Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The Horiuchi Family
Chapter 6: The Horiuchi Family
Looking down upon the Soul Society, one can see that this world is divided into three distinct regions: the innermost Seireitei, the central expanse of the three hundred and twenty districts of the Rukongai, and the vast, unending stretches of forests, mountains, and wilderness beyond.
The Seireitei occupies a vast territory. Its buildings are primarily white, holy and towering. Even the stone bricks paved into the ground are cut to golden-ratio proportions. The Gotei 13, the Central 46, the Penitence Palace, the Stealth Force... these institutions, which wield immense military and political power, are stationed within the Seireitei.
The nobility also resides here.
However, the Soul Society has endured for an exceedingly long time, and the fortunes of noble houses have risen and fallen accordingly. Many families were forced to relocate from the Seireitei due to various events, settling instead within the Rukongai.
The Horiuchi family is one such clan.
Four hundred years ago, they migrated from the Seireitei to East Rukongai, District 62, "Hanagare." Utilizing the power, connections, and wealth of the nobility, they established a significant business network. Generation after generation, members of their family have become Soul Reapers, and on occasion, an outstanding individual among them has even managed to ascend to the Central 46!
With such a pedigree, the Horiuchi family estate is naturally built in the most prime location of the Hanagare district, dominating the hills and encircled by rivers, functioning like a nation within a nation.
Late at night, in the southeastern corner of the Horiuchi manor, within the training grounds.
Yosuke Horiuchi set down his Zanpakuto and took a cloth from a servant to wipe away his sweat.
He was over three hundred years old, but because he possessed considerable Spiritual Pressure, his aging process was slow. Even now, only his temples were graying, and his physique remained unyielding, his muscles still as knotted as ever.
"Where is that boy, Yuma?"
"Master, the young master, he..."
"Speak! Stop stammering!"
"The young master was tired from training tonight, so he went to... the pleasure district. Er, to drink."
Yosuke Horiuchi let out a cold, sharp laugh.
"Ha! That boy’s third-rate kendo skills are enough to make him tired? I suspect he just slept too much during the day! And that place... hmph!"
"Master, the young master says that the Captain of the 8th Division often visits that area. He was hoping to familiarize himself with the Captain, so that if he ever enters the Gotei 13, he would have someone to look after him."
BOOM!
Enraged, Yosuke Horiuchi smashed his fist down with such force that the hardened blue-stone floor instantly cracked, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
"You idiot! What kind of man is Kyoraku Shunsui? He can dig into someone’s heart and see exactly what they’re thinking with just three sentences! And that brat wants to approach him voluntarily? Does he have no idea what we’ve been doing these past few days?!"
He grabbed the servant by the collar, his tone frigid.
"Go to the pleasure district, find that undutiful son, and tell him to get back here immediately!"
"Y-yes, sir..." Seeing the master was truly livid, the servant nodded repeatedly, scrambled to his feet, and ran out of the training grounds.
He brushed past Kentaro Koizumi as he exited.
Seeing the man arrive, Yosuke Horiuchi couldn’t help but frown.
"You’ve completed the task?"
"Mm," Koizumi chuckled. "That kid is talented. The assassins you sent couldn’t take him down. Honestly, I had to put in quite a bit of effort—I even had to use Kido."
"...Are you asking for more money?"
"Of course. You get what you pay for. Assassinating a new student of the Shin’o Academy and participating in the forging of an acceptance letter—these are serious crimes that could land one in the Maggots’ Nest."
"The pay is doubled."
"You’re a generous man, Head of the Horiuchi!"
Yosuke Horiuchi grunted and extended his hand, signaling Kentaro Koizumi to bring the item over.
To his surprise, the Seated Officer merely spread his hands and shrugged helplessly.
"Listen, there was a slight complication. That kid is a tough nut to crack. No matter what, he wouldn’t say where the item was hidden." He pointed toward the back of the weapon rack. "So, I brought him here instead."
Yosuke Horiuchi nodded, not choosing to dwell on the issue.
In his years as the family head, he understood well that even the most trivial of tasks could fail in the most ridiculous ways. Being able to bring the person in was, in fact, an excellent result.
The training grounds were a restricted area of the noble estate, inaccessible to anyone but trusted confidants. Yosuke Horiuchi was not worried about these servants. He walked over candidly with Kentaro Koizumi and dragged out a burlap sack.
With a swish, the ropes were untied, and a bloodied, unconscious figure spilled out.
"...This is Uchiha Yato?"
Yosuke Horiuchi kicked him, sensing a faint, shallow breath.
"Hmph. He’s actually even better-looking than his portrait."
Koizumi’s expression turned somber.
"He withstood all my interrogations and still refused to spill a word... Tsk. Once this is over, pick a nice place to bury him."
"Fine." Yosuke Horiuchi agreed noncommittally, looking down at Yato, deep in thought. "Could it be that your methods were too soft?"
"Soft?" Kentaro Koizumi looked as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world.
"Look at the state of this kid right now! He’s half-dead! What more could I have done?"
"Tongue pulling, eye gouging, lung slicing, pouring molten lead... Koizumi-dono, in truth, there are still many methods available..."
Yosuke Horiuchi suddenly remembered something.
"Almost forgot. Don’t pull his tongue just yet; he still needs to tell me where the thing I want is hidden."
A flash of wariness crossed Kentaro Koizumi’s eyes.
Damn it! These noble lunatics!
He stole a furtive glance at the unconscious Yato, feeling a bit unsettled.
In the eyes of the 17th Seat, the youth was undoubtedly a young, ferocious tiger. Koizumi wouldn’t have minded killing a tiger, and might have even enjoyed the thrill. But breaking its claws, gouging its eyes, and pouring molten lead into its lungs...
In the Gotei 13, such actions were viewed as those of a "vile coward." If you were going to fight, you exchanged names—that made you mutually respected opponents. Kill if you must, but what kind of skill was it to abuse and mutilate?
However, Kentaro Koizumi wasn’t about to have a falling out with a partner over something like this. He had no choice but to leave the training grounds, out of sight and out of mind, and go to the guest quarters to rest.
Yosuke Horiuchi called over two servants to drag the mangled Yato to the basement, while he remained in the center of the training grounds alone, waiting.
The moon rose above the branches, the air turning chilly.
Followed by the sound of unsteady footsteps, a youth dressed in gaudy, floral-patterned clothes walked in.
"Scoundrel! What are you wearing?" Yosuke Horiuchi glared, his voice erupting in a barrage of scolding. "You’ve brought nothing but disgrace to the Horiuchi name!"
"Eh, eh, Father, don’t be so angry." Yuma Horiuchi said with a cheeky grin.
"I snuck into the Seireitei the other day and saw Captain Kyoraku dressed just like this, so I thought I’d try to cater to his tastes..."
Yosuke Horiuchi clutched his forehead; he didn’t want to speak to this insufferable son anymore.
Everyone knew that Kyoraku Shunsui’s flamboyant and gaudy attire was merely a facade. In terms of Spiritual Pressure, cunning, and seniority, how many people in the Soul Society dared to act so casually with him?
You could share two sentences with Kyoraku Shunsui, and he could trick you into revealing what kind of underwear your grandfather liked to wear!
He lacked cultivation talent and failed the Shin’o Academy exams; he wasn’t smart enough, yet he always thought himself clever...
Sometimes, Yosuke Horiuchi wanted to give up on this son entirely.
But Yuma was, after all, his only son and the future heir of the Horiuchi family.
"Enough, enough." Finally, Yosuke Horiuchi sighed.
"That matter is nearly settled."
"...Nearly?"
"We didn’t get the acceptance letter, but the person is already in the basement." Yosuke Horiuchi patted his son’s shoulder.
"In a moment, you will come down with me and watch how your father handles the interrogation."
"Kentaro Koizumi’s combat prowess is decent, but at times he is quite pedantic. When you enter the Gotei 13 in the future, remember this: you must never adopt that kind of attitude."
"I understand, Father." The flower-clad Yuma Horiuchi grinned.
"That is the difference between us nobles and the Soul Reapers."
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