First Division
The captains' regular meeting proceeded as usual.
The moment everyone entered the conference room, however, their attention immediately fell on the man seated at the head of the room.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto looked considerably younger.
It was as though time itself had reversed, erasing centuries from his face.
The astonishing transformation left more than a few captains openly staring.
Among those present, only Unohana Retsu, Kyōraku Shunsui, and Ukitake Jūshirō had ever seen Yamamoto in his younger days.
The others had absolutely no idea what to make of this version of their Captain-Commander and could only stare curiously at a man who appeared to have shed several hundred years overnight.
After a while, their gazes gradually moved away from Yamamoto and toward the three positions that remained empty.
The Third Division.
The Fifth Division.
And the Seventh Division.
Captain Kazuma, who should have been attending the meeting, had suddenly disappeared several days ago and hadn't been seen since.
Oddly enough, Yamamoto had yet to offer any official explanation or instruction concerning his absence.
Of course, every captain in the room was sharp enough to recognize the obvious.
The Captain-Commander had suddenly become dramatically younger at almost the exact same time Kazuma vanished.
There was no way the two events were unrelated.
Still, despite their curiosity, everyone silently agreed not to ask.
If Yamamoto wanted them to know the truth, he would tell them himself.
If he didn't, questioning him would accomplish nothing except possibly irritate the old man.
And so the conference room settled into an unusually strange silence, each captain lost in their own thoughts as they waited for the meeting to begin.
"Sorry, I'm a little late."
A mature-looking woman finally entered the room.
Batsu'unsai looked half asleep, exhaustion written clearly across her face.
Spending most of the previous night buried beneath a mountain of Seventh Division paperwork had taken a serious toll on her, and she'd barely slept.
'Why is she back?'
'Captain Batsu'unsai.... returned?'
Unohana, Shunsui, Ukitake, and Komamura all froze when they saw the familiar figure.
It had been years — far too many years — since any of them had last seen the former captain.
'Did the Captain-Commander call her back to take over the Third or Fifth Division?'
Each of them began forming their own theories, unable to figure out what Yamamoto was planning.
Those who'd never met Batsu'unsai assumed she must be some newly promoted captain.
"But I haven't heard anything about a new captain being promoted recently…"
Things were becoming increasingly interesting.
Batsu'unsai exchanged brief nods with Unohana and the others before walking directly toward the Seventh Division's position.
"All right. Since everyone is here, we will begin today's regular meeting."
Yamamoto's voice immediately quieted the room.
"First, several days ago, this old man gained a minor power up. My strength advanced another step, and as a consequence, my appearance has returned to a younger state."
"Second, Seventh Division Captain Kazuma is currently carrying out a confidential assignment. Until his return, Katori Batsu'unsai will serve as acting captain of the Seventh Division."
Apparently, Kazuma had been a terrible influence on Yamamoto.
The old man could now lie with a perfectly straight face.
A minor power up.
A confidential assignment.
He'd invented both excuses on the spot.
"What?"
Several captains stared in surprise.
They'd assumed the bespectacled woman was going to become the new captain of either the Third or Fifth Division.
Instead, she was temporarily replacing Kazuma?
What exactly was Yamamoto arranging?
And who was this woman?
"My name is Katori Batsu'unsai."
She stepped forward and gave a simple introduction.
"Beginning today, I will temporarily serve as acting captain of the Seventh Division. I look forward to working with all of you."
With that, she returned to her place and said nothing more.
Unohana gave her old friend a long look.
'Well, well. Those two certainly know how to make things interesting. The husband mysteriously disappears, and his wife comes back to cover his job.'
She certainly didn't believe Yamamoto's explanation.
Clearly, those people were scheming something again.
More importantly, they'd apparently decided to leave her out of it.
Once this meeting ended, Batsu'unsai was going to explain everything.
"Do any captains have matters requiring a report?"
In truth, Yamamoto had called today's meeting primarily to show off his rejuvenated appearance and formally announce Batsu'unsai's return.
There was nothing else particularly important.
He swept his gaze across the room.
No one stepped forward.
"Then this meeting is adjourned."
And just like that, the gathering ended.
"Batsu'unsai."
Unohana stopped her before she could leave.
"Come to the Fourth Division and have some tea with me."
Her old friend had returned without warning and had somehow ended up doing unpaid labor for her husband.
Unohana had questions.
"Of course. It's been far too long. We should catch up."
Batsu'unsai hadn't seen Unohana in many years either.
The two women left together, walking side by side toward the Fourth Division.
"Well, that's certainly strange."
Shunsui watched them disappear into the distance.
"Captain Batsu'unsai actually came back."
There had to be some hidden story behind this.
"Captain Kyōraku, you know the acting captain?"
Hitsugaya Tōshirō could no longer contain his curiosity and wandered over.
His body might have been small, but his appetite for gossip certainly wasn't.
"Well…"
Shunsui narrowed his eyes slightly and deliberately dragged out the word.
Everyone nearby immediately became impatient.
Even Suì-Fēng and Kuchiki Byakuya, those two masters of pretending not to care, stood nearby with their arms folded and perfectly indifferent expressions.
Their ears, however, were very much listening.
"Who cares who she is?"
Zaraki Kenpachi had absolutely no interest in Batsu'unsai's identity.
"I only care whether this acting captain can take one swing from me."
His thought process was simple as ever.
He even gave the Asauchi in his hand an eager little swing.
Komamura and Ukitake exchanged a glance.
Both already knew Batsu'unsai's identity, but since everyone else had gathered for the gossip, they decided to stay and enjoy the spectacle.
'If that woman became acting captain of the Seventh Division, she definitely has some connection to Kazuma.'
Mayuri's narrow eyes shifted thoughtfully beneath his mask.
A sinister smile began appearing on his face.
'Hehehe… perhaps she'll make excellent research material.'
Then Shunsui finally spoke.
"Captain Batsu'unsai is Captain Kazuma's wife."
"WHAT?!"
Several voices erupted at once.
Hitsugaya and the others stared at him in absolute disbelief.
Captain Kazuma had a wife?
The news hit them completely out of nowhere.
Until today, none of them had even known he was married.
"I knew it…"
Mayuri muttered under his breath, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
Just as he'd suspected, this mysterious woman really did have an intimate connection with Kazuma.
"And that's not all."
Shunsui casually dropped another bomb.
"Captain Batsu'unsai was also the first captain of the Eighth Division when the Gotei 13 was founded."
Silence.
Everyone sucked in a collective breath.
Even Mayuri froze.
The smile on his face stiffened.
A moment earlier, he'd been enthusiastically considering how best to study Batsu'unsai.
Now?
That idea disappeared immediately.
An original Gotei 13 captain was the kind of monster who might turn him into the research specimen instead.
Kenpachi's hand also stopped halfway through another enthusiastic swing of his Asauchi.
"An original captain…?"
He loved fighting.
But he wasn't an idiot.
He'd once defeated Unohana, true, but this woman was the wife of that absolute freak.
Kenpachi had no intention of gambling his life on the assumption that Batsu'unsai was the normal one in their marriage.