The current captain of the Eleventh Division is a hefty man called "Onikoshi Kenpachi," known for his dark and unpleasant demeanor.
He's notoriously unpopular, both within the Gotei 13 and the Eleventh Division itself.
Almost no one holds a fond opinion of him.
Before joining the Gotei 13, Naruto had already heard about this individual from Shinji Hirako.
Hirako had remarked, "How could such an idiot become a captain?"
Even Captain Ukitake and Shunsui find themselves speechless when discussing this "Kenpachi," unable to muster a single commendable quality about him.
Upon becoming captain himself and having interacted with him, Naruto realized Hirako's depiction was spot on.
Naruto watched Kenpachi Zaraki leave, feeling confident in this man.
The man known as "Onikoshi" was certainly no match for him.
Within an hour, news came through
Kenpachi Zaraki had slain Onikoshi.
Before the entire squad, he killed him, yet this was no wrongdoing.
The Eleventh Division is unique within the Seireitei.
While other division captains must be carefully scrutinized and evaluated, the Eleventh, known as the "Battle Squad," has an entirely different approach—the strongest fighter becomes the captain and claims the "Kenpachi" title.
From that day, the captaincy of the Eleventh Division shifted to Kenpachi Zaraki.
Previously, all his intrusions into the Seireitei, injuring countless Shinigami, and annihilating large areas amounted to grave sins for a "soul."
Yet, assuming the title of "captain," these actions became inconsequential.
Head Captain Yamamoto's final punishment was for Kenpachi Zaraki to bear the medical and rehabilitation costs for those injured Shinigami and the expenses to repair the damaged area—an amount equal to fifty or sixty years of a captain's salary.
But Kenpachi Zaraki didn't mind; money held no value for him.
If he ever grew hungry, he would simply find someone to leech a meal from, with Favorites like the Fourth and Seventh Divisions.
Surprisingly, the little pink-haired girl beside him, named Yachiru Kusajishi, assumed the position of vice-captain—not through Kenpachi Zaraki's nepotism, but by her own hand, battling from fifth seat up to vice-captain.
The previous vice-captain, after being struck thrice by her blade, landed in the Fourth Division and was now considering a transfer.
Upon reviewing the recent events, the Eleventh Division suffered the most significant losses. Their original captain was killed, and six or seven seated officers were seriously injured.
However, the arrival of Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi brought a new vitality to the Seireitei, even if this 'vitality' was somewhat unsettling.
The biggest headache for the Seventh and Tenth Divisions now was figuring out how to keep the new Eleventh Division captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, peacefully within the division's quarters, rather than wandering around with his sword and challenging the captains and vice-captains to duels.
In comparison, the eleventh division's vice-captain, who also enjoyed wandering aimlessly, seemed much more endearing. She was content with just pranking, easily pacified with a few sweets.
It's somewhat regrettable, though... such an adorable girl following a man like Kenpachi Zaraki around. Wouldn't it be better if she was by Captain Uzumaki's side?
Naruto was the most troubled of all.
Currently, he had no desire to engage in further battles with Kenpachi Zaraki. Encased in the power of "Asura," he had already feasted in the last skirmish and needed time to gradually digest the experience.
Instead of engaging in meaningless battles, he wanted to use this time to continue researching the "Four Symbols Seal" and "Space-Time Ninjutsu."
But Kenpachi Zaraki apparently disagreed.
The Seventh Division captain's office.
With a loud "bang," the door was kicked open.
Kenpachi Zaraki's eager, fierce face emerged: "Uzumaki, let's fight!"
"Let us continue our duel!"
Yachiru Kusajishi was perched on Kenpachi's shoulder, barely keeping herself from flying off, gripping onto the captain's haori.
"That's the seventh door this month," Naruto looked up and sighed.
Kenpachi Zaraki waved his sword dismissively: "Don't worry about that!"
"Just deduct it from my paycheck."
"You still owe the Seireitei fifty-seven years," Naruto replied, expressionless.
"Then let them deduct it from my paycheck," Yachiru chimed in seriously, holding onto Zaraki's back and peeking her head out.
Naruto shook his head and pulled out a jar of candy from his desk drawer.
Yachiru's eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaped forward, exclaiming, "The little sun is a good person!"
"Come on, let's fight!" urged Kenpachi Zaraki, relentless in his pursuit, "Leave all these meaningless things to the third seat!"
Naruto paused, his gaze darting between the two of them.
A captain and a vice-captain, both waking up and wandering around the Seireitei without dealing with much of the division's affairs.
The third seat of their team truly had it tough.
"I have things to do," Naruto shook his head. "As for fighting..."
He delved into his inner world, sensing the power still brewing within him.
"Digesting this 'nourishment' will take some more time."
Kenpachi Zaraki awaited eagerly for the next part of his sentence, almost reaching out to drag this blond guy out from behind the desk.
"A year from now," Naruto proposed.
Kenpachi's face fell, "A year?"
The waiting period was too long; his fighting spirit was already boiling.
"You can challenge other captains," Naruto reminded him.
He shook his head regretfully, "Not every captain is as interesting as you."
"Not all captains are like you either."
"I expected more from someone with the title 'Kenpachi.'"
He sounded disappointed.
Slicing through Sōkyoku Hill was just too easy; he had killed it with only a few slashes.
"There's one captain you haven't faced yet," Naruto suggested, "The Head Captain."
Kenpachi blinked, spitting out a name, "Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni?"
"The Head Captain is a senior who enjoys guiding young juniors," Naruto squinted, smiling slightly. "Go find him."
"In a year, we'll battle again."
Kenpachi agreed merrily, "It's settled then, where is the First Division's barracks?"
Naruto pointed in a direction.
Kenpachi leaped onto the window sill, with Yachiru clinging to her candy jar, hopping onto his back and waving goodbye.
They had just stepped out of the house, and although they had been pointed in the right direction, these two took off straight in the wrong direction.
Evening.
Inside the izakaya.
Under the mentorship of Shunsui Kyoraku and the others, Naruto had developed a habit of coming here to drink something whenever he took a break. Of course, he didn't drink alcohol—only milk or juice.
Gin Ichimaru and Byakuya Kuchiki were also present.
They didn't frequent this place as much as Naruto did.
Gin wasn't fond of socializing with anyone besides Naruto.
As for Byakuya, being the heir of the Kuchiki family, he felt it improper for a noble to frequent such venues excessively.
"In a while, the Sixth Squad will be undertaking a suppression mission," Byakuya Kuchiki began, though there was a heaviness to his tone.
Gin Ichimaru grinned widely, teasingly responding, "The Sixth Squad has to carry out missions too?"
A perfectly ordinary question, yet when uttered by him, it seemed layered with sarcasm.
Byakuya narrowed his eyes, coldly responding, "Of course, the Sixth Squad also has its own functions and responsibilities."
Naruto listened with interest.
The Sixth Squad, known as the 'Noble Squad,' was tasked with guarding the nobility and the Central 46 Chambers within their jurisdiction, which really only covered one 'noble street' in the Seireitei.
But to be honest, he hadn't seen their squad ever actually perform any tasks.
Most of their squad members stayed cooped up in their barracks all the time.
"The Sixth Squad is not a place for pampered idlers," Byakuya continued, "Unlike other squads, our workload isn't overwhelming, so we regularly schedule intra-squad assignments to the living world to hunt excessive Hollows, providing training through real combat."
"Will Byakuya also be participating?" Naruto asked, sipping half of his glass of milk.
Byakuya shook his head, "I've reached a crucial stage in my Bankai training and can't spare the time. My grandfather and father both advised against it."
"This time, my father will be leading the team."
"His health seems to have worsened recently."
That was what worried him.
His father, the lieutenant of the Sixth Squad, 'Ginrei Kuchiki,' was a gentle person but had never been in great health.
Naruto raised his hand, offering reassurance, "It's just a mission to the real world to eliminate Hollows. Don't worry, there shouldn't be any issues."
Speaking of the "real world," for some reason, he couldn't help but recall his own graduation soul burial exercise.
During that time, the gate between worlds closed unexpectedly, and many higher-level Hollows and even Menos Grandes emerged.
If it weren't for him, that batch of students would have been devoured by the Hollows.
Yet ever since that incident, such things haven't occurred again.
The Sixth Squad shouldn't face such issues, right?
Moreover, with a vice-captain leading the team, even if there were unexpected events, encountering higher-level Hollows or Menos Grandes shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?
Maybe he was influenced by Byakuya Kuchiki's demeanor, as Naruto began to feel a vague sense of unease.
A week later, the Sixth Squad set off.
Seireitei itself showed no changes, until that night.
A second squad officer landed by the window, speaking urgently,"Captain Uzumaki, under orders from the Head Captain, please proceed to the First Squad's quarters immediately."
"The gate between worlds has malfunctioned, and we've completely lost contact with the Sixth Squad."
Naruto stood up abruptly, his bad feeling realized.
"Have all the captains been informed?" Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself and asked.
The Second Squad officer nodded, "Yes, they have."
Images of two faces flashed in Naruto's mind.
The previous occurrence was when the Nine-Tails claimed there was a powerful presence nearby him.
Could it be the same culprits this time?
"I understand," he nodded and leaped out the window, rushing in a particular direction.
The Second Squad officer peeked out, hastily reminding him, "Captain Uzumaki, the First Squad's quarters are not in that direction."
But Naruto didn't respond, his Shunpo speeding him onward.
(End of Chapter)