Takasugi and Rentaro's eyes widened in horror.
A stern old man with white hair, a middle-aged man in a tattered straw raincoat, and a dark-skinned girl with a sneering grin.
The three stood in the sunlight, clad in white haori, and walked up to them.
"You two have some nerve, daring to lay a hand on my people," Yoruichi Shihōin sneered, cracking her knuckles with sharp clicks.
Shunsui Kyōraku let out a long sigh. "That kid Masatsuki always gets on my nerves, but at the end of the day, he's still my junior."
"If I just let this slide, the old man will chew me out again, and Lisa will be upset, too. Honestly… so why don't you two just stay put?"
At his words, Takasugi and Rentaro remained frozen, but Yoruichi Shihōin's eye twitched slightly at the mention of Lisa Yadōmaru.
Ginrei Kuchiki cast a glance at the two younger men before silently stepping toward them.
He had never been particularly good at dealing with younger people.
And rather than wasting time lecturing an enemy, he much preferred to let his actions speak for him.
Takasugi and Rentaro looked like they had seen a ghost, scrambling backward on the ground in a desperate attempt to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the three figures who had suddenly appeared. To them, these three were nothing short of monsters.
And then, the monsters' Reiatsu burst forth, raw and overwhelming.
Their faces turned deathly pale.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Sensing the three powerful Reiatsu, Masatsuki Aozaki looked up, grinning as he glanced toward the direction where the two captain-level Shinigami had fled.
All familiar faces.
With these three working together, even Old Man Yama would have a real fight on his hands.
Masatsuki could clearly feel their Reiatsu, but it was impossible to gauge the details of the battle just from that.
Still, the outcome was already set in stone. Even if the entire force of the Tsunayashiro Clan showed up, they wouldn't be able to take anyone from these three.
...
Before long, under the curious gazes of Ryūsui, Izumo, and the 6th Division members, Shunsui Kyōraku and Yoruichi Shihōin approached at a leisurely pace.
"Yoruichi," Masatsuki Aozaki called out.
At the sound of his voice, Yoruichi Shihōin grinned, waving at him before quickly making her way over.
"Masatsuki, you okay?"
Shunsui Kyōraku landed beside them with a sigh, exasperated. "You brat, I am here too, you know!"
"I'm fine." Masatsuki held Yoruichi Shihōin's hand, speaking softly to reassure her.
Only after seeing her nod did he finally turn his head. "Oh, Senpai, you're here too."
Shunsui Kyōraku: "..."
This kid—he's a completely different person when there's a woman around. If this keeps up, this "Senpai" is really going to get mad!
Shunsui Kyōraku was just about to make a snarky remark when Masatsuki Aozaki suddenly spoke with unusual seriousness.
"Senpai, thank you."
"...Masatsuki, are you really okay?"
Shunsui Kyōraku hesitated for a moment before asking. Masatsuki's expression was serious, but his body told a different story—covered in blood, swaying unsteadily.
A deep gash ran across his chest, still bleeding, and his shoulder had a gaping wound. There was no way he was "fine."
Was this kid just trying to act tough so I wouldn't worry? Or was he showing off in front of Yoruichi?
Masatsuki patted his chest, then promptly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Wiping his mouth with an indifferent expression, he said,
"Just a scratch, nothing serious. The real problem is that I overexerted my Reiatsu."
"How did those two end up?"
Kyōraku glanced at him, then smiled.
"One of the rebels, who was already badly injured, was… let's just say, accidentally killed by us."
"The other one was captured. Captain Kuchiki is escorting him to await trial by the Central 46."
Masatsuki nodded, satisfied with the outcome.
After all, both of them were captain-level opponents—it wouldn't be ideal to just kill them outright.
This time, they had learned from past experiences and avoided saying anything they shouldn't.
The one who survived was Takasugi. After taking a slash from each of the three—Kyōraku, Ginrei Kuchiki, and Yoruichi—he wisely surrendered.
As for Rentaro, his injuries were already severe, and before he even had the chance to beg for mercy, Yoruichi had cleanly beheaded him in a single stroke—an "accident."
Compared to Rentaro, who was "accidentally killed," Takasugi was lucky. He got to keep his life, at least for now, and await the judgment of the Central 46.
Though, who knew what kind of sentence they would hand down?
"Takasugi is such a coward. All it took was one slash, and he spilled everything without hesitation," Yoruichi scoffed in disdain.
"But Rentaro… now he had guts. He knew exactly who you were and still had the nerve to come after you."
Masatsuki raised an eyebrow. "So you killed him?"
"It was an accident, just an accident. You're not mad, are you?" Yoruichi waved a hand dismissively, sticking out her tongue. "Don't worry, I'll handle the Central 46."
"Why would I be mad? I'm actually relieved." Masatsuki shook his head.
"If Takasugi hadn't shown up so early, I would've killed him myself."
He had no intention of compromising with those who wanted him dead.
If he showed weakness, people like them would only take advantage, and trouble would never stop coming.
Anyone who wanted to kill him had to be prepared to pay the price.
And the price of life was just right.
...
"By the way, little brother, you're pretty incredible—defeating a captain-level opponent."
Shunsui Kyōraku grinned, spreading his hands in mock fear.
"At this rate, give it a few years, and even I might not be able to beat you."
Masatsuki shrugged and laughed.
"Senpai, don't joke. I just got lucky. Besides, that Rentaro guy was nothing compared to the captains of the Gotei 13."
And that was the truth.
The stronger one's Reiatsu, the harder it was to progress.
He wasn't entirely confident he could surpass Kyōraku in just a few years.
For now, he had the prisoners in the Nest of Maggots to use as sparring partners, so his training speed wouldn't slow down.
But once he reached the Third-Class Reiatsu level, then what?
Going back to the Nest of Maggots would be inefficient. Sparring with Yoruichi? He couldn't go all out.
It's not like he could just waltz into the Central Underground Great Prison either.
At that point, his training speed would drop. He needed to figure something out.
Masatsuki rubbed his chin, lost in thought, but no good ideas came to mind. He could only sigh in frustration.
Kyōraku, unaware of his inner turmoil, simply assumed his junior was feeling the effects of his injuries.
Glancing at Yoruichi, who was fussing over Masatsuki, Kyōraku suddenly had an idea.
"Captain Yoruichi, my dear junior is pretty banged up. I'll leave it to you to take him to the 4th Division."
"Got it!" Yoruichi immediately raised her hand.
Masatsuki raised an eyebrow. "And you, Senpai? Planning to slack off?"
You little brat, how could you think so little of your Senpai? Is that really the impression I give?
Kyōraku rolled his eyes. "You think I have time to slack off?"
"I need to stay behind and clean up this mess. And someone has to report everything to Master, right?"
"What's with that look? You don't trust me?"
"How about this—you go report to Master, and I'll go to the 4th Division for you?"
"Yeah, no thanks. That's not something you can just swap out." Masatsuki waved him off.
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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