"Third Seat Hitsugaya, I understand how you feel." Kaien looked at him calmly. "I don't want to leave the Thirteenth Division at a time like this either, especially with Captain Ukitake so ill."
"But even if I don't take over, Central 46 will just send someone else. What will happen to the Tenth Division then?"
"At the very least, before Uncle Isshin is found, all the compassionate rules he left behind would be completely wiped out."
Toshiro Hitsugaya froze. He knew very well that Kaien was speaking the truth.
The Tenth Division was originally a patrol and security squad, but to prevent casualties among the members, Captain Isshin often took to the battlefield alone.
If a new Captain took over, this kind of care for subordinates would likely cease to exist.
Although it was a matter of duty, it would still cause a period of painful adjustment for the long-undisciplined Tenth Division.
"Also, I'm not here to steal Uncle Isshin's place." Kaien stood up and dusted off his pants. "I'm here to protect this home for him, or... at least until I can hand over an intact Tenth Division to the person truly qualified to succeed him."
Kaien's gaze lingered on Toshiro Hitsugaya, his implication clear.
Rangiku looked at Kaien's sincere eyes, then at her Third Seat's gradually calming expression, and let out a long sigh.
She picked up her sake jug and took a swig. "Honestly... if it's the handsome Kaien, at least I won't have to worry about getting my pay docked for drinking on the job anymore, right? After all, you're also from the Shiba family's lineage of drunkards."
Toshiro reluctantly accepted this reasoning and muttered, "Until the official orders come down, I will still act according to the rules of a Third Seat."
"Since Vice Captain Shiba is taking over, you should read through these reports regarding the 'abnormal Spiritual Pressure in Karakura Town in the World of the Living' first. Don't slack off..."
Kaien laughed heartily. "I wouldn't have it any other way!"
Just as the atmosphere in the room gradually eased, a gentle, rhythmic knocking came from outside the door.
"Pardon the intrusion. I heard Vice Captain Kaien was here, so I took the liberty of dropping by."
As the voice faded, a mild-mannered man wearing black-framed glasses pushed the door open and entered.
He wore the white haori of the Fifth Division Captain, moving with the refined elegance typical of a scholar.
The Captain of the Fifth Division, Sosuke Aizen.
"Captain Aizen?" Kaien was somewhat surprised.
"Good day, Captain Aizen," Toshiro and Rangiku greeted respectfully.
In the Seireitei, Aizen had an excellent reputation. He was widely recognized as a gentle and honest man, someone everyone treated with the utmost courtesy.
"Vice Captain Matsumoto, Third Seat Hitsugaya, thank you for your hard work." Aizen nodded slightly, then looked at Kaien, his eyes revealing genuine concern. "Kaien, I was just passing by Ugendou and heard the news that you'll be taking over the Tenth Division. It's truly a relief."
"After Captain Isshin Shiba's disappearance, the Tenth Division's morale really needed an energetic leader like you to boost it."
"You flatter me, Captain Aizen. I was just forced into the role," Kaien said, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.
Aizen walked over to the table and sat down naturally. "I was also thinking that since you have to juggle the duties of two divisions simultaneously, you might be overwhelmed. If there's anything the Fifth Division can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Especially after 'that incident', I heard your Zanpakuto has been somewhat unstable. Now that you're succeeding as Captain, you should find time to speak with Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division again."
At the mention of that incident, Kaien's eyes dimmed imperceptibly, but the shadow was quickly melted away by Aizen's sincere gaze.
"Thank you for your concern, Captain Aizen. Actually, I'm mostly recovered, all thanks to Sixth Seat Kocho of the Fourth Division," Kaien said earnestly.
Aizen pushed up his glasses, a soft gleam flashing across the lenses.
His tone became somewhat curious, like casual chatter between old friends. "Speaking of which, I've always had a question. I recall that the Hollow you encountered was an extremely rare parasitic type."
"Logically speaking, once it invades the Spirit Ribbon, there is almost no chance of survival."
"But I later heard that Sixth Seat Kocho managed to eradicate the Hollow's influence in a very short amount of time. Has the Fourth Division's medical techniques advanced to such a degree without us noticing?"
Aizen's words flowed naturally, sounding exactly like an elder asking questions out of academic curiosity.
Kaien suspected nothing and pondered for a moment. "Actually, that wasn't the effect of Kaido. Miss Shinobu... I mean, Sixth Seat Kocho, her methods are very unique..."
"Her Zanpakuto seems to be some kind of biological variant."
"Oh?" Aizen raised an eyebrow. "Biological type? That kind of Zanpakuto is quite rare."
"Yes."
Kaien recalled the bizarre sensation inside his body that night, still feeling a lingering dread.
At that time, his body controlled by the Hollow, Kaien had swallowed the [Antidote] splashed by Shinobu Kocho.
Shinobu Kocho's medical skills were indeed an interesting topic in the Seireitei at the time.
Some said the Kaido medicines she developed stemmed from her past life, giving her an understanding of pharmacology that surpassed ordinary Soul Reapers.
Others who had drunk them claimed they were some kind of deadly poison. While they certainly helped with the illness, they inflicted a pain worse than death.
But the Fourth Division's official statement remained consistent: Shinobu Kocho's healing potions were the ability of her Zanpakuto.
This blade could secrete a so-called 'panacea'.
No matter what ailment a squad member had, as long as they drank these potions, they only needed to sit back and wait for the medicine to seek out the source of the disease and treat it from within the patient's body.
Considering Captain Unohana's Zanpakuto had a similar trait, this explanation was quickly accepted by everyone.
But Kaien, having experienced life and death, knew it was far from that simple.
"Weave fate..."
He had vaguely heard Shinobu Kocho murmuring.
The parasitic Hollow that had been rampaging through Kaien's Spirit Ribbon, attempting to devour his soul, suddenly sensed an unprecedented threat.
A scalding heat surged through Kaien's body. In the microscopic world, it was a swarm of Reishi insects commanded by Shinobu Kocho launching an all-out assault.
Although it sounded a bit disgusting, the truth was...
Kaien and the other patients who had received Shinobu Kocho's treatment had all swallowed a cup full of spirit bugs...
The evil energy originally parasitizing every cell in Kaien's body reacted to these tiny Reishi insects as if they had met their natural nemesis.
These Reishi insects possessed an incredibly strong decomposition ability, instantly disintegrating the Hollow's corruption.
They attached themselves to the surface of the Hollowfied matter, secreting specific biological enzymes to forcibly dismantle the Hollow's chaotic Reishi structure into the most primitive, harmless Reishi particles.
At the same time, another group of Reishi insects acted like the most precise sutures, frantically repairing Kaien's damaged Spirit Ribbon.
"Ugh... Aaaargh!"
Kaien let out an agonizing scream, constantly tearing at his own skin.
Bizarre bulges continuously surfaced on his skin, the traces of the Reishi insects engaging in close-quarters combat with the Hollow's cells.
The squad members who had rushed over to support and were standing nearby were completely stunned, especially the then-inexperienced Rukia Kuchiki.
She watched with her own eyes as Kaien, whose consciousness had been almost entirely swallowed by the Hollow, suddenly emitted a dreamlike purple fluorescence from within his body.
That fluorescence converged into countless phantoms of Hell Butterflies, pouring out from Kaien's facial orifices.
In the mouth of every butterfly was a wisp of pitch-black smoke.
"This method of treatment... is practically performing surgery on the very essence of the soul..." The weakened Jushiro Ukitake couldn't help but feel somewhat tempted, considering whether he should also ask Shinobu Kocho for help...
It was an extremely bold and dangerous operation.
If Shinobu Kocho's control slipped even slightly, those Reishi insects would turn on their host, absorbing Kaien's soul as nutrients as well.
But Shinobu Kocho continued to display astonishing mastery.
Wielding her slender purple blade with one hand, she precisely manipulated every single microscopic 'child'.
Eventually, the last wisp of black mist was completely decomposed into nothingness by the Reishi insects.
Kaien collapsed into the mud. His profile, which had turned livid and sprouted a bony mask, miraculously returned to its original appearance under the entanglement of those purple motes of light.
Shinobu Kocho finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"So... unless you're truly out of options... don't casually seek out Sixth Seat Kocho for medical treatment. It's terrifying..." Kaien shuddered.
"To think it's such an ability. Remarkable."
Aizen's hand paused slightly as he lifted his teacup, offering his heartfelt praise.
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