Tentacles

On his third day with the First Division, Shuichi was sent to collect his equipment.

Sakaki told him that every official Soul Reaper received a standard uniform, protective gear, a Reishi Communicator, and sword-maintenance tools. The First Division did not handle any of it. The Upper Nobility's Kasumioji Clan forged and issued the equipment.

"Kasumioji?" Shuichi had never heard the name.

"Upper Nobility."

Sakaki handed him a requisition slip. "They make standard equipment. Their workshops produce Soul Reapers' scabbards, sword guards, and uniform fabric. Just go there to collect yours."

Shuichi took the slip and checked the address: Kasumioji Estate, eastern Seireitei.

As he headed out, Chongya called to him.

"Shuichi, it's your first visit to the Kasumioji Clan. I'll come with you."

Shuichi was a little surprised. "There's no need. I can go myself."

"It's not that I'm worried you'll get lost."

Chongya picked up his coat. "The Kasumioji Clan is a vassal of the Kuchiki Clan. By now, they'll know who you are. Go to a place like that alone, and they'll pull you into a conversation that never ends."

Shuichi glanced at Chongya. His expression was calm, as though he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

But Shuichi understood. The Kasumioji Clan was one of the Kuchiki Clan's tentacles, and the Kuchiki Clan had approached him only days ago. There was no way the Kasumioji Clan would fail to recognize him when he came for his equipment.

"Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Chongya."

"Let's go."

They left the barracks and headed east. Noble estates clustered in that part of Seireitei. Its streets were wide and clean, and high courtyard walls rose on either side. Now and then, neatly pruned branches showed above them. It was Shuichi's first time in the district, and he couldn't help looking around.

Chongya walked beside him at an easy pace.

"The Kasumioji Clan has handled equipment production for hundreds of years."

"Everything from the wood for scabbards to the fabric for Shihakushō comes out of their workshops," he said. "The quality is good, but it isn't cheap."

"Cheap? Doesn't the government pay for it?"

"It does, but where does that money come from?" Chongya smiled.

"For every three coins the Gotei 13 pays in wages, one comes from the Ōmaeda Clan."

Shuichi blinked. "Ōmaeda?"

"Commercial magnates of Soul Society." Chongya spoke as if it were common knowledge.

"Food, supplies, equipment purchases, barracks repairs—wherever money is spent, the Ōmaeda Clan has a hand in it. They don't make equipment, but more than half the money used to buy it comes from them."

Shuichi was quiet for a moment. "Then the Kasumioji Clan and the Kuchiki Clan..."

Chongya glanced at him.

"The Kuchiki Clan leads the Four Great Noble Clans. The Kasumioji Clan can hold its place in Seireitei because the Kuchiki Clan backs it. That lucrative equipment contract came from the Kuchiki Clan too."

He paused.

"That's why the Kasumioji Clan pays close attention to anything involving the Kuchiki Clan. The Kuchiki Clan approached you a few days ago, so the Kasumioji Clan must know. They'll probably be especially welcoming today."

Shuichi understood. It wasn't a welcome. It was a test. Where the Kuchiki Clan's own tentacles couldn't reach, their tentacles' tentacles could.

They stopped outside the Kasumioji Estate. Its frontage was modest but imposing: black-lacquered gates, gleaming brass studs, and a plaque above the entrance bearing the name "Kasumioji." Two servants stood at the gate. When they saw Shuichi and Chongya, they came forward at once.

"First Division?" one servant asked.

Shuichi handed over the requisition slip. The servant looked it over.

"Please come in. The head of the clan has already given instructions."

Shuichi and Chongya exchanged a glance, then followed the servant inside.

The Kasumioji Estate was far larger than its frontage suggested. Past the front courtyard and around a screen wall lay a spacious garden. Workshops stood on either side, with the clanging of metalwork ringing from within. A middle-aged man was already waiting at the entrance to the hall across the courtyard.

He wore an elegant black kimono and had a mild face, with a smile measured just right. At the sight of Shuichi, he inclined his head.

"I am Kasumioji Genmei, head of the Kasumioji Clan. Shuichi, I've heard much about you."

Shuichi returned the bow. "Lord Kasumioji. Sorry to intrude."

"Not at all, not at all." Kasumioji Genmei smiled warmly.

"It's an honor for the Kasumioji Clan to equip a student taught personally by the Commander-in-Chief. Please, come in."

He stepped aside to let Shuichi and Chongya into the hall, then ordered a servant to bring tea. Shuichi sat and looked around. The hall was small but finely furnished. Every piece of furniture had been polished to a shine, and even the tea bowls were fine porcelain.

Genmei clapped his hands. A servant entered carrying a tray stacked with a brand-new black uniform. Protective gear, a Reishi Communicator, and a small box of maintenance tools lay beside it.

"This is the standard issue."

"The uniform uses fabric made specially by the Kasumioji Clan," Kasumioji Genmei said. "It resists Reiatsu erosion better than ordinary cloth. The protective gear is lightweight, so it won't interfere with Shunpo, and the Reishi Communicator covers all of Seireitei."

Chongya inspected the samples and nodded. "Same as ever."

Shuichi followed Chongya's example and examined them too.

Shuichi nodded without answering.

They were then shown to the warehouse.

Chongya checked a few items at random. Their quality was much the same as the samples'.

Shuichi learned as he inspected them, and Chongya patiently taught him what to look for.

When they returned to the First Division Barracks, Sakaki was waiting at the entrance.

"Shuichi, your pay statement."

He handed Shuichi a sheet of paper. "This month's."

Shuichi studied the statement in silence for a moment.

"What sort of family is the Ōmaeda Clan?"

"Commercial magnates," Sakaki said.

"They aren't nobles, but they're richer than most noble families. Seireitei's supply purchases, grain reserves, and commercial tax revenue all pass through their hands. Without the Ōmaeda Clan, the Gotei 13 couldn't even pay its wages."

"Then what standing do they have in Seireitei?"

Sakaki thought for a moment. "It's complicated. They aren't nobles, but they're wealthy enough that even the Four Great Noble Clans show them respect. They never take part in disputes between nobles. They just do business. But nobody dares offend them. Offend the Ōmaeda Clan, and commerce throughout Seireitei suffers."

Shuichi folded the pay statement and tucked it into his robes.

"Does the Ōmaeda Clan try to recruit people too?"

Sakaki and Chongya exchanged a glance. Chongya shook his head.

"The Ōmaeda Clan doesn't do that."

"They only do business," he said. "They don't take sides or build factions. They work with whoever holds power, and they don't kick anyone when they're down. That's how a family survives for centuries in Soul Society."

Shuichi nodded thoughtfully.

When he returned to the hall, Shimura was sorting documents. He pushed up his glasses when he saw Shuichi enter.

"Shuichi, I have something for you."

He handed over a sheet of paper. Shuichi took it and saw that it was an application.

"Ōmaeda Xiquanzhi requests assignment to the Second Division as lieutenant."

Shuichi froze. "Why are you showing me this?"

Shimura's expression was a little odd. "Because the applicant belongs to the Ōmaeda Clan. Captain Shihōin has already approved it, but the application has to be filed with the First Division. You're sorting today's documents, so it falls to you."

Shuichi looked at the name on the page: Ōmaeda Xiquanzhi.

A member of the Ōmaeda Clan was applying to join Shihōin Qianri's Second Division. And only days ago, Shihōin Qianri had approached Shuichi about joining it himself.

He looked at Shimura. Nothing else showed on Shimura's face; he had simply handed over a document.

Shuichi placed the application in the stack marked "Pending Filing."

"I've put it here," he said.

Shimura nodded and went back to sorting his documents.

First Division Barracks, main hall.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto sat behind a low table. The tea in his cup had gone cold. Chōjirō Sasakibe stood beside him, a document spread out before them. They were alone in the hall until footsteps sounded outside.

"Commander-in-Chief, Captain Shihōin has arrived."

Yamamoto set down his cup. "Come in."

The door slid open, and Shihōin Qianri entered. The hall's lamplight made his dark skin appear darker still. His short silver-white hair lay neatly against his forehead. He stopped before Yamamoto and bowed slightly.

"Commander-in-Chief."

Yamamoto gestured to the seat opposite him. "Sit."

Shihōin Qianri sat with his back straight. His bearing suited a Second Division Captain: efficient, direct, and brisk.

"You said you had something to discuss."

Yamamoto looked at him. "What is it?"

Shihōin Qianri did not answer at once. He took a scroll from his sleeve, unrolled it, and spread it across the table. An organizational chart had been drawn on it.

Lines descended from the words "Second Division" at the top and split into several branches. Dense notes filled the space beside each branch.

Yamamoto glanced down without speaking.

"Commander-in-Chief."

Shihōin Qianri began. "The Eleventh Division's role is settled: combat. That madwoman Unohana spends every day with her Eleventh Division either cutting people down or training to do it better. She's right. The Gotei 13 needs a blade."

He paused and tapped the chart.

"But a blade needs eyes and ears. Someone has to gather intelligence, slip behind enemy lines, assassinate threats, and protect key figures. The Eleventh Division can't do that. They only know how to charge straight in and cut. The other divisions don't have that function either."

He looked at Yamamoto.

"The Second Division wants to take it on."

Yamamoto lifted his cold tea and took a sip. "Go on."

"Onmitsukidō." When Shihōin Qianri spoke the name, restrained excitement entered his voice. It was not a burst of emotion, but the satisfaction of finally giving voice to something he had long been preparing.

"I want to turn the Second Division into a specialized covert force. It would handle reconnaissance, intelligence, assassination, and protection. It wouldn't fight on the front lines. It would do what the blade cannot."

He pointed to the branches on the chart.

"A reconnaissance unit to collect intelligence behind enemy lines. An intelligence unit to handle infiltration and counterintelligence. An assassination unit to eliminate threats. A protection unit to guard important figures in Seireitei. And an interrogation unit to question prisoners and obtain information."

The hall fell quiet for a moment.

Yamamoto set down his cup. "An interrogation unit. You think that's necessary?"

Shihōin Qianri did not dodge the question. "If we take prisoners, someone needs to make them talk. The Eleventh Division can't interrogate people, and the other divisions have no such role. The Second Division can do it."

Yamamoto regarded him calmly. "Have you considered how the other captains will react?"

"I have."

Shihōin Qianri's expression did not change. "The Eleventh Division will think we're taking their work. The noble captains in the Third and Fifth Divisions will think the Onmitsukidō lacks dignity. But Seireitei needs it."

He paused.

"You know better than I do that this is what the Gotei 13's current structure lacks."

Yamamoto was silent for a while. "What can the Shihōin Clan provide?"

Shihōin Qianri's eyes brightened for an instant.

"The Shihōin Clan already controls Soul Society's Heaven-Bestowed Divine Armaments. From supplementary materials for Zanpakutō and special Shihakushō fabrics to Kidō Cannons, Reishi Bombs, and concealed weapons, our workshops produce all kinds of military equipment."

He pointed to the "assassination unit" on the chart.

"The Shihōin Clan can supply its equipment. Silent Blades, Reishi-concealing cloth, infiltration tools—we already have them. Our workshops have begun testing Reishi detectors for the reconnaissance unit."

Yamamoto glanced at him. "You started preparing long ago."

Shihōin Qianri did not deny it. "I've been thinking about this since the day I became Second Division Captain."

Yamamoto picked up the chart and studied it again. Every branch and every note was written neatly. This was no rough idea, but a developed plan revised time and again.

"Do the other captains know?" he asked.

"No."

"This is an internal Second Division matter," Shihōin Qianri said. "They don't need to know. Once the Onmitsukidō is established, they'll see the results for themselves."

Yamamoto put the chart back on the table.

"Go back and write a formal report. Set out the organization, personnel, training plan, and equipment requirements clearly. I'll decide after I've read it."

Shihōin Qianri stood and bowed. "Yes."

He slid open the door and left.

Only Yamamoto and Chōjirō Sasakibe remained in the hall.

"What do you think?"

Chōjirō Sasakibe was silent for a moment. "Captain Shihōin's plan is thorough. The Onmitsukidō is something Seireitei genuinely lacks."

"But the Second Division's current members may not be capable of carrying it out. Captain Shihōin's Hakuda and Shunpo are exceptional, but his people... Most were transferred from headquarters security or other divisions. They haven't received specialized training in intelligence or assassination. To establish the Onmitsukidō, he needs people. To make them capable, he needs training. And training takes time."

Yamamoto nodded. "What else?"

Chōjirō Sasakibe thought for a moment. "The other captains' reactions. Captain Unohana won't like someone taking her work. And those nobles have always been sensitive to the word 'covert.' They won't object openly, but behind closed doors..."

He let the thought trail off.

Yamamoto rose and walked to the window. Seireitei lay beneath the night sky. Scattered lights shone from distant barracks, and the enormous white wall suspended in midair glimmered faintly in the darkness.

"The Shihōin Clan is the heart of Soul Society's military industry."

He turned to Chōjirō Sasakibe.

"But Qianri has forgotten something. The Shihōin Clan makes weapons; it is not a clan of soldiers. The people who make weapons don't necessarily know how to wage war. Qianri wants to establish the Onmitsukidō because he believes the Second Division needs that role. But has he considered whether its current members can fulfill it?"

He returned to the table, picked up the chart, and gave it one last look.

"Let him write the report."

He set the chart down. "We'll discuss it when he does."