At that thought, the Menos Grande used Sound Steps to retreat several dozen meters and carefully observed Yamabuki Chidori.
"Honestly, how did you get your body so battered?" Yamabuki Chidori rose in an extremely bizarre posture, like one of the nurse ladies from Silent Hill.
Of course, the one controlling this body now was the Zanpakuto's Blade Spirit.
"Your Reiatsu is far too weak! It's not enough for me to use my full strength! I'll only demonstrate this once!" The girl raised the blade in her hand and poured Reiatsu into it. The blade underwent a wondrous change, turning the ordinary Asauchi a pure silver.
"All flash and no substance! Die!" The Menos Grande fired a Cero through the air, but the girl merely gave it a light swing with her Zanpakuto and knocked the Cero away.
The next second, the girl's body vanished instantly before appearing behind the Menos Grande.
Unable to figure out the Shinigami's abilities, the Menos Grande hurriedly used Sound Steps to widen the distance.
With a smile on her face, the girl said, "No need to be so afraid. You're already dead!"
P.S. If the favorites and recommendations are in place, I'll post another chapter this afternoon. Please support me!
Tenjirō Kirinji
The Menos Grande did not understand what the girl meant and wanted to continue attacking, but his view suddenly spun. His head simply fell to the ground.
Not just his head—his arms, legs, and torso had all been instantly cut into several pieces and scattered across the ground.
Even an Adjuchas-class Menos Grande would certainly die if its body was chopped to pieces.
"How is this possible... What did you do to my body...?"
The girl did not waste words with him. She slashed apart his head, and the Menos Grande completely dissipated amid an unwilling roar.
"I understand now..." Yamabuki Chidori said in an exceptionally solemn tone.
"What do you understand? Have you figured out my ability?"
"No. You have eighth-grader syndrome," Yamabuki Chidori said seriously.
"..." The girl fell silent.
"What normal girl dresses like this? And that 'you're already dead' line—you think I've never watched Fist of the North Star? That's an old cliché from decades ago! Who would say something that embarrassing unless they had eighth-grader syndrome? Please don't have an episode while using my body! It's so embarrassing!"
The girl was glad she was a Blade Spirit. If she had been a living person, she would have suffered a brain hemorrhage from anger by now.
"Next time someone gives you Death by a Thousand Cuts, I won't come out to save you! Keep your own body to yourself! Who wants to stay here anyway? Hmph!" The girl snorted, and her voice gradually faded away.
Yamabuki Chidori returned to his own body.
The moment his consciousness returned, unimaginable pain surged from every part of his body, nearly making him scream in agony.
"Fractured forearm, shattered ribs, damaged shoulder blade, ruptured internal organs, dozens of blunt-force injuries all over my body! There may even be internal bleeding! If I don't get treatment soon, cough, cough!" Yamabuki Chidori coughed, and blood began spurting from his nose and mouth.
He had only gone out on a routine mission. Why had it turned out so horribly?
"Everyone, it's fine now. You can go... go..."
Before he could finish, Yamabuki Chidori's vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.
He did not know how long he had been unconscious. In his hazy half-sleep, he dreamed that he was soaking in a hot spring with a huge group of beautiful women. He became King Zhou, reveling in a pool of wine and a forest of meat!
Vaguely, Yamabuki Chidori truly felt as though he were soaking in warm water. He forced his eyes open.
Sure enough, he had been placed in a large wooden tub filled with warm water. Not far away stood a man with a pompadour, holding a book. After reading a few pages, the man turned and went into the kitchen, took out a pile of plants, chopped them up with a knife, and tossed them into the tub.
This sense of déjà vu... Was he trying to make soup out of me?
Mr. Lu Xun had said that the old era was an era where people ate people.
So Soul Society ate people too!
The pompadour-haired man even took out a spoon and stirred the tub. The only thing missing was tasting it for seasoning!
"Um... Did I just run into cannibals?" Yamabuki Chidori asked cautiously.
"You're awake! That's wonderful!"
Two children's voices rang out from nearby.
They were Chōjirō and his younger sister, Delia.
It seemed he had not encountered cannibals after all. Otherwise, with these two fair and tender children here, there was no way he would be the first one eaten.
His last memory was regaining control of his body, and after that, he could not remember anything.
"After I passed out... what happened?" Yamabuki Chidori asked. Suddenly, he realized that his voice was full of vigor and did not sound like that of a severely wounded patient at all. He hurriedly checked his body and discovered that his broken bones had somehow already been set, his damaged internal organs had healed, and his entire body had returned to peak condition. Not only that, perhaps because he had experienced a life-and-death battle, his Reiatsu had risen by a considerable amount.
Delia said, "After you fainted, the people you saved brought you to the doctor. My brother and I stayed to take care of you, while everyone else went home."
So this ogre-like man was a doctor!
But he had never heard of soaking in hot water as a treatment.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Three or four days!" Delia said.
"Three or four days already! Old Man Yamamoto must be worried. I need to get back right now." Yamabuki Chidori climbed out of the bath barrel, making little Delia too embarrassed to close her eyes that night.
Not far away, Chōjirō wore an expression as though he wanted to say something but could not.
"Big Brother Yamabuki, you said you came from an organization called the Gotei 13, right? I... Can I join too?" Chōjirō clenched his fists, his face full of excitement. "I know I might be weak right now... but I'll work hard. I can do any job—cooking, laundry, cleaning..."
Yamabuki Chidori looked at the little fellow and smiled helplessly. He reached out and ruffled his hair. "The Gotei 13 isn't a place for odd jobs. You saw the state I was in—I nearly got beaten to death by a Hollow! You should just live an ordinary life with your sister."
A trace of disappointment appeared in Chōjirō's eyes.
"I don't want to just drift through life. I, Sashō Chōjirō, only want to become a Shinigami like you. At the very least, I want to be able to protect myself and protect my sister."
Yamabuki Chidori had already put on his clothes and was preparing to leave, but when he heard the child's full name, he froze on the spot.
"What did you say your name was?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.
"Chōjirō..."
"No, your full name."
"Sashō Chōjirō."
Yamabuki Chidori's expression became extremely subtle. Sashō Chōjirō—the future Lieutenant of the Gotei 13's First Division, Old Man Yamamoto's right-hand man, who would serve as Lieutenant for a thousand years before tragically falling during the Thousand-Year Blood War.
"You said... you want to join the Gotei 13?"
"Y-Yes."
"I approve. Grab your luggage and come with me," Yamabuki Chidori said.
Sashō Chōjirō could not understand why the other man's attitude had changed so drastically.
"Oh, right. What about your sister if you come with me? Won't she be bullied if she stays here?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.
The moment he spoke, he noticed that the siblings' expressions had become somewhat strange.
"What's wrong with you two? Why are you making those faces?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.
At that moment, the pompadour-haired man who had been silent beside them finally spoke.
"You don't think your treatment was free, do you? My medical fees are very expensive. To save your life, that little girl sold herself to me to offset your medical bill. She belongs to me now," the pompadour-haired man said.
Yamabuki Chidori stared at Delia and Chōjirō in shock!
Delia forced a smile. "It's okay. Big Brother saved so many people. It's only right that I do this..."
"Give me half a day. I'll go back and get the money. I won't be short even a single coin of your medical fee. Let this child leave," Yamabuki Chidori said.
The pompadour-haired man glared at him. "This child is quite useful. I won't sell her for any amount of money!"
Yamabuki Chidori's hand was already on his sword hilt. "Don't push your luck!"
"Fight? Other than medicine, what Tenjirō Kirinji likes most is fighting people! Come on!"
I, Yamabuki Chidori, Never Mislead Anyone
Wait a second, what did you say your name was?
Tenjirō Kirinji?
Yamabuki Chidori blinked, looked back at the tub of soup brewed with himself, then looked back at the pompadour-haired man before him.
Why was someone from the Zero Division here?
No, reasoning from the timeline, Retsu Unohana had learned her healing arts from Tenjirō Kirinji. That meant Tenjirō Kirinji joined the Zero Division after the Gotei 13 was founded. In fact, Retsu Unohana had already served as Captain of the 11th Division for some time!
In other words, Tenjirō Kirinji was not yet a Zero Division member. Or rather, he did not even have an official post! He was just an ordinary doctor in Rukongai, at most possessing a little more Reiatsu than ordinary people!
He had not expected that a casual trip would bring him an SR-plus-SSR combination.
Who told me I was the Child of Destiny? My luck was just that good!
"Kid, are we fighting or not?" Tenjirō Kirinji looked like a delinquent, carrying a club in his hand!
"You're my lifesaver! How could I possibly lay a hand on you? It's just a pity, sigh!" Yamabuki Chidori sighed dramatically. "A hero has no place to use his skills!"
Tenjirō Kirinji was completely confused. What did this kid mean?
"With your medical skill! With your physique! With your courage! With your handsome appearance! You shouldn't be languishing in Rukongai no matter what! A true man born in troubled times should wield a three-foot sword and establish unmatched achievements! Don't you agree?" Yamabuki Chidori launched into a round of smooth talk.
Tenjirō Kirinji considered it. It actually seemed somewhat interesting!
For someone with genuine ability, who would not want to put that ability to use? Who would willingly remain ordinary for their entire life?
Besides, he really was quite handsome. There was no doubt about that!
"Do you want to bury your handsomeness and talent for the rest of your life? Or do you want to make a grand name for yourself? Come, join our Gotei 13! Two days off every week, insurance, stable work, paid annual leave, friendly colleagues, and a wonderful future waiting for you!" Yamabuki Chidori extended his hand to Tenjirō Kirinji.
"The Gotei 13?" Tenjirō Kirinji had never heard this name before.
"You can tell from the name alone that it's an exceptionally righteous organization. Our goal ranges from protecting the Seireitei to maintaining the balance of the Three Realms! Come on!"
"Maintaining the balance of the Three Realms?" Tenjirō Kirinji was moved by his words.
For a job, benefits and salary were certainly important, but it was more important for employees to find a sense of belonging and identity.
Yamabuki Chidori had once read an article online.
For an experiment, scientists had recruited two groups of people to perform the same work: calling for investments to build schools for impoverished children.
The first group of subjects merely repeated the work over and over without anything special.
The second group received thank-you letters from the children every day.
Without any outside intervention, the second group raised more than twice as much money as the first.
This showed the importance of a sense of identity.
And Yamabuki Chidori directly maximized the Gotei 13's sense of responsibility. How could they possibly be an assassin organization? They existed for justice, to maintain the balance of the Three Realms, and for the survival of countless living beings.
Yes, this was the way to fool him.
Tenjirō Kirinji was not very old at this time and looked like a young man. He was immediately talked into it, his eyes shining brightly!
What could possibly be more important than maintaining the Three Realms?
So I can bear such a heavy responsibility too!
What was there to hesitate about?
Of course, he had to join immediately!
"Fine, since you've put it that way, I'll reluctantly accept your invitation! I'll join the Gotei 13!" Tenjirō Kirinji declared heroically.
Heh, what an easy-to-fool Shinigami!
And so, Yamabuki Chidori had arrived alone, but returned with four people in tow, bringing along an entire family!
"Yamamoto! I'm back! Did you miss me after not seeing me for a few days?" Yamabuki Chidori shouted as he pushed open the gates of the Shihōin Clan estate.
What greeted him was Saito's flying kick straight at his face!
Heh heh, how could a trick like this possibly hurt me? Watch my Iron Bridge!
Yamabuki Chidori smoothly bent backward, and Saito's kick landed directly on Tenjirō Kirinji's face!
"..." Yamabuki Chidori fell silent.
"You still remembered to come back? I thought you'd defected! Don't run, let me beat you up!" Saito shouted.
"Saito, stop messing around!" Yamamoto's voice came from inside, and the previously lawless Saito immediately behaved herself.
Before you continue