Chapter 134 Is there really a relationship between ability and age? (Please subscribe)
Isshin Shiba's defection to the Gotei 13 and his subsequent World of the Living in the world caused a huge uproar throughout Soul Society. Countless residents of Rukongai were terrified and hid in their homes, fearing that misfortune would befall them. As for the Soul Reaper in Seireitei, they were in no better shape. Countless lower-ranking soldiers exchanged the messages they had heard, causing panic among the Soul Reaper of the Gotei 13.
Fortunately, just as countless Soul Reaper were in a panic, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, the captain of the First Division Gotei 13 and concurrently the Captain-Commander of the 13th Division of the Gotei 13, personally convened a meeting of the entire team, gathering all the elite members of the Thirteenth Division, and guaranteeing in his own name that the Soul Society would not suffer even the slightest harm.
With the Old Man Yama's oath, the Soul Reaper rekindled the flames of passion in their hearts, and their fighting spirit was reignited. The waves caused by Isshin Shiba defection from Soul Society also gradually subsided in Soul Society with the Old Man Yama's oath.
The Central 46 Chambers, the highest law enforcement agency in Soul Society.
"It's clear our plan has failed. That old man Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, has made his meaning very clear: now is not the time to take action against the Five Great Noble Clans."
One of the six Inquisitors spoke with a hint of helplessness about the current situation in Soul Society.
"As expected, the absence of a Captain-level combatant does not diminish the overall strength of the Five Great Noble Clans. For now, the Five Great Noble Clans still possess the capital to wield supreme power."
A wise sage, after assessing the current combat strength of the Five Great Noble Clans, sighed helplessly.
"But if we let the Five Great Noble Clans stay together like this, who knows when they might get tired of us and seize our rights! We are the highest enforcers of the Soul Society, we can't keep being the dogs of those Five Great Noble Clans!"
There was a newly promoted sage, looking all hot-blooded, like a volatile and rebellious young man. He couldn't stand that as members of the Central 46 Chambers, the highest enforcement department in Soul Society, they had to be mindful of the whims of the Five Great Noble Clans. It was one thing before he became a sage, but now that he was one, he couldn't let it go.
"That sounds nice, but right now, the Second Division, Sixth Division, and Thirteenth Division Thirteenth Division still under the control of those five noble families. And I've heard that after Isshin Shiba left the Tenth Division, the Tsunayashiro Clan has started making moves, and it seems they intend to take over control of the Tenth Division from the Shiba Clan. If their family succeeds, the Gotei 13 will just go back to what it was before."
"I don't know how many of us have accepted benefits from the Tsunayashiro Clan, but the captaincy of the Tenth Division absolutely cannot be handed over to Five Great Noble Clans again. This is for my own good, and for everyone's good."
An elderly sage with glasses perched on his nose and white hair preached to the numerous sages around him while turning the ring on his hand.
"This..."
"Dirty money?"
"How could this be...?"
Don't make false accusations!
As soon as the sage finished speaking, countless sages panicked. They never expected that someone would be so direct as to expose what was going on behind their backs. Yes, most of these sages had taken bribes from the Tsunayashiro Clan, and some of them were even protected by the Tsunayashiro Clan to infiltrate the Central 46 Chambers.
"That old man actually said it out loud?"
As one of the sages, he was well-read at a young age and was also one of the first men to join the Tsunayashiro Clan, solely to gain more knowledge. Looking at the old man who directly exposed the truth behind these sages, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, and he felt a little amused.
"Quiet!"
Just when the entire Central 46 Chambers was about to turn into a marketplace, the judges finally couldn't take it anymore. They simultaneously slammed their hands on the table, plunging the entire conference room into silence once again.
"You are all sages of Soul Society, you should possess more wisdom than others, yet you behave like this, what kind of behavior is this?"
One of the six judges angrily addressed the forty sages, his disappointment and frustration reaching each of them through his words.
Originally, the Central 46 Chambers, an organization with power but no real strength, already had to rely on the Gotei 13 and the Five Great Noble Clans. Now, with these sages fighting their own battles, how can they possibly eliminate the influence of the Five Great Noble Clans on Soul Society? The road ahead is long...
"I believe the position of captain of the Tenth Division Tenth Division be held by the current Third Seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya. This is also the wish of the former Tenth Division, Isshin Shiba, and I think it is also the wish of the Shiba Clan. Since it is the Shiba Clan's wish, I don't think the other families will have any objections, right?"
After the wise men fell silent, the judge continued, "Ironically, even though they had already labeled Isshin Shiba a traitor, when they needed to ensure that Tōshirō Hitsugaya could become the captain of the Tenth Division and prevent the captaincy of the Gotei 13 from falling into the hands of the Five Great Noble Clans, the Central 46 Chambers ultimately had that traitor as their only source of strength. What's even more ironic is that this traitor was someone from Five Great Noble Clans."
Although the Inquisitor felt somewhat aggrieved, he understood the principle of using magic to counter magic. As one of only six Inquisitors in the entire Soul Society, possessing wisdom surpassing even that of the Sages, he knew this much.
"Forehead..."
After hearing the judge's words, all the sages in the Central 46 Chambers were speechless. They knew that no matter what they chose, they could not change the judge's decision. Since that was the case, anything they said would be superfluous.
"Since no one has any objections..."
The judge glanced at the group of sages who had kept their mouths shut, nodded slightly, and decided to end the meeting.
"Your Honor, I have an objection!"
Just when the sages thought the meeting was about to end, someone raised their hand and questioned the judge's decision.
"Who are you..."
The judge narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the man who was questioning him.
" Jun'ichi Miyake, an ordinary but wise man."
The man stood up and introduced himself to the judge.
"Oh, do you have any objections? Please speak."
The judge nodded slightly; this Jun'ichi Miyake indeed a member of the Tsunayashiro Clan.
"Actually, we all know that Tōshirō Hitsugaya is a genius who has amazed the entire Soul Society!"
"To be honest, in terms of strength, some veteran captains who have served as captains of the Gotei 13 for many years might not be a match for Tōshirō Hitsugaya... However, precisely because of this, I worry that Tōshirō Hitsugaya is too young and arrogant to be competent for the job of captain of the Tenth Division."
This wise man named Jun'ichi Miyake argued vehemently, and the point he used to attack the judge was Tōshirō Hitsugaya's age.
"This..."
"Indeed, indeed."
As Miyake finished speaking, countless voices of agreement rang out from the Central 46 Chambers; they were all people who had received bribes from the Tsunayashiro Clan.
"Tsk..."
The judge frowned as he observed the current situation, sensing something was amiss. Even he couldn't just adjourn the meeting now; otherwise, he would be accused of having a one-man rule, and his position as judge might be in jeopardy.
I don't think age is a problem.
Just as the judge had a bad feeling, the white-haired old sage spoke up.
"Oh?"
When Miyake heard the old sage speak, he immediately narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I don't think age is a problem; age will gradually settle and improve with time..."
" Hitsugaya is a very outstanding child; we all know that."
"The fact that he can still stay in the Tenth Division after experiencing those events already demonstrates the child's maturity."
"Therefore, I don't think there's anything wrong with having Tōshirō Hitsugaya as the leader of the Tenth Division."
The old sage's rebuttal was also very clear: since Miyake questioned Hitsugaya's age, he would focus on his abilities. As long as it was made clear that ability and age were not important, then Hitsugaya's matter was almost settled.
"No, age is still very important."
After hearing the old sage's words, beads of sweat appeared on Miyake's forehead. His worries were indeed correct; the old sage was indeed a troublesome person.
" Sage Miyake, I remember you were a genius too, right? You became a sage at such a young age. If what you're saying is true, then isn't the sage's position you hold now a bit too heavy a burden for you?"
Before Miyake could speak, the old sage retorted.
"You..."
Miyake gave the old sage a deep look, and finally sat back down in his seat with no other choice. The other party's move was a bit ruthless, directly exposing his true colors in one fell swoop.
"Snort!"
The old sage glanced at Miyake, who had returned to his seat, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"It seems that Sage Miyake has also come to a conclusion, so let's move on to the next topic!"
After the old sage finished speaking, he nodded to the judge, indicating that the matter had been resolved.
"Since Sage Miyake has nothing more to say, let's continue with what's next..."
The judge bowed slightly to the elderly sage to express his respect, and then continued with the next part of the agenda...
Tenth Division Barracks.
"Damn it, Isshin Shiba! He really just left us here... What are we going to do with all this data?"
Rangiku Matsumoto gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, angrily cursing Isshin Shiba irresponsibility, as if Isshin Shiba were a scumbag who started a relationship and then abandoned her, and Rangiku Matsumoto was the original wife abandoned by the scumbag, while Tōshirō Hitsugaya was the son of Rangiku Matsumoto and Isshin Shiba.
"Huh? What are you saying?"
"These documents and materials were all written by me. What does it have to do with you?"
Sitting at the head of the group Tōshirō Hitsugaya angrily spoke as he reviewed the documents.
"Waaaaah... I'm just worried about you~"
Rangiku Matsumoto wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and hugged Tōshirō Hitsugaya's head tightly.
"Get out of the way... It's so hot!"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya was completely uninterested in Rangiku Matsumoto's large breasts and shoved her away.
Young Tōshirō Hitsugaya had no idea of the benefits of surging breasts...
"Waaaaah... Even my son doesn't want me anymore, Mommy is so heartbroken~"
After being pushed away by Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto pretended to cry as she spoke.
"You bastard! Who's your son?!"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya angrily slammed his fist on the table.
"Hehe~"
Rangiku Matsumoto gently tapped her head, trying to bluff her way out of the situation.
"Smack~"
Just as Rangiku Matsumoto and Tōshirō Hitsugaya were fooling around in the Tenth Division's captain's room, the door that was originally closed was kicked open.
The newcomer was a tall, beautiful woman with long, jet-black hair. Her attire was rather overly fashionable. Unlike other Soul Reaper who wore Shihakusho, she wore her underwear on the outside and shorts that revealed her long legs. In addition, she wore a haori with the Thirteenth Division's insignia.
Yes, the person who arrived was none other than the current captain of the Thirteenth Division, Kūkaku Shiba!
" Captain Shiba!"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto saw the woman who had barged into the captain's room without warning, they immediately straightened up and stood up to greet her.
"Eh~"
"You're that idiot Uncle Isshin's chosen successor."
"It doesn't look that great."
Come on! Give me a smile!
Ignoring the two who greeted him, Kūkaku Shiba went straight to Tōshirō Hitsugaya, stretched out his hands and kept pulling at the corners of his mouth, making a laughing face.
" Captain Shiba, if you have nothing else to say, please leave."
After being repeatedly kneaded and pinched by Kūkaku Shiba, Tōshirō Hitsugaya's forehead veins were bulging, and his anger was almost at its breaking point. The fact that he hadn't made a move yet was already giving Kūkaku Shiba enough face.
"Roar~"
"You seem to be much stronger than that idiot Isshin. How about it? Want to join my Thirteenth Division? If the two of us team up, it's not impossible to make the Thirteenth Division the strongest division~"
"Although our Thirteenth Division has just gone through a calamity, no matter how you look at it, it's still better than staying in this traitorous division where there was a traitor, right? You don't want people to say that you're the successor favored by a traitor, do you?"
Kūkaku Shiba released his grip on Tōshirō Hitsugaya's cheek, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, and asked with a hint of arrogance.
" Captain Shiba... Captain Isshin is not a traitor."
After hearing what Kūkaku Shiba's Tōshirō Hitsugaya gradually became serious.
"Huh? What did you say?"
Kūkaku Shiba paused slightly after hearing Tōshirō Hitsugaya's words, as if she hadn't understood.
"Although Captain Isshin is a bit slow-witted, he loves the Tenth Division and all of us in the Tenth Division more than anyone else, so he is definitely not a traitor. The reason he hasn't returned from the World of the Living is probably because he's too slow-witted and got lost. But I believe he will come back sooner or later and will explain everything that happened to him to us."
Tōshirō Hitsugaya first bowed slightly to Kūkaku Shiba, and then explained all his thoughts.
"Pfft... What is this? A heartfelt confession to his captain?"
After hearing what Tōshirō Hitsugaya said, Kūkaku Shiba Kukaku was first taken aback, then covered her face and burst into laughter.
"Sigh... I guess I've lost to you guys. A stupid successor trained by a stupid captain? Ah! This feeling isn't so bad. So, you've passed. Here, take this."
Kūkaku Shiba kept shaking her head. She was amused by Tōshirō; his serious expression was just too funny for such a small guy.
After laughing, Kūkaku handed a letter to Tōshirō Hitsugaya and then turned and left the Tenth Division's captain's room.
"What is this? Is it that transfer agreement that vixen gave you? Throw it away!"
Rangiku Matsumoto was shocked when she saw the envelope in Tōshirō Hitsugaya's hand.
"No, it shouldn't be... but whatever it is, let's just look at it from a different angle."
Compared to the flustered Matsumoto Rangiku, Rangiku Matsumoto Tōshirō Hitsugaya was much calmer. He gently opened the envelope and began to read it.
"Don't look! Looking at it too much will make you blind."
Despite Rangiku Matsumoto's best efforts to stop Tōshirō Hitsugaya from reading the envelope, her efforts were minimal. Tōshirō Hitsugaya easily dodged Rangiku Matsumoto's attack and finished reading the envelope.
"Phew... I see."
After reading the envelope, Tōshirō Hitsugaya's lips curled into a slight smile. He then handed the envelope to Rangiku Matsumoto, who had been trying to snatch the letter from him.
"That's a good thing!"
After handing the letter to Rangiku, Tōshirō Hitsugaya hummed a little tune and walked out of the captain's room.
"Um?"
Rangiku watched Tōshirō leave with a hint of doubt in her eyes. She couldn't imagine what kind of content could make Tōshirō Hitsugaya, a workaholic and a child who pretended to be mature but always had a poker face, so happy.
After Rangiku opened the envelope, she found only one line of small print on the letter.
"In the name of Kūkaku Shiba, captain of the Thirteenth Division Gotei 13, I recommend Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the Third Seat of the Tenth Division, to participate in the captain's examination and succeed the resigning captain Shiba Captain Isshin, as the new captain of the Tenth Division of the Gotei 13."
After reading the contents of the letter, Rangiku Matsumoto couldn't help but shudder.
"If that's the case, Tōshirō Hitsugaya will soon be my superior, won't he?!"
Rangiku Matsumoto had known this day would come, but she hadn't expected it to arrive so soon; it was beyond her wildest imagination.
Although Tōshirō Hitsugaya had already mastered Bankai, Rangiku Matsumoto wasn't worried at all. Even after Shiba Isshin 'Isshin Shiba and resignation, she remained calm. This was because in the Thirteenth Division, captains were appointed through recommendation, not just based on ability. After Isshin's accident, theoretically, Tōshirō Hitsugaya Tōshirō longer had a recommender, so he couldn't become a captain anytime soon. However, this was the problem: if another captain recommended him, Tōshirō could become a captain quickly.
"What's Rangiku?"
Just as Rangiku Matsumoto's body was trembling and sweat was pouring down her forehead, Tōshirō Hitsugaya suddenly walked back from outside the door and asked Rangiku Matsumoto with a smile.
"Ah!!!"
Hitsugaya's sudden appearance startled Rangiku Matsumoto, as if she had seen a ghost.
Am I that scary?
Tōshirō asked with a smile.
"Of course it's not scary!"
"By the way, Tōshirō, would you like some water? Are you tired? Do you want me to give you a massage?"
Rangiku Matsumoto seemed to have become a different person, constantly trying to please Tōshirō.
"It's okay, I'm not thirsty, and I'm not tired."
Tōshirō shook his head at Rangiku.
"So what do you want to do? Could it be...?"
"Are you planning to eat me up here?"
"If it's Shirō, that wouldn't be out of the question..."
Rangiku Matsumoto spoke in a manner mimicking Momo Hinamori's tone.
"Get to work now!"
In an instant Tōshirō Hitsugaya lost his composure and reverted to his usual self.
(End of this chapter)