Initially, Natsuro hadn't paid too much attention to the situation with Miyako.
After all, he had only met her once, and they weren't particularly close.
Even if there was something wrong with the Hollow inside her, it would be Captain Jūshirō Ukitake of the 13th Division who took responsibility, there was no reason it would fall on himself.
And Natsuro was right, the discovery of a Hollow within Miyako had stirred up quite a commotion within the Gotei 13.
Some believed that since most of her consciousness had already been devoured by the Hollow, there was no point in trying to save her. They advocated for killing her immediately to eliminate future risks.
Naturally, this opinion was met with fierce opposition from others.
Notably, from Captain Jūshirō Ukitake of the 13th Division, and Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division.
Jūshirō Ukitake's position was easy to understand, but Mayuri's strong objection was because Miyako's condition was incredibly rare. A research subject like this was practically a treasure, there was no way Mayuri would let her die so easily.
And so, a heated debate broke out between the two sides.
In the end, it was Jūshirō Ukitake's personal guarantee, pledging his own life, that allowed the matter to settle down.
Up to this point, everything was still within the realm of reason. After all, in any organization, differing opinions are natural.
But what wasn't normal was what happened next…
Not long afterward, Miyako mysteriously became brain-dead, effectively a vegetable. Even more shockingly, it was a 12th Division Shinigami who had done it. With a single sword strike, the Hollow inside her was killed.
If not for the fact that many people had been paying close attention to her, Miyako might have died on the spot. Even so, the portions of her consciousness that had been devoured by the Hollow vanished with it.
Thus, she was left in a vegetative state, with a near-zero chance of recovery.
Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi was furious. He interrogated the nameless Shinigami in the most brutal ways imaginable.
Yet no matter how intense the interrogation got, the answers remained bizarre.
The man claimed he had spotted a Hollow breaking into the 12th Division and had chased it down. When he struck and killed it, he was captured, only to discover afterward that the "Hollow" he had slain had somehow become Miyako.
This explanation naturally didn't satisfy Mayuri, nor did it convince the 13th Division. As a result, tensions between the two divisions became volatile, each encounter felt like it could erupt into a fight.
When Natsuro heard about this, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Miyako.
After understanding the situation in detail, he furrowed his brow. There were too many unexplained elements.
Even for the sake of his research, Mayuri wouldn't have had a reason to kill Miyako so quickly. He probably hadn't even fully gathered information about her yet.
So the Shinigami who killed her was clearly suspicious. His excuse didn't hold up, it was full of holes.
But… what if he was telling the truth?
What if, in his eyes, what he described had really happened?
He looked up at the sky, trying to recall the plot of Bleach. His memory was fragmented, but he still remembered that Aizen could create Arrancar and possessed a Zanpakutō that induced illusions.
At first, he hadn't connected this incident to Aizen. But now, he was nearly certain Aizen was involved.
That Hollow might have been one of Aizen's experimental creations. Without his interference, it probably would've simply taken control of Miyako's body, eventually dying later on.
But with Natsuro's involvement, the Hollow was prevented from consuming her fully, couldn't control her body, and was instead handed over to the 12th Division under the pretense of research.
Which likely made Aizen uneasy. If the Hollow were to be studied and its origin discovered, things could get complicated, so he had no choice but to forgo subtlety and have a 12th Division Shinigami kill the Hollow inside her.
In his view, the risk of exposing the Hollow's secrets outweighed the value of letting her live.
Yet, he recalled that during the earlier debate, Aizen had actually stood with the 13th Division, one of the few captains who opposed killing Miyako outright.
"…Damn character setting," Natsuro couldn't help but chuckle. Aizen must've been incredibly frustrated, wanting to kill her while having to act like he was against it, just to maintain his facade.
"What was Aizen's goal again?" Natsuro murmured. He honestly couldn't remember what Aizen's final objective had been.
In truth, even if he had remembered, he might still have trouble understanding it. Aizen's goals in the original story were always a bit vague, perhaps they would only become clear if he actually succeeded. But as the antagonist, success was always out of reach.
Stretching lazily, he decided not to think about it anymore. He headed toward the 11th Division.
Today, he planned to challenge Zaraki Kenpachi to a duel, and see for himself why Unohana held him in such high regard.
Before long, he arrived at the 11th Division barracks.
The moment the 11th Division members saw him, they froze like mice seeing a cat, shivering in fear, assuming Natsuro had come to avenge the 4th Division again.
After all, the 11th Division had long had the worst attitude and were known for bullying the 4th Division.
But soon, someone realized…
This was the 11th Division! They had a captain too!
"Natsuro? What are you doing here?" a familiar voice suddenly called out.
Natsuro looked toward the voice and saw Renji Abarai, forehead drenched in sweat, apparently just finishing his sword training.
"Renji? When did you transfer to the 11th Division?" Natsuro remembered that Aizen had recruited Renji into the 5th Division.
"Ugh, don't mention it," Renji waved dismissively. "Captain Aizen said I was better suited for a combat unit, so in my second year, he transferred me here. Honestly though, I prefer it here, it's a lot more comfortable than the 5th Division."
Natsuro nodded, then looked Renji over, thinking to himself that he would probably end up under Byakuya Kuchiki eventually, so he likely wouldn't stay in the 11th Division for long.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Natsuro asked.
"You're a lieutenant now. How could I just go bother you?" Renji pouted, clearly envious. Even though Natsuro was only the lieutenant of a medical squad, the speed of his rise had been…
Wait. Renji suddenly froze, he just realized Natsuro had already been 3rd seat when he first joined, and then was promoted to lieutenant.
Yeah, comparing people was pointless. Some people were just different.
"Nothing to be shy about. Even if I become a captain one day, I'll still be me," Natsuro said casually.
"Heh, I'll hold you to that!" Renji smiled. He fully believed that someone with his talent could absolutely become a captain.
"By the way, what brings you to the 11th Division..." Renji was about to ask, when suddenly a mocking voice cut in.
"Well, if it isn't the 4th Division's lieutenant, Natsuro Shindōkawa, huh?"
A bald man approached with a smirk. He had been alerted by other members of the 11th Division that the 4th Division's lieutenant had come to challenge them.
Ikkaku Madarame was annoyed. Sure they had been in the wrong in the past, bullying the 4th Division, but this time? Natsuro had come knocking on their door looking for a fight?
"And you are?" Natsuro raised an eyebrow, sensing hostility from the man.
"Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd Seat of the 11th Division!" he declared.
"3rd seat?" Natsuro nodded. He had heard that the 11th Division was a bit unusual. For one, Zaraki Kenpachi was the only captain who didn't know how to use Bankai, but his strength was undeniable.
Also, their lieutenant position was special, often it was the 3rd Seat who acted as the de facto vice-captain.
"This time, none of our guys bullied your squad, right?" Ikkaku asked.
"No," Natsuro replied, a bit confused.
"Then you are here to challenge us?!" Ikkaku's eyes widened, and he growled, ready for a fight.
"…," Natsuro was speechless. Then he glanced around at the 11th Division members, and it all made sense, they clearly didn't welcome him, and someone had probably exaggerated things after he arrived.
Still, to be fair, he had come to challenge their captain, so if they insisted on calling it a dojo challenge, it wasn't entirely wrong.
"N-no, he's not..." Renji's eyes widened, trying to explain on Natsuro's behalf.
"Yes, I'm here to challenge you," Natsuro said flatly.
Renji was stunned and looked at him like he was an alien, then gave up with a sigh. Forget it. He wasn't going to stop him.
"Hmph, straightforward, I like that. Let's move over there," Ikkaku Madarame said with a grin.
"But I actually came to see your captain," Natsuro raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
Immediately, a vein popped on Ikkaku's forehead. "You bastard, are you looking down on me?!" he roared.
"Hmm… I suppose a little appetizer before the main course wouldn't be bad," Natsuro said thoughtfully.
"Hah! We'll see if you still think that way after this appetizer beats you!" Ikkaku shouted, now thoroughly provoked. He raised his Zanpakutō and pointed it at Natsuro.
"Don't worry. With your level, that's impossible," Natsuro continued to taunt as he casually gripped the hilt of his own sword.
In the next instant, Ikkaku charged at him in a fury.
However, Natsuro handled the assault like he was merely playing around, casually responding to Ikkaku's strikes with ease.
Even so, Ikkaku couldn't break through Natsuro's defense, let alone land a hit.
"Not bad," Natsuro said lightly as he knocked Ikkaku back.
But in Ikkaku's ears, those words sounded like mockery. His attacks hadn't even forced Natsuro to move back a single step, and yet he dared to say "not bad"? What else could that be if not ridicule?
"Then you'd better be careful!" Ikkaku growled, gritting his teeth. He gripped his Zanpakutō tightly and shouted, "Extend, Hōzukimaru!"
His blade transformed into a long spear, and his spiritual pressure surged to a higher level.
Natsuro watched calmly, saying nothing. He simply raised his own spiritual pressure to match Ikkaku's, mimicking it perfectly.
"You're not going to release your Shikai?" Ikkaku asked, skeptical. He couldn't believe Natsuro hadn't activated it yet.
"This is my Shikai," Natsuro replied, glancing at Meikyō Shisui. Though he hadn't revealed its abilities, the current form was its released state.
"In that case… be careful!"
With that, Ikkaku thrust his spear forward. In Natsuro's eyes, the spear split into countless afterimages, attacking from every angle.
But even that speed wasn't impressive to himself.
He raised his sword and drew a smooth circle in the air, effortlessly deflecting the flurry of spear thrusts, fluid and relaxed.
"Split, Hōzukimaru!"
Just then, Ikkaku shouted again. His spear suddenly transformed into a three-sectioned staff, its two ends whipping toward Natsuro from both sides.
"Oh?"
He was slightly surprised, and in the next moment, his body vanished from Ikkaku's view, reappearing far in the distance.
"Not bad," Natsuro praised. Honestly, he could've blocked Ikkaku's surprise attack without dodging, but doing so would've required speed beyond the level they were supposedly fighting at, which would've felt like bullying.
"But I still didn't hit you," Ikkaku said, laughing. By now, he had completely forgotten his earlier frustration.
He had felt Natsuro's power. It might have far surpassed his own, but that didn't matter. Combat never lost its thrill just because you were facing someone stronger. And surrender was never an option!
In fact, the more pressure he felt… the more excited he became!
Just then, a figure slowly walked over. The surrounding Shinigami immediately stepped aside, the newcomer was none other than the 11th Division's captain: Zaraki Kenpachi.
Kenpachi stood there, silently observing the two fighters. He didn't interrupt, but judging by the excitement in his expression, he was clearly itching to join in.
"Looks like the captain can't wait any longer… Let's end this in one final blow," Ikkaku said, noticing Zaraki's arrival.
"Hmm? You're still not using your full strength," Natsuro frowned. He could tell, Ikkaku's spiritual pressure hadn't yet peaked.
Ikkaku didn't respond, nor did he show any intention of releasing more power.
"I don't know why you're holding back, but if you lose because of that, I think it's a bit foolish," Natsuro said, though he didn't press the issue.
He slowly raised Meikyō Shisui and a low, thunderous hum began to resonate from the blade.
"Go, Hōzukimaru!" Ikkaku shouted, pouring all his strength into a final thrust toward Natsuro.
But in that moment, the only thing he heard was the sound of thunder, and then Natsuro vanished from his sight. By the time he saw him again, his spear was shattered… and Natsuro's peculiar Zanpakutō was gently resting against his neck.
"First Form: Hekireki Issen (Thunderclap and Flash)."
It was only then that Ikkaku clearly heard Natsuro's voice.
A single, clean, mercilessly sharp strike... There were no flourishes, just sheer precision.
"…I lost," Ikkaku said, a bit conflicted, but not unwilling to admit it. He was thoroughly convinced of his defeat.
"Be careful. Our captain… isn't someone so easily handled," Ikkaku warned sincerely.
"Oh, I know," Natsuro said with a smile, turning his gaze to the approaching figure radiating a demonic battle aura, Zaraki Kenpachi himself.
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Currently on Chapter 478 - Natsuro vs Meikyō Shisui