"Hey, Sōsuke, what's got you thinking so hard in the middle of the night?"
Satoru walked in, keeping his voice low.
Aizen looked up, about to speak, but then frowned.
He got out of bed, approached Satoru, and pulled him out of the dorm.
"What happened? Did you run into trouble?"
Noticing the tears and dust on Satoru's uniform, he asked quietly.
"Oh, this?"
Satoru scratched his head. "I went out with the Shihōin heiress tonight and got caught up in some rebel activity. But it's no big deal—the 12th Division captain saved us. See? Just some torn clothes, no injuries at all."
He cheerfully tugged at the rips in his uniform to show Aizen.
Aizen blinked in surprise.
Captain of the 12th Division... Kirio Hikifune?
From his observations, among all the current captains, Kirio Hikifune was undoubtedly in the top tier.
In fact, her strength might only be second to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
With Kirio Hikifune stepping in, there really was nothing to worry about.
After a moment's thought, he casually asked, "Who's on the rebel side?"
"The rebel... what was their name again?"
Satoru narrowed his eyes, thinking for a few seconds.
That captain—he hadn't seen them in the original story, probably someone even older than a century ago.
Recalling the final words the guy had shouted, Satoru suddenly looked enlightened.
"Oh, right! Rennosuke Kamikawa!"
Aizen: "?"
He nearly lost his composure, barely stopping himself from cursing—a habit he'd picked up from Satoru.
So this guy had casually brushed off the "troublemaking rebels" as if they were nothing... when in reality, it was the captain of the 3rd Division?!
After a few seconds of silence, Aizen took a deep breath.
Satoru was getting more and more outrageous.
But on the bright side, being around him was tempering his patience—he might as well consider that a good thing.
While consoling himself, Aizen had Satoru recount the night's events.
After listening, he frowned slightly, deep in thought.
Though Rennosuke's strength was mediocre, ranking near the bottom among captains, he was still a captain.
A captain-level figure openly betraying the Gotei 13 was an extremely bad sign.
Up until now, the rebels had only engaged in minor skirmishes, never clashing with the top-tier forces.
That was why the Gotei 13 had remained in a state of observation.
But with Rennosuke's betrayal, the situation had changed.
Major factions would now start taking sides.
Once the Five Great Noble Families got involved, the Central 46 could no longer maintain their current balancing act.
The Gotei 13—this war machine—would be fully mobilized!
At this thought, he turned to Satoru.
"Satoru, starting today, you need to be twice as careful."
"Because of you, the rebels' plans may completely change. They'll definitely see you as an enemy."
"I suggest you go to Captain-Commander Yamamoto and ask for his advice."
"If possible, try to get him to assign you a guard or two for your safety."
Hearing this, Satoru was momentarily stunned.
But soon, he grasped the implications.
On the way back, he'd been too preoccupied with planning how to build the hot springs to think much about the broader situation.
Now that Aizen pointed it out, he realized he'd stirred up quite the mess.
"Ugh, what a pain."
Satoru tilted his head, closing his eyes with a frown.
Then, he suddenly realized an even bigger problem.
After such a major incident tonight, Yamamoto would undoubtedly summon him for a lecture.
Just imagining the old man leaning on his cane, droning on for hours, made Satoru feel like he was about to crack.
...
...
"IDIOT!!!"
From the 1st Division barracks, Yamamoto's booming roar could be heard from afar.
In the dojo, Yamamoto stood with both hands on his cane, glaring at Satoru.
Well, technically, since the old man's eyes were so small, Satoru wasn't entirely sure if it counted as glaring.
As if sensing his thoughts, Yamamoto suddenly widened his eyes—turning the narrow slits into slightly wider slits.
"Stand straight! Slouching like that—what kind of attitude is that?!"
"Slack off in training, get stabbed in battle!"
"If Captain Hikifune hadn't intervened, would you even be standing here slacking now?!"
Satoru couldn't help feeling like he'd been screwed over.
No matter how incompetent Rennosuke was, he was still a captain. Even if Satoru trained harder, could he actually challenge a captain?
Of course, these words remained in his heart.
Long ago, he'd figured out Yamamoto's temper.
When the old man was lecturing someone, playing dead was the best strategy.
Arguing back might just add a few more minutes to the scolding, but taking a few hits of Yamamoto-ryu taijutsu would be far worse.
Seeing Satoru's expression, Shunsui standing nearby couldn't help but grin.
Normally, he was the one getting lectured—today it was someone else's turn.
This junior was truly a lucky star!
Just as he was reveling in this, Satoru suddenly spoke up:
"Report, Captain-Commander! Senior is snickering over there."
Shunsui: "?"
Before he could react, Yamamoto's furious gaze was upon him.
"Bastard! What are you laughing at?!"
"The 8th Division is the intelligence division! As its captain, you failed to notice Rennosuke Kamikawa's issues at all! If not for the special circumstances, I'd have you training under the waterfall for half a year!"
Shunsui nearly cried.
Others might think Yamamoto was just venting, but he knew the old man would absolutely follow through.
Over the years, he'd lost count of how many times he'd been sent to train under the waterfall.
Retracting his earlier thought—this junior was no lucky star at all.
That old man Yamamoto was regressing in his old age, taking in such an unreliable student!
Yamamoto would have continued the lecture, but a report came from outside:
"Captain-Commander! All division captains have assembled!"
"Hmm, let them in."
With that, Yamamoto turned his gaze back to Satoru.
"Yu, go stand by and observe."
Hearing this, Satoru was somewhat surprised.
When Yamamoto convened a captain's meeting, it was standard procedure for even vice-captains to wait outside unless specifically summoned for questioning.
His nominal disciple must have quite the reputation.
He moved to the side of the room and stopped near the wall.
Soon, the door opened, and figures began filing in.
Vice-Captain of the 2nd Division, Marenoshin Ōmaeda.
Since Yoruichi hadn't officially joined the division yet, Marenoshin was attending the meeting in her stead.
Vice-Captain of the 3rd Division, Chikane Iba.
A dignified woman with graying hair and wrinkles, yet one could still glimpse the beauty of her youth.
Captain of the 4th Division, Retsu Unohana.
Captain of the 5th Division, Shinji Hirako.
Captain of the 6th Division, Ginrei Kuchiki.
Captain of the 7th Division, Love Aikawa.
Captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyōraku.
Captain of the 9th Division, Entetsu Kumoi.
Captain of the 10th Division, Furuoki Ōtogawa.
Captain of the 11th Division, Kenpachi Kiganjō.
Captain of the 12th Division, Kirio Hikifune.
As Satoru watched the figures clad in white haori file in, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Having been in this world of Shinigami for so long, this was the first time he had seen all the captains gathered together.
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