Chapter 229: Kisuke, You Bastard!
Satoru's evil plan had failed.
He had found Zaraki, hoping the latter would take up the position of Eleventh Division captain.
Zaraki flatly refused.
He had already made up his mind to train diligently, then brutally defeat Satoru, making the latter his permanent sparring partner.
Until he could win through sheer strength, he absolutely would not become a captain.
Satoru was furious.
He's clearly just a brute who only knows how to slash, so why is he so stubborn?
Fortunately, he soon thought of Plan B.
If Zaraki wouldn't do, wasn't there still Kisuke?
That guy, although his Reiatsu level was far inferior to his own, seemed to have already learned Bankai thanks to that miraculous "Zanpakutō Spirit Copy."
Wouldn't it be perfect to have him become the Eleventh Division captain?
With excitement, he rushed to the Second Division, intending to press Kisuke into service.
But after searching everywhere, he couldn't find Kisuke anywhere.
When he asked Mayuri, he learned that Kisuke had disappeared the very first day Satoru went to the Eleventh Division.
Arriving at Kisuke's private laboratory, he found a note—
[Dear Mr. Satoru, greetings]
[I hope this note finds you well]
[Until you find a suitable scapegoat to take the Eleventh Division captain position, I will be going into hiding]
[Wishing you the best of luck in your endeavors]
[Sincerely, Kisuke Urahara]
Damn it!!!
Satoru gnashed his teeth in anger, tearing the letter to shreds.
Kisuke, you, you!!
With a heavy heart and a resolve to get back at Kisuke, Satoru turned and left.
Somewhere in the mountains of Rukongai.
Kisuke lay in a makeshift thatched hut, leisurely flipping through a book.
As he read, he suddenly sneezed.
Putting the book down, he grinned and looked in the direction of Seireitei.
Although he had thoroughly offended Mr. Satoru this time and would likely be beaten half to death afterward...
Still... compared to becoming the Eleventh Division captain, being beaten half to death was preferable.
A man must know how to make choices.
With a bold heart, he smiled dashingly, lay back down, and continued reading his book.
Enjoy the present moment, even if the future is a mess!
...
...
At the entrance of the Fifth Division, Aizen accepted documents handed to him by a squad member.
Just as he was about to head back, he saw Satoru running past in the distance.
Seeing Satoru's condition, he frowned slightly.
During their previous trip to North Rukongai, Satoru hadn't paid any attention to his personal appearance.
On the dusty, desolate ground, he had fought Zaraki for quite some time.
He was covered almost entirely in dirt, and his clothes were full of tears from the residual sword energy.
Although he wasn't injured, it was clear that he had been through a fairly intense battle.
Meanwhile, his own captain, who had clearly gone along, returned without a speck of dust on him.
When it really mattered, why was he so useless?
Thinking of his captain's lazy demeanor, Aizen narrowed his eyes.
...
...
A few days later, Satoru arrived at the First Division barracks.
All the captains had gathered together today.
Various figures clad in white haori stood in two rows inside the First Division barracks.
Everyone looked toward the entrance.
Chōjirō stood beside Yamamoto, his expression somewhat emotional.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he proclaimed loudly:
"The Gotei 13's new captain inauguration ceremony begins!"
"New captain, enter!"
Under the gaze of the crowd, a figure slowly walked in.
Over the black Shinigami Uniform, the familiar white haori was draped.
"Captain of the Eleventh Division, Satoru Mikami!!"
Someone slowly walked in and gave a casual greeting.
"Yo, everyone, have you eaten yet?"
Reactions varied among those present upon seeing him.
Rōjūrō and Kensei, who had previously worked part-time jobs under Satoru, showed no surprise at his appearance.
Rōjūrō secretly extended a hand and gave Satoru a thumbs-up.
Retsu seemed lost in thought, her mind wandering elsewhere.
Shinji maintained his usual frivolous expression.
Ginrei showed no reaction, embodying the aloof demeanor of a noble.
Shunsui lifted his straw hat and smiled at Satoru.
Kirio gave him a peace sign.
Jūshirō also smiled.
With Yamamoto's official order, Satoru officially became the captain of the Eleventh Division less than three years after graduation.
After the inauguration ceremony, several captains and vice-captains who were familiar with him gathered around, and the group enjoyed food and drinks together.
Everyone considered Satoru's takeover of the Eleventh Division to be natural.
Rather than Satoru, they were more interested in the new vice-captain recruited by the Eleventh Division.
Satoru didn't hold back in praising his vice-captain.
Hearing Satoru's praises for Zaraki, Shinji curled his lips.
He whispered to Aizen beside him:
"Hey now, Sōsuke, not that I'm trying to stir trouble, but from what I hear from that Satoru kid, it seems he thinks his vice-captain is stronger than you?"
Aizen glanced calmly at Shinji but said nothing.
Satoru turned to Marenoshin to inquire about Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng's situation.
"Lady Yoruichi is undergoing special training, seemingly the Shihōin Clan's hereditary training."
"Before the training began, she took Suì-Fēng with her."
"By my estimate, it should have been about a month now?"
Hearing this, Satoru nodded slightly.
As expected, Yoruichi had taken Suì-Fēng along for special training.
The next time they met, both might appear in completely new forms.
Like Naruto after training with Jiraiya for a considerable period, or the Straw Hat Crew after their two-year separate training.
The future looked promising.
...
...
After becoming captain, Satoru's days became slightly busier than before.
Among all divisions, the Eleventh Division had the highest mission attendance rate.
Whenever Hollow invasion incidents occurred in Rukongai, the Eleventh Division would be among the first to respond.
Because of this, the Eleventh Division also had the highest mortality rate among all divisions.
Satoru spent some time reorganizing the personnel distribution among the various squads.
He prioritized having fewer squads to ensure each contained a sufficient number of strong members.
Rather than creating numerous cannon fodder squads, it was better to concentrate strength for major tasks.
Through his efforts, the Eleventh Division's mortality rate actually decreased significantly.
This was also inseparable from his capabilities as captain and Zaraki's as vice-captain.
No matter what kind of enemy they faced, the two could easily handle it whenever they took action.
One day, Satoru took a group of Eleventh Division subordinates to Rukongai for a barbecue.
After the meal, he had the others return first.
He himself headed toward the Fifth Division's direction.
Earlier that day, Aizen had sent him a secret message saying he needed help with a project.
However, after walking for a while, Satoru suddenly stopped.
Not far away, he could see a dark-skinned man kneeling before the judgment hall, desperately shouting something.
"She was murdered! She was murdered!"
"Please... I beg you! Catch the killer!"