared attack a lieutenant!"

"Who the hell kicks down someone's door?" Yato shrugged without a care.

"I thought you were an intruder."

"You bastard! Baldy! Ugly freak!"

Hiyori Sarugaki cursed and flailed about, but none of the words she spat carried the slightest sting for Yato.

Bastard? Yato himself felt that he could be quite a bastard sometimes.

Baldy? His thick head of black hair had nothing to do with that word.

Ugly freak? Pfft... The Uchiha Clan had acted cool, suffered, and gone mad, but they had never been ugly!

Seeing that their first meeting had not gone harmoniously, the Shin'ō Academy staff member leading the way hurriedly spoke up, making jokes to ease the tension.

At last, Hiyori's expression improved somewhat. She raised her chin and took out an order.

"Uchiha Yato, you have been appointed Third Seat of the 12th Division. Pack your things and come with me. The captain is waiting for you at the division barracks."

"...Yes." Yato straightened his expression and accepted it with both hands, as etiquette required.

Becoming Third Seat immediately after graduation was an astonishing show of favor. Usually, only the heirs of the three great noble clans—the Shiba, Shihōin, and Kuchiki Clans—received such treatment.

Within the Gotei 13's structure, captains held absolute authority and were nearly the sole voice within their divisions. Lieutenants assisted their captains, conveyed orders, and handled many miscellaneous matters. They were the traditional second-in-command.

As for Third Seats, they did not fall within the "captain class." However, unlike the lower seated officers, Third Seats were also called "lieutenant assistants," meaning they assisted lieutenants with their work.

Those in this position were unquestionable candidates for the captain class. Kaien Shiba and Kisuke Urahara in the present day, as well as Tōshirō Hitsugaya in later generations, had all served as Third Seats before being promoted to lieutenant, or even directly to captain.

—The Seireitei truly respected the strong. If you had the ability, you could rise through the ranks. You could even hack down the captain of the 11th Division with a sword and become Kenpachi.

After accepting the appointment, everything that followed went much more smoothly.

As for luggage, Uchiha Yato was a single teenage boy and did not have much to begin with. He had already packed everything the night before.

After asking the academy staff to deliver his luggage to the 12th Division barracks, Yato took only his Soul-Cutter Sword and followed behind Hiyori Sarugaki.

Neither of them spoke along the way. Hiyori Sarugaki was still sulking, and Yato found the sight of the lieutenant's golden pigtail swaying before him oddly amusing.

The 12th Division barracks were located in the northern part of the Seireitei, near the Black Ridge Gate.

Although the Technology Development Bureau had not yet been established in this era, the 12th Division's duty had always been "developing spiritual tools and new technologies." It required extensive experimentation and field collection, so for convenient access in and out, the barracks had been built here.

The barracks were a massive ring-shaped complex. They were not particularly beautiful, but possessed the clean, efficient style unique to technical personnel. Soul Reapers in black kimono came and went. Whenever they saw Hiyori Sarugaki, they stopped to salute her, then secretly glanced curiously at the boy behind her.

The news that Uchiha Yato was becoming Third Seat had spread through the 12th Division's communication network late last night.

Though Hiyori Sarugaki had a terrible temper and was quick to anger and fight, she was fairly responsible when it came to work. She led Yato into the barracks and began introducing every part of the place.

"The captain's office is in the center. The two buildings beside it are the work areas for the lieutenant and Third Seat... yours is the one on the right."

"If you leave the walls and head north, you'll reach the Black Ridge Gate. Ordinary division members need to apply to leave the Seireitei, but your Third Seat identification badge is enough. That's special treatment for us in the 12th Division."

"Below where we're standing is a huge laboratory. It's roughly three times the size of the buildings above ground. The researchers love to hole up down there. But judging from you, you're like me and have no interest in that stuff. Still, drop by once in a while. Think of it as patrol duty."

"The 12th Division doesn't have as many rules as the First Division, but we're not as undisciplined as the 11th Division either. As a seated officer, you need to set an example... Such as not using illusions on your lieutenant! Hmph!"

"Come on, it's getting late. Let's go see Captain Hikifune." Hiyori pointed somewhere.

"That's the residence assigned to you as a seated officer. Lieutenants and Third Seats are both very busy and often stay overnight here. Go change your clothes."

There was not much inside the residence. Apart from the furniture, there was only a set of Soul Reaper uniform.

Yato washed his face briefly, changed into the Soul Reaper uniform, and headed toward the captain's office.

Before he even entered, he heard a bright and hearty voice.

"Little Hiyori, I told you not to provoke people so casually. That's a multi-stage release Soul-Cutter Sword, hahaha..."

"Is that little Yato?" Inside the captain's office, Kirio Hikifune sensed an unfamiliar spiritual pressure.

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12th Division Third Seat, Uchiha Yato!