Kōe and the others' arrival successfully attracted the attention of a few people, especially several filthy, ragged vagrants hiding behind the tree trunks, their eyes brimming with greed. To them, young Kōe looked like a walking treasure trove, a hearty dinner. Youth was the absolute last thing anyone should possess here.
"Still looking? Keep staring and I'll gouge your eyeballs out!" Uesawa's warning had some effect. At the very least, the vagrants didn't dare to stare as openly as before, opting to hide in the shadows and only steal occasional glances.
Seeing this, Uesawa felt a deep sense of helplessness. He really wanted to just cut these 'things' down, but unfortunately, there were too many 'merciful' people around here. It simply wasn't worth starting a conflict over such a trivial matter.
As for Kōe, who was the subject of their peeping, Uesawa could only shrug and offer some comfort. "Don't mind them, they're just a bunch of vultures. They won't dare approach you unless you're on the brink of death. Of course, if you get hurt so badly that you can't even move and end up dying by their hands, that's just your own bad luck. The Plains of Slaughter never lacks entities that bestow death."
Kōe smiled noncommittally and spread his hands. He had mentally prepared himself for this long ago. If you lost and died, you couldn't blame your enemies for being despicable; you could only blame your own lack of skill.
"Uesawa, why did you only bring one?"
A voice suddenly rang out from above. Kōe looked up toward the sound. The owner of the voice was also a man, who leaped down from the tree and landed squarely in front of him, his eyes rolling up and down as he sized Kōe up.
"Only one rookie survived this time? Did you hold them back, kid?!" As the man spoke, his gaze turned sharp, and a faint killing intent radiated from his body. The few vagrants who were still peeking instinctively shrank back in fear.
"Is anyone else supposed to be coming recently?" Kōe spread his hands, completely unaffected by the man's killing intent, and smiled. "Maybe it's because they were too slow, and I didn't want to be held back, so I came on ahead."
The man frowned slightly. Although killing intent was merely an outward manifestation of murderous thoughts honed through endless slaughter and didn't directly affect combat power, rookies who had just arrived here usually couldn't withstand such a blatant, directed aura. He still remembered being thoroughly taught a lesson by his seniors when he first arrived at the Plains of Slaughter; back then, he couldn't even speak a coherent sentence.
But the young man in front of him was not only unaffected, he even had the nerve to talk back with a smile. *Interesting.* At this thought, the corners of the man's mouth couldn't help but curl up. Would someone like this be the type to hold others back? He wouldn't even believe that himself.
"Looks like you've got some skills, kid!" The man said, his right hand dropping to the hilt of his Zanpakutō. "I'm bored out of my mind anyway. Care to help me warm up a bit?"
"Don't! If you want to warm up, go take a walk by yourself. Don't drag me into it!" Kōe hurriedly waved his hands in refusal. Picking a fight with everyone they met—didn't these people ever get tired of fighting and killing all day long?
"Yamagata, you can't beat him. He just chased off that Zaraki Kenpachi a moment ago." Uesawa, who had been watching the show, finally spoke up, bailing Kōe out.
"Are you serious?!" The man called Yamagata looked at Uesawa, who nodded in confirmation, then stared at Kōe in absolute shock. "Hey, hey! HEY!! Are you kidding me?! Our Squad 11 rookies are way too fierce this year!"
Kōe looked down at his own feet, pursing his lips, completely at a loss for words. *Only your Squad 11 is fierce! If you're so badass, why don't you go conquer Hueco Mundo!*
Seeing Kōe's deflated expression, Uesawa couldn't help but burst into loud laughter. "Yamagata, this kid isn't from our Squad 11, hahaha!"
"How can that be? How could the Captain miss such a strong kid? Oh, wait, Gosuke is the one in charge of recruiting. Is that guy blind or something?!" Yamagata muttered to himself, completely ignoring Kōe and Uesawa, who were now whispering to each other.
"Does this guy always talk this much?"
"Usually, he doesn't speak at all." Uesawa stroked his chin, shaking his head slightly before continuing, "But once he starts, it's like a broad taking a piss—he won't pull his pants up until he's completely finished."
*So he's just a chatterbox who likes to act cool.* Kōe turned his head, only to find Yamagata's face pressed right up against his own, startling him so badly he nearly threw a punch.
"Kid, which squad are you in right now?"
"Squad 1. Also, can you back up a bit?" Kōe was exasperated. Two grown men standing this close to each other was just disgusting!
Kōe's words didn't make Yamagata back off; instead, he leaned in even closer. "Squad 1? What's the point of Squad 1! You should come to our Squad 11!"
Originally, not many people were paying attention to their side of the camp, but Yamagata's loud shout instantly drew the gazes of every Shinigami present. Why would a member of Squad 1, who never set foot in the Plains of Slaughter, be here?
Yamagata's brain didn't process things that deeply; right now, his only thought was to poach Kōe. It was worth noting that in the Zaraki district, Zaraki Kenpachi's name rang loud and clear. Many people here had been thoroughly thrashed by him.
And the person standing before him was obviously a fresh face. At the very least, the Seireitei hadn't had anyone like this for the past century, which meant this kid had been a Shinigami for less than a hundred years. Boundless potential, an absolutely top-tier seedling. A person like this absolutely had to be kept in Squad 11. The strongest people belonged in the strongest squad—to Yamagata, this was a universal truth.
"Kid, do you crave battle?"
"Uh, not really, actually..."
*This kid's fighting spirit seems a bit lacking. Looks like I need to throw in something stronger!*
"Then do you want to become a Lieutenant, or even a Captain?"
"I'm somewhat interested in that." Kōe nodded. The Captain's white haori was pretty cool. Plus, strolling around the streets with nothing to do, showing off, and doing whatever you wanted—it was quite appealing.
"Then come to our Squad 11!" Yamagata slapped Kōe's shoulder and declared loudly, "As long as you're strong enough, you can be a Lieutenant or a Captain, whatever you want! The Captain even passes down the title of Kenpachi—buy one get one free, it's an absolute steal!"
Hearing this, Uesawa began to cough violently. What did this kid think the Captain and Kenpachi titles were? Buy one get one free?! If the Captain heard that, he would absolutely break your legs—both of them!
Yamagata didn't think that far ahead and just kept rambling on with his pitch. "But staying in Squad 1 is different. At most—and I mean at the absolute most—you'll be a Lieutenant. Don't even think about being the Captain, there's no chance."
"Why shouldn't I think about it?"
"You want to defeat the Head Captain?!" Yamagata made an exaggerated face, speaking in a weird, mocking tone. "Maybe when you turn into a thousand-year-old grandpa you'll have a chance. After all, you're young—you might just outlive the old geezer."
*Pfft!* Kōe couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. Encouraging someone to challenge their own captain, and calling Old Man Yama an old geezer—this guy really dared to say anything!
"So, kid, if you want to be a Captain, transfer to our Squad 11."
"No thanks, I'm doing just fine in Squad 1."
"Why?" Yamagata asked, confused. "Don't you want to be a Captain?"
Before Kōe could explain, a deep voice rang out, answering Yamagata's question.
"Yamagata, the person standing in front of you is the crown prince of Squad 1."
A man dressed in a Shihakushō with grayish-white hair was slowly walking toward Kōe. The words just now had come from his mouth. Stopping in front of Kōe, the man tapped his own head and corrected himself, "No, wait, he should be the crown prince of our entire Seireitei."
Kōe looked at the man before him. The man's face was plastered with undisguised mockery, his drooping eyes filled with ridicule. It seemed the news from the Seireitei had already reached this place.
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