After the captain's meeting, Jushiro Ukitake returned to the barracks and explained the situation to Kaien. And just as Yecheng knew, a special team led by Shinji Hirako was formed to go to the scene of the incident to investigate.
The lineup of three captains and three vice-captains made everyone, including the Head Captain, believe that this investigation would be a sure thing.
However, the facts proved that without much outside interference, the plot did not change much. Shinji Hirako and the others were still defeated and framed as traitors by Aizen.
Because the smartest man in the Soul Society, Kisuke Urahara, realized something was wrong in advance, he used the Hogyoku to save Shinji Hirako and his group, but he was also framed and fled to the Human World with Yoruichi Shihoin.
The Hollowfied Shinji Hirako and the others formed the so-called "Visoreds." And the Gotei 13 also entered its weakest period in history.
The "Visoreds" took away a total of four captains and vice-captains. In addition, Yoruichi Shihoin of the Second Division and Kisuke Urahara of the Twelfth Division, and later Isshin Shiba of the Tenth Division (who would become Isshin Kurosaki), would also reside in the Human World.
This means that with Aizen's actions, the Gotei 13 lost more than half of its combat power.
And with Kisuke Urahara and the others fleeing to the Human World, the large number of vacant captain positions was quickly filled by new blood from the various divisions.
The Second Division was taken over by the [flat-chested] Soi Fon. The [hair wax big shot] of the Fifth Division came online as he wished. The Department of Research and Development of the Twelfth Division was taken over by the former vice-director, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
As for the remaining divisions, because Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tosen, and Sajin Komamura and others did not have enough seniority, they were not able to directly take over the captain positions for the time being.
In the Thirteenth Division's barracks, [Uga no Dou], Jushiro Ukitake and Yecheng sat facing each other.
Two years have passed, and although Ukitake spends most of his time at home due to his physical condition and generally leaves the division's affairs to Kaien, he is not completely hands-off. He has been watching Yecheng's performance and growth over the past two years.
Putting his strength aside, Yecheng's demeanor and work efficiency are clearly not like those of a trainee Shinigami who just graduated from Shin'ō Academy.
Kaien is a genius, and when he first joined the Thirteenth Division, he became the Third Seat. Although Yecheng is not as good as him, in two years, he has also become the Fifth Seat of the Thirteenth Division.
He could have been promoted even higher, but Yecheng refused multiple times.
The reason he gave was that the Third and Fourth Seats in their division were both cute girls, and Yecheng didn't want to [take something they liked]. But in reality, Yecheng felt that the Fifth Seat was a perfect match for his current status.
If the position is too high, it's easy to be used as an experimental subject and be noticed by certain big shots. But if the position is too low, it's easy to become a so-called [cannon fodder]. So, in Yecheng's opinion, the Fifth Seat is just right.
"Yecheng, I'm sure you've heard about the recent events in the Gotei 13. The Third, Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Divisions all have a large number of personnel vacancies. Putting aside the captain positions, when the Head Captain asked if there were any suitable candidates from other divisions to serve as vice-captains or seated officers, I thought of you. I'm wondering what you think?"
"To become a vice-captain, you must at least master 'Shikai' and have a certain level of spiritual pressure. But as far as I know, you should have already met the standard for both, right? You and Kaien have been sparring and training in [Koiseyama] in West Rukongai, haven't you?"
When Yecheng heard what Captain Ukitake said, he understood why the captain was so serious about talking to him today. It turned out he was preparing to recommend him to another division to be a vice-captain!
Putting aside the Seventh Division, are the Third, Fifth, and Ninth Divisions places where you can just go to?
"Captain, I just want to stay in the Thirteenth Division. This is my wish, and I also don't believe that my current strength is enough to serve as a vice-captain."
Are you kidding me? The reason Yecheng is being low-key is to avoid attracting the attention of the boss squad. Ukitake is trying to put him there? Is he trying to force him to switch sides?
The [hair wax big shot] has personal charisma and is a master of rhetoric. His attitude towards his subordinates is not great, but at least he's not heartless.
However, the key point is that his opponent is a famous [cheat], Ichigo, who has the bloodlines of Shinigami, Hollows, and Quincy all in one. If he can't win, he'll just [activate his cheat]. As the [son of the world], he cannot be judged by common sense.
"If you become a vice-captain, the treatment is worlds apart from that of a seated officer. And with your talent, you might even become a captain one day. It's not a simple matter for a Gotei 13 member to switch divisions. If it weren't for this special situation, you might not have another opportunity like this in the future. Are you really sure you want to give up?"
Looking at Yecheng, who has an outstanding appearance and a great personality, Ukitake is genuinely a bit puzzled. Most Shinigami who join the Gotei 13 aim to become vice-captains or captains and climb up the ranks.
But now, the opportunity to become a vice-captain is within his grasp, and Yecheng is making all sorts of excuses to decline.
Kaien was like this before, too. If he hadn't actively invited him to become the vice-captain, he would probably still be training hard at [Koiseyama] in West Rukongai.
Could it be that their Thirteenth Division is destined to be full of [lazy people]? He, a captain, is a [hands-off manager] every day due to his physical condition, which has led to a bad atmosphere in the division, so now the people in the division have no ambition and just want to [lie flat] every day.
"Since that's the case, we'll discuss this later. Also, there's another matter I need to ask you to do. According to intelligence, a city in the Human World called [Ukishima Town] has recently had a large number of souls appear. The Department of Research and Development has detected that there might be a Hollow in that city that has grown into a [Gillian] by devouring a large number of souls, so I need you to go there and handle it."
Yecheng knows about the matter Ukitake mentioned. After all, he is also the Fifth Seat of the Thirteenth Division. But as far as he knows, someone should have already handled this matter. So, he said, "The matter in Ukishima Town wasn't it handled by the Third Seat? Why..."
"Although Third Seat Rukawa's strength is good, she has no experience fighting a Hollow. So, I think it would be more prudent to have you go. Originally, it would be most prudent to have Kaien go, but the Seireitei has a rule that for beings above the vice-captain level, to avoid causing too much damage to the Human World, their spiritual pressure will be sealed when they pass through the [Senkaimon], and they can only exert one-fifth of their spiritual pressure."
And when he heard what Ukitake said, Yecheng was speechless. He understands that Kaien, as a vice-captain, can't just go to the Human World, but the Third Seat of the division has no experience fighting a Hollow, and he does?
He only graduated from Shin'ō Academy two years ago! He's the real rookie, okay!