XX-level Hokage

It's not that Iechan is bragging; he claims he'd be even more handsome without his glasses! Although he hasn't actually taken them off yet and dazzled anyone...

The new nurse, surnamed Kyoko, is similar to their class leader, Hanataro Yamada, in that she is somewhat introverted and doesn't like to interact with others.

The conversation seemed to abruptly end there.

From the intense gaze she gave him behind her glasses, you could almost see her asking herself if she could leave now.

Being treated this way by the new, pretty nurse hurt Iemura Yachika somewhat, as she was somewhat at odds with her subordinate, Ogidou Harunobu, the eighth seat of the Fourth Division, who was very popular with women.

Even though we could pretend nothing happened after exchanging greetings, giving up here still left me with a feeling of defeat.

Thinking of this, Iechichi pushed up his glasses, went through his thoughts, and forced himself to find a topic based on the rumors he had heard from the patient that morning.

"Speaking of which, do you know why the court is so tense right now?" "Oh... why is that?"

The pretty little girl named Anzu looked troubled.

She tilted her head, looking troubled, and said, her desire to leave now becoming even more pronounced.

"It's said to be because of a noblewoman named 'Kuchiki Rukia'." "Is that so?"

Yi Jiangcun Bazhihe secretly sighed in his heart. Sure enough, this kind of information that captains and other officers must know is completely inaccessible to ordinary soldiers who are only concerned with their work, or they would not care even if they heard it.

"After all, it's too far away, so even if we pay attention, it wouldn't make much difference," said Yijiang Village Eighty Thousand, continuing his efforts.

"The reason why the Ryoka invaded was because they wanted to rescue Kuchiki Rukia, who was imprisoned for committing a serious crime. However, Kuchiki Rukia's mysterious disappearance some time ago led to the current situation."

"Um...can I go now? I'm hungry."

The little girl raised her hand and said timidly, glancing to the side. "She said it!!"

Yijiang Village's eighty thousand hearts were dealt a heavy blow, and he wished he could find a corner right now to have a good cry.

The topic he had painstakingly found was abruptly cut short before it was even halfway through, leaving him feeling utterly devastated. "But I heard from other people today that Rukia Kuchiki seems to..."

She's appeared in the palace again. Someone spotted her; the previous rumors seem to have been false, haha. Since Kyoko, you're hungry...

"Then hurry up and eat something; you need to make the most of your lunch break."

"Wait, wait a minute!"

As a result, something unexpected happened to Yijiang Village and Baqian.

The pretty young woman, who was eager to leave, suddenly changed her tone and even reached out to him to stop him. "I'm very curious about this!"

"Oh, I see. I must have been presumptuous."

But as a respectable person, his last shred of dignity sustained Yijiang Village's eighty thousand and forced him to keep going.

His sense of propriety prevented him from ending the conversation halfway through, so he condensed the remaining content into a single sentence. Just like his tragically unlucky relationships with women.

Chapter 113: Muddy Waters

"However, I heard from other people today that Rukia Kuchiki seems to have reappeared in the compound. Someone saw her, and it was said before..."

"The law seems to be just a false rumor, hahaha. Since Misaka, you're hungry, hurry up and eat something. You need to make the most of your lunch break."

"Wait, wait a minute!"

As a result, something unexpected happened to Yijiang Village and Baqian.

The pretty young girl, who was eager to leave, suddenly changed her tone and even reached out to him to stop him. "I'm very curious about this!"

"Alright, everyone, check your belongings carefully to make sure you don't forget anything. There won't be any chance to make up for your negligence or mistakes on the spot, so to avoid such a situation, you need to be fully prepared from the beginning!"

The team leader of the field operations group spoke loudly at the front, and took the backpacks embroidered with the team's insignia off for immediate inspection. The rest of the team immediately followed suit.

Shiba Ganju and Inoue Orihime did the same, opening their issued backpacks to check the various medicines and emergency supplies inside.

In addition to the standard features, the shoulder straps also have a considerable amount of space inside, allowing you to store more items such as bandages.

Yes, medical supplies. It is said that some people use these spaces to carry more of their own medicines or other useful medications.

While Shiba Ganju and Inoue Orihime dressed up exactly like the members of the Fourth Division, and even came to assist with fieldwork, they were not actually members of the Fourth Division, nor did they possess such lofty medical ethics; they were merely putting on an act.

Actually, the two were at the very back, pretending to inspect something while whispering to each other. "You said Rukia Kuchiki has reappeared? Is that true?"

Shiba Iwaji said without looking to the side, his lips barely parting; if it weren't for his voice, one might have thought he wasn't speaking at all. "...I'm not quite sure."

Then Orihime looked at him with some difficulty and said.

However, she quickly realized what was happening and looked away, saying while checking the items, "After all, it was from that Ijiang... Ijiang what was it again? Anyway, it seems like I heard it from the third seat person. That person didn't seem very certain, and it seems like they heard it from someone else."

"...That's enough, it's worth going to see it in person."

After a brief silence, just as Inoue Orihime thought Shiba Ganju was angry about this uncertain information, Shiba Ganju let out a slight sigh and said this.

"After all, where can you find information that's 100% accurate?" That's right, that's why the two of them are here.

Originally, besides his intention to monitor and observe Ishida Uryu, another purpose of his infiltration of the Fourth Division was to gather information from various parties.

And the way Orihime obtained this information... the process of obtaining the information seems a bit strange.

However, after inquiring, Shiba Iwaro confirmed that the third seat, named Iemura Yasuo, was not very cunning and was someone who frequently had access to important intelligence.

Although the latter seems like a negative label, it is precisely because of this that the information is credible and not a trap transmitted through the Fourth Division.

The reason Ichika Iemura knew this information was because he heard it from a patient—in other words, it was just hearsay.

Upon hearing this description, I immediately realized that its credibility was highly questionable.

But in the end, as Shiba Ganju also said, whether she was a Ryoka or a nameless nurse in the Fourth Division, how could she possibly let them know 100% accurate information?

The information they wanted to gather while staying in the Fourth Division, besides the overall movements of the Seireitei, mainly came from the rumors circulating among the soldiers in various divisions.

This is similar to gathering intelligence in a pub. From the bartender to the drinkers, they chat, joke, and boast. Real and fake, useful and useless information are mixed together. How much useful information can be extracted depends on the analyst.

Now that such information exists, and given that Rukia Kuchiki has reappeared after being mysteriously abducted by a third party, regardless of this news...

Whether it's true or false, it's worth investigating.

On this point alone, the Fourth Division's infiltration was correct.

Hey! You two in the back, pay attention!! Stop whispering and do your checking properly!!

Although Shiba Ganju and Inoue Orihime had put on the most basic level of disguise, they were still caught red-handed, just like being caught whispering in class by the teacher.

Shiba Iwagi and Inoue Orihime quickly shut up and pretended to be thoroughly checking the situation.

As for now, Shiba Ganju has discovered that there is another advantage to lurking in the Fourth Division... they can use their identity as members of the Fourth Division to freely and openly appear in various parts of the Seireitei.

This is what is known as the field team.

Fieldwork is tiring, but the situations it handles are relatively simple, so it's easy to get approved once you apply.

Furthermore, by following the field team, one could legitimately travel to different squads without arousing suspicion from the members of the local squad.

"Is everything checked?!" the temporary team leader shouted from the front. Everyone had already checked their backpacks and were slinging them over their shoulders.

"Alright, let's set off now. Our destination is the Seventh Division's base! The mission isn't heavy, let's try to be back before dark. Let's go!!" (Double underground cavern)

There is a row of ladders extending down from what appears to be a blue sky with white clouds.

However, instead of obediently climbing down the ladder, something black fell directly down. Only after it landed nimbly did one realize it was a black cat.

The black cat trotted over to a man. "How's the situation now?"

He was a man with long hair, a beard, and semi-transparent sunglasses, wearing a black overcoat and a white shirt. What was most intriguing was that this man wasn't just present beside the black cat.

Instead, within this vast underground cavern, beside the boy named Kurosaki Ichigo, there existed many others. Each man held a different, strangely shaped Zanpakuto in his hand.

Moreover, countless other strangely shaped Zanpakuto are scattered throughout this space.

Even Ichigo Kurosaki himself held one. However, the one in his hand was not Zangetsu.

Countless shattered sword fragments were scattered on the ground.

Kurosaki Ichigo, who had finally recovered, was already covered in wounds again.

"Time is running out." "It's okay."

The man in black clothes and sunglasses spoke in a calm tone, his voice stern and unquestionable.

"Even if he falls, I will drag him up and continue until he learns his release." That's right, what's taking place here is Ichigo's release training.

However, Kuroneko Yoruichi took a look at the man and, although she said, "Can I say something to him?", she had already walked forward before getting permission.

He looked down from the edge of the higher position at Kurosaki Ichigo, who was kneeling on the ground below, panting heavily.

The vertical pupils of its golden cat-like eyes were fixed on Ichigo Kurosaki below.

"Ichigo, I'm sorry to bother you at this time, but I have some news that I must tell you immediately."

Chapter 114: Gloom

"?

Ichigo Kurosaki glanced at Yoruichi with difficulty, but seemed to lack the strength to even speak. "Rukia Kuchiki appears to have appeared at the 9th Division's base."

"!!" Ninth Division's base.

"Hurry, go find it!!"

"Where's the guy who spotted Rukia Kuchiki in our squad? Did you bring him here?" "Make him repeat his self-report ten times! Compare it to see if there's any possibility of a mistake!"

"Has the captain been notified? What's the response? Are they telling us to handle it ourselves? And saying they trust me?"

The Ninth Division Lieutenant, Shuhei Sasaki, who had been shouting incessantly, suddenly stopped, pointing at himself with disbelief, and said, "Yes, that's it!"

The soldier who had just returned from the First Squad barracks to report looked at him with unusual certainty and nodded, saying, "Wait, wait a minute!"

Hisagi Shuhei rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Even though he knew that asking this question was questioning his respected captain, Tosen Kaname, the confusion surging deep inside him made it impossible for him to remain silent. "If I remember correctly, is the captain just waiting in the First Division? Or is my information actually outdated, and the captain has something important to do?"

"How to deal with being separated and unable to reunite?"

The soldier who returned from reporting to the First Division suddenly had a strange expression, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Hisagi Shuhei became somewhat... well... sympathetic?

The captain... is still on standby within the first team.

After careful consideration, he determined that this wasn't information that needed to be hidden, so he spoke it directly. This dealt a significant blow to Shuhei Saki.

But since the captain has said so, then Vice-Captain Hisagi, you can just keep doing your job. We all have complete faith in your abilities, Vice-Captain Hisagi!

Finally, he offered this consolation, at least for the sake of it.

However, it would be best if he didn't turn and run before getting a response from Hisagi Shuhei. Hisagi Shuhei looked at the chaotic Ninth Division members around him, and his head started to ache even more.