Jin's mouth was open in shock from what had just happened. Their mission was the abduction of two operatives, and they were both apprehended exclusively by Zaraki's blade.
The most surprising fact is that he did it with only one strike against each of them, even though they were both elite fighters like himself.
This event made Jin look at Zaraki in a whole different light and with a higher level of respect.
Jin's admiration for the elite operative came to a halt when he remembered his comrades now scattered around, and panic almost took over when he noticed Mia had just lost consciousness.
"Mia!" he called repeatedly, holding her close.
Mia opened her eyes to see Jin's awkward face staring right in front of her and instinctively punched him so hard that it sent his body flying to the side.
"What were you doing, pervert?!" she yelled, startled.
Jin managed to get up, massaging his jaw,
"Idiot! "I thought you were dead!" Jin replied angrily.
Mia touched her lips in anxiety,
"I hope you didn't give me mouth-to-mouth!" she stated.
"I would have—I mean, you were unconscious," he said in pain.
"Well, thank your God, you didn't do it," she said.
"What—why?" he asked, confused.
"I would have killed you," she replied, looking frighteningly serious about it.
Jin sighed,
"Forget it; I'm just glad you're okay."
"I don't know, Jin... "The sight of your ugly face right above mine is enough to make me wish I died," she replied.
Jin simply shook his head and looked around, examining the area. Most of the trees around the spot where the battle took place were now scorched by the fire, with a few embers of wood still glowing in the clouded haze.
"What was that thing we just witnessed?"
"Don't ask me; I'm just as clueless as you are," she answered, also examining the environment in awe and wonder.
"Where is everybody?"
Then came a visible smoke signal shooting towards the sky, and through that signal, Zaraki was able to successfully assemble the team amid the clouded environment.
They were all quiet, still trying to process everything that had just happened.
Mia was getting uncomfortable with it, so she spoke out—to Zaraki, obviously to taunt him...
"So, Big Boy, I saw what you did back there, and I must say, that was impressive," she remarked in a proud tone that resembled that of a master acknowledging his disciple.
Zaraki refused to pay attention to her personally but chose to berate all of them.
"Let me get this straight. You all disobeyed orders—all of my orders—and almost completely jeopardized the mission. Had I not struck the first time, you would have all been in danger, as all of you were asleep with no volunteer to keep watch, and if I hadn't struck the second time, Yuzu would have killed all of you. How exactly were the five of you planning to carry out this mission on your own?
Mia scowled and walked forward to face Zaraki.
"Hey, Big Boy," she called out right before Jin held her arm, trying to stop her from doing something stupid, to which she responded by pushing him aside and continued,
"Simply because you luckily struck the winning blow twice doesn't mean you're better than us!" she stated.
Now Mia had crossed the line; this was an insult that he was not supposed to take, as it undermined all the hardships, struggles, and losses he experienced to become an elite.
Zaraki looked Mia fiercely in the eye and violently pushed her, sending her falling to the ground by a stone's throw.
"Luckily? "What did you say, woman?" He asked with a dark and quiet tone.
Everyone gasped in shock, and Jin's shock translated to anger as he stepped right in front of Zaraki.
"Alright, Zaraki, we get it—but that's enough," he said, but Zaraki simply pushed him aside like he was nothing and kept walking towards Mia, who was on the ground coughing up blood and struggling to get up.
"Repeat what you said, Mia." "I'm begging you," said Zaraki, ready to go a few rounds if she did.
Mia remained silent, as she rightfully should, as Zaraki was multiple times stingier than she was, and it would be foolish to stand against him at a time like this.
He grabbed her by the cloak, forcing her to get up, and whispered in her ear.
"I struck the winning blow, and with that same power, I can slaughter you right now, tear your body into pieces, and invite the vultures to devour your corpse for breakfast." You cannot stop me, and neither can all your friends combined. I am not only better than you but superior to you in rank, skill, and experience. So you will respect me as you should... "Do you understand me, Mia Kaori?"
Mia looked away, intimidated.
"I said... do you understand me?" He asked again with a more frightening tone.
She nodded briefly.
"Good," he remarked as he let go of her cloak, causing her to fall to the ground.
Zaraki turned to the rest of them behind him.
"I don't blame any of you. You all have remained regular operatives for years because of her incompetence as a leader. As a senior operative, I recommend that you drop her off your squad or at least get a better leader if any of you plan to improve your ranks as operatives anytime soon. "I recommend you join one of my squads; there you would learn, grow, and improve as operatives."
Then, to the surprise of everyone, Akito stepped forward,
"We appreciate your suggestion, Zaraki... and though we know your intentions are good, we decline compliance with that."
Jin came right behind him.
"Even given her many flaws, she is a gifted and cherished comrade, and we are all proud to fight by her side."
Zaraki looked at them and saw that they were dead serious.
"Even though that decision might ultimately mean your doom as a team?"
Jim nodded along with the others in agreement.
Mia couldn't believe it; her comrades wanted her on the team, and all this time she thought they merely tolerated her.
Zaraki sighed, disappointed yet impressed by the team's loyalty to their captain.
"I hope you all maintain that integrity in the battles ahead. "Let's go back to the city. I fear our little skirmish may have troubled the mild ecosystem, and the fables guarding them might come after us."
Ken took out a dagger and skillfully beheaded Rangiku's body after wrapping up Yuzu's scorched head. He wrapped them both in the old cloak he had almost disposed of after their encounter with the bandits.
Jin gave Mia a hand, helping her to stand up,
"Are you alright, Mia?"
"Never been better," she said right before coughing up red-stained saliva, obviously still recovering from Zaraki's hit on her chest.
Right beside Jin was Akito, also looking concerned, like he'd forgotten the bowl of Yosuri poured on his head by Mia just yesterday.
She never expected him to be the one who would stand up for her the way he did.
"Thank you, Akito," she whispered, looking at him.
Jin was quite shocked at what she had just said, as gratitude and appreciation were not her strong suits. He understood why she said it, but it felt so unnatural to him; Akito, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten.
"For what?" he asked with an arched brow.
"Screw it!" She yelled at him and walked ahead,
"And screw you!" she yelled again as she went further.
Akito looked at Jin, confused.
"Is she just being her usual self, or have I missed something?" he asked Jin.
"Mia just showed appreciation to you, my friend," Jin said, tapping his shoulder as he walked ahead. "Treasure the memory of this event for the rest of your life because it will never happen again."
Akito, still clueless about it, simply shrugged it off and walked right behind him, with Ken and Akio following right behind them.
The mission was a success, and they had the heads of their targets to prove it.
The festivities of Memorial Week were about to commence, and it seemed like perfect timing after such a brief yet exhausting mission. The festivities would indeed serve as the perfect holiday for them after such an experience.
But little did they know that the mission was just a taste of the coming tribulation, which would commence right before the holy festivities.