In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed since the general offensive against the Wandenreich, an operation that shocked the entire Seireitei and almost wiped out the combat forces.
Through the tireless efforts of the Shinigami of various Squads, the post-war cleanup work was finally almost completed.
Aozaki Reiji, who had displayed incredible power in this great battle, naturally did not bother with such trivial matters.
He returned directly to the Aozaki Family and spent time intimately with his wives.
After all, they had been separated for a month, and the 'public grain' that needed to be paid always had to be made up, otherwise those women would never let him off.
Therefore, for the past ten-odd days, Aozaki Reiji had been in an 'overtime' state, without even time to rest.
However, such a peaceful life did not last long.
One afternoon, Aozaki Reiji, as usual, had just stepped out of the Aozaki Family's main gate, contemplating which wall to scale to get into the Shiba family's backyard.
A Advance Team Squad members suddenly flashed and appeared before him.
"Captain Aozaki, Captain-Commander has an order; please proceed to the First Division as soon as possible!"
Aozaki Reiji was slightly taken aback, then asked:
"When was this?"
To block him right at his doorstep.
Surely the old man didn't send someone to look for him on the very first day he came home?
That old man is truly something; staying in the basement all day and night, how could he care about such things?
"Fifteen minutes ago," the Advance Team quickly replied. "I didn't find you at the Eleventh Division, and I was about to go to the Noble District when I saw you come out."
"That's good then, otherwise I'd get another scolding."
Hearing this, Aozaki Reiji nodded.
Thankfully, it was only fifteen minutes; he hadn't delayed too long.
...
"Act as you see fit!!?"
Inside the First Division Squad Barracks, Yamamoto's shocked voice reverberated through the sky, as if to shake the entire Seireitei.
The Squad members passing by were startled by the roar but quickly resumed their respective tasks, accustomed to it.
Since Aozaki Reiji became Yamamoto's disciple, such an undignified roar was not the first time it had occurred; even when teaching Zaraki, who joined later, similar situations arose.
Everyone had long grown accustomed to it and was basically no longer surprised.
In the Captain's Office, Yamamoto was fuming, glaring at Aozaki Reiji, and roared:
"Tell this old man again, what authority did Spirit King give you?"
It wasn't that he hadn't heard clearly; he just couldn't believe it.
Act as you see fit?
He wasn't uncultured and didn't understand the meaning of those words; years of self-training hadn't made him unable to comprehend speech.
Precisely because of this, Yamamoto understood that this authority was too immense.
And with Spirit King residing high in the heavens, not in the Seireitei, who would be able to control what this brat wanted to do in the future?
Aozaki Reiji replied with a grin:
"Act as you see fit! Have you never heard of 'execute first, report later, by royal prerogative'?"
"'Act as you see fit' means something similar; they are both a special privilege, a privilege!"
He proudly swayed his head, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Simply put, in the Seireitei, I can do whatever I want, so you old man better be polite to me!"
Aozaki Reiji looked arrogant, seemingly no longer putting Yamamoto, the Captain-Commander, in his eyes at all.
"Not to mention 'execute first, report later,' even helping all the beautiful girls in the Soul Society become adults is within my 'act as you see fit' authority."
Upon hearing Aozaki Reiji's words, Yamamoto's face flushed crimson. He slammed the table, causing his teacup to jump and tea to splash onto the floor.
"This old man has never heard of such authority; it's utterly absurd! Has Spirit King gone mad? Or has he lived too long and developed senile dementia?"
"Old man, he might be able to hear you."
Aozaki Reiji teased.
"...Cough cough, this old man said nothing."
Yamamoto quickly covered up his gaffe.
Aozaki Reiji raised an eyebrow, secretly muttering to himself that this old man was truly shameless.
However, considering that Yamamoto had been seriously injured recently and Retsu had advised him to rest and recuperate, he dispelled the idea of provoking him into a rage.
Yamamoto picked up a cup of hot tea and took a sip, then, having composed himself, slowly said:
"Spirit King granting you the authority to act as you see fit is a sign of his immense trust in you, but you must not abuse this power. Do you understand its profound meaning?"
"Alright, old man, I naturally understand what you mean. We're master and disciple; for that sake, rest assured, I won't mess around before you return to hell."
Aozaki Reiji waved his hand, indicating understanding.
"..."
Yamamoto's eye twitched.
This disciple was becoming more and more unruly; he was clearly cursing him to die, truly asking for a lesson.
But then he thought that if he were to hit him, he himself might be the one who got hurt, so he decided it wasn't a bad idea to let him off for now.
The old man pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head and said:
"Regarding your time in the Soul King Palace, I am already aware. It's best that nothing went wrong, but I called you here today not just for that matter."
Aozaki Reiji frowned impatiently, urging:
"Then what is it? You old man, you're getting more and more long-winded with age; can't you just get to the point?"
The old man did not mind Aozaki Reiji's disrespectful attitude.
He poured a cup of tea, slowly pushed it towards Aozaki Reiji, and then softly asked:
"How much do you know about the Quincy?"
Aozaki Reiji answered confidently:
"From the outside in, I know everything."
The old man glared at him, annoyed, and said:
"Speak in plain language!"
Aozaki Reiji shrugged, saying helplessly:
"What I should know, and what I shouldn't know, I know it all."
"That's right, Unohana must have told you everything."
Although their thoughts might not be on the same frequency, Yamamoto still nodded in agreement.
Then, he asked:
"So, how much do you truly know about the Quincy in the Human World?"
Aozaki Reiji thought for a moment and replied:
"They have been fighting a bloody war with the Soul Society for hundreds of years; one could say they are mortal enemies who would fight to the death upon meeting, and the war only ceased in the last hundred years or so."
"Do you think those Human World Quincy... could be connected to this incident?"
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, his tone revealing deep suspicion.
"Are you suggesting you suspect they are connected to the Wandenreich?"
Aozaki Reiji's gaze sharpened.
Yamamoto continued:
"Before this battle, this old man dispatched some people to the Human World to attempt negotiations with the Human World Quincy."
"However, I didn't expect those Quincy to be so audacious."
"Not only did they not cooperate with us, they even dared to actively attack us."
His voice gradually deepened, as if suppressing endless rage.
"Many Squad members were injured as a result, and several Squad members are still lying in the Fourth Division's sickbeds."
Yamamoto spoke in a calm tone, but it contained unconcealed anger.
"Therefore, this old man has decided to entrust this matter to your Eleventh Division."
He slightly opened his eyes, and the aura emanating from him was like a volcano about to erupt, making one feel incredibly suppressed.
"Regardless of whether they are related to the Wandenreich or not, they must pay the price!"