Bleach: Starting with Marrying Retsu Unohana

"Hmm? Grandpa, you're back. Don't you need to stay in the barn today?"

The boy turned around at the sound and saw his grandfather, Kuchiki Ginrin, the captain of the 6th Division, smiling and silently watching him.

"Let's take a short rest today~"

"By the way, Byakuya, someone came to see you today~"

Silver Bell smiled gently after hearing the boy's words.

"Um?!"

The boy, Kuchiki Byakuya, was stunned for a moment after hearing Ginryu's words.

"Yo! Byakuya! We've come to find you..."

Then Byakuya saw Shiba Kaien and Shiba Kukaku walking towards him from his courtyard.

"Brother Haiyan, and Sister Konghe~"

When Byakuya saw Kaien and Kukaku, he was overjoyed and waved to them.

Because the Shiba family hasn't declined as depicted in the original story, the Shiba and Kuchiki families maintain a relatively close relationship.

"Brother Haiyan, let's have a duel!"

"This time I will definitely not lose to you again..."

As Byakuya spoke, he charged straight towards Kaien. However, before Byakuya could reach Kaien, he crashed into a soft mass...

"Um?!"

As that familiar feeling of suffocation surged into his heart, Byakuya's expression suddenly changed.

"Yoruichi!!"

As Byakuya spoke, he slashed forward with the wooden sword in his hand.

The result was naturally that a piece of air was cut away.

"Haha, Byakuya is still as energetic as ever!"

The newcomer was none other than Yoruichi Shihouin. After teasing Byakuya for a moment, she moved from in front of him to behind him.

"Damn it! This time I'm definitely going to catch you..."

As Byakuya spoke, he reached behind him, but not only did he miss, Yoruichi also snatched the headband from his head.

"..."

For a moment, veins bulged on Byakuya's forehead.

"Byakuya, you're no good!"

"You've gotten worse and worse in just a few days!"

Yoruichi held Byakuya's hairband in her hand and mocked Byakuya.

"You wait……"

As Byakuya spoke, he used Shunpo to chase after Yoruichi.

In an instant, two dark shadows flickered in the courtyard...

"Haha, you guys be careful~"

Kuchiki Ginryu looked at the scene before her and smiled gently.

Although his son, Kuchiki Ginryu, has some health problems and is unlikely to inherit the Kuchiki family and become its head...

However, thankfully, he has an outstanding grandson, Byakuya, whose talent surpasses even his own. He's sure to become an excellent head of the Kuchiki family, leading the 'Sixth Division' to new heights...

At the same time, besides Byakuya as their heir, the sons-in-law recruited by the Kuchiki family are also quite outstanding. Although Kyoga is a bit impatient, his talent is undeniable, especially his Zanpakuto, the cursed sword Muramasa—the power of that sword is truly formidable and outrageous!

Chapter 163 Kensei: It won't take up too much of your time. Aizen: Indeed.

"I'm sorry, Byakuya is just like that. He can't control his emotions if someone provokes him even slightly, and he always seems to be on edge..."

"Perhaps only when Byakuya completely controls his temper and undergoes a complete transformation will he be able to shoulder the burden of the Kuchiki family?!"

As Kuchiki Ginryu watched the figures of his grandson, who made the Kuchiki family so proud, and Yoruichi Shihouin gradually disappear from the Kuchiki family's walls, he first sighed helplessly, and then spoke to Shiba Kaien and Shiba Kukaku behind him.

"Senior Yinling, you're joking..."

"Byakuya is still young, so it's normal for him to be active and lively. When I was young, I wasn't nearly as composed as Byakuya is now."

"As for Byakuya, whether he can lead the Kuchiki family well, I think you don't need to worry too much, Ginryu-senpai..."

"After all, Byakuya is the most talented among our generation. Entrusting the clan to him is definitely the right thing to do."

Shiba Kaien smiled and said polite words to Kuchiki Ginrin in front of him.

"Haha, then I'll take your good wishes!"

"I reckon Byakuya and Yoruichi won't be back anytime soon, so let's not just wait here."

"Let me think... how about we go to the tea room and have some tea together? As for the issue of the Kuchiki family's cooperation with the Shiba family, we can discuss it over tea..."

After hearing Shiba Kaien's words, Kuchiki Ginrei first laughed heartily, then extended an invitation to Kaien. Although Ginrei knew that Kaien was just being polite, she couldn't help but enjoy hearing it. As people get older, they become more and more fond of the kind of flattery that young people dislike.

"Good~"

After hearing Yinling's words, Haiyan nodded slightly and smiled back at her.

Although Kaien himself didn't like these aristocratic social interactions, what could he do? His father and aunt, the former heads of the Shiba family who were supposed to take over the family business, had both run away using some ridiculous excuses!

If the parents are being unreasonable, the children can't continue to be unreasonable either. If both the children and parents are unreasonable, won't the family fall apart?!

"Ugh……"

Thinking of this, Haiyan couldn't help but sigh deeply. For a moment, he seemed unable to see where the future of the Shiba family lay.

Fortunately, his uncle, Shiba Isshin, was reasonable enough to take up the mantle of the 10th Division captain after his father, Tenjun, and his aunt, Zehong, passed away, thus securing a foothold for the Shiba family within the Gotei 13.

At this moment, Kaien was unaware that not long after, the only sensible adult in their Shiba family, his uncle Shiba Isshin, would also take it upon himself to go to the 'real world,' never to return...

On their way to the teahouse, Shiba Kaien and Kuchiki Ginryu seemed to have remembered something. He turned to Kaien beside him and asked, "Speaking of which, Kaien, have you heard? The 'Spiritual Arts Academy' has produced a genius whose talent rivals yours!"

"Senior Yinling, you're joking. I'm hardly a genius..."

After hearing Yinling's words, Haiyan just smiled lightly. Although outsiders might think that he, Shiba Haiyan, was a rare genius, he knew his own situation. His talent was not considered particularly strong among the 'Five Great Nobles'.

"However, I haven't paid much attention to the 'Spiritual Arts Academy'..."

After Haiyan finished speaking, she added another sentence.

"Really? I heard that the child graduated from the 'Spiritual Arts Academy' in just one year and has now reported to the 'Gotei 13'. He became a seat officer as soon as he entered the 'squad' and his strength is extremely formidable."

Upon hearing this, Yinling continued speaking to Haiyan.

"Oh? Graduated from the 'Spiritual Arts Academy' in just one year? That's quite an achievement..."

After hearing Yinling's words, Haiyan nodded in slight shock. To be able to learn in one year what the 'Spiritual Arts Academy' originally required six years to teach was indeed a remarkable talent.

"Hmm, that kid's name seems to be Gin Ichimaru. He's about the same age as Byakuya. I originally wanted to recruit him into the 'Sixth Division' so that he could put some pressure on Byakuya, and the two of them could improve together as rivals. Unfortunately, the 'Fifth Division' recruited him first, which is really a bit of a shame~"

Yinling sighed as she spoke, clearly feeling a pang of regret that such a talented member couldn't join the 'Sixth Division'.

"Really? That's a real shame~"

After hearing Yinling's words, Haiyan nodded slightly in agreement.

Before long, Haiyan, Yinling, and Konghe arrived at the Kuchiki family's tea room. The three of them smelled the fragrance that filled the air and immediately smiled...

For a moment, the three of them felt a sense of peace and tranquility.

"Peace is wonderful!"

Kaien murmured to himself, if he could, he hoped that the Gotei 13 would remain peaceful and stable forever.

Thus, after Kiryu Hikifune was promoted and Kisuke Urahara succeeded him as the captain of the 12th Division, the Seireitei once again entered a state of stability, and the members of the Gotei 13 continued to enjoy the peace brought about by the golden age created by Araki.

Time flies, and ten years have passed in the blink of an eye...

During these six years, Kisuke Urahara, in his capacity as captain of the 12th Division, bailed Mayuri Kurotsuchi out of the 12th Division and appointed him as the third seat of the 12th Division, while also making him the vice director of the Technology Development Bureau.

This infuriated Hiyori Sarugaki, the vice-captain of the Gotei 12, simply because Mayuri Kurotsuchi frequently issued various orders to Hiyori in his capacity as vice-commander...

In addition, Mayuri Kurotsuchi frequently had Hiyori do chores and run errands for him. According to Mayuri, with Hiyori's intelligence, she was incapable of doing anything else besides chores and running errands...

This infuriated Hiyori, who frequently clashed with Mayuri Kurotsuchi. After all, in Hiyori's view, he was the vice-captain of the 12th Division, while Mayuri was merely the third seat; in terms of rank, she should be higher than Mayuri...

However, after hearing Hiyori's theory, Mayuri Kurotsuchi dismissed it and pointed out to Hiyori that he, Mayuri, was the deputy director of the "Technology Development Bureau," while Hiyori was just the head of a department, so Mayuri had the right to order Hiyori around.

It was precisely because Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Hiyori disliked each other, resented each other, and were both unwilling to submit to each other as captains that intense friction frequently occurred within the '12th Division,' creating an atmosphere of intense conflict.

In response, Kisuke Urahara would often stare blankly at the sky, muttering with a sense of utter despair, "Seriously, please give me a break! If Hiyori and Mayuri Kurotsuchi keep arguing like this, I'm really going to lose it. If only I could give Hiyori some special work so she wouldn't have to run into Mayuri so often..."

As if specifically to confirm Kisuke Urahara's idea, some special circumstances finally occurred in the Soul Society on this day.

In the distant Ghost Town, far from the Seireitei, there have been frequent incidents of souls disappearing over the past few days. According to residents who witnessed the entire process, the souls seemed to be engulfed by some kind of flame, spontaneously combusting without warning and then vanishing without a trace. Strangely, this process did not ignite inorganic spiritual particles, such as the clothes on the souls' bodies...

When Kensei Muguruma, the captain of the 9th Division, learned of the incident, even though it was not something he needed to get involved in, he still immediately dispatched ten Shinigami to the scene to investigate. The day after sending the Shinigami, he took his vice-captain, Shiro Kugane, and four high-ranking officers with him to the scene.

"Honestly, Kensei already sent out ten members to investigate the button that caused the soul to spontaneously combust and disappear. Why did he need to go himself? He could have just waited quietly in the barracks for the members to return and then asked them what happened, right?"

"With the combat strength of our squad members, a full ten of them, even if the enemy attacking the souls this time is some kind of cunning and treacherous Hollow with special abilities and unknown characteristics, they can still deal with it easily and return victorious, right?!"

"I really want to go home and sleep. Getting up too early this morning will damage my skin. So, Kensei, how about we go back? Let me sleep a little longer. Once I'm fully rested and ready to fight, we can investigate this area. What do you say?"

As Jiu Nanbai followed behind Liu Che, he kept grumbling.

"If you want to go back, then go back by yourself~"

"Stop complaining in my ear all the time!"

After hearing what Kunan Shiro said, Kensei couldn't help but retort.

"Hahaha, Kensei, are you an idiot? I'm the vice-captain of the 'Ninth Division'! As the vice-captain, of course I have to follow behind the captain. That's common sense!"

After hearing Kensei's words, Kunan Bai couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"This guy……"

Kensei's expression changed drastically after hearing Kunan Shiro's words. Perhaps because of Kensei's incredibly straightforward and blunt personality, he had never been a match for Kunan Shiro in arguments; in fact, he was often the one being unilaterally suppressed by Kunan Shiro...

Fortunately, Kensei would let his fists do the talking. Of course, most of the time, Kensei was just bluffing, trying to scare Gu Nanbai. Even if Kensei really made a move, he would be extremely cautious, afraid that he might actually hurt Gu Nanbai. It was precisely because of this that Gu Nanbai was not afraid of Kensei at all.