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"Hey, hey, did you hear? A man moved into Big Sister's house."
"I know! They look really close. Do you think they might be…?"
"So Big Sister also has this day coming to her, huh? I never would have imagined it before."
West Rukongai, District Three.
Shiba Kaien shook his head while sipping tea, trying to subjectively dismiss the passersby's words as a joke. It took him a long time to suppress the irritation in his heart.
His sister, who was more unrestrained than any man and had a rough personality, bringing a man home? What a joke! Such a thing was impossible!
There must be some mistake. Perhaps this "Big Sister" wasn't Kukaku, but the female leader of some new gangster group.
Shiba Kaien was also a bit confused. The guess about Kukaku finding a man might not be reliable, as it was just hearsay. So far, he hadn't noticed her showing special interest in anyone…
He remembered a man who was hard to forget after just one glance. He was indeed the type to make people fall in love at first sight. As for Kukaku's feelings towards him…
Holy crap, there was one!
"Big Brother Kaien, tell us, what kind of man is Big Sister Kukaku's man?"
The pedestrians on the road also recognized Shiba Kaien and enthusiastically gathered around him.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard from Boss Shiba Ganju that the man is very handsome."
"I heard that too! And apparently, he's about to join the Gotei 13 and become a Shinigami!"
"Hmph! How could my sister have a man? That's not true, don't make wild guesses." Shiba Kaien waved his hand, his appearance causing a stir.
This man, devoted to cultivation, was the current head of the Shiba, the Boss of West Rukongai. Countless people in the entire West Rukongai wished to follow him.
Shiba Kaien's smile gradually stiffened. He suddenly stood up and ran towards his home, his steps growing faster and faster.
That damned guy is in my house!
Shiba Kaien finally recognized reality, gave up on deceiving himself, rolled up his sleeves, and ran home.
...…
Outskirts of West Rukongai, District 1.
A group of Shinigami dressed in Death robes slowly advanced.
The two leading Shinigami wore white haori, followed by Shinigami with powerful spiritual pressure. They clearly looked like an elite unit of the Gotei 13.
The commoners and hooligans in Rukongai stared dumbfounded at this neat squad, all wielding Zanpakuto and emitting powerful spiritual pressure. They instinctively retreated and dispersed, their hearts filled with shock.
—This small-scale unit could completely sweep through the entire West Rukongai!
Shiba Isshin and Kyōraku Shunsui led the Shinigami towards the outskirts, with Lisa Yadōmaru, wearing her Squad badge, following closely behind them.
"This residence…"
Kyōraku Shunsui looked at the bizarre building on the outskirts with two stone arms holding up a banner. The banner read "Shiba Kūkaku" in large characters, making him twitch his mouth.
Was this built by a normal person?
Shiba Isshin walked to his side and whispered a few words in his ear.
"I see… Your niece has quite unique taste!"
Kyōraku Shunsui couldn't help but retort.
Shiba Isshin sighed inwardly. Although he usually liked to play the fool and be mischievous, he genuinely didn't like this architectural style either. He could only shake his head helplessly.
Thump, thump, thump…
At this moment, a series of urgent footsteps came from afar in the forest.
Shiba Isshin looked up, and a gentle smile quickly bloomed on his face.
He saw a boy with short black hair leading four children, riding mountain boars and rushing over.
"Isshin-uncle!"
The five came before Shiba Isshin and happily raised their hands to greet him.
As their voices fell, the surrounding villagers who were watching were all greatly surprised.
Isshin, that Shiba Isshin, the head of the Shiba branch family, was now a Captain of the Gotei 13!?
"Hmm, very good. After so long, little Shiba Ganju has grown quite a bit."
Shiba Isshin looked at the five before him, and his eyes gradually filled with affection.
In his spiritual perception, Shiba Ganju's spiritual pressure was significantly stronger than when he had entered Seireitei!
"It's clear that Reiji and Kukaku are quite dedicated to you all."
Speaking of their troublesome Big Sister and future brother-in-law (?), the five, including Shiba Ganju, all showed bitter smiles.
"But then again, why are there only you few?"
"Where are Kaien and Kukaku?"
Shiba Isshin looked around and asked.
"Big Brother Kaien is cultivating in District Three. As for Big Sister Kukaku, she…"
No sooner had he spoken than a voice with a light chuckle came from the other side of the forest.
"Isshin-uncle, Senior Brother Kyōraku, and Miss Lisa Yadomaru, why have you all come?"
Everyone looked towards the source of the voice.
They saw Reiji, dressed in a white casual robe, walking quickly. The center of his back bore the "Falling Heaven Collapsing Vortex Pattern" symbol.
"Two Captains and one Vice-Captain. Is Teacher taking me that seriously?"
"Where's Kukaku?" Shiba Isshin asked with a smile.
"She's tinkering with fireworks. We've made a small improvement to the raw materials for fireworks." Aozaki Reiji grinned, pointing behind him.
Shiba Isshin was stunned. He finally understood what the children's "bitter smiles" meant.
Shiba Kūkaku loved to conduct high-risk explosive experiments, and they often resulted in accidents.
He just didn't know how many houses Reiji and Kukaku had blown up this time.
"Come with me." Reiji beckoned, leading them towards the Shiba.
"I remember you're not from the Shiba, are you?"
On the way, Kyōraku Shunsui seemed to think of something interesting. He walked up to Reiji, and with a gossipy expression, he whispered:
"Why are you living here, kid?"
Reiji smiled and said, "That's a long story…"
"Then make it short." Kyōraku Shunsui clearly wasn't going to let him off that easily.
"Didn't I participate in the Soul Burial Internship?" Reiji shrugged, helplessly saying, "After completing the internship, I received my graduation certificate."
"I originally planned to report directly to the Second Division, but I don't know what happened."
"A group of people came out, claiming to represent a certain high noble, investigating the Soul Burial Internship."
"I can't go to the Gotei 13 temporarily, and we had nowhere else to go, so we came here."
He spread his hands, then continued with a resentful tone:
"Just a few days ago, those guys were still guarding outside, restricting my personal freedom, making it seem like I was a criminal."
"And Teacher too, he hasn't even sent a single word of concern all these days. Does he know how sad his disciple is?"
Saying this, Aozaki Reiji even began to beat his chest and stomp his feet, looking utterly heartbroken.
"What are you thinking? It's troublesome even for the Inspection Team to arrest people. If you become the Inspection Team Captain, your main duty is just to guard the prison!"
Kyōraku Shunsui laughed exasperatedly, then took out a bottle of sake and handed it to Reiji.
He whispered:
"I know you have resentment in your heart, but Teacher didn't do nothing."
"The fact that those people withdrew is all thanks to Teacher's efforts on your behalf."
Aozaki Reiji took a sip of sake, patted his chest, and said, "If you ask me, Teacher is just too good to those nobles. If I were Teacher…"
"Cough, cough."
Kyōraku Shunsui, a high noble and Captain of the Eighth Division, suddenly coughed twice at this moment.
Aozaki Reiji awkwardly said, "I'm not targeting you, Senior Brother. Anyway, that's the gist of it. You understand."
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