You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Born in Rukongai? No blood relation?

The air inside suddenly became hot, and Yamamoto opened his eyes, the atmosphere around him abruptly changing.

"Is this... a coincidence? Or..."

"It's impossible to say for sure, but if the people in Room 46 find out, they will definitely intervene."

Saito said meaningfully, "That kid Iori seems to be a loyal and righteous person. You don't want to push him to the opposite side of Seireitei, do you?"

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni... Captain-Commander!

Iori is not like villains like us!

Although instability has always been an unspoken rule within Team Thirteen, at least for now, he's still a passionate and good young man... We can't let him make such a cruel choice based on just a sliver of doubt!

"...You're overthinking it, Saito."

Yamamoto's gaze was deep as he said in a deep voice, "My duty is to maintain stability within the Seireitei and uphold the internal rules of the Thirteen Divisions. If any villains cause trouble, we cannot let them go unpunished. However, if Aizen Iori is innocent, then no one can act without authorization."

"..." Saito didn't speak, but just stared at the old man with his one eye.

Yamamoto remained silent for a moment, then looked deeply at Saito, as if he had thought of something, a trace of reminiscence and regret flashing across his face.

“Alright,” he finally said, “I will make an exception this time and take him under my wing—provided, of course, that Aizen Iori has no objections.”

"Many thanks!"

Saito lowered his head solemnly: "I will inform him."

The reason the two were taking it so seriously was because it involved a bit of "feudal superstition".

As we all know, a Zanpakuto is the manifestation of a Shinigami's soul essence, and since no two souls are the same, there are no two Zanpakuto that are exactly the same.

However, if such a situation were to occur by accident, then the two must be made to kill each other, leaving only one Zanpakuto alive, otherwise it would bring disaster to the Soul Society.

Iori and Yuuki's Zanpakuto are indeed different, but there are too many coincidences in various aspects...

Indeed, there are Zanpakuto that are connected to each other in Soul Society.

High-ranking noble families like Shihouin, Kuchiki, and Shiba gave birth to offspring in the form of spirits, so their power attributes are similar, and the Zanpakuto awakened by their family members also have certain similarities.

However, the chances of Iori and Yuuki, who are from Rukongai and have no blood relation, not only becoming "family" but also possessing captain-level qualifications and awakening Zanpakuto with the same attributes and similar true names are astonishingly small!

Considering that Iori is a "different species," there might be some hidden secrets involved...

If the siblings' souls influenced each other during their daily interactions, resulting in a transfer of power... this is not impossible; there are similar examples in the Soul Society.

Just look at Kaname Tosen and you'll see!

If those old fogies in Chamber 46 find out about this, they'll most likely order Iori to kill Yuuki in order to increase his potential, or conversely, they'll target Yuuki to suppress Iori's power!

The reason why Saito suddenly asked Yamamoto to take him on as a disciple lies here...

Chapter 173: Son of Yhwach?

Although Seireitei has white walls and black tiles, giving it a solemn and sacred appearance, it is actually rife with dirty deeds. Conflicts between the upper echelons, nobles and commoners have never ceased, just like in the real world.

Saito may seem carefree, but he actually understands everything perfectly well; he's just too lazy to dwell on it.

Iori and Yuuki are extremely special. The siblings come from Rukongai and have no powerful background, but they are incredibly talented. They are both candidates to become captains. Once the outside world finds out, many eyes will definitely be on them.

They might try to win them over or suppress them, and they might even use the Zanpakuto issue to stir up trouble...

The problem lies in Iori's personality. Although they haven't spent much time together, Saito understands Iori quite well. This boy usually appears gentle, kind, cheerful, and sunny, but in essence, he is a quick-witted and decisive person.

If he is offended, he will never play the victim with those people. Even if it means violating the laws of Seireitei, he will make sure he enjoys himself first!

Such people are too easily framed. In fact, Saito knew of several similar cases. As the highest adjudicating body, the 46th Chamber not only did not stop such things, but even fueled them.

...Don't overestimate the moral standards of that group. Although they are nominally highly respected people selected from all walks of life, they are actually a group of short-sighted insects.

Saito had learned her lesson in this regard, but she didn't want Iori to repeat the same mistake.

Firstly, she owed Iori a life; secondly... it would be a real shame to suppress such a talented person.

As commoners, Aizen and his sister would have no choice but to marry into a noble family or become the Captain-Commander's apprentices if they wanted to gain a foothold in Seireitei!

Although Yamamoto has become much more "amiable" in recent years, his reputation as the strongest for a thousand years is still extremely powerful. From commoners to nobles, everyone is in awe of him. He is the pillar of the Seireitei and the golden beam that holds up the sea!

The mere fact that he was a disciple of Yamamoto was enough to scare away many people, not to mention that the Yamamoto lineage had produced many strong individuals, such as Shunsui Kyoraku and Ukitake Jushiro, who were his direct descendants and all of noble birth.

Even if someone wanted to target Aizen and his sister, they could only resort to underhanded tactics and would never dare to do it openly.

In short, there are many benefits to being affiliated with the Captain-Commander... but it does cause some trouble for Yamamoto.

Saito had never made such a request of Yamamoto before; for someone as usually unruly as her, this was an unprecedented display of humility…

Besides loyalty and public spirit, Saito also had some selfish thoughts in her heart... but she deliberately ignored them.

Compared to her long life spanning over a thousand years, Iori, who is not even a hundred years old, is practically a little child. To say that she could touch her heartstrings... is absolutely impossible!

"Alright, then I'll take my leave."

Now that the matter was settled, Saito had no interest in continuing to reminisce with an old man and immediately got up to say goodbye.

But just then, a short knocking sound came from outside the wooden door.

"Lord Yamamoto, I apologize for disturbing you."

The wooden door opened, and Chojiro Sasakibe, the first division vice-president with silver hair, a Western-style mustache, and a serious and upright demeanor, knelt on the ground and bowed to the captain-commander inside the room.

Then he picked up the tray from the ground beside him and placed it on the tatami mat in the room. A letter was placed on the black and red lacquerware.

"Sparrow?"

Saito glanced at him in surprise. In the one-eyed girl's memory, this little old man was even more serious than Yamamoto. Out of politeness, he shouldn't have bothered Yamamoto when he was receiving guests, right?

Could it be something urgent? Saito glanced at the letter and wondered to himself.

Yamamoto knew his deputy well and didn't reprimand him for his rudeness, but instead asked him to bring the letter over.

"It's a military report from the front lines."

It was indeed urgent intelligence!

Yamamoto understood, and after taking the letter and unfolding it, his eyes narrowed slightly:

This is a handwritten note by Kuchiki Ginrei!

As the frontline commander, Chief Kuchiki should be busy with how to wipe out the Exterminator. What urgent situation could possibly warrant him writing a special letter?

Yamamoto read on intently, and as time passed, his eyebrows twitched slightly. When he finished reading the letter, he immediately closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment.

Saito watched with curiosity, feeling that Yamamoto's expression was even more unpleasant than when he was dealing with Aizen and his sister... She became increasingly interested in the contents of the letter.

After a long while, Yamamoto slowly exhaled and glanced at Saito, who was still there.

"Since you're here, I'll give you some instructions now... The rest period for the expeditionary force ends immediately. Order all personnel to return to their posts and await reorganization."

"Varied--"

Saito never expected to be implicated, and after his initial shock, he immediately flew into a rage, protesting angrily, "My soldiers just barely made it back from Hueco Mundo, barely managed to see their families, and didn't even have time to enjoy good food and drink... and you want to cut their leave short?"

"This is an order, and it must not be disobeyed."

"..."

Saito was speechless. If Yamamoto said that, then as his subordinate, she could only obey orders; that was the internal discipline of the Thirteenth Division.

But she was still somewhat emotional: "What exactly happened? Could it be that someone attacked Seireitei?"

"No, not at all... but you can take a look."

Yamamoto opened his palm and tossed it gently; a breeze blew, and the letter landed perfectly in Saito's hand.

Saito didn't think much of it, took it and casually looked at it... then gasped:

"Two captains killed in battle? Kuchiki Ginryo seriously injured? Kenpachi caught in an ambush?"

This...this can't be right! When did those Quincy acquire this ability?

Speaking of which, when was the last time Soul Society suffered such a great loss?

And in a major battle that could kill two captains, it's foreseeable how many soldiers would be lost.

The Fourth Division is unable to move, and the Thirteenth Division is responsible for handling the aftermath. The captain is seriously ill and his combat strength is average.

The Second and Tenth Divisions had already been deployed to the battlefield...

No wonder the expeditionary force had to be called up temporarily... It should be noted that although the Thirteen Divisions are violent organizations, they have their own divisions of labor. Some divisions need to stay behind to provide support and assistance, while the combat faction that directly participates in the war is a minority.

The expeditionary force is experienced in combat and does not require much training. With a little reorganization, it can be put to use immediately on the battlefield!

It was just a coincidence that the elites were brought back by Saito; otherwise, they wouldn't have encountered this incident.

Saito subconsciously glanced at Yamamoto's expression, and unsurprisingly, it was grim. One-Eyed knew that with Yamamoto's volatile temper, he was probably already suppressing the urge to personally take the field, only maintaining a facade of composure.

After composing himself, Saito continued reading, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper until finally he couldn't hold back any longer:

"The Holy Son? What's going on... What does 'Son of Yhwach' mean? What are those Quincy up to now?!"

Chapter 174: My Soul Society is brimming with talent! (4K)

dong dong!

Oh no!

After the light wooden door was pulled open, a girl with glasses and a cold expression appeared, slightly surprised after seeing who it was.

"It's been a long time, Lisa-chan."

"...Don't follow that jerk, just call me Yajumaru." This girl named Yajumaru Lisa, who has the air of a literary girl, looks even younger than Iori. If she were in the modern world, she would probably be a middle school student, but her words and actions are already quite mature.

She and Iori were old acquaintances, so their conversation flowed naturally.

"Aizen-kun... I heard you were exiled, cough, dispatched to Hueco Mundo. Could the intelligence be wrong?"

"No, that's true. There was just a little trouble, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that we were able to come back early."

Iori presented the lacquerware confectionery box and asked gently, "Is Kyoraku-sensei (a respectful term for a writer in Japan) here?"

"As expected, they came to see the captain."

Lisa accepted the gift and led him inside.

This is a typical Japanese mansion. It was originally someone's private residence, but because he often brought his official business home and was too lazy to report to the barracks, the members would often come here to ask for instructions. Gradually, for convenience, the mansion was renovated and became much larger than the residence of an ordinary nobleman. You can also see members wearing shihaka and carrying documents going in and out of some rooms.

Iori was a familiar face, and no one asked to check his identity. They just let him in. Some people even greeted him warmly and wanted to come up and chat. However, when they saw Lisa next to him, they were glared at by her cold eyes and slunk away.

"Dirty!"

Lisa glanced at the man disdainfully, then turned her gaze back to Iori: "Hmph!"

Her face was full of disdain for men, and Iori could only look embarrassed, but secretly he was laughing to himself.

He and Kyoraku Shunsui had a gentlemanly friendship, a fact known throughout the entire Eighth Division. And clearly, they weren't the only "gentlemen"; many members of the division had artistic needs to cultivate their character, so the atmosphere within the division was very harmonious.

—Just like the significance of erotic images to QQ groups.

However, there are also many female members in the 8th Division. They are well aware of what kind of person their captain is and most of them hold a contemptuous attitude towards him. Yagimaru Lisa is one of them, and strictly speaking, she is their representative.

But Iori knew that these seemingly respectable female Grim Reapers were actually watching his "artistic creations" behind the scenes!

Especially Lisa-chan, who appears to be a sexually indifferent literary girl on the surface, is actually quite interested in this area and has always been a loyal reader of Iori.

She's still young and retains some of her girlish reserve, but judging from the original story, she'll become a very frank and straightforward woman of passion in a hundred or two hundred years.

From a god-like perspective, Iori smiled at Lisa's performance but said nothing.

"Please come this way. The captain is on official business and I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while."

The two took off their shoes and walked onto the wooden walkway. After turning two corners, the scenery suddenly opened up, revealing a quiet and elegant Japanese-style courtyard. A dozen koi carp swam leisurely in the small pond, and the afternoon sun shone down, with the dividing line of shadows cutting the walkway in half.

Lisa had intended to lead Iori through the courtyard to a room, but she stopped after taking only a few steps, her eyes twitching slightly, while Iori gave her a playful expression.

"Handling official business..."

"Tsk!"

At the intersection of light and shadow, an ornate and extravagant kimono lay flat on the floor. A languid figure lay on his side with his back to the two people, most of his body enjoying the warm sunlight. He used his hand as a pillow and a straw hat to shield himself from the sun, as if he were dozing.

The girl with glasses clenched her fist, strode over without hesitation, and raised her small fist high above the straw hat—

After hesitating for a moment, Lisa loosened her fist, bent down, and picked up the straw hat.