Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni naturally did not know how highly Gosuke Shigure regarded the Ninth Division.
From Yamamoto's perspective, however, the Ninth Division was the unit most urgently in need of reconstruction.
Its elite had been nearly wiped out.
Even if Tōsen Kaname, the Fifth Seat, had survived, what could a single seated officer truly accomplish?
The priority was clear, recruit talent, and do so quickly.
Under normal circumstances, the Third Division served as a reserve pool.
When other divisions suffered losses, personnel could be temporarily reassigned from the Third Division to fill gaps.
But the current situation made even that impossible.
The Third Division itself lacked a captain.
Thus, Yamamoto could spare no attention for the Ninth Division beyond one grim hope
That in the coming years, exceptional graduates from the Shin'ō Academy would emerge to replenish its ranks.
After the Ninth Division came the Tenth Division.
The former captain of the Tenth had died in the line of duty long before the Hollowfication incident, his death unrelated to the recent turmoil.
Nevertheless, the position had remained vacant.
This, too, required resolution.
Fortunately, Captain-Commander Yamamoto already had a candidate in mind.
What remained was to personally visit that individual and formally extend the offer.
At the same time, the decline of the Five Great Noble Houses weighed heavily on Yamamoto's thoughts.
The Kuchiki Clan remained standing only through the authority of Kuchiki Ginrei.
The Tsunayashiro Clan had suffered internal upheaval, its leadership now resting in the hands of a young and inexperienced head.
The Ise Clan had withdrawn from the political stage entirely.
The Shihōin Clan, long overseers of the Second Division and the Onmitsukidō, had been thrown into disarray by Shihōin Yoruichi's disappearance, forcing unprecedented changes to Second Division succession.
And the Shiba Clan, once among the greatest, had been absent from Seireitei for far too long.
Sooner or later
They would have to return.
The Eleventh Division required no intervention.
Though its captain had changed, the transition adhered perfectly to Eleventh Division tradition.
Gosuke Shigure's defeat at the hands of Zaraki had resulted in a lawful transfer of the Kenpachi title.
The Eleventh Division functioned exactly as it always had.
No instability.
No objections.
The true headache lay with the Twelfth Division.
Though not as utterly devastated as the Ninth, its situation was only marginally better.
Vice-Captain Sarugaki Hiyori had vanished during the Hollowfication incident.
Captain Urahara Kisuke had been declared a criminal and forced into exile.
Both leadership positions were vacant.
A vice-captain could be appointed with relative ease.
But a Twelfth Division captain was another matter entirely.
The Twelfth was not a frontline combat division.
It was the technical heart of Gotei Thirteen.
Its captain needed not only strength, but brilliance.
Urahara Kisuke had inherited Hikifune Kirio's legacy, reorganizing the old Seireitei Research Institute into the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
Under his leadership, its accomplishments had been extraordinary.
Discoveries in spirit particles, dimensional theory, and artificial souls
Even the existence of the Dangai had been further refined through his work.
Had events unfolded differently, Kisuke would undoubtedly have become a cornerstone of Soul Society's future.
But reality had not been kind.
Now that he was gone, Yamamoto faced a difficult question:
Would the Research and Development Institute be dismantled so soon after its creation?
After long deliberation, one name surfaced.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
When Hikifune Kirio had ascended to Division Zero, Yamamoto had requested captain recommendations.
Among them, Gosuke Shigure had recommended Mayuri.
Ultimately, Urahara Kisuke, backed by Yoruichi, had been chosen instead.
Yet Mayuri's talent had never been in doubt.
Urahara himself had been the one to extract Mayuri from the Maggot's Nest, entrusting him with the role of Vice-Director of the Research and Development Institute.
From a technical standpoint, Mayuri's genius was unquestionable.
The only remaining concern
Was his strength sufficient to stand among captains?
If necessary, Yamamoto was prepared to test him.
At times like these, ability outweighed reputation.
Gosuke Shigure had no involvement in these deliberations.
After all, he did not exist in the original structure of Gotei Thirteen
And now, he was no longer part of its command.
After retiring, he settled into a residence within Seireitei proper, no longer entitled to captain's quarters.
The house had been found for him by Tsunayashiro Ryana.
It stood along Noble Street, close to the Tsunayashiro estate.
Gosuke Shigure understood Ryana's intentions perfectly.
Though no longer a captain or Kenpachi, his strength remained.
Maintaining goodwill with him was a rational choice for the Tsunayashiro Clan.
He did not refuse her kindness.
Finding such a location on his own would have been impossible.
The residence possessed a spacious courtyard, overgrown with lush vegetation.
Gosuke Shigure left it untouched.
Original states had their own beauty.
He placed a chair beneath the open sky and basked in the sunlight.
Preparation for the future could wait.
There were still nearly a hundred years before the tides of fate truly began to move.
For now
He would enjoy retirement.
He did not expect a visitor so soon.
Footsteps approached.
A woman in a black Shinigami uniform, her short hair sharp and disciplined, stood before the gate.
She hesitated.
Then knocked.
"Come in," Gosuke Shigure called calmly.
The door slid open.
The woman knelt respectfully before him.
"Captain Gosuke!"
"I'm no longer a captain," Gosuke Shigure replied gently.
"Don't call me that."
"…Master Gosuke," she corrected herself without hesitation.
He accepted it.
"What brings you here, Soi Fon?"
Her expression tightened.
After a moment's struggle, she spoke with resolve.
"I wish to ask Master Gosuke for special training."