I could do it myself now—instantly kill a Menos Grande. But how had she managed to instantly kill an Adjuchas?
Adjuchas of this era could not undergo Soul Reaperization, and their combat strength was nowhere near that of the later Espada. But their Reiatsu was genuinely Captain-level. They might lose in a head-on fight against a Captain, but they should not have been cut down in a single strike!
Looking across the current Gotei 13, Old Man Yamamoto was probably the only one capable of killing an Adjuchas with one slash.
"Big Brother Yamabuki, look over here! There's a Soul Reaper corpse!" Sashō Chōjirō shouted.
Yamabuki Chidori hurried over. Amid the pile of corpses was one dressed in noble attire. Judging by the clothes, the dead man was likely from Central 46. Why would these noble lords have died here?
And it looked like he had been killed with a single blow!
His blade had only been drawn three inches. He had not even been given a chance to resist.
"Instructor, what do we do now?" one of the recruits asked nervously, terrified that some monster might be lying in ambush nearby.
"Leave this place immediately. Then report this matter to the squad. Specialists will come deal with it afterward. Move!" Yamabuki Chidori said. He had no idea what kind of monster had stacked these corpses into a mountain, but he knew that if they really fought, he would be no match for it.
His strength had changed beyond recognition since the beginning, yet even against an Adjuchas, winning would require a bitter battle.
This was no longer something he could handle.
"Go! Hurry up!" Yamabuki Chidori shouted.
The five of them fled at top speed.
After all five had left, someone suddenly moved within the mountain of corpses.
She was an exceptionally beautiful woman with long black hair. Hidden among the bodies, she had gone completely unnoticed. She had been watching those five people from the very beginning. The reason she had not attacked was that they were simply too weak. Not one of them could withstand a single exchange with her.
Apparently unwilling to remain in the heap of corpses any longer, the woman swayed to her feet. A bloodstained long blade rested in her hand as she continued searching for an opponent worthy of her.
"Earlier... some people said they were nobles from Central 46... What did they say after that? I can't remember. I cut them down with one slash. I thought nobles should be a little stronger than ordinary people. They really were, but only a little." As she wiped the blood from her blade, the woman murmured, "Seireitei? There should be strong people there worth fighting, right?"
Through the blade's reflection, the woman stared directly into her lifeless eyes.
This world was truly boring.
The five did not stop for even a moment as they left the Kusajishi District. Only after reaching a populated area did Yamabuki Chidori finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He was not worried about Soul Society suffering some sort of epidemic. In Soul Society, once spiritual bodies died, their souls dispersed into Reishi. They would not even pollute the environment.
Only the Captains with immense Reiatsu had Reishi within their bodies that was too dense to naturally return to Soul Society after death. They could only be forcibly suppressed in Hell through Soul Burial.
Of course, there was no need to worry about that now. The setting involving Hell would not be introduced for at least another thousand years.
"Instructor, what exactly happened back there?" a recruit asked, panting heavily.
"How would I know? It's not like I'm All-Knowing All-Powerful. Anyway, once we return, have the Captain Commander send someone to investigate." Yamabuki Chidori was deeply versed in the art of passing the ball. Anything he could not solve, he kicked straight to the Captain Commander.
Yamabuki Chidori found a place to eat something and calm himself down.
He noticed a relatively luxurious building not far away.
"What place is that? There are people in Rukongai who can afford to build a house like that?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.
A squad member from a noble background explained, "Instructor, that is the residence of the Shiba Clan, one of the Five Noble Clans. Their family is rather unusual. Though they are Great Nobles, they have always lived in Rukongai among the commoners. They are practically a disgrace to the nobility..."
Before he could finish, the squad member saw his instructor glaring coldly at him and hurriedly shut his mouth.
Yamabuki Chidori recalled that when he had negotiated with Central 46, the Shiba Clan head had also been there. Should he go in and say hello?
Just then, Yamabuki Chidori saw the Shiba Clan head seeing off guests. More importantly, he actually recognized those guests.
They were the sisters Katoru Hatsunoya and Katoru Chimu!
PS: Unohana finally made her appearance. I also fixed several bugs in the earlier plot, especially the name of Ryūjin Jakka's Bankai.
Rob... Robbery
Why were those sisters here? Yamabuki Chidori was somewhat puzzled, but after thinking it over briefly, he understood. It was perfectly normal for Great Nobles to visit one another.
Many nobles were tied together through marriage alliances. Their relationships were tangled like a spiderweb, so he had better stay out of their struggles.
"Instructor, look! It's Senbu! Should we go say hello?" a squad member asked excitedly.
As one of the only two female members in the current Gotei 13, Senbu was young and beautiful, so naturally she was pursued by many boys.
What? You mean Saitō Fubōfu? How could that kind of creature be called a girl? She was merely a terrifying creature that happened to resemble one.
"Say hello my ass! Don't forget that we still have a mission! And can't you see that they have business to handle? You have no sense at all! You guys go back and report what happened in Rukongai to the Captain Commander. I'll go check on Senbu's injuries," Yamabuki Chidori said calmly.
The squad members, including Sashō Chōjirō, were all speechless. Was this the legendary double standard?
Yamabuki Chidori did not immediately go greet Senbu and Katoru Hatsunoya. Instead, he secretly observed the sisters.
According to the course of Gotei 13 history, Katoru Hatsunoya would definitely join the Gotei 13. But at present, the girl was deeply resistant to joining. He needed to find out why and help untie the knot in her heart.
Sashō Chōjirō asked curiously, "Big Brother Yamabuki, why are you sneakily watching them? Aren't you going to say hello? Is this... peeping? Are you a pervert?"
With a solemn expression, Yamabuki Chidori said, "Chōjirō, today I'll tell you a truth: men are perverts by nature. You too!"
Don't drag me into this! You were the one sneaking around and staring at those girls, weren't you? Why did you have to pull someone down with you before you died? You really were unreliable!
"Didn't I assign you a task? Hurry back and tell the Captain Commander what we saw in the Kusajishi District. Go, go! Don't delay my important business!" Yamabuki Chidori said.
His important business was naturally finding a way to recruit Katoru Hatsunoya into the Gotei 13, but Sashō Chōjirō completely misunderstood him.
Peeping at beautiful women so righteously—truly a model for us all.
The head of the Shiba Clan was a middle-aged man. Yamabuki Chidori had met him once before at Central 46. He was easygoing and seemed like a genuinely good person.
Compared to the other nobles, the Shiba Clan was practically a breath of fresh air.
They had lived in Rukongai generation after generation and had never formed marriage alliances. They upheld justice and were always the first to step forward when Soul Society faced trouble. Their entire family was filled with loyal martyrs.
Fearing the Soul King's power, the Tsunayashiro Clan had continuously dismembered the Soul King, hollowed out his organs, weakened him, and cast parts of him down into the lower realm.
The Shiba Clan had always opposed the Tsunayashiro Clan's actions. They had even developed a secret technique capable of raising a Soul Reaper's power to the Soul King's level for a short time, easing the Soul King's suffering. Whether it was Mugetsu, though, was impossible to say.
Unfortunately, they were too far away for Yamabuki Chidori to hear what they were saying. Katoru Hatsunoya was no weaker than he was, and getting too close could easily get him noticed. If that happened, he would have no way to explain himself. That would be far too awkward.
The Shiba Clan head looked carefree and open, while Katoru Hatsunoya and her younger sister Senbu maintained the elegant demeanor of noble ladies.
After exchanging a few words, they parted ways. Katoru Hatsunoya and Senbu boarded a carriage to return to Seireitei. Yamabuki Chidori followed from afar, looking for a chance to get close to Katoru Hatsunoya. As they said, a thief was not scary, but a thief fixating on you was. Bah, I'm not a thief. I'm making a great contribution for the Gotei 13.
This place was still some distance from Seireitei, and the roads were far from peaceful. Thugs and samurai who robbed travelers could often be seen wandering around the streets.
The only reason these people existed was to maintain the balance of the Three Realms. Therefore, neither the nobles nor the Soul King Palace had dealt with them in the past. When the Three Realms became unbalanced, the nobles would even kill a batch of commoners to restore the balance.
There was no helping it. Order did not equal justice.
Senbu held a box in her arms. It seemed to be a gift from the Shiba Clan. She leaned closer and gave it a light sniff with her little nose, catching a sweet fragrance.
"Big Sister, I bet there are pastries in this box. Let's open it and see," Senbu said curiously.
Before Katoru Hatsunoya could stop her, Senbu had already opened the exquisite lid. Inside were beautifully crafted pastries.
"White sugar cakes!" Senbu's eyes lit up. In this era of low productivity, refined white sugar and salt were extremely expensive. Ordinary people could not afford them at all.
Katoru Hatsunoya did not blame her sister, merely smiling indulgently. Her own life would likely be spent in repression, so she hoped her sister could live happily and freely, doing whatever she wished.
Senbu took a bite of the white sugar cake. It was sweet and delicious. Katoru Hatsunoya helped wipe the sugar from the corner of her sister's mouth.
"Big Sister, do you want some too?" Senbu asked.
Katoru Hatsunoya had just picked up a piece of white sugar cake when the carriage suddenly came to a sharp stop. The cake in her hand fell to the ground.
"What happened?" Katoru Hatsunoya's voice remained as gentle as ever. She did not blame the driver.
The driver said nervously, "My lady, this is bad. Someone is blocking the road ahead. What should we do?"
Katoru Hatsunoya gently pulled aside the curtain and found that bandits had surrounded their carriage. There were quite a few of them—at least twenty or thirty.
They were rather far from Seireitei. Calling for help would likely be too late.
The bandits repeatedly struck the carriage with wooden clubs and sheathed blades, shouting threats.
"People in the carriage, hand over all your food and money! Otherwise, don't think you'll get through here so easily!" the bandit leader shouted.
The driver was extremely nervous. Gripping the hilt of his blade, he yelled, "Insolence! Do you know whose carriage this is?"
Senbu was nervous too, but they had only gone out to visit someone today, so she had not brought any weapons. Besides, she had only just recovered from a serious illness. She might not be able to defeat so many desperate outlaws.
Katoru Hatsunoya sighed softly. "Tell them to clear the road. Give them some money."
As she spoke, Katoru Hatsunoya stepped out of the carriage and untied her money pouch, offering it to them.
Judging by its weight, the pouch contained quite a bit of money. Yet the bandits did not take it. They simply stared blankly at Katoru Hatsunoya.
"A noble chick! I've decided—I'll take the money, and I'll take the woman too! Hahaha!" The bandit grinned lewdly.
He completely failed to notice the white gleam flashing across Katoru Hatsunoya's glasses.
What Should You Do When Someone Discovers a Young Lady's Little Hobby?
Katoru Hatsunoya still wished to preserve her image as a proper young lady. She gave a slight bow and said, "Please take whatever money you want, but spare us sisters. We would be deeply grateful."
However, the bandit leader completely missed the point. His eyes shone as he said, "Sisters? There's another woman in the carriage? Perfect! Brothers, you've never played with noblewomen before, right? Once I've had my fun, everyone can have a good time!"
The bandits around them burst into laughter. These nobles were so naive. After running into them, they still thought they could leave unscathed? How was that possible?
This was fat meat delivered right to their mouths.
"Boss, look at that woman's chest! It's bigger than your head! Once we're done playing with her, how about cutting them off and keeping them as decorations?"
"I wonder whether the woman in the carriage is as pretty too?"
"Quit wasting time and get moving! I can't hold it in anymore!"
Katoru Hatsunoya watched the beasts before her, remaining as calm as ever. So calm that it was almost abnormal.
Meanwhile, Yamabuki Chidori watched from afar and considered what he should do. Play the hero and save the beauty? No. Katoru Hatsunoya was stronger than him. Even if he went down to help, it would only be icing on the cake. She might not be particularly grateful. Should he wait a little longer and watch how things developed?
Katoru Hatsunoya said softly, "Everyone, we sisters have not had it easy in these troubled times. Please... clear a path."
The bandits did not realize how serious the situation was. Desire had clouded all their minds, and they stared at Katoru Hatsunoya like starving wolves.
The bandit leader laughed arrogantly. "Sure! If you willingly stay behind and serve us, I'll let the person in the carriage go. How about it?"
Senbu in the carriage could no longer endure it. She intended to rush out and teach these bandits, who knew neither heaven nor earth, a lesson. I can't beat Hollows, but can't I beat you lot?
Just as she was about to use Kidō to seize the initiative, Katoru Hatsunoya suddenly grabbed her sister's wrist and nodded. "Fine. I'll stay. Let the carriage leave."
Senbu's face filled with panic. "Big Sister..."
Katoru Hatsunoya said softly, "Keep going forward. Do not look back."
The driver was equally anxious. If he left the young mistress here, even dying ten times would not be enough to atone for it.
"Go. I am the head of the family. Listen to me," Katoru Hatsunoya said quietly.
"I'm not leaving..." Before Senbu could finish, Katoru Hatsunoya suddenly struck the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious.
Katoru Hatsunoya remained behind. At the bandit leader's signal, the bandits cleared a path for the carriage. The driver departed in tears, driving as fast as he could toward Seireitei to seek reinforcements. He could only pray that the family head would still be alive when help arrived.
Katoru Hatsunoya watched her sister and the driver disappear into the distance, then breathed a sigh of relief. Wonderful. This time... all the bothersome people were gone.
The bandit leader could not hold back any longer. With a lecherous grin, he reached for Katoru Hatsunoya's chest. They were so big—one hand definitely would not be enough!
Suddenly, blood sprayed everywhere!
The bandit leader had not yet realized what had happened when his hand flew far away. After staring blankly for a moment, he let out an inhuman scream.
"My hand!!!"
Katoru Hatsunoya still wore the expression of a well-behaved girl, but at some point, a naginata had appeared in her hands.
A naginata was a weapon used by monks and women. It had a blade at the front connected to a long wooden shaft. It was relatively light and easy to wield.
But Katoru Hatsunoya's naginata was forged entirely from steel and looked as though it weighed dozens of pounds.
The over-two-meter-long naginata spun at Katoru Hatsunoya's fingertips like an embroidery needle.
"Do you know what moment I like best?" Katoru Hatsunoya asked gently.
The bandit leader had realized how serious the problem was, but it was already too late to regret anything.
"My favorite moment is when I watch blood burst out from someone's body! Please don't scream. That would ruin the beauty of the scene. Grit your teeth and bear it!" Katoru Hatsunoya seemed even more playful than usual as she spoke. Then the naginata smashed directly into the bandit leader's body.
Before you continue