The Fourth Division's Transformation / The Shinigami Era Is Advancing, the Shinigami Era Is Developing
It all feels like it happened yesterday.
"You'd better think this through. If you leave now, you won't get a pension. After all, the team's rule is that only Shinigami who have worked for more than a thousand years can receive a pension upon retirement," Yamabuki Chidori said.
Shijima Chiru's bitter smile deepened, "A thousand years! How many Shinigami can live for a thousand years? Ordinary spirits age, just like the ordinary people in Rukongai. Their lifespans are indeed much longer than humans, but two or three hundred years is their limit. Do you remember Chōjirō Sasakibe's sister? That little girl named Delia. Look at her now, she's already a beautiful young woman, and only seventy years have passed. What about another seventy years?"
Yamabuki Chidori fell silent.
The Grim Reaper is not immortal; it's just that the stronger one's Reiatsu, the slower one ages.
Like the Captain Commander, if nothing unexpected happens, he should have no problem living for four or five thousand years.
Even ordinary Captain have a lifespan of a thousand years.
But for ordinary people, like Delia, living for two or three hundred years is already their limit.
"Can't you see? This is a rule the Captain Commander specifically set for you. He doesn't want you to leave, but he's also too embarrassed to contradict you, so he can only use this method. Anyway, a thousand years from now, everything will have changed, and nobody knows what this world will be like. Only I... I might not be suited for officialdom. Although I've lived a comfortable life for the past few decades, I don't like it. I've decided to open a simple acupuncture clinic in Rukongai. If you have time, remember to come and support me; my acupuncture skills are excellent," Shijima Chiru said with a smile.
How could Yamabuki Chidori not know what the Lieutenant meant?
The original Gotei 13 in the original timeline never retired; they could only remain at their posts until they died in battle.
Or, like the previous Kenpachi, the next Kenpachi defeats the previous Kenpachi.
Yamabuki Chidori sighed. Shijima Chiru was determined to leave, and there was no way to persuade him to stay. At this point, she could only go along with his wishes.
"I know this might be unfair to you, but I hope that if Soul Society is ever in danger again, you will step forward," Yamabuki Chidori said.
Shijima Chiru poured herself a glass of wine and smiled happily, "You don't need to worry about that. After all, I'm one of the founders of the Gotei 13, so I have that sense of responsibility. By the way, after I leave, have you decided who will be the new Captain?"
"It's decided, it's Unohana."
"Puff!"
Chapter 38: The Transformation of the Fourth Division
The Captain is the soul of a team.
He is also the idol of his teammates.
Kenpachi Zaraki in the future dislikes using Kidō in battle, so the members of the 11th Division are ashamed to use Kidō.
Ayasegawa Yumichika's Zanpakuto is of the Kidō attribute, but because he was afraid of being ridiculed by his teammates, he only released half of his Zanpakuto when he was about to Zanpakuto.
Otherwise, Ayasegawa Yumichika possesses at least the strength of Lieutenant-level, no, he could even surpass the vast majority of Lieutenant.
Yet he was only the 5th Seat officer in the 11th Division.
As a top-tier sixth member and one of the most elite assassins, Shijima Chiru's fighting style often emphasizes sneak attacks, and he dislikes direct confrontations. This has led to the entire Fourth Division adopting this sneak attack style, effectively creating a group of sixth members under his tutelage.
But now these six guys have been told that their Captain has resigned, so they're being forced to become berserkers, and they're all trembling with fear.
"Unohana... she's capable enough to be the Fourth Division Captain, but what about the 11th Division? One person can't be the Captain of two divisions at the same time," Shijima Chiru asked.
Upon hearing this, Yamabuki Chidori's face darkened, and she pointed to herself, saying, "From now on, I am the Captain of the 11th Division, and the Second Generation Kenpachi. Nice to meet you."
"Huh? What Second Generation Kenpachi?" Shijima Chiru didn't understand this setting at all, so Yamabuki Chidori explained it to him.
The 11th Division is widely recognized as the strongest fighting force, and the Shinigami who leads this team is called "Kenpachi," much like a title earned in a video game.
After hearing Shijima Chiru couldn't help but chuckle. How did she suddenly get this new title?
Oh well, you're the Captain of the 11th Division anyway, do whatever you want.
The next morning, Shijima Chiru packed her luggage and left, watched by all the Captain.
"I've opened an acupuncture clinic in the East District. Please come and support me whenever you have time. I'll be giving you discounts! A 9.9% off clearance sale, I'll make sure you all leave feeling comfortable." Shijima Chiru waved goodbye to his colleagues with whom he had worked together for decades.
People also gave him many gifts.
Yamabuki Chidori knew that Shijima Chiru's departure was just the beginning, and that more Captain would gradually leave in the future.
These people are lawless lunatics; you can't expect to completely control them, you can only go along with them as they please.
Even the greatest job can become boring after hundreds of years. If it weren't for Yamabuki Chidori's persistent desire to awaken his system, he might have already resigned and gone home. In fact, this system is now dispensable, but it has become an obsession in his heart!
He wanted to see what kind of rewards this ridiculous system offered in its official version, which would take him a thousand years.
Immediately afterwards, the Captain Commander issued a new order, appointing Unohana, the Captain of the 11th Division, as the Fourth Division Captain, and Yamabuki Chidori, the former Lieutenant of the 11th Division, as the Captain of the 11th Division.
For the 11th Division, this was no big deal, since they saw no difference between the Captain and the Lieutenant; they were essentially one family.
The members of the Fourth Division were restless, for they had also heard of the name of this "Sword of Death," who had spent seventy years building the 11th Division into the strongest team. If such a ruthless person became the Captain of the Fourth Division, wouldn't he torture them to death?
But soon, the Captain Commander issued an unexpected order: starting today, the Fourth Division would undergo a complete transformation, changing from a combat team focused on assassination to an auxiliary team fully responsible for logistics and medical care.
The members of the Fourth Division were somewhat surprised; the order was too sudden. However, most of them did not object to it. Shijima Chiru was an expert in assassination, capable of preparing various poisons and antidotes, and was also proficient in acupuncture.
These things can kill or save lives. Many members of the Fourth Division have strong medical skills, so it's understandable that they would switch to a support medical team.
Unohana approached the team members with a kind smile, "Everyone, please take good care of me from now on!"
After speaking, he bowed slightly to his teammates.
The team members hurriedly returned the greeting, indicating that the new Captain was quite a nice person.
Starting today, the members of the Fourth Division will no longer need to fight on the battlefield; they will be completely reassigned as doctors, responsible for treating patients.
Of course, it's also important to systematically learn various medical knowledge.
Unohana, Yamabuki Chidori, and Tenjirō Kirinji became the mentors of these team members, and began to teach them medical knowledge day and night.
In just six months, the Fourth Division was barely formed as a medical division.
Meanwhile, Unohana's murderous aura gradually weakened, and over time, people seemed to have forgotten her title of "Sword of Death." Many new team members even thought that this kind and amiable Captain had always been a full-time doctor, which made her very popular among the newcomers!
Over time, rumors spread that the Captain of the Fourth Division was very kind and amiable, and treated his members very well. As a result, many students from the Shino Academy chose to join the Fourth Division after graduation.
They weren't after promotions or wealth; they were only after Unohana.
Who wouldn't want a leader who is beautiful, gentle, kind-hearted, and also has healing abilities?
In the following years, the Fourth Division even became overcrowded.
Unohana welcomes all new members, and the Fourth Division is the only one that accepts anyone without any conditions. She even gave herself a name, "Retsu".
The Retsu Unohana.
No one knew what her feelings were when she chose the name Yamabuki Chidori. Anyway, life went on day by day, and three or five decades passed in the blink of an eye.
"Make way! Make way now! Someone urgently needs surgery! Make way now!"
One afternoon, decades later.
A howl shattered the tranquility of the Fourth Division, and a Shinigami wearing the uniform of the Seventh Division carried his comrade into the Fourth Division.
The members of the Fourth Division immediately began to prepare for surgery. Judging from the wound on the dying Shinigami, it was likely caused by fighting a Hollow.
So many years have passed, Quincy have completely disappeared from the Shinigami's sight, but Hollows remain the Shinigami's eternal enemy.
The war between the two sides never stopped for a moment.
And each has sustained damage.
The severely wounded Grim Reaper had his entire shoulder bitten off, blood stained half his body, and he was barely breathing!
The void cannot be eradicated unless all souls in this world are destroyed.
As luck would have it, Yamabuki Chidori was slacking off and spending time with his wife when this happened.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Age of Death is Progressing, the Age of Death is Developing
"What's that noise outside? It's so noisy!" Yamabuki Chidori went outside and saw a Grim Reaper covered in blood being wheeled into the operating room.
"Chief... Chief Strategist! What are you doing here?" the member of the Seventh Division asked in surprise.
Yamabuki Chidori frowned slightly and hurriedly followed him into the operating room to check on the Grim Reaper's injuries.
It's the Miracle he survived to the Fourth Division after his entire shoulder, skin and bones, were bitten off by a Hollow!
"Prepare the surgical equipment for me immediately. I'll save him myself!" Yamabuki Chidori said calmly.
Although Yamabuki Chidori is now the Captain of the 11th Division, he taught all the medical skills of the members of the Fourth Division, so the members of the Fourth Division trust him very much.
It was thanks to him being there that he immediately used Advanced Kido the bleeding and heal the wound, then sutured the blood vessels and used Reishi to create bones and flesh to fill the wound.
It was already past midnight when the surgery was over.
Yamabuki Chidori wiped the sweat from her brow as she walked out of the operating room. "Don't worry! Your life is saved, but you'll need a long recovery period before you can return to the battlefield. What happened to you? How did you get so disheveled?"
Upon hearing that his comrade was alright, one of the team members breathed a deep sigh of relief and then recounted his ordeal.
The four of them were besieging a Menos Grande. Everything was going well at first, but the Menos Grande was forced to retreat under the attack of several Death Gods, and in the end, its head was even cut off.
However, just as they lowered their guard, the Menos Grande's head launched a sneak attack, biting off the shoulder of one of the Grim Reapers. Then, using its Super Regeneration ability, it ran away with its head in its hand, eventually escaping the pursuit of the Grim Reapers.
"And... and the Hollows are incredibly resilient! They can revive even after their heads are cut off, and their claws and teeth are far more dangerous than the knives in our hands," the Grim Reaper complained cautiously.
Although Zanpakuto can take on various forms after being released, it must be admitted that the danger level for ordinary Shinigami when facing Hollows is simply too high.
Even with the protection of the Shinigami Uniform, the margin for error for Shinigami facing Hollows is far too low; a slight mistake could cost them their lives.
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Yamabuki Chidori.
Yes! Why do Shinigami insist on engaging Hollows in close combat?
Even though Kidō to fill the gap in ranged attacks, the damage caused by Kidō is proportional to the Shinigami's Reiatsu, and many Shinigami don't even know how to use Kidō. This puts the Shinigami at a greater disadvantage.
Yamabuki Chidori often heard the saying, "Truth lies only within the range of cannons." Could she perhaps find a way to develop some long-range weapons?
Why be so foolish as to engage in close combat with a Void?
If we calculate the timeline, by this time China had already invented the world's first firearm.
Of course, at that time, firearms were very outdated and could not change the situation on the battlefield.
They used bamboo tubes and gunpowder to launch iron balls, but due to technical limitations, the tubes were very prone to exploding.
Looking at the history of Soul Society, there seems to be no record of this.
It's not entirely impossible. When Jōshirō Ukitake was in power, he proposed a motion to the Central 46 to modify the souls of ordinary residents of Rukongai, giving them powerful combat abilities to fight against Hollows.
The Central 46 must have been bored out of their minds, since they actually agreed to his request and let him make the changes as he pleased.
To everyone's surprise, Jōshirō Ukitake succeeded. The Central 46 immediately felt a huge threat and called a halt to Jōshirō Ukitake's experiment.
They even pinned a whole host of accusations on him, turning Jōshirō Ukitake from a Captain into a prisoner. In the end, the Zero Division was alerted, and Jōshirō Ukitake had no choice but to turn himself in. Otherwise, given the capabilities of the Gotei 13 at the time, it would have been almost impossible for them to catch him.
The weapons in the hands of these modified civilians are similar to firearms, and they even appeared in the Human World a thousand years later, where a group of modified Giglio used firearms to injure a bunch of Arrancar.
If we could develop this technology ourselves, could we reduce the casualties of the Gotei 13?
After all, ranged attacks always have a higher margin for error than melee attacks.
With that in mind, Yamabuki Chidori gave some instructions on the medical follow-up and then went directly to the 12th Division to find Zendouji Yuuhin.
"Oh my! It's such a rare treat to see you here!"
For over a hundred years, Zendouji Yuuhin lived a very carefree life, and her already large belly grew even larger.
"You wouldn't come to my temple without a reason. You must have something to ask of me, so stop beating around the bush. Just tell me, what is it?" Zendouji Yuuhin said calmly.
Yamabuki Chidori chuckled dryly, "What bad intentions could I possibly have? Of course, I'm here to learn from you. Science and technology are the primary productive forces. I just want to understand just how advanced our technology is now. Just taking a look, just taking a look!"
While sipping her tea, Zendouji Yuuhin said casually, "Then take your time looking around. Call me if you need anything; I'm still conducting experiments here."
Yamabuki Chidori smiled slightly, then started circling around the 12th Division. At this time, the Research and Development Bureau had not yet been established, and the 12th Division was mainly focused on combat. However, the Captain liked to do scientific research, and his subordinates followed suit.
"Creating a musket capable of destroying Hollows! That sounds incredibly far-fetched!" Yamabuki Chidori muttered to herself.
This thing sounds simple, but it's actually based on a completely different principle than Human World firearms.
Centuries later, Human World firearms use gunpowder as a propellant to fire bullets and kill enemies.
But now... the Soul Society doesn't even have the concept of gunpowder, and even if it did, it wouldn't be able to use gunpowder to propel Reishi.
And what about the choice of ammunition?
Whether to add Reiatsu to live ammunition, or to condense Reiatsu directly into a bullet, is still unknown!
Yamabuki Chidori was completely clueless about this, and in the end, she had no choice but to pick up a book and study it on her own.
Yamabuki Chidori never imagined that the thing she hated most in her past life was studying, and the oppressive atmosphere of school made her feel suffocated.