The news of Naraku Sora taking on the role of Substitute Head Captain spread like wildfire throughout the Seireitei. By that afternoon, it was the talk of the town, with discussions echoing in nearly every corner where members of the Gotei 13 gathered.
The hot-blooded, brawler-type Soul Reapers who highly revered Naraku Sora cheered in jubilation, bluntly stating that this was exactly how things should be.
Yamamoto was growing old and frail; it was the perfect time for Head Captain Naraku to overthrow his superior and ascend to the throne.
Among this group, Shino Prison and Squad 11 were the most prominent representatives.
However, some of the relatively more rational Soul Reapers held a pessimistic view of the situation.
In their eyes, while Lord Naraku possessed immense strength, his administrative skills were rather lacking. If he were to serve as Head Captain, it was highly likely he wouldn't even be able to handle the squad duties properly.
In short, the Seireitei was doomed.
Aside from these two groups, there were also a few individuals who were just looking for a good laugh.
Squad 8 Barracks.
Yadōmaru Lisa arrived at the captain's office, carrying a stack of documents in her arms.
She had never held much hope for her chronically lazy captain.
As long as that guy stayed obediently in the barracks and didn't go out drinking in the red-light district, she would be satisfied.
Surprisingly, however, when she slid the door open, the sight before her made her freeze in astonishment.
A man wearing a hairpin and a floral haori was hunched over his desk, working with an expression of utmost seriousness.
Yadōmaru Lisa rubbed her eyes vigorously, wondering if she had fallen under some sort of illusion.
But after rubbing her eyes, she found that the scene before her hadn't changed at all.
She carefully placed the documents on the desk, rested her hand on the hilt of the Zanpakutō at her waist, and probed in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Captain, blink if you're being threatened."
"?"
Kyōraku Shunsui looked up, staring at his lieutenant with a bewildered expression.
After a moment of stunned silence, he broke into a wide grin and said happily,
"Little Lisa, you're just in time. Hurry and deliver these files to Squad 1."
Yadōmaru Lisa narrowed her eyes, her grip on her sword hilt tightening.
"Captain, is there something wrong with your head?"
"How could that be? I'm frighteningly healthy. I just suddenly heard that my junior martial brother has taken on the role of Substitute Head Captain."
Kyōraku Shunsui's eyes sparkled as he flashed a beaming smile.
"As his senior brother, I can't offer much help, so I decided to organize all the old, piled-up files in our squad and send them over as a gift to my junior brother."
Yadōmaru Lisa: "..."
That smug, kick-a-man-while-he's-down attitude—this was definitely her captain, alright.
Normally, processing even a few squad files was like pulling teeth for him, but the moment he heard it would make Naraku Sora suffer, he actively busied himself with work.
The bond between you martial brothers sure is something else.
That being said, aren't you afraid of Lord Naraku retaliating against you, Captain?
Seeming to read Yadōmaru Lisa's thoughts, Kyōraku Shunsui chuckled.
"Getting to see that brat completely overwhelmed and pulling his hair out—even if I die, it's worth the price of admission!"
"Lord Naraku, may I ask what brings you here?"
Inside an ancient mansion, Naraku Sora sat at a table.
Across from him sat an honest-looking middle-aged man.
His clothes bore the crest of the Falling Heavenly Swirling Crest, a symbol of his status.
He was an elder of the Shiba Clan, the current Substitute Captain of Squad 10, and the one who presided over the Tenchūren ceremony, Shiba Mokua.
His appointment as Substitute Captain was purely a matter of being forced into a role he wasn't ready for, driven by sheer necessity.
With Shiba Mokua's skill level—having only mastered his Shikai—he was fundamentally unqualified to properly serve as a captain.
If the Hell Rebellion hadn't suddenly broken out, he would still be holding onto his position as lieutenant, living a quiet and stable life.
However, that sudden incident had thrust him directly into the position of Substitute Captain, forcing him to face the most dangerous of enemies.
But due to his lack of strength, he had nearly lost his life at the hands of the Togabito.
He hadn't participated in the subsequent rescue and reconstruction missions; his spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak.
"It's regarding the position of Squad 10 Captain, of course."
Naraku Sora took a sip of tea and calmly set the cup down.
As expected of the most frugal of the Five Great Noble Clans, the tea they served guests was even worse than Old Man Yama's.
Although he didn't know much about tea, he could still compare the taste.
Hearing this, Shiba Mokua's eyes lit up. "Oh? Have you found a suitable candidate?"
He had been looking forward to this day for a long time.
The agony of holding a position that didn't match his abilities was truly too torturous.
He still felt lingering fear from the previous Hell Rebellion.
Later, he had even heard that the captains formed an expeditionary force to Hueco Mundo and were nearly wiped out.
If there were a few more missions like that, he, Shiba Mokua, would be meeting the ancestors of the Shiba Clan ahead of schedule.
Naraku Sora nodded, getting straight to the point. "It's Shiba Isshin."
A long time ago, Yamamoto had entrusted him with the task of finding a suitable candidate.
Originally, the plan was to have Komamura Sajin take over the position of Squad 10 Captain after he successfully completed his training.
But who could have expected that they would end up creating a New Gotei 13?
Looking at Komamura and the others, they even seemed quite happy about it.
It made Naraku Sora a bit reluctant to break them up.
So he had no choice but to select someone else to fill the vacancy.
Shiba Mokua froze for a moment, stammering slightly,
"I-Isshin has good talent, but he only mastered his Shikai not too long ago. He shouldn't be qualified to serve as a captain, right?"
Naraku Sora grinned. "You don't need to worry about that. Shiba Isshin's talent is actually much better than you think."
"As early as the battle with the Hell Togabito, he already possessed enough Reiatsu to master Bankai. He just lacks the tempering of time."
"And I just so happen to have a method to shorten that time."
He had briefly skimmed through the footage of the Hell Rebellion while assisting with research in Las Noches.
Shiba Isshin just so happened to appear in that segment.
With his exquisite Zanjutsu, he charged in and out of the Hell Togabito ranks; he was at least at Kensei's level.
Compared to a true captain, he was only lacking a Bankai.
And Sora happened to have a spare Tenshintai on hand. Considering that Shiba Isshin had a grateful personality, he didn't mind letting the kid give it a try.
It would also conveniently complete the task Yamamoto had given him years ago.
He could just consider it a way to make the old man happy.
It wouldn't be good if Yamamoto returned from the Dangai, found that the squad duties hadn't decreased at all, and died from sheer anger.
Given Yamamoto's current mindset, if anything were to happen to him, there was a high probability he would dump the Head Captain position onto Sora's head.
For the sake of his beautiful future life, he absolutely could not let that happen.
"..."
Shiba Mokua looked somewhat conflicted.
"Why don't we ask Shiba Isshin what he thinks?" Naraku Sora suggested.
Hearing this, Shiba Mokua hesitated for a moment, thought for a few seconds, and then nodded.
"Alright."
Soon, a tall and straight figure appeared before the two of them.
Looking at the young man whose height was nearly catching up to his own, Naraku Sora couldn't help but mentally type out a question mark.
Do Soul Reapers grow this fast too?
The last time they met, this guy still looked like a young boy. How long had it even been?
Shiba Mokua detailed the entire situation from beginning to end.
After listening, Shiba Isshin took a deep breath, subconsciously recalling the Reiatsu fluctuations that had emanated from Shino Prison earlier.
That was a powerful Reiatsu that only a Soul Reaper who had mastered Bankai could release.
The successive bursts of Reiatsu fluctuations of a similar scale were enough to prove that Naraku Sora wasn't lying.
Right now, the Shiba Clan was weak, and Uncle Mokua's abilities were limited; even if he gave it his all, he couldn't revitalize the family.
Considering that this might be the only opportunity of a lifetime, if he missed it, he would definitely regret it for the rest of his life.
As if having made up his mind, Shiba Isshin immediately bowed solemnly.
"Please teach me, Lord Naraku!"
Looking at the earnest Shiba Isshin, Naraku Sora's expression turned a bit strange.
He suddenly remembered that the young man before him was the father of the protagonist, Ichigo, in the original timeline. By doing this, was he pushing the world's development forward?
"Burn, Engetsu!"
Gazing at his materialized Zanpakutō opposite him, Shiba Isshin's aura surged. As his Reiatsu billowed, a blazing heat erupted from his blade.
Explosive flames wrapped around the blade, whipping up roaring fires with every swing, the temperature astonishingly high.
Its might might be a bit inferior compared to Ryūjin Jakka, but it was already considered one of the best among fire-type Zanpakutō.
Naraku Sora stood to the side, observing carefully.
Setting everything else aside, this imposing aura alone surpassed the vast majority of Soul Reaper captains.
The current Gotei 13 was in dire need of this kind of vibrant, fresh blood to stimulate the others.
After several exchanges of blows, Shiba Isshin realized that relying solely on Zanjutsu and Flash Step was fundamentally insufficient to defeat the materialized Engetsu.
The basic techniques he knew, his opponent also knew.
He had to bring out the real deal.
Without hesitation, Shiba Isshin reached out, wiped some blood from his body, and smeared it across his mouth with the back of his hand.
The next second, blazing firelight illuminated the sky, instantly swallowing Engetsu.
However, this was merely Shiba Isshin's preparation to build momentum for his next move. He raised the Zanpakutō in his hand, a robust Reiatsu enveloping the blade.
Flames condensed within it.
A deafening roar echoed through the mountain forest as Shiba Isshin swung his sword forward.
"Getsuga Tenshō—!!"
A dazzling flash burst from the blade, and a massive crescent-shaped slash wrapped in flames surged out, perfectly striking Engetsu just as he broke free from the roaring fire.
Amidst the sky-high wave of dust, a battered figure flew backward, plowing a massive trench into the ground before slamming viciously into the distant mountain wall.
Hideous burn marks covered Engetsu's entire body, and a massive wound nearly cleaved his torso in half.
He gritted his teeth, seemingly trying to climb up from the ground.
But, after struggling a few times, he finally collapsed completely.
The next moment, a powerful Reiatsu fluctuation swept through the entire mountain forest. A brilliant pillar of light shot straight into the sky, shredding the clouds above.
Feeling the surging power coursing through his body, Shiba Isshin's face was filled with excitement.
He excitedly approached Naraku Sora and once again bowed deeply.
"Lord Naraku, thank you!"
Naraku Sora waved his hand dismissively. "No need to be polite. I only did this so you could share some of the squad duties."
"By the way, is there any captain you want to challenge?"
Shiba Isshin thought for a few seconds, then looked up and said earnestly, "How about Captain Muguruma?"
Naraku Sora: "..."
He really wanted to say, 'Give Kensei a break,' but after thinking about it carefully, he couldn't find a more suitable candidate for the assessment.
He couldn't exactly have Zaraki Kenpachi do it, right?
"Then it's decided."
Naraku Sora turned and left, leaving the mountain forest to Shiba Isshin so he could familiarize himself with the power of his Bankai as quickly as possible.
The journey back to the Seireitei was exceptionally quiet; he barely even saw any residents.
However, as Naraku Sora crossed a street, he suddenly cast his gaze toward the southeast.
A pristine white figure floated over gracefully.
Her jet-black hair was braided and draped down her back. The loose captain's haori and Shihakushō couldn't conceal her impressive figure, and a gentle smile, like a spring breeze, graced her delicate features.
It was the new Captain of Squad 8, whom he hadn't seen in many days, Katori Batsu'unsai.