XX-level Hokage

Realizing this, Shiba Ganju's gaze fell on the seventh seat of the fourth division ahead. This guy, whom he had kidnapped and used as a threat to escape, probably even the fourth division captain, Unohana Retsu, could not have imagined that things would turn out this way.

They neither killed him nor continued to use him as a hostage; instead, this guy took the initiative to lead the way for them.

"Speaking of which, haven't I had the chance to give you any pointers?" Thinking this, Shiba Iwagi suddenly spoke up, "Ah? Haven't I introduced myself yet?"

The seventh seat of the Fourth Division, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped, causing Shiba Ganju, who was following behind, to stop as well. Orihime, who was a step behind, was saved by Chad Yasutora from a classic collision.

"Hello, I'm Hanatarou Yamada from the Fourth Division. The seventh seat... well, that's just a joke. I'm not actually that strong."

Yamada Hanatarou turned around earnestly to introduce himself to everyone, and then scratched his face a little embarrassedly as he spoke.

His appearance made one nod in agreement; how could someone like him be the seventh seat? "Yamada?"

Shiba Ganju paused slightly, seemingly vaguely recognizing the surname. "Hana... Hanataro? That name... is a bit of a snag."

Orihime repeated Yamada Hanatarou's name, but she didn't pronounce it correctly the first time. Instead, she spelled it out several times before finally saying it out completely.

"No way! Everyone says my name is easy to remember!" Yamada Hanataro retorted without even thinking.

But Chad also nodded silently, meaning that it was indeed difficult to remember, and his mood immediately plummeted.

How could this be? Has everyone been lying to me?

Shiba Iwato looked him over, hesitating several times before finally unable to resist asking, "Do you have an older brother?"

"Huh? How did you know? Do you know my brother?"

Yamada Hanatarou blinked, and said to Shiba Ganju with some surprise.

"My brother used to work in the Fourth Division, but it seems he was poached by another organization a few years ago."

Shiba Ganju already had a suspicion, and now that Yamada Hanataro had confirmed it, he was certain of the guy's identity. He hadn't expected to catch such a troublesome person so easily; truly, he was worthy of that person's reputation.

Of course, the one who said it was troublesome was not Yamada Hanatarou himself, but Shiba Ganju and his brother, as Yamada Hanatarou put it.

If Shiba Ganju is right, Yamada Hanatarou's older brother should be named... Yamada Seinosuke!

That guy didn't just work in the Fourth Division; he was the former vice-captain of the Fourth Division! He was the man who served as the vice-captain of the Fourth Division for decades!

Unlike the current fourth division vice-captain Kotetsu Isane, and unlike the Yamada Hanatarou in front of him, who was a rather troublesome and difficult man to deal with.

His personality is so awful that one might doubt whether he would actually treat patients properly, or use his medical skills to harm them.

Chapter 104: Yamada Hanatarou

Or is it simply that they engage in the work of healing patients just to enjoy their suffering?

More than ten years ago, he stored his Zanpakuto in the squad barracks and withdrew from the Gotei 13 by retiring from the squad. It was because of this that the current vice-captain, Kotetsu Isane, was able to take over.

To ask why Shiba Iwato was expelled from the Seireitei before Yamada Seinosuke left the group, especially since Shiba Iwato knew about Yamada Seinosuke's situation...

Of course that's because

Basically, being removed from the team refers to being sent to a special prison called the 'nest of maggots'.

However, Seinosuke Yamada was different; he resigned because a formal retirement was necessary.

In other words, he is not currently unemployed. Rather, he has stepped down from his position as deputy captain and is undergoing a unique selection process to move to a new workplace.

Even Yamada Hanataro himself said that Yamada Seinosuke had gone to work elsewhere.

Just looking at Yamada Hanatarou's expression, one might wonder if he even knew the true value of Yamada Seinosuke's new position. Yamada Seinosuke is currently the head of the Seireitei Shinigami Medical Center!! In other words, he is the head of the medical center, a position reserved for the upper-class nobles, primarily the five great noble families.

The highest-ranking person in charge of the security office!!

Compared to the lowly fourth division vice-captain, the head of the Shin-o Medical Clinic, who caters specifically to the upper-class nobility, is the real big shot.

Although the Shiba family had become completely nominal, it was still considered one of the five great noble families. Therefore, when Yama Yoshinosuke took office as the general agent of Shin-O Pharmacy more than ten years ago, the notice of the selection of the general agent was also sent to the Shiba family.

Shiba Kaien, the elder brother of Shiba Ganjuu, and Yamada Seinosuke were both vice-captains in the past and had a lot of contact with each other, so his impression of him...

It was very profound, and it was at that time that I told Shiba Kukaku and Shiba Ganju about some things related to him.

This also left a very deep impression on Shiba Ganju, which is why he was able to immediately think about it after hearing the surname Yamada and its connection to the Fourth Division.

Looking back now, Yamada Hanatarou is clearly the name of a robber, but the other members of the Fourth Division said that the name is quite easy to remember. It's probably not as simple as them lying to Yamada Hanatarou or bullying him.

Rather... even if this name is difficult to pronounce, it must be easy to remember, right?

After all, even if we don't know the exact time when Yamaha Taro joined the team, it couldn't have been during the last ten years.

Even though Seinosuke Yamada has left the Fourth Division, his influence will not disappear in just a few decades.

Looking back at their successful escape, Iwaka Shiba had actually been making a last-ditch effort, as if nothing was wrong.

Even though it's the Fourth Division, it's still one of the Gotei 13. Exchanging one of the Seventh Seats for the three of them should be a good deal. But to my surprise, Unohana Retsu actually gave in and let them go, on the condition that they release Yamada Hanatarou once they reach a safe place, or else they would have to bear the consequences.

That concession was probably made to accommodate the younger brother of the old guard.

This guy. This guy.

This guy is a second-generation rich kid!

Thinking of this, Shiba Ganju felt a chill run down his spine... no, it was thinking of what Shiba Kaien had mentioned earlier about Yamada Seinosuke.

If Seinosuke Yamada finds out that he was the one who kidnapped Hanatarou Yamada, even if Hanatarou Yamada wasn't actually hurt, he'll still be in big trouble!

"He might even have to ask his older brother to pull some strings and use his connections to get that petty guy Yamada Seinosuke to let him go!" Shiba Iwagi immediately said upon thinking of this.

"Speaking of which, now that we're safe, Hanatarou, you should go back. The Fourth Division must be very worried about you." "Name, name, name... this, this..."

Yamayu Hanatarou seemed to have a different opinion about Shiba Ganju calling his name so casually.

But after stammering for a while, she finally gave in weakly, silently bearing everything and accepting the painful reality. "No, no one will care about me."

However, he mentioned that the situation within his own squad had become much more normal.

However, his words, compared to his status, had a hint of playing dumb to deceive others. Although he genuinely believed himself to be a pig.

"In comparison, I definitely learn more from Miss Namikawa!"

At this point, Yamayuki Hanatarou became unusually energetic, his eyes blinking as he looked at Orihime.

Although Yamayuki Hanatarou may seem timid and gentle, he is actually the rare type who shows true loyalty in times of trouble and will not hesitate to show his resolve in times of crisis.

However, his awareness seems to be somewhat similar to Orihime's; he's just a bit clueless.

At that time, both medical staff and patients scattered and fled, leaving only Yamada Hanatarou behind to treat Orihime, who was on the verge of death.

Although his therapeutic effect was limited, his unwavering loyalty and compassion were genuine.

Compared to how Shiba Ganju later kidnapped him to escape, Shiba Ganju was truly a scoundrel!

Hanataro Yamada witnessed Orihime break the ironclad rule that "a doctor cannot heal himself," pulling him back from the brink of death in an instant.

Later, she witnessed Orihime treating Chad and Shiba Ganju. Seeing their terrifying injuries healed so easily, she immediately exclaimed, "Kanju!"

He believed that Orihime used a special healing technique and wanted to learn a move or two from her so that he could better heal others in the future.

That's why we let him go back even though he was already safe.

Instead, he led these people to the underground waterways, emphasizing that it was safe there and they didn't need to worry. "Even though you say that... I don't really know what's going on," Orihime said, scratching her face somewhat embarrassedly.

"I only know that I can use this ability, but I really don't know what the principle behind this ability is, or whether other people can do the same thing."

Unlike Ichigo, who gained the power of a Shinigami.

Unlike the fire-wielding power that Shi Youyulong inherited from childhood.

Even though Orihime and Chad are just humans, they inexplicably awakened their powers.

Their understanding of their own power, and how to develop and strengthen it, is still in its early stages, with many unknowns and mysteries.

Although it sounded like an excuse, Orihime's words were sincere enough, not like a pretext for deception. "So that's how it is." Hearing Orihime say this, Yamada Hanatarou's spirits sank once again.

Chapter 105: Hmm?

However, he seemed to have gotten used to disappointment, and quickly cheered up, forcing a smile as he spoke.

"But just as I thought, everyone is not a bad person after all. That's great. At first, I was worried about what would happen if everyone was a bad person."

It means that he only just realized it now, without even considering what he would do if Orihime and the others really were a criminal organization. This guy is really clueless.

However, unlike Yamada Hanatarou who only realized it now, Unohana Retsu probably saw from the beginning that Shiba Ganju had no intention of killing and only wanted to escape. To prevent any accidents, he chose to let go and back down.

"Anyway, you should probably head back now, and we need to continue our operations." There was no intention to elaborate on this topic.

On the one hand, it was to prevent Yamada Hanatarou from getting involved in this troublesome matter, so that he would not suffer even more later. On the other hand, it was indeed unrelated to Yamada Hanatarou, and Shiba Ganju did not want to mention it.

It would be better to find a place to separate from Yamaha Yukataro.

After all, only Yamada Hanatarou was familiar with the underground water system. Once they were separated, they would no longer be able to use this safe underground system and would have to return to the surface.

Under the leadership of Yamada Hanataro.

The fact that things have come to this point means that Shiba Ganju has already made a decision.

However, Yamada Hanatarou is not the type to firmly stick to his own ideas and remain unwavering.

So, after finding a place that seemed relatively safe, and after Yamada Hanatarou ran out to check if it was safe, they decided to part ways there.

However, to the surprise of Shiba Iwagi, Inoue Orihime, and Chad Yasutora, Yamada Hanatarou returned in a hurry after making a round, his face showing undisguised panic.

"Somewhere in the underground waterway, I'll make my move," Yamada Hanataro said uneasily.

"Something's wrong! I heard that another one of your companions has been sent to the multi-purpose medical facility."

Before he could even retort that his anxious look made him think he was a wandering monster, Shiba Iwagi only knew that his head exploded with a bang.

What the hell?! We barely escaped from that place, and now we have to go back to rescue someone?

Mottled spots. Rippling waves.

The terrifying spiritual pressure that rushed towards us was like that of a ghost or god.

The blood spurting from his body, the blood spurting from his opponent's body and hitting him, were all scalding hot. A clash of fighting spirits.

The deadly threat of death is looming large.

After overcoming the threat, he continued forward but was consumed by darkness. Ichigo could see nothing.

But then, at a certain moment, it was as if everything before had been nothing but an illusion, and suddenly my eyes opened to the world.

What appeared before me was not the familiar ceiling of my own room, but a vast, still blue sky and white clouds. A ceiling that was both strange and somewhat familiar.

"Oh, you're awake. It seems the saying that getting beaten up makes your resistance stronger is true." Then, something appeared in front of Ichigo's eyes. It was a dark mass, too close to be clearly seen.

Ichigo instinctively reached out and pinched the thing; it was soft and furry to the touch. Only when he got a little distance away did he realize it was Yoruichi.