In Soul Society, I Only Want to Coast into Retirement

"This sort of thing is common. Between a man and a woman, there's always one crying for help. Kid, you wouldn't understand!" The veterans all wore mysterious smiles.

Yamabuki Chidori was currently disheveled, his clothes torn to shreds. He looked even more miserable than a beggar, with a crazed woman wielding a huge blade desperately chasing him from behind.

I never should've gone to watch the excitement. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have ended up like this!

And those bastards watching the show—can't you see your Chief Strategist is being hunted down by a she-demon? You're actually standing there laughing nonstop? Just wait until I get my hands free. I'll show you what I can do!

Go on, laugh!

However, his Reiatsu and stamina had already been completely drained. Compared to him, Katoru Hatsunoya was like a monster with endless energy.

Luckily, he still had one last move!

"Captain Commander! Help!!!"

Yamamoto: I've Worried Myself Sick for This Family

Yamamoto was practicing calligraphy in his room. Lately, he had been feeling terribly empty. He had thought life would become very busy after founding the Gotei 13. Yet unexpectedly, all he did each day was drink tea and practice writing. Everyone had fewer opportunities now.

Everything he could think of, and even things he had yet to think of, Yamabuki Chidori had already thought of for him and was implementing step by step.

Just as he finished writing and began drinking tea, a heart-rending cry came from outside. "Captain Commander, help!"

Hm? Had this old man started hearing things?

Wasn't Yamabuki out on a mission?

Why did I hear him crying for help?

Forget it. I'll keep drinking tea.

Yamabuki Chidori had been chased to the point of utter exhaustion. Why wasn't the old man coming out yet? If he didn't come out soon, his Lieutenant would be hacked to death!

Yamabuki Chidori seized his chance and used Flash Step to rush into the old man's room. Yamamoto was leisurely drinking tea when he saw his Lieutenant charge in looking as bedraggled as a beggar, then collapse face-first onto the floor with a thud, gasping for breath.

Yamamoto stared at his Lieutenant with a strange look in his eyes. How had a simple mission turned him into such a mess?

Then Katoru Hatsunoya rushed in with her blade in hand.

So they were fighting! That was understandable!

"Stop right there! You actually dared to deceive me!" Katoru Hatsunoya pointed the tip of her blade at Yamabuki Chidori.

"Ma'am, can't you focus on the important part? Wasn't your original goal to silence me forever?" Yamabuki Chidori wailed. The way you put it makes me sound like some heartless bastard who deceived an innocent girl.

Sure enough, even Yamamoto's gaze toward him had turned strange.

"Captain Commander, let me explain, it's not what you think—aaah! Help!" Before Yamabuki Chidori could finish, Katoru Hatsunoya had already brought her blade down.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, you've changed! You're just watching me get chopped up without doing anything! You're no longer my good captain! You're no longer my best brother for life!

Yamamoto took a sip from his teacup. Ah, youth was wonderful! So full of energy! And Yamabuki, really—what did he have to lie about? Why did he have to deceive a girl? Now look, she had come after him with a blade. Even an impartial official could not settle family disputes. Better pretend I didn't see anything!

"Captain Commander..."

"Yamabuki, as someone who has been through this, I advise you: if you're a man, you must take responsibility." Yamamoto spoke with a solemn expression.

"Take responsibility? My ass!" Yamabuki Chidori shouted while dodging the descending blade. "You don't even know what happened! Just help me pin down this crazy woman!"

"Yamabuki, that's where you're wrong. How can I interfere in this sort of matter? You'll have to resolve it yourself!" Yamamoto said, shaking his head. Then he lowered his head and pretended to savor his tea.

Katoru Hatsunoya swung her naginata one-handed, slashing at him with the force to sweep away an army. With no other choice, Yamabuki Chidori leaped onto the roof. Katoru Hatsunoya followed him up and brought her blade down.

"Wait... you two, don't fight here. This is my room..."

Boom!!!

Thanks to Katoru Hatsunoya's relentless efforts, half the house was cut down.

Yamamoto held a chipped teacup in his hand, veins bulging on his forehead.

"You two brats... calm down!"

Boom!!!

Terrifying Reiatsu erupted.

One minute later, Yamabuki Chidori and Katoru Hatsunoya were kneeling obediently amid the ruins.

Yamabuki Chidori recounted the whole incident as quickly as possible. Yamamoto barely managed not to laugh out loud. How did you manage to run into every kind of trouble?

This kid was unbelievably unlucky.

But...

Yamamoto looked at Katoru Hatsunoya. This girl really had some fire in her. Her raw strength was no weaker than Saitō Fubōfu's. If she could be brought into the Gotei 13, she would definitely be a tremendous asset.

"Katoru Hatsunoya, I more or less understand your situation. You enjoy slaughter, but the education you received from childhood would not allow you to do so. Hmph, what is education? Its ultimate purpose is to help people flourish, not to restrain them. If so-called education is used to bind a person's nature and talent, then that education is the most worthless thing in the world. Katoru Hatsunoya, I have seen your talent and strength. Cast aside those useless things. Join our Gotei 13, and you can release your true nature to your heart's content," Yamamoto said solemnly.

Katoru Hatsunoya secretly studied Yamamoto. During the earlier fight, this uncle had faced her naginata barehanded and knocked her out in thirty seconds. She couldn't beat him. Not a chance!

Besides, what this uncle said made sense.

The desire for battle and slaughter was her nature. Why should she use that so-called "education" she had received later in life to restrain her own nature and talent?

Katoru Hatsunoya nodded happily. If you couldn't beat someone, you joined them. Wasn't that perfectly normal?

Yamabuki Chidori stared in shock as Yamamoto effortlessly persuaded Katoru Hatsunoya.

So that was how it was!

If you couldn't defeat someone, don't expect them to sit down and reason with you.

Sure enough, no matter what world it was, if you wanted a voice, you needed absolute strength.

He needed to keep improving his strength.

"Oh, right, Captain, there's something else I forgot to tell you. We found a large number of corpses in the Kusakashi District. Their bodies were covered in blade wounds. I suspect someone is causing trouble in the Rukon District. Should we send people to investigate?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

"No." Yamamoto refused directly. "We don't have the manpower to deal with those trivial matters right now. As long as they don't go too far, we can turn a blind eye for now."

Yamabuki Chidori was not surprised by this answer. To Soul Society, ordinary Rukon District residents barely counted as lives. At best, they were tools used to maintain the balance of the Three Worlds.

During the Thousand-Year Blood War, the rise of the Quincy led to Hollows in the Human World being slaughtered in great numbers.

To maintain the balance between Soul Society and the Human World, Kurotsuchi Mayuri directly killed twenty-six thousand people without authorization.

After Captain Commander Yamamoto learned of it, he reprimanded Kurotsuchi Mayuri but imposed no substantial punishment.

In other words, he had tacitly approved of it.

Yamamoto from a thousand years ago had been even more ruthless and decisive. Forget ordinary Rukon District residents—when necessary, he could even abandon comrades who had fought beside him day and night.

It was precisely because of that ruthlessness and resolve that he could suppress the Three Worlds and safeguard Soul Society's peace for a thousand years.

Though Yamabuki Chidori felt somewhat regretful, this was the Captain Commander's choice, and there was nothing he could say.

He did not even know that the true culprit behind that massacre was silently drawing near Seireitei.

"You two, go rest for now. I'll call for you when there's something to do," Yamamoto said.

Yamabuki Chidori brought Katoru Hatsunoya to the resting area. He had finally subdued this crazy woman!

Still as a Buddha, Wild as a Demon

At the same time, District Sixty-Nine of the Rukon District.

Soul Society had spring, summer, autumn, and winter as well. It was currently the third month of spring, and the warm breeze felt especially pleasant against the skin.

Though the eastern Sixty-Ninth District of the Rukon District ranked relatively low and had rather chaotic public order, it was still somewhat better than District Eighty, where everyone was evil. At the very least, people here dared to run businesses.

For example, there was a very simple roadside stall selling glutinous rice balls. The deep-fried balls were coated with chili powder or white sugar and were quite popular.

The stall owner was named Geng Jiro. He had been a chef while alive, and after dying and coming to Soul Society, he continued with his old trade.

For some reason, there were very few customers today. He had not made a single sale all morning, so Geng Jiro lay to one side taking a nap. Then a young girl's voice came from the entrance.

"Shopkeeper!"

Geng Jiro looked up, and his eyes immediately lit up.

She was an exceptionally beautiful girl, not very tall, with long, glossy black hair. She wore a white kimono, and her face carried a gentle, pure smile like sunlight.

Beautiful women were scarce resources in any world.

After one glance, Geng Jiro did not dare look again. She was probably the daughter of some wealthy family. Why had she come to a place like this?

"What would you like to eat, miss?" Geng Jiro asked.

"Glutinous rice balls. Add plenty of chili." The girl's voice was gentle as well, carrying a certain magnetism. Just hearing it made one feel healed.

As Geng Jiro fried the rice balls, he said, "How did a girl like you come to such a chaotic place? This area isn't peaceful. Bandits often appear around here. You're all alone—what would you do if you ran into them? Oh, right, what's your name?"

The gentle smile on the girl's face did not change. She sat obediently on the chair and answered in that soft voice, "Unohana."

"What a lovely name! I had a daughter when I was alive too, though mine had quite the temper. After she got married, she was always fighting with her husband. Haha, thinking back on it now, those days were actually pretty good!" Geng Jiro laughed.

Unohana seemed to be pondering something when she suddenly asked, "Uncle, do you know about Seireitei?"

"Of course I do. It's the heart of this world. Sigh, I thought dying would free me from the fate of being controlled, but who knew it would be the same whether I was alive or dead? Bullied when I was alive, bullied even after dying. Heaven truly has no eyes. What kind of world is this?" Geng Jiro muttered as he fried the rice balls. "Oh, right, do you know the Gotei 13? I heard it's a special army established by those nobles to protect themselves. Anyone who joins the Gotei 13 can obtain a noble title. Sigh! If you ask me, it's better just to coast through life in peace."

"The Gotei 13?"

"I heard everyone with some ability went there. Who wouldn't want to fight for a better future? But I heard the requirements are strict, and most commoners like us get sent right back. I told you, how could the nobles possibly hand over their positions to us so casually?" Geng Jiro grumbled endlessly.

Unohana raised her head and looked at the warm sun.

So the strongest people in all of Soul Society were gathered in the Gotei 13 now?

"Your glutinous rice balls are ready. Try them and see how my cooking is." Geng Jiro smiled.

"Please add more chili," Unohana said with a smile.

After the seasoning was sprinkled on, Unohana took a small bite. The fried glutinous rice had a crisp outer layer, and combined with the fiery chili, it tasted excellent.

Geng Jiro also gave her a cup of clear tea.

"A girl like you should travel with companions. Going alone is too dangerous!" Geng Jiro said.

Unohana merely smiled without answering.

She quickly finished the two skewers of glutinous rice balls. Unohana took out her purse to pay, but before she could retrieve the money, a cloud of dust rose from the other end of the street. More than a dozen mounted bandits surrounded the little stall on fast horses.

Geng Jiro thought they had come to collect protection money. Though it pained him, he still took out some savings to buy peace.

Yet the bandit leader did not even glance at Geng Jiro. Instead, he stared fixedly at Unohana.

"You killed my brother?" The bandit leader pointed his spear at Unohana. "Did you two have a grudge?"

Unohana gently shook her head, looking as delicate as a little white flower.

"If you had no grudge, why did you kill him?" the bandit leader asked.

In a soft tone, Unohana said, "I was feeling a little unhappy at the time. I wanted to kill someone to cheer myself up."

These bandits were vicious and cruel, but they had never encountered such an outrageous reason for murder.

"Then I want to cheer myself up too! Chop this bitch into minced meat!" the bandit leader roared.

Geng Jiro looked utterly at a loss. He looked toward Unohana, wanting to urge her to run, but her expression frightened him.

It was still the same expression, but Unohana's gentleness, innocence, and sunshine vanished completely in an instant. Only endless indifference remained in her icy eyes.

That indifference regarded everything with contempt, whether enemies or herself.

Geng Jiro felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. What kind of people had he gotten involved with?

He should have realized it long ago. A girl who dared travel alone through such a chaotic region must have something to rely on!

These bandits could not understand what killing intent was!

Yet every one of them felt as though they were sitting on pins and needles. Cold sweat silently soaked through their clothes. Their enemy was clearly only a delicate young girl, yet not one dared take a step forward.

Even the horses beneath them backed away in terror!

"Y-you... what exactly are..." Before the bandit leader could finish speaking, his head had already flown away. His mouth kept moving in midair, and in that instant, he had not even realized he was dead.

Unohana held a Zanpakuto in her hand. Her beauty had not changed in the slightest, but to these bandits, she was like a demon.

"Y-you... what exactly... are you?!"

Blade light flashed, and the foremost bandit was split in two, rider and horse severed together!

"My name is... Unohana Yachiru."