Bleach Seireitei's Discipline Captain - Chapter 157
Boom! Boom!
Golden lightning erupted, transforming into ferocious lightning dragons that clashed and tore into each other.
The thunderous explosions echoed throughout the division quarters, spreading across the Seireitei. As the intense clash escalated, the battlefield seemed to birth a golden sun.
Blinding light burst forth, engulfing the entire division barracks and continuing to spread. The buildings crumbled, and the ground beneath them groaned in agony, shaking violently as dirt flew and deep fissures split the ground.
Countless bolts of lightning raged, devouring one another. It was as if two armies were in a fierce standoff, exchanging blows and lives, gradually fading away with time until only a few stray sparks remained, crackling across the scorched ground and in the air.
The sound of sizzling lightning was endless, stretching on without pause. The overwhelming shockwaves spread out in all directions, and cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, nearly covering the entire division headquarters.
Amid the fading tremors, several powerful spiritual pressures approached from the distance, their terrifying presence suffocating the surroundings.
Jich? Tsumuya surveyed the scene of utter destruction before him, a flicker of barely noticeable surprise crossing his eyes.
The irritating buzzing sound of Yuro Zazaniya echoed in his ears again like hundreds of quacking ducks.
“Kekeke, a guy with ‘sword’ in his name losing in a Kido clash? Now that’s truly something incredible,” Yuro Zazaniya laughed cheerfully, her waist arching exaggeratedly but without evoking disgust.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you so disheveled,” she teased. “This little boy’s strength is far from what you expected!”
“If you want to complete that grand ideal, you’ll have to work much harder!” she continued as she dramatically glanced toward the horizon, though her eyes were covered by black leather straps, which didn’t seem to impede her vision.
“Look, the captains are arriving. Aren’t you planning to leave yet?”
Jich? Tsumuya remained silent throughout, his gaze lingering on Tokikaze for a long moment before he slowly dissolved into spirit particles.
“Your mission isn’t over yet.”
By the time the other captains arrived, they were met with nothing but devastation and the moans of wounded squad members.
…
The battle between Tokikaze and Jich? Tsumuya had nearly destroyed the entire Ninth Division headquarters. Most of the buildings collapsed in the aftermath, with only a few areas protected by Kido barriers left intact.
Some of the squad members who hadn’t managed to escape were buried in the rubble.
Fortunately, Ikkaku’s hellish training had paid off—only a few unlucky souls were severely injured and left unconscious by the shockwaves.
The captains didn’t waste time; they immediately began directing the remaining squad members in rescue efforts. Squad Four’s medical team quickly arrived to provide emergency treatment.
A few critically injured individuals were even treated directly by Unohana Retsu using the Healing Art: One’s Own Rebirth.
When it came to healing techniques, this was the most potent restoration method available.
“So, what exactly happened?!”
Ayasegawa Yumichika and Ikkaku exchanged confused glances, utterly clueless about what had transpired.
An Eleventh Division captain appeared out of nowhere; they were both inexplicably beaten down, and then their bodies were immobilized by an equally strange attack.
Just as Jich? was about to deal a final blow to Yumichika, Tokikaze arrived and intervened, after which they started talking about things neither of them could understand.
“To put it simply,” Tokikaze explained, “Yumichika, you’ve been targeted by Jich? Tsumuya, the guy you saw earlier.”
“Your Zanpakut?, Luriko Kujaku, is a natural counter to Jich? Tsumuya’s Zanpakut?.”
Yumichika stared in bewilderment, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to comprehend. “Huh? Isn’t my Zanpakut? called Fuji Kujaku?”
Before Yumichika could respond, Ikkaku raised an eyebrow, eyeing Tokikaze suspiciously.
“Fuji Kujaku, huh? Who would give their Zanpakut? such a lame name like ‘sparrow’?”
Yumichika erupted in a fury, using his anger to mask the truth.
But Tokikaze, not one to hold back, continued without hesitation, completely ignoring their feelings:
“I hate to say it, but you two really are quite close. You stick together constantly, and even your way of thinking is oddly similar.”
Cold sweat began to bead on their foreheads, soaking into their collars.
“Ikkaku may be excused since at least he hasn’t hidden his Bankai from anyone,” Tokikaze smirked, though his smile betrayed his amusement. “But Yumichika, to stay in the Eleventh Division and avoid being looked down upon, you’ve deliberately held back your true Shikai.”
“But haven’t you considered that this deception is a betrayal of the trust others have in you?”
The truth stung, and both men were left scrambling to defend themselves.
“Uh, ha, ha, Tokikaze-taich?, you might have taken a hit during the fight and gotten a bit confused,” Yumichika laughed nervously. “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Yeah, yeah!” Ikkaku chimed in. “I’m just a Third Seat. How could I possibly know how to use Bankai?”
“You should let Unohana-taich? check you over,” Ikkaku suggested, trying to shift the conversation.
Tokikaze scoffed, unimpressed by their feeble attempts. “That excuse wouldn’t fool even Rangiku, let alone me.”
Rangiku Matsumoto, who had arrived late, overheard this and immediately developed a few stress lines across her face.
“Captain…”
Before she could finish, Tokikaze turned, casually grabbed her and planted a kiss on her cheek in full view of everyone.
Her face instantly flushed, her body temperature rising visibly. Even steam seemed to rise from her orange hair.
“The squad members are waiting for treatment. You should go help them,” Tokikaze said with a smile.
Dazed, Rangiku clutched her face and stumbled away awkwardly. Her reaction only served to confirm Tokikaze’s earlier statement.
Ikkaku and Yumichika, left in silence, were forced to confront an unsettling realization: Are we really that dumb?
Tokikaze turned his attention back to them, chastising their deception from the position of a superior:
“Let’s start with you, Ikkaku. And just so you know, I’m not trying to put you down with what I’m about to say.”
He continued, “Who told you that mastering Bankai automatically makes you captain material?”
Ky?raku Shunsui stepped forward, adjusting his straw hat as he cast a curious glance at the two men drenched in cold sweat.
“Mastering Bankai is just one requirement for becoming a captain,” he explained. “But this requirement was broken when Zaraki became captain. As far as I know, he doesn’t even know his Zanpakut?’s name.”
Tokikaze nodded, continuing, “Not to mention, even if your strength qualifies, captains need to be well-rounded in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoh?, and Kido. You fall short in every area.”
“Hey, that’s a bit offensive,” Ikkaku protested.
Tokikaze raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you show us a Raik?h?, then?”
Silence. Only silence greeted him.
Forget Raik?h?; even Shakkah? would be a challenge.
Ky?raku nudged Tokikaze, curious. “Wait, he really mastered Bankai?”
“Yes,” Tokikaze replied with a smirk. “If I remember correctly, it’s called Ry?mon H?zukimaru…”
“Damn it! It’s Ry?mon H?zukimaru!” Ikkaku shouted, veins bulging on his forehead.
But the moment the words left his mouth, he immediately regretted them.
The two men in front of him were now staring at him with mischievous smiles.
Yumichika slapped his face, letting out a sigh. Damn it, Tokikaze was right all along.
Leaving Ikkaku to stew, Tokikaze shifted his focus to Yumichika, who tensed up under his gaze.
Yumichika was frantically trying to think of a way out when the demon-like voice of Tokikaze whispered in his ear:
“Your incomplete Shikai, Fuji Kujaku…”
Tokikaze continued, “The truth is, your Zanpakut? just doesn’t like the color purple, so it only partially releases when you call it.”
Ky?raku scratched his head thoughtfully. “That sounds a lot like my Katen Ky?kotsu…”
“You assumed that the Eleventh Division only respects direct-attack Zanpakut? and despises Kido-based ones,” Tokikaze said, his gaze full of disappointment.
In terms of potential, Luriko Kujaku was one of the most potent Zanpakut?, and if Yumichika unlocked its Bankai, he could become one of the most vital captains.
Ignoring Yumichika’s pained expression, Tokikaze sighed before delivering his final blow:
“By hiding your Zanpakut?’s true nature, you’ve abandoned your comrades in their time of need, all because you were afraid of being judged. How is that any different from being a coward?”
“Not every member of the Eleventh Division is like Zaraki or Ikkaku, obsessed with fighting,” Tokikaze said, piercing through the lie that Yumichika had clung to.
Yumichika remained silent.
“Alright, enough lecturing,” Tokikaze said at last. “Old Man Yamamoto wants you to stay in the First Division for a while.”
“He even suggested you share his bed.”
“Your Luriko Kujaku is far more valuable in the fight against Jich? than you are.”
Ky?raku cleared his throat repeatedly, signaling Tokikaze not to insult their teacher so lightly.
“I don’t care if you cough yourself to death; this is what the Old Man said,” Tokikaze shrugged, “I’m just delivering the message in my own style.”
For a moment, Ky?raku was left in stunned silence, lost in doubt.
…
Meanwhile, at the Twelfth Division headquarters.
In the underground lab, within the warehouse containing countless gigai.
A body made of spirit particles slowly solidified. The transition from nothingness to form happened in an instant.
A sharp, piercing laugh echoed in the empty warehouse, instantly doubling the feeling of agitation in the air.
“Kekeke, so you’re already ready to try a new approach after that initial failure, Mr. ‘Sword?’”
Yuro Zazaniya wound herself around Jich? Tsumuya’s body, disappearing in a flash and reappearing before one of the containers storing a gigai, pressing her face against it.
“Kekeke, so this is your backup plan?” She tapped the container, continuing her constant chatter. “I can’t wait to see how that interesting little boy will react next time…”
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