Bleach: Starting as a Vasto Lorde

Chapter 271: Encounter

Yamamoto’s inquiry began with seemingly straightforward questions that anybody who fought Arrancars could have answered, such as the strength of an individual Arrancar, their motive, and their tendency to harm Shinigami. But the questions quickly became complex with “Who among them was the strongest and why did he think this one in particular was the strongest?” and “How many Arrancars escaped with their lives?”

Fortunately for Kazuya, he had long prepared answers for each one of these questions. Yamamoto had given him too much time to come up with facts weaved with lies.

“Don’t know his name but I fought him first in the town. He was the toughest opponent by a mile. I couldn’t have defeated him on my own without losing an arm or two.”

He deliberately downplayed Ulquiorra’s abilities to save himself from becoming the second “too powerful for a rookie” target, the first being Kenpachi Zaraki.

Soi Fon’s expression darkened as a realization dawned on her. Given that Kazuya had defeated her fairly effortlessly, she might not stand the slightest chance of victory against this Arrancar.

Noticing her reaction, Kazuya turned to Soi Fon, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Your line of thought is correct. He would utterly demolish you. You might be fast but you have no chance of landing two hits with your Shikai on him.”

He never let go of an opportunity to belittle Soi Fon as seeing her angry and frustrated yet powerless to do anything pleased him. He wasn’t a complete sadist, but for some reason derived a little too much pleasure from Soi Fon’s suffering. Maybe it had something to do with their first meeting, where she had tried to humiliate him in front of hundreds.

Soi Fon clicked her tongue, visibly irritated by his blunt assessment. “I didn’t become a captain from doing paperwork. I have ingrained Hakuda techniques in every fiber of my muscle. Even if I go up against someone stronger than me, I’ll be able to adapt on the fly.”

Her confidence came from over a century of honing her combat skills on her own. This type of confidence wouldn’t break, of course, unless someone truly showed her the depths of despair.

He reached out and patted her shoulder. “I have no doubt about your skills, but trust me you won’t last a minute against that freak.”

The sympathetic look he gave her was a salt on her wounds. She gritted her teeth, yet she could do nothing in Yamamoto’s presence. She silently swore to have her payback tomorrow, when she would be alone with him in Hueco Mundo.

Kazuya chuckled softly before turning to Yamamoto. “Any other questions for me?”

“Nothing. I’ll hear from you after you return.” Yamamoto shifted his gaze to Unohana, his wrinkled face carrying no emotion. “Captain Sosuke will be here any moment. I want everyone to leave. Even you, Ginrei-san.”

“Ah,” Unohana murmured as a look of understanding crossed her serene features. “Be mindful of Captain Sosuke’s behavior. He has been acting rather… strangely ever since the incident.”

Rather than outright voicing her suspicions, she sowed seeds of doubts.

“I will be.”

Kazuya couldn’t help but frown. Although Yamamoto’s strength surpassed Aizen, the idea of them meeting without any supervision bothered him. Yamamoto kept Aizen in check just by existing. The whole status quo would shift if Aizen used some underhanded tactic to injure, or worse, kill Yamamoto.

{Awww, you’re so jealous!}

‘Nami.’

{T’was a joke, Partner! Anyways! You’re overestimating Aizen. Being cautious is good but being overly cautious is not healthy for you!}

Of all people he wasn’t expecting Nami to be mindful of his mental health.

‘Yeah, I gotta trust the old man. He won’t fold over without a crazy fight.’

Pushing his concerns to the back of his mind, Kazuya prepared his heart for the grueling training that lay ahead. He knew that Unohana wouldn't go easy on him, regardless of her current inability to sense her Zanpakutō Spirit. And truthfully, he wouldn't have it any other way. While not a battle-hungry maniac, the exhilaration of crossing blades with her and witnessing tangible growth in his skills was one of the most rewarding experiences he could imagine.

Pushing his concerns to the back of his mind, he prepared his heart for the training to come. Unohana wouldn’t go easy on him just because she couldn’t sense her Zanpakutō Spirit. And honestly, he wouldn’t have it any other way. While not a battle-hungry maniac, he enjoyed clashing swords with her. She showed him all the holes in his skills, giving him a perfect stage to evolve his skills.

Right now, he considered growing strong one of the best feelings in the world.

Gently pulling at Unohana’s hand, he said, “Captain, let’s leave.”

Unohana nodded, offering a polite bow to Yamamoto and Ginrei. “I’ll take my leave now.”

Soi Fon pointed at Kazuya’s face. “Be prepared for tomorrow.”

“Stop acting like you owe me something. I’ll show up if I feel like it.”

“Y-You—why are you treating it like it’s not important business?!”

“The mission is important but you aren’t. I can accomplish this mission on my own.”

His calm and collected answer only poured more fuel on her fire. Knowing Soi Fon’s temper, he left before she could explode on him.

***

As though preordained by fate itself, Kazuya came face to face with Aizen the moment he walked out of the Assembly Hall. Unlike the last time, he had zero sense of anxiety.

“Why, if it isn’t Captain Unohana,” Aizen greeted with his perfect good-guy smile that had kept him away from any suspicions until now. “I didn’t get the chance to express my gratitude last time. Thank you for your assistance with my injuries.”

Unohana accepted his gratitude with a gentle smile. “It’s my duty to heal the wounded.”

“As humble as ever,” Aizen said with a wry smile before looking at Kazuya. “A rather unexpected surprise to see you accompanying Captain Unohana in Vice Captain Kotetsu’s place.”

“She is out on an errand,” Kazuya lied with an honest smile. “Captain Commander needed some answers regarding Arrancars, so I got summoned here.”

“I see. Well, consider this an opportunity to get to know other captains better. You’ll be working with them as a Captain in no time.”

“No way. Captains have so many responsibilities. I wanna enjoy my life for a few hundred years first if you know what I mean,” Kazuya replied with a laugh. “By the way, thanks for handling that final boss Arrancar in Karakura Town. Her Reiatsu was making me shiver on the other end of the town. I’m glad I didn’t have to fight her.”

Aizen maintained his pleasant demeanor, but Kazuya caught the brief flash in his eyes. Aizen hadn’t expected Kazuya, the most ambitionless man in Aizen’s plan, to become the biggest hurdle to his Karakura Town’s plans.

“The academy is the future of the Soul Society,” Aizen responded to his gratitude with a modest chuckle. “I only did what any other Shinigami would do.”

“Captain Sosuke, you might be the most reliable captain.”

Unohana’s fingers found Kazuya’s arm, delivering a subtle but firm pinch. “Are you saying I’m not reliable?”

“Umm, it’s a different type of reliability. Like you’ll heal all my wounds and support me but Captain Sosuke — he’d protect me from receiving those injuries in the first place.”

{Oi, stop fanboying over Aizen! This acting is going too far.}

Aizen revealed a warm smile. “You’re a little mistaken about Captain Unohana. She is—well, forget I said anything.”

The shrewd captain stopped short of revealing Unohana’s secret and bade his farewells to the two before walking into the Assembly Hall. Even though he revealed nothing concrete, his words were clearly designed to plant a seed of doubt about Unohana in Kazuya’s mind. It would’ve been a clever move to drive a rift between Kazuya and Unohana if they weren’t so familiar with each other.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Unohana firmly gripped his hand and led him away.