Shiba Isshin fought back a laugh. There was a reason someone could remain a captain for so many years: either they had powerful connections, or they knew how to slack off without getting caught.
"Once you finish your work, I'll take you to meet him tonight! Oh, and you know Shiba Kukaku, don't you? We're all old acquaintances, really." Isshin stood to leave with a grin, but Yamabuki Chidori grabbed him.
"Isshin! What's the rush? You're already here. Can you really leave without taking half this work off my hands? I treated you so well back in the day. I taught you everything myself. Can you honestly watch me struggle and just walk away? You can't! I know you're a good man!" A twisted smile spread across Yamabuki Chidori's face.
Isshin considered that for a moment, then nodded firmly. "I think I'm a bad man. So, bye!"
The bastard vanished with a Flash Step before Yamabuki could say another word.
Yamabuki's smile froze. He couldn't trust a single one of these bastards. He had to lure someone back to help with the paperwork as soon as possible, or he would eventually die at his desk.
Why couldn't anyone in the Gotei 13 give him peace of mind? How was he supposed to retire if they all acted like this?
With a sigh, Yamabuki sat down and went back to reviewing documents.
He worked from morning until dark, yet he had only cleared a tenth of the mountain of paperwork.
The thought of keeping up this pace for another dozen days made Yamabuki want to die.
When Isshin returned that evening, he found Yamabuki sprawled over his desk, looking like a frog that had been wrung dry.
"You're still alive, right?" Isshin asked cautiously. If the corpse suddenly sprang up, he