Mirai had just stepped into the yard of the Squad 9 barracks. Before he could sneak back to his room, a loud voice stopped him.
"Mirai! Stop right there!"
Captain Kensei Muguruma stood under the porch with his arms crossed. His short silver hair stood straight up. His face was full of annoyance.
"I can overlook the fact that you are usually nowhere to be found during squad duties. But do you even know what has been happening in Soul Society lately? At a time like this, you are still hiding and taking it easy all day?"
Kensei's tone was sharp. He was clearly very unhappy.
Mirai stopped at once and turned around. "Captain, is there an emergency mission?" He skipped the part where he would make an excuse.
Seeing Mirai accept it so quickly and wait for orders, the anger in Kensei's chest eased a little. He snorted, lowered his arms, and spoke in a firm voice:
"Mirai, I know what you can do. People with ability should take more responsibility at a time like this. I know you hate being buried in paperwork, so I am changing your assignment."
He paused and looked at Mirai with sharp eyes.
"Starting today, you are in charge of daily patrols and keeping order in the first ten districts of Rukongai. This includes Junrinan and the nine nearby districts for now."
"Districts 1 to 10 of Rukongai?" Mirai was actually a little surprised. "Those areas have always been the most stable parts near the Seireitei. Junrinan has good order and has not had major trouble in decades. Why do we suddenly need a dedicated Shinigami patrol?"
Kensei's face turned even darker. He let out a cold scoff.
"Stable? That was before! Now those noble lords and their 'private soldiers,' along with squad members who have picked sides, are all fighting! They are too afraid to fight with real blades in the noble districts, so they moved their battlefield to Rukongai! They really know how to 'cherish' their own land!"
His voice was filled with suppressed anger.
If Captain-Commander Yamamoto had not given a strict order that lieutenant-level officers and above could not directly interfere in noble infighting, Kensei would have taken Mashiro Kuna and cleared the area himself long ago.
In just over ten days, those dirty fights had spread from small clashes to ten different districts. If this continued, who knew how far it would spread? How much damage would it do to the ordinary souls in Rukongai?
But Kensei had great respect for the Captain-Commander. Since the order had been given, he had to follow it. The squad still needed to send someone to keep basic order and stop things from going completely out of control.
Third Seat Yamagatake Tetsu, the Fourth Seat, and other seated officers either had noble backgrounds themselves or had simply disappeared. It was obvious they had run back to their families to join the internal fighting.
In Kensei's eyes, this was no different from betraying the Gotei 13. It was basically rebellion. He had already marked those people on the internal list to be removed from the squad.
Looking through the names, the only seated officer left who was strong, reliable, and had a clean background seemed to be the Fifth Seat, Mirai, the one who always wanted to slack off.
And...
Kensei looked Mirai up and down. A flash of approval appeared in his eyes. This kid always acted lazy, but his spiritual body was clearly more stable than before. His spiritual pressure was hidden, but it felt like power was building inside him. It seemed his strength had improved again recently.
This was one of the main reasons Kensei usually looked the other way when Mirai slacked off. If Mirai were just dead weight using donations to keep his position, Kensei would never be so lenient. But Mirai was actually getting stronger, and quickly. That was enough.
Kensei did not care about the secrets or methods people used to get stronger. As long as a squad member was moving forward, he would give them support and room to grow.
In contrast, people like Yamagatake Tetsu spent all day thinking about how to expand their influence in the squad and gain more power instead of training. That deeply disappointed Kensei.
He took two steps forward and slapped Mirai hard on the shoulder.
"Listen. I am giving you temporary authority to act in these ten districts. If you find anyone disturbing the peace or threatening the safety of souls, you have the right to arrest them on the spot! It does not matter who they are, noble private soldiers or people registered as Shinigami. If anyone tries to stop you, ignore them. Catch them first and lock them up in the squad barracks. I will handle the rest later."
He thought for a moment and added seriously:
"But you must have a valid reason for the arrest. The evidence must be clear. Our Squad 9 is an enforcement squad, not a group of bandits. Do you understand? The process must be clear."
Mirai nodded. His face did not change, and his voice was steady. "Understood, Captain. I will begin the patrol mission now."
He did not make excuses or complain. He accepted the task simply. He turned around, rested his left hand casually on the hilt of his Zanpakutō, and walked out of the yard toward Junrinan.
Kensei watched Mirai's back as he left. The tension on his face eased a little. This kid was actually reliable when it mattered.
After leaving the Squad 9 barracks, the calm on Mirai's face slowly faded. His eyes turned cold.
These noble bastards... It is one thing for them to fight like dogs among themselves, but they actually brought the killing to Rukongai? They are hurting ordinary souls who already have hard lives.
They are really asking for it.
His speed increased. Reishi flowed silently under his feet. His Fourth-Class spiritual pressure was perfectly sealed inside his body. Not a trace leaked out. But his sensing range and accuracy were much better than before.
Under Junrinan's calm surface, dark currents were beginning to move. And now, he had official authority to clean up the trash.
He did not care about the noble civil war. But if they caused trouble in Rukongai, messed with his territory, and gave him extra work, then he would not be polite.
As soon as he left the Seireitei and entered Junrinan, Mirai immediately noticed the difference.
Usually, at this time, Junrinan's main shopping street would be full of people. There would be nonstop sounds of selling and talking. The air would carry the smell of food and the glow of reishi trinkets.
But now, the street was clearly much quieter. Most shops were still open, but the door curtains hung low. There were few people outside. Even those who were out walked quickly with alert looks on their faces. Almost no one stopped to talk.
Mirai slowed down. He carefully looked at both sides of the street. The buildings were fine, and the road was clean. There were no obvious signs of fighting or damage.
The residents of Rukongai had probably heard the rumors or felt that something was wrong in other areas. They chose to go out less and stay inside. It seemed the effects of the noble conflict were indeed spreading into the outer districts.
He did not stay long in Junrinan. He checked the direction and headed straight for Mount Koifushi in District 3.
If they were going to choose a battlefield, Mount Koifushi was a good place. The terrain was complex, with mountains and thick forests, making it easy to hide. More importantly, the population there was small.
Even if the fighting sides did not care about civilians, they would not dare start a large-scale massacre or destroy things near the Seireitei. If they did, the Shinigami in the Gotei 13 who came from Rukongai would not stand by and watch. If public anger rose and the matter reached Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the consequences would be more than they could handle.
As soon as he entered the outer area of Mount Koifushi, the fresh forest air was replaced by a faint smell of blood and smoke. Then, from a valley ahead, he heard shouting and the muffled booms of clashing reiatsu.
From the noise, it was a large fight. There were probably hundreds of people involved.
Mirai frowned slightly. He did not rush toward the sound. He stopped and quickly looked around. Soon, he spotted the top of a cliff with a clear view.
Two people stood there, one old and one young. The older man stood as straight as a pine tree with a stern face. The younger man also stood tall with a cold expression. A red scarf fluttered lightly in the wind.
It was Squad 6 Captain Kuchiki Ginrei and Third Seat Kuchiki Kōga.
Mirai thought for a moment. He stepped lightly on reishi and moved with a few quick jumps. He landed steadily near the edge of the cliff, not far from them.
He did not waste time on greetings. He spoke directly. His voice was not loud, and his tone was cold:
"Captain Kuchiki. Third Seat Kuchiki. The fighting below is getting intense. I would like to ask when you two plan to step in and stop it."
He asked very directly, almost rudely. Mirai was now the person in charge of Squad 9 patrols. He had the right to question anyone in his area who might be connected to the disorder, even a Captain and a high noble.
Kuchiki Kōga turned at the sound of the voice. Seeing that it was Mirai, a friendly smile appeared on his cold face.
Recently, because Mirai's book Life Reversal had become a huge hit, Kōga's reputation inside and outside the Seireitei had risen. He received more attention and respect wherever he went, which gave him a very good impression of Mirai.
"So it is Fifth Seat Mirai. Thank you for your hard work," Kuchiki Kōga said with a slight nod. "You are here on patrol under Captain Kensei, right? Please leave the situation here to Squad 6. After all, this is internal noble business. We are more familiar with it."
After saying that, he immediately turned to Kuchiki Ginrei, who was still silently watching the battlefield below. Kōga's voice carried some urgency:
"Father! The noise below is getting louder! The number of people in this private fight is much higher than expected. If we keep letting this continue and it gets out of control, it will spread to more areas. It may even harm innocent souls. At that point, the other squads of the Gotei 13 will not just stand by. If the situation grows bigger, it will be bad for everyone!"
Kuchiki Ginrei did not answer at once. He kept facing the battlefield below with a heavy gaze. The mountain wind moved his gray hair and white scarf, but he did not move an inch.
He seemed to be weighing something, or perhaps waiting for a specific moment.
Mirai did not press him. He just stood quietly to the side. He also looked down at the noisy, chaotic valley. Flashes of reiatsu light mixed together. There were many figures below. The shouting and the sound of weapons colliding never stopped.
This had clearly gone far beyond a simple disagreement.
Mirai's right hand also rested lightly on the hilt of his sword
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