Fate in Bleach: Unlimited Blade Works!
Chapter 331: Guidance

Chapter 331: Guidance

Unohana still remembered the time when, under Yamamoto’s Bankai, all the moisture in the Seireitei evaporated. The scorching heat felt like being trapped in a furnace.

The sky had been red.

Everything else was gray.

Unohana felt that, if Yhwach had been able to withstand Yamamoto’s power for even a little longer, the Seireitei, even if it wasn’t destroyed by the Quincy, would have been destroyed by Yamamoto himself.

After all, a thousand years ago, Yamamoto had been the leader of an assassin organization.

To achieve his goals, he had the resolve to destroy everything.

As long as he could kill Yhwach, even destroying the Seireitei wouldn’t have given him pause.

Unohana, a thousand years ago, was a bloodthirsty monster. If not for Yamamoto’s overwhelming power, she wouldn’t have submitted to him, becoming the captain of the Eleventh Division.

Only absolute strength could make her obey.

Now, Yachiru Unohana was Retsu Unohana.

But her fear of Yamamoto hadn’t vanished. In fact, as her own strength grew, her respect, even fear, of Yamamoto intensified.

Now, hearing Ailin claim that Rukia might one day possess power comparable to Yamamoto’s, Unohana couldn’t help but be surprised.

However, based on Rukia’s performance, she had to admit that, if Rukia’s spiritual pressure increased, with Sode no Shirayuki’s ability, it wasn’t an impossibility.

However, Yamamoto’s Ryūjin Jakka incinerated everything, while Rukia’s Sode no Shirayuki froze everything.

The clash of ice and fire, it was difficult to say who would win. But for now, Rukia was indeed more qualified to challenge Yamamoto than Hitsugaya.

As for Yamamoto, his shock was no less than the others’.

It was only after defeating Yhwach, spending nearly a thousand years cultivating his heart and developing a "protector" mentality, that he had realized the true power of Ryūjin Jakka. Fearing that its flames might cause too much damage, he had learned to control its temperature, fully containing it within the blade.

If Rukia could also control her cold, condensing it within her Zanpakutō, then she might be able to create a technique similar to his "Rising Sun Blade," instantly freezing her enemies upon contact.

However, what shocked Yamamoto most was that, since mastering Ryūjin Jakka’s temperature control, he had never used it.

How did Ailin know?

Had Ailin seen through him completely?

In contrast, he only knew what Ailin chose to show him.

If Yamamoto didn’t know that it was impossible to surpass a Shinigami’s limits without the Ōken, he would have suspected that Ailin had already reached that higher level.

However, based on Ailin’s guidance to Rukia, Yamamoto realized that, even if he hadn’t broken through, Ailin, like him, could temporarily reach that realm using his Zanpakutō.

Thinking of this, Yamamoto’s wariness of Ailin increased.

However, a thousand years of being undefeated still gave Yamamoto confidence.

Even those who had created the Ōken, the members of the Zero Division whose spiritual pressure had surpassed the limits of a Shinigami, weren’t invincible in Yamamoto’s eyes.

Besides Ichibei Hyōsube, only Ōetsu Nimaiya, the "God of Swords," was truly troublesome.

As for Senjumaru Shutara, Tenjirō Kirinji, and Kirio Hikifune, even if their spiritual pressures had reached a higher dimension, Yamamoto was confident that he could defeat them.

No matter how many abilities, how many tricks, he only needed to swing Ryūjin Jakka to obliterate them!

This was the confidence of the "Strongest Shinigami"!

...

Since the battle was over, Ailin released Unlimited Blade Works, returning the captains to the meeting chamber.

"Head-Captain Yamamoto, as Rukia’s opponent, I believe she has displayed captain-level strength. I believe she’s qualified for the position of Ninth Division captain."

"I agree. Rukia is capable of being a captain."

Shunsui Kyoraku also voiced his approval.

Ukitake nodded.

As Rukia’s sponsor, he naturally agreed.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have nominated her in the first place.

Not even Ailin’s request could sway him on this matter!

"I also believe that Rukia is capable of being a captain."

Byakuya spoke as well.

Among those present, Byakuya was perhaps the one with the most complicated feelings.

Because of Rukia’s resemblance to Hisana, he had kept his distance from her, only providing her with some harsh training in their early years.

However, it didn’t mean that he didn’t care about Rukia.

When Rukia was about to join the Gotei 13, Byakuya had personally spoken to Ukitake, requesting that she be placed in the Thirteenth Division.

After all, it was the least dangerous division among the Gotei 13.

If not for Byakuya’s intervention, perhaps Rukia wouldn’t have developed her current personality. Ailin might have thrown her into the Eleventh Division, turning her into a battle maniac.

Of course, even if she became a battle maniac, Ailin would have guided her towards Unohana’s path, preventing her from becoming a second Yachiru Unohana.

Only now, after witnessing Rukia’s fight against Ailin, did Byakuya realize that he wasn’t the only one who had been training diligently.

Decades ago, he was a captain, while Rukia was simply an ordinary Shinigami. Even with his and Ailin’s guidance, when she joined the Thirteenth Division, her strength was barely at seated officer level.

Now, he still hadn’t broken through to "century captain," but Rukia had already caught up to him.

No, not just caught up, she had surpassed him!

Byakuya suddenly remembered what Ailin had told him when he was training under Ailin’s guidance.

Senbonzakura’s ability, among the Zanpakutō, wasn’t particularly outstanding.

However, no matter how strong a Zanpakutō, it was ultimately wielded by a Shinigami!

To reach a higher level, one needed to have absolute confidence in both themselves and their Zanpakutō.

Byakuya suspected that the reason he had been stuck at the peak of captain-level for so many years was because he hadn’t truly understood Senbonzakura.

Thinking of Ailin’s repeated warnings, telling him not to rely too much on Senbonzakura’s Bankai, Byakuya’s heart stirred.

It seemed that, if he wanted to become stronger, he needed to focus on mastering Senbonzakura’s Shikai.

No one noticed Byakuya’s distraction.

After all, his impassive expression was his default state.

"Very well. Rukia Kuchiki, Third Seat of the Thirteenth Division, has received the approval of more than three captains. From this moment forward, you are the captain of the Ninth Division!

Because time is of the essence, Rukia, begin your duties immediately. I’ll have the Weaving Division make a new captain’s haori for you as soon as possible."

"Yes, Head-Captain Yamamoto!"

Rukia bowed to Yamamoto and walked to the end of the line of captains.

As she passed by Ailin, his voice reached her ears.

"Congratulations, Rukia. The future of the Seireitei is now in your hands.

The Ninth Division is the detention unit. You control the standards for imprisoning Shinigami and other residents. If you abuse your authority, the Seireitei might become even more chaotic than when it was under noble rule. But if you can establish laws that everyone recognizes, like those in the World of the Living, then perhaps, under your leadership, the Seireitei can restore the Shinigami’s glory and reach a higher peak."

"The World of the Living?"

Rukia was stunned.

While she had lived in the Soul Society for many years, she knew about the World of the Living.

Both Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society were dependent on the World of the Living.

The balance of the three worlds was maintained with the World of the Living as its fulcrum.

The total number of Hollow souls in Hueco Mundo and whole souls in the Soul Society had to be within a safe range for the three worlds to remain stable.

If too many Hollows died in Hueco Mundo, the balance would be disrupted.

To restore balance, the Seireitei would have to send Shinigami to kill an equal number of souls in the Soul Society.

Of course, this was a closely guarded secret. Besides a select few, most Shinigami were unaware of it.

Aizen’s primary objective in controlling Hueco Mundo was to ensure the balance of the three worlds.

If his experiments in the Soul Society resulted in a significant decrease in the number of souls, then his subordinates in Hueco Mundo would kill an equal number of Hollows.

This was why Aizen had been able to remain hidden for so many years.

After all, both the Expeditionary Force and the Twelfth Division possessed methods to monitor the balance of the three worlds. If they detected any discrepancies, they would investigate immediately.

If that were to happen, even with Kyōka Suigetsu, Aizen wouldn’t be able to conceal his actions.

However, because of Aizen’s actions, the Seireitei became more aware of Hueco Mundo. After defeating Aizen, Kurotsuchi strengthened their surveillance of the Hollows.

It was true surveillance. Practically every Hollow in Hueco Mundo was now under Kurotsuchi’s watchful eye.

If not for Aizen, the Seireitei’s response would have been much slower. They wouldn’t have realized what was happening in Hueco Mundo until the balance of the three worlds was disrupted.

This was why, during the Thousand-Year Blood War, when the Quincy slaughtered a vast number of Hollows in Hueco Mundo, Kurotsuchi had already eliminated an equal number of souls in Rukongai, restoring balance.

Otherwise, if the Quincy had attacked while the three worlds were unbalanced, the Seireitei would have been overwhelmed, unable to protect the Soul Society. This would have made it easier for Yhwach to reshape the world.

Rukia, of course, didn’t know any of this.

She only knew that, based on Ailin’s words, he seemed to approve of the laws of the World of the Living.

In that case, after dealing with the Ninth Division’s affairs, she would also visit the World of the Living, experiencing for herself the world governed by those laws.

"Yes, Teacher.

"Once I’ve settled the Ninth Division’s matters, I’ll apply for a visit to the World of the Living."

"Very well."

Seeing that Rukia understood his intentions, Ailin nodded, ending their conversation.

After Rukia stood at the end of the line of captains, Yamamoto looked at them.

"Captains, with Captain Kuchiki assuming her position, the Ninth Division captaincy is now filled.

The Third Division captaincy will be filled by a legion commander from the Expeditionary Force."

"However, due to unforeseen circumstances, Kaien Shiba, the original candidate for the Fifth Division captaincy, has requested retirement. Therefore, we still have one vacant captain position."

Yamamoto turned his gaze towards Ailin.

"Captain Ailin."

"Head-Captain."

Ailin stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Captain Ailin, as far as I know, Zaraki also possesses the qualifications to be a captain."

"You’re right, Head-Captain. Zaraki’s strength has improved considerably in recent years. In my opinion, he’s undoubtedly qualified for captaincy."

"However..."

Thinking of Zaraki’s personality, Ailin shook his head. "Head-Captain, it’s not that I don’t want to recommend Zaraki, but with his personality, he wouldn’t be able to manage the Fifth Division or fulfill its responsibilities."

"Indeed."

The captains nodded in agreement.

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