Just by hearing the voice and the name in the sentence, Yecheng knew that trouble had come knocking.
The person who walked into the Fourth Division's recruitment point was a tall man with a fierce face, a scar on his left cheek, an eye patch on his right eye, and black hair tied into a spiky hairstyle with bells tied to the ends of each spike.
On his shoulder was a small pink-haired loli wearing a small Shinigami uniform, who looked no older than ten years old.
Following this man were the recently joined members of the Eleventh Division, Ikkaku Madarame and Ayasegawa Yumichika.
"Yecheng said before that he most wanted to join the Fourth Division, so he should be here first."
Facing the question from his idol, Ikkaku, as a [bad friend], betrayed Yecheng without any psychological burden.
Ikkaku and Yumichika actually know Kenpachi Zaraki because they were [beaten up] by him in the Rukongai before.
And who knows why Kenpachi Zaraki would suddenly decide to come to the recruitment event? In any case, upon seeing Kenpachi Zaraki, Ikkaku became quite excited and immediately challenged him again.
A rookie trainee Shinigami who just graduated dares to challenge the man known as "Kenpachi" in the Soul Society? For ordinary people, this is almost unthinkable, but Ikkaku did it directly.
The [steel-ball-headed] man believes that in the past few years at Shin'ō Academy, although his kidō is not great, he has a pretty good grasp of the other Shinigami arts.
After systematic training, he is much stronger now than he was in the Rukongai. So, the moment he saw his idol, he wanted to test how much he had grown over the years.
Regardless of his identity as "Kenpachi" or "Captain of the Eleventh Division," Kenpachi Zaraki is not someone a rookie Shinigami can just challenge.
If it were a captain from another division, they would probably ignore Ikkaku's challenge. But Kenpachi Zaraki wouldn't.
He is a battle-maniac himself and doesn't take his Shinigami identity too seriously. Or rather, the reason he came to the Seireitei was to find more people worth fighting.
Ikkaku remembers Kenpachi Zaraki, but Kenpachi Zaraki doesn't remember Ikkaku's name. This is because the people he remembers are usually those who can make his blood boil, and clearly, Ikkaku and Yumichika, who were crushed by him in the Rukongai, haven't reached that level yet.
Facing a challenge, and seeing Ikkaku's eager expression, Kenpachi Zaraki naturally had no reason to refuse the fight.
Afterward, a one-sided battle began. Although Ikkaku's spiritual pressure has grown a lot over the years and he learned more standardized swordsmanship and flash step at Shin'ō Academy, he was [crushed] a second time in front of Kenpachi Zaraki's absolute power.
However, this time, Ikkaku's strength managed to spark a little interest in Kenpachi Zaraki, who also remembered his name.
And when he was defeated, a somewhat unwilling Ikkaku accidentally blurted out Yecheng's name and said that if it were Yecheng, he would be able to last longer against Kenpachi Zaraki and might even injure him.
[Saying it without thinking, but hearing it with intention]. After hearing Ikkaku's muttering, Kenpachi Zaraki's mouth curled into a smile. He then looked at Ikkaku and said excitedly, "Where is this guy named Nan Yecheng?"
There are many people worth fighting in the Seireitei, but the Gotei 13 also has a rule that captains are not allowed to fight each other privately, because the spiritual pressure of a captain is too powerful, and if a real fight breaks out, it will have a certain impact on the Soul Society.
However, according to Ikkaku, the guy named Nan Yecheng seems to be just a trainee Shinigami who just graduated this year and is even stronger than Ikkaku.
Since he's not a captain, the so-called rules are naturally not a problem. If he can't fight a captain, it should be fine to fight an ordinary Shinigami.
And this is why the Eleventh Division crew is at the Fourth Division's recruitment point.
Kenpachi Zaraki, who walked into the Fourth Division's recruitment point, had the air of a [thug]. With his Zanpakutō on one shoulder and the pink-haired loli on the other, followed by his two [bodyguards] on either side, he shouted as soon as he entered, "Who is the guy named Nan Yecheng? Come out and fight me!"
The rookie Shinigami, Isane Kotetsu, who had never seen such a scene before, was now completely [stunned]. Although she had heard that there would be competition between divisions when recruiting new members, she never expected that the Eleventh Division would have their captain personally lead a team to [steal] a recruit!
Should I say that they're worthy of being a combat division? This way of acting can only be described as [reckless].
"Captain Zaraki, this is our Fourth Division's recruitment point. May I ask what business you have here?"
If Isane were the only one at the recruitment point, she would have probably been terrified by the fierce-looking Kenpachi and his group. But the key thing is that it's not just Isane and Yecheng here; the woman once known as the "[greatest evil-doer in the history of the Soul Society]" is also here.
The Kenpachi Zaraki group seems to have a fancy lineup, but Unohana still remained calm and composed. She squinted her eyes and smiled as she asked about the Eleventh Division's purpose.
"Ken-chan is looking for a guy named Yeye-chan. He wants to have a fight with him."
Hearing Retsu Unohana's question, before Kenpachi Zaraki could speak, the pink-haired loli on his shoulder, Yachiru, raised her hand and said.
"Vice-Captain, the guy we're looking for is named Yecheng, not Yeye-chan..."
Hearing Yachiru's words, Ikkaku, who was next to Kenpachi Zaraki, kindly corrected her. However, the pink-haired loli didn't appreciate it. Giving nicknames to people she's interested in is her hobby, and Ikkaku's [unwise] behavior clearly made the loli unhappy.
"Shut up, Little Steel-Ball Head, don't interrupt me. Ptooey."
Ikkaku was [numb]. He wasn't thanked for his kind correction; instead, he got the nickname "Little Steel-Ball Head," and his meticulously cared-for head was even spat on. How could he tolerate this?
"Yumichika, don't stop me. I'm going to take down this arrogant loli!"
For a bald person, a shiny bald head is their dignity, and now that his dignity has been trampled upon, even though Ikkaku doesn't usually bully women and children, he can't stand it anymore.
"Calm down, Ikkaku. The Vice-Captain didn't mean it, and we might not even be able to defeat her..."
What Yumichika said wasn't just for comfort; it was also the truth. Yachiru might look like a little girl, but she has the real strength of a Vice-Captain.
When Ikkaku challenged Kenpachi Zaraki earlier, Yumichika was also curious why the Vice-Captain of the Eleventh Division was a child, so he wanted to try his hand. As a result, before he could even make a move, Yachiru's figure appeared behind him like a ghost!