In Soul Society, All I Want Is to Coast into Retirement

Chōjirō Sasakibe looked at Unohana's gentle expression.

Now that we're all on the same side, she probably won't chop me to death, right? Chōjirō Sasakibe thought, trembling.

Then, the very next second, Unohana revealed a smile like a demon's.

No, demons were nothing compared to this woman!

"Brother Yamabuki!!! Save me!!!"

The next day at work.

Chōjirō Sasakibe came before Yamamoto, shivering as he began handling the day's work.

"Why do you look like you haven't slept?" Yamamoto asked casually.

The moment Chōjirō Sasakibe thought of how he had repeatedly bounced between "dying" and "coming back to life" last night, goosebumps covered his body. He never wanted to go through that experience again for the rest of his life.

It was fucking torture!

Every time, Unohana would slash him until he was half dead, then throw him into that strange hot spring. Before long, he would be fully healed, only to be slashed half to death by Unohana again and thrown back into the hot spring. The cycle repeated endlessly.

Chōjirō Sasakibe scratched his head, only to discover that he was losing hair!

"...I'm still so young. I'm not going to go bald, am I?!" Chōjirō Sasakibe trembled even harder.

Still, that life-threatening training was effective. Chōjirō Sasakibe's Reiatsu was rising at a visible rate.

Meanwhile, Unohana and Yamabuki Chidori arrived at the 11th Division barracks.

The 11th Division members had already split into two lines to welcome them.

"Captain!"

"Chief Strategist!!!"

Within the Gotei 13, the strong were naturally more popular. Unohana looked as though she were always smiling, but everyone knew that this madwoman had nearly slaughtered her way through the entire Seireitei by herself. None of them dared underestimate her.

"Yamabuki, what exactly is my job as captain?" Unohana asked curiously.

"You just need to take them out and chop people up. As for who to chop, I'll tell you when the time comes," Yamabuki Chidori said.

And so, the captain of the 11th Division officially took office.

Before Yamabuki Chidori had even warmed his seat, he spotted a figure peeking furtively through the doorway. It was Chōjirō Sasakibe.

"Brother Yamabuki, the Captain Commander wants you to prepare uniforms for the new recruits and submit a document later," Chōjirō Sasakibe said.

"No problem."

The main reason Unohana had been able to run wild through the Seireitei before was that all the captains had gone out to recruit troops. If the Captain Commander had been around, Yamabuki would never have needed to step in.

Yamabuki Chidori counted the new recruits, then wrote up a document and delivered it to the First Division.

On the way back, Chōjirō Sasakibe was very pleased.

He was now the Lieutenant of the First Division, and he had quite a few members under his command.

"This time, our Gotei 13 has truly grown stronger!" Chōjirō Sasakibe said.

Before Yamabuki Chidori could answer, an extremely discordant voice sounded from beside them.

"What kind of bullshit Gotei 13 is this? Does the Seireitei need hillbillies like you to protect it? You've turned the place into a complete mess. I've had enough!"

Yamabuki Chidori and Chōjirō Sasakibe turned around at the same time and found that the speaker was a young man dressed in noble clothing. Judging from his attire, his status was not low.

A Zanpakuto hung at his waist, a jug of wine was in his right hand, and a Gentian Flower was tucked into his chest. He was drunk in broad daylight, loudly spouting nonsense the moment he heard Chōjirō Sasakibe mention the Gotei 13.

Indeed, the founding of the Gotei 13 had taken a great deal of resources from the nobles and divided much of their authority, leaving many nobles dissatisfied.

"What do you mean by that?" Chōjirō Sasakibe shouted angrily.

Yamabuki Chidori had no desire to argue with a drunkard and tugged on his sleeve. "Forget it, forget it. Let's go."

Seeing the two brats leave, the drunken noble sneered disdainfully.

After spending so long in the Seireitei, Yamabuki Chidori had learned a thing or two about these nobles. From the drunkard's clothes, he could tell that he belonged to the upper noble Hane Hane family.

He had heard that this had once been a great family, but its numbers had dwindled over time. By now, only a brother and sister remained. The arrogant man from earlier was likely the current head of the Hane Hane family, Hane Hane Chiaki.

No wonder. With such low intelligence, it was only natural for the family to decline. If he ran into anyone with a bad temper, they might very well draw their sword and cut him down.

Chōjirō Sasakibe looked dejected.

"Brother Yamabuki, are nobles and commoners really that different? Before I became a Lieutenant, a lot of members from noble families looked down on me too. These nobles are awful! Can't you think of a way?" Chōjirō Sasakibe asked quietly.

A helpless expression appeared on Yamabuki Chidori's face. "Even I can't control people's hearts. People will always flaunt their strengths to show their superiority. Even without the difference in birth, they would find other excuses to belittle people. As for nobles and commoners... Hmph. Are kings and generals born to their stations?"

Chapter 103: Shijima Chiru

The night was already deep.

Hane Hane Chiaki stumbled home in a drunken haze.

Though the Hane Hane family was an upper noble house, its numbers had dwindled and its fortunes had declined. By their generation, the family's foundation was far weaker than before.

Hane Hane Chiaki had also developed a gambling habit, making the already struggling family even worse off.

However, the family's life had suddenly become more prosperous these past two days.

He patted his pocket, which was stuffed full of gold.

It was not because Hane Hane Chiaki had stumbled upon money through sheer luck. It was because he had "sold" his younger sister off in a political marriage.

The other party was a middle-ranking noble. Their status was far beneath his own family's, but through good management, they had become enormously wealthy.

A noble's rank did not represent how much wealth they possessed.

For example, the Ōmaeda family was merely a lower noble house, yet they were extremely rich because they had entered the jewelry business.

Meanwhile, nobles like Hane Hane Chiaki, who knew nothing about managing their estates, could sometimes live in poverty.

When he first made this decision, Hane Hane Chiaki had hesitated. But the moment he saw the glittering gold the other party brought, he immediately gave in. In half a month, his younger sister would marry a man she did not know at all. As for whether she would be happy in the future?

Heh, what did that have to do with him?

This money was enough for him to squander for quite some time.

And besides, he was the head of this family. She had to listen to him.

Hane Hane Chiaki staggered through the courtyard, looking at the moonlight above as he chuckled foolishly.

"Big brother, why did you drink so much again?" A little girl came out of the room. She looked about eleven or twelve, obedient and adorable, wearing an elaborate junihitoe like a well-behaved little princess.

"Chiyo? Come here. Let your big brother look at you. Sigh, if it weren't absolutely necessary, I really wouldn't want to part with you. But for the revival of our family, you'll just have to suffer a little," Hane Hane Chiaki said with a sigh before taking another swig of wine.

"Don't worry, big brother. I'll be good and listen. Hm? Big brother, why do you have a Gentian Flower on you?" Hane Hane Chiyo asked curiously.

Hane Hane Chiaki had no idea when the Gentian Flower had appeared on him. He casually plucked it off and tossed it aside. "Don't worry about it. Go back and sleep."

"But big brother, I want to look at the moon a little longer..."

"Go back to sleep!" Hane Hane Chiaki's voice suddenly rose. He would not allow the only person he could control to defy him.

Afraid of angering her brother, the little girl could only obediently return to her room to sleep.

After Chiyo returned to her room, Hane Hane Chiaki leisurely looked up at the moonlight. He could use this money to marry a woman, have more daughters, and then sell those daughters for a good price too!

Thinking of this, Hane Hane Chiaki laughed happily.

I'm such a genius. I'll revive the family this way!

"Why do I always run into people like you?"

Just as Hane Hane Chiaki was indulging in his fantasies, a lazy voice came from the roof. He hurriedly looked up and saw a despondent young man sitting there, sighing as he looked down at him.

"Who are you? Don't you know this is my home? Get the hell out right now!!!" Hane Hane Chiaki cursed.

The young man shook his head with a bitter smile, then suddenly raised his hand. A cold flash instantly pierced through Hane Hane Chiaki's calf.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

His scream echoed through the night sky.

"Chiyo! Chiyo! Come save me! Chiyo—"

Another cold flash pierced through Hane Hane Chiaki's neck, destroying his vocal cords.

Hane Hane Chiaki opened his mouth in despair, but no sound came out.

"I like things simple. Someone gives me money, and I help them kill someone. Simple. I like it." A steel spike about twenty centimeters long appeared in the young man's hand, aimed at Hane Hane Chiaki's forehead.

"After you go to hell, remember my name..."

The cold flash gleamed, and the steel spike instantly pierced through Hane Hane Chiaki's forehead.

"My name is Shijima Chiru... Forget it, you probably can't hear me like this anyway!" Shijima Chiru took out a Gentian Flower and flicked it lightly. The flower landed on Hane Hane Chiaki's face.

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from behind him. Chiyo came out of her room. She had heard her brother's cries, and the moment she looked into the courtyard, she saw his miserable state. The girl let out a startled cry.

"Ah!!!"

Shijima Chiru smiled at the girl and used Flash Step to appear behind her.

Chiyo sensed someone behind her and tried to turn around, but something icy pressed against her cheek.

"Don't turn around. Even though the employer wants you dead too, not yet. Stand there obediently and count to one thousand before calling someone for help. If you dare turn around or fail to do as I say, big brother will have no choice but to kill you right now!" Obana Danjirou rubbed Chiyo's head, then took out another Gentian Flower and tucked it into the girl's hair, admiring his handiwork with satisfaction.

"I'm most afraid of trouble. I don't want to get tangled up in even the slightest bit of it. All right, you can start counting now," Shijima Chiru said with a smile.

Though it was already spring, Chiyo felt cold all over and trembled nonstop.

"One, two, three..."

"Good girl. You have to count to one thousand before you call anyone for help. I'll be watching nearby," Shijima Chiru said before using Flash Step to leave.

Chiyo counted all the way to one thousand before she dared scream for help.

The Gotei 13 had arranged night patrols. Upon hearing a girl scream, the patrolling members immediately rushed in and found that the corpse on the ground had already gone cold.

"The victim is dead. Hurry and call for help. Someone actually committed murder right under our noses. They clearly have no respect for our Gotei 13."

Soon, alarm gongs rang out, waking the entire Seireitei.

The patrolling members drew their Zanpakuto and guarded the surroundings, afraid that the murderer had not gone far and might launch a surprise attack.

Yamabuki Chidori's residence.

The young man and young woman were engaged in an extremely intense clash.

The kind where flesh flew and sparks scattered.

The underground training room was filled with flashing blades. Their swordsmanship was evenly matched, but in his normal state, Yamabuki Chidori's Reiatsu was still far inferior to Unohana's. Therefore, Yamabuki Chidori wanted to use their clashes to raise his own Reiatsu.

Sure enough, this method was highly effective.

Each time Unohana slashed Yamabuki Chidori into a grievous state before he recovered, his Reiatsu rose somewhat.

At this rate, in at most half a year to a year, even without relying on Perfect Sanctification, Yamabuki Chidori's Reiatsu would be able to catch up to Unohana's current level.

The two were fighting fiercely when Yamabuki Chidori suddenly leaped out of the battle. "Wait, someone's come upstairs!"

PS: There was a small mistake. The one Unohana cut down outside the Seireitei earlier should have been Shijima Chiru, the first-generation captain of the Fourth Division. I mixed up the names. Sorry, it has been corrected.

Chapter 104: Detective Yamabuki Chidori

Although the training ground was a hundred meters underground, Yamabuki Chidori's perception of Reiatsu was very sharp. He immediately sensed someone arriving at his front door, so he could only go receive the visitors first.

He had just entered the room when he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he found that it was two members of the 11th Division.

"What happened? Why are you looking for me in the middle of the night?" Yamabuki Chidori frowned. Coming to find him at this hour could not mean anything good.

Just as the two members were about to speak, they noticed something was off.

Why was the Chief Strategist drenched in sweat? And why was he breathing so heavily? How had he exhausted himself like this in the middle of the night?

Wait, they had heard that the Chief Strategist lived with Captain Unohana. Could it be...

At once, the way the two members looked at Yamabuki Chidori became extremely suggestive.

Yamabuki Chidori had yet to realize what they were thinking. "Why are you stammering? Hurry up and tell me. Did something happen?"