Bleach: From Rugum to Thousand-Year Captain

"It looks like the brothers who went to explore are probably doomed. I'm planning to personally lead a team to investigate tomorrow."

Kuchiki Ginryu nodded and then shook her head. Judging from the current situation, it seemed that the murderer was indiscriminately attacking and killing Death.

If it doesn't seem like a feud between nobles over interests, why does Kuchiki Ginryu seem to feel much more at ease?

"In that case, I'll go too. If I can witness the murderer being brought to justice, then I'll have something to show for it."

Naomi Iwase pointed to the First Division barracks; "Captain, if the captain is going to make a move, shouldn't you go to the First Division first to let the Captain-Commander know?"

"No, there's no need to inform Captain-Commander Yamamoto about such a small matter. I can handle it on my own."

As Kuchiki Ginryu spoke, she recalled the routine conversation that had just taken place in the team's barracks.

It's really baffling what Captain-Commander Yamamoto is up to.

"It's surprising that even the captain, who strictly follows the rules, would make an exception."

"Without further ado, Iwase and Vice Captain Hachi, let's set off immediately for the 12th ward of North Rukongai to begin our investigation and find the culprit!"

"Yes, I'm fine with it."

Kuchiki Ginrin, Iwase Naomi, and Humble Asuka returned to their respective squads, retrieved their Zanpakuto, and then used the Kuchiki family's passage to leave the Seireitei.

Only the Second and Sixth Divisions house the two powerful families, the Shihouin and Kuchiki families, so as long as they don't violate any principles, going out to the Seireitei is no big deal.

If a Shinigami from another division, or even a captain, leaves their unit without permission, they will also be held accountable.

After all, the Gotei 13 are strictly war-like violent machines, and it is necessary to keep most of their forces within the Seireitei.

Becoming the Grim Reaper comes with constraints; it's not a role one can assume with a carefree and undisciplined attitude.

For other Shinigami to make their way to the Seireitei, the first hurdle is the Seireitei Wall, which separates the Seireitei from the first district of Rukongai.

The Seireitei has four gates: the White Path Gate in the west, the Vermilion Gate in the south, the Black Ridge Gate in the north, and the Blue Stream Gate in the east. They are usually hidden and suspended in the air, and are only lowered when an enemy invades the Seireitei.

The claim by Kuchiki Ginryu and others that they used the Kuchiki family's passage was actually just Kuchiki Ginryu using her facial recognition to get the Death Guards of the Northern Black Ridge Gate to let her through.

The same applies to Hummingbird; it can freely enter and exit Seireitei by simply scanning its face.

Of course, a travel report is still required afterward as an explanation; otherwise, they will be held accountable and punished by their own team leader.

However, there are still loopholes to exploit, so people naturally stick to their posts during their shifts.

But during breaks, if you find an opportunity to go out and slack off like a yo-yo.

There are countless Grim Reapers in the Seireitei; one more or less won't make a difference.

How you live is entirely up to you. You won't die if you're desperate to poop; at worst, you'll just have diarrhea.

Putting everything else aside, the Eighth Division, led by Kyoraku Shunsui, often does this; their reputation as masters of slacking off is well-deserved.

In the first district, Runlin An even has a special sake-drinking seat reserved for Kyoraku Shunsui; the tavern owner specially saved a spot for him as a guest.

It's perfectly normal for Kyoraku Shunsui to go out for a drink at Seireitei after get off work every day.

The three did not march hastily, but their pace was still quite fast.

In the afternoon, we arrived at the 12th ward of North Rukongai.

Kuchiki Ginryu, wearing the haori of the sixth division captain, gazed at the seemingly peaceful and prosperous low-ranking Rukongai.

"Vice Captain Bee, your priority is to complete the mission. You don't need to worry about me. Just do your job."

"kindness."

Hummingbird took the lead, using Shunpo to glide into the sky, followed closely by Kuchiki Ginrin and Iwase Naomi.

Hummingbird continued, "The location of the incident is quite vague. Based on the location of the nobleman's murder and the disappearance of the stealth vehicle, we roughly speculate that it is in districts 12 to 14. The specific range can be narrowed down to two locations where the three districts meet."

"If there's still time, the murderer shouldn't have gone far."

After gliding for a distance, the hummingbird stopped in the air and pointed to a spot.

"Captain Kuchiki, please look. That dark, dense forest is the primary crime scene of Watano Shiki's death. Starting north from here, you'll see the locations of the other Shinigami's deaths. This situation strongly suggests that the murderer was luring the Shinigami to their deaths..."

As Hummingbird relayed the information, Kuchiki Ginryu closed her eyes and began to carefully sense the spiritual pressure fluctuations in the air, searching for any traces of residual spiritual energy.

"The heart of the south, the eyes of the north, the fingertips of the west, the toes of the east—gathering with the wind and scattering with the rain, the fifty-eighth of the Binding Path; slapping the toes to chase the sparrow!"

With a clap of her hands, Xiu Mu Yin Ling drew a circle in the air, and runes emerged from within the circle, emitting a dazzling blue light.

Binding Spell #58; The effect of Slapping Toe and Chasing the Sparrow is to sense the opponent's spiritual pressure and track and capture their location.

Kuchiki Ginryu didn't have much hope if he was the murderer.

Having killed Death, one should naturally flee as far as possible, otherwise one will be ganged up on and beaten up by reinforcements.

Surprisingly, the spiritual pressure traces here were not erased.

Instead, a red spiritual energy was clearly detected by the Ghost Path, and it was located in the 13th ward of North Rukongai, not far away.

"Walk!!!"

Kuchiki Ginrin took the lead, followed by the other two, and finally landed outside a small cabin in the forest of District 13.

The woman inside the wooden house sensed the spiritual pressure from Kuchiki Ginrei and the others. She calmly put on her captain's haori and slowly walked out of the wooden house.

"It's the captain... Captain Haori!!!"

When Naomi Iwase saw the figure resembling Captain Death standing next to the cabin, she exclaimed in surprise.

Realizing something was amiss, they quickly covered their mouths to avoid disturbing their captain.

When Kuchiki Ginrin and Bee Bird saw the woman before them, they felt their scalps tingle.

Neither of them had seen the captain before, but his back was exposed when the woman closed the door.

Based on the intelligence files of the Second Division and the enormous size of the person in front of her, Hummus Bird was able to roughly guess the woman's identity.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are the previous captain of the 8th Division, Shikatori Hakuunzai! Captain Shikatori, is that right?"

"Oh? After all these decades, are there still some greenhorn who know my name?"

"How remarkable! Haha, Captain Shikatori, what a great title, what a pity."

Kuchiki Ginrin frowned deeply. "Are you really Captain Shikatori? Why did you disappear without a trace more than ten years ago? Is there some hidden story behind this? Also, have you seen the criminal who murdered the Grim Reaper who was passing through this area?"

Shikato Hakunsai leaned against a pillar, glancing sideways at Kuchiki Ginryu and the others.

He then turned around, bent over and leaned on the railing, resting his chin on his hands and smiling; "Hidden story? What hidden story could there be? I really can't figure it out."

"As for killing a passing Grim Reaper and getting a crime, that's really terrible! Ba Yunzhai only killed a few fools, he can't bear the crime of killing the Grim Reaper."

After saying that, she shook her big, big, big head, which was seen by Iwase Naomi, who was standing behind Kuchiki Ginrin.

A single glance was enough to discern the difference in skill, leaving one feeling defeated and ashamed.

"So, it really was you who did it!"

Kuchiki Ginryo immediately drew her sword, and the cold, icy posture of her standing with the sword hanging down startled Shikatori Hakunsai, who was like a fawn.

"Whoa! Is the captain going to attack a weak woman like me? How terrifying, Captain of the Sixth Division."

"What a pity!"

"Vice-Captain Bee, Iwase, step back! This is not a battle you should be involved in!!!"

Where are you looking?

Before Xiu Mu Yin Ling could finish giving her instructions, a black and white light flashed before her eyes.

Shikatori Hakunsai instantly appeared in front of Kuchiki Ginrei using Shunpo, his left foot pressing down on Kuchiki Ginrei's right wrist holding the sword.

Kuchiki Ginryu quickly drew her sword and slashed upwards.

However, the attack only managed to strike the afterimage of Shikatori Hakunsai, rendering it completely ineffective.

"Are you the captain? You seem like a toddler who hasn't learned to walk yet. I just don't understand."

"Want me to teach you how to wield a sword? If so, I do have a set of moves that never fail."

"Stop talking nonsense! Take this!"

Kuchiki Ginryo said she was looking at the sword, but instead she raised her left hand and slashed hard at Shikatori Hakunsai.

"Hado No. 4; White Lightning!"

A massive bolt of white lightning, as thick as an arm, struck Shikatori Hakunsai in an instant, but Shikatori Hakunsai seemed not to see it at all.

There was no intention to defend against the demonic path at all; with a simple slap, the white lightning of Kuchiki Ginryo was directly dispersed.

Kuchiki Ginryu's pupils contracted slightly. She never expected that her sneak attack would be completely unable to break through the opponent's defense. Bai Lei was so easily defeated.

Taking a direct hit from a bolt of lightning with your bare body is no different from taking a blade with your bare body.

"You're really naughty! Why can't you just honestly swing your knife? A man who's so fickle and distracted won't be liked by girls."

"Stop talking nonsense!!!"

Kuchiki Ginryo instantly appeared to Shikatori Hakunsai's left side, raising his hand to deliver a downward slash.

Without even looking at the incoming blade, Shikato Hakunsai dodged the slash by sidestepping it and gently nudged it with his elbow.

Hummingbird and Iwase Naomi saw Captain Kuchiki being thrown a great distance away, unable to control his momentum, and crashing into the forest, breaking several large trees.

"team leader!!!"

"Captain Kuchiki!!!"

"Cough cough... I'm fine."

Kuchiki Ginryu stood up, staring intently at Shikaku Hakunsai with a blank expression.

"Don't look at me like that, or you'll have nightmares! Anyway, are you here to get revenge for those thugs?"

"If that's the case, then it's a real pity. Even with your Bankai, you wouldn't be a match for me."

"Especially with two burdens in tow, am I right, new Sixth Division Captain?"

When Hummingbird and Iwase Naomi were mentioned by Shikatori Hakunsai, their hearts almost stopped beating.

Shikatori Hakunsai hit the nail on the head completely during the captain-level battle.

The difference in strength between the two vice-captains and the captain-level Grim Reaper is like heaven and earth.

The two are unable to help Kuchiki Ginrei and Shikatori Hakunsai in their battle; instead, they become a hindrance, making it difficult for Kuchiki Ginrei to wield her sword.

Kuchiki Ginryu said coldly, "You've said so much, yet you didn't act immediately. Tell me, what exactly do you want, Captain Shikatori!"