Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Intoxicated
Chapter 52: Intoxicated
Yato was feeling a little dizzy.
He looked at the sake cup in front of him and had to shake his head vigorously to force the three blurry cups back into one.
"Hold on a second," the boy chuckled bitterly.
"Kaien-senpai, let me catch my breath for a minute..."
"Haha! Yato, you still lack training!"
Kaien Shiba laughed heartily, paying no mind as he lifted the sake jug and began chugging loudly.
The bright moon hung high in the sky. It was now deep into the night; the meal had been set out around dusk, and the four of them had been drinking non-stop until now.
Kukaku Shiba and Ganju Shiba had tapped out long ago. The siblings had collapsed—one pulling on the other’s foot, the other grasping a hand—sleeping side-by-side in absolute dead-to-the-world exhaustion.
With a loud smack, Kaien Shiba tossed the empty jug onto the floor and rubbed his belly in deep satisfaction:
"So good. It’s been a long time since I felt this satisfied. I’m usually kept on such a tight leash; thank goodness I snuck out of the hospital today."
"Oh? Kaien-senpai, you’re the Head of the main Shiba household. There’s actually someone who dares to keep you on a tight leash?"
"It’s Miyako Asano. You guys have probably met, right? She was the one feeding me medicine that day you came to my ward to visit me."
Yato Uchiha nodded thoughtfully, the image of the gentle woman surfacing in his mind.
Miyako Asano was likely the future Miyako Shiba, adopting her husband’s surname only after marrying into the Shiba clan.
"Miyako is great in every way, except she just worries too much. It gets really annoying."
"But you’re clearly smiling right now, Senpai."
"Am I? Maybe this sake is fake, damn it!"
Kaien Shiba’s face flushed slightly as he awkwardly changed the subject:
"Don’t laugh at me, what about you? Over the past two years, our Shiba clan had two or three kids studying at the Shin’o Academy. They said you were incredibly popular; the female students were too shy to even look at you."
"I... don’t really have any thoughts in that direction for now. I’m still young."
"You’re not that young anymore! Date someone for fifty years and then get married. By that time, you’ll probably be a Lieutenant or even a Captain."
"Then I’ll focus on becoming a Captain-class first. Career takes priority."
"Heh, that mindset of yours is actually quite similar to Uncle Isshin from the branch family."
"The Lieutenant of the 10th Division, Isshin Shiba?"
"That’s right. I call him Uncle, but he’s really not much older than I am. When we were kids, we used to set off fireworks together all the time." The handsome young noble paused, a look of regret flashing across his face.
"If I had known, I would have invited Uncle Isshin to drink with us. His Engetsu is a fire-type Zanpakuto, and he loves drinking strong liquor more than anyone."
"Kaien-senpai, why do you always insist on tying a Zanpakuto’s type to a person’s alcohol tolerance..."
"There’s deep science behind it, kid."
Kaien Shiba hummed twice, popped open another jug of sake, and poured it into his mouth, speaking somewhat incoherently:
"That guy Moritora was exactly the same. He always said my theories were forced and had no scientific basis."
"Since we’re on the subject, Senpai... actually, there’s one thing I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while," Yato Uchiha inquired curiously.
"Haien (Petrel), Kukaku (Crane), and Ganju (Eagle) are all birds, but Moritora (Tiger) is a beast. Is there some special meaning behind that?"
Kaien let out a knowing laugh; it seemed he had anticipated the boy would ask this very question.
Members of the Shiba branch family residing within the Seireitei all had the character "Ichi" (One) in their names. Meanwhile, the names of the main Shiba family in the Rukongai were all structured as "Nature element + Animal."
Haien, Moritora, Kukaku, Ganju—when placed side by side, "Moritora" did indeed stand out quite sharply.
"This matter... aside from the noble families keeping records of it, an ordinary Shinigami without enough life experience really wouldn’t know." Kaien Shiba set down his sake jug and explained with a smile:
"Actually, when my younger brother was born, he was originally supposed to be named ’Morisagi’ (Forest Heron). But because my father revered Lord Kazuo so much, he changed the name."
"Lord Kazuo?"
"Lord Kazuo Shiba is Uncle Isshin’s biological grandfather. Even today, he remains the Head of the Shiba branch family." Kaien’s expression became exceedingly serious:
"His Zanpakuto, Nekitora (Weeping Tiger), is hailed as the strongest water-type Zanpakuto in the entire Soul Society."
"So that’s where the ’Tora’ (Tiger) came from." Yato Uchiha realized in sudden enlightenment, his internal doubts cleared away. Then, as if suddenly recalling something else, he spoke up:
"It seems the relationship between the main and branch families of the Shiba clan is quite good?"
This remark caught Kaien off guard. Thinking the boy was implying some deeper meaning, he answered somewhat hesitantly:
"Of course it’s good... Why do you ask? Are there really main and branch families that don’t get along?"
"Well, about that, there actually is," Yato smirked.
"I heard of a certain clan where, because they possessed a powerful inherited physical trait, the main family cast a curse—similar to Kido—on the branch family. From the age of three, the lives and deaths of the branch family members were entirely controlled by the main family."
"That’s absolutely despicable!" Kaien Shiba was instantly furious:
"They share the same blood; how could they possibly do such a thing! You wouldn’t even treat slaves that way, let alone relatives who share the same surname? Where do these people live? I’m going to go teach them a lesson..."
"It’s just an urban legend from the Rukongai districts, Kaien-senpai. Don’t get so worked up."
Yato Uchiha clinked his cup against Kaien’s:
"I’ve caught my breath. Let’s keep drinking."
"Alright... Kukaku! Ganju! It’s time for you two brats to wake up! The guest hasn’t even had his fill yet; what kind of hosts pass out first?"
The still-young Kukaku and Ganju Shiba groggily got up. Without the slightest hint of annoyance, they once again began downing sake with roaring enthusiasm.
The members of the Shiba clan seemed inherently unconstrained by trivial details, possessing a bold and generous nature.
Under such a lively atmosphere, Yato Uchiha finally let loose and gradually became truly drunk.
In truth, the boy had been feeling incredibly suppressed these past few days.
That guy Hanzo Mochizuki sprouted wings after using his Bankai, and who knew where he flew off to. The many questions surrounding him were left completely unanswered.
Yato Uchiha vaguely sensed that Hanzo Mochizuki possessed intelligence he desperately needed. After all, Furofushi Saito was exactly like him—a wielder of a Multi-Stage Release Zanpakuto.
Another major source of stress was the pressure Sosuke Aizen was applying.
Two days ago, Aizen had issued an order for Yato to monitor Gin Ichimaru and, if necessary, execute him.
If it were someone who followed Aizen with absolute, die-hard loyalty, they would have been weeping tears of gratitude, willing to lay down their lives for the trust Aizen had placed in them.
But Yato Uchiha was not such a person. From the very beginning, his plan had been to utilize Aizen to ascend to the throne of heaven himself.
Aizen was already perceptive enough to see through Gin Ichimaru’s anomalies... so wouldn’t he also eventually discover Yato’s own ulterior motives?
Moreover, logically speaking, his crimson eyes also possessed illusion-type abilities. In the future, when he mastered a deeper level of release, it would undeniably act as a counter to Kyoka Suigetsu. With Sosuke Aizen’s level of intellect, he had absolutely anticipated this.
Yet, he hadn’t said a single word about it. Instead, he showed Yato even greater favor, going so far as to use Kyoka Suigetsu to take him on private strolls and expressing unique trust in him right in front of the Shin’o Academy.
Yato could feel it—Aizen was genuinely trying to groom him, perhaps even intentionally indulging his ambitions.
Knowing full well he was raising a tiger that could bite him, yet still holding onto some inexplicable expectation.
Sosuke Aizen... what exactly is going on inside your head? I truly can’t see through you.
Pondering this, Yato Uchiha clinked cups with the young girl Kukaku.
Whatever. I won’t think about these things right now.
Yato looked at her flushed, rosy cheeks and downed his cup in a single gulp.
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced Chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that’s help the story a lot Thank you
Comments