35

After the quincies left and were out of earshot, Shin asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Old Man. Why did we let them escape? We could have taken them all down easily with our full force."

"Stop calling me Old Man. I'm only 170 years old!"

"That is old!"

"Do not kill your subordinates over minor things like this. Do not kill your subordinates over minor things like this.

We let them go because those guys were elite quincies. Even if we could have taken them, they have a bunch of tricks up their sleeves. While I am not worried about any officer dying, the troops of the 8th division would have been in danger.

I said that the only thing allowed to kill them while we are here are normal hollows and Gillian-class Menos. Quincy were not a part of the deal so I have ensure that none of them die to the quincy.

We also had no reason to battle them. They have caused no issues for us and they are not going to after seeing how dangerous our forces are. You are now an officer, Shin. You can't just think about winning and losing but the cost as well."

Shin was silent. He knew that did not think of anything more than just fighting and forgot that everyone was not as strong as him nor would they fight fairly.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I almost endangered my men for no reason. Please punish me!"

Ren pat Shin on his shoulder to console the young man.

"It is fine. It is better to make mistakes when I am around than when I am not. Let's head back to base until the quincies leave to make sure no accidents happen."

Ren turned to Cyan and gave her an order.

"Go tell Kyou to bring her forces back as well."

The woman nodded and disappeared. The rest of the members of the 8th division began making their way back to the base.

Kyou and her forces returned about an hour after Shin's did. Ren had all of them stay around the base until the quincies left. Not just due to the dangers the quincies presented but also due to how they were changing Hueco Mundo.

The 8th division already disturbed the natural peace of Hueco Mundo and changed the hunting and migration patterns of the environment just like any new predator introduced to an area. The group had finally gotten the area stable but the introduction of quincy would destabilize that.

So Ren decided to have all his forces stay in the base and consolidate their gains and speak continue training with their zanpakutos until the quincies were gone. What Ren was not prepared for was for the quincies to remain for the entirety of the last month that the 8th division was supposed to be there.

Without having much choice since he made a date with Yamamoto, Ren had no choice but to have Tessai and his people open up and portal back to Seireitei.

Ren had gathered all the remaining shinigami and had the officers stand at the front while the rest of the shinigami stood behind them. Ren did a mental calculation of what he came in with and what he was leaving with.

'732 shinigami and 1 officer when I first came here. These were average level shinigami and someone who was barely qualified to be an officer in my division.

I am leaving with 403 shinigami trained to the point where even the 11th division should be afraid to deal with them, 4 officers who can bear the rank between 10th and 5th seats of other divisions, Shin who can be a third seat or a weak lieutenant, Kyou who is able to match an average level lieutenant but may have trouble with those canon lieutenants at her current level.

We are also returning with 4 Arrancars. 3 that are right below captain-level with their resurrecions but can also kill a captain if they use Quimera Parca. Tier is a whole other monster. With her Resurrecion, she can overpower most captains in single combat.'

"All of you have done an excellent job surviving until now. Before today, you were all nothing but probationary members of the 8th division. Now, I truly consider you all my own men and women.

From now on, we currently have 10 officers in our division. Tier and Franceska will officially be your lieutenants. Cyan and Emilou will be the 3rd seats. Kyou and, reluctantly, Shin will be the share the 4th seat.

Akira is in the 6th seat, Eiko is 7th, Minori is 8th, and Naoko is 9th. The est of you can earn your place among the officers by continuing to work hard and improving your strength.

We shall be returning to Seireitei today. All of you will be staying in the 8th division's quarters until you receive a command from me or one of the officers in the 4th seat of higher.

I am bringing back Arrancar which has never been done so we will be under scrutiny. We may even be called traitors if my plan does not work out and all of us will be jailed or executed. This is your last chance. Take off your hachimaki if you do not wish to be associated with us when this all goes down."

No one made a move. Whether out of fear or loyalty Ren was not sure but he said nothing. Ren nodded toward Tessai and the Kido Corps members to open the portal. Once the black portal was opened, Ren took the first step and made a bridge for everyone to follow him on.

'My little students. Your teacher is back and ready to cause some trouble!'