Takeda Chishi nodded in compliance without objection.
{T/N: I decided to keep his name as Takeda. Chishi has very poor readability.}
This stood in stark contrast to someone else's earlier behavior.
The 3rd Division served as a vital support unit for the Soul Society, lending their personnel wherever needed.
When other Divisions found themselves short-staffed, they would request reinforcements from the 3rd Division.
For Takeda, investigation missions like this were routine, having handled countless similar cases.
With confidence, he declared he could solve the case within three days, noting that disappearing souls were a common occurrence.
Genryūsai's brow furrowed slightly as if recalling something. His eyes scanned the crowd before settling on one person.
"Eleventh Division, Third Seat Kisaragi."
Akira: "..."
He knew the old man wouldn't let this slide. The tone alone revealed what Genryūsai would say next.
"You will investigate together with Captain Chishi. When you find the culprit — dead or alive doesn't matter!"
Akira agreed without enthusiasm.
Investigation work paled in comparison to combat. Though if necessary, he wouldn't mind another undercover operation.
His previous undercover mission had revealed his natural talent for such work.
The meeting concluded with the Captains addressing security concerns in the 6th District.
Tsunayashiro's downfall had plunged the district into chaos. Despite Ginrei's strength and the capable support of his son-in-law Kōga Kuchiki, they were struggling to maintain order.
With no alternatives, he requested aid from the Gotei 13, temporarily transferring Officers and Seated Officers from other Divisions to bolster the 6th Division and help maintain security.
At minimum, they needed to prevent brazen assassinations in broad daylight.
⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬
2nd Division, Training Hall.
In the spacious venue, young men and women trained intensely, their collisions echoing through the air as bursts of fierce wind cracked the solid ground.
Yoruichi breathed heavily, sweat trickling down her temples and dripping from her chin, darkening her sleeveless Shinigami uniform.
Though she acknowledged the vast gap between them, she faced her opponent with unwavering determination, refusing to yield.
After catching her breath, the dark-skinned girl's athletic figure exploded forward like a hunting cheetah, instantly closing the distance to her target.
Her slender fingers danced through the air like plucking guitar strings before clenching into a fist. As she stepped forward, the movement created a devastating sonic boom — waves of air erupted violently, howling like a hurricane.
Bang!
A thunderous crack split the air as fist met palm, creating visible rings that rippled outward like accelerated smoke rings.
Without pause, she unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.
All hesitation vanished as Yoruichi channeled her full strength, combining Hakuda, Shunpo, and even Kidō.
With Akira's permission, she pushed beyond her limits, focusing entirely on the battle.
Yet to her amazement, he countered every technique perfectly.
His defenses appeared unstructured, almost crude, but remained impenetrable.
Then came an even more shocking revelation during their clash.
Akira's Reiatsu was significantly weaker than hers — in raw power, she should have overwhelmed him.
Despite this advantage, she remained completely outmatched, watching helplessly as he neutralized each attack.
Her masterful Hakuda techniques flowed one after another, her movements growing swifter and more ferocious like a rising tempest seeking to engulf him.
Like a breeze against a mountain, her attacks had no effect.
Akira had transformed dramatically since his academy days. Now terrifyingly powerful, he stood unmoved against her fiercest assaults.
Even without using secret techniques, Yoruichi's strength only matched Shiraki Shin'ichi's level.
Pressuring Akira proved impossible — his instincts alone were enough to suppress her completely.
Earlier at the hot springs, when Yoruichi had asked about his evening plans, he'd imagined practicing "wonderful positions" under moonlight.
Instead, she'd meant studying — specifically, Hakuda techniques.
Right after the Captains' Meeting, before he could voice his complaints to old man Genryūsai, Yoruichi had dragged him to the 2nd Division's training hall for intense sparring.
While he was lost in thought, she seized her chance. Using Shunpo, she flashed like lightning through the opening, launching high into the air. Her powerful thighs exploded with force as she dropped down like a battle axe.
Boom!!
The solid floor gained another massive crater.
Under Akira's counterattack, Yoruichi truly understood what it meant to be overwhelmed — like a mountain suddenly collapsing, an avalanche of stone and earth rushing forward to crush her final resistance.
⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬
Members of the Onmitsukidō's Keigun conducted daily training and cultivation between missions.
{T/N: It's important to mention that basically, not all members but the majority of those who are present or hold important positions in the Onmitsukidō are also Officers of the 2nd Division.}
Suì-Fēng was no exception.
After her "embarrassing" incident during the princess kidnapping, she had become acutely aware of her weakness and inability to protect Lady Yoruichi.
Determined to improve, she doubled her training efforts, working late into every night to become strong enough to protect her idol. Her dedication made her the 2nd Division's most diligent member.
This evening, while walking back to the militia dormitory, Suì-Fēng's keen senses detected unusual sounds carried on the wind.
Following these sounds, she found herself outside the training hall.
The hall was eerily quiet as she crept closer, pressing herself against the wall to listen.
"Let's take off your clothes first."
A man's voice drifted from inside, and Suì-Fēng's eyes narrowed with murderous intent.
"It's all your fault for using too much force, now we're wasting time again."
Her pupils contracted, her petite face twisted with disbelief.
That was Lady Yoruichi's voice?!
Though she could scarcely believe her ears, there was no denying it. Could Lady Yoruichi...
Horror dawned in the girl's eyes as terrible possibilities crossed her mind.
"Mmph—"
A muffled groan of pain escaped from the young woman inside.
Suì-Fēng's pupils shrank to pinpoints as she struggled to continue listening, her mind flooding with forbidden scenarios.
As a member of the Keigun, she was well-versed in "interrogation" techniques through training, even without personal experience.
The sounds from the training hall began to match certain scenarios she recalled from her training.
Suì-Fēng's cheeks flushed as uncertainty gripped her heart.
"Hey, be gentler!"
Yoruichi's voice rang out, shattering her last shred of hesitation.
The young woman sprang into action.
Bang!
The training hall door flew open as she burst in, ready to intervene — only to stop dead in her tracks.
The scene before her was far from what she had imagined.
Yoruichi stood with her back turned, sleeveless Shihakushō removed but undergarments intact. Her right arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.
Behind her, a familiar yet strange figure channeled Kaidō with both hands, attempting to reset the tanned girl's arm.
"Oh, Suì-Fēng?" Yoruichi said with surprise, "What brings you here? Perfect timing — come help, this guy's technique is awful. Help me set it back first."
Realizing her misunderstanding, Suì-Fēng's face burned red as she stammered wordlessly.
At Yoruichi's urging, she gathered her composure and stepped forward to help correct the broken bone with practiced movements.
Soon after, Yoruichi's arm healed completely under Akira's Kaidō.
Though untrained in advanced healing, his basic Kaidō proved remarkably effective thanks to his "Miraculous Healing" Trait.
After setting the bone, Suì-Fēng stood quietly to the side, head bowed, motionless.
Akira studied the familiar young woman with interest, noting her reddened ears.
Yoruichi donned her Shihakushō and tested her newly healed arm before turning to the embarrassed girl with curiosity.
"By the way, Suì-Fēng, why are you at the training hall so late instead of sleeping?"
The young woman kept her head down, words failing her.
She could hardly say she had discovered Lady Yoruichi being violated and burst into the training hall in outrage, could she?
If she said that, her career in the Keigun would be over.
"I-I had finished training and heard noises from the hall. Thinking an enemy had infiltrated, I rushed in urgently..."
Suì-Fēng thought quickly to provide an answer, but when she raised her head, she found Akira staring at her with a knowing, almost smirking expression.
In that moment, the young woman's face turned bright red.
Yoruichi nodded thoughtfully, seemingly accepting this explanation.
"Alright, go get some rest. You have a mission to carry out early tomorrow."
Suì-Fēng nodded and quickly fled from the training hall as if escaping disaster.
Watching the young woman leave, Akira turned to Yoruichi, who was lost in thought, and sighed helplessly.
"Yoruichi, does your Second Division have any Kidō or Secret Techniques suitable for investigation? You heard what was said at today's Captains' Meeting — old man Yamamoto won't let me off."
Clearly, he was better at cutting people down than solving cases.
Genryūsai's judgment was failing him, showing no ability to assess character. He would eventually be replaced.
"The most basic one is the Kakushitsuijaku. As for the others, they're all tracking techniques that require lots of practice time — you wouldn't be interested."
{T/N: Kakushitsuijaku is the Bakudō she used in the previous investigation.}
Yoruichi knew Akira very well, naturally understanding his personality and preferences.
"Hmm, let me think." After a moment's consideration, she suddenly spoke up, "I actually developed a Secret Technique before that can be used to disguise oneself for investigations. It might be useful."
As she finished speaking, to Akira's surprise, her sleeveless Shihakushō suddenly fell off and dropped to the ground, and a black short-haired cat emerged struggling from the pile of clothes.
"Ahem — almost got tangled in the clothes."
Noticing the surprise in his gaze, Yoruichi's tone carried a hint of pride, like a child showing off their grades to a parent.
"Even the Shihōin elders can't see through this technique. In cat form, your Reiatsu is suppressed to that of a normal cat, and combat ability is similarly reduced. Only the body's durability remains unchanged."
As she explained, Akira began to understand the principles of this technique.
Simply put, it involved applying a Bakudō barrier inside one's body to suppress Reiatsu while transforming physical form.
The principles were somewhat similar to inscribing Kidō patterns, except one enhanced while the other weakened.
Seeing his interest, Yoruichi explained the technique's details again, as if trying to spoon-feed him the information, worried he wouldn't understand.
However, Akira quickly grasped the key points.
Then, to her shock, a faint light emanated from his body as his Reiatsu rapidly diminished. Complex Kidō patterns appeared on his skin, continuously transforming his body.
Akira raised his right hand, watching as dense soft fur sprouted from the back of his hand and between his fingers, quickly becoming fluffy.
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at that fluffy paw.
She had chosen to develop a cat transformation technique not only because cats were agile and perfect for the 2nd Division's stealth work, but mainly because she simply loved cats.
Though surprised by his learning speed, she found herself drawn to his transformed appearance.
For Akira, who had similar experience before, mastering this technique wasn't particularly difficult.
⤫ Bakudō #?: Nekoka ⥤ Cat Transformation Technique! ⤬
When he came to his senses, the world around him had changed dramatically — everything appeared massive.
Struggling out of his clothes, he realized he had quite a bit more fur than expected.
"What kind of cat am I supposed to be?" Akira examined his paw pads, his sharp claws extending and retracting, feeling unfamiliar.
Yoruichi released her Reiatsu, forming a mirror-like screen of light.
The two cats stared wide-eyed at the reflection, and Akira finally saw his current appearance clearly.
Gray-white fur, thick and long dense fluff with black spots scattered throughout, slightly short limbs giving him a broad appearance.
Most striking was his fierce yet somewhat dopey wide face.
Wait!
After observing for a moment, Akira's eyes widened as he suddenly realized what cat breed he had become.
"A Manul is considered a cat?!"
{T/N:… I'm laughing right now…}
⤫⤬⤫
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