บท 51: Captain, Enemy!

"As a Lieutenant, you should be aware of the situation Gotei 13 in now."Yamamoto Genryūsai said out of the blue.

Although Kimura Muyang was surprised and didn't know what Yamamoto Genryūsai was implying here, he nodded anyway.

"Well, after the incident a year ago, Azashiro Sōya was stripped of his Kenpachi title, along with his position as 11th Division Captain, and imprisoned in'Muken'. Meanwhile, Captain Watanabe Keiryū and 5th Seat Watanabe Ichiro of the 5th Division is currently imprisoned in is now imprisoned in the Underground Prison 7th Level. Although they didn't directly threaten Soul Society, the fact that they betrayed Gotei 13 is clear as day. As for the 5th Division Lieutenant, Ryūzaki Sengyo, he was proven innocent upon further investigation and now has returned to his Division."

"Yeah." Yamamoto Genryūsai seemed as calm as ever after hearing Kimura Muyang's answer, but that made it even harder for Kimura Muyang to figure out what Yamamoto Genryūsai meant by this.

Why did Old Yamamoto suddenly ask me this question? Is there any deeper meaning behind it?

Seeing the composed look on Yamamoto Genryūsai's face, Kimura Muyang could not help but secretly guessed what Yamamoto Genryūsai was getting at here. Obviously, someone like Yamamoto Genryūsai wouldn't ask this kind of question out of a whim. Each of his words had a meaning, so Kimura Muyang couldn't help but wonder about the meaning behind his words this time. Not to mention, Yamamoto Genryūsai also praised his Zankensoki, making him even more confused.

Kimura Muyang tried so hard to connect the dots, and all kinds of ideas entered his mind. After a few moments of pondering, eureka! Could it be that…

Yamamoto Genryūsai suddenly opened his eyes and looked directly at Kimura Muyang: "Gotei 13 is in a dire now!"

That sentence totally caught Kimura Muyang off guard. To think Gotei 13's Captain-Commander, Yamamoto Genryūsai, would say that out loud.

"There was no suitable candidate for Captain in the 7th Division and 10th Division. In addition, we lost both the 11th Division and 5th Division's Captain in the incident. Although the 11th Division's Lieutenant now steps up as the new Captain, we still have 3 Divisions with vacant Captain."

After hearing those words, Kimura Muyang was convinced. His days in freedom would be long gone after this.

And as he predicted...

Yamamoto Genryūsai's expression suddenly became serious. He no longer looked like a kind old man like before. He was the Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, who founded Gotei 13 and led it as Captain-Commander for more than 1000 years.

"I want you to learn Bankai within a year."

A helpless look was written all over Kimura Muyang's face as his guess hit the mark!

Although he knew that Yamamoto Genryūsai was no ordinary old man, this old man was still as fierce and intimidating as ever even after a hundred years later. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to refuse when he saw the look on Yamamoto Genryūsai's face. After learning under Yamamoto Genryūsai for quite a while, he obviously knew that Soul Society was short-handed.

Even though everyone believed that Yamamoto Genryūsai would lead all Shinigamis and deal with every problem at hand, after seeing him every day for more than a year and got to know him better, Kimura Muyang saw through the faint anxiety hidden behind Yamamoto Genryūsai's calm demeanor, especially now that Soul Society was short on reliable individuals.

"Well, I'll definitely try."

Kimura Muyang just touched his nose helplessly. He couldn't refuse the old man's request, not with the look he gave him. Then again, it sounded more like an order than a request.

"I want you to promise!" Yamamoto Genryūsai sounded so assertive. It seemed like this really was an order.

"That's…" Kimura Muyang looked at Yamamoto Genryūsai embarrassedly. "I mean, even if you tell me to... There's no guarantee that I'd be able to do it. There's a chance that I won't be able to do it even after ten years."

"I know your strength better than you do." Yamamoto Genryūsai immediately added despite the doubt written all over Kimura Muyang's face. "As you are now, an average Captain is no match for you. You've already reached the Captain's level."

"To be more precise, your skill already rivaled that of a Captain the moment you finished your training with Kimura Kazuya and headed to Seireitei."

Yamamoto Genryūsai said solemnly, and those words alone made Kimura Muyang lose his composure.

"That's...you...how do you..."

Kimura Muyang panicked when he realized that his secret was exposed, but only briefly as he immediately regained his composure.

Since Old Yamamoto mentioned it straightforwardly, that meant that he had no ulterior motives regarding this matter. At the very least, he wouldn't mention such a thing in this situation.

"Curious why I know about it?"

Kimura Muyang felt that there was something off about Yamamoto Genryūsai's expression. Although he sounded like he was sort of joking, Kimura Muyang didn't overlook a glimmer of sadness behind it.

Kimura Muyang looked towards Yamamoto Genryūsai with a questioning look but did not get an answer.

Yamamoto Genryūsai was silent and had this mysterious look on his face with both eyes closed. After a while, Yamamoto Genryūsai reopened his eyes, but the next word that came out of his mouth surprised Kimura Muyang.

"That's what he told me before he died."

A terrifying Reiatsu suddenly burst out of Kimura Muyang, hitting Yamamoto Genryūsai at point-blank range.

The table in front of him and everything on the table was blown into smithereens due to the outburst of Kimura Muyang's Reiatsu. Even Yamamoto Genryūsai's long white beard fluttered because of the sheer pressure.

"Shua~ "

A silhouette suddenly appeared in front of Yamamoto Genryūsai, watching Kimura Muyang vigilantly with his hand on his Zanpakuto's hilt.

"Stand down, Chōjirō."

Yamamoto Genryūsai merely squinted, but he was quite stern in his tone.

Chōjirō Sasakibe was startled. Although the vigilance in his eyes did not diminish, he walked back obediently and stood behind Yamamoto Genryūsai.

Even though the Captain's Haori that Yamamoto Genryūsai wore fluttered in the air, his body was rock-solid. He just sat in his chair, unfazed.

"Did you do it?"

Kimura Muyang had no intention to conceal his killing intent. Although it sounded like he was asking, he was almost certain about it.

During his times with Kimura Kazuya, he saw that Kimura Kazuya almost made no effort to conceal how much he detested Gotei 13 and criticized them any chance he got. He, in particular, showed no sign of content when the name Yamamoto Genryūsai came up. Based on that, he concluded that there was something between Kimura Kazuya and Yamamoto Genryūsai in the past, and that couldn't be anything good. He was afraid that Kimura Kazuya's whereabouts would be compromised, so he tried to keep his relationship with Kimura Kazuya a secret and never mentioned anything regarding his past. Thus, when he heard what Yamamoto Genryūsai just said, he immediately jumped to the conclusion that Yamamoto Genryūsai killed Kimura Kazuya.

Although he knew that challenging Yamamoto Genryūsai as he was right now, it was basically a suicide, but if it was really Yamamoto Genryūsai who killed Kimura Kazuya, then no matter how impossible and regardless of the time he spent with Yamamoto and how much he respected this old man who has devoted everything to the Soul Society, Kimura Muyang will strike him down without the slightest hesitation.