West District Ten, outside Rice Village.
Tall white poplars stand on both sides of the dirt road, their shadows swaying in the gentle breeze.
Taro slumped to the ground, vowing in his heart that he would never come to play in this ominous place again.
Last time I played hide-and-seek here with my friends, we ran into Kenji and his gang of thugs. I was so scared that I peed my pants and almost died.
While playing hide-and-seek with my friends, we encountered a Grim Shinigami who was several Kenji more ferocious than Kenji and his friends.
He looked up, and the Shinigami before him was so tall, seemingly taller than a poplar tree, his prickly hair seemingly supporting the sky, with small bells hanging from the tips of his hair.
His face resembled that of a demon crawling out of Hell, with a conspicuous scar running from his left forehead to his left jaw, an eye patch over his right eye, and a very pointed chin.
Her eyes gently lowered.
The moment our eyes met.
Taro peed himself, completely giving up hope of living; this time, he was truly doomed.
"Tsk."
Kenpachi Zaraki noticed that the kids had wet their pants and looked somewhat impatient.
Yachiru Kusajishi easily jumped down from his shoulder, smiling broadly, and said, "Don't be afraid of Ken-chan, he won't hurt you."
" Yachiru, stop talking nonsense."
Kenpachi Zaraki let out a heavy sigh. He wasn't used to being with these brats; they were too weak, like a blade of grass in the wind, easily blown away by a breath.
" Ken-chan, be more polite when asking people questions."
Yachiru Kusajishi answered seriously, then continued with a smile, "Hey, hey, I want to ask you guys, has anyone seen a man with a silver ponytail, dressed strangely, who looks to be in his early twenties and has no particularly distinctive features?"
Shiraishi is well-balanced in every aspect, and together he's a handsome man. But in Yachiru Kusajishi's eyes, his appearance lacks any distinctive features.
To be considered handsome, one must have a noticeable scar like Ken-chan, or an eye patch.
Silver hair in a single ponytail, wearing strange clothes?
Taro immediately thought of his older brother, Shiraishi, and then looked at the two men in front of him. A surge of courage welled up within him; he couldn't be a disloyal younger brother. "I... I saw him. He ran west."
"Is that so? To the west." Kenpachi Zaraki showed excitement. The guys he had killed recently were either giant Hollows or weaklings who thought they were strong but were actually no match for him to pass the time.
It's been a long time since I've encountered someone as strong as Captain-level.
How exciting!
"Let's go, Yachiru."
"Okay, Ken-chan, this way." Yachiru Kusajishi jumped onto his shoulder and leaned on him, pointing south with her hand, very certain that it was west.
"Oh." Kenpachi Zaraki had no doubts and ran south.
Their decisiveness made Taro a little insecure, so he turned around and asked, "Is that to the south?"
"Hmm." "It's to the south." "They must be the legendary directionally challenged people."
The respondents gave an affirmative answer.
Taro was relieved and stood up, saying, "We can't play today. Everyone, disperse and go home to change your pants."
Nobody complained; everyone wet their pants.
Returning to Rice Village, the roads are winding and wide, and the thatched houses are mostly square, built haphazardly, as long as there is enough space for people to pass.
People passing by on the road were all wearing straw sandals and clean hemp clothes.
West District Ten is not as prosperous as West District One, but it is much more bustling than Outer Rukongai, where everyone can wear clean clothes and straw sandals.
Aside from abundant resources, the governance of the elders is indispensable.
The Outer Rukongai is a place where the strong are respected. It's fine for those people to fight each other, but governing a region would be beyond their capabilities.
They were either exploited by the nobles' retainers or were so overbearing that even the nobles' retainers were unwilling to go there to do business or acquire property.
In contrast, in the areas mentioned earlier, the village elders were mostly respected elders who negotiated with Shinigami and the nobles to ensure that the villagers could obtain stable employment.
In ordinary times, if anything happens in the village, everyone is willing to consult with the elders.
Taro ran along the road, greeting acquaintances he encountered. When he got home, he instinctively shrugged, tiptoed to the door, and wished he could turn into an inconspicuous mouse and sneak back inside.
"Stop!"
Taro's mother looked to be in her early forties and was of average appearance. Upon seeing her son's state, she immediately realized he had gotten into trouble and stormed over to him.
"Mother, Mother." Taro swallowed hard, his fear no less than when he had just faced Shinigami.
Why are your pants wet?
No, it's nothing.
Taro's mother raised an eyebrow, grabbed his ear, and dragged him home, saying, "Tell me the truth now."
"It hurts, it hurts, Mother, I said, I just met Shinigami."
"What? Are you alright?" She pulled open Taro's clothes to check for any injuries.
Relieved that nothing had happened, she asked, "You're smart enough not to offend anyone."
"That's right, he wanted to find his older brother, so I lied and said his older brother went west, but he ran south instead. It's hilarious."
Taro proudly announced his achievement.
Taro's mother's face darkened immediately. She grabbed a thin bamboo stick, lifted Taro up to her knees, and whipped him hard. "You stupid boy, how many times have I told you not to provoke Shinigami, not to provoke Shinigami? You didn't listen, and you even dared to be so clever as to deceive them."
If they can't find you, they'll come back to take their anger out on you. You're dead meat! I'm going to beat you to death today, you brat!
"Waaaah!" Taro howled as he was beaten.
Shiraishi happened to return and saw this scene, unsure whether he should come in or not.
Amidst his wailing, Taro caught sight of him. Wiping away his tears, he tried to project a manly air, saying, "Big brother, please make yourself at home. Help yourself to the tea, don't be shy."
"Mr. Bai, please have a seat. I'll serve you tea after I've finished beating this brat."
Taro's mother was gentle and kind to him, but fierce and angry towards Taro, as if she were performing a Sichuan opera face-changing act.
Shiraishi stepped into the house and asked, "What mistake has Taro made this time?"
"That brat actually dared to lie to Shinigami! If I don't teach him a lesson, he won't learn his lesson."
"Waaah, it was that big Shinigami who was looking for Big Brother, that's why I told him Big Brother went to the west."
"The giant Shinigami?"
Shiraishi frowned and asked, "What exactly does he look like?"
"Wearing a right eye patch, with a hairstyle like a prickly pear, and a very cute pink-haired little girl next to him, hehe."
Taro blushed slightly as he thought of Yachiru Kusajishi; it was the first time he had ever seen such an adorable little girl his age.
"You brat!" Taro's mother whipped him again with a thin bamboo stick, wiping away his smile and causing him to cry out once more.
Based on the description, Shiraishi immediately thought of Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi, and realized that the reason he was chosen was most likely because of his strength.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a battle maniac and wasn't interested in battles that didn't award experience points.
"I've heard a little about their methods; they definitely won't hurt Taro, don't worry. Just take ten or fifteen minutes."
"You're such a good older brother to me!" Taro said, his eyes filled with tears.