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"He must be really strong to be able to fight someone at the captain level! Hey, should I go and give him a go first, let him practice and warm up?"

Before Aizen Sousuke could respond.

Hirako Shinji delivered a chop to the head of the blond girl and said with disdain.

"Stop making things worse, you brat. With your abilities... going up there would just be feeding them to someone else. You should at least have some self-awareness... Pfft!"

Hiyori was knocked to the ground, but suddenly sprang up and delivered a powerful flying kick to Hirako's lower abdomen.

The posture was standard, and the force was powerful.

"You bald guy! Don't you know you shouldn't hit someone on the head? What if you stop growing taller?!"

"Ahem... So you're just going to kick me however you want? Aren't you afraid I'll report you?"

"Who cares about you, you bald guy!"

Aikawa Rao grabbed Hiyori by the collar and lifted her up like a chick.

"With so many people watching, can't you tone it down a bit?"

Also.

Why aren't you acting with your team leader?

"Huh?! That pervert who stuffs iron blocks in his crotch? How could I possibly go out with him! No way!"

"Who would address their captain like that..."

The shouts and commotion over there reached Matsushita Yusuke's ears perfectly.

His expression also became somewhat subtle.

Although I had similar thoughts before when reading comics, this situation has clearly been confirmed.

—During the Mask Incident, what were the criteria for those captains/vice-captains who were screened out?

Yusuke Matsushita originally thought it was random.

But now it seems...

'These are the people who were close to Hirako Shinji.'

Aizen's choices of targets were all reasonable. In deciding on his targets, he also took the opportunity to "send" all the guys who were sticking together together.

It's hard to say there's no personal emotion involved...

So the prison guard is quite petty?

Hey, young man!

There was a noise coming from behind.

After a brief pause, Matsushita Yusuke blinked, belatedly realizing what had happened.

Is someone calling me?

He turned his head and saw four figures walking towards him.

A decadent middle-aged man under a pink haori, a thin and sickly man with white hair.

Although it was a literal 'first meeting', Matsushita Yusuke recognized her instantly because of her highly distinctive appearance.

Ah ha, they're one of only two dual-wielding swordsmen to appear in Soul Society (no, wait)~

As for the person who spoke up and called his name earlier...

Ok?

Yusuke Matsushita raised an eyebrow, made a pushing motion to the left, and stepped back to one side.

As he made the dodge move, he raised his left hand, and the outline of spiritual particles appeared on his palm. He then swung it to the side.

Bang!!

The flesh collides with the iron.

Yet it produced a sound akin to the clash of metal.

Hearing the echo, Matsushita Yusuke turned around and opened his palm to grab the 'sneak attack' blade.

But before the movement could be fully completed, the latter had already stopped...

The blades flashed for a moment, and then they all converged.

Wearing glasses and with a playful expression, Yadomaru Lisa lightly tapped her toes and retreated, smoothly sheathing her long blade.

"Not bad."

A slight smile played on her lips, her tone brimming with undisguised admiration.

"He reacted quickly and cleanly... No wonder he agreed to the challenge; he really does have some skill."

Yusuke Matsushita blinked, looking at the woman with a slightly strange expression.

She seems a little erratic...

'You're just a vice-captain at best, how could you think I couldn't withstand your attack?'

Especially since he shouted before he made the move, if he still managed to get away with it under these circumstances, he might as well just buy a block of tofu and smash his head against it.

'No, wait...'

Yusuke Matsushita quickly realized what was happening.

This wasn't a test, but rather giving Yusuke Matsushita a chance to prove himself.

Almost half of the core members of the Gotei 13 who are present today have no recollection of him.

In this situation, the means to get to know each other become quite limited.

—By showing off a skill, one can give others a general understanding of one's abilities.

Without a doubt, Yadomaru Lisa's choice was quite 'safe'.

A blatant sneak attack, made in a short period of time, best demonstrates the skill and ability of the person involved.

Matsushita Yusuke's response was perfect.

The noisy atmosphere in the distance had disappeared, and everyone's attention was focused on this side.

"Could you have caught that last blow, Hiyori?"

"Huh? Who are you underestimating! Easy peasy!"

"But it was Yadomaru Lisa who made the move?"

"..."

"It's a little difficult."

"No, it might be even more embarrassing."

"Hmm, they might even get hurt."

A joyful atmosphere spread, and some curious people even turned to look at Aizen.

"Sousuke, what would you do in that situation?"

The latter waved his hand repeatedly, smiling politely and reservedly.

"Please spare me. I'm not good at physical confrontations at all. I might be able to give it a try if it were another kind of competition."

Hirako Shinji heard this and simply gave his vice-captain a meaningful look.

No one knew the secret feelings between the two.

On the other side.

Kyoraku Shunsui smiled and looked at Yadomaru Lisa, asking softly.

"how do you feel?"

"That's really strong."

As the vice-captain of the 8th Division, this guy might not be that strong in combat, but because of Kyoraku Shunsui's style of doing things...

She is also extremely skilled at 'sneak attacks'.

"Although I gave you a heads-up, I didn't hold back... It's already quite an achievement that I managed to block it."

Jushiro Ukitake coughed twice and nodded in agreement.

"Is he still a student at the institute? I couldn't have done this at that age."

Standing behind Ukitake was another tall man.

He scratched the back of his head and pondered.

"And it wasn't even with a knife... it was just using spiritual energy to envelop the limbs and blocking the attack with a technique similar to 'hand-to-hand combat'?"

A man who bore a resemblance to Ichigo Kurosaki from the original work, but with a more rugged appearance, was gesturing as he explained.

"To achieve that level is far more difficult than using a Zanpakuto to block... By the way, I can't do it."

Fukitake coughed and turned around, his expression a half-smile.

"Haiyan, you can't do it either?"

Shiba Kaien.

He was the vice-captain of the 13th Division at the time.

PS: If nothing unexpected happens, future updates will start at 8000 and have no upper limit.

Please don't worry, everyone. Trust in the power of the Deadline God of War. I will try my best to make up for the missing updates before 12:00 (wiping sweat).

102: Captain

To be honest, Matsushita Yusuke was somewhat surprised when he saw this person.

After all, this person never appeared in the original work.

They mostly appear in flashback scenes, memories, descriptions, and in live-action cosplay of Arrancar.

However, this situation does not mean that the other party is unimportant; in fact, quite the opposite.

The identity of Shiba Kaien and the timing of his death have brought up many different kinds of questions!

He was a rare talent who emerged after the decline of the Shiba family (Shiba Isshin belonged to the branch family), and he was also one of the most popular upper-class figures in the 13th Division.

In fact, to commemorate Kaien, Jushiro Ukitake left the vice-captain position vacant in the later stages of the story.

Shiba Isshin's rise to captain later on certainly had his own strength involved, but if we look deeper, it's probably also related to this almost 'pre-selected' captain.

These chaotic thoughts kept intertwining in his mind, and Matsushita Yusuke couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

The movement was subtle, but the other party clearly noticed it.

"...Was this young man staring at me the whole time?"

He raised his hand blankly and looked at Matsushita Yusuke from afar.

Kyoraku Shunsui, always eager for excitement, patted Kaien on the shoulder with a grin.

"Perhaps they think you're exceptionally skilled? And want you to go up and practice with him?"

The latter quickly stepped back, his smile tinged with embarrassment and helplessness.

"Please spare me, I don't have that kind of ability... It's probably just because I look a bit like one of his acquaintances?"

If Yusuke Matsushita could hear this, he probably would give it a thumbs up.

—Your intuition is absolutely amazing!

As it turns out, the lineage of the Shiba family is quite clear.

For example, on Ichigo Kurosaki's face, you can see some of Isshin's features and appearance when he was young.

And this distant relative of theirs bears a striking resemblance... If I had to describe it, it would probably give the impression of 'Ichigo Kurosaki being raised by his mother'.

...It seems like we've brought up a rather hellish topic?

Forget it.

Matsushita Yusuke felt that his gaze was too 'intense', so he bowed slightly and nodded in their direction.

After all, it was the first time they met. If they were to act too enthusiastically, it would seem strange no matter how you looked at it.