LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 8: The Indiscriminate Poison-tongue Strikes
Three hundred sixty-five days a year, five work, two rest...
Over a hundred years...
Rounding it up, that's nearly thirty thousand seeds!
Although each seed draws only a small amount of spiritual power—unconscious energy that drifts away from the soul—the cumulative effect, over time, is an incredibly terrifying speed of spiritual power accumulation.
‘By then, I won’t be practicing alone. The entire 13th Division will be assisting me in my training!’
As this thought crossed his mind, Senju Makoto’s lips curved upward, and he couldn't help but show a smile.
Noticing this, Yamada Seinosuke raised an eyebrow at the sight of Senju's relaxed and pleased expression and asked, “Senju, are you that happy to join the Fourth Division?”
Senju Makoto blinked in surprise, then quickly responded with a firm expression.
“Of course. Saving lives and healing wounds is my dream. From the moment I entered the Shin'o Academy, I’ve been hoping to join the Fourth Division and become a proud and great Soul Reaper…”
Pausing, Senju glanced at Yamada’s somewhat cold and cynical face and continued.
“At this moment, I feel like I’m so close to my dream. How could I not be happy?”
“Hmm…”
Yamada Seinosuke nodded before sharply retorting, “You’re getting ahead of yourself with that joy.”
?
Senju Makoto stared blankly at him, a little stunned by the harshness of the words. Yamada, however, smiled to himself and muttered as he moved on.
“Senju Makoto, are you sure you want to apply to the Fourth Division?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, then please wait a moment. After we finish recruiting the other graduates, we’ll discuss it further.”
With that, Yamada Seinosuke turned back to attend to the other graduates.
Taking the opportunity, Senju Makoto said his goodbyes to Ikkaku Madarame and Ayasegawa Yumichika, while also giving a stern critique of their high-handed actions.
It was precisely because Ikkaku and Yumichika had schemed to recruit Senju into the Eleventh Division that he had, by chance, ended up planting the “Seed of the Forest” inside Zaraki Kenpachi.
However, Senju Makoto could not condone their actions and firmly warned them that if they tried something similar again, there would be consequences—he had already given his warning.
Ikkaku, on the other hand, seemed quite reluctant to part with Senju Makoto, promising that if he had the time, he would visit the Fourth Division often.
Given Ikkaku’s personality, Senju Makoto didn’t doubt this for a second. With his love for fighting and lack of skill, he would undoubtedly end up in the Fourth Division’s infirmary soon after joining the battle-hungry Eleventh Division.
As for Ayasegawa Yumichika, he didn’t say much. He simply expressed some regret, but the way his gaze lingered with unspoken meaning caused Senju Makoto to subconsciously tense up.
But both Ikkaku and Yumichika still had to recruit more graduates on behalf of Zaraki Kenpachi, so they quickly got back to work.
As the rest of the graduates slowly made their decisions, the preliminary division choices dragged on for over an hour before they were finally completed.
Leaving the venue, they began the internal assessment for the squads directly within the Shin'o Academy.
However, it seemed that Yamada Seinosuke had no intention of lingering within the Shin'o Academy. He immediately led eighteen graduates, including Senju Makoto, out of the academy and into the heart of the Seireitei.
Seireitei.
The center of the Soul Society’s ruling and military institution, surrounded by towering white walls that stretched into the sky. On the outside were the chaotic and impoverished Rukongai districts, while inside lay the magnificent Seireitei, the sacred grounds that the Shinigami of the Thirteenth Division were tasked with protecting.
After leading the graduates into the Seireitei, Yamada Seinosuke continued to give them a detailed tour, explaining the layout of the Seireitei, the division headquarters, special areas, and various taboos to avoid.
"Excuse me, Yamada-senpai…"
While Yamada Seinosuke spoke confidently, a hesitant voice came from among the graduates.
"Are we really allowed to be briefed on all of this beforehand? Have we already passed the Fourth Division’s assessment?"
"Of course!" Yamada Seinosuke turned to look at the tall graduate with silver-gray short hair, glanced at the roster in his hand, and said, "Tōtetsu Yūin, right?"
"Yes, Yamada-senpai," Kiyone Kotetsu quickly responded.
"That's right. Starting today, you are all official members of the Fourth Division," Yamada Seinosuke declared.
"Eh? But… but haven’t we not even done the squad assessment yet?" Kiyone Kotetsu asked nervously. "If our healing and medical skills aren’t up to par, won’t that affect the injured?"
"That’s not important at all..." Yamada Seinosuke shook his head, chuckling. "It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand healing arts at all. The Fourth Division is severely understaffed when it comes to corpse transport."
Instantly, Kiyone Kotetsu face turned pale, and the other graduates’ expressions darkened as well.
After all, there were eighteen graduates applying to join the Fourth Division, most of whom had been charmed by Captain Unohara's gentle aura, intending to become his subordinates.
But... corpse transport?!
They had been practicing "Zanjutsu" and "Hoho" every day, not for corpse transport! What the hell?!
At that moment, most of the graduates’ faces soured, and their gazes toward Yamada Seinosuke were filled with resentment.
Aside from Senju Makoto, who genuinely cherished the healing arts and medicine, the majority of Seireitei Academy students focused their energy on the four basic combat techniques of the Shinigami: Zanjutsu (Swordsmanship), Hakuda (Unarmed Combat), Hohō (Shunpo/Step Techniques), and Kidō (Spiritual Arts).
Healing arts, specifically the special branch of Kidō related to healing, wasn’t a major part of the academy’s curriculum, and therefore didn’t weigh much in assessments.
This led many students to possess only rudimentary healing skills, mostly limited to basic emergency blood-stopping techniques.
Even those applying to the Fourth Division were generally insecure about their healing abilities.
After being struck down by Yamada Seinosuke’s harsh words, some graduates began retreating into themselves, growing more withdrawn.
Senju Makoto, too, couldn’t help but internally grumble about Yamada Seinosuke's sharp tongue, which seemed unable to hold back its barrage of relentless criticism.
“Perhaps... the constant shortage of members in the Fourth Division has something to do with this sharp-tongued vice-captain...” Senju Makoto thought to himself.
“If it were Aizen Sosuke as the vice-captain, with his seemingly flawless gentleness and charm, the Fourth Division would never have this problem.”
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