"Although Lady Yoruichi is suitable, but..."
"But she is too deeply involved with the Gotei 13. If we choose her as the Commander-in-Chief, wouldn't it be the same as before?"
"Lady Yoruichi has a flighty personality and dislikes restraint. She even pushes the duties of the Second Division onto her subordinates. Asking her to rebuild the signboard of the Onmitsukidō... I fear she lacks that patience."
"Since Lady Yoruichi won't do, the old head of the Shihoin family is elderly and bedridden, and the young son, Lord Yūshirō, is too young..."
"How about the son-in-law of the Shihoin family, Lord Shihoin Kenma?"
"That is a suitable candidate. He is of the Shihoin main line, has sufficient seniority and strong ability, and has been engaged in the work of the Onmitsukidō for many years, possessing rich experience in this field."
"But what about his strength? Lord Kenma was previously only a Third Seat."
"I recall that when Kuchiki Kōga slaughtered the Central 46 earlier, Lord Shihoin Kenma detected it in advance and rushed over to stop it. Although he was a step late, he broke out into a battle with Kuchiki Kōga and survived the fight."
"Kuchiki Kōga killed five Captains in a row; his strength is abnormally powerful. For Lord Kenma, a Third Seat, to be able to contend with him and survive shows that his strength is sufficient."
"Correct!"
Among the Sages of Central 46, some spoke in low voices, while others exclaimed loudly, spittle flying.
There were also some Sages who just watched coldly without speaking, allowing these colleagues with countless ties to the Shihoin family to engage in their pretentious and heated discussion.
As the discussion proceeded, the people in the hall gradually found a consensus, with voices of approval making up the majority.
Seeing this, the Chief Judge struck the gavel again, promulgating the decision of Central 46.
"After our discussion, it is decided that Shihoin Kenma shall assume the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, taking office immediately. Are there any objections?"
"None!"
Kenma said in a deep voice. A trace of joy appeared between his brows, which he immediately forcibly suppressed, continuing to keep a straight face and maintaining that serious expression.
After so many days of hard work and spending so much effort—fighting for power and profit, suppressing various families, and acting under the guise of righteousness.
Today, all the hard work he had put in finally yielded returns.
From this moment on, his infiltration and control of the Seireitei officially began!
"Very good."
The Chief Judge above nodded and said with a light smile, "Grand Kidō Chief Tessai Tsukabishi, Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō Shihoin Kenma, please step forward, both of you."
"We, the Central 46, have something to give you."
Doubt instantly arose in Kenma's heart; among the matters he had instructed Central 46 to handle earlier, this step was not included.
However, looking at the attitude of these people, presumably, it shouldn't be anything bad.
Harboring curiosity in his heart, Kenma and Tessai Tsukabishi each took a step forward.
Two teams of guards walked out from the dark corners on both sides, arriving in front of Kenma and Tessai Tsukabishi.
The two leading guards held wooden trays in their hands, upon which were folded sets of white garments.
On the garment in front of Kenma, the word 'Stealth' was written. Looking at Tessai Tsukabishi's, the word 'Demon' was written on it.
"This is?"
Kenma looked up at the crowd above.
Tessai Tsukabishi's glasses flashed with a layer of white light, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.
Seeing their appearance, the Chief Judge spoke, "You two, this is a gift from all members of our Central 46. It represents our regard, as well as the earnest expectations of Central 46. We hope you two can live up to these high hopes."
"Put them on, you two. See if they fit?"
Seeing this, Kenma and Tessai Tsukabishi took off their outermost coats and handed them to the guards beside them.
Other guards respectfully picked up the white garments and gave them a gentle shake, revealing the full appearance of the clothes to everyone.
They were unmistakably white haori.
The style of the haori was similar to what Captain-Commander Yamamoto wore at this time, with a purple lining and characters written on the back of the outer layer.
Tessai Tsukabishi's expression changed, revealing a trace of shock.
Kenma raised an eyebrow, the joy between his brows becoming thicker. He looked at the Sages above with some surprise.
The two lowered their bodies slightly, allowing the guards to drape the haori over their shoulders.
The Chief Judge asked with a smile, "Well, you two, do they fit?"
"This subordinate thanks all the Sages and Lords Judges. The haori fits incomparably well, naturally."
Tessai Tsukabishi bowed, his expression full of solemnity.
"This subordinate is endlessly grateful for the sentiments of the Lords. I will absolutely not fail the expectations of the Lords and will defend the safety of the Seireitei to the death."
Compared to Tessai Tsukabishi's restraint and respect, Kenma's attitude appeared a few degrees more casual.
"Not bad."
"I am very satisfied with this gift."
Seeing Kenma speak like this, the Chief Judge above subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked around left and right, seeing that his colleagues around him were doing the same; their expressions, which had been quite tense just a moment ago, instantly relaxed a lot.
Naturally, this matter was not something Kenma had instructed in advance. It was something the few of them had secretly plotted, planning to give Kenma a surprise.
Firstly, it was naturally to show loyalty to Kenma and the Shihoin family.
Even though they had become Central 46, they were vassals of the Shihoin family, and the group wanted to convey this meaning.
Secondly, it was to stand in support of Kenma and the upcoming reconstruction of the Onmitsukidō, providing the greatest prestige and support.
Central 46 had already made such a definitive statement to let those who had other ideas about this matter in private keep their eyes peeled and obey honestly.
Especially those members of the Gotei 13 whose interests were damaged.
Don't cause trouble over this kind of thing, or you'll be giving Central 46 a hard time!
Now, seeing Kenma's reaction, these Sages and Judges could see he was clearly quite fond of this unexpected joy.
Looking at each other, looks of joy couldn't help but appear on their faces.
It seemed that this bold move of theirs did not incur Kenma's displeasure; the flattery they had racked their brains over was not in vain after all.
As for Tessai Tsukabishi, he was considered an add-on. That he could have such special treatment could only be counted as his good luck.
After all, they couldn't just give one to the Onmitsukidō and not to the Kidō Corps.
Otherwise, it would make their Central 46 appear too sycophantic.
They were newly appointed and needed to save face.
At the very least, in superficial handling, they had to hold a bowl of water level so as not to leave people with too much to gossip about.
"It is good that they fit." The Chief Judge nodded and continued, "The next topic is the reallocation of funds and personnel for the three institutions."
"First is the funding aspect."
The Sages below began to discuss again.
"Previously, half of the funds cut from the Gotei 13 were to be distributed to the Kidō Corps and the Onmitsukidō. The Kidō Corps needs to expand its scale, while the Onmitsukidō has it harder; it is no exaggeration to say it is being built from scratch."
"In that case, the bulk of those funds should go to the Onmitsukidō, and a small portion to the Kidō Corps. As for the ratio, how about an eighty-twenty split? Twenty for the Kidō Corps, eight for the Onmitsukidō. That seems reasonable."
"But the Onmitsukidō is newly built after all; even this amount is estimated to be insufficient. We might as well divert some more from other places in the Seireitei."
"How about this: I don't want my salary for the next hundred years. It shall all serve as funding for the Onmitsukidō."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]