Thanks to the war with the Quincy, the entire Gotei 13 was undergoing a major reform. Many shinigami had died during the battle in the human realm, with some divisions losing over a third of their members while those who were better off only lost about 10 percent with the exception of the 4th Division which was defended by another division and also not on the frontlines.
But the division that got the worst of it was the 2nd Division and Onmitsukido. The 2nd Division lost nearly 50% of its members while the Onmitsukido's various divisions were all cut down by nearly 80% each.
And because of these massive losses, the Gotei 13 was in serious need of recruiting new blood. They began searching throughout all of Seireitei and Rukongai to find everyone with decent spiritual pressure to be recruited into the academy.
And unfortunately for the Onmitsukido, this was the worst case for them. Unlike most of the Gotei 13 which took in anyone who graduated from the academy and had a personality that matched the division they were recruited into, the group had special skill requirements just like the Kido Corps or the 4th Division.
The Onmitsukido would need at least 50 years before they could recover to their peak strength once again.
Which was why when Yami called a meeting with the members of the Patrol Corps, only 2 individuals showed up.
"Senna reporting for duty, boss! Currently stationed in the 8th Division!"
One of the two was a young girl with large amber eyes and purple hair tied with a red ribbon to it. She wore the standard unseated Shinigami uniform with a large, red ribbon tied around her waist.
"Ichinose Maki. Stationed in the 11th Division."
The other was a young man who was a tall, fair-skinned, lean-built man with brown eyes, sharp eyebrows, and short, shaggy raven-black hair that framed his face and arched upward on either temple to hang down in the center of his forehead in a large bang. He also wore the standard unseated shinigami uniform.
The Patrol Corps had a unique role within Soul Society. Most people believe that they were spies that would go around and sneak into various places to uncover information, which was true. But what most did not realize was that the members of the Patrol Corps would actually be planted in other divisions, clans, and organizations as actual members in order to further infiltrate those groups.
They would act as double agents, swearing loyalty to whichever group or organization they were a part of but actually having their true loyalty belong to the Onmitsukido.
This was another reason why the Onmitsukido would take so long to recover to its full strength. To be able to find members who could not only meet the skill requirements but also have undying loyalty to the Onmitsukido. Because acting as a spy was a very mentally taxing thing.
Building friendships, sharing secrets, falling in love, or fighting side by side with their lives on the line. Each of these things would make one want to share their true self with those around them or even think about betraying the Onmitsukido for their new allies.
Which was why the main job of the Patrol Corps Commander was not to act as a spy or infiltrate forbidden locations. He was mainly there to check on the mental state of his subordinates to see if they were still able to handle their jobs, assign missions, and compile and filter the information that they gathered.
Yami had already read over both of their profiles.
Ichinose was someone who had absolute loyalty to the Onmitsukido. Although he was a little hard to speak with, he knew how to handle his job. His combat strength was also very high making him suitable to be a member of the 11th Division. His main job was to determine if some of the 'rowdier' members of the 11th Division needed to be arrested and also watch over the Kenpachi to ensure he was not abusing his power.
Senna was different though. She was more like a normal shinigami that would occasionally remember that she was supposed to act as a spy. Luckily, she was assigned to the 8th Division where there was very little information that the Onmitsukido would need her to gather so she was left alone. After all, Captain Shinsui was one of the most laidback captains whose loyalty to the Gotei 13 couldn't be questioned.
Yami felt a headache coming on.
'I didn't have to be social before. All I had to do was prove my strength and give orders before. I have to actually talk with these guys now and Senna looks like she will be especially draining.'
Yami sighed before introducing himself to the pair.
"Hello. My name is Yami Kobayashi. I used to lead the Executive Militia but have been put in command of the Patrol Corps as Marenoshin had sustained severe and permanent injuries during the previous invasion that made him no longer suited for the job.
This corps is different from my previous corps, but I will not allow either of you to slack off. While I do not expect reports from you on a regular schedule, I do need to be informed about anything major immediately. Otherwise, just continuously compile information before sending it over when you feel like it.
We will have lunch at The Wondering Monk every Saturday. That is when you give me a signal that you wish to give some information. Otherwise, there is no need to worry about communicating otherwise without it being an emergency."
Yami had to lay down the ground rules ahead of time. He wanted to minimize contact with the pair so that others would not suspect them of being spies and meeting at The Wondering Monk was the perfect spot. Many shinigami would visit there every Saturday and Sunday due to the atmosphere as well as the drinks. It was the perfect place to set up further meetings without arousing suspicion.
"Yes, sir!" the pair responded
Both were secretly glad that Yami became the new Corps Commander. The way that Marenoshin ran the corps previously wasn't bad but compared to the new rules and policies that Yami had just come up with, his ways did seem outdated and risky.