Chapter 35: Chapter 35: 3rd Seat of the 12th Division, Yato Uchiha!
Chapter 35: 3rd Seat of the 12th Division, Yato Uchiha!
"Where is he? Yato Uchiha!"
A crisp, sharp voice drifted into the boy’s ears. He sat up groggily, staring blankly at the faintly brightening sky.
"That guy named Yato Uchiha is in here, right?"
"Y-Yes, Lieutenant Sarugaki. Should we perhaps..."
"Stop dawdling, you’re so annoying!"
With a loud bang, the door was kicked open. Hiyori Sarugaki, sporting her signature blonde pigtails, strutted in with remarkable arrogance, shouting at the top of her lungs:
"Hey! Where’s that guy named Yato Uchiha? Hurry up and get out of bed, you’re coming with me to..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she abruptly leaned backward, drawing the Zanpakuto she carried on her back and leveling it across her chest.
Boom!
In the very next instant, a Menos Grande’s claw slammed down on her Zanpakuto.
It had six limbs, two heads, and resembled a monstrous tiger-leopard hybrid. A white mask covered its grotesque face, and its ravenous, brutal Spiritual Pressure was unleashed without any restraint.
"...An Adjuchas?" Hiyori Sarugaki gasped, sucking in a sharp breath of cold air.
"There’s actually a Menos Grande inside the Seireitei?"
Countless possibilities churned in her mind. Intruders? A traitor within? Has Hueco Mundo launched an attack on the Soul Society?
However, her years of combat instincts kicked in precisely at this moment. Her body’s subconscious reactions overrode her chaotic thoughts. Hiyori Sarugaki slapped the tsuba of her sword heavily, her Spiritual Pressure erupting:
"Chop ’em clean, Kubikiriorochi!"
A massive, serrated cleaver materialized in Hiyori’s hands. An upward thrust, a twist of her waist, and a downward smash—all executed in one fluid, seamless motion!
Her counterattack was smooth and completely unhindered; this was the result of a superb technique tempered through thousands of battles!
Yet, this ferocious cleaving strike only hit the floorboards. Aside from causing the dormitory building to shake violently a couple of times, it achieved absolutely nothing else.
Hiyori Sarugaki looked up blankly and saw the handsome, black-haired boy.
Within his crimson eyes, the eerily captivating tomoe were slowly dissipating.
Yato Uchiha’s reputation was quite prominent. The fact that he possessed Akame—the only existing "Multi-Stage Release" type Zanpakuto in the Soul Society—and the general nature of its abilities were vaguely known to many. Hiyori Sarugaki quickly figured out what had just happened.
"You bastard!" She practically jumped in anger, her blonde pigtails bouncing up and down.
"You dare to attack a Lieutenant?!"
"Who kicks down a door under normal circumstances?" Yato shrugged, completely unbothered.
"I thought it was a Ryoka."
"You bastard! Baldy! Ugly freak!"
Hiyori Sarugaki cursed, baring her teeth and waving her claws. But the insults she hurled had absolutely zero effect on Yato.
Bastard? Even Yato felt that he could certainly be a bastard sometimes.
Baldy? His head full of thick black hair had absolutely nothing to do with that word.
Ugly freak? Pfft... The Uchiha Clan might have been arrogant, tragic, and utterly insane, but they were never ugly!
Seeing that their first meeting was far from harmonious, the Shin’o Academy staff member who had guided Hiyori here hurriedly spoke up, using some lighthearted banter to defuse the tension.
Eventually, Hiyori’s expression softened slightly. She lifted her chin and produced a letter of appointment.
"Yato Uchiha, the higher-ups have appointed you as the 3rd Seat of the 12th Division. Pack your things and come with me. The Captain is waiting for you at the barracks."
"...Understood." Yato straightened his expression and respectfully received the letter with both hands, following protocol.
To be appointed as a 3rd Seat immediately upon graduation—this was a truly staggering level of high regard. Typically, only the heirs to the three Great Noble Families—the Shiba, Shihoin, and Kuchiki—received such treatment.
In the organizational structure of the Gotei 13, Captains possessed absolute authority and essentially held dictatorial power within their Divisions. Lieutenants, on the other hand, were required to assist the Captains, relay orders, and manage numerous trivial matters; they were the traditional second-in-command.
As for the 3rd Seat, they were not considered part of the "Captain-class" hierarchy. However, unlike the lower Seated Officers, the 3rd Seat was also referred to as the "Lieutenant’s Assistant," meaning their role was to aid the Lieutenant in their duties.
The individual in this position was the undisputed candidate for the Captain-class. Currently, Kaien Shiba and Kisuke Urahara, and later Toshiro Hitsugaya, all served as 3rd Seats before being promoted to Lieutenant, or even directly to Captain.
—The Seireitei truly functioned on a "might makes right" principle. If you had the capability, you could rise; if you could hack the Captain of the 11th Division to pieces with your sword, you became the next Kenpachi.
After accepting the letter of appointment, everything that followed went smoothly.
As for his luggage, being a single young man, Yato Uchiha truly didn’t have much. He had already finished packing the night before.
After entrusting the academy staff to deliver his luggage to the 12th Division barracks, Yato, carrying only his Zanpakuto, followed Hiyori Sarugaki out.
They walked in silence. Hiyori Sarugaki was still sulking, and as Yato watched the Lieutenant’s blonde pigtails bobbing up and down in front of him, he found it inexplicably amusing.
The 12th Division barracks were located in the northern district of the Seireitei, near the "Hakudomon" (White Way Gate).
In this era, although the Shinigami Research and Development Institute had not yet been established, the duties of the 12th Division were originally "Spiritual Tool and New Technology Development." This required extensive experimentation and frequent excursions to gather materials. For convenience of access, their barracks were situated here.
The barracks complex as a whole was a massive, circular structure. It wasn’t particularly beautiful, but it possessed the clean and efficient aesthetic unique to researchers. Soul Reapers clad in black kimono bustled about; upon seeing Hiyori Sarugaki, they would stop to bow, stealing curious glances at the boy trailing behind her.
The news that Yato Uchiha was going to be the new 3rd Seat had already spread through the 12th Division’s communication channels late last night.
Although Hiyori Sarugaki had a terrible temper and was prone to anger and fighting, she was still quite responsible when it came to her work. She led Yato into the barracks, introducing him to the layout of the place.
"The building right in the middle is the Captain’s office. The two buildings next to it are the offices for the Lieutenant and the 3rd Seat... yours is on the right."
"If you go out the perimeter wall and head north, you’ll reach the Hakudomon. Ordinary squad members need to apply for permission to leave the Seireitei, but you can just use your 3rd Seat identification tag. This is a special privilege granted to us in the 12th Division."
"Directly beneath where we’re standing right now is a massive laboratory. Its volume is roughly three times the size of the surface buildings. The researchers love spending all their time down there. However, it seems to me that, just like me, you don’t have much interest in that sort of stuff. But you should at least go down there occasionally to check on things, treat it like a patrol."
"The 12th Division doesn’t have as many strict rules as the 1st Division, but we’re not as undisciplined as the 11th Division either. As a Seated Officer, you must lead by example... for instance, don’t use Genjutsu on your Lieutenant! Hmph!"
"Let’s go. It’s getting late, we need to go see Captain Hikifune." Hiyori pointed to a specific location:
"Those are the Seated Officer quarters assigned to you. The Lieutenant and the 3rd Seat are both very busy and will frequently stay overnight. Go get changed."
There wasn’t much inside the quarters. Aside from basic furniture, there was only a set of Shihakusho.
Yato splashed some water on his face, changed into the Shihakusho, and headed toward the Captain’s office.
While still outside, he heard a bright, cheerful voice:
"Little Hiyori, I told you not to casually provoke people. That’s a Multi-Stage Release type Zanpakuto, haha..."
"Is that little Yato?" Inside the Captain’s office, Kirio Hikifune sensed the unfamiliar Spiritual Pressure.
"Come in."
"Yes, Captain," Yato Uchiha responded respectfully.
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