Horiuchi Family

Overlooking the Soul Society, one could see that this world was divided into three regions:

The innermost Seireitei, the middle layer of three hundred and twenty Rukongai districts, and the endless forests, mountains, rivers, and wilderness beyond.

The Seireitei covered a vast area. Its buildings were mostly white, sacred and towering; even the bricks laid on the ground had been cut to the golden ratio.

The Gotei 13, Central 46, the Palace of Penitence, the Stealth Force... these institutions that wielded immense military strength and authority were all stationed within the Seireitei.

The nobles lived here as well.

However, the Soul Society had existed for far too long, and noble houses rose and fell just the same. Many families had moved out of the Seireitei after certain incidents and settled in Rukongai.

The Horiuchi Family was one of them.

Four hundred years ago, they had relocated from the Seireitei to District 62 of Eastern Rukongai, Flower Withers. Leveraging their noble influence, connections, and wealth, they had built an impressive business network. Every generation produced Shinigami, and the occasional outstanding member could even enter Central 46!

With such a foundation, the Horiuchi Family residence naturally occupied the finest location in Flower Withers District. Mountains rose around it, rivers encircled it, and it seemed like a kingdom within a kingdom.

Late at night, at the training grounds in the southeastern corner of the Horiuchi estate.

Horiuchi Yosuke set down his Soul-Cutter Sword and accepted the towel offered by a servant, wiping away his sweat.

He was already over three hundred years old, but his considerable spiritual pressure had slowed his aging. His temples had only just turned gray, his figure had not deteriorated, and his muscles remained powerfully defined.

"Where is that brat Yuma?"

"Lord Patriarch, the young master, he..."

"Spit it out! Stop stammering!"

"The young master was tired from training tonight, so he went to the Red-light District to, uh, drink."

Horiuchi Yosuke let out an unrestrained sneer.

"He got tired from training with that pathetic excuse for swordsmanship? More like he slept too much during the day! And that Red-light District... Hmph!"

"Lord Patriarch, the young master said the captain of the Eighth Division often went there too. He wanted to see whether he could get acquainted with that lord, so someone could look after him once he joined the Gotei 13."

Boom!

Enraged, Horiuchi Yosuke slammed his fist down. The hard bluestone floor instantly cracked apart, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

"Idiot! What kind of man is Shunsui Kyōraku? With a few words, he can pry open someone's heart and see everything inside! And that brat wants to approach him himself? Does he not know what we've been doing these past few days?!"

He seized the servant by the collar, his voice icy.

"Go to the Red-light District, find that unfilial bastard, and make him get back here immediately!"

"Y-yes..." Seeing that the patriarch was truly furious, the servant nodded frantically and scrambled out of the training grounds.

He brushed past Koizumi Kentaro.

At the sight of him, Horiuchi Yosuke could not help frowning.

"You made your move?"

"Mm." Kentaro chuckled. "That boy was quite capable. The assassin you sent couldn't handle him. To be honest, I had to put in quite a bit of effort too. I even had to use Kidō."

"...You want more money?"

"Of course. You get what you pay for. Assassinating a new Shin'ō Academy student and helping forge an admission notice are both serious crimes that could land me in the Central Underground Great Prison."

"Double it."

"Lord Horiuchi is generous!"

Horiuchi Yosuke snorted and extended a hand, signaling for Koizumi Kentaro to hand the item over.

But unexpectedly, the seated officer merely spread his hands and shrugged helplessly.

"Listen, there was a slight complication. That boy was tough. No matter what, he wouldn't say where he hid it." He pointed behind the weapon rack. "So I brought him here."

Horiuchi Yosuke nodded without dwelling on the matter.

Over his years as patriarch, he had come to understand that even the most insignificant matter could fail in the most absurd way.

Bringing the man here already counted as a job well done.

The training grounds were a core area of Soul Society nobility, inaccessible to anyone who was not utterly trusted. Horiuchi Yosuke had complete faith in these servants, so he openly walked over with Koizumi Kentaro and dragged out the sack.

With a swish, the rope was untied, and a blood-soaked figure tumbled out, unconscious.

"...This is Uchiha Yato?"

Horiuchi Yosuke nudged him with his foot and sensed a faint breath remaining.

"Hmph. He was a little better-looking than in the portrait."

Kentaro's expression seemed somewhat grave.

"He endured all my torture without ever opening his mouth... Tch. Once this is over, find him a good place to bury him."

"Fine." Horiuchi Yosuke agreed noncommittally, staring thoughtfully at Yato on the floor. "Could it be that your methods were too gentle?"

"Gentle?" Koizumi Kentaro looked as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world.

"Look at the state he's in. He nearly died! What else was I supposed to do?"

"Cut out his tongue, gouge out his eyes, cut open his lungs, pour molten lead into them... Lord Koizumi, there are still plenty of methods available..."

Horiuchi Yosuke suddenly remembered something.

"Almost forgot. We can't remove his tongue yet. He still has to tell me where the thing I want is."

A trace of apprehension flashed through Koizumi Kentaro's eyes.

Damn it! These noblemen are all lunatics!

He secretly glanced at the unconscious Yato, feeling somewhat uneasy.

To the seventeenth seated officer, the boy was undoubtedly a young tiger.

Kentaro did not mind killing a tiger. He might even enjoy a little thrill from it.

But cutting off its claws, gouging out its eyes, filling its lungs with molten lead...

Within the Gotei 13, such acts would be regarded as those of a "base coward."

Before a battle, fighters exchanged names as a sign of mutual respect. If one intended to kill, then kill. What kind of skill was there in torturing someone into permanent mutilation?

Still, Koizumi Kentaro would not fall out with a partner over such a matter. He could only leave the training grounds, out of sight and out of mind, and head to the sleeping quarters to rest.

Horiuchi Yosuke called over two servants and had them take the mangled Yato to the basement. He then stood alone at the center of the training grounds and waited.

The moon passed over the branches, and the night air turned slightly cool.

Amid unsteady footsteps, a youth dressed in gaudy floral robes walked in.

"Bastard, what are you wearing?" Horiuchi Yosuke glared, immediately launching into a tirade. "You've disgraced the Horiuchi Family beyond measure!"

"Hey, Father, don't be angry." Horiuchi Yuma grinned. "I snuck into the Seireitei that day and saw Captain Kyōraku dressed like this too, so I thought I'd cater to his preferences..."

Horiuchi Yosuke pressed a hand to his forehead, no longer wanting to speak to this useless son of his.

Everyone knew that Shunsui Kyōraku's flashy, exaggerated attire was merely a disguise. In terms of spiritual pressure, cunning, and seniority, how many people in the Soul Society truly dared to joke around with him?

Say just a few words to Shunsui Kyōraku, and he could probably coax out what kind of underwear your grandfather liked to wear!

His cultivation talent was poor, and he had failed the Shin'ō Academy examination. He was not clever enough, yet he always tried to be clever...

Sometimes, Horiuchi Yosuke wanted to give up on this son.

But Yuma was still his only son, the future heir of the Horiuchi Family.

"Enough." In the end, Horiuchi Yosuke sighed. "That matter is more or less settled."

"...More or less?"

"We didn't get the admission notice, but we have the man in the basement." Horiuchi Yosuke patted his son's shoulder. "In a while, come down with me and watch how your father gets the answer out of him."

"Koizumi Kentaro is skilled enough, but he can be rather stubbornly old-fashioned at times. Once you enter the Gotei 13, remember this: never adopt that style of conduct."

"I understand, Father." Horiuchi Yuma, clad in floral robes, bared his teeth in a grin. "That is the difference between us nobles and Shinigami."

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