Chapter 56: Chapter 56: The Zero Division
Chapter 56: The Zero Division
Early morning.
Hiyori Sarugaki stood with her arms crossed, her face wearing a terrifyingly dark scowl. Her expression was so foul that even a dog walking past would stop to glare at her twice.
"What beautiful weather we’re having," Yato Uchiha said as he pushed open the door and walked out at the absolute worst possible moment.
"Morning, Lieutenant."
Hiyori leaped into the air, instantly erupting into curses:
"Morning my ass! On such an important day, you actually slept in... And what the hell is this music? The Seireitei’s been blasting it all morning, it sounds absolutely awful!"
"It’s called jazz music. It’s very popular in the World of the Living right now."
"I don’t understand it!" Hiyori Sarugaki huffed angrily.
"I’m heading to the 1st Division. Make sure you come back early after seeing Captain Hikifune off... I still have no idea what kind of guy the new Captain is going to be."
"Don’t worry."
Yato Uchiha smiled and walked outside.
Kirio Hikifune, having already taken off her Captain’s haori, was waiting for him there.
She cast a long, deep look at the main gates of the 12th Division and said softly:
"Thank you for your hard work, Yato."
"It has been my honor, Captain Hikifune."
The two figures disappeared into the thin morning mist, gradually moving further away from the Seireitei.
Today, Kirio Hikifune officially resigned from the Gotei 13, and the vacant position would be succeeded by the newly appointed Captain of the 12th Division.
The Captain inauguration ceremony in the Seireitei had to be conducted under the witness of all current Captains. During such occasions, the Lieutenants were required to stand by outside. As the Lieutenant of the 12th Division, Hiyori was naturally required to be present.
Consequently, the task of seeing Kirio Hikifune off naturally fell to Yato Uchiha.
They walked in silence for the entire journey, quickly arriving at a certain major district in the Rukongai.
So it really is here... Yato clicked his tongue internally.
Before them stretched a massive, continuous architectural complex. Two colossal arm sculptures stood flanking the main gate, holding up an exaggeratedly large banner.
—It was none other than the location of the main Shiba household!
Not far away, a cylindrical structure the size of a multi-story building stood vertically on the ground, continuously emitting massive fluctuations of Reiatsu as if it were a living creature.
This construct was called the "Tenchuren," the transportation vessel of the Zero Division. Forged using advanced spirit arts that only existed in the Soul King Palace, it was exceptionally sturdy.
Unfortunately, this thing only went down, not up. If one wanted to return to the Soul King Palace, they had to be shot up using the Shiba clan’s specially designed cannon.
Several figures were already standing in front of the Shiba clan’s main gate.
One was a large monk with a thick beard; one had an exaggerated pompadour; one was a thin, diminutive man wearing a padded vest; and one was a beautiful woman wearing elaborate golden hair ornaments.
These four were the current members of the Zero Division: Ichibei Hyosube, Tenjiro Kirinji, Oetsu Nimaiya, and Senjumaru Shutara!
For whatever reason, the Zero Division seemed to prefer moving as a group; even to welcome a new member, all four of them descended to the Seireitei.
Yato Uchiha took a few steps back and remained where he was.
Kirio Hikifune nodded to him, then began walking toward the Zero Division members.
The five of them didn’t leave immediately; instead, they began conversing, and the atmosphere seemed quite pleasant.
Just then, Kaien Shiba and Kukaku Shiba emerged from behind the Tenchuren. The siblings gave Ichibei Hyosube a distant thumbs up before walking over to Yato Uchiha’s side.
"Kaien-senpai, Kukaku." Yato was somewhat curious.
"Why were you two behind that giant pillar?"
"This thing is called the Tenchuren, the Zero Division’s transportation," Kaien Shiba patiently explained.
"Our Shiba clan has held the method to access the Soul King Palace since ancient times. Launching the Tenchuren is also one of our duties. We have to stuff this thing into the cannon barrel; we obviously have to do some preliminary checks on it."
"Isn’t that a bit too hands-on, Kaien-senpai? You’re the Head of the clan, do you really need to do this kind of manual labor yourself?"
The valiant noble Clan Head smiled bitterly and shook his head. He raised his arm, displaying the tattoo on his shoulder:
"The ’Crumbling Falling Heavenly Maelstrom’. This is the tattoo borne only by the Head of the main Shiba family. It is the only one in the entire world. The Tenchuren has specific Kido cast on it, and I am the only one who can inspect it." He affectionately patted his younger sister’s head and smiled:
"I brought Kukaku along to teach her the relevant knowledge. Just in case I’m no longer around in the future, she can take on the tattoo of the Crumbling Falling Heavenly Maelstrom and inherit this responsibility."
Kukaku Shiba shot her older brother a fierce glare. Slapping his large hand away, she bit him hard, warning him not to speak words of a short-lived ghost.
Having already lost her second older brother, Moritora, Kukaku couldn’t even fathom what would happen to the Shiba clan if her eldest brother, Kaien, met with disaster in the future.
"You siblings really have a great relationship." Yato watched in amusement as Kaien clutched his hand in pain, then turned to Kukaku:
"What about your younger brother? Is he not coming to learn?"
"That guy Ganju went off messing around in the Rukongai again! He insists on becoming a wrestler and wants to ride wild boars!"
"Haha..."
"Hey, Yato-nii," the young girl Kukaku spoke sweetly, smiling as she did:
"Why don’t you just stay here today? The four of us can keep drinking~"
Seeing Kaien Shiba’s eyes light up slightly, Yato Uchiha knew the guy’s alcohol craving was acting up again. He quickly shook his head:
"Some other time. The new Captain of our 12th Division is being inaugurated today; it wouldn’t be good for me to ask for leave."
"Oh..."
While the three were chatting happily, Kirio Hikifune suddenly turned back from a short distance away.
Guessing that the Captain likely had private words for Yato, the Shiba siblings voluntarily stepped aside, giving them space.
"Yato." The purple-haired woman patted his shoulder.
"I’m leaving now."
"Have a safe journey, Captain Hikifune."
"Let’s skip the pleasantries, I just have a few last things to tell you..." she said, acting a bit like a nagging mother:
"The person replacing me is named Kisuke Urahara, formerly the 3rd Seat of the 2nd Division and the Commander of the Detention Unit. I spoke with him for quite a while yesterday. Although he seems a bit lazy and eccentric, he is someone who truly cares for his friends and subordinates. Knowing he’s taking over, I can leave with peace of mind."
"Little Hiyori has been with me for many years and has always treated me like a close relative. It’s very possible she might develop a rebellious attitude toward Captain Urahara because of my departure. You need to guide her and help her adjust."
"I buried a little secret stash of money under the cherry blossom tree on the west side of the Captain’s office. I won’t need it anymore, so go dig it up and use it. I also deposited a large sum of money at the sushi restaurant at the end of Mansion Road. Just drop my name, and you’ll get a discount..."
Kirio Hikifune chattered on for a long time, eventually letting out a heavy sigh.
A thousand years of time—her most deeply etched memories were left in the Seireitei. How could she possibly let go so easily?
But she was, after all, a veteran Captain who had experienced countless blood-soaked battles. She quickly gathered her emotions and continued:
"Yato, there is one more thing, and it concerns you."
"Do you remember, the day before you were temporarily transferred to the 11th Division, I pulled you into the secret room and gave you that special meal?"
Yato Uchiha replied solemnly:
"I have never forgotten! That meal drastically elevated my Reiatsu, allowing me to achieve a Class 5 Rei-i in one fell swoop. I recall you mentioning that Captain-Commander Yamamoto specifically instructed you to do that... I have committed both your and Captain-Commander Yamamoto’s kindness to memory."
"That’s exactly it, Yato. But it wasn’t until I communicated with the Zero Division just now that I finally understood the full picture."
Kirio Hikifune’s tone carried a hint of deep emotion:
"In truth, it was only after the 1st Division received an order from the Soul King Palace that Captain-Commander Yamamoto told me to give you special care."
"...What?" Yato was momentarily stunned.
"This is a good thing, young man!" The purple-haired beauty patted the boy’s shoulder, laughing heartily:
"Although I don’t know the reason, it seems the Zero Division has been keeping an eye on you."
☆☆☆
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