"Boring!"
"So damn boring!"
The wild, beastlike man stood shirtless, his muscular body drenched in sweat.
Resting a jagged, tooth-marked Zanpakutō on his shoulder, he growled in frustration.
What he wanted was a real fight—a blood-pumping, blade-crashing duel where both sides hacked at each other, bleeding and grinning through the pain.
But this? This was just one-sided slaughter. None of his Eleventh Division soldiers could even scratch him. It was way too dull.
"Little Eight's upset again."
"Little Mustache, Little Aro, you're all too weak! Little Eight's mad now!"
The pink-haired girl—tiny, mischievous, and dangerous—was Yachiru Kusajishi, the girl this beast had once picked up off the streets of Kusajishi District. That's how she got her surname. As for the name "Yachiru," even the beast himself didn't know why it had surfaced in his mind, only that it was deeply carved into his heart.
"I need stronger opponents."
The beast—Kenpachi Zaraki, the new captain of the Eleventh Division who had slain the previous Kenpachi with a single blow—tilted his head, thinking as hard as his very limited brainpower allowed.
"Who's the strongest in the Gotei 13?"
Zaraki looked around at the heap of defeated subordinates lying across the dojo floor.
"Well, if we're talking strongest," one of them mumbled, "it's gotta be the Head-Captain. He's been the most powerful since he founded the Gotei 13 over a thousand years ago."
Even though the Eleventh Division lived for battle, gossip about who was the most powerful Shinigami in Seireitei never got old.
"The old man, huh?"
A spark of pure, primal excitement flashed in Zaraki's eyes.
But… not yet. Fighting Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni now would end the fun too quickly. Battle, like a meal, should have appetizers, a main course, and dessert. Before eating the main dish—Yamamoto himself—he needed some smaller courses to whet his appetite.
"Then who's the strongest besides that old man?"
"The strongest besides the Head-Captain… well, that'd be you, Captain Zaraki. Every Kenpachi in history has been the mightiest Shinigami apart from the Head-Captain himself."
One of his men flattered him, groaning on the floor.
"I meant besides me, you idiots!"
Zaraki's face darkened. Were his subordinates really this stupid?
The squad members hesitated, murmuring among themselves.
"What's the matter?"
He glared. Their timid silence only irritated him further.
"Well… opinions differ," said one bespectacled man, nicknamed the "Gossip King" of the Eleventh. "After the Head-Captain and Kenpachi, the rest is debatable—depends on who you ask, and how drunk they are."
"Debatable?!" Zaraki's head throbbed. He hated vague answers. He wanted names. Someone specific to cut down.
"Well, the top contenders would be Captain Kyōraku Shunsui and Captain Ukitake Jūshirō—the Head-Captain's star pupils. Both have led their squads for over a century, but…"
The man hesitated.
"Go on."
Zaraki's tone grew cold.
"Uh… Captain, it's kinda bad form for us grunts to gossip about captains behind their backs…"
"Huh?!"
Zaraki's frown deepened.
"Drink up, Saku!"
Before things got ugly, a mustached soldier shoved a cup of strong liquor into the bespectacled man's mouth.
"…"
Saku froze for a moment. Then everything changed.
"Uraaaaghhhh!"
He ripped off his glasses, smashed them underfoot, and roared. The seal was broken.
"He's transformed! The unsealed Saku!"
The other Eleventh Division members cheered. This wasn't the first time they'd seen it.
"Captain Kyōraku? A drunk womanizer! Ukitake? A sickly man who can't even manage his own squad—everyone knows Kaien Shiba runs things now! How can either of them be the strongest?"
The unsealed Saku spat his words with venom.
"What about Captain Kuchiki of Squad Six? Or Captain Unohana of Squad Four?"
someone teased.
"Captain Kuchiki's an old man near retirement—his reiatsu's deep, sure, but his stamina's long gone. And as for Captain Unohana…"
Saku froze mid-sentence. Even unsealed, that was a forbidden name.
"Anyway," he huffed, "none of them deserve to be called the strongest under the Head-Captain."
"So who do you think is the strongest, then?"
"The Captain of Squad Two—the Commander of the Stealth Force. That genius from the Shihōin Clan. After Lady Yoruichi's defection, he was promoted directly to captain despite all objections—a true monster."
Saku's tone grew serious.
"A noble brat?" another soldier scoffed. "What's so special about him?"
"Idiot! Don't you remember the mission that wiped out half the Tenth and almost killed Captain Aizen? That was him! Back when he was just a no-name in Squad Two, he led six others on an S-class extermination mission that even a full division and two vice-captains couldn't complete. Seven people—took years—but they succeeded. If not for the Hollowfication incident afterward, their names would've been legendary."
Even among the Gotei 13, Saku's gossip was unmatched.
"Squad Two's Captain, huh…"
Zaraki muttered, eyes gleaming. He had found his appetizer. Whether this "Sōgo Shihōin" was as strong as rumored or just hot air, Zaraki didn't care—it would be fun either way.
"Captain, you can't just storm Squad Two! That's the Shihōin family!"
"Not my problem."
Zaraki snorted, hoisted his blade, and stomped out.
"Little Eight's moving out!"
Yachiru cheered, leaping onto his back.
A thunderous boom shook the air as Zaraki charged toward the Second Division's compound like a human tank, piloted by his tiny pink-haired lieutenant.
If the Eleventh Division was an empty dojo, the Second was a fortress—part prison, part assassin's playground.
"Who goes there?!"
Several black-clad Stealth Force operatives surrounded Zaraki the moment he appeared at their gates.
"Who am I? Isn't it obvious from my coat?"
Zaraki raised a brow. Were these people blind?
"I'm Little Eight! New Captain of Squad Eleven! And this is my lieutenant, Kusajishi Yachiru!"
The small girl peeked from his shoulder.
"A kid?"
"The new Eleventh Captain?"
"The… lieutenant?"
The operatives stared, speechless.
"Uh… Captain Zaraki, what brings you to Squad Two?"
Zaraki grinned. "What else? I'm here to fight your captain!"
"What?!"
The assassins froze, then panicked.
"Enemy attack!"
"Get him!"
In an instant, they drew their blades and lunged—only to be blown away by Zaraki's first swing.
"Hah. You're stronger than my men, at least," he said, glancing at a thin cut on his chest—the first in a long time. "This just makes me more excited to meet your captain."
Following his beastly instinct, Zaraki tore through the compound toward the strongest reiatsu he could sense.
Moments later, walls collapsed as he burst into the captain's room—
—and found Sōgo sitting calmly on a throne, eating two large, purple grapes at once.
"Hm?"
Sōgo looked up through his half-covered eyes, confusion written across his face.
"Let's fight!"
Zaraki roared, charging in.
And the next second—BOOM!—he was slammed into the ground.
Tier Harribel straddled his back, one hand pinning his head, her blade pressed to his throat. One twitch, and he'd be dead.
Lilynette chewed gum nearby, watching him with amusement.
"So this is my successor? Doesn't seem very bright."
Kusajishi Kenpachi, the previous one, stood beside her, arms crossed.
"Disrespectful fool!" barked Suzumebachi, sweating as she shielded Sōgo.
Kiyone Komamura—no, Kiyone—clutched Yachiru by the collar behind Zaraki, panting. "Damn it, I thought this was another attack from the mastermind again!"
Aizen: "???"
Pinned to the floor, Zaraki trembled—not in fear, but exhilaration. His instincts screamed that everyone here could kill him, especially the white-haired man calmly eating grapes. He couldn't even sense the man's reiatsu, yet every fiber of his being told him: move, and die.
It was the first time in ages he'd felt such despair… and it thrilled him.
His heart pounded. Thump. Thump. Thump.
This feeling—this sense of being alive—was intoxicating.
"Ah-woo~"
Sōgo finished his grapes, then spat the seeds in rapid fire like a machine gun.
"These grapes are so sour."
He dabbed his mouth elegantly, wincing.
And then—BOOM!
Zaraki's golden reiatsu exploded, forming a massive skull in the air. With a roar, he threw Harribel off and swung at Lilynette—sending her flying.
Then he clashed blades with Kusajishi Kenpachi himself, their battle shaking the entire division.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Zaraki laughed wildly, blood spraying. He'd found him—his true rival.
"This is it! This is living!"
Kenpachi laughed back, feeling the same thrill. They were monsters born for battle, and both knew it.
"Go, Little Eight!"
"Little Eight's smiling! He's having fun!"
From behind, Yachiru cheered excitedly as if she shared his heartbeat.
Komamura frowned, still holding her by the neck. "This kid's not normal…"