"So this is the Seireitei!"
Following Kenma's carriage, Shisui and the other three crossed the high wall and stepped into the Seireitei.
The Uchiha had previously passed through Junrinan to scout the vicinity, wondering when they might be able to enter. They hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
The group traveled over clean, white flagstones, passing through one intersection after another. Under the respectful guidance of the estate's servants, the carriage entered the Shihoin grounds.
Kenma alighted from the carriage, stretching his body with a series of soft pops, a hint of fatigue on his face.
Sitting in the carriage for the whole journey felt more tiring than fighting someone.
"You four will stay here for now. I'll have someone prepare rooms for you," Kenma said to Shisui and the others. "I won't need you to guard me at home. You can focus on your training."
"As you command."
Kenma was about to take a step, but he suddenly froze.
The four Uchiha flickered, their figures appearing a step away from Kenma, surrounding him protectively.
Their short swords were already drawn, their sharp blades gleaming. Their expressions were full of vigilance, their gazes sharp as they all looked in the same direction.
Shisui, holding only a bare blade, said to Kenma, "My lord, be careful! There's hostile intent!"
Kenma's expression was calm as he waved a hand at the four. "It's fine. Put them away."
Hearing Kenma's command, the four, though puzzled, followed his orders, retreating to the side and sheathing their weapons. However, their eyes remained filled with caution.
Kenma slowly turned to look in the direction their gazes were fixed.
"How long are you going to hide, Yoruichi?"
"Honestly, I told you not to call me by my name."
The voice, tinged with a bit of annoyance, echoed through the courtyard.
A faint sound of rushing air approached, and a dashing, heroic figure appeared before Kenma in an instant, like a phantom.
Dark-skinned with purple hair, a beautiful face, and wearing a white captain's haori—it was Shihoin Yoruichi.
Yoruichi rubbed her chin, looking with great interest at the four men beside Kenma, a hint of inquiry in her golden eyes.
"Mr. Prim-and-Proper, what were you up to today? Why didn't I see you at the squad barracks? And who are these people with you?"
A string of questions poured out.
Yoruichi's tone, like she was interrogating a criminal, made Kenma frown.
He didn't answer, instead asking, "Why aren't you on duty at the Squad 2 barracks at this time? What are you doing at home?"
"I... I was looking for you, of course, since you weren't there."
Yoruichi's eyes darted away at first, then she became defiant.
Seeing his fiancée's behavior, Kenma easily figured it out.
"You're lying. You skipped work again, didn't you?"
"I'm the captain. How can you call a captain's actions 'taking time off'? To use your words, it's called 'flexible work hours'. I'm just allocating my work reasonably."
Yoruichi was being stubborn.
Although Kenma remained expressionless, in Yoruichi's eyes, it was as if he were laughing at her.
"Don't you dare laugh!"
"...I'm not laughing." Kenma rolled his eyes internally. "Which of your eyes sees me laughing?"
"Even if you're not laughing on the outside, you're definitely laughing on the inside."
Yoruichi realized she was losing her captain's dignity and decided to drop the argument, instead turning her attack back to Kenma.
"This is your captain asking a question, Fourth Seat Kenma. You still haven't answered me. Why weren't you at the barracks today? If you can't give me a good reason, then I'll have to punish you severely in my capacity as captain."
As she spoke, Yoruichi's expression became eager, a glint of excitement in her eyes.
Kenma sighed inwardly, a hint of helplessness showing on his stoic face.
"Today is my day off. As the captain, don't you even know the duty roster for your seated officers?"
Hearing this, the excitement on Yoruichi's face froze.
She really didn't know!
Ever since taking over Squad 2, she had spent most of her time playing around, dumping all the squad duties onto her vice-captain and third seat.
She never even looked at trivial matters like duty rosters and mission reports.
Seeing Yoruichi's expression, Kenma shook his head slightly.
'So unreliable. No wonder her own father worries so much.'
"As for them... since you're here, Yoruichi, I'll report to you directly." Kenma pointed to Shisui and the other three. "They are people I brought back from the Rukongai. They have quite a bit of potential."
"Oh?"
Yoruichi's gaze swept over the four men, a cunning smile on her face.
"I say, Mr. Prim-and-Proper, these guys look pretty good. How about you hand them over to me to play with... I mean, train for a while? I promise to return them to you in one piece."
She could see the background of Shisui and the others at a glance.
From their demeanor and subconscious reactions, it was obvious they had received professional training since childhood. Their movements were perfectly coordinated; they were clearly not ordinary people.
"No. These men's assignments are already finalized. And I'm sending Shisui to the Shin'o Academy for advanced studies."
Kenma added a final sentence.
"Handing them over to you would truly be a waste of their talent and time."
"Hey, what do you mean by that? Am I that incompetent in your eyes?"
Yoruichi seemed to fly into a rage, flailing her arms about.
Kenma, on the other hand, nodded very seriously. "Yes! You are that incompetent!"
"You..."
Yoruichi was furious. She pointed at Kenma, wanting to retort, but if she really got serious, he would just call her childish.
She suppressed the angry curses welling up inside her and finally just swung her arm down forcefully.
"Fourth Seat Kenma, for your disrespect towards your captain, I'm docking one day of your performance pay."
After throwing out that sentence, Yoruichi stormed off using Shunpo.
She didn't want to see this infuriating guy for another second!
Seeing Yoruichi like this, Kenma's face remained blank, but a small spark of triumph, like a general returning victorious, rose in his heart.
'She's a grown woman, but she's as childish as a kid... And she thinks she can compete with me?'
'In her dreams!'
After Yoruichi left, Kenma led Shisui and the other three towards the inner courtyard.
As the Uchiha who had been with Kenma the longest, Shisui, prompted by the exchanged glances of the other three, mustered his courage and asked, "My lord, the lady who was just here is..."
The four of them could naturally tell that the dark-skinned woman who had just appeared was of no ordinary status.
And judging by her attitude towards their lord—although it was full of confrontation, her manner was relaxed and casual, and there was a hint of intimacy in her words. It was very likely that she was...
The men already had a theory in mind but didn't dare to use a specific title, opting for a vague term of respect.
Kenma sighed softly.
"Well, I imagine you've figured it out. Yes, she is my fiancée, and also the head of this Shihoin clan. She has a very mischievous and difficult personality... Anyway, in the future, if you see her, just stay far away. Don't provoke her."
'Fiancée?'
'Clan Head?'
Shisui and the others exchanged glances and asked tentatively, "In that case, my lord, you are..."
"Just as you've guessed. There's nothing to be ashamed of. I am a son-in-law recruited by the Shihoin clan. We are engaged now, but not yet officially married," Kenma said directly.
Hearing this, the expressions of Shisui and the other three became solemn.
Kenma's status was a bit different from what they had initially expected, but it wasn't something they could criticize.
On the contrary, after hearing his status as a son-in-law, their respect for Kenma as their master deepened.
In a great and noble clan, to recruit a son-in-law or adopted son when there was already a blood heir meant one of two things: either the heir was incompetent or of poor character, or the son-in-law was exceptionally talented.
So talented that to let him go would be a crime!
And judging by the respectful attitude of the servants after entering the Shihoin estate, and the attitude of the clan head just now, their Lord Kenma was undoubtedly the latter!
As for not being married yet... as long as they were engaged, it was rare for such a prominent family to break off an engagement.
They couldn't afford the loss of face, nor would they give up such an outstanding talent.
Shisui and the others exchanged glances. They all understood what the others were thinking.
Facing Kenma, their respect grew even deeper.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]