Not long after—
The battle near the Repentance Chamber ended exactly as expected, with Tsunayashiro Tokinada and his attendants suffering a crushing defeat.
Faced with the yellow pollen mist that could numb the nervous system and spread rapidly over a wide area, Tokinada collapsed before the vines even needed to fully bind him.
With a loud clang, he dropped unconscious.
The sinister Zanpakutō Enrakyōten flew from his hand, struck the ground, and reverted to its sealed form.
"So many of them are down…"
"And I wrecked this whole plateau…"
"Do you think the old man's going to blame me when he shows up?"
Having successfully plundered the spiritual pressure and gained Hungry Corridor, Bai Chen was in a great mood. He looked over the field of bodies and muttered to himself.
He'd beaten Tokinada and his men without effort, but Bai Chen didn't intend to finish them off. Instead, he stayed put and waited.
His instincts told him the response would come quickly:
The Punishment Force, Kidō Corps, Research & Development…
And, led by the Head Captain himself, the captains would arrive.
Sure enough—
Before the thought even finished forming—
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Within a minute, sharp gusts of movement rang out one after another.
Shinigami in black uniforms poured in from all directions across Seireitei, arriving on the shattered highland.
"Ahh, my my…"
"So this time it's not just forests and trees…"
"You can even make them bloom and spread poisonous pollen now?"
"Third Seat Bai Chen… your Zanpakutō Wooden Dragon…"
"It's getting more terrifying by the day!"
A familiar easygoing voice rang out.
Kyōraku Shunsui, in his captain's haori and signature pink floral cloak, landed first. He swept his gaze across the battlefield—the vast forest of flowers and the fading yellow haze in the air.
Even Shunsui, mentally prepared as he was, couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
"Yes…"
"And Bai Chen, even as your captain…"
"I've got to say—you made way too much noise this time."
"You nearly affected the Repentance Chamber and the Sōkyoku Hill."
This time Ukitake Jūshirō arrived as well—along with Shiba Kaien.
Ukitake wasn't truly scolding him, but with his pale, fragile complexion, he could only shake his head with a weary smile.
It was Bai Chen's first day in the division.
He hadn't even started learning the paperwork yet—
and he'd already clashed head-on with the greatest of the Four Noble Houses.
"Captain Ukitake…"
"Just to be clear—he blocked my path."
"I didn't go looking for the Tsunayashiro clan."
Bai Chen pointed calmly at Tokinada, who lay paralyzed after inhaling far too much pollen.
"If you don't believe me…"
"Ask Captain Mayuri from the Research & Development Bureau."
Bai Chen turned his head toward the other side.
Sure enough—Kurotsuchi Mayuri had arrived with his team.
Normally, Mayuri hated showing his face in public, but the incident was too big and shook all of Seireitei. As head of the R&D Bureau, he had to appear and provide official clarification.
Being dragged into it so suddenly, Mayuri paused—then let out a thin, eerie laugh.
"Bai Chen…"
"I didn't expect you to break the Tsunayashiro barrier so easily…"
"Seems those dozens of attendants were all worthless trash."
He didn't answer directly—but the implication was enough.
The scene said the rest: Tsunayashiro men sprawled everywhere, and the shattered barrier fragments glittering like broken glass.
"Captain Mayuri…"
"As expected of a researcher—objective and fair."
Bai Chen nodded slightly. His impression of Mayuri rose a notch.
He'd gambled correctly—R&D must have been monitoring the abnormal spiritual pressure surge from the moment the attendants released their power.
As long as Mayuri didn't twist the report out of personal spite, Bai Chen's status as the "victim" here was set in stone—and he wouldn't be punished for violating regulations.
Then—
BOOM!
Like a walking sun, radiating overwhelming presence—
The Head Captain finally arrived, accompanied by Sasakibe Chōjirō.
"Bai Chen."
"The full sequence of events…"
"has already been made clear to me."
The Head Captain's gaze shifted to the unconscious Tokinada, and his expression turned cold.
"As for this Four Great Noble Houses criminal who repeatedly violated the rules…"
"and disrupted Seireitei's order…"
"For now, he will be transferred to the Punishment Force."
"After Central 46 conducts judgment…"
"we will decide Tsunayashiro Tokinada's final punishment."
His voice echoed across the broken plateau—
officially bringing the "copying incident" to a close.
Others might fear the Four Great Noble Houses, but the Head Captain was one of the few living beings in Soul Society who didn't.
As the founder of the Gotei 13 and the strongest Shinigami of the era, he had never practiced favoritism.
No matter who you were—if you broke the law, you paid the price.
Mayuri Approaches
Just when everyone was about to disperse—
Mayuri unexpectedly walked straight up to Bai Chen.
"Bai Chen…"
"Time is valuable, so I won't waste words."
Behind his blue-and-white mask, Mayuri's eyes swirled with greedy fascination.
"I'm extremely interested in what you released just now…"
"That pollen poison—wide-area dispersal, nerve and spiritual-sense paralysis."
"Do you have any interest in coming to the Research & Development Bureau and doing me a favor?"
"A favor?"
Bai Chen blinked, genuinely surprised.
"What do you want me to help with, Captain Mayuri?"
"…Don't tell me you want to extract the pollen poison?"
He tossed it out casually—
and somehow hit the bullseye.
"Heh… correct."
"My Zanpakutō… Ashisogi Jizō."
"Whether in Shikai or Bankai, it can release purple poison."
"But I've always felt the toxicity was still lacking."
Mayuri lowered his gaze, staring at Wooden Dragon, his grin widening.
"If Ashisogi Jizō…"
"could incorporate that yellow pollen poison…"
"then it's not just stronger poison—its overall combat power would increase drastically."
"So—if you agree…"
"I can record and simulate the data using instruments."
"And then modify and upgrade Ashisogi Jizō accordingly."
Power was something everyone chased.
Mayuri was no exception.
And he'd been researching artificial modification of Zanpakutō for years—this was a rare chance he didn't want to miss.
Bai Chen thought briefly, then answered without hesitation.
"If you only want to record data from Deep Forest Emergence…"
"That's a small matter. It won't affect me."
"But…"
He paused and looked Mayuri in the eye, smiling faintly.
"Captain Mayuri…"
"Then I can consider this a favor owed, right?"
"Of course."
Mayuri didn't even hesitate.
"Right now, you may not need anything from me…"
"But in the future—if you ever have any needs regarding Zanpakutō or souls…"
"As long as it's within my ability, I'll help you solve it."
For someone as arrogant and self-centered as Mayuri—
making a promise like that in public was rare.
And Bai Chen, without even trying, had unlocked a new "achievement":
He'd made Mayuri owe him a favor.
"Hana Is Waiting."
"Bai Chen—when are you free to come to R&D?"
Mayuri was already itching to drag him away immediately—
when Shunsui stepped in with a laugh and cut him off.
"Hold on…"
"Bai Chen-kun, there's an order to these things."
"You didn't forget what you promised Captain Unohana, did you?"
"Oh—right."
Bai Chen immediately remembered.
"After the academy exam…"
"I promised Hana-san I'd come to the Fourth Division and spar once I joined."
He turned to Shunsui.
"Captain Kyōraku… you mean…"
"Captain Unohana is already waiting for me in the Fourth Division?"
"Exactly."
Shunsui nodded and patted Bai Chen's shoulder like a senior encouraging a junior.
"Go. Right now—go to Fourth Division."
"It's sparring, and it's training."
"Once you get through that…"
"your swordsmanship will improve by leaps and bounds."
"You might even…"
"jump straight into the realm of a true master swordsman."
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto