A long time had passed since Natsuro joined the 4th Division.
During that time, he truly got what he had hoped for, drawing a paycheck from the 13 Court Guard Squads while enjoying a light workload.
Not that there was no work to do in the 4th Division, far from it. But once the other members learned about Natsuro's circumstances, they all, consciously or not, started redistributing the routine tasks among themselves.
As a result, he had a lot of free time. Of course, that didn't mean he had nothing to do.
He had effectively become the 4th Division's designated "enforcer."
Because the 4th Division accepted recruits without any real threshold, it was considered the lowest-ranking among the thirteen divisions.
So even though the medical division was incredibly important in the grand scheme of things, its members were still frequently bullied.
But since his arrival, whenever someone was bullied unfairly, the first name that came to mind was his.
Initially, he didn't want to take on such boring fights. But then he thought about his subordinates, so kind and helpful, even taking over his tasks so he could have time to train.
If he refused, maybe they wouldn't be so eager to help him next time.
So he agreed. At first, these requests came frequently, but over time, the number of people daring to bully the 4th Division decreased dramatically.
After all, the ones who usually picked on them were ordinary squad members, very few seated officers, and certainly no vice-captains. As for captains? They wouldn't risk their reputations doing something so disgraceful.
Even the vice-captains, when they really thought about it, weren't confident they could beat him.
And the most terrifying thing? The 4th Division really would do it, after Natsuro beat someone to a pulp, they'd immediately heal the victim… and then ask, "Do you submit?"
If they did, great, they never messed with the 4th Division again. If not? Well… round two.
At this point, the 4th Division had practically earned the nickname "The Demon Division." Who would dare bully them now?
It wasn't that other captains or vice-captains didn't want to stand up for their squads, but every time this happened, it was their own people who had started it. Morally speaking, they were in the wrong.
So the captains had no choice but to turn a blind eye.
Right now, he was probably the most relaxed person in the entire 4th Division.
By now, almost no one dared to mess with them, and Natsuro had become a legend among the squad's members, was held in high regard and with immense respect.
Natsuro didn't like working? Fine! They'd finish his tasks for him!
Only occasionally would someone come to him with a particularly tricky healing case.
Which only made the squad respect him even more.
Not only was his combat ability off the charts, his healing arts (Kaido) were equally refined.
Under this system, even the 4th Division's captain Unohana and vice-captain Seinosuke Yamada were handling more responsibilities than Natsuro.
"This Natsuro is really ruining the 4th Division's reputation…" muttered Seinosuke as he sat beside Unohana, reading Natsuro's latest report, his brows furrowed.
"It's fine. If that's what he wants, let him be. Honestly, he might have a higher standing in the 4th Division than you," Unohana said calmly.
"What? Impossible! I've been here for so long, how could I lose out to some kid..." Seinosuke's voice trailed off. Deep down, he knew his own reputation wasn't exactly stellar.
Indeed… it wasn't great.
Unohana shook her head. Seinosuke wasn't a bad person at heart, but he had a knack for saying the wrong thing. His words were often cutting and mean-spirited, except when speaking to her, where he behaved more respectfully.
After a long pause, Seinosuke sighed. "Honestly, I think Natsuro is a better fit as your vice-captain."
"You received an offer from someone else, didn't you? You want to leave," Unohana said casually, not even lifting her head as she sipped her tea.
Seinosuke fell silent. In truth, the noble clans had long been extending him offers. He had stayed only because he wanted to help Unohana.
But he wasn't lying. Seinosuke knew Unohana's true nature, she wasn't just the gentle captain of the medical division…
She was also the first Kenpachi, the original captain of the 11th Division.
Her thirst for battle rivaled any Kenpachi who came after her. That's why Seinosuke believed that someone as gifted in combat as Natsuro was the ideal vice-captain for her.
He had heard of Natsuro's power, he was powerful enough to defeat most vice-captains.
So really, it made sense: A "medical division" whose captain was a blood-soaked former Kenpachi, and a vice-captain who was a peerless genius in battle.
"I was invited, yes. But I never planned to leave," Seinosuke finally admitted.
"Didn't plan to… but now you're considering it?" Unohana asked.
After a moment of silence, Seinosuke said, "If you want me to stay, I will."
Despite his terrible reputation, Seinosuke had always been obedient to Unohana.
Unohana didn't answer immediately. She quietly sipped her tea, then after a while said,"I won't ask you to stay. Do what your heart tells you. It's your life, you should live it for yourself."
With that, she set her cup down and walked away.
Seinosuke watched her leave and sighed again. The truth was, he had already made up his mind. He'd always planned to groom a successor who could support Unohana, and then step down.
He had even picked someone: a girl named Isane Kotetsu.
But now that Natsuro had appeared like a storm from the sky, he would pass the torch to him.
Even if Seinosuke didn't think Natsuro was suited for the medical side of the 4th Division, he was perfectly suited to Unohana as a captain.
A few days later, the 4th Division was rocked by a shocking announcement:
Vice-Captain Seinosuke Yamada was leaving to join the Shin'o Academy's Department of Pharmacy, and the former Third Seat Natsuro Shindōkawa would be taking over as the new vice-captain.
The entire division erupted with joy, everybody thought it was long overdue.
After all, Seinosuke's reputation in the squad was terrible, and with his poisonous tongue, he hadn't made a single friend.
And why were they so happy about Natsuro's promotion?
Because if he had remained as just the Third Seat, there was always the risk that another division might poach him.
Given Unohana's personality, if someone formally requested Natsuro, and he agreed to leave, she wouldn't stop him.
But now that he was vice-captain, no one could poach him, unless they were offering a captain's seat!
In other words, his position in the 4th Division was now secure. To the 4th Division, this was excellent news.
No one mourned Seinosuke's departure. Instead, everyone rushed to celebrate their new vice-captain: Natsuro Shindōkawa.
As for Natsuro himself he was a bit confused.
He'd never planned to become the vice-captain. How could they announce it without even talking to him first?
Was it always this casual?!
Then he remembered the 4th Division's "recruitment standards"… and suddenly realized:
Maybe Unohana was the original slacker of the 4th Division after all…
Still, now that he was vice-captain, he had more access privileges, including areas of the library he hadn't been able to enter before.
Natsuro nodded to himself. He had always been interested in the history of the Soul Society.
Unlike the Hidden Leaf Village in the Naruto world, with a history of just a few decades, Soul Society's past was truly ancient.
And judging from the occasional dark historical records Aizen gave him, Soul Society's darkness ran far deeper than that of the Naruto world.
For example, the Gotei 13 might not have originally been the "13 Court Guard Squads", they may have started out as a pure assassination force, with every captain soaked in blood.
Natsuro thought back to his first impression of Unohana, it clearly hadn't been an illusion.
"Hey, Captain Unohana, now that I'm vice-captain, I won't be getting more work, will I?" Natsuro asked.
Unohana fell silent for a moment. She couldn't understand why that was the first thing he said after learning he'd been promoted.
"…No," she replied, slightly exasperated.
"Good," Natsuro nodded.
"Even if the vice-captain had a lot to do, I doubt the others would trouble you with it," Unohana said casually. Despite her calm demeanor, she was well aware of everything that went on in the 4th Division.
"Heh, they do it all voluntarily. I didn't force anyone," Natsuro chuckled.
"I never said you did. As long as they're willing, that's fine," Unohana replied offhandedly, continuing to arrange her flowers as she spoke, clearly something she enjoyed.
He knew about Unohana's flower arranging hobby. She held a group session every month and always invited him to join, not just him, but others as well.
So, Unohana's flower-arranging hobby had basically become common knowledge throughout the division.
"Captain," Natsuro suddenly said, "you're not an ordinary medical team captain, are you?"
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Unohana paused slightly, then asked calmly.
"Because the first time I saw you, I could sense it, there's a bloodthirst on you that no medical division captain should have,"Natsuro said with a smile.
"Oh?" Unohana turned to face him, a rare serious expression appearing on her face. She could now feel the spiritual pressure Natsuro was emitting, it was on par with that of a typical captain-level Soul Reaper.
In fact, both she and the other captains had already learned from Aizen that Natsuro was the person mentioned in the 13th Division's earlier report. But even so, Unohana hadn't expected his spiritual pressure to be so overwhelming.
What she didn't know was that the only reason she could feel Natsuro's power now was because he no longer had a reason to suppress it.
While he was still at Shin'ō Academy, he had always suppressed his spiritual pressure to avoid being forced to graduate early. But now that he had officially joined the Gotei 13, there was no longer a need to keep it tightly restrained.
That said, he still used his impressive control to manage it carefully.
Even so, the spiritual pressure that leaked out, even in its controlled state, was enough to surprise Unohana.
"Maybe you just imagined it," Unohana said, trying to avoid unnecessary complications. These days, she was only interested in healing and her long-desired battle with that person. She hadn't drawn her sword in a long time, and had no interest in meaningless fights.
After all, a thousand years ago, she had killed enough. Calling her "blood-soaked" would've been an understatement.
"Heh, I don't think I'm mistaken. So… how about a fight, Captain?" Natsuro said, placing his hand on the hilt of Meikyō Shisui. A fierce battle aura radiated from him.
Unohana sighed and said, "I haven't drawn my sword since that incident."
"Oh? So you're not denying it?" Natsuro raised an eyebrow, not that he knew what incident she was referring to, but he didn't care.
"If you've already confirmed it, then denying it would be meaningless," Unohana said. "But, Vice-Captain, I think you might be better suited for the 11th Division."
Sensing the intense fighting spirit pouring from Natsuro, she continued, "If you want to join the 11th Division, I can speak with Captain Kenpachi Zaraki. With your strength, becoming their 3rd Seat should be easy. As for the vice-captain position… well, for certain reasons, that's not possible."
"I don't want to join the 11th Division," Natsuro replied. "Even if they're a combat division, most of their fights are just with Hollows. And they're low-level, meaningless battles. I have no interest in that kind of fight."
Unohana was slightly taken aback. She looked at him, his words mirrored her own sentiments.
She, too, had grown weary of pointless, low-level bloodshed, which was why she had come to the 4th Division to become the captain of the medical team…
Then Unohana asked, "But didn't you accept some combat requests when you joined the 4th Division?"
"'Requests,' huh? If I didn't take those fights, do you think the others would still help me with my work?" Natsuro responded. "So those fights were necessary, they saved me time that I could use to train."
Unohana was speechless for a moment. So that's why he took those fights?
But soon, she composed herself again. His true motivations didn't matter, what mattered was that his actions had genuinely helped the 4th Division. That alone was enough.
"So, after all that," Natsuro said, raising Meikyō Shisui and pointing it at her, "will you fight me, Captain?"
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Currently on Chapter 474 - The Manifestation of Power