Chapter 107: Dawn Before the Deadline
"And regardless of how he managed to reappear after several centuries, the assault on the First Division was most likely Muramasa's revenge, or an attempt to find a way to save his master. But that method is only known by the Captain Commander who sealed Kuchiki Kyoka back then, and by your grandfather."
"Your grandfather is no longer alive. That leaves only the Captain Commander. There is no other choice."
"At present, the Captain Commander's whereabouts are unknown. Judging from the enemy's attitude, they might not know where he is either. So they intend to crush the Gotei 13 to force the Captain Commander to appear, or perhaps pressure us into finding him ourselves."
"Either way, we will contend with them during this time and strive to defeat them."
"Even so, we still need to bring Kuchiki Kyoka under control first."
"The Kuchiki Clan has some knowledge of him, and Nayura is the librarian of the Great Spirit Library Corridor. So the task of investigating Kuchiki Kyoka's sealing location, and the means of unsealing him, falls to the two of you."
"Please allow me to refuse."
Byakuya shook his head.
"Although my grandfather left a verbal instruction, there is no other information regarding him. That person has already been removed from the Kuchiki Clan, so we cannot claim to understand him. Therefore, please let me go to the front lines."
"That is acceptable," Takeru said, voice calm. "But do not take it upon yourself to do anything unnecessary."
Byakuya paused.
Kyōraku and Nayura also looked at Takeru in surprise.
He agreed just like that?
No. Rather than agreeing, it felt like he had been waiting specifically for Byakuya to say those words.
And then he took the chance to set a condition.
That made it difficult for Byakuya to refuse a second time.
But was it really necessary to go to such lengths?
When they saw the hesitation on Byakuya's face, Kyōraku and Nayura suddenly understood.
It was genuinely necessary.
"Captain Kuchiki," Kyōraku said, tone blunt but not unkind, "forgive me for being direct. You are not planning to resolve the criminal the Kuchiki Clan failed to handle using only your own power, are you?"
Byakuya closed his eyes.
"That was a verbal instruction left by my grandfather, demanding that I must slay him whenever he causes chaos again," he said in a low voice. "To achieve this, I must go to the front lines, and if necessary… I will leave the Gotei 13 battlefield and resolve the root of this incident myself."
"That," Takeru said, leaning back in his chair, "is exactly what I mean by unnecessary actions."
His gaze remained steady.
"Once the battle begins, I will be responsible for commanding the front lines. If you act independently, you will cause me trouble. Do you understand?"
"…Understood." Byakuya opened his eyes and looked directly at him. His decision came fast, as if he had cut something away inside his chest. "I will abandon that idea and always prioritize the greater good of the Gotei 13."
"Thank you for your understanding."
"No." Byakuya's voice tightened, then steadied. "It is I who was too stubborn, placing the honor of the Kuchiki Clan above the safety of Seireitei. That clearly goes against the Kuchiki Clan's precepts. I am the one who should say thank you."
His eyes did not waver.
"Captain Shimiya warned me with both words and actions. Despite not being a noble, you immediately gave up on slaying the opponent before you, prioritizing the protection of the Sixth Division District and Seireitei. How could I disregard my duties as captain and impose an extra burden on Captain Shimiya due to my personal desires?"
As he spoke, Byakuya bowed solemnly.
Takeru stood, stepped forward, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Although Brother Kurosaki often calls you stubborn, I know how reliable you are." His voice softened, just slightly. "So I still plan to have you work with Nayura. Not to lead the investigation, but to serve as Nayura's guard."
He turned his eyes toward the corridor beyond the office, as if already mapping the next battlefield.
"I suspect the enemy might also target the Great Spirit Library Corridor. You might encounter enemies, or even face a more dangerous attack. That counts as being on the front lines, so you have no objections now, right?"
"Investigation, doubling as bait," Byakuya said, expression unchanged. "That suits me perfectly."
Nayura's brows twitched. She looked openly displeased.
"To let me, someone who is not a member of the Gotei 13, take on such a great risk… Takeru, how do you plan to compensate me?"
"I'll take you to visit the World of the Living when we have a chance," Takeru replied without missing a beat. "For example, how about a beach resort?"
Nayura's mood flipped so quickly it was almost suspicious.
"Oh, that's a good suggestion. It instantly gives me the enthusiasm to continue searching for a needle in a haystack among the deep records." She waved a hand, already turning. "Well then, let's not delay. Let's go, Head of the Kuchiki Clan."
"Do not call me Head of the Clan," Byakuya said crisply as he followed. "Please use my rank."
After the two left, Kyōraku slumped into his chair and smiled wryly.
"So Old Man Yama was making decisions while bearing that kind of pressure," he murmured. "And he's been doing it for over a thousand years. I really admire him."
"It's almost dawn."
Takeru walked to the window and gazed at the hazy glow on the Seireitei horizon.
"We just narrowly escaped death, yet we have to sit down and handle all sorts of matters."
He spoke like someone listing chores, but his eyes were sharp.
"Compared to you, I have it easy, just dealing with routine division tasks. But you have much more to worry about. Discussing with Captain Kurotsuchi the effects of a materialized Zanpakuto being destroyed on its owner, and finding ways to gather intelligence to counter the enemy forces."
He paused, then added, "Captain Unohana and Ukitake are also busy performing surgeries and handling logistical support. Even Ichigo went to help."
Just like that, dawn broke.
Kyōraku reached for his cup out of habit, only to find it empty. He sighed, got up, and poured some water.
Takeru stared into the pale light outside and said quietly, "I'm thinking about what our Zanpakuto are doing, and what they plan to do, now that it's dawn."
"It would be a real shame for them not to attack right now," Kyōraku replied, walking back with his cup. He stopped beside Takeru, shoulder to shoulder, both of them facing the horizon.
"For us, it would also be a bit of a shame if they didn't come. After all, both you and Captain Kurotsuchi prepared to keep all of them in the Fourth Division."
"They probably won't come," Takeru said softly.
Kyōraku's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Therefore… we should think carefully about where their next target will be."
He glanced sideways. "What do you think, Captain Shimiya?"
"The Sixth Division District, or the Great Spirit Library Corridor in the Seireitei Central Area, are both possibilities." Takeru's voice stayed even. "But I feel it's not that simple."
He exhaled slowly.
"Although I said that to Byakuya earlier, right now, rather than a reasonable deduction, I need a counter intuitive guess."
"…Counter intuitive?" Kyōraku repeated, thoughtful.
Takeru turned away from the window, stretching his arms.
"Forget it. I won't think about it anymore. Let's go eat something and get some good sleep. Maybe I'll figure it out when I wake up."
Kyōraku chuckled. "It doesn't matter if we can't figure it out. If worse comes to worst, being blunt won't hurt. Old Man Yama often does that. Ukitake and I are already used to it, so coordinating shouldn't be a problem."
"Being blunt, huh…"
Takeru stopped.
Ink brush characters appeared before him, floating in the air.
[System: Give me some face. Although you didn't say so, a war that should have been much fiercer was hastily brought to an end because of you.]
[System: The machine soul is overjoyed, but also has nothing to say to you.]
[System: But you don't think so. After this battle, you once again profoundly realized the importance of Spiritual Pressure.]
[System: You know deeply that only Spiritual Pressure trumps all.]
[System: Therefore, while shouldering this heavy responsibility, your potential has been further released.]
[System: Your fervent soul, after a brief cool down in sleep, has reached Spiritual Might, Second Rank.]
"…Actually," Takeru said, lips twitching, "I'm quite good at that kind of style."
Several days later.
The First Division meeting hall.
The brand new round table and thirteen chairs remained as before.
Takeru arrived the earliest, chatting with Tsuchibone to pass the time.
Kyōraku and Ukitake, the old partners, arrived together with their two lieutenants, Ichigo and Nanao.
"Morning, Captain Shimiya Takeru, Vice Captain Tsuchibone…" Kyōraku's gaze flicked, then he grinned. "Oh, I almost missed him. Vice Captain Hisagi."
Shūhei, hearing his name, quickly greeted them as well.
After the exchange of greetings, Kyōraku sat down with a chuckle and asked casually, "What were you two talking about? I think I heard something about personnel changes in the First Division, but I might have misheard."
"You didn't mishear," Takeru said.
He glanced at Ichigo, who had sat down beside him to rest while waiting for the others.
"I was drawing on Vice Captain Tsuchibone's experience in managing a division, using the recent internal personnel changes in the First Division as a teaching example."
At those words, the four newcomers all looked at Tsuchibone.
With Head Captain Genryūsai absent, if Takeru wanted to manage the First Division well with his own ability, the immediate priority was to relieve the internal pressure.
Whether it was Kyōraku, Ukitake, Ichigo, or Nanao, all of them understood, to varying degrees, how difficult it was to manage the First Division. They also understood exactly what that "internal pressure" referred to.
Judging by Tsuchibone's solemn expression, the problem had been resolved, or at least alleviated.
The solution was naturally personnel changes, but the specifics were not easy to lay out in a room like this.
Kyōraku and Ukitake exchanged glances, then pretended nothing happened. They pulled Tsuchibone into conversation about old stories only veterans would know.
It was unclear whether they were simply reminiscing, or quietly conveying certain information to Tsuchibone.
Nanao listened with great interest.
Takeru, however, wasn't very interested in the nostalgia. He turned his head toward Ichigo.
"Hey," he said, "you cut your hair short again."
"Yeah. I don't like long hair, it feels annoying," Ichigo replied. "Since Rukia also wanted to cut her hair short, I went back to the Kuchiki Clan with her and borrowed their exclusive hairdresser."
Ichigo's current hairstyle basically matched his look from a year ago.
Takeru's eyes swept him once, then he smirked. "I feel like your hair density has decreased."
"What are you talking about?" Ichigo shot back immediately. He touched his own hair as if checking for damage, and only relaxed after confirming everything felt normal. Then he glared at Takeru. "There's no difference at all, okay?"
"How could there be no difference?" Takeru said, as if explaining a simple fact. "You've been studying so diligently these past few days. I could feel your joyful Spiritual Pressure even in the Ninth Division. Kido is different from other techniques. Studying it too much definitely causes hair loss."
"Stop lying." Ichigo's eyes widened. "You're a Kido master. How come you didn't go bald? Not only did you not go bald, your hair actually grew longer, and you got a new hairstyle."
"I learned this from a barber when I was alive," Takeru said, dead serious. "I liked his hairstyle, so I decided to get the same one. He agreed, but he said my eyes were too cold and advised me never to fight. Especially not to challenge a delinquent leader who looked like the King of Beasts just to become the school boss."
"Takeru, you jerk…" Ichigo ground out. "Do you think I haven't read the Crows manga? I almost got fooled by your serious expression!"
Before long, everyone had arrived.
It was worth mentioning that everyone who entered glanced at Takeru and Ichigo a few extra times.
Some talkative, lively people like Rangiku even gave a dramatic thumbs up, declaring the two of them had become more handsome. She jokingly asked Takeru to develop beauty techniques when he had the chance later, adding that breast enlargement techniques would also be welcome, then deliberately stared at Hinamori Momo's chest so exaggeratedly that Momo blushed furiously.
Once everyone stood or sat in their respective places, Kyōraku, as the meeting host, spoke first.
"There are only ten days left until the enemy's deadline. Barring any surprises, this will be the final meeting before the expedition, so I will speak plainly."
"Over the past month, thanks to the efforts of Captain Aizen and me, along with the cooperation of Captain Kurotsuchi and Captain Soi Fon, the pre war preparations have proceeded quite smoothly."
"This includes the construction of the Senkaimon leading to Hueco Mundo, and the intelligence gathering on Hueco Mundo, the enemy's headquarters, and their military strength."
He looked around the table.
"I know everyone is more concerned about the enemy's strength, so… Captain Aizen, please explain the situation to everyone."
.....
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