Chapter 136: Chapter 136: The Beginning Katori Nanatsuki arrived at the Fourth Division.
As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he ran into Hoshino Rie.
When Nanatsuki saw her, she was sweeping the courtyard.
. "Rie, is it your turn for duty today?" Nanatsuki asked with a soft chuckle.
"Sensei!" Hoshino Rie was both surprised and delighted to see him.
"Is Captain Unohana here?" Nanatsuki asked. "I have something I need to discuss with her."
"Youâre here to see the Captain?" Hoshino Rie shook her head. "But sheâs not here right now. She received a mission and already left."
"A mission?" Nanatsuki caught her choice of words. "Do you know what happened?"
There werenât many assignments that required Unohana Retsu to personally intervene.
Normally, if any Shinigami needed treatment, theyâd come to the Fourth Division. It was rare for Unohana to leave on her own initiative.
"Iâm not sure either. The Captain didnât take anyone with her. Vice-Captain Sasakibe visited, and she left with him afterward." Hoshino Rie shook her head.
"Then Iâll wait here for her in the meantime. Might as well check what youâve been learning lately," Nanatsuki said warmly.
"Huh?" Hoshino Rie hadnât expected a surprise inspection. Panic instantly rose in her chest.
After stepping down, former Seventh Division Captain Nobutsuna ShigyĹ had moved out of the Seireitei to rest at his family home.
Known for his quiet nature, ShigyĹ was rarely disturbed in retirementâonly occasionally visited by former subordinates.
But today was very different. The grounds around his estate were filled with Shinigami.
KyĹraku Shunsui saw Sasakibe ChĹjirĹ arrive with Unohana Retsu and hurried forward.
"Captain Unohana, youâre finally here!"
Unohana asked, "Has your Intelligence Squad found anything?"
"Still no sign of Captain ShigyĹâs whereabouts." KyĹraku shook his head gravely. "The situation doesnât look good. If he were still able to move, he shouldnât be completely untraceable. Either heâs trapped somewhere unknown... or heâs already... been killed."
Earlier that day, the Seventh Divisionâs Vice-Captain came to visit Nobutsuna ShigyĹâonly to find him missing. All that remained inside was a pool of blood. Clearly, something had happened.
The disappearance of a former captain was no small matter, and the vice-captain immediately reported it.
However, KyĹraku and the Intelligence Squad hadnât been able to find any leads. They had no choice but to seek help from other divisions.
"Thereâs blood inside. Please, come take a look," KyĹraku said, leading Unohana to the spot where it had been discovered.
The bloodstains were found in the bedroomâthe bed soaked red.
"A large amount of blood, but no signs of struggle..." Unohana furrowed her brow.
Although ShigyĹâs strength had greatly declined, he shouldnât have been completely defenseless.
Judging by the blood pattern and the untouched surroundings, he likely didnât resist at all.
Unohana noticed a teacup on the nearby table. It was empty but had faint water marks left behind.
She picked it up and gave it a sniff. Her expression subtly changed.
"There are traces of some kind of drug in the tea."
After analyzing further, she added, "Preliminary judgmentâsome kind of powerful sedative."
KyĹraku speculated, "So... the Captain was drugged first, then attacked?"
"Thatâs very likely." Unohana nodded. "It would explain the state of the blood and lack of resistance. He was likely incapacitated before the attack."
"But itâs not like just anyone could drug Captain ShigyĹ," KyĹraku frowned. "Heâs not that careless. Could it have been someone he knew?"
"Then weâll have to start by investigating people close to him." KyĹraku glanced at the Shinigami nearby. "Iâve already sent someone to notify Captain Hikifune. Sheâll be coming shortly to analyze the residual reiatsu in this area."
"By the way, Captain Unohanaâhow easy is it to get that kind of sedative?"
Unohana thought for a moment. "Itâs not commonly found. Only three places could have itâFourth Division, Twelfth Division, and the ShinĹ Kaido Department."
"That narrows it down quite a bit," KyĹraku murmured, rubbing his chin.
Soon after, Hikifune Kirio arrived with two assistants in white coats.
"Kirio, I found traces of a drug in the tea. Itâs likely someone familiar to the victim. Can you scan the room for residual reiatsu?" Unohana requested.
Hikifune nodded and turned to her subordinates. "Kisuke, Kazushu, did you bring the equipment? Scan the room thoroughly."
"Yes, maâam!" Urahara Kisuke and a frog-faced man responded.
They began scanning for residual spiritual pressure.
Hikifune turned to KyĹraku. "Has the Intelligence Squad found any clues elsewhere?"
KyĹraku shook his head. "We searched the entire area but found nothing. This was probably premeditated."
Urahara Kisuke and Kazushu moved carefully through the room, using equipment to collect trace spiritual energy. The residual reiatsu was too faint to be sensed normallyâit had to be scanned with specialized tools.
Once spiritual traces were identified, theyâd be compared to entries in the spiritual pressure database. If there was a match, the Shinigami behind the residue could be identified.
Kazushu scanned the bed. When he moved to the bloodstains, he paused slightly.
"Kazushu, did you find something?" Urahara Kisuke leaned over.
"Well... the amount of blood is massive. Could it be that the Captain is already... dead?" Kazushu muttered.
"Most likely, yeah. He probably even got decapitated." Urahara Kisuke analyzed the direction and flow of the blood on the pillow and sheets.
"Hm?" Something caught his eye. Among the blood, faint black marks could be seenâbut the blood had soaked them, making them hard to discern.
Urahara pulled out a solution and poured it over the stains. As the liquid touched the blood, the color faded, revealing marks beneath.
"Captain, I found writing in the blood. It mightâve been left by Captain ShigyĹ!" Urahara announced.
Everyone gathered around and saw words etched with reiatsu on the bedâone name:
Asayu Tetsuya.
KyĹrakuâs gaze sharpened. He turned to the Seventh Divisionâs Vice-Captain standing nearby. "Vice-Captain Asayu, is there something youâre not telling us?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
Because the newly appointed Vice-Captain of the Seventh... was Asayu Tetsuya.
He had previously served as the Third Seat of the Seventh Division. After his brother, Asayu Mitsuya, died in the World of the Living, heâd been promoted.
At that moment, Kazushu added, "Captain, I detected Vice-Captain Asayuâs reiatsu on the teacup as well."
"It wasnât me!" Asayu Tetsuya took several steps back, trembling. "Why would I ever hurt Captain ShigyĹ?!"