An Ominous Beginning

"Eat, Yato."

The gallant young man handed over an exquisite food box.

"Don't stand on ceremony."

"Thank you, Kaien." Uchiha Yato bowed and opened the lid.

Translucent slices of fish and shrimp were arranged neatly inside. Nine parts cooked, one part rare grilled wagyu gave off an enticing aroma, while the green vegetables looked as though they'd just been picked...

"That's far too lavish, Kaien." The boy gave a wry smile.

"Honestly, a few rice balls would've been enough for me."

"How could that do? I specifically told them to make today's dishes saltier, more suited to your taste."

"Then I won't hold back."

Uchiha Yato sat beside Kaien Shiba and began enjoying the meal, occasionally lifting his head to look at the sparse, low buildings in the distance.

This was Yato's second month stationed at Blood Slaughter Mountain in Zaraki District, and also his second month working with Kaien.

Kaien Shiba was exceptionally friendly and looked after Uchiha Yato in every respect. Even regarding food, he'd instructed the household staff to cater strictly to his tastes and not cut corners.

Yato knew that although Kaien Shiba was famed for his warm, bold nature, treating him this well was, to some extent, because of his affection for someone close to him.

After all, the Soul-Cutter Sword in his hand was half a memento left behind by Kaien's younger brother, Moritora Shiba. Seeing it inevitably reminded him of its former owner.

Thus, in this godforsaken corner of Rukongai, the two got along exceptionally well. Life was even more comfortable than before, at least without mountains of division paperwork to deal with.

After lunch, they set down the food box bearing the Shiba Clan emblem and began stretching their limbs.

"Which side do we start from today, Kaien?"

"You go from south to north. I'll go the opposite way. If you encounter Ryoka, release your Reiatsu. We'll support each other at any time."

"All right," Yato replied softly.

This arrangement actually showed consideration for Uchiha Yato as well. After all, this was District 80 of Northern Rukongai. Traveling south to north meant having his back to Seireitei, which was safer to some extent.

"Let's split up. We'll meet in the center of Zaraki District in four hours!"

The instant he finished speaking, Yato and Kaien vanished from the mountaintop.

After a month of living here, the boy had become fairly familiar with Zaraki District. Before long, he arrived at its southernmost edge.

His eyes turned crimson, and a tomoe appeared in each pupil.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Yato wasn't wearing a Soul Reaper uniform. Instead, he wore a small-sleeved robe and blue hakama, loose and unkempt, resembling the ronin most commonly seen in Zaraki District.

As for the Soul-Cutter Sword in his hand? There was no need to hide it at all. In Zaraki District, weapons were essential whenever one went out. Even old ladies carried broadswords to buy groceries!

With a blade of grass between his teeth, Yato slung Scarlet Eye over his shoulder and strolled lazily along, blending perfectly into the local crowd.

In less than an hour, he came across five fights. Every one involved blades and bloodshed. One unlucky fellow had his thigh artery cut open and lay on the ground twitching, clearly beyond saving.

No one cared, and no one intervened.

As the rulers of Soul Society, Seireitei rarely sent Soul Reapers to Rukongai districts above seventy. Instead, they left them to fend for themselves.

As for the reason?

When Yato had studied for the Shin'ō Academy entrance examinations in District 61 a few years ago, he'd learned the standard answer to that question:

"Because Soul Reapers are difficult to train and suffer an annual casualty rate as high as one in twenty, personnel cannot be deployed to chaotic regions. However, the nobles will fulfill their administrative responsibilities in those areas..."

But now that Yato had been a Soul Reaper for over half a year, he knew that standard answer was complete bullshit.

The real reason was that Seireitei considered the deaths of Rukongai residents part of the Reishi cycle.

Otherwise, with the long lifespans of souls, the number of souls in Soul Society would inevitably keep accumulating. That could easily upset the balance of the Three Realms, causing Hueco Mundo, the living world, and Soul Society to collapse one after another.

Cruel though it was, it truly was an effective means of maintaining the balance of souls among the Three Realms.

Thus, through deliberate or unintentional indulgence, the areas of Rukongai above District 70 had become lawless zones. Violent criminals ran rampant there, and underground organizations such as black markets had even emerged.

Of course, the state of this place had nothing to do with Yato. The purpose of his and Kaien Shiba's arrival in Zaraki District was to root out the Ryoka, or wait for the gathering signal and wipe out this group.

On Zaraki District's uneven streets, Yato paced with his sword over his shoulder. Though he wasn't moving particularly fast, his Sharingan still allowed him to spot unusual Reiatsu.

Yato had done this every day for the past month. Though he had enough patience, he'd still found nothing.

But he understood that if these Ryoka had dared come to Seireitei, they definitely had some real skill. There was no need to rush.

As he wandered about on patrol, time slowly passed.

When the sky began to darken, Yato approached the center of Zaraki District. He could already see the meeting place he'd arranged with Kaien Shiba in the distance.

Yet at that moment, Yato's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

At a tea stall a hundred meters ahead and to one side, a young man was drinking water.

He was fairly tall, with an ordinary face, no different from the idle drifters on the street.

But through Yato's Sharingan, the young man's skin seemed to be wrapped in a layer of flames, flickering with every movement.

His Reiatsu wasn't weak.

Ninth-class Reiatsu? Or eighth-class?

Yato's hand gripped Scarlet Eye's guard. Without hesitation, he covered the hundred-meter distance in a single leap, drawing his blade and slashing down!

In a hellhole like Zaraki District, there was no custom of "state your identity and cooperate with the investigation." Drifters and martial types didn't submit to authority either. If he wanted answers, he had to beat them down first!

Bzzzt—

The blade tore through the air with a low hum. It was as if the young man drinking water had eyes in the back of his head. He flung away the tea bowl, turned, and swung horizontally, meeting Scarlet Eye blade-to-blade.

The instant their blades collided, Uchiha Yato's lips curled into a grin.

That feeling... a Soul-Cutter Sword? So he really was Ryoka!

It matched the intelligence! After killing Gotei 13 members, they'd even stolen their Soul-Cutter Swords for themselves!

As thoughts raced through his mind, Yato suddenly lowered his shoulder and increased his strength by another thirty percent, intending to crush his opponent completely.

Unfortunately, the young Ryoka responded flawlessly. His body suddenly went soft as willow fluff, sliding past the blade, and in the process he swung back with a countercut, swift as lightning.

The entire dodge and counterattack formed a vicious sequence, a textbook-perfect response.

"No, this wasn't merely textbook-perfect..."

A memory flashed through Uchiha Yato's mind.

"Let your body drift like duckweed, but use the momentum to counter with your sword. Remember this swordsmanship technique. It's called Willow Hairpin!"

That was what his swordsmanship instructor had said during a secret advanced class for sixth-year graduates a year ago.

—This was a damn technique straight out of the Shin'ō Academy textbooks!

Yato's heart sank. He realized this group of Ryoka might not be simple invaders after all.

"Ryoka." The boy enunciated each word.

"Who taught you that move?"

The young man said nothing, merely glaring viciously at Yato.

"Fine. So you really are the Ryoka gang that Captain-Commander branded as Villains."

Uchiha Yato chuckled, but his voice suddenly turned icy.

"Then I'll break your arms and legs first. You can explain yourself to the First Division."

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