"Does anyone have any thoughts regarding the position of Squad 10 Captain?"
Naraku Sora, who had just been preparing to slip away, stopped in his tracks upon hearing this and immediately raised his hand.
"Teacher, I have a recommendation."
"Oh?"
Yamamoto furrowed his brows, looking at his rebellious disciple with a hint of dissatisfaction.
*Previously, I told you to go to the Rukongai to scout for talent to fill the vacancies in the Gotei 13's Captain roster, and you only brought back an unruly Zaraki Kenpachi.*
*The rest of the more obedient ones were all stuffed into your New Gotei 13.*
*Are you here to share my burdens, or just to cause me grief?*
*Moreover, I haven't even settled the score with you regarding Central 46!*
If he hadn't considered that revealing too much information at once might cause unrest, he would have already started discussing candidates for Central 46.
Perhaps he was just used to being tormented, but seeing Naraku Sora put on an 'I have a plan' expression instantly put Yamamoto on high alert.
However, since it was brought up, there was no harm in listening.
If the candidate didn't meet the requirements, he would just add another mark against this foolish disciple.
"Speak."
Under the curious gazes of the numerous Captains, Naraku Sora grinned.
"Shiba Isshin from the Shiba clan."
"Thanks to my diligent cultivation, he successfully learned Bankai not too long ago."
The moment these words were spoken, the entire room was shocked.
Everyone's eyes widened, unable to process the information for a moment.
If they remembered correctly, the New Gotei 13 had just produced several Soul Reapers who had mastered Bankai not too long ago, right?
How much time had passed since then, and yet another newcomer had successfully mastered Bankai?
What exactly did he think Bankai was?!
Even the Five Great Noble Clans, whose innate spiritual power far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Reapers, couldn't guarantee that a Soul Reaper capable of Bankai would be born in every generation.
But with Naraku Sora, it seemed as common as cabbages in a wholesale market.
He would just pull out a few at the drop of a hat.
It completely lacked the historical, earth-shattering impact it used to have.
Hearing his rebellious disciple's words, Yamamoto, who stood at the head of the room, twitched his eye and tried to keep his blood pressure in check.
He could only conclude that if you lived long enough, you would eventually see everything.
"What are your thoughts?"
Yamamoto turned his gaze to the other Captains.
Squad 2's Shihōin Yoruichi grinned, flashing the same bright smile as her foolish disciple, and nodded in approval.
She was a staunch supporter of the Sora Faction, so naturally, she stood by his side.
Next was Unohana Retsu, whose stance seemed even firmer.
"Head Captain Yamamoto, during your absence, Sora managed the Gotei 13 exceptionally well, with almost no mistakes."
"Coupled with the rapid development of the New Gotei 13, Sora's capabilities are evident."
"Therefore, I trust him."
Looking at Unohana Retsu speaking so confidently, Yamamoto couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
Others might not understand Unohana Retsu, but he knew her very well.
As the First Kenpachi, the most unprecedented villain in the history of the Soul Society, Unohana Retsu had never publicly expressed support for anyone.
A thousand years ago, this woman slaughtered countless people. If he hadn't suppressed her, she might have caused even more terrifying turmoil in the Soul Society.
It was precisely because of his absolute suppression in strength that she was forced onto a completely different path.
But now, she was publicly supporting Naraku Sora.
Could it be...
Yamamoto's eye twitched violently as a dangerous image flashed through his mind.
Yoruichi cast a curious glance at Captain Unohana. Her intuition told her that things were not as simple as they seemed.
Kuchiki Ginrei stood with his hands resting at his sides, a sentimental expression on his face.
Speaking of which, it had been a while since his foolish grandson joined Shino Prison, right?
Since the brat from the Shiba clan could master Bankai, there was no reason his own descendant couldn't.
Byakuya's talent was excellent, after all.
Perhaps it was time for him to retire.
Although Sōjun's body had long since recovered, his overly kind personality made him completely unsuited to be a Captain, and his talent was indeed inferior to Byakuya's.
Yes, once this Captains' meeting concluded, he would go ask Naraku Sora.
When would he let his grandson leave?
In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and Kuchiki Ginrei also stepped forward to agree with Naraku Sora's recommendation.
Seeing that the senior Captains had agreed, the others naturally had no objections.
Moreover.
They were also very curious to see if Naraku Sora was telling the truth about Shiba Isshin learning Bankai, or if he was just blowing hot air.
Seeing this, Yamamoto nodded slightly.
"Since there are no objections, we will tentatively finalize Shiba Isshin as the candidate."
"As for the Captain's proficiency test..."
His authoritative gaze swept through the crowd.
Muguruma Kensei's heart immediately tightened, instinctively sensing trouble.
The last few Captain's proficiency tests had all involved him. Surely he wouldn't be chosen again this time?
Right on cue, Yamamoto coughed lightly.
"Captain Muguruma will be in charge of it. The time is set for three days from now."
Muguruma Kensei's face instantly darkened, his features twisting into a somewhat ferocious expression.
He felt he couldn't let this go on any longer, or else everyone would eventually treat him as a pushover.
During this Captain's proficiency test, he absolutely had to establish a new image.
On the other side of the meeting room, Hirako Shinji's expression was somewhat grim.
He knew Naraku Sora had a lot of influence in the Gotei 13, but he hadn't expected it to reach this level.
With just a casual recommendation, more than half of the Captains stepped forward to support him.
If he ever harbored malicious intentions, it would be an incalculable disaster.
Perhaps Naraku Sora didn't have such thoughts, but who could guarantee that Aizen didn't?
That guy had been hiding his true self all along.
The Captains' meeting concluded, and the Captains left the room in twos and threes.
Just as Yoruichi was about to take the initiative to approach, she noticed someone was already standing beside Naraku Sora.
"Lord Naraku, I wonder how Byakuya's training is progressing?"
Kuchiki Ginrei asked slowly.
Hearing this, Naraku Sora thought for a moment and replied.
"I think he's already worked his way up to Lieutenant of the New Squad 6. He's currently assisting Kōga."
"Didn't he tell you?"
Kuchiki Ginrei: "..."
In truth, he hadn't seen his grandson in a long time.
Aside from the fact that he had to stay on the front lines as a Captain due to the frequent unrest in the Soul Society, the workload in the New Gotei 13 was even heavier than in the regular Gotei 13.
Filled with concern, Kuchiki Ginrei voiced his request.
"No problem," Naraku Sora grinned. "Whenever the chicken finishes pecking the rice, and Komamura finishes eating his noodles—ahem, I mean, anytime is fine."
"Because the atmosphere on our side is quite good, Byakuya's training speed is very fast."
"Right now, he should be on the verge of mastering Bankai."
Hearing this, Kuchiki Ginrei's eyes widened in shock.
If he didn't have a concrete concept of Shiba Isshin learning Bankai earlier, Naraku Sora's words now completely astounded him.
Because Kuchiki Byakuya had excellent talent, his early training had always been personally overseen by him, his elder.
Therefore, he was very clear about his grandson's level.
But it had only been a few years, and he was already close to learning Bankai?
Was this reasonable?
Was Shino Prison pronounced as 'prison' but actually written as 'Soul King Palace'?
Kuchiki Ginrei's expression was somewhat dazed.
Finally snapping back to reality, he took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Lord Naraku, once this matter is settled, I will definitely pay a personal visit."
"When that time comes, please allow me to meet with Byakuya."
Naraku Sora nodded, readily agreeing.
Kuchiki Ginrei suppressed the shock in his heart and walked toward the door, taking large strides.
If he weren't so busy with squad duties, he would have loved to go see for himself right this instant.
After everyone else had left, Yoruichi quietly followed beside Naraku Sora, walking shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Yoruichi, when did you get here?"
Naraku Sora was a bit surprised. He felt like he hadn't seen this dark-skinned girl in a long time.
Even though it hadn't been that long since their last mixed bath at the hot springs.
"Yes, I love you too."
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes, spouting some crazy nonsense she had learned from who knows where, the corners of her mouth curling up.
"Sora, do you want to become one of the Five Great Noble Clans?"
"I don't mean marrying into one, but making the name Naraku stand above the authority of the Soul Society."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora's expression froze, and he turned to look at the girl beside him.
She had a tall figure, a purple ponytail cascading down her back, and a faint smile playing on her delicate face.
Compared to how she looked when they first met, Yoruichi had matured a lot.
She was getting closer and closer to the image he remembered.
Under his gaze, Yoruichi smiled and continued.
"As long as you want it, the Shihōin clan will fully support you. Furthermore, I don't think old man Kuchiki would refuse either."
"With the Tsunayashiro clan's current influence, they can't stir up any waves in the Soul Society at all. As long as we unite, it will be enough to expel them from the ranks of the Five Great Noble Clans at the Golden Seal Noble Assembly."
"When that time comes, having Naraku replace Tsunayashiro won't be a difficult task."
Naraku Sora was somewhat surprised and asked in confusion, "Why are you suddenly telling me this?"
Yoruichi grinned and explained softly, "Because I noticed that you are using yourself as an anchor, trying to influence the entire Soul Society."
"When I first met you, you acted like you didn't care about anything around you."
"Or rather, only a few people were worth your attention."
"But as time passed, you started caring about more people, caring about this world."
"From the Araki clan's rebellion to the Reigai turmoil, you've been trying to change this world..."
"But—"
"In my opinion, the best way to break rules that have been maintained for a million years is to become the rule itself."
"The Five Great Noble Clans are exactly that."
Naraku Sora looked at the gentleness shining in those golden eyes and grinned.
Actually, he hadn't thought that much about it. He just felt that some things were too much of an eyesore, so he simply cleared them out altogether.
However, Yoruichi's attitude surprised him a bit.
But for someone of the noble class to say such things, it took a tremendous amount of courage and determination.
"Thank you, Yoruichi."
Naraku Sora dropped his smile and spoke in an extremely serious tone.
"But becoming a noble isn't the life I want. I will use my own methods to shape the world into what I envision."
Hearing this, Yoruichi paused for a moment, and then a bright smile reappeared on her face.
"You really are as stubborn as ever!"