Bleach [29-31] (Patreon)

Chapter 29: The All-Rounder and Man-Blade Union

News that Yoshio had eliminated the parasite-ridden Third Squad Captain seemed to have spread throughout the Seireitei. He didn't even need to think to know the mastermind was Aizen.

Of course, Yoshio had no objections.
He should be loudly promoting his highlight reel!

Yoshio and Rangiku agreed to go out drinking that night; Rangiku headed to the Fourth Division while Yoshio went home. He activated [Child of Kirin] and prepared to train.

He planned to use this month-long break to become much stronger. At the very least, he needed to make himself worthy of a Lieutenant's position, right? Among Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido, he focused mainly on Shunpo. As for Zanjutsu, he didn't need it that much. Hakuda was even less useful. He had multiple other abilities that served as better options than Kido. So he only needed to grind Shunpo, and beyond that, raise his spiritual pressure.

He trained from morning to afternoon. Around six, Renji and the others came by again. They'd also heard about the disappearance of restless souls at the academy, knew Yoshio was involved, and came to check on him.

"I heard Senior Yoshio killed a Menos Grande. Maybe he'll become a Lieutenant soon!" Hinamori Momo said with open envy. "Working under Captain Aizen must be amazing, right?"

Amazing?
Yoshio's mouth twitched, but he could only nod and say, "Yes."
"But I'm pretty lazy, so I hope Captain Aizen won't work me too hard."

"So you've always been just an ordinary Squad Nine Seat, Yoshio?" Hitsugaya said coolly from the side.

"You should call me Senior Yoshio." Yoshio gave him a glance, then added, "And not an ordinary Squad Nine Seat—just a Squad Nine Seat. I'm a permanent officer of the Fifth Division."

Yoshio rubbed his stomach as he spoke and said to the four of them, "Forget it, I haven't eaten much today. Want to go out for a bite? I happen to have dinner plans with Miss Rangiku."

"I've got class tonight," Renji said regretfully. "Hitsugaya, you?"

"Same," Tōshirō Hitsugaya said indifferently. "Besides, I want to graduate early, so I won't have much time later."

"Graduating early?" Hinamori looked at Hitsugaya curiously and couldn't help asking, "Shirō, why do you want to graduate early?"

"The stuff they teach at school isn't hard."

"Graduating early is fine, actually," Yoshio said. "With Toushiro's talent, he'll master the academy's curriculum quickly." Then he added, "By the way, you three should be close to graduating, right?"

"…Yeah." Kira nodded. "We're in sixth year—less than half a year left. When the time comes, let's join the Fifth Division together."

"Good. Keep it up," Yoshio encouraged.

After seeing the four off, Yoshio and Rangiku drank together until late at night.

The next month was more or less the same. Training by day, going out at night. Besides Rangiku, he'd occasionally drink with Kyōraku Shunsui, and later Iba Tetsuzaemon from the Eleventh Division joined them. At this point Iba was still in the Eleventh Division and had not transferred to the Seventh Division to become Lieutenant.

His Souls Ability was ["All-rounder."]

["All-rounder: All of your abilities become balanced."]

The effect was to make all abilities equalized. That is, once you used this ability, even if you only used Shunpo, when you used other abilities they would gain some of Shunpo's enhancement—but at the same time, other aspects would drag Shunpo down to some extent.

For example, if Yoshio's Shunpo stat was 100, Kido 60, Zanjutsu 40, and Hakuda 20, then once he used this skill, the four values would become (100+60+40+20)/4 = 55.

How to describe this ability…
Sometimes it could be useful; other times, not so much.

Yoshio felt that rather than becoming a balanced fighter, it was better to pursue an extreme style. Unless you were like Aizen—pushing every aspect to the peak and becoming a top-tier all-rounder. Otherwise… balance also meant mediocrity.

About half a month later, Shuhei was discharged smoothly.

During those two weeks, besides drinking, Yoshio often went to the Fourth Division at night. Not just to see Shuhei, but to get close to the Fourth Division's seated officers. Unfortunately, despite going so many times, he never once saw Retsu Unohana. He did, however, see the lieutenant Kotetsu.

Isane Kotetsu's Souls Ability was ["Don't Want to Grow Taller."]

["Don't Want to Grow Taller: Can halt physical size changes for oneself and others."]

This ability seemed useless on the surface, but it made Yoshio's eyes light up. After all, many people had abilities that caused gigantification—for example, the Wandenreich Elite Guard's M, Gerard Valkyrie, whose power made him grow gigantic when injured. There was also Espada No. 0, Yammy, who grew bigger the angrier he got. If this ability could be used on them, perhaps it could limit their power.

However, since Kotetsu Isane was a Lieutenant, Yoshio had too little interaction time with her. Still, his favorability with the rest of the Fourth Division had basically maxed out. Most had risen to level sixty. The offensive abilities he now possessed had increased a fair bit, giving him a strong sense of security.

Within a month, Ichimaru Gin was officially confirmed as Third Squad Captain, and Kuchiki Byakuya became Captain of the Sixth Division. Yoshio was appointed Lieutenant of the Fifth Division and would attend the captains' meeting with Aizen on his first day.

Yoshio was a bit excited. At the captains' meeting, while he wouldn't see the captains of every squad, he'd at least see the Lieutenants.

…

At dawn, Yoshio followed behind Aizen toward the First Division.

"I'm actually a little sleepy." Yoshio yawned and couldn't help saying, "Captain Aizen, you really shouldn't have made me a Lieutenant. I'm kind of an embarrassment like this."

"You'll get used to it." Aizen chuckled. "Becoming a Lieutenant less than six years after graduating—Yoshio-kun's promotion speed is enough to be recorded in history."

"…Sounds like a hassle," Yoshio sighed.

Following Aizen to the First Division, he happened to see Rangiku. Next to her stood a middle-aged man wearing a captain's haori with the kanji for "10" on the back—Tenth Division Captain Shiba Isshin.

Shiba Isshin's Souls Ability was…

["Final Zanpakuto Fusion": Upon use, you can merge with your Zanpakuto, entering a state of "Man-Blade union."]
["Note: This skill is extremely dangerous. If you have not permanently acquired this ability, using it will cause all your spiritual power to disappear!"]

Chapter 30: A Lieutenant’s Soul Power

In fact, the Seireitei does have a ritual—or rather, a special spiritual art—called the Man-Blade Union. But this art is the forbidden of forbidden arts, and Shinigami cannot use it.

In the Seireitei's history, someone indeed used this taboo art—but that was 350 years ago. Back then, a Squad member used the forbidden Man-Blade Union to fuse his Zanpakuto into his soul. But the overwhelming power was beyond what a Shinigami-level soul could withstand.

The intense pain drove the shinigami mad, and he directly killed sixty-three of his teammates, including his Lieutenant! The Gotei 13 then dispatched several captains to apprehend him; he still killed two of them, and the remaining captains had to join forces to seal him. That's the consequence of recklessly using forbidden arts!

The Man-Blade Union is not a realm Shinigami can enter. Forcing your way into it makes the body unable to bear it, ultimately leading to madness!

However, with Shiba Isshin's ability, Yoshio could enter this realm directly. But this ability required Shiba Isshin's favorability to reach over eighty to take effect; if it was under eighty, using it would consume all spiritual power—just like Kurosaki Ichigo, who became an ordinary person after fighting Aizen.

Yoshio didn't want that. Therefore, getting along well with Shiba Isshin was critical.

"Yoshio!"
Rangiku greeted him as soon as she saw him: "You really became a Lieutenant! Unbelievable!"

"Not at all—it's only Captain Aizen's mercy," Yoshio said with a smile. "At my current level, I'm still far from a Lieutenant."

Shiba Isshin, beside Rangiku, stroked his chin and looked at Yoshio with curiosity. "So you're Yoshio Kamado. I've been hearing Rangiku mention you lately. And you're the mastermind behind the Soul Disappearance Case—what a genius."

"Captain Shiba, you flatter me," Yoshio said modestly. "Captain Shiba was born to a great house and became a captain long ago—far beyond comparison with me."

"Excessive humility becomes arrogance," Shiba Isshin laughed heartily, then looked to Aizen. "Sōsuke, congrats on discovering yet another genius."

Aizen smiled and nodded. "Yoshio-kun is indeed a genius."

Hearing their praise, Yoshio felt a bit embarrassed and quietly followed behind them while Rangiku chattered about this and that.

Aizen Sōsuke and Shiba Isshin entered the First Division Captain's office; the Lieutenants waited in the room next door.

Yoshio and Rangiku walked in and found several people already there. Judging by the armbands, they were the Lieutenants of the First, Fourth, and Sixth Divisions. Looked like they'd come early.

The First Division Lieutenant was Chōjirō Sasakibe, a senior of two or three thousand years. He'd been at Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai's side since before the Gotei 13 was founded.

Chōjirō Sasakibe's Souls Ability was ["Permanent Scar."]

["Permanent Scar: When you land an attack, it leaves a permanent scar on the enemy."]

Truly a final supporting character—his Souls Ability essentially stemmed from the scar he left on Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Of the two crossed scars on Yamamoto's head, one was left by Chōjirō Sasakibe.

So this is the origin of Souls Abilities?
Honestly, it was a bit absurd.

The Fourth Division Lieutenant, Kotetsu Isane, previously had a Souls Ability called "Don't Want to Grow Taller," while the current Sixth Division Lieutenant was called "Ginjirō," whose Souls Ability was ["Eyeglass Designer."]

["Eyeglass Designer: Can design various styles of glasses; by infusing different spiritual pressures and abilities, the designed glasses gain corresponding attributes."]

Ginjirō was Renji's predecessor as Sixth Division Lieutenant, and was one of the rare members permitted to "retire" from the Gotei 13. The Gotei 13 is essentially an organization that does not allow one to "leave the squad." Shinigami who leave are arrested and imprisoned by the Onmitsukidō. However, once you reach Captain-class, your status skyrockets—worlds apart from ordinary Shinigami. What ordinary Shinigami can't do doesn't mean a Captain-class Shinigami can't. As long as they hand over their Zanpakuto, retirement isn't a big deal.

Suffice it to say, some people scramble upward for a reason; those at the bottom remain commoners, unable to escape that status.

At this point, members from the various squads of the Gotei 13 weren't very familiar with each other yet, so the Lieutenants' room was quiet—almost no one spoke. Yoshio and Rangiku didn't break the silence either—mainly because Yoshio didn't want to disrupt "protocol" the moment he arrived. He'd just taken office today; better to get the lay of the land first.

Even the normally lively Rangiku barely spoke?

After a while, all the squads' Lieutenants had arrived. The Thirteenth Division Lieutenant, Shiba Kaien, had a Souls Ability called ["Appearance Mimicry."]

[Appearance Mimicry: Specify a target. Upon use, you transform into that person's appearance, and your spiritual pressure and abilities also change accordingly.]

This was within Yoshio's expectations. After all, Shiba Kaien's most distinctive feature was having a face almost identical to the protagonist Kurosaki Ichigo.

The Twelfth Division Lieutenant was Nemu Kurotsuchi, whose Souls Ability was ["Artificial Soul Remodeling."]

["Artificial Soul Remodeling: Permanently reduce a portion of a person's soul to permanently enlarge a specific part of their body."]

This corresponded to Nemu Kurotsuchi's body traits, since she herself was an "Gikon" created by Twelfth Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the most perfect creation of the "Nemuri Project."

The Eleventh Division Lieutenant was Kusajishi Yachiru, and her Souls Ability was ["Zanpakuto Incarnation."]

["Zanpakuto Incarnation: Split your Bankai into physical entities and bestow names upon them.]
["Note: If favorability is below 80, you cannot reverse the Bankai split."]

Indeed, Kusajishi Yachiru was herself a split-off embodiment of Zaraki Kenpachi's Bankai, so having such a Souls Ability was normal.

The Second Division Lieutenant was Ōmaeda Marechiyo, whose Souls Ability was ["Special Combat Power."]

["Special Combat Power: Upon use, can break the fourth wall to view higher-dimensional comments, and can accomplish one thing boasted about in those comments."]

"?"

Seeing this ability, Yoshio admitted he was stunned for a moment. Then he fell into shock.

This…
What kind of ability is that?!

Chapter 31: The Tsunayashiro Clan

What…
What even is this?
Viewing higher-dimensional comments? Then turning the praise from those comments into reality?
That ability is way too outrageous, isn't it?

So what does "higher-dimensional comments" mean?

Did Ōmaeda just become Deadpool?

If you interpret this ability straightforwardly, it treats the world they're in as a manga, with himself as a character in it. Since he's a character, readers would naturally comment about him. His ability is to select one of those comments about himself and make it reality.

No wonder Yoshio was so baffled.
Doesn't this mean he's living in a manga world?

"..."

Forget it—thinking about that now is pointless. He's so weak and helpless at the moment; what could he do?

Aside from that, the Third and Ninth Divisions' Lieutenants had both died in previous incidents, so those positions were vacant. And the Seventh Division Lieutenant was on an external assignment, so couldn't attend either. In other words, out of thirteen Lieutenants, ten showed up. Everyone sat in their designated places. Other than Yoshio chatting a bit with Rangiku, no one else spoke much.

Looking at Rangiku, Yoshio remembered the [The Animals] he had created using her ability. He had already given it to Aizen—he wondered what Aizen would use it for. To feed the Hōgyoku?

However…
Yoshio subconsciously felt a tug at his heartstrings. Ever since activating ["The Animals,"] he felt as though a small piece of his soul essence was missing. Even after all this time, the feeling remained. He felt that the cost in soul essence for one activation of ["The Animals"] would take at least a year to recover.

The soul essence is the foundation of a Shinigami's soul. Shinigami inject their soul essence into an Asauchi, connecting it to their own soul and thus awakening the Zanpakuto's corresponding abilities. If the soul essence is reduced, it affects not only normal training, but also the Bankai of the Zanpakuto.

Just like Rangiku—though many Lieutenants later managed to achieve Bankai, she still wasn't proficient. Yoshio suspected this likely had to do with her soul essence being incomplete.

Fortunately, Yoshio felt he could probably recover the lost soul essence in about a year. For a Shinigami, a year isn't that long.

The first captains' meeting thus ended. Yoshio memorized each Lieutenant's Souls Ability and planned to befriend them later according to importance. Then he obediently followed Aizen back to the Fifth Division.

Starting today, he officially became a Lieutenant. In the Gotei 13, Lieutenant is an important rank, so within the Fifth Division he now had his own quarters, and his office got bigger. Still, he wasn't used to barracks life; nothing felt as safe as his own home. His home was his safehouse!

"How was it?"
On the way back, Aizen, walking in front, asked, "Among the Lieutenants, did you discover any new observation targets?"

Gazing at Aizen's back, Yoshio smiled faintly. "For now, everyone is my observation target."

"However…"
Yoshio couldn't help complaining: "There's a problem with these captains' meetings. You captains should go; we can just wait in the next room for the outcomes. Why do we have to run all the way to the First Division for this?"

"Grumbling about a thousand-year-old Seireitei system right after becoming a Lieutenant isn't a great look," Aizen chuckled. "Next time I'll tell Captain-Commander Yamamoto."

"What? Captain Aizen, you're a snitch," Yoshio muttered. He hadn't seen any of the captains during this period—nor had he met the Captain-Commander. To be honest, he was quite curious about Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Souls Ability. As the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, it shouldn't be weak, right?

But thinking about how, no matter how strong a Souls Ability was, it required favorability above sixty to use made Yoshio's head ache again. Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was a rigid, stubborn old man; earning his favor wouldn't be easy. His status was too high; Yoshio had no opportunity to interact with him.

Forget it—these things can't be forced.

Yoshio watched Aizen return to the squad office, while he stayed with the Fifth Division members. The members congratulated Yoshio on becoming Lieutenant, and he didn't get arrogant because of the new position; he chatted with everyone as amicably as before.

He thought the day would end like that, but in the evening, just as Yoshio was about to get off work, a group arrived outside the Fifth Division looking specifically for him.

Yoshio went out to greet them, his gaze sharpening. He didn't know them, but he recognized the crest on their clothes. It was the emblem of the Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the Soul Society's Five Great Noble Families.

At this moment, Yoshio remembered. The Kamado Clan was a lower noble house; lower nobles generally had their own "branch" or "main house." Like the Feng Clan to Yoruichi Shihoin, the Kamado family, as a lesser house, was also attached to a great house—namely the Tsunayashiro Clan among the Five Great Noble Families.

But as the Kamado Clan declined, they no longer qualified to be affiliated with the Tsunayashiro Clan. By Yoshio Kamado's generation, the Kamado Clan had only the title of nobility and none of the true status; they'd long since had nothing to do with the Tsunayashiro.

Clicking his tongue, Yoshio stepped forward and asked, "Now this is a surprise—the Tsunayashiro bigwigs came all this way to see me? So the nobles have important business?"

"Yoshio Kamado," said a servant of the Tsunayashiro Clan. "The master has a task for you."

Yoshio didn't answer, but looked back at Aizen. Aizen shrugged, indicating it had nothing to do with him.

"What task?" Yoshio asked. Though the Kamado Clan was an affiliate of the Tsunayashiro, he was now a Lieutenant and didn't have to obey their every arrangement. Of course, if the Tsunayashiro didn't mind the trouble, they could issue an order through the Central 46, and he'd have to comply. Not just Lieutenants—even captains and the Captain-Commander must obey the Central 46's orders.

"The task will be conveyed to you by Jigokuchō in three days," the Tsunayashiro envoy said. "You will need to go to the Human World. Please make preparations."

To the Human World…

Yoshio frowned, but this was actually a good thing for him. In the Human World, there were a bunch of people waiting for him to raise favorability with them. So he nodded.

"No problem. Send the paperwork in three days."