Kuruyashiki Kenpachi stood where he was. He did not move.
He looked down at the young man lying on the ground. Then he raised his hand to look at the sword he was holding. He looked down again, then up again.
He repeated this cycle several times. The expression on his face slowly changed from initial shock to confusion. He looked lost and even a little disappointed.
Was that it? He was down already?
The guy who made his skin crawl and his cells shake with excitement was defeated so easily? He had been cut down by a casual swing.
The grip on his sword hilt slowly loosened.
The last drop of blood finally fell from the tip of the blade. It hit the dust, creating a tiny dark spot.
"Captain," Captain Ashido's voice brought him back from his daze. "I told you, this guy wasn't strong at all."
lieutenant Ashido had already walked quickly to the young man's side. He crouched down and carefully turned over the youth, who was lying face down.
The wound on the youth's chest was exposed. It slashed diagonally from below the collarbone to the side of the ribs. It was deep and long.
The flesh was torn open, and blood was still oozing out. It looked quite terrifying.
Captain Ashido frowned. A layer of faint green light appeared on his palms.
He pressed his palms over the wound. The green light enveloped the area.
"My Kaido skills are average. I can only help him stop the bleeding at most."
As he worked, he spoke. "We shouldn't be the ones to kill 'big villains' like this. Otherwise, the higher-ups will find an excuse again."
"They will send us to Hueco Mundo for a 'publicly funded vacation'." His tone was helpless. He clearly had no interest in that kind of trip.
lieutenant Ashido actually felt relieved in his heart.
It seemed that his intuition was correct. This young man was no monster. At most, he was just a madman more violent than the average person.
The Spiritual Pressure reaction could not lie.
As Shinigami, especially members of the Gotei 13, they maintained order in the Soul Society. However, there was an unwritten but vital rule.
They couldn't just kill the residents of Rukongai. This was especially true in the case of the "souls," who maintained a twisted kind of order in lawless areas.
The reason? lieutenant Ashido knew. Most regular members and even some Lieutenants were not clear on the details.
But as the Lieutenant of the 11th Division, he was qualified to know some of the truth.
A large number of abnormal deaths among souls would break the balance.
To maintain the stability of the Soul Society, the World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo, things had to stay balanced.
Once the number of soul deaths in a certain area becomes abnormal, Central 46 might issue orders. They would send the Gotei 13 to Hueco Mundo for "quantity adjustment."
To put it simply, they had to kill a corresponding number of Hollows to fill the gap.
In a place like the Zaraki District, having a strong "assassin" in charge was actually a form of twisted stability.
He could suppress other restless people. He kept the chaos at a relatively fixed level.
He could die at the hands of another assassin, but he could not easily die at the hands of a Shinigami.
Imagine if the recognized "assassin" in an area was suddenly killed by an outsider. What would the second and third-in-command do?
They would immediately jump out to fight for territory. A new round of even bloodier fighting would begin.
The number of souls dying would be massive.
Therefore, Shinigami had to be extremely cautious when acting in the Rukongai, especially in the later numbered districts.
Unless the opponent attacked first and was a huge threat, or had a clear crime to be judged, they tried to only subdue them.
The green light in lieutenant Ashido's hands slowly faded.
The terrible wound on the youth's chest had not healed, but the bleeding had basically stopped. Only a slow seep remained.
His life was likely saved. As for whether there would be permanent damage or a drop in strength, that was not lieutenant Ashido's concern.
lieutenant Ashido stood up. He patted the non-existent dust off his hands and looked at his Captain, who was still dazing.
"Come on, Captain. It seems this trip has been in vain. You haven't found anyone to recruit."
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi took one last look at the unconscious youth on the ground. His gaze was very complicated.
There was regret, confusion, and a lingering sense of awkwardness.
In the end, he said nothing. He just sighed heavily and clicked his Zanpakutō back into its sheath. He turned and walked away.
lieutenant Ashido walked by his side. He saw his Captain looking listless, with his back even appearing to sag a bit. He understood the feeling clearly.
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was the Captain of the 11th Division. He was the leader of the division dedicated to combat in the Gotei 13.
"Kenpachi" was a title passed down since ancient times in the Soul Society. It meant "the best with the sword."
In the Gotei 13, this title only belonged to the Captain of the 11th Division. To some extent, it was a synonym for "the strongest among Shinigami."
Usually, Captain Kuruyashiki was cheerful and liked to laugh. He was the kind of steady presence you could always rely on. He was happy to help anyone in the squad who had trouble.
But lieutenant Ashido knew that was just the surface. Or rather, it was just the side the Captain was willing to show.
Just look at his Zanpakutō and his terrifying Bankai, Gagaku Kairo. Central 46 strictly forbade its use within the Soul Society.
That was a power based on devouring and destroying everything.
One could imagine what kind of madness and hunger lurked deep within the soul of someone with such a Bankai.
The Captain craved worthy opponents. He craved a battle that would let him enjoy himself fully.
This desire might even exceed the gentleness he usually showed.
And today, that desire was built up high and then smashed to pieces.
The greater the expectation, the worse the disappointment.
The two walked in silence for a long way. lieutenant Ashido thought for a bit and then broke the silence.
"Captain, after we get back, do you want to stop by the Fourth Division?"
"Hmm?" Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was a bit distracted. "Why go to the Fourth Division? I'm not injured."
He rubbed his stomach. That rusty sword earlier hadn't even pierced his clothes.
"It's not for an injury," lieutenant Ashido's tone became more serious. "I mean, go for a routine check-up."
"Maybe... you want to fight too much. Perhaps there is a slight lack of coordination in your body or senses that you haven't noticed?"
"Check it out just to be safe."
He said it very politely, but the meaning was clear.
The serious misjudgment of the youth's strength was a sign of "lack of coordination." With the Captain's usual eyes, he shouldn't have made such a mistake.
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi paused. He reached out and scratched his short hair. His face showed a bit of hesitation.
"Is it that serious? I feel like my status is quite good. I eat well and sleep well."
"But the misjudgment did happen," lieutenant Ashido insisted. His voice had the seriousness a Lieutenant should have.
"This is something that almost never happened before. Captain, it doesn't hurt to be a little cautious."
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi looked at lieutenant Ashido's serious face. He remembered the extreme contrast from earlier. His confidence began to waver.
Was there really something wrong with him? Was his perception distorted? Or had his intuition dulled because he hadn't trained enough lately?
"...Fine," he finally gave in. He didn't have anything urgent to do back at the barracks anyway.
"Then let's go take a look. It's good to get a check-up with Captain Unohana."
The two spoke no more and increased their speed at the same time.
Their bodies turned into two blurry shadows. they quickly moved past the desolate streets and ruins of the Zaraki District toward the Seireitei.
Shortly after they left.
In the shadows of the broken houses at the edge of the central clearing, eyes slowly peeked out from behind the cracks in the walls.
These eyes stared fixedly at the center of the clearing. They looked at the young man lying in a pool of blood, unconscious.
There was no sympathy or concern in those eyes. There was only primitive greed, cruelty, and the patience of waiting for an opportunity.
One pair of eyes belonged to the thin man Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had tossed aside like trash earlier.
He licked his dry lips. A low growl came from his throat.
They did not speak to each other. They only exchanged silent glances for a moment.
Then, as if they had reached a silent agreement.
One, two, three... a dozen figures walked out from their respective hiding places.