Chapter 1: What is the West Branch?

Seireitei, within the 11th Division.

The atmosphere was intensely charged, with many bald-headed members of the 11th Division howling at the Arena ahead, unabashedly unleashing their youthful vigor.

This was the Training Ground of the 11th Division, usually the liveliest place in the division.

Today, it was even more so.

The reason was simple: At the front of the Arena, a platform had been set up with a small table placed before a man, stocked with food and drink.

He had already removed his shirt and was laughing loudly as he drank.

"Jaa jaa jaa, lads, get training! Today we won't stop until we're drunk!"

Yu Mikami laughed heartily, continuously pouring liquor into his mouth as he watched his fellow shirtless, muscular teammates striking various strange poses.

Below, the members of the 11th Division, as if fueled with adrenaline, responded fervently.

"Yeah! Big Brother is mighty, Big Brother is fierce, Big Brother drinks the world under the table!"

"Big Brother has achieved great merits lately, and with New Year's approaching, I suggest we all go to the 1st Division to request recognition for Big Brother!"

"Yes, yes, there's no better day than today. After drinking, why doesn't Big Brother take us to the 1st Division?"

"Good, good, our demands aren't high—just let Big Brother receive honors without bowing, see Genryusai Yamamoto without kneeling, and enter the hall armed. If old Yama-ji agrees, fine. If not, hmph!"

"Exactly, if Yama-ji can sit there, why can't Big Brother?"

Seeing them getting more outrageous, Yu Mikami hiccupped and waved them off, saying, "Today is a great day for brothers to drink. Let's not talk about trivial matters."

While speaking, an explosive sound thundered across the Arena, followed by a loud shout.

"Bankai!"

"Ryuumon Hoozukimaru!"

A shiny bald man appeared, carrying a massive crescent ax on his back and wielding a moon shovel and a large sword, with all three terrifying weapons connected by chains.

Not far in front of him stood the eyepatch-wearing Zaraki Kenpachi, his shirt long gone, holding a long, nicked sword.

He looked thrilled and grinned, "Bankai, huh? That's somewhat interesting, but with just this level, you can't possibly win against me."

Below, little Yachiru was energetically waving her small hands, loudly cheering for both sides.

"Go Little Sword, beat Little Bald Head!"

"Go Little Bald Head, don't let Little Sword beat you!"

"..." Ikkaku Madarame glanced at her sideways, his mouth twitching instinctively.

Just as his gaze shifted, Zaraki's figure suddenly appeared in front of him. The longsword in Zaraki's hand sliced through the air with a deafening crack, leaving a trail of vacuum in its wake, with the faint sound of thunder lurking.

That was proof of his sword's speed having broken the sound barrier.

"Getting distracted in a fight, Ikkaku? Your attitude toward battle is worsening."

Before his words were finished, the ground of the Arena had already cracked inch by inch. Ikkaku Madarame was taken aback, instinctively raising his large sword to meet the attack.

With a thunderous boom accompanied by a cloud of dust, Ikkaku Madarame's figure was sent flying backward, a long gash appearing on his arm.

Below, the members of the 11th Division became even more excited at the sight, howling enthusiastically in chaos.

"Lieutenant Zaraki, slash down, slash down!"

"Yeah, Boss Ikkaku, fight back! If you lose again, that'll be your 3,105th straight defeat!"

"Boss Ikkaku, your Bankai must be fake, it just looks flashy."

On either side of the arena were long tables laden with fine wine and roasted meat. As they shouted, the members of the 11th Division took big bites of meat and drank heartily.

Ayasegawa Yumichika stood gracefully by a table, sipping delicately from a crystal goblet. From time to time, he'd pick up a piece of sushi from the table and pop it into his mouth, his eyes narrowing with a look of contentment.

As for the fierce clash happening in the arena, he showed no interest.

After so many battles, what difference would this time make?

He was among the few in the division who wore their full uniform properly.

Yu Mikami, a bit tipsy, yelled out as well: "Madarame, attack his lower body! What's that huge ax on your back for, decoration? Fight back! If you win, you'll be the lieutenant!"

Fueled by Yu Mikami's egging on, Ikkaku Madarame let out a war cry and indeed became more aggressive.

However, it was to no avail.

It served only to excite Zaraki Kenpachi; within ten seconds, with one slicing strike, the arena cracked like a spider web, and Ikkaku Madarame was sent flying out of the arena, landing heavily on the ground.

By then, he was drenched in blood and couldn't maintain his Bankai form.

Ayasegawa Yumichika approached and, taking out an elegant pocket watch from his coat, observed, "Not bad, you held out three seconds longer than last time."

Ikkaku Madarame, furious, ignored his wounds and leapt up to grab the other's collar, angrily shouting, "Stop your sneering. If you've got the guts, why don't you try it!"

Ayasegawa Yumichika shrugged, swatting away his hand with a smile, "A brute's fight doesn't align with my sense of beauty."

Ikkaku Madarame was even more enraged.

Meanwhile, in the arena, Zaraki Kenpachi laughed maniacally and taunted, "Who's next?"

There was a momentary silence below, and no one stepped onto the arena.

Seeing this, the members of the 11th Division began boasting loudly.

"Lieutenant is mighty, Lieutenant is strong, invincible under Lieutenant Big Brother!"

Zaraki Kenpachi laughed heartily.

Not far away, Gin Ichimaru watched the scene and rubbed his brow with a sigh. Like Ayasegawa Yumichika, he was one of the few members who hadn't stripped.

Yu Mikami lifted another bowl of sake:

"Hoo ho, Kenpachi, your strength has improved again. Truly, you're the strongest right after me... It seems now that the heroes of Seireitei are you, me, and Sōsuke. Come, let's drink!"

Zaraki Kenpachi grinned as he was about to step down from the Arena, when a gatekeeper from the 11th Division quickly approached Yu Mikami, saying, "Big Brother, Lieutenant Sasakibe is here."

"Hmm?" The news immediately sobered Yu Mikami up.

It wasn't because of Chōjirō Sasakibe himself, but as the lieutenant of the 1st Division, his sudden visit likely meant he was carrying a message from Yama-ji.

He thought to himself, "Could it be that our secret plans today were discovered by Yama-ji?"

Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, he reassured himself, "No way, my 11th Division has always been cautious and wise, with everyone as smart as Zhuge Liang. There's no chance of any leaks."

It must be something else!

He began to ponder if he'd caused any trouble recently.

Confident that he hadn't, his resolve strengthened, and he told the reporting member, "Please invite Lieutenant Sasakibe in."

Moments later, Chōjirō Sasakibe entered the courtyard. At first glance, he was struck by the sight of glaring muscles and shining bald heads.

The scene deeply shook him, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

It wasn't until Yu Mikami addressed him that he snapped back to reality.

"Lieutenant Sasakibe, does Yama-ji... cough, that is, does the teacher need something?"

Chōjirō Sasakibe regained his composure and tried to avoid looking at the overwhelming scene of exposed muscles. Instead, he focused on Yu Mikami, who, despite also being shirtless, at least had a decent appearance, not to mention a full head of hair.

"The Captain-Commander asked me to invite you over."

Yu Mikami raised an eyebrow, internally confirming his suspicion, and cautiously asked, "Did he mention what it's about?"

Chōjirō Sasakibe shook his head. "He didn't say, only that he wants you to come in person."

"I see." Yu Mikami rubbed his chin, then snapped his fingers: "Alright, guys, keep up with the training, and enjoy the feast. I'll be back soon. Kenpachi, you're in charge while I'm gone."

Immediately, members of the 11th Division rushed over with clothes.

"Big Brother, time to dress."

With practiced ease, they helped Yu Mikami slip into an undergarment.

"Big Brother, the robe."

Next, a captain's robe with golden trim was draped over Yu Mikami.

Chōjirō Sasakibe, noticing an inexplicable symbol on the back of the robe, was stunned: "Captain Mikami, this robe?"

A member next to them angrily corrected, "Idiot, you grabbed the wrong one. Quick, change it."

Before Chōjirō Sasakibe's astonished eyes, they swiftly removed the robe and replaced it with a proper 11th Division robe for Yu Mikami.

Chōjirō Sasakibe sighed deeply, deciding to pretend he hadn't seen anything.

Afterward, Yu Mikami and Chōjirō Sasakibe headed toward the 1st Division.

In silence, they traveled, and upon reaching the 1st Division, Chōjirō Sasakibe said, "Captain Mikami, the Captain-Commander is waiting for you in the back resting room. You can go ahead."

Yu Mikami felt relieved upon hearing this, thinking that it didn't seem to be anything serious; otherwise, Yama-ji wouldn't choose such a private setting.

Feeling relaxed, he grinned and swaggered toward the backyard of the 1st Division.

He was more familiar with this place than his own home.

After passing through the corridor, he arrived at Yamamoto Genryusai's room and knocked lightly, saying in a lively tone, "Teacher, your favorite, cutest, most promising, and most understanding little disciple is here!"

As he knocked, his thoughts began to wander.

The last time he was here was when Aizen from another world came, and he had brought him over to borrow Ryūjin Jakka.

Time flies, and so much time has passed since then. He wondered how that Aizen from the other world was doing.

If the flow of time between them was similar, then things over there should have reached a conclusion.

While he was lost in thought, the deep voice of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni came from inside: "Come in."

Yu Mikami chuckled softly and opened the door to enter.

He saw Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni kneeling in front of the table, holding a letter in one hand and gently stroking his beard with the other, as if in deep thought.

"A letter?"

Yu Mikami was curious and sat cross-legged opposite him, directly asking, "Teacher, why did you call for me?"

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni looked at him and placed the letter on the table. Yu Mikami glanced at it, noticing it was in English, which piqued his curiosity even more.

Yamamoto Genryusai said slowly:

"It's nothing major, just a diplomatic mission I need you to undertake."

"This Old Man thought that if you are to take over Seireitei one day, getting accustomed to dealing with them occasionally would be beneficial. Take this chance to familiarize yourself."

Yu Mikami's expression changed instantly, and he rebuked righteously, "Who said I want to take over Seireitei? Teacher, you mustn't listen to such rumors. Surely there's a troublemaker trying to sow discord—you must not be deceived!"

Yamamoto Genryusai chuckled.

"Alright, let's not talk about that for now. Let's discuss this letter. Have you ever heard of the West Branch?"

"Huh?" Yu Mikami blinked, a question mark slowly forming above his head.

Those words were completely unfamiliar to him.

Seeing his confusion, Yamamoto Genryusai wasn't surprised and continued:

"It's not unusual for you to be unaware. After all, we haven't had contact with them for over a thousand years. The last interaction was when Yhwach led the Quincy from their territory to ours…"

He sighed, turning his gaze toward the western window, his eyes seemingly drifting into an infinite distance, clearly lost in memories.

Yu Mikami didn't interrupt him, instead processing the shocking information.

He was certainly familiar with Yhwach; he'd heard the name so many times that he was almost tired of it. He had pored over the intelligence and dossiers of the battle from a thousand years ago countless times.

Although he hadn't fully read the Thousand-Year Blood War arc before crossing over, based on the intelligence he had gathered over the years, he confidently felt he had stripped Yhwach of all his secrets.

If Yhwach were still at his ancient level without any new tricks, Yu Mikami was confident he could handle him.

However, from what Yama-ji implied, Yhwach wasn't originally from Japan but came from some "West Branch," which Yu Mikami had never heard of before.

This led to a newfound curiosity about the so-called "West Branch."

Unhesitant, he interrupted Yamamoto Genryusai's reminiscences: "Teacher, what exactly is this West Branch? Could it be Quincy's base?"

Yamamoto Genryusai returned his gaze, gave him a slightly disapproving look, but chose to explain patiently.

"The so-called West Branch is, like our Seireitei, a part of the Soul Society; it is one of the forces maintaining the world's stability. Their full name is the Soul Society West Branch. Conversely, we, Seireitei, are the Soul Society East Branch."

Yu Mikami was utterly astonished; he had never heard this information before.

In the previous life, when he watched Bleach, there was no intel about this at all.

But within a few seconds, he adjusted completely—it was just a new setting, no big deal.

Then, he looked at Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni with a different expression.

Yamamoto Genryusai sensed the change in his gaze and angrily asked, "You rascal, what's that look supposed to mean?"

Yu Mikami snorted dismissively: "Tch, I used to think you were the big boss of Soul Society, Old Man Yamamoto. Turns out you're just a branch head, huh."

He sighed and shook his head, wearing a knowingly disappointed expression.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's blood pressure spiked immediately. His hand instinctively moved toward Ryūjin Jakka beside him.

Seeing the movement, Yu Mikami quickly bowed deeply:

"I sincerely apologize; I wasn't thinking clearly!"

Taking two deep breaths, Yamamoto Genryusai barely suppressed his urge to strike and, gritting his teeth, said.

"The terms East Branch and West Branch are merely names; we do not have a subordinate relationship. We are both forces maintaining the world's balance."

"And a thousand years ago, Yhwach's Quincy rampaged through the west, waging war against the West Branch. In that battle, the elite of the West Branch were wiped out, nearly eradicating them. It was only afterward that Yhwach came here and was defeated by This Old Man."

When of this history, there was a hint of pride in his tone.

Yu Mikami caught on and nodded, "So, it's a weak organization. But Teacher is mighty, unstoppable, truly mighty!"

"However... if we haven't been in contact for so long, what's going on now?"

Yamamoto Genryusai narrowed his eyes, quite receptive to Yu Mikami's flattery.

"This is why I'm asking you to go. Recently, I received a letter from the West Branch. They mentioned that it's been a long time since we've interacted and expressed a desire for us to send a delegation for cultural exchange."

"This Old Man thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea, and since you've been idle in Seireitei recently, you can take the journey."

Yu Mikami didn't object; he was quite bored in Seireitei, and with Aizen managing things well in Hueco Mundo, everything was running smoothly.

Simply put, the peace made him restless.

The West Branch sounded like an interesting place to visit.

Even so, he couldn't agree immediately.

Agreeing too quickly would make him seem cheap and wouldn't allow room for negotiation.

So he dismissively waved his hand, saying, "No way, why visit a long-lost, poor relative after a thousand years? I'm buried in division affairs and can't leave for a moment."

Yamamoto Genryusai chuckled coldly, "But I heard that all your team affairs are handled by your fourth seat, Gin Ichimaru."

Yu Mikami was momentarily at a loss for words, his eyes darting as he thought about how to defend himself.

Failing to come up with a good idea within three seconds, he straightened his expression and said, "Rumors, all just rumors."

Yamamoto Genryusai looked at him disdainfully, seeing through his little schemes, and said directly, "Enough acting, just say what you want—what would it take for you to go?"

He's negotiating?

Yu Mikami's eyes lit up, instinctively glancing at the Ryūjin Jakka by Yamamoto's side.

Yamamoto Genryusai became furious.

Yu Mikami quickly waved his hands, "No, Teacher, I was just looking, just looking. What I mean is, it's quite a long trip; shouldn't there be some funding?"

Yamamoto Genryusai raised an eyebrow, "And you need money?"

It was well known that Yu Mikami's ventures in the Soul Society and the Human World were flourishing, making him immensely wealthy—a renowned magnate.

Dear Readers,

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