This was a test.
"This is a probe from the mastermind behind the scenes."
Sitting in his room, Tsunayashiro Tokinada bit his fingers Mujō, his expression extremely tense. Ever since Kenpachi Zaraki's attack on the Second Division, he had been in this dazed state.
"The enemy has completely invaded the Thirteenth Division. The new captain of the 11th Division, that man named Kenpachi Zaraki, is most likely an enemy henchman... Faced with the enemy's relentless advance, I must accelerate the progress of my plan."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada was hiding in his room, writing a report.
"With the Seireitei invaded and the clan head under control, the only one who sees through everything is me, Tsunayashiro Tokinada, a branch family member neglected by the clan. Now, the mission to save the clan and Lord Sōgo has truly fallen on my shoulders. In this extremely passive situation, even I don't know how long I can fight the mastermind hidden in the shadows. Therefore, I have written this report for future generations. If I fail... please continue, carry on this great cause! Please believe that the mastermind will fail, Lord Sōgo will eventually become king, standing above the sky!"
After Tsunayashiro Tokinada this report, a resolute glint flashed in Tsunayoshi's eyes; he was ready to take action.
It's time to release him.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada walked towards the Research and Development Institute.
"Boom!"
"Alarm! Alarm!"
" The Research and Development Institute has been attacked by unidentified individuals..."
Amidst the flames and explosions, the entire Research and Development Institute was thrown into chaos.
"Um!?"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi stared at the laboratory exploding before her, her small eyes filled with immense confusion.
"Do we keep something important in this room, Akon...?"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi asked a child beside him.
"This room is just full of miscellaneous items... However, its location is quite close to the barrier of Muken. If it were bombed at this level, Muken would probably be affected, right?"
The child with lifeless eyes spoke listlessly.
"In other words, the killer attacked us simply to cover up their sabotage of Muken..."
"Snort!"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's expression darkened after hearing the child's words. He was quite displeased with what the child had said. He had assumed that one of his inventions had attracted the robbers, but it turned out to be something so absurd, which made him very angry.
"Captain, what are we going to do next?"
Ignoring Mayuri Kurotsuchi's displeasure, the child continued to ask.
"Put out the fire, then go do what you normally do. Let the other divisions of the Gotei 13 worry about this!"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi spoke in a huff.
"Yes, ma'am!"
As Mayuri Kurotsuchi finished speaking, the members of the various squads let out weak and listless sounds.
"Among the hundreds of barriers sealing the Muken, several have developed breaches due to the explosion. This is an extremely dangerous situation... You must know that the Muken imprisones the most heinous criminals in the Soul Society. If they were to escape, it would be a disaster not only for the Seireitei but for the entire Soul Society. Fortunately, the breached barriers were not critical, and the discovery was timely enough that the Kidō Corps could not detect any criminals' Spiritual Pressure when they restored them. However, this incident is still the most serious of all! Therefore, we must deal with it seriously."
Inside the First Division Barracks, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, addressed the group of captains before him in a solemn manner.
"So, what are you planning to do, Yama-jii?"
After hearing Captain-Commander Yamamoto's words, Eighth Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku reached up and pressed his straw hat, then asked in a low voice.
"I've decided to hand this matter over to the Second Division's Stealth Force."
" Second Division Captain Sōgo Shihoin, do you have any objections? If you do not answer me within five seconds, I will assume you have no objections."
Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai spoke coldly to the empty space beside him.
"Five, four, three, two, one!"
"Very good. It seems Captain Shihoin is in high spirits. This willingness to take on tasks truly reflects the style of the Shihoin Family, one of the Five Great Noble Clans."
Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai style, preached loudly.
"What's up with Yama-jii? Is he doing a stand-up comedy routine?"
With a puzzled expression, unable to understand what Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai was doing, the captain of the Thirteenth Division, Jūshirō Ukitake, leaned closer to Kyōraku and asked.
"Is she angry?"
"Actually, this should be the work of other squads, but Yama-jii saw that Sōgo didn't come to the meeting, so he got angry and pushed it to the Second Division."
Shunsui Kyōraku scratched his cheek helplessly; he roughly understood what the Old Man Yama was thinking.
"Speaking of Sōgo-kun didn't come to the meeting?!"
"Are you feeling unwell? That's understandable, getting sick is human nature, cough cough cough..."
Jūshirō Ukitake looked at the vacant position of the Second Division Captain and spoke.
"Get ill?"
Kyōraku's eyes twitched slightly after hearing Ukitake's words. Not everyone is like his old friend, getting sick all the time!
" Sōgo Sougo is just too lazy to come, right?"
Kyōraku considered himself to know Sōgo Shihoin fairly well. In some ways, that person was similar to him; both were afraid of trouble, yet both were forced to confront it due to certain circumstances. Perhaps this world was simply a place of fighting and killing, where strength could save a lot of trouble, but often, this world is more about human relationships and social dynamics.
"How can you do this? How can you skip a meeting just because you're too lazy to come?"
Jūshirō Ukitake was taken aback. That was a member of the Shihoin Family Five Great Noble Clans. As a high-ranking noble family and a role model for everyone in Soul Society, how could they just refuse to come and do something so capricious?
"Calm down. If I had Sōgo's skills, I'd be even lazier than him."
Shunsui Kyōraku patted Ukitake on the shoulder and began to speak.
"You... you're already lazy enough."
After hearing Kyōraku's words Ukitake smiled helplessly, and suddenly he understood Sōgo's behavior.
Whispering is prohibited during meetings.
Just as the two were about to continue their conversation, the Old Man Yama, who had been silent all along, appeared in front of them without them noticing.
"Forehead..."
The two men stared at Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai in front of them, then nodded mechanically, sweating profusely, not daring to speak. Yama-jii was right!
"In any case, let the Second Division handle this! Meeting adjourned!"
Looking at his two best students, who resembled two little quails, the Old Man Yama nodded in satisfaction and announced the end of the meeting.
Meanwhile, not long after the Old Man Yama announced that Sōgo would take over the matter, Sōgo received the news.
"That damned old geezer."
Sōgo lay on the tatami mat, frowning in distress.
" About Sōgo..."
Hōshō Ryo stood beside Sōgo, looking as if she intended to Sōgo solve his problems.
"This matter is quite troublesome, so let's leave it to Tsunayashiro Tokinada to handle. With the status of the Tsunayashiro Clan, he should be able to resolve the matter properly."
Sōgo waved his hand impatiently. He didn't want to get involved in such troublesome matters as attacking the Muken Soul Society is undoubtedly the Tsunayashiro Clan.
"Call..."
"I should have handled it perfectly; I believe no one should have discovered that I did it."
"But we still need to be cautious. When the Captain-Commander selects the investigators, we should try to bribe as many people as possible. Things that can be solved with money are never really problems."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada sat in his office, gently wiping the sweat from his brow. Although he believed he hadn't given himself away, he was always worried about the possibility that if it turned out he was the one who did it, it would likely implicate Sōgo to some extent... something he absolutely didn't want to see.
" Squad Leader Tokinada, Commander-in-Chief Sōgo has instructed you to investigate the explosion at the Research and Development Institute."
Just as Tsunayashiro Tokinada was calmly contemplating the problem, a member of the Stealth Force suddenly appeared in front of him, knelt on one knee, and respectfully spoke.
"Um?!"
After hearing the words of the Stealth Force member Tsunayashiro Tokinada was first slightly taken aback, then overjoyed.
You said I would investigate the bombing at the Research and Development Institute?
Tsunayashiro Tokinada grabbed the wrist of the kneeling squad member and asked excitedly to the squad member in front of him.
"Yes... yes."
The team members didn't know why Tokinada was so excited, but they still nodded slightly.
"Hahahaha... Good."
"I will certainly live up to Captain Sōgo's expectations and investigate this matter thoroughly."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada burst into laughter, looking overjoyed that he had been given an important position by Sōgo Shihoin.
"You may leave!"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada waved to the soldiers and said.
"Yes, sir."
The team member nodded slightly to Tokinada, then disappeared from Tokinada's sight.
"That makes things much easier; we can just find a scapegoat later."
Tokinada smiled slightly. It was just like a pillow being delivered when you're about to doze off. With Sōgo's help, the matter was completely resolved.
"Let me think about who should be the sheep?"
Tokinada gently rubbed his chin, looking as if he had everything under control.
Meanwhile, Kenpachi Zaraki, who was instantly defeated by Sōgo, is currently being planted in the yard of the 11th Division.
That's right, it was planted in the yard, the kind where only its head is sticking out of the soil, and the rest of its body is completely underground.
"So... what are you doing?"
Kenpachi Zaraki slowly opened his eyes and looked at Yachiru Kusajishi, who was holding a water jug and continuously pouring water on his head, and asked in confusion.
"Waaah! Little Hachi, you're awake~"
" Little Sōgo told me that as long as you plant Little Hachi in the soil and water it plenty of time, Little Hachi will recover faster, and now it seems that's true."
Yachiru Kusajishi looked up at Kenpachi Zaraki and laughed.
"Huh? What kind of recovery method is that? I've never heard of it."
Kenpachi Zaraki burst out of the soil with an astonishing burst of Spiritual Pressure, casually dusting off the dust as he muttered a complaint.
How are you feeling, Little Hachi?
Yachiru Kusajishi stood with her hands behind her back, looking adorable in front of Kenpachi Zaraki.
"What do you mean, how about it?"
Kenpachi Zaraki stretched his now fully recovered body and asked.
"Of course I'm referring to the body!"
Yachiru Kusajishi pointed to Kenpachi Zaraki's perfect abs and began to speak.
"Still the same as always."
Kenpachi Zaraki twisted his neck. He didn't feel anything strange about his body, so it seemed there were no aftereffects and he could continue fighting.
That's not what I meant!
" Little Hachi, after you unleashed your full Spiritual Pressure, did you feel any changes in yourself?"
Yachiru Kusajishi continuously guided Kenpachi Zaraki, as if this little girl understood Kenpachi Zaraki Kenpachi Zaraki than he understood himself.
"Change? It's probably that using Spiritual Pressure feels more enjoyable than before, right?"
Kenpachi Zaraki touched his chin and spoke uncertainly.
"Yes! That's it! Actually Little Hachi, you've become stronger!"
Yachiru Kusajishi Kenpachi Zaraki described was a sign that Kenpachi Zaraki was regaining his former power.
"So, after fighting that big guy and that white-haired brat... I got stronger? I'll just get stronger as long as I keep fighting them?"
A glint of light flashed in Kenpachi Zaraki's eyes; he had finally understood the meaning of his life.
" Little Hachi is so smart."
After hearing Kenpachi Zaraki's words, a trace of melancholy flashed in Yachiru Kusajishi Yachiru's eyes. Perhaps the day Kenpachi Zaraki regained his true power would be the day she disappeared, but she still looked forward to the day when Kenpachi Zaraki would fight with all his might.
"Who are you?"
Just as Yachiru Kusajishi looked at Kenpachi Zaraki with a forlorn expression, Kenpachi Zaraki, like a maddened beast, looked at Yachiru Kusajishi with a cold expression and asked.
"Huh?"
" Little Hachi, have you lost your memory?"
"I am Yachiru ~"
Yachiru Kusajishi was slightly taken aback after hearing Kenpachi Zaraki's words, then pointed to her own little face and smiled as she spoke.
"..."
Kenpachi Zaraki's eyes remained cold after hearing Yachiru Kusajishi's words. He coldly drew his Zanpakuto from his waist and slashed at Yachiru Kusajishi!
"Forehead..."
Yachiru sat down on the ground with a thud, closed her eyes, and shielded herself with her arms.
One second passed, two seconds passed, three seconds passed... The expected pain did not come, which puzzled Yachiru then opened her eyes.
Two Zanpakuto were clashing fiercely above her head.
At this moment, Yachiru Kusajishi realized what was happening and quickly turned around to look.
Behind her stood a tall man with long, jet-black hair, a delicate, feminine face, and wearing Captain's Haori.
" Yachiru are coming up behind me; this man is dangerous."
The scars on Kenpachi Zaraki's face danced across his cheeks with his exaggerated expressions, making him look exceptionally ferocious and terrifying. Faced with this unknown man, Kenpachi Zaraki became excited once again.
"As expected! Becoming a squad leader is fantastic!"
Kenpachi Zaraki was thrilled to encounter opponents time and again after entering the Seireitei.
(End of this chapter)