Chapter 116: New Recruits
Satoru blinked, leaning back in a tactical retreat.
He raised his hand, instinctively about to clap.
But the moment he moved, Suì-Fēng, standing beside him, guessed his intention.
The young girl swiftly grabbed his hand.
Satoru paused for a moment, then affectionately squeezed hers in return.
Suì-Fēng: "…"
If not for the hierarchy between them, she'd have punched him right then and there.
Ginrei's expression darkened. "Kōga, explain clearly. What exactly happened?"
Kōga nodded.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he swiftly recounted the events of the night.
Upon entering the courtyard where Tsunayashiro Takatori was hiding, he had barely taken action when he realized he'd walked into an ambush.
Takatori had anticipated an attack and had hidden over a dozen skilled fighters in the courtyard.
Initially, Kōga hadn't planned to engage head-on. He fought defensively, biding his time for an opening.
Mid-battle, he used Kidō to create the illusion of his escape while hiding in a rock garden within the courtyard, intending to capture Takatori once his pursuers left.
Unexpectedly, the enemy had a Kidō expert who easily dispelled his illusion and located him.
Cornered, Kōga had no choice but to unleash his Bankai.
Instantly, every Zanpakutō on the battlefield betrayed its wielder, plunging the scene into chaos.
The sword of Takatori seemed to have harbored long-standing resentment toward its master.
The moment the battle began, his Zanpakutō struck with lethal intent.
His subordinates didn't even have time to intervene before they watched helplessly as Takatori was impaled through the chest by his own blade.
Amid the chaos in the Tsunayashiro household, Kōga finally seized the opportunity to escape the scene.
After hearing the report, Ginrei nodded.
He stood up. "Lord Shihōin, Lord Satoru."
"I must attend to this matter... Please excuse me."
Before leaving, he cautioned:
"Recent events may trigger significant upheaval. Please remain vigilant."
With that, Ginrei exited the room and vanished with a flash step.
Satoru turned to Kōga, intending to inquire further, only to see the latter bow slightly before hastily departing.
In the following days, just as Ginrei had predicted, the Soul Society experienced tremendous upheaval.
First, all branch families of the Tsunayashiro clan donned plain hemp garments, and the gates of their estates were draped in mourning decorations.
Though the Tsunayashiro made no official announcement, it was immediately apparent that someone of great importance had died.
Soon after, an unprecedented internal conflict erupted within Central 46.
The faction led by Tsunayashiro launched a ferocious assault against the Kuchiki faction.
Had it not been for the Shihōin family's intervention, the Kuchiki would likely have suffered severe losses.
Noble families across the Soul Society sensed something unusual in this bloody confrontation.
Some chose sides, others remained neutral, while many adopted a wait-and-see approach—responses varied widely.
As the truth gradually came to light, the nobles' reactions grew increasingly fascinating.
Satoru had expected the nobility to disapprove of the Kuchiki's ruthless retaliation.
Instead, upon learning how decisively the Kuchiki had struck—avenging their in-laws' deaths by eliminating three generations of the opposing family's main lineage—the nobles reacted with awe and reverence.
Many minor nobles who had previously remained neutral now extended overtures of goodwill to the Kuchiki.
Hearing this, Satoru couldn't help but marvel at the turn of events.
As expected of the Soul Society, where strength reigns supreme—how brutally realistic.
With the situation having escalated so dramatically, there wasn't much Satoru could do for the time being.
After reporting the circumstances to Yamamoto, he returned to his usual street-roaming… ahem, leisurely routine.
Somewhere in Rukongai, a secret laboratory.
Aizen stood in the room, holding several test tubes, squinting as he observed the reactions inside.
Not far away, Satoru lounged lazily on a sofa like a carefree old man, swinging his legs as he rambled on.
After comparing several sets of experimental samples, Aizen nodded in satisfaction.
At this rate, he would soon find the right soul wavelength data.
Perhaps he should take advantage of the recent opportunity to test capturing a Menos Grande?
Just as he was considering this, he overheard Satoru mention Kōga Kuchiki.
Originally only sparing five percent of his attention to Satoru, Aizen suddenly let out a soft "Hm?" and turned to look at him.
"Wait. You just said Kōga Kuchiki claimed he never intended to confront you head-on and was planning to stall for time?"
Satoru nodded. "Yeah… Wait, why is that your weird point of focus?"
Aizen ignored him and pressed on. "How long was he gone in total?"
Satoru abruptly sat up, his expression shifting to rapid contemplation.
"Hmm… About two hours?"
Aizen narrowed his eyes.
Holding the test tube, he fell into deep thought.
Seeing Aizen's reaction, Satoru suddenly had a bad feeling.
Under his gaze, Aizen pondered for a moment.
Then, he suddenly turned to Satoru with an eerie look in his eyes.
"Satoru, be wary of Kōga Kuchiki."
"That man… is suspicious."
Hearing Aizen's calm declaration, Satoru felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine…
...
...
Seireitei, inside the Western Gate.
Over two hundred uniformed boys and girls, their faces alight with excitement, had gathered here.
Their eyes sparkled with anticipation as they chattered among themselves, occasionally glancing around restlessly.
Among the crowd, Aizen stood quietly, appearing so well-behaved and adorable that he might be snatched away by some strange older sister at any moment.
Today was the day new recruits would be assigned to their divisions.
Many captains had come in person.
Those who couldn't make it had sent their lieutenants.
At the very least, a high-ranking seated officer was present.
These officers would select the talents they wanted based on the students' submitted preferences.
Those like Seinosuke and Satoru, who had already been pre-selected by their divisions, naturally didn't need to participate.
Incidentally, Aizen's preference form had stated "willing to follow any arrangement."
In this era where young personalities were beginning to shine, such a heartwarming choice moved the captains who had come to scout recruits.
And with that emotion came competition.
Though Aizen's performance in the promotion exams was far less dazzling than Satoru's, it was still impressive enough.
With his potential, he was guaranteed at least a lieutenant position in the future, and further advancement wasn't out of the question.
With such expectations, multiple divisions extended olive branches to him.
Aizen, who had originally intended to keep a low profile and join any random division, found himself with a headache over the sudden attention.
Then, amidst the clamor, he spotted a familiar figure through the sea of heads.
Satoru, dressed in the black shihakushō, sat at the interview table for Squad 2, enthusiastically chatting with a group of female graduates.
Aizen couldn't help but facepalm.
He really didn't want to admit that this guy was his friend...