Chapter 221: The True Worth of Kenpachi
"HAHAHAHAHA!!"
"HOHOHOHO!!"
In the Fifth Division barracks, Shinji roared with laughter.
Aizen, carrying a stack of documents, passed by and narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight of his captain's state.
"Captain, would you like some medicine to calm down?"
Shinji spun around abruptly.
"Sōsuke! Have you heard?"
"That guy Satoru got thrown into the Eleventh Division as their captain!"
"That guy clearly had captain-level strength all along but never took the position, just happily slacking off in the division—it's downright despicable!"
"Justice has finally been served! He got what he deserved!"
"Rejoice, rejoice!"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
Aizen glanced at him.
Then, he walked into the room and slammed the stack of documents onto the table with a thud.
Shinji: "?"
Aizen said calmly:
"Captain, these documents require your personal review. Please finish them before lunch—I'll come to collect them then."
With that, he turned and left.
Shinji's smile vanished entirely: "Wait, hold on a second! Sōsuke, don't you usually handle these?"
"Sorry, Captain Hirako, I'm very busy. Due to the captain's inaction, there's a lot of work for this vice-captain to handle."
"If you'd like to share some of the burden, I wouldn't object."
Shinji's expression shifted dramatically, and he quickly withdrew his outstretched hand.
No way—after all these years as captain, he'd only ever delegated work outward. When had he ever taken it back?
Watching Aizen's retreating figure, he curled his lip in displeasure.
Damn it, that Sōsuke... even though he's my vice-captain, he always sides with Satoru.
Hmph! Since you're so protective of him, I'll go see the commotion for myself!
While his subordinates outside the door were distracted, Shinji flashed away from the Fifth Division, heading toward the Eleventh Division.
He hadn't gone far when he spotted a familiar figure.
Straw hat, flower-patterned cloak, hairpin.
It was Shunsui Kyōraku!
Like him, Shunsui was also heading toward the Eleventh Division.
"Yo! Captain Kyōraku!"
Shinji landed beside Shunsui and raised a hand in greeting.
"My, it's been a while, Captain Hirako. What brings you..."
Shunsui blinked, looking his colleague up and down.
Shinji grinned widely. "I'm guessing we're heading to the same place."
At this, Shunsui coughed lightly.
"My junior here is usually quite lazy. Now that he's been assigned to lead the most unruly division, he's probably struggling terribly."
"As his senior, I can't just stand by and watch."
"I was just going to see if there's any way I can help."
Shinji chuckled inwardly.
If Shunsui hadn't been carrying several bottles of sake, he might have actually believed him.
Though these partners-in-crime exchanged different pleasantries on the surface, their true intentions were perfectly aligned.
Today, they would definitely enjoy watching Satoru struggle miserably!
On their way to the Eleventh Division, they encountered Jūshirō Ukitake.
Unlike those two troublemakers, Ukitake was genuinely concerned about Satoru, worried that as a new captain, he might not handle the complexities of leadership well.
He had come specifically to offer real help.
After the three met up, they proceeded together to the Eleventh Division barracks.
From afar, they could hear shouts and battle cries coming from inside.
Jūshirō's heart sank.
Shinji and Shunsui, however, both lit up simultaneously, breaking into wide grins.
The two moved faster than Ukitake, both using Flash Step to dash forward.
In the next moment, they landed together on the outer wall of the Eleventh Division and looked inside.
What they saw made them both freeze in surprise.
Under their astonished gazes, the Eleventh Division presented a scene of perfect harmony.
The Shinigami on patrol duty moved along their routes with complete focus.
Those training were practicing with sweat pouring down their faces.
The battle cries they had heard earlier were the shouts of these training Shinigami as they swung their wooden swords.
Shinji's eyes widened, hardly believing the scene before him.
He had heard rumors about what the Eleventh Division was like.
Even when Captain Chōjirō was in charge, let alone after his resignation, the Eleventh Division had been chaotic.
Attendance rates were always low, training standards were poor, and when dispatched on missions, the squads were disorganized.
Once, the Eleventh Division sent out thirty people, but only twelve returned.
The rest hadn't been killed—they had gotten lost.
It took several days for the remaining dozen or so to straggle back to the division.
Before coming here, he had thought that even Satoru would need at least a month to sort out this mess.
So what explained the scene before him?
As he pondered this, he saw a squad approaching the main gate.
At the front was a muscular man with a mohawk, a Zanpakutō at his waist.
While walking, he roared:
"Listen up, you bastards!"
"Captain Satoru is watching us on this mission!"
"If any of you embarrass me, I'll chop you up and feed you to the Hollows!"
Rather than resisting his shouts, the Shinigami in the squad all wore excited expressions.
"What kind of joke is this, Sixth Seat Kameda! Who would embarrass themselves at a time like this!"
"Exactly! That's Satoru... the Satoru who dared to confront the Captain-Commander head-on!"
"I'm definitely going to be the one who slays the most Hollows, so Lord Satoru will reward me!"
"Fool! I'll be the one slaying the most Hollows! Big Brother Satoru should reward me!"
The squad grew rowdy, on the verge of starting a fight.
But just then, Sixth Seat Kameda suddenly roared:
"Bastards! What are you doing!"
"Big Brother Satoru said that those who attack their comrades are the lowest of scum!"
"Do you want to disappoint Big Brother Satoru?"
At these words, everyone had a sudden realization.
Immediately, the muscular men started slapping each other's arms, giving thumbs up, and cheering each other on for the mission.
Kameda nodded with satisfaction:
"Is the personnel organizer here yet?"
A Shinigami raised his hand: "Sixth Seat! I'm here!"
Kameda grunted in acknowledgment: "Your task is to keep watch throughout for anyone who gets lost or separated from the squad. If anyone goes missing, use Kidō to track them immediately!"
"Make sure we return with the exact same number of people we left with!"
"Yes!"
After organizing the squad, everyone left the 11th Division barracks and ran toward Rukongai.
Shinji: "?"
Th-this... this can't be right?
He looked at Shunsui beside him and saw the latter wearing an equally bewildered expression.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Shunsui flashed away and returned with a captured informant.
Thanks to his position as Captain of the Eighth Division, he quickly broke through the other party's guard.
After chatting for a while, he casually remarked:
"Speaking of which... Satoru doesn't hold the title of Kenpachi, right? I remember the Eleventh Division only acknowledges the Kenpachi title, don't they?"
Hearing this, the division member couldn't help but laugh.
"Kenpachi?"
"Does Satoru need a title like that to prove his worth?"
"He's the man who dared to face the Captain-Commander shirtless!"
"If anything, the title of Kenpachi needs Satoru to prove its worth!"
Shunsui: "..."
Damn.