Not long after.
Tenth Division.
After Tsugikuni Yoriichi submitted his mission report, he received an extra reward.
A full two hundred thousand Kan.
"..."
Regarding this.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi remained silent.
Looking at Shiba Isshin, who had a brilliant smile in front of him, he slowly asked, "Captain, isn't this against the rules…?"
"I've never heard of…"
Before he could finish, Shiba Isshin raised a hand to interrupt him.
"Hey, what rules? In the Tenth Division, what I say is the rule.
"Two hundred thousand Kan is nothing, just two months' salary for a Vice-Captain. The one you captured alive isn't just a bandit leader."
"After testing, his full spiritual pressure is around third-grade."
"With a little training, he might become a Captain in the future. Two hundred thousand Kan is still too little for you."
"This two hundred thousand is just my personal reward to you."
"After a while, the reward from Central 46 will come down… that's the big one."
"Captain-level Rukongai residents don't appear every day. Even if ordinary Shinigami encounter them, they are definitely not their opponents."
"Licking blood off a blade, what's wrong with taking some money?"
"Yoriichi, relax, remember, this is all what you deserve."
"Also, I gave some to Akagi and Hifumi as well, so you don't have to worry about inequality."
He patted the table, his tone serious.
"Oh, right."
Suddenly remembering something, Shiba Isshin blinked and whispered,
"I know you hate evil, and you might be quite displeased with a bandit suddenly becoming a Captain…"
"But you have to remember, the Gotei 13 is not a charity organization."
"Actually, we all dislike that guy named Kiganjo, but unfortunately, those old men in the Forty-Six Chambers took a liking to him."
"Hehe, this isn't a good thing. So far, the Gotei 13 has been established for over a thousand years."
"Except for the Captain-Commander, the Eighth Division Captain, the Thirteenth Division Captain, and the Fourth Division Captain, all other Captains without exception have not held their positions for more than a hundred years…"
"Do you know why?"
"..."
Yoriichi shook his head.
Shiba Isshin nodded, "That's right, as a newcomer, it's unlikely you'd know about these secrets. I'll tell you the truth."
"Except for some important Shinigami, other Shinigami, including Captains, can be discarded when necessary."
"Kiganjo's status seems to have improved, but in reality, the higher he climbs, the faster he will die."
"Those old men in the Forty-Six Chambers have never regarded ordinary Shinigami as human beings."
"What's more, he's just a mere bandit."
"Now you should understand why we were quite displeased but didn't stop it, the process of these people becoming Captains, isn't it also a process of atonement…"
His voice gradually weakened.
As he spoke, he looked around.
Finally, he leaned his head out and added,
"About this matter, you absolutely must not tell anyone around you."
"I'm only explaining it to you to put your mind at ease, lest you develop a rift with the Gotei 13."
"Under normal circumstances, everyone is still very good, except for those Shinigami with notorious records…"
"Kiganjo is not the first, nor will he be the last…"
After saying that, Shiba Isshin slowly sat down, decisively ending the topic and continuing to read the mission reports on the desk.
"..."
Just then, Yoriichi cleared his thoughts, and an indescribable emotion arose in his heart.
Finally, he sighed, "I understand."
Yoriichi decided not to bother with these matters anymore.
This system has existed for a thousand years.
It must have its reasons.
And he would not easily sympathize with those who commit evil because of certain policies or strategies.
Holding the two hundred thousand Kan, he slowly turned and left.
At the last moment.
Shiba Isshin suddenly called out to him, "Wait, Yoriichi."
"What you wrote in your report, that you met a Captain-level Rukongai resident named Zaraki Kenpachi in the Kusajishi District, is that really true?"
"Zaraki Kenpachi… why have I never heard of this guy? Which generation of Kenpachi is he?"
"He is not Kenpachi," Yoriichi turned and explained,
"I remember that name, it seems he got it from Captain Retsu Unohana a few hundred years ago when he met her."
"At that time, Captain Retsu Unohana was still the Captain of the Eleventh Division…"
"Eleventh Division?" Shiba Isshin widened his eyes, his tone slightly exaggerated,
"Hoh! That's incredible, that must have been at least five hundred years ago."
"No wonder I haven't heard of him."
"Oh well."
"You did very well, Yoriichi!"
"I believe Captain Retsu Unohana and the Captain-Commander should be interested in this experience. If nothing goes wrong, recruiting him will be another Merit."
"Your luck is really good, sigh, it's a pity, if only you were from my Shiba Family."
Yoriichi heard the melancholy in his tone.
Yoriichi did not speak.
He watched him silently.
Then, Shiba Isshin waved his hand:
"Alright, what needed to be understood has been understood. If there's nothing else, go get busy."
"I'll send these reports to the Gotei 13 later."
"Remember to make use of those rewards. The living pressure in Seireitei is not much less than in Rukongai."
"You must arm yourself well."
Shinigami are not gods.
Combat incurs expenses.
For example, a simple combat simulation trainer for Hollows costs twenty thousand Kan.
More advanced ones cost one hundred thousand Kan… from the Twelfth Division, and even then, they are in short supply.
With such high prices, to talk about anything else would be somewhat hypocritical…
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
In a while, he could use this money to buy Rukia some self-defense items.
After all, he wasn't by her side, to prevent her from being disturbed by bad people or even Hollows.
Thinking of this, Yoriichi silently closed the door.
Upon returning to the squad barracks.
He then began to communicate with his Zanpakuto.
—His strength must not fall behind; he would not forget the fundamental purpose of his actions for a little profit.
...
On the other side.
After Shiba Isshin finished processing the documents, he hurriedly submitted them to the Gotei 13.
Yamamoto Genryusai was in the main seat, and as he scanned the text, his thick white eyebrows furrowed slightly.
He held the report in one hand and stroked his beard up and down with the other, his expression very complex:
"Hollows, Zaraki Kenpachi, Kiganjo…"
"Is there something wrong with this kid's luck…?"
"He encountered so many things on two ordinary missions…"
"Shiba." Yamamoto Genryusai looked up, his heavy voice tinged with a hint of doubt,
"Are you sure there's nothing missing?"
"What do you think of this Tsugikuni Yoriichi?"
"…" Shiba Isshin pondered for two seconds, then nodded, "Report, Captain-Commander, there should be no omissions."
"My subordinate has confirmed with the personnel who accompanied him on the mission."
"Everything is true. Of course, we haven't confirmed Zaraki Kenpachi's identity yet, but we can try asking Captain Retsu Unohana."
"As for your question about my opinion of him… he's great, both in character and strength, he's top-notch!"
He said with a smile, giving a thumbs-up, completely ignoring that this was the First Division barracks.
Only after he finished speaking did he remember, and he promptly sheepishly retracted it.
Seeing this.
Yamamoto Genryusai did not mind. Instead, he stroked his beard and pondered for a moment:
"Is that your opinion of him?"
"In that case…"
"Starting next week, let him serve as the Tenth Division's Vice-Captain. Do you have any objections?"