"..."
Kuchiki Rukia's face flushed slightly. Afraid that Fūjin Taichi might notice, she used the motion of brushing back her hair to hide it, then lowered her head and quietly ate her cucumber.
Taichi didn't say anything more either. He quickly finished his bento in a few bites, then left the division cafeteria together with Rukia and headed toward the assembly point of East Patrol Unit, Squad 16.
The assembly point was located in a small grove east of the 13th Division barracks. When Taichi and Rukia arrived, Kurumadani Zennosuke was desperately explaining something to two male Shinigami dressed in standard Shihakushō.
Upon seeing Taichi and Rukia, Kurumadani finally let out a sigh of relief and turned to the two men in front of him.
"Lord Yakumo, they're here!"
"Oh?"
The male Shinigami known as 'Lord Yakumo' stared fixedly at Rukia and Taichi.
"So that short one is the pet adopted by the Kuchiki family? And who's the guy next to her?"
His real name was Yakumo Ryūju, the current 7th Seat of the 13th Division—a veteran Shinigami who had joined the division over sixty years ago and possessed extensive experience fighting Hollows.
It was said that Yakumo Ryūju was the only seated officer to ever clash with a Gillian-class Menos and retreat unscathed. He was known as the 'Strongest Seated Officer' in Soul Society.
Behind him stood another male Shinigami with a thin, wiry build, looking like a hairless monkey. His name was Nanami Heizō, the 18th Seat of the 13th Division, rumored to have once slain over three hundred Hollows single-handedly.
"Lord Yakumo, his name is Fūjin Taichi—one of the survivors of the 'Soul Burial Incident' six years ago,"
Kurumadani said softly, bowing slightly.
"Ohhh—so he's the guy Captain Ichimaru once took a liking to, the one who almost became vice-captain?"
Nanami Heizō sneered.
"Hmph… doesn't look like anything special."
"Heizō, how many times have I told you—don't judge by appearances."
Yakumo Ryūju narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Taichi.
"Perhaps he really does have something extraordinary about him… Go take a look."
"Just what I wanted."
Nanami Heizō licked his lips, grabbed his Zanpakutō, and strode toward Taichi. His face darkened as he shouted:
"Bastard! Why are you so late?!"
"What?"
Taichi glanced at the sun overhead, then at the 'ape-like' Shinigami in front of him.
"Friend, it's not even past noon yet, is it?"
"Who the hell are you calling 'friend'?"
Nanami Heizō snapped, glaring angrily.
"I'm Nanami Heizō, 18th Seat of the 13th Division! When you meet a superior, you use honorifics!"
"Use what?"
"Honorifics, damn it!"
"Which honors?"
"Honorifics!"
"What kind of speech?"
"Honorifics, you bastard!"
"Which honorifics?"
"Huh?!"
Nanami Heizō suddenly realized what was happening. He grabbed Taichi by the collar and roared:
"You've got some nerve—are you screwing with me?!"
"Didn't you say I had to add something?"
Taichi shrugged, wearing an innocent expression.
"But our Kidō instructor at the academy never taught that."
"Bastard! You just add 'sama' after my name! Will you say it or not?!"
Nanami Heizō was clearly provoking him on purpose, seizing the opportunity to teach Taichi a lesson.
"Say what?"
"Say sama, damn it!"
"What?"
"SAMA!"
Nanami Heizō felt like he was about to lose his mind.
How did he run into an idiot like this—couldn't even understand human speech?
"Hm? What is it?"
Taichi looked over calmly.
"Tch—you?!"
Nanami Heizō finally snapped—this wasn't Taichi being stupid at all, he was blatantly mocking him!
Furious, he roared:
"You dare toy with me?! Looks like you have a death wish!"
He raised his hand to strike, but Yakumo Ryūju grabbed his arm from behind.
"Stop!"
"What? Ryūju, you're taking his side—?"
Nanami Heizō turned back angrily.
"Idiot… we've got a mission."
Yakumo gestured to the side. A black Hell Butterfly (Jigokuchō) fluttered gracefully in the air.
"Hmph, you're lucky!"
Nanami Heizō shoved Taichi away and extended a finger toward the butterfly. It landed, flapping its wings, and then spoke in a human voice:
"Emergency notice: 13th Division Patrol Units—this is Vice-Captain Ise Nanao of the 8th Division.
An unknown number of Hollows have appeared in East Rukongai District 46. Proceed immediately to purify them."
Since purification operations in East Rukongai were always handled by the 13th Division's East Patrol Units, Yakumo Ryūju stopped Nanami Heizō.
"Heizō, the mission comes first. You can discipline the kid another day."
"Yeah, yeah, got it."
Nanami Heizō waved dismissively, giving Taichi a sideways glance.
"Kid, I hope you don't die too fast. I've got plenty of ways to deal with you later."
"Oh, please take care of me,"
Fūjin Taichi replied perfunctorily, then shifted his gaze toward the distance—
He could faintly sense a Hollow's distinctive aura: sinister, chilling, appearing and disappearing intermittently. It felt eerily similar to the 'Soul Burial Incident' from six years ago, and a bad feeling immediately welled up in his chest.
"Alright, let's go!"
Yakumo Ryūju and Nanami Heizō were the first to dash toward East Rukongai District 46, with Kurumadani Zennosuke following closely behind.
"Taichi, let's go too!"
After calling out, Kuchiki Rukia hurried after them at full speed.
"Got it."
Although Taichi felt deeply annoyed by Nanami Heizō's behavior, seeing Rukia already moving left him no choice but to chase after her.
His upper body leaned forward at a 45-degree angle, both arms naturally swept back behind him, and yet his entire body surged forward at an extreme speed!!
Tap-tap-tap
Tap-tap-tap
After passing just one street corner, Rukia couldn't help but ask:
"Taichi… what kind of running posture is that?"
"Rukia, this is a high-speed footwork technique I invented. It's not only faster, but it also looks incredibly cool—"
Taichi shamelessly claimed the 'ninja run' from the neighboring Konoha production crew as his own.
"..."
Rukia rolled her eyes and chose not to comment, continuing to sprint forward. Before long, they reached East Rukongai District 46.
What greeted them was utter devastation.
Ruins stretched as far as the eye could see. Violent winds howled, whipping flames into the air. Smoke and sparks filled the entire district, making it nearly impossible to see clearly.
Collapsed houses lay everywhere. Corpses—both Rukongai residents and Shinigami alike—were strewn across the ground, lying in twisted, chaotic positions over the tragic land…
As Taichi and the others advanced deeper, a thick stench of blood mixed with the smell of burned flesh surged into their noses, making them feel as though they might vomit bile on the spot.
"What happened here…? How did it become like this?"
Rukia asked in horror, her face pale.
"Everyone, stay alert. Judging by the situation, the Hollow this time is no ordinary one."
Yakumo Ryūju scanned the area, his gaze lingering on a Shinigami whose body had been eaten halfway through.
"Damn it…"
"What?! That's… Senior Heihei Ichirō?!"
Nanami Heizō finally noticed the corpse and exclaimed in shock.
"Who's Ichirō? Was he strong?"
Taichi asked with a frown.
"Heihei Ichirō—currently the 8th Seat of the 13th Division. His strength was second only to Lord Yakumo's…"
Kurumadani Zennosuke stared at the horribly mutilated body, his voice heavy with grief.
"To think… he'd die here…"
"Heh, guess around here 'the strongest' is just an insult, then."
Taichi couldn't help but mutter inwardly.
He then released his spiritual pressure, letting it spread outward bit by bit as he searched for traces of the Hollow—