"Captain Kuchiki is assigned to Teams Two and Fourteen!"
"Captain Komamura is assigned to Teams Seven, Ten, Eleven, and Thirteen!"
"Captain Suì-Fēng is assigned to Team Three!"
"Teams Eight and Nine, prepare for transport!"
"Captain Kuchiki's injuries are severe! Deploy the Purification Barrier! After surgery is completed, transfer him to the central treatment facility!"
Members of the Fourth Division arrived and immediately began treatment under the command of Third Seat Yasochika Iemura.
The blond man with his hair neatly combed back pushed up his glasses and looked toward Muten Natsu, who stood surrounded by Ryoka.
A golden barrier covered Muten Natsu's body. His missing left arm was visibly regenerating at a speed the naked eye could follow.
Even for a Ryoka, such a technique was extremely unusual.
And healing on this level... perhaps it could no longer even be called healing.
"I am fine!" Sajin Komamura waved them away. "Go help the others first..."
"You are pushing yourself too hard!" the squad members hurried to stop him.
Byakuya Kuchiki had already fallen unconscious. The squad members around him were sweating heavily as they nervously treated his wounds. Hanatarō Yamada looked miserable.
"This will not work... the injuries are too severe... Captain..."
A sharp voice interrupted.
"If everything requires the Captain, then the only task left for you will be feeling ashamed."
"Th-then... I am sorry..." Hanatarō Yamada apologized reflexively. After recognizing the familiar tone, he lifted his head with wide eyes, his expression instantly relaxing.
"Se... Seinosuke Nii-san!?"
Seinosuke Yamada, whose narrow eyes held a faint smile, stepped through the Purification Barrier and approached Byakuya Kuchiki.
"You are still as lacking in spirit as ever. Fortunately he is unconscious from his injuries. Otherwise, seeing that expression on your face, he might think he has no chance of survival."
"I see. The remaining Reiatsu is interfering with the healing of the wounds. That really is not something you could treat."
Seinosuke Yamada placed his hand over Byakuya Kuchiki's wound and began treating him, skillfully altering the nature of the Reiatsu used in his Kaidō.
"That is the former Lieutenant of the Fourth Division," a squad member whispered to a nearby newcomer. "He is now the chief director of the Shinō Medical Institute."
In other words, the highest authority overseeing the medical office used exclusively by the upper nobles centered around the Four Great Noble Families.
Although Retsu Unohana possessed the best Kaidō in Seireitei, the Four Great Noble Families rarely sought treatment from her.
Many nobles who held themselves in high regard also refused to visit the Fourth Division.
It seemed they used this behavior to maintain the elevated status of the nobility.
Both the nobles and the Shinō Medical Institute were distant things to ordinary squad members.
But the extraordinary Kaidō being displayed in front of them was undeniable.
A massive willow colored manta shaped Minazuki descended from the sky. Retsu Unohana jumped down from its back and sealed Minazuki.
"Thank you for your hard work, Captain Unohana!" Iemura briefly reported the situation. "Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Hinamori..."
"Their lives are no longer in danger for now, but from here on they must rely on themselves. Isane has taken over treatment in my place."
Retsu Unohana's gaze paused on Muten Natsu.
After the series of intense battles, the removal of the foreign object from his soul, and the forced interruption of his Hollowfication, both his body and mind had suffered severe damage.
He finally collapsed unconscious in Rukia Kuchiki's arms when Retsu Unohana arrived.
Orihime Inoue was already helping treat him. After a single glance, Retsu Unohana knew she did not need to intervene.
"It has been a long time, Captain Unohana." Seinosuke Yamada continued treating Byakuya Kuchiki while casually greeting her. The mocking look in his eyes disappeared the moment he looked at her.
Retsu Unohana nodded.
"Your Kaidō has improved."
"Well, I have a new job and a new working environment now." Seinosuke Yamada gave a malicious smile. "Those nobles among the Shinigami, the old men who do not want to die, keep coming to my place."
"Those in power fear aging. Watching them desperately clutch at something while struggling so pitifully is quite entertaining. And interfering in it myself is even more enjoyable."
Even squad members who previously knew nothing about Seinosuke Yamada had already gained some understanding of his personality.
His Kaidō was exceptional.
But his personality was equally terrible.
Yet he still held the position of chief director of the Shinō Medical Institute, which proved just how extraordinary his Kaidō truly was.
Retsu Unohana shook her head.
Seinosuke Yamada's abilities were beyond doubt, but his personality was the complete opposite of his younger brother Hanatarō Yamada.
This was also one of the reasons Retsu Unohana later chose the gentle natured Isane Kotetsu as her Lieutenant.
"When the Kuchiki Clan adopted her, I thought the surgery would begin soon after." Seinosuke Yamada glanced at Rukia Kuchiki, who was holding Muten Natsu. "But now it's already been fifty years."
"From the moment the Kuchiki Clan adopted her, Rukia was no longer a Rukongai commoner who could be dealt with at a noble's whim," Retsu Unohana corrected calmly. "So from that point on, the surgery was never going to happen."
"In that case, the Kuchiki Clan is headed for extinction." Seinosuke Yamada's eyes shone with undisguised anticipation. "So what will they do then? Adopt someone from a branch family, or will those old geezers try one more time… oh right, most of them are already dead."
The surrounding squad members all pretended they hadn't heard anything.
With the Fourth Division working efficiently, the situation at the scene was quickly brought under control.
Although it hadn't been their intention, the group labeled as Ryoka had indeed, to some extent, helped expose Sōsuke Aizen's conspiracy.
Whether that was truly the case or not, it sounded far better when put that way.
Now that the Central 46 had been wiped out, three captains had defected, and several others were injured, Seireitei was in a state of turmoil. At a time like this, many matters needed to be smoothed over, turning big problems into small ones and small problems into nothing at all.
Thus, the Ryoka were once again placed under the care of the Fourth Division, though this time they were no longer kept in confinement.
Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto convened a meeting to discuss how to handle the aftermath and how duties would be reassigned.
Many of Seireitei's resources required authorization from the Central 46. Now, forty sages and six judges had been selected again to assist Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto in handling those responsibilities.
The bodies and bloodstains in the council hall were cleaned away, as though nothing had ever happened.
Nothing had changed.
Regardless of the truth, at least on the surface, the order of Seireitei remained intact.
Still, with most people currently needing treatment from the Fourth Division, everyone silently avoided bringing up Muten Natsu.
Muten Natsu was placed back in his original room.
Orihime Inoue had once again exhausted all of her Reiryoku, and after some persuasion from Rukia Kuchiki, she finally went to rest.
" Kuchiki-san, Kuchiki-san has arrived."