Restricted Death

Chapter 145 Captain Appointment (Part 2)

The 10th Squadron barracks.

"These, these, and these, hand them over to me after you've sorted them out."

Matsumoto Rangiku was in her office giving instructions to Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya Toshiro looked at the thick stack of documents in front of him, and his lips twitched involuntarily. He picked up the top document, glanced through it briefly, and said, "I've never done this kind of work before. You're just handing it over to me like this?"

“Everyone needs to gain experience.” Matsumoto Rangiku said with a smile, her hands crossed and her chin resting on them. “Besides, you’re already the Third Seat, so getting involved in these things sooner will help our Tenth Division to carry out its duties better.”

Hitsugaya couldn't help but say, "This is basically all the team's work lately, right?"

Matsumoto Rangiku widened her beautiful eyes: "What do you mean by that? Do you think I've dumped everything on you? Don't be ungrateful, kid. I'm doing this to train you. Besides, you know how heavy my burden is in our squad. I've been carrying this whole squad all by myself all this time. What's wrong with you helping me share the burden?"

Hitsugaya looked at her speechlessly.

Matsumoto Rangiku sighed again, "You know what kind of person our captain is. It's just that we subordinates are unlucky. Don't worry, once I become captain, I'll definitely promote you to be my adjutant."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes and said, "Vice-Captain, I think my strength has already surpassed yours. You've been captain for so long, your strength shouldn't have improved much, right? According to this calculation, I might become captain faster than you."

Matsumoto Rangiku felt slightly annoyed and said angrily, "You brat! You should do the work I assign you. As the third seat, you are an adjutant, so you should obey my orders!"

"..."

Hitsugaya pursed his lips, but ultimately didn't say anything in rebuttal. Instead, he took the documents and walked out.

Watching the white-haired boy walk away, Matsumoto Rangiku's eyes lit up with a smile again, and she stretched lazily in her chair.

"Ah, this feels so good, these are the days I want to live," she murmured to herself.

As Hitsugaya passed by the captain's office, he glanced through the window and saw that the office was empty. He smiled helplessly.

Our captain and vice-captain really have the same temperament.

#
Shiba Isshin is currently sitting with Shin in an izakaya in Rukongai.

"Yesterday I went to see the Commander-in-Chief again and brought up your matter."

“I’m not in a hurry,” the letter said.

"Now you say you're not in a hurry?" Shiba Isshin said with a helpless expression. "A perfectly good thing suddenly turned into a mess, and now I'm afraid I'll be summoned by the Central 46 at any moment."

"It's not that serious," Xin couldn't help but chuckle.

“This matter alone isn’t that serious.” Shiba sighed, then looked at Shin with a deep gaze. “But your actions make me think that you might do something even more serious in the future.”

"Captain Shiba, what kind of person do you think I am?" Shin said helplessly.

Shiba Isshin said, "In Soul Society, everyone trembles with fear when they see the Captain-Commander, but you seem to have no respect for him at all."

"Am I now considered someone who doesn't understand hierarchy?"

Shiba Isshin thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I haven't been a captain for very long. I don't know much about things from a long time ago; I've only heard about them. While I find it hard to understand your dedication as swordsmen, I respect it."

"..."

Shin was speechless for a moment. It seemed that the other party regarded him as someone who would risk everything to fight Unohana Retsu.

Shiba Isshin hesitated for a moment after reading the letter, then asked, "Is fighting Captain Unohana really that important?"

“Of course not,” Xin said with a light laugh.

"Then why... did you say those things to the Captain-Commander?"

"It's just a matter of trying."

This answer left Zhibo speechless. He had thought he understood the letter, but now he was confused again.

He pondered for a long time before saying, "I don't know Captain Unohana very well. According to Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake, Captain Unohana is a very... special person. If you fight her, it won't end well, and that's a result that the Captain-Commander wouldn't want to accept."

Xin took a small sip of his wine and said, "They all think I'm going to die, and they even see our captain as that great villain from a thousand years ago."

Shiba Isshin retorted, "Isn't she?"

"..."

Xin put down his wine glass, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded gently: "Yes."

After pausing, he continued, "But people change... Actually, the Captain-Commander's thinking that way shows he values ​​me, and I should feel honored."

Zhibo, noticing the sudden change in his tone, shook his head: "I don't understand you."

Xin just smiled.

Shiba Isshin sighed and said, "Actually, I had a good idea before."

"What?" Xin asked casually.

Shiba Isshin smiled and said, "It's better not to say it. It's just a thought. It's very difficult to do. It's even more difficult than being allowed to fight Captain Unohana."

Xin was somewhat surprised to hear this.

Zhibo drank his wine with a smile, refusing to say anything no matter how Xin asked.

Finally, he got a little annoyed by Xin's questions and asked him back, "Do you have a girl you like?"

Shin was stunned. He stared at the captain of the 10th Division, who usually kept a low profile, and a look of surprise suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"Captain Shiba, I'm the one who... doesn't understand you."

Zhibo smiled without saying a word, "Don't overthink it. The Central 46th Bureau would never agree to this. I also think this idea is unreliable now."

"..."

In the evening, Xin returned home slightly tipsy and saw the black cat again on his windowsill. He immediately went over and hugged it.

At first, the black cat tried to escape, but was shocked to find that it could not move its body.

Xin gently stroked its fur and said, "There's no fish at home. Would you like something else to eat?"

The black cat had a pair of golden eyes, its gaze darting around.

Xin took a piece of other meat from the kitchen, placed it on the table, and released the cat, only to see it looking at him warily.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Aren't you going to eat?"

After a while, the black cat finally buried its head in the plate and started gnawing on the meat.

After it finished eating the meat, it sat on the table and licked its paws.

Xin got up again to pour it water, when he suddenly heard a voice.

"What methods did you use to control me just now?"

Xin was taken aback by what he heard, and suddenly turned around to see the black cat standing on the table looking at him.

How did you manage to immobilize me just now?

It was the black cat that spoke, and the voice was a male voice.

Xin grinned and said, "You've finally said something!"

The black cat said calmly, "Didn't you already guess that I wasn't an ordinary cat?"

Xin walked over and placed the water in front of it.

"Before answering your question, can you tell me why you always come to my house?" "Because when you first saw me, you noticed that I was different," the black cat replied truthfully.

Xin nodded thoughtfully: "So all this time, you've been observing me, trying to discover something from me, right?"

“That’s right,” the black cat replied. “You’re no ordinary Shinigami. The spiritual pressure fluctuations you just saw weren’t ordinary binding spells at all. Was it a self-created Kido?”

Xin nodded and said, "You can understand it that way too."

The black cat was silent for a moment, then said, "You're going to be the captain of the 10th Division."

Xin was delighted: "Your information network is really good!"

The black cat stopped talking and started drinking water.

Just as Xin was considering what to say, a hell butterfly suddenly flew in through the window.

A black butterfly landed on Xin's fingertip, and the message it conveyed made Xin's eyes flicker slightly.

This is a message from the First Division, asking him to go to the First Division barracks to meet the Captain-Commander.

Xin couldn't help but look down at the black cat on the table.

#
"The captain of the 10th Division, Shiba Isshin, has submitted his request for leave of absence. A month from now, you will be notified of your appointment as the captain of the 10th Division."

The letter did not meet the Captain-Commander; he was received by Chojiro Sasakibe.

"Take a break," Xin said in a low voice.

There is no system for leaving the Gotei 13, and it is not allowed for members to leave the team on their own.

The Gotei 13 are considered a noble organization by the 46 Chambers that manage the Seireitei, and therefore, they do not allow any unfit members to appear among the qualified members.

In other words, Team Thirteen is not an organization where you can simply "resign" if you don't want to work there anymore.

When a player has to leave the team due to personal reasons, it is called "taking a break from the team." If a player is unable to return to the team after a long period of time, he or she will be expelled from the team.

As for "leaving the team," it means "special detention." Some members whose thoughts or behaviors are deemed dangerous, or who have been declared to have left the team, will be forcibly detained in a special detention building.

There are only two outcomes for leaving Team Thirteen: expulsion or imprisonment.

Of course, rules are rigid, and the Central 46th Bureau also has the power to add some "special cases, special handling" to this law.

For example, the previously mentioned Rotten Wood Silver Bell.

The Kuchiki family enjoys the privilege of "peaceful retirement," as does the Shihouin family, which is also a top-tier noble family. The previous captain of the Second Division also had such a handover of the captainship.

Chojiro Sasakibe said, "That's how it is according to the rules."

Shin didn't say anything. After the break, he was expelled from the team. That is to say, a month later, not only was his appointment announced, but also the expulsion notice for Shiba Isshin.

When Shiba Isshin first started discussing this matter with him, he had already anticipated this outcome, as the Shiba family clearly did not possess any special privileges.

Chojiro Sasakibe added, "I'm informing you about this in advance so you can prepare yourself. Your appointment as captain of the 10th Division is still a secret. Don't disclose it to the public to avoid unnecessary rumors."

"I see."

The news of Shiba Isshin's sudden leave of absence from the team quickly spread throughout Seireitei, surprising many people.

However, it was just a break from the team, and no one thought much of it. It should be some time before Shiba Isshin returns to the team.

Some people don't care, while others care a lot.

Upon learning this news, Shiba Kaien immediately went to see his uncle.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired and want to take a long vacation," Shiba Isshin said casually.

This reason may seem insignificant, but it feels very out of place when applied to Isshin Shiba.

When it comes to long holidays, isn't my uncle on vacation every single day?
Haiyan frowned: "What exactly happened?"

Shiba knew this reason wouldn't work on his nephew, so he said, "I don't want to be the captain anymore."

Haiyan was suddenly startled, and in that instant, many things came to mind.

I've only been the team leader for a year...

He clenched his fists tightly: "Is this the idea of ​​the Central 46th Bureau? Why did they go back on their word? If they didn't want me to be the captain, why did they agree to it in the first place?!"

Zhibo said to Haiyan, "You're overthinking it."

He sighed and said, "You know my personality. It would be easier for me if I didn't become the captain."

Haiyan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I'm going to see the Commander-in-Chief!"

Shiba Isshin glared at him and said, "What stupid thing are you trying to do?! Can't you think about the consequences? This family will depend on you from now on! I've already said that not wanting to be the captain is my own decision!"

Haiyan remained silent again, but slowly released her grip.

After a long pause, he said, "The Shiba family... is a joke."

Shiba Isshin said unhappily, "Our Shiba family has had two captains at the same time. Which noble family in Seireitei can do that?"

"But……"

Shiba Isshin patted Kaien on the shoulder and said with a smile, "There's no point in complaining. Just do what you're supposed to do. You're the captain of the Third Division now."

He knew that Haiyan would eventually find out the whole story, but it was better not to tell his nephew for now.

It's a pity about Tachikawa...

Shiba Isshin initially thought highly of this junior, but now it seems that this kid is too restless.

Disrespect for the rules of Seireitei could lead to serious trouble in the future; it's best not to associate him with the Shiba family.

"You can talk to Kukaku and Ganju yourself later."

"..."

#
Shiba Kaien came looking for a letter again.

Shin guessed that it might be related to Shiba Isshin's matter. Could it be that he already knew everything?
He and Zhibo had been keeping it a secret from Haiyan all along. In his view, it was normal for Haiyan to harbor resentment towards him because of this.

The first thing Shiba Kaien said to Shin was, "Shin, do you want to be the captain?"

His gaze toward the letter was exceptionally sincere and earnest, containing an indescribable firmness.

This was a look that Xin had never seen in Haiyan before.

"What...do you mean by that?" Xin couldn't help but ask.

"I'm asking you, do you want to be the captain? There's no need to repeat the reasons you gave me before. If an opportunity were presented to you now, would you take it?"

"..."

When asked by Shiba Kaien, Shin remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

"willing."

"Believe me, I consider you a friend."

"Ah, me too."

(End of this chapter)