"Hahaha..."

Rangiku Matsumoto wanted to retort when Tetsuzaemon Iba compared Gin Ichimaru to a snake, implying he was cunning and deceitful.

However, when Iba praised Gin for venturing into the Seireitei alone to protect his loved one, Rangiku burst into laughter.

Hmm, Iba had a good eye for character. He knew what to say. He should say more.

Shūhei Hisagi also nodded in agreement.

"Captain Ailin, your story has completely changed my perception of Captain Gin," Hisagi said.

"But Captain Ailin, you mentioned that Captain Gin's childhood friend came to the Seireitei. Why haven't I noticed him paying any particular attention to any female Shinigami all these years?"

"Could it be that his friend failed the Shin'ō Academy entrance exam and was assigned to the Hollow extermination squad, sent to Hueco Mundo?"

"Haha, that's Gin's secret. How would I know?" Ailin chuckled.

"Besides..." He swirled the sake in his cup, a knowing look in his eyes. "Don't forget, although Gin is now the captain of the Third Division, he has never given up on finding the Shinigami who harmed that girl.

With such a powerful enemy lurking in the shadows, do you think Gin would be foolish enough to expose his childhood friend, allowing his weakness to be exploited and used against him?"

"That makes sense."

Iba and Hisagi nodded in agreement, then suddenly sobered up.

"Wait, Captain Ailin, did you just say..."

"That enemy, whose strength rivals Captain Kyoraku's, is still in the Seireitei?"

Ailin smiled at their shocked expressions. "Haha, has the long period of peace made you forgetful, Iba, Hisagi? From the initial cases of disappearing souls in the Rukongai to the unnatural deaths and disappearances of Shinigami, and then the attack on Captain Hirako and the others...

Even the incident where I was framed by Captain Aizen of the Fifth Division a few years ago, and the events that transpired in Soul Society three years ago, do you believe they were all mere coincidences?"

"Soul Society may seem peaceful now, but when the hidden hand reveals itself, it will be a catastrophe. So, Iba, Hisagi, train hard and become stronger! Don't wait until it's too late to regret not putting in the effort now. Both of you have the potential to become captains. Don't let your current laziness lead to future regrets."

Ailin set down his sake cup.

"Alright, sharing those secrets has lifted a weight from my heart. I won't keep you any longer. I need to visit the Shin'ō Academy and take on another disciple, ensuring someone departs without regrets..."

"Oh?"

A glint of curiosity flashed in Kyoraku Shunsui's eyes.

Someone departing without regrets... Did that mean someone was dying?

Was Captain Ailin taking on a disciple to fulfill that person's dying wish?

Perhaps this could be a breakthrough in his investigation.

Kyoraku set down his sake cup as well.

"The disciples chosen by Captain Ailin have all become prominent figures within the Gotei 13," Kyoraku said. "Captain Ailin, would I be honored to accompany you as a witness to your disciple selection?"

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"Haha, it would be my next disciple's honor to have Captain Kyoraku as a witness," Ailin chuckled. "Let's go, Captain Kyoraku."

"Lead the way."

After Ailin and Kyoraku left, Tetsuzaemon Iba and Shūhei Hisagi slumped back in their seats.

"Whew..."

They exchanged glances and clinked their sake cups together.

"Sigh, Captain Ailin taking on a new disciple... How envious," Iba said.

"Indeed," Hisagi agreed.

Captain Ailin's disciples had all become powerful captains of the Gotei 13. If only they could receive his guidance as well...

"By the way, Vice-Captain Iba, weren't you a member of the Eleventh Division? Didn't you receive any training from Captain Ailin?" Hisagi asked.

"Of course I did!" Iba puffed out his chest, a proud smile spreading across his face. "Hisagi, how do you think I became the vice-captain of the Seventh Division?"

"Years ago, I was stationed at the barracks with twenty other members when Captain Ailin visited the division. He gave us a special training session. But I was the only one who persisted in following his guidance, eventually becoming the Fifth Seat of the Eleventh Division. Unfortunately, we received orders to send a seated officer to the Seventh Division as vice-captain. After a series of battles with a record of zero wins and five losses, I was expelled from the Eleventh Division and joined the Seventh."

"Oh? This is the first I've heard of you being expelled from the Eleventh Division," Hisagi said. "I thought you chose to become a vice-captain and transferred to the Seventh Division willingly."

"Sigh..." Iba let out a deep sigh. “Vice-captain is just a title. But I would rather follow Captain Zaraki into battle than be a vice-captain."

"Eh? You prefer following Captain Zaraki over Captain Ailin? Iba, something's not right with you..."

"No, no, you misunderstand, Hisagi," Iba shook his head. "In the Eleventh Division, there's an unspoken rule. To participate in battles alongside Captain Ailin, your Shunpo skills must be among the top ten in the division.

Because only with such speed can one keep up with Captain Ailin and help him clean up the battlefield. Unfortunately, although I was the Fifth Seat, my Shunpo skills weren't among the top ten in the Eleventh Division. I wasn't qualified to even clean up the battlefield for Captain Ailin."

"Uh..." Hisagi was at a loss for words.

A vice-captain of the Seventh Division, yet he wasn't even qualified to fight alongside the captain of the Eleventh Division.

The Eleventh Division was that strong?

"Hisagi, don't doubt my words," Iba patted Hisagi's shoulder, sighing. "Although I left the Eleventh Division, I still keep in touch with my former comrades. According to them, the current Fifth Seat of the Eleventh Division has already achieved Bankai. And the Sixth Seat's Zanpakutō is ridiculously powerful...

In other words, even if I returned to the Eleventh Division now, I could only compete for the seventh seat..."

"Waaaaah..."

The thought of his rank dropping by two positions in just a few decades brought tears to Iba's eyes as he embraced Hisagi and sobbed uncontrollably.

Hisagi felt a headache coming on.

He was both astonished by the strength of the Eleventh Division members and overwhelmed by Iba's unexpected display of vulnerability. He had never seen this "tough guy" cry before and didn't know how to comfort him.

"Alright, Iba, sadness won't solve any problems," Hisagi said. “Didn't Captain Ailin tell us earlier? There are still enemies lurking in the shadows of the Seireitei. Let's go train so we won't have any regrets when we face them! We should strive to achieve Bankai before that enemy reveals themselves."

"Yes, let's go!"

Iba and Hisagi, still slightly drunk, stumbled out of the izakaya, supporting each other as they went to find a place to train.

The only one remaining from the gathering was Rangiku, still basking in the joy of knowing that Gin had never forgotten her...

"What? How much did you say?"

When the izakaya was about to close, Rangiku saw the bill and instantly sobered up.

"Damn it! Those guys actually ran off and left me to pay the bill?"

Rangiku glanced at the izakaya owner, who was staring at her intently, and slumped onto the table.

She summoned her Hell Butterfly and spoke into it with a seductive voice, uttering words she would normally find embarrassing.

"Captain~ Shiba~, I've been detained at the izakaya. Would you be so kind as to come and bail me out~?"

...

Although it was late at night, Ailin and Kyoraku's captain haori served as the perfect pass to enter the Shin'ō Academy.

The students were familiar with the attire of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad captains.

After all, Captain Aizen of the Fifth Division frequently visited the academy to give lectures, even demonstrating his Shikai to inspire the students with the possibilities of their future powers.

With Ailin's heightened senses, he easily located Rukia. To his surprise, Rukia was still awake, practicing Kidō in the academy's training grounds.

When Ailin and Kyoraku arrived at the training grounds and saw the student practicing Kidō, Kyoraku knew his efforts had been in vain.

The student in the white academy uniform was the spitting image of Hisana Kuchiki, Byakuya's wife.

"Who is this?" Kyoraku asked, already knowing the answer.

"Rukia," Ailin replied, understanding Kyoraku's question.

"She is Hisana's younger sister. They were separated twelve years ago."