"Bastard!"
Veins pulsed on his scarred head. Yamamoto, usually calm and composed, now had eyes wide with fury, as if a raging fire were burning within them.
"I truly wish I could split your head open to see what on earth is inside!"
"Transferring all the retired personnel from the Maggot's Nest without authorization... do you intend to build a second Gotei 13?!"
Naraku Sora muttered a quiet rebuttal, "I didn't transfer all of them; there are still a few left inside."
"Yoruichi said it herself—the Maggot's Nest has frequent riots, and the Second Division is currently short-staffed. They can't spare anyone to suppress them."
"Plus, the Shino Prison is lacking personnel. Letting those retired members return to work and contribute to the development of the Soul Society is a win-win situation!"
Yamamoto laughed out of sheer exasperation.
The Second Division clearing out the Maggot's Nest was one 'win,' and the Shino Prison gaining new manpower was the second 'win.'
But has this bastard considered my feelings for even a moment?
Since last night, secret orders from the Inner Court had been arriving non-stop. From lower-seated Sages to Judges, those fellows in the Central 46 seemed to have gone mad, constantly sending people to ask what exactly happened at the Maggot's Nest.
It resulted in him not getting a wink of sleep all night.
"If it were one or two, I could cover for you," Yamamoto said in a heavy tone. "But when you only leave one or two behind, it becomes very difficult to handle."
"The 'prisoners' of the Maggot's Nest have not, in a strict sense, committed any substantive violations of the law, but they are still nominally classified as 'dangerous elements'."
As his voice fell, Naraku Sora looked at Yamamoto with a strange expression.
It was as if he were looking at someone whose IQ was inferior to his own. Such an insulting gaze caused the fire in Yamamoto's heart to surge instantly. Just as he was about to explode, he heard Naraku Sora speak:
"Teacher, which clause of the Soul Society's regulations forbids transferring retired personnel from the Maggot's Nest to the Shino Prison?"
Yamamoto frowned.
"As far as I know, the procedure for personnel transfers from the Maggot's Nest only requires two stamps: one from the Second Division and one from the Onmitsukidō."
"As it happens, I have both."
Naraku Sora produced the stamped documents Yoruichi had prepared in advance and pushed them toward the silent old man.
Yamamoto: "..."
Honestly, before this, he had never imagined anyone would strictly abide by those so-called Soul Society regulations—even though they were formulated by the highest judicial body, the Central 46.
In a sense, the regulations served more to constrain the residents of the Rukongai and ordinary soldiers. This was the first time he had seen someone like Naraku Sora exploit a legal loophole.
However, looking at it this way, the boy indeed hadn't violated any Soul Society laws.
Yamamoto silently tucked the documents on the desk away. Since the procedures were legal and compliant, he only needed to hand them over to the Central 46.
As for the rest, he would let those old dogs bicker with the Five Noble Families.
At the thought of his disciple's other identity, Yamamoto felt a pang of chest pain.
He had initially thought the boy would intervene in the internal struggles of the Shihōin family as a retainer, but he never expected him to be the current head's fiancé.
Since the founding of the Soul Society, an incident of such an egregious nature had never occurred.
Until now, the Gold Seal Council was still locked in a heated argument over it. One faction insisted that Shihōin Yoruichi's actions were far too absurd and that Naraku Sora, who had slaughtered the Shihōin elders, needed to be severely punished.
Another faction believed that while the method was somewhat biased, it remained within the rules. As long as Yoruichi and Naraku Sora married soon, all would be well.
The rest were fence-sitters, siding with whichever party held the advantage.
In short, because of this boy's maneuvers, the current Gold Seal Council was a complete mess.
"We shall set this matter aside for now."
Yamamoto coughed lightly. "I will submit the documents to the Central 46 for review. If they are found to be forged, then you can expect to be locked in the Shino Prison yourself."
Naraku Sora grinned, seemingly not detecting the threat in his words at all.
"Weren't you asking me a few days ago about abnormal incidents in the Soul Society?"
Yamamoto changed the subject. "This is intelligence gathered by the patrol squads. Take a look."
Naraku Sora took the mission scroll and began reading it carefully.
There was a lot of text, mostly details, and nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary—it was just a common noble gathering.
"Strange, isn't it?"
Yamamoto picked up his teacup. His hands naturally emitted heat, causing the cooling tea to come back to a boil.
"What if I told you that every so often, a large number of souls disappear in this vicinity?"
...
"What's with that look?"
On the streets of the Junrinan district, two figures, a man and a woman, walked side by side. Both wore relatively magnificent noble attire, forming a sharp contrast with the outfits of the surrounding residents.
Fong Shaolin: "..."
The girl ignored his comment and even shot him a glare.
If it weren't for Lady Yoruichi's orders, nothing would have made her choose to wear traditional noble clothing and then carry out a mission with a guy who was trying to steal Lady Yoruichi away.
Ever since joining the Executive Militia, she had discarded those cumbersome noble customs and devoted herself wholeheartedly to various training.
The results were significant.
In just two and a half years, Fong Shaolin had made the leap from a reserve member to a direct member of the corps, successfully becoming one of Yoruichi's closest subordinates.
This had always been her goal.
Of course, this was also a tradition of the Fong family.
Beside her, Naraku Sora was also feeling a bit of a headache. In truth, according to his plan, since the location of the anomaly had been determined, he should have just brought a full squad and raided it directly.
However, due to insufficient evidence and the nature of the noble gathering, it was best to infiltrate first to avoid tipping them off. Once they understood the situation, they could plan anew.
After seeking help from Yoruichi, she had decisively sent her most capable subordinate.
Although the girl's eyes showed resistance, her actions were not sloppy in the slightest. She had agreed categorically and promised to complete the mission at all costs.
Ten minutes later, the two successfully blended into a large estate.
This was the private manor of the Yokota family.
Nobles from other Rukongai districts and the Seireitei were greeting each other warmly, with tedious etiquette appearing constantly.
Fong Shaolin lived up to her status as an elite of the Second Division, skillfully handling multiple inquiries and leading Naraku Sora deep into the manor.
The gathering was about to begin.
On the high platform, the head of the Yokota family gave an impassioned speech, criticizing that spiritual talent should not fall into the hands of those lowly commoners. As nobles, they should be the protagonists of the Soul Society.
This speech undoubtedly resonated strongly, and thunderous applause erupted below the stage.
Meanwhile, the young man in the corner frowned. A strong sense of unease surged in his heart, and his gaze constantly scanned the surroundings.
It was as if something terrible was about to happen.