"This new Zero Division will still fall under the jurisdiction of the Gotei Thirteen. In name, we're also subordinates of Captain-Commander Rosse. But for the sake of convenience in carrying out our duties, we'll need the same level of autonomy as the other divisions."
Kirinji continued with a smiling expression, "As for a base, we don't intend to start any large-scale construction. I've heard the First Division's barracks are quite spacious, so we'll temporarily stay there. We can also help out with some routine tasks. I assume that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
As he spoke, he deliberately shifted his gaze toward Sasakibe Chojiro in the crowd.
As Yamamoto Genryusai's right-hand man for thousands of years, Sasakibe was the most stubborn traditionalist in the entire Gotei Thirteen, and the first target Kirinji intended to win over.
As long as they could tear open a gap in the symbol of orthodoxy that was the First Division, Rosse's seemingly solid rule would sooner or later show cracks.
Being called out in public, Sasakibe Chojiro paused slightly.
He had little desire for power. The only thing he was fixated on was protecting the legacy of the First Division left behind by Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
Although his strict and rigid management style had long made his subordinates grumble with complaints, that didn't affect his sense of closeness to this kind of orthodox authority.
"As long as it doesn't interfere with the First Division's normal operations, and doesn't violate the rules left by Captain-Commander Yamamoto," Sasakibe replied expressionlessly, "I have no personal objections."
"Haha! That's great."
Kirinji snapped his fingers, then turned his gaze back to Rosse, "Captain-Commander Rosse, what do you think about this…"
Rosse quietly watched everything, a trace of mockery flashing deep in his eyes.
'Trying to break me from the inside?'
'Trying to win people's support?'
'How naive. Naive in a way that's almost cute.'
He had never planned to lead these hundreds of thousands of ants to attack the Royal Palace. That kind of inefficient and boring thing didn't fit his sense of aesthetics.
When the time came, he alone ascending to the heavens would be enough to end everything.
Everything in front of him was nothing more than a large-scale social experiment to pass the time.
As for whether Soul Society would completely collapse because of this experiment?
Sorry, that was something they should worry about. What did it have to do with him?
"In that case, it's settled."
The smile on Rosse's face grew even gentler, as if he were genuinely pleased with a decision that satisfied everyone, "The Soul King has sent the two of you down to assist for the prosperity and stability of Soul Society. As Captain-Commander, there's no reason for me to refuse."
He turned and continued walking toward the Tenth Division, his voice carrying clearly, "Since you're here now, if there's anything improper in how I've been managing Soul Society, or anything that isn't well done, feel free to point it out at any time. As long as it's for everyone's benefit, I can make adjustments whenever needed."
"Uh?", This time, it was Kirinji who was slightly taken aback.
He hadn't expected Rosse to be this easy to talk to, even compliant to the point of feeling strange.
It felt like throwing a full-force punch into cotton, leaving him with nowhere to apply his strength.
"Haha… haha, you're too kind, Captain-Commander Rosse. Of course, of course!"
Kirinji could only laugh it off and go along with it.
For a while, laughter echoed continuously along the road leading to the Tenth Division.
Rosse walked at the front, with Kirinji and Hikifune Kirio accompanying him at his sides, followed by a group of captains wearing expressions of all kinds.
Every face carried a smile, as if at this moment, Soul Society had truly entered an unprecedented era of unity.
The group passed through a corridor and arrived at the captain's conference room deep within the Tenth Division.
Pushing open the heavy doors, a solemn atmosphere rushed toward them.
Beside a massive long conference table, thirteen high-backed chairs carved with division emblems stood quietly.
As Rosse took his seat, the other captains followed suit one after another. Even Kenpachi Zaraki, who usually ignored all rules, surprisingly didn't cause trouble this time and simply sat down boldly.
However, these headstrong captains almost completely ignored the two still standing, Kirinji and Hikifune.
This invisible sense of isolation made the smile on Kirinji Tenjiro's face stiffen slightly.
Still, this was within their expectations.
If they hadn't been isolated, he would have felt uncomfortable instead.
"Rangiku."
Rosse didn't pay attention to the subtle atmosphere. He simply smiled and looked at the adjutant waiting nearby, "Today, we're honored to have two seniors from the Zero Division here to guide us. Go bring two chairs."
"Yes, Captain-Commander."
Matsumoto Rangiku responded and left. In just a short moment, she returned with several strong squad members.
They carried in two camphor wood high-backed chairs that were no inferior to the others in either material or design, carefully placing them into the conference room.
"Captain-Commander, where should these two chairs be placed?", Matsumoto Rangiku asked softly.
According to past conventions, since these two were not part of the Thirteen Divisions and held no real authority, they technically had no qualification to sit.
But Rosse had said they should be treated with respect.
"Right here."
Rosse pointed casually to a spot directly below his own seat, "Place them in front of the First and Second Divisions. Since they are esteemed members of the Zero Division, they should naturally sit in an appropriate position."
Every part of his arrangement reflected the highest level of courtesy.
Even after Kirinji and Hikifune actually sat down, a lingering sense of unreality remained in their hearts.
It was too smooth.
So smooth it felt absurd.
The two subconsciously exchanged a glance, both seeing the doubt and vigilance deep in each other's eyes.
According to their prior projections, this descent to the lower realm was undoubtedly a venture into a tiger's den.
They had prepared themselves for all kinds of difficulties, even direct conflict.
Even in what they considered the best-case scenario, Rosse and Aizen would try to use Kyoka Suigetsu to deceive them.
But up until now, let alone difficulties, there wasn't even the slightest sign of their senses being affected by illusion.
The Oken, as an extension of the Soul King's power, had not only reshaped their bodies but also built an absolute defense on the level of the soul.
Before, they had been unprepared. Now, the Oken within them had already established a connection with the Soul King.
What they saw was equivalent to what the Soul King saw.
Unless Aizen truly possessed power comparable to the Soul King, it would be impossible for him to manipulate their five senses without them noticing.
If Aizen had really reached that level, then there would be no point in fighting this battle at all. Waiting for death would be simpler.
But now… this kind of warm reception, being treated like honored guests, this attitude as if they were truly respected colleagues, it all felt like a trap.
This smoothness, like walking on thin ice, was more unsettling than open hostility.
"Alright, since everyone is here, this captain's meeting officially begins."
Rosse folded his hands on the table, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling gently on the two seated at the front:
"This meeting was originally convened to welcome the new members of the Zero Division. Let's start by talking about the Royal Palace."
At this point, a hint of appropriate apology entered his tone, "Not long ago, someone dared to charge into the Royal Palace. Although it was because that unknown madman was too powerful and we were unable to stop him, it is still a failure on the part of the Gotei Thirteen. May I ask how the Royal Palace is doing now?"
Hearing this, although Kirinji still wore his signature roguish grin, every nerve in his body tightened to the limit, ready at any moment for this seemingly gentle inquiry to turn into a fatal attack.
"No problem! No problem!"
Kirinji answered vaguely, brushing it off, "There was some disturbance, but the Royal Palace's defensive system is still intact overall. There weren't many casualties either."
In reality, aside from Hyosube Ichibe, the strongest among them, all of them had already died once at Yhwach's hands.
If Ichibe hadn't used the power of calling true names to revive them, the Zero Division would already exist in name only.
But such top-secret information, no matter how certain he was that this old fox Rosse already knew, it was impossible for him to say it out loud.
"Right now, aside from Shutara betraying us, the rest of the Zero Division is normal."
Kirinji quickly brushed past the topic, afraid of exposing anything, "This time, Hikifune and I came down to give you a hand. Nimaiya and Ichibe are staying up there. That's about it."
As he spoke, his tone shifted, his gaze instantly sharpening like a hawk locking onto prey, "Rather than worrying about above, let's talk about below. Captain-Commander Rosse, how is Soul Society doing? Has it recovered from the recent betrayal of Captain Kyoraku?"
It was an extremely provocative question.
Kyoraku Shunsui, as a former captain, had even killed Captain-Commander Yamamoto before leaving. His betrayal was undoubtedly the greatest scar on the entire Gotei Thirteen.
But Kirinji actually knew that Yamamoto had died at Rosse's hands.
By saying this, they were giving Rosse and the captains a chance to lie, then looking for an opportunity to stir trouble.
Kirinji stared fixedly into Rosse's eyes, waiting for even the slightest abnormal reaction.
However, once again, he was disappointed.
Rosse merely nodded lightly. Not only was there no sign of offense on his face, there was even a trace of emotion, as if he were genuinely lamenting a former colleague who had gone down the wrong path.
"There was some impact, but fortunately a new system has already been established, and order is being restored."
Rosse pulled a thick report from the stack beside him, his tone calm and professional, "At present, the total registered number of members in the Gotei Thirteen has reached thousands. And this number continues to rise with daily statistics."
He flipped a page, glanced at the data, and let out a faint sigh as if unintentionally, "In the past, there were many souls in Rukongai with excellent spiritual potential who were buried by distance and rigid systems."
"For commoners living in remote areas who couldn't use Shunpo, entering the Shin'o Academy was harder than reaching the heavens. Even if they went through countless hardships to reach Seireitei, they were often turned away for missing the annual enrollment period."
"And now?"
Hikifune Kirio, who had been quietly listening, spoke subconsciously.
As a former captain of the Twelfth Division, she was extremely familiar with this old system and well aware of its flaws.
"Now?"
Rosse closed the file, a confident curve appearing at the corner of his lips, "Now the entire Rukongai has been brought under the jurisdiction of the Gotei Thirteen. Each division manages a designated area, and every district has stationed outposts."
"Any soul with spiritual pressure, as long as they are willing, can apply directly at these outposts. After passing a preliminary review, they undergo a half-month local internship assessment. If they have no record of misconduct, they can directly enter the affiliated academies under each division, that is, branch schools of the Shin'o Academy."
"Those with lower spiritual pressure can quickly take on clerical or logistical roles. Those with strong spiritual pressure and high potential are selected to study at the main Shin'o Academy in Seireitei. After graduation, they are directly assigned as seated officers of sub-units, or even captains of sub-units."
"Sub-unit captains?"
Hikifune Kirio paused slightly. The unfamiliar term caught her off guard, "Do all divisions have this kind of sub-unit structure now?"
Drawn in by Rosse's organized and structured explanation, she even began to forget her own stance, as if this were truly a captain's meeting held for the future of Soul Society.
Beside her, although Kirinji remained highly alert, he found himself unable to interject, no matter how anxious he felt.
He even began to have a faint, absurd illusion, that this Captain-Commander Rosse in front of him seemed far more dedicated than the old man Yamamoto, who had only relied on authority and rigid systems.
"Of course."
Rosse replied with a smile, a rational gleam in his eyes, "After all, even the Sixth Division, which has the fewest members, now has over nine thousand personnel. Without detailed hierarchical management, how could a handful of captains, lieutenants, and seated officers possibly handle it?"
"Now, each division has at least ten sub-units, along with countless newly added specialized positions. From the highest ranks, Captain-Commander, division captains, lieutenants, and seated officers, to sub-unit captains, vice-captains, seated officers, and even special mobile squads below…"
He spoke fluently, as if presenting his most satisfying work to a new colleague, "This system ensures that every bit of strength is used in the most suitable place, and every order is delivered effectively."
"Incredible."
Hikifune Kirio couldn't help but murmur, a complex expression appearing in her eyes as she looked at Rosse, "This is far more complete than when I was in office."
Even as an opponent, she had to admit that this new system was far more powerful and dynamic than the old one, which had been controlled by nobles and stagnant like dead water.
She had also heard that this man had completely abolished the noble system, replacing it with one where ability determined status.
If she didn't clearly remember that he was the King of Hueco Mundo, she would genuinely feel deep respect for this new Captain-Commander with such capability and vision.
'A man this capable, this farsighted, someone who seems even more like a Soul Reaper than any actual Soul Reaper…'
'Why does he have to be the king of Hueco Mundo?'
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