Chapter 9 – The One Right After the Captain?
That afternoon, Kyūjō stood in front of a traditional Japanese-style pavilion tucked away inside the Fourth Division barracks. The entire structure was crafted with elegant wooden frames and sliding paper doors, allowing natural light and fresh air to flow freely through the building.
Inside, there were three separate rooms—a modest bedroom, a small study, and a cozy kitchen.
The main room's window looked out onto a peaceful garden. A stream of clear water flowed gently down a man-made rock formation, creating a soothing sound that filled the silence.
Kyūjō crossed his arms as he gazed at the tranquil view before him, nodding in quiet approval.
Turning to Kotetsu Isane, who stood calmly beside him, he asked curiously, "Isane-san, didn't you say the accommodations here were rather basic? But this place is quite nice. It may be small, but for someone living alone, it's more than enough."
Isane hesitated for a moment before answering with a gentle voice, "This place was actually built by Captain Unohana herself. She occasionally stays here when she's off duty."
"Oh, no wonder it feels a bit... different," Kyūjō muttered in understanding.
Then he looked at her again, puzzled. "But if I'm staying here now, where does Captain Unohana live?"
Isane smiled faintly and replied, "It's alright. She personally told me to bring you here. Besides, Captain Unohana has a few other residences. And… to be honest, she rarely sleeps outside the barracks anyway."
"I see. Well then, I'm really grateful, Isane-san," Kyūjō replied sincerely.
"You're too polite, Tachibana-san. Aren't you technically my superior now?" she said with a small bow.
Without wasting any more time, the two of them started unpacking and arranging Kyūjō's belongings. The process was simple, and once everything was in place, Isane quietly excused herself and left the pavilion.
— — —
Later that evening, Kyūjō appeared at the Fourth Division's main office. Captain Unohana glanced up from her papers and paused briefly before speaking.
"Tachibana-san, is something wrong? Are you dissatisfied with your new quarters?"
Kyūjō shook his head with a relaxed smile. "Not at all, Captain. The place is perfect—thank you very much. I just didn't have anything planned for this evening, so I thought I'd come by to get a better understanding of the division and my duties as Third Seat."
Unohana narrowed her eyes slightly, then gave a soft smile.
"It seems you're quite the responsible Shinigami, Tachibana-kun. Perhaps that means I can finally take it easy for once."
With that light remark, she began outlining the general responsibilities of the Fourth Division, especially those that fell under the jurisdiction of a Third Seat.
Currently, the Fourth Division had 368 members in total, 18 of whom held official seated ranks.
Their primary duty was medical care—treating injuries, performing Kaidō healing, and overseeing the health of all Gotei 13 members.
On occasion, they were also dispatched to accompany other divisions on special missions—orders that came directly from Central 46.
These missions could take them anywhere: the far reaches of Rukongai, the Human World, or even Hueco Mundo, depending on the situation. When that happened, a healing unit would be assigned to the mission under the lead of a seated officer, temporarily working alongside other divisions.
Aside from fieldwork, the Fourth Division also handled internal treatment—serving not just fellow Shinigami, but also treating members of the noble families when necessary.
In other words, it was a division that never truly had any downtime.
Kyūjō quietly nodded, absorbing every word.
After a short pause, Unohana spoke again, her voice still gentle but tinged with curiosity.
"By the way, Tachibana-kun… would you mind showing me the Kaidō technique you demonstrated to Seinosuke a few days ago? I'm still quite intrigued by it."
"I'd be happy to, Captain Unohana," Kyūjō replied respectfully. "Would it be alright to use the healing room? I think it would be easier to explain through a direct demonstration."
Unohana gave a small nod and stood up without hesitation. She gracefully led the way toward the inner treatment hall, Kyūjō following silently behind her.
— — —
Rows of beds filled the healing ward—some occupied by freshly wounded Shinigami from the Eleventh Division, their injuries looking severe.
Without wasting a second, Tachibana Kyūjō activated his unique power: Mugen. A wave of invisible energy swept across the room as his senses locked onto several patients in need.
He pointed decisively toward a few of them—some with deep lacerations, others with broken bones or internal damage—and said confidently to Captain Unohana:
"Captain Unohana, that one, and those over there… I can handle them all using my Palm Immortal Blade Arts. It might not be a full recovery in one go, but I can heal the majority of their wounds."
Unohana didn't respond immediately. Instead, she turned to the nearby Fourth Division members.
"This is our new Third Seat, Tachibana Kyūjō. All of you, come and introduce yourselves."
With curiosity in their eyes, the Division Four members gathered around the two of them.
But Kyūjō remained composed. He calmly directed spiritual particles through his body, and within seconds, both of his hands glowed with a soft, calming green light.
He walked over to a patient with shattered ribs and severe internal trauma.
Without hesitation, Kyūjō placed his glowing hands against the man's chest.
With practiced precision, he guided the bones back into place and removed necrotic tissue from the organs within. His movements were so delicate, so exact, that it was more like sculpting than surgery.
In under a minute, he completed a high-difficulty, non-invasive operation.
Amazingly, the patient—who had received no anesthesia—felt no pain. When Kyūjō finally withdrew his hands, the man blinked in confusion, then sighed in pure relief as the pain vanished entirely, replaced by a light, almost floaty sensation.
Unohana's eyes widened, her usual calm composure wavering for a moment.
"That was... incredible," she said quietly. "Wounds that severe are manageable for me, yes—but this technique… this healing art of yours… it surpasses the very framework of Kaidō that we've known."
Kyūjō simply smiled and replied in a soft voice, "If you'd like to learn it, Captain Unohana, I'd be honored to teach you. And if the other members of the division are interested too, I'll happily share it with them—no conditions attached."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the surrounding medics. Even Isane, standing among the group, looked at Kyūjō with sparkling eyes full of hope and admiration.
"But let's take it slow," Kyūjō added with a relaxed grin. "Let me finish treating these patients first. After that, we can start learning together."
With that, he turned to the next injured Shinigami and resumed his work—swift, precise, and almost elegant in motion.
The medics watched in awe, completely focused.
Unohana, meanwhile, said nothing. She simply observed, her interest growing deeper with each passing moment.
When the final patient was fully stabilized, Captain Unohana gathered the entire division and led them to the indoor training field.
It was there that Kyūjō began teaching the Palm Immortal Blade Arts.
He demonstrated the flow of spiritual particles, the subtle control techniques, and the core concepts behind the healing method.
But since the technique didn't rely on incantations—only pure, refined control of one's reiryoku—most of the medics quickly found themselves lost.
If not for Captain Unohana gradually grasping the method and beginning to replicate parts of it, some might've thought Kyūjō was just bluffing.
A few hours passed, and Kyūjō noticed most of the attendees were still wearing confused expressions.
He scratched his cheek awkwardly and chuckled.
"Yeah… this technique might be a bit tricky," he admitted. "But no need to rush. You can keep practicing on your own. And if you ever have questions, I'll be around to help out."
Even if no one had fully mastered it yet, Kyūjō had already cemented his place in the division. His strength, technique, and presence were undeniable.
— — —
Time passed.
Decades flowed by in peaceful silence.
Kyūjō gradually adapted to life in the Fourth Division. Day by day, he healed wounded comrades from Gotei 13, studied alongside Captain Unohana, and occasionally led field teams on joint missions with other divisions.
Along the way, he built strong ties with some of Soul Society's most renowned figures—Urahara Kisuke, Shihōin Yoruichi, Kyōraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jūshirō, Hirako Shinji, Tōsen Kaname, Omida Marechiyo, and even Hikifune Kirio.
He had traveled through nearly every major location—Rukongai, the Human World, and even Hueco Mundo.
He faced countless dangerous missions and unpredictable threats, but under his leadership, not a single medic in his unit ever fell in battle.
Eventually, captains and vice-captains from all over the Gotei 13 began requesting Kyūjō by name whenever they needed top-tier medical support.
By that point, Tachibana Kyūjō was quietly recognized as the strongest Shinigami below the rank of Captain.
His spiritual pressure had already reached Captain-Class Tier 3, and his swordsmanship had long surpassed the boundaries of common understanding.
Even Captain Hirako Shinji once said after sparring with him,
"If we're just talking about sword skills… I don't stand a chance."
But there was still one thing that made people hesitate to consider Kyūjō for a captain position:
No one had ever seen his Bankai.
In the meantime, Kuchiki Byakuya—still a lieutenant back then—would visit every month just to challenge him.
Byakuya treated Kyūjō as a personal milestone—a whetstone for honing his own Bankai. Though he always lost, his spiritual pressure steadily grew, slowly inching toward captain-level.
Kyūjō could sense it—Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, Byakuya's Bankai, wasn't far off from awakening.
But… was that all Kyūjō had achieved after decades?
No.
Even back at Shin'ō Academy, he had already repaired 5% of his fractured soul, achieved Captain-level spiritual pressure, and unlocked the initial stage of Bankai.
Now, after decades of mastering Kaidō, his soul had healed up to 15%, and his spiritual pressure had already exceeded Captain-Class Tier 2.
His Bankai—Mugen—had entered its second form.
But still, no opponent had ever forced him to reveal it.
Day after day, the only enemy he could mentally simulate as a worthy challenge was Captain Unohana.
Through countless internal duels within his Mugen training space, Kyūjō had confirmed something terrifying:
His spiritual pressure was just barely below Unohana's.
But with the unique ability of his Zanpakutō factored in, he might actually defeat her in pure technique.
— — —
In short—
Among all Shinigami in the Gotei 13,
Only Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni stood above him.
No one else came close.
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