Among the Soul Reapers of the Eleventh Division, and even throughout the entire Seireitei, there is a strange rumor.
That the true captain of the Eleventh Division is actually the tiny Yachiru Kusajishi.
Not only does a ferocious beast like Captain Kenpachi Zaraki obey her every word, but even when this little girl goes to cause trouble for Head Captain Yamamoto, she is treated with leniency.
When Yachiru's words reached Kenpachi's ears.
This frenzied battle maniac actually frowned, retracting his long sword and resting it back on his shoulder.
Kenpachi scoffed coldly, "Tch, how boring."
"Hey, kid, did you just say you have something to do?"
"What kind of business could you have in a mud pit like District 79?"
Looking at the friendly little girl on his shoulder, Asuka dropped his offensive stance, though he still watched Kenpachi warily.
"That's none of your business."
"Don't be so cold." Kenpachi Zaraki, who had been fighting to the death just moments ago, suddenly revealed an eerie smile. "Did you know that Yachiru and I crawled out of a place just like this?"
Asuka's gaze narrowed slightly.
'From the Rukongai? Crawled out of here?'
In the Soul Society, most captains of the Gotei 13 hailed from the nobility of the Seireitei, or were elites systematically trained by the Shin'o Academy.
In utterly vile places like District 79 and District 80, where even basic morality did not exist, just surviving to adulthood was a miracle.
'This captain radiating such terrifying Spiritual Pressure actually came from a place like this?'
'No wonder he is brimming with a primal wildness forged from crawling through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.'
"Judging by your expression, you seem pretty surprised." Kenpachi pointed at the desolate wasteland around them. "This is Kusajishi. Further ahead is Zaraki."
"There isn't a single rat in this territory that Yachiru and I don't know! Just tell me who you're looking for, and I can help you."
Asuka fell silent for a moment.
He originally hadn't planned on paying attention to this madman, but the situation in the Kusajishi District was indeed far more complicated than in the Inuzuri District.
The Inuzuri District at least had divided streets and gangs, whereas the Kusajishi District... from what he knew, was nothing more than a chaotic slaughterhouse completely devoid of rules.
Searching blindly for an informant there would indeed waste a lot of time.
"You want to help me..." Asuka looked at him warily. "What's the price?"
The smile on Kenpachi's face rapidly widened. "It's simple."
"I'll help you find the person you're looking for, but once your business is done, you have to hold nothing back and fight me to your heart's content!"
"Even if you kill me right here, that's just a testament to your skill, and no one will come looking to cause you trouble! How about it?"
'This guy is simply a pure battle maniac.'
Asuka cursed inwardly, but after weighing the pros and cons, this seemed to be the fastest method available.
"Fine."
He nodded, agreeing decisively. "I'm looking for an informant. His name is Black Fang."
"Black Fang?" Kenpachi scratched his head, his brows knitting together.
Although he had boasted that there was no one here he didn't know...
For a guy like him whose brain was only filled with thoughts of cutting people down, remembering names was harder than making him do embroidery.
"Black Fang... Black Fang... Why does that name sound so familiar? Is he a master swordsman?"
"Oh my, Kenny is so silly!" Yachiru giggled from Kenpachi's shoulder.
She pointed a chubby little finger toward the faintly visible, dilapidated settlement ahead. "It's that blind old grandpa who always does business over in the black market! Kenny even stole his booze to drink before!"
"Oh! I remember now!"
Kenpachi slapped his thigh in sudden realization. "It's that blind guy! Tch, I thought you were looking for some powerful enemy. What's the point of looking for a blind man?"
Kenpachi curled his lips in disappointment, but since a deal had already been struck, he disdained going back on his word.
"Let's go, follow me." Kenpachi turned around and strode toward the Kusajishi District. "That blind guy has a really weird temper. Sometimes you can't even get a meeting with him."
"But since I'm leading the way, if he dares not to come out, I'll tear his stall apart."
Asuka didn't say anything, merely following silently behind Kenpachi Zaraki.
The two walked one after the other, crossing the desolate wasteland, and officially stepped into the territory of District 79, Kusajishi.
As Asuka ventured deeper, wandering souls could hardly be seen on the streets anymore.
Occasionally, a few figures flashed through the dark alleys, all gripping sharply honed weapons in their hands, their eyes filled with vigilance and unease.
This wasn't just because of the local atmosphere... it was even more so because Kenpachi's towering figure was clearing the way ahead.
"It's... it's that monster..."
"Zaraki... why is he back..."
"...He's probably here to test his sword! Run!"
A few extremely faint, trembling voices echoed from the darkness, followed immediately by the frantic, scurrying sounds of people fleeing.
Like hyenas spotting a lion patrolling its territory, all the thugs scattered in all directions in an instant, terrified that if they ran too slowly, they would be casually cleaved in half by this monster.
Kenpachi Zaraki was long accustomed to this reaction. He simply led Asuka straight ahead, twisting and turning until they entered a maze-like underground alleyway.
This was the dark alley black market of the Kusajishi District.
This place saw no sunlight year-round, illuminated only by the faint glow of candles hanging on the stone walls on either side.
The sides of the path were lined with stalls made of tattered cloth, displaying all sorts of stolen goods of unknown origin.
Kenpachi led Asuka to the very end of a dead-end alley.
A dilapidated tent stood there all alone.
The tent was stitched together from the pelts of some unknown creatures, and it emitted a heavy, almost choking scent of cheap incense.
"Hey! Blind man! If you ain't dead yet, take a breath!" Kenpachi stepped forward unceremoniously and kicked aside the heavy curtain of the tent.
The inside of the tent was extremely dim.
Illuminated by a brazier, an old, shriveled figure sat cross-legged on a torn straw mat.
He wore a faded gray kimono, his face covered in deep wrinkles and age spots.
He had no eyeballs in his sockets, only two deeply sunken pits of flesh, making him look rather terrifying.
This man was the informant of the Kusajishi District, Black Fang.
Hearing Kenpachi Zaraki's thunderous voice, Black Fang's emaciated body violently shuddered.
"Lord... Lord Zaraki..."
Without any hesitation, he hurriedly bowed down in an extremely subservient posture. "I did not know the Captain of the Eleventh Division was gracing me with his presence. Please forgive this old man for failing to welcome you..."
"Alright, alright..." Kenpachi waved his hand impatiently.
He leaned sideways against the tent's support pole and pointed at Asuka behind him. "I'm not the one looking for you today. This kid has something to ask you."
"Even though I don't know what he's going to ask, you'd better spit out everything you know. Otherwise... you know my temper."
Black Fang swallowed hard.
Although he had no eyes, the loss of his vision had made his spiritual perception extremely sharp.
The moment Asuka stepped into the tent, Black Fang sensed his presence.
"Such a familiar presence... Where have I encountered it before..." he muttered, recalling that impossible answer in his heart.
'...No, it shouldn't be possible...'