Choice and Letter

The three returned to the Soul Society Outskirts. Looking around, they saw rows of crude wooden shacks lining both sides of the road.

The people walking about wore little more than rough cloth to cover themselves, with hardly anyone dressed decently.

The pedestrians on the streets came in all kinds, but the most conspicuous were the local patrol officers who passed by from time to time. They, too, had been born in the district and followed the elders' arrangements. Their daily patrols were mainly meant to guard against troublemakers drifting in from other areas of Hanaku. They could drive off minor scuffles, but if desperate criminals came here, these few probably would not be able to handle them.

"Rangiku."

"Grandma Yudai."

Along the way, a white-haired old woman smiled and raised a hand in greeting to Rangiku.

Rangiku smiled back and bent at the waist in a courteous bow.

It was obvious that Rangiku was extremely popular in the district. Her outgoing yet sensible personality made her well-liked.

As for Yue and Gin...

"I wish I were as popular as you," Yue said with a smile.

"Forget it... The two of you have personalities that are each less lovable than the other. And I've scolded you so many times, yet neither of you shows any sign of changing."

With her hands on her hips, Rangiku complained smugly.

Yue and Gin Ichimaru exchanged a smile.

After wandering around for a while, they returned to the orphanage where they were temporarily staying.

Calling it an orphanage was generous. It was really just an empty wooden house.

When they pushed open the door, they saw several simple beds inside, where a group of children younger than the three of them sat together playing games. Aside from that, the floor was covered in straw mats. Those mats served as beds for the older children, along with a few battered daily necessities.

"You're back..."

A kindly middle-aged man with tied-up hair and light stubble looked over at them.

"Uncle Asakawa."

Rangiku greeted him politely once again.

Gin Ichimaru also bowed slightly.

Yue merely nodded.

This man named Asakawa was considered one of Hanaku's managers and worked under the elders.

Whenever he had time, he came by to look after orphans like them. He was a good man.

At least in District 62, barring any accidents, some children could grow up safely. With survival and security somewhat assured, the kind side of human nature could emerge. Uncle Asakawa would occasionally bring them supplies.

"It's better if you go out less lately. I heard things outside are chaotic... Quite a few people have died. Some time ago, Hollows even appeared over near Ebisu." Uncle Asakawa warned them.

"Yes."

The three of them stirred inwardly and quickly answered.

It was not just Yue and the other two. Many orphaned children like them often wandered beyond the district to play.

So Uncle Asakawa's visit this time was clearly a warning to all the children.

"I'll be going now."

After chatting a little longer, Asakawa left first.

"You three... You really aren't afraid of dying, are you? Where did you run off to today? Be careful. If you run into some troublesome bastard, don't expect to make it back." After Asakawa left, a boy in the corner, sitting with one leg crossed over the other and a blade of grass in his mouth, shot them a cold glance and spoke irritably.

His name was Suta. He was a little older than Yue's group and had fled here from another district. Fortunately, the elders had taken him in.

To him, District 62 was already paradise. The place he had come from was ten, even dozens of times more dangerous than this.

Adults were one thing, but children and teenagers like him would fight tooth and nail just to gain a foothold in a safe district.

Recently, some children in the district had already gone missing.

Though he meant well, his tone was anything but pleasant.

"Thank you,"

Gin said softly.

"Hmph."

Suta snorted, turned around, and faced away from them without another word.

There were over twenty people living in this small house. Yue and the other two were somewhere in the middle age-wise, while a few were somewhat older.

Their daily lives consisted of little more than chatting or playing dull games, so going out to play in the countryside had become the children's main form of entertainment.

Rangiku quickly blended in with the younger children.

Gin Ichimaru, meanwhile, tidied up his things and prepared to leave, heading out once more.

"Going to help out again?" Yue asked when he saw this.

"Mm."

Gin nodded.

Put bluntly, he was going to work.

He helped neighbors or shops within the district. It was not easy to establish a foothold there, and despite his young age, Gin Ichimaru already understood how the world worked. He might not have been well-liked among children his own age, but Gin had his own principles. Whatever he wanted to accomplish, he would succeed.

After all, he was Gin Ichimaru... the man who had nearly killed Aizen.

Though he was not as shrewd as the latter, he had no problem outclassing most others.

For the current Gin Ichimaru, working outside was partly to earn something and partly for Rangiku and Yue.

Building a good reputation and relationships within the district was necessary.

For example, more than one person had once wanted to adopt Gin, but he had refused them all.

If it hadn't been for me, maybe... he would have had a good family.

Yue thought to himself.

The original owner of this body should have died. If that had happened, Gin would have been alone before meeting Rangiku.

Perhaps he would have been adopted somewhere along the way.

"Have a safe trip."

A moment later, Gin Ichimaru waved to him and Rangiku before walking out the door.

But just before he stepped outside, Yue suddenly called out to him.

Gin Ichimaru immediately stopped. His narrow fox-like eyes slowly opened into thin slits as he examined Yue.

Because... this was the first time Yue had wished him well before he went out to work.

As childhood friends who had grown up together, Gin instinctively sensed that something was off.

Something wasn't right.

Lying on a straw mat, Yue wore an innocent expression as he picked at his ear. Feeling Gin's gaze, he feigned ignorance. "What? It was just a blessing. Were you touched?"

"Hehehe... Yue, don't tell me you're planning to do something bad behind my back?"

The corners of Gin's lips suddenly curved upward, but his tone was icy.

At that moment, he seemed to transform into a venomous snake, smiling as he spoke.

It was part of his nature, and it only showed itself when he was facing Yue.

Normally, unless he encountered someone or something he found interesting or wanted to prank, it was not as obvious as it would become when he was older.

"Sigh... Fine, I'll take it back, okay?"

Yue pretended to raise his hands in surrender. "Remember to bring back some dried persimmons... I took a special look when we passed by earlier. That persimmon tree at the end of the street has grown a lot of them. I doubt that family can sell all their dried persimmons anytime soon."

Gin Ichimaru's cold aura eased. The slits of his opened eyes narrowed shut again, and after nodding, he finally left.

"What is wrong with you two?"

Rangiku puffed out her cheeks and scolded him angrily.

She was clearly reprimanding Yue.

Though she did not know why Gin Ichimaru had gotten angry, Yue had obviously provoked him just now.

You really... don't understand him at all.

Yue glanced at Rangiku, that thought flashing through his mind. Then he yawned and prepared to sleep. "I already took it back. That counts as an apology, right?"

Rangiku pursed her lips, clicked her tongue, and could not be bothered to deal with him anymore.

Yue turned over. He appeared to be taking a nap, but his eyes remained open.

Gin's instincts were far too sharp.

Sure enough, there was a reason he would become a captain of the Gotei 13 in the future and remain at Aizen's side for so long.

He and Gin knew each other inside out. They both understood how they felt about one another, but neither had ever laid it bare, because there was no need to put it into words... Even though Gin had cared for him for so long and had even avenged him, Yue had never directly thanked him.

At the very least, the two of them had grown accustomed to this way of getting along.

So when he said, "Have a safe trip," words that revealed a little emotion or hinted at something else, Gin found it strange.

And the truth was... Yue was indeed preparing to act.

He traveled between the Ninja World and the world of the Soul Reapers, walking a deeply treacherous path. He knew all too well about the future dangers and darkness of both worlds. To reach the end, he had to make every effort and could not waste time.

He had to secure every resource and every means of growth and strengthening himself.

He would not obediently lie in this orphanage and wait for death.

Time... was precious.

Otherwise, when the day came that he needed to step forward, what awaited him would most likely be despair.

First of all, while most of the Soul Society Outskirts consisted of ordinary civilians, that did not mean there was nothing to be gained here.

Quite a few ruthless figures had emerged from the Soul Society Outskirts. Before becoming Soul Reapers, these people had already accumulated abundant real combat experience through killing and fighting. They were the toughest thugs from the streets.

Most of the original Gotei 13 had struggled and fought their way through the most terrifying districts of the Soul Society Outskirts.

And in later generations, the most famous of them was undoubtedly Kenpachi Zaraki.

Then there were people like Ikkaku Madarame.

Yue did not expect to reach Kenpachi's level. Put bluntly, that man was a monster... a one-of-a-kind talent.

He only hoped that he could grow to Ikkaku's level.

Even half of that would do.

Killing and fighting... truly meant risking his life. Having enough combat experience could increase his chances of survival.

After all, even in the Ninja World, he was currently only a newly graduated Genin from the Grass Village. He had never killed anyone, never seen blood. He was completely inexperienced.

What the academy taught and actually stepping onto a battlefield were fundamentally different things.

Like Sasuke in the original story, when he first encountered Orochimaru, merely being enveloped by Orochimaru's killing intent had left him practically unable to move, his mind blank.

If not for Naruto's protagonist aura... the three of them would have been toyed with at will.

Likewise, compared to that period's Sasuke, Yue, hailed as a Grass Village genius, was undoubtedly much weaker, and he did not have Naruto's protagonist aura either... If he had been there, his reaction would likely have been even worse than Team Seven's. And now, the Soul Society Outskirts was his best choice!

A training ground suited to him.

The current Ninja World had no environment like this to offer him.

Sooner or later, I'll have to face it. Whether it's for those I care about or for survival, choosing to accept it early is better than having no choice later.

Yue thought to himself.

He possessed the soul and mind of an adult.

So... there were some choices he knew perfectly well he had to make.

Even knowing that the road ahead would be difficult.

With that thought, he closed his eyes.

Gin Ichimaru's instincts had been right... But like Gin, once Yue decided to do something, the result was already set in stone.

By nightfall, the small room was packed with children of all ages, and everyone had fallen asleep.

The streets were silent as well.

Gin Ichimaru returned and gently pushed open the door, walking inside.

He held a bag of dried persimmons in his hand.

Without disturbing anyone's rest, his familiar gaze swept toward Yue's straw mat.

It... was empty.

There was only a letter.

The letter was wrinkled and crumpled. Clearly, Yue had prepared it long ago... it had not been written in haste.

Gin Ichimaru's expression did not change. He had already had a premonition... so much so that after going out, he had remained restless the entire time.

His footsteps made no sound as he walked over to Yue's mat, knelt down, picked up the letter, and opened it.

Something suddenly came up, so I'm heading out. Don't worry about me! I don't know when I'll be back. It depends... Don't ask, don't look for me. This is my own choice.

Now that Rangiku is by your side, I can rest easy. When we meet again, I'll definitely make your jaw drop.

I know you're angry, but don't be angry yet... When we reunite, I'll treat you to dried persimmons. Lots and lots of dried persimmons.

The handwriting on the letter was crooked and messy, but Gin took in every single word.

The bag of dried persimmons in his hand creaked as he clenched it.

His eyes opened fully, and a cold gleam flashed through them in the darkness. "Yue!"