Day after day passed, and news of Kirio Hikifune's impending departure spread throughout the 12th Division. This veteran captain was deeply loved and respected by her subordinates, so the mood in the division inevitably grew somewhat subdued.
Uchiha Yato remained unaffected by the atmosphere. He did whatever needed doing and fulfilled his duties as Third Seat, even taking over Hiyori Sarugaki's work. The blonde Lieutenant felt rather embarrassed about it and said that after Captain Hikifune left for the Soul King Palace, she would treat Yato to several lavish meals.
As for the things he had heard at Arima Shintaro's funeral, Yato did not pay them much mind.
The decline of the Shiba Clan aligned with the timeline. One hundred and ten years later, when Ichigo Kurosaki forced his way into the Seireitei, that former giant of one of the Five Great Noble Clans had already completely died out. The branch families had vanished without a trace, while only Kūkaku and Ganju Shiba remained of the main family.
If there was no foul play involved, not even ghosts would believe it.
But Uchiha Yato was still alone and weak. His combat power was insufficient, and he had not even touched the threshold of Bankai. He could not intervene in a monstrous vortex of this level, so he simply put it out of his mind and focused on what lay before him.
Late one night, Yato was still bent over his desk, vigorously reviewing official documents.
By the time he had finished dealing with them all, it was already the middle of the night.
"This chair is really uncomfortable. It's bad for my lower back too..."
Yato rubbed his back, thought for a moment, then opened a document and wrote a line on the page titled "Procurement and Sales Approval Comments."