"Is that so?"
Kenpachi Zaraki turned his head to look at Yachiru Kusajishi, who was perched on his shoulder, a hint of confusion in his eyes. It seed he genuinely had no idea what had just happened.
Yachiru eagerly nodded, her tone filled with excitent.
"Yep, yep! That Aniki was amazing—he knocked you out in one move! Wow, that was so cool!"
"I see... Then I really did lose."
Scratching his head, Kenpachi turned to Masatsuki Aozaki.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
"But we can keep fighting, right?"
Masatsuki Aozaki shook his head and explained seriously,
"No, I have other things to take care of. My Master gave a task."
The mont the word "Master" was ntioned, Kenpachi's eyes lit up.
"You have a Master? Is he stronger than you?"
Masatsuki Aozaki thought for a mont, then nodded.
"In certain situations, he can leave completely unable to fight back."
Truthfully, these days, whenever he sparred with the old man, Masatsuki Aozaki wouldn't go all out. He was always worried that if he lost control of his strength, he might end up breaking the old man's fragile body.
And yet, every ti they finished sparring, the old man would get emotional.
While rubbing his reddened hands, he'd always sigh about how thick-skinned his foolish disciple was. But at the sa ti, he'd stubbornly insist that his old bones were still sturdy and challenge Masatsuki to give it his all.
"If you train under Master, you'll definitely get stronger," Masatsuki said with a mischievous grin.
If he rembered correctly, in the original tiline, Kenpachi had also learned swordsmanship from old man Yamamoto.
Though, if he recalled correctly, it only lasted a single day before Kenpachi gave up. Whatever kind of hellish training the guy went through back then, Masatsuki could only imagine.
But since Kenpachi was so obsessed with battle, if he had enough motivation to train under the old man, he wouldn't have ti to pester Masatsuki.
And on the flip side, with Yamamoto occupied, he wouldn't be seeking out Masatsuki for training sessions either.
A perfect win-win situation.
Man... I really am a genius.
...Life is so lonely when you're this brilliant.
"I can get even stronger?"
Kenpachi's grin turned wild, like a beast that had caught the scent of prey.
The fight just now had made him fully realize the gap between himself and Masatsuki.
And that irritated him.
After all, if the difference in strength was too vast, the fight wouldn't be any fun.
That was why, before encountering Masatsuki, he had always held himself back—intentionally or not.
Simply put, he was just too strong.
Back in Rukongai, there wasn't a single opponent who could give him a proper, exhilarating battle.
But now, he had finally found one.
And even better—there was a chance to beco even stronger!
"Alright, then. I'll challenge you again once I've gotten stronger."
Kenpachi Zaraki nodded firmly.
"What about you guys?"
Masatsuki Aozaki tilted his head, his gaze shifting to the girl perched on Kenpachi's shoulder and the two n standing behind him.
"Are you coming with us to Seireitei, or are you staying in Rukongai?"
"I wanna go! I wanna go! I'm going with Ken-chan!"
Yachiru Kusajishi cheered excitedly, kicking her legs as she sat on Kenpachi's shoulders, her small hands waving around enthusiastically.
Ikkaku Madara and Yumichika Ayasegawa exchanged glances before speaking in unison.
"We're going with him."
"Good. From today onward, you're officially mbers of the 11th Division."
Masatsuki Aozaki nodded slightly and clapped his hands.
"I'm the Captain of the 11th Division, and also the 'Kenpachi'—the 11th Kenpachi, Masatsuki Aozaki."
"Well... since all the squad mbers are gathered here, and since we'll be comrades from now on, why don't you introduce yourselves?"
Kenpachi Zaraki scratched his head, speaking nonchalantly.
"I'm Kenpachi Zaraki—"
Before he could finish, the 11th Division mbers around them erupted like a boiling pot, shouting in outrage.
"He actually dares to call himself Kenpachi!?"
"How arrogant! Captain Aozaki is the real Kenpachi!"
"Kenpachi Aozaki earned the title by killing the previous Kenpachi and was acknowledged by the Captain-Commander himself! Who the hell do you think you are!?"
Oh... so they actually acknowledge that I killed the previous Kenpachi? Seems like all that 'iron fist' discipline worked after all.
Masatsuki Aozaki smiled slightly.
Then, he saw Kenpachi Zaraki grin widely, laughing as he declared,
"Sooner or later, I'll beat him and take the title for myself! Just wait and see!"
Masatsuki Aozaki sighed and shook his head before chuckling, stepping in to calm the squad mbers down.
Nas didn't really matter.
Even though he held the title, he hadn't changed his na, and the mbers of the 11th Division still recognized him as Kenpachi.
In the end, what truly mattered was strength.
Strength was what made a Kenpachi.
Under Masatsuki's guidance, the tense atmosphere gradually settled.
After that, the remaining three began introducing themselves.
The little girl: "Yachiru Kusajishi..."
The bald man: "Ikkaku Madara..."
The flashy man: "Yumichika Ayasegawa..."
...
"Senpai, you've been watching for a while now. If you don't want to co down and et your junior, and if you've got nothing better to do, then go back and tell the old man that we've got so new recruits in the 11th Division."
On a distant mountaintop, Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake exchanged glances after receiving the Tenteikūra transmission.
"Our little junior really is sothing. We didn't even let our Reiatsu leak out, but he still noticed us," Shunsui mused, taking a slow sip from his cup of sake, his expression content.
"His spiritual awareness is terrifying... Now that I think about it, all those tis he let us ss with him, he must've been going easy on us," Jūshirō added.
"You left in such a hurry, and you still managed to bring your sake?"
Jūshirō took the cup Shunsui offered, looking mildly surprised.
"Haha, how could I go anywhere without bringing so fine sake?"
Shunsui waved a hand lazily, chuckling.
"This mission is dull as hell. If I don't have a drink to pass the ti, how am I supposed to endure it?"
Jūshirō took a sip before asking,
"So, what do we do next? Should we report back to Master?"
"If you ask , there's nothing to worry about right now. Things seem under control."
"Our little junior knows what he's doing. He's even got Captain Unohana playing along. Let's head back."
A small grin ford on Shunsui's lips.
"When the old man hears that our little junior managed to recruit such a powerful Captain-level fighter, I can't imagine how thrilled he'll be."
"We really should bring him the good news. Who would've thought such a formidable fighter was hidden away in Rukongai?"
Jūshirō nodded with a soft sigh.
"Judging from his Reiatsu alone, that ronin is clearly above us."
"Combine that with his raw, beast-like battle instincts, and his strength is undeniable."
"We should congratulate our junior for gaining such a formidable warrior. The 11th Division is going to be the strongest squad under the 1st Division from now on."
To him, Yamamoto was still the undisputed, invincible force of the Gotei 13.
And naturally, the 1st Division, under Yamamoto's leadership, would always be the strongest.
..
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake
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