Chapter 6

Yami and the others returned to the 2nd Division barracks. Yami felt the atmosphere around him was weird. Only he and Kukaku seemed upset about what had just happened. The rest of the members seemed indifferent.

'So this is the nature of the 2nd Division. No, it would be better to say that this is the nature of the Gotei 13. Anyone who is aligned with them is an ally while all those who oppose them are beasts meant to be killed.'

Yami wasn't sure how he felt about it but he didn't let his emotions show on his face. He would be leading them in the future and wouldn't show them weakness.

The group left the Senkaimon gate where the 12th Division had returned before heading back to the 2nd Division. The members of the Executive Militia returned to their barracks or went to the training rooms to enjoy their break before the next mission while Yami and Kukaku went to the meeting room to report to Yoruichi.

But as they got to the room, the only thing in there was a small black cat. Kukaku opened her mouth to say something before she felt Yami disappear from her side and next to the cat before scooping it up in his hands and scratching under its chin.

The image of the stone-faced man playing with a cat made Kukaku want to laugh but when she remembered the identity of the cat, she wanted to speak up.

"Um, Yami..."

But before she could say anything else, the cat glared at her from Yami's blind spot. Yami turned to see what his senior was going to say but the woman simply waved her hand and dismissal.

"Nevermind. Just be careful not to play too roughly with that cat. It's always in heat."

The cat glared at Kukaku once more but the woman rolled her eyes.

'It's been a while since she has gotten to prank anyone so I will let her have her fun.'

Yami kept scratching the cat's chin before planting a kiss on its lips. Both the cat and Kukaku were caught off guard as they were not prepared for the seemingly indifferent young man to do that.

"Whose cat is this?"

Kukaku had barely recovered from her shock when she heard Yami's question. She thought hard about an answer that wouldn't be the truth but also wasn't a lie.

"That cat is part of the Shihoin Clan. It walks around here occasionally."

Yami nodded.

'Makes sense that this cat belongs to Yoruichi-sama. Speaking of which, where is she?'

Yami sat down in his seat with the cat in his lap as he waited for Yoruichi to appear. He continued to scratch the cat absentmindedly while he waited.

Kukaku sat across from him and looked at the duo with a strange expression on her face. If not for her mask covering the bottom half of her face, Yami would have seen the woman trying her best to hold back her laugh.

After over 30 minutes of waiting for Yoruichi to arrive, there was still no sign of her. Kukaku had also had her fill so she decided to end the joke for the time being.

"It seems like Yoruichi will take a while longer. You can go and rest while I will do the debriefing. You should have also seen the difference between you and the other members of the group. Do not neglect your training because while your direct combat prowess may surpass many of them, you can get assassinated by almost every member of your group."

Yami nodded. He also saw the difference in their skills. Although he was prepared to join the Onmitsukido, he had underestimated just how skilled the group was. He also wanted to catch up in order to properly lead them.

Yami set down the cat before standing up and giving Kukaku a slight bow. He then walked out of the room and closed the doors behind him.

As soon as the doors closed, Kukaku turned to the black cat and glared at it.

"You've had your fun. Hurry and transform back, Yoruichi."

The black cat squinted before its body began transforming. It started to grow rapidly as its fur began to sink into its skin, revealing the flashless brown skin underneath. The body grew curves that would seduce almost any male that saw them. In a few seconds, the black cat had transformed into a naked Yoruichi.

"Good job, not blowing my cover. I should be able to have fun with Yami for a while."

Yoruichi smiled and gave Kukaku a thumbs up.

"Shut up, you exhibitionist. Go get dressed so that we can finish this mission report."

Kukaku glared at her long-time friend, tired of being dragged into her pranks. As much as she wanted to tell Yami the truth, she knew it was better to let Yoruichi have her fun otherwise she would be the one to get pranked by the cat-woman.

Yoruichi laughed before grabbing the spare uniform she kept in the room and got dressed. They then went over the mission briefing. It was nothing special but Yoruichi didn't care about that. Her focus was on her newest commander.

"How did he do?"

Kukaku nodded. She knew who Yoruichi was talking about.

"His skills are adequate. He would be a rookie member of the Onmitsukido with his stealth but he passes the basics of what we require."

"You know that's now what I'm asking about," Yoruichi said with a smile

Kukaku nodded.

"He has the right mindset. He understands what needs to be done and why we do it but he is not the type to take pleasure in it. He is still green so he is confused a bit but I can see the potential in him. He might just be able to lead the Onmitsukido one day."

Yoruichi nodded and smiled.

'I knew I didn't see wrongly back then. He has gotten the approval of me, Kisuke, and Kukaku. That kid is definitely going places.'

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It had been 3 years since Yami had joined the 2nd Division and taken over as the Corps Commander of the Executive Militia but he was Commander in name only for the first year. Every time he went out on a mission during that time, he was under the supervision of Kisuke, Marenoshin, or Kukaku.

'And I can't even blame them.'

Yami was training in one of the private training rooms to try and improve his skillset in order to catch up to the other commanders of the Onmitsukido. While he was confident in battling the normal members in open combat, he knew that the other Corps Commanders were monsters wearing human skin.

Although he was confident that he could fight Marenoshin to a standstill or maybe even beat him, the other 2 were different. After fighting by their sides for several years he was able to confirm that both of them were captain-level combatants.

They were able to hide it well when they were around the other Divisions but when it was just them and they didn't hide it, Yami was able to see that their reiatsu was comparable to the captains they would occasionally work with.

It was finally during his second year as commander of the Executive Militia that Yami was able to lead it himself. He had led nearly 50 missions during those 2 years with each one being a success. Not only did he succeed in each mission but he was also able to ensure that none of the members under him died.