At the same time.
It wasn't just the 5th Division.
Across Seireitei, in the other Division barracks, the same thing was happening!
"Number Ten… Senbonzakura?!"
1st Division.
Inside the administrative office.
Gray eyebrows drooped, stern eyes fixed ahead.
The Captain-Commander sat silently at his wooden desk. In his weathered gaze, the transparent light screen reflected clearly.
When he saw the subtitles—
The Captain-Commander's brows furrowed, and deep within his eyes, a flash of anger appeared.
As a man who had lived for a thousand years,
and one of the oldest Shinigami,
his personality was rigid and conservative.
He enforced Seireitei's rules with the utmost severity.
In fact, he had once strictly forbidden any Shinigami from engaging in private rankings or comparisons of power!
Therefore—
The moment he saw the subtitles, he instinctively felt disgust. His expression turned sour.
Ignoring the screen, his gaze shifted back to his lieutenant, Sasakibe Chōjirō, and he barked sternly:
"Chōjirō… contact the Department of Research and Development immediately. Find out what's happening! What in the world is going on?!"
By the end, the Captain-Commander gave a heavy grunt of disapproval.
Clearly, he was blaming the Department of Research and Development.
After all—
From his perspective,
to produce a light screen that appeared out of thin air—
only the 12th Division could possibly achieve such a feat.
So if someone had to be held responsible, it would be Kurotsuchi Mayuri!
"Yes, Captain-Commander!"
Chōjirō bowed deeply.
But instead of leaving at once, he glanced at the screen and commented:
"Still… if it's only counting the Gotei 13, Senbonzakura being listed isn't surprising."
Senbonzakura.
The Zanpakutō of Kuchiki Byakuya.
As head of the Kuchiki noble clan and Captain of the 6th Division,
Chōjirō found the ranking reasonable.
In his view—
Kuchiki Byakuya's strength, compared to the other Captains, was not particularly outstanding.
So being ranked tenth seemed fitting.
"Hm…"
"You're not wrong. The strength of a Zanpakutō depends on its master. And Byakuya indeed has the qualifications to be ranked."
The Captain-Commander restrained his anger slightly and nodded.
"In that case… wouldn't the first place naturally belong to your Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka (Flowing Blade, Like Fire)?"
Chōjirō spoke with sincerity, offering flattery.
The strongest flame-type Zanpakutō, wielded by the strongest Shinigami of the past millennium!
If that blade was not first place, then this whole ranking video was nonsense.
There was no Zanpakutō more worthy of the top spot than Ryūjin Jakka!
Meanwhile, in the 6th Division.
"Eh… Captain Kuchiki, you made the list!"
"I didn't expect your Zanpakutō, Senbonzakura, to be the first revealed…"
"Surely, the video will soon show footage of you using Senbonzakura in battle, right?"
Red hair tied back.
Wearing the standard black Shihakushō.
As Lieutenant of the 6th Division, Abarai Renji looked ecstatic.
He ignored the fact that the screen had appeared from nowhere, turned toward his captain's cold figure, and spoke with excitement.
"Only tenth place?"
But unlike his lieutenant's enthusiasm—
Kuchiki Byakuya's expression remained as cold and emotionless as ever.
From his icy tone, it was clear—
he was not pleased with the ranking.
In his eyes, Senbonzakura should not sit at the bottom of the list.
It deserved a far higher place.
But before his words faded—
The light screen flickered again.
The subtitles vanished, and the image shifted.
The screen darkened for a moment, then a new scene appeared.
"Where is this?" Renji narrowed his eyes, studying the new backdrop. His brows furrowed. "It doesn't look like Soul Society…"
On the screen—
Night had fallen. Silence hung in the air.
As the camera panned, buildings appeared—
But they weren't the traditional Japanese houses of Seireitei or Rukongai.
Skyscrapers loomed faintly in the distance.
A sharp contrast to Soul Society's style.
"If I'm not mistaken… this must be the Human World." Byakuya's gaze flickered.
But before they could think further—
The next image stunned them both.
Especially Abarai Renji—
He was left utterly shocked, unable to believe his eyes.
CLANG!
The sound of steel clashing rang out.
Then, two figures appeared in battle.
Both wore Shihakushō.
One of them—was Abarai Renji.
And his opponent—an orange-haired boy!
"What!!"
"No way… did I just… get injured?!"
Renji shouted in disbelief.
On the screen, his state was miserable.
His forehead protector had been slashed open. Blood streamed down his brow. His body bore clear wounds. He was clearly at a disadvantage.
It looked as though he was being completely suppressed by the orange-haired youth.
Witnessing this himself, Renji froze.
His eyes went wide with shock, his mind unable to process it.
What the hell…
As Vice-Captain of the 6th Division, how could he suddenly be in the Human World—injured by some boy?
Impossible!
Renji's emotions surged wildly.
His thoughts tangled with confusion and anger.
One thing gnawed at him—
Who was this boy wielding a Zanpakutō?
A Shinigami?
No. He didn't feel like a comrade.
If anything, he felt more like… a human!
Renji's mind raced, full of turmoil.
But beyond confusion, what burned hotter was humiliation.
No matter how strange the footage was—
As a lieutenant of the Gotei 13,
he was being cut down by a youth that appeared to be human.
And now, exposed to the entire world in a live broadcast…
The shame was unbearable.
This was beyond embarrassing.
(End of Chapter)
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[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]