Bleach: Starting From Joining Squad 6

"I imagine most of you have already heard what happened at the enlistment ceremony, so I won't repeat it."

"These two are our newest additions to Squad 6: Third Seat Nagasawa Masaru and Fourth Seat Kuchiki Byakuya."

Following the brief enlistment introductions, the captains of each division led their respective newcomers back to their squad barracks.

Perhaps due to the promotion of two high-ranking officers, Squad 6 had recalled nearly all its members to the base, aside from those assigned to guard duty and routine patrols.

Looking at the sea of black uniforms gathered in the squad grounds, Nagasawa Masaru couldn't help but whistle softly in awe.

At a glance, there were at least two to three hundred members present—and that was considered relatively few, given that Squad 6 was a noble division and typically had fewer members than most.

Masaru felt genuinely relieved.

Thank goodness he hadn't ended up in a squad with a bloated roster. Navigating those social circles would've been a nightmare.

Kuchiki Ginrei's introduction was just as brief. After casually stating Masaru's and Byakuya's names, he left the follow-up matters to his son, Kuchiki Sōjun.

Masaru wasn't quite sure whether Ginrei was deliberately trying to train his son, or simply couldn't be bothered to deal with the hassle himself.

As for the other new recruits from Shinō Academy...

Well, judging by Ginrei's demeanor, he probably didn't even think they were worth mentioning by name—at least not yet.

Just as Masaru was wondering how to hit up Kuchiki Sōjun for an advance on his first month's salary (so he could treat some of his new colleagues after hours), Ginrei, who was just about to leave the barracks, suddenly stopped mid-step.

Turning slightly, he first glanced briefly at Byakuya, then shifted his gaze to Masaru. His voice was calm and indifferent.

"The Head Captain wants you two to pay a visit to Squad 12. Someone is waiting for you there. Don't keep them waiting."

Without giving them a chance to ask any questions, Ginrei disappeared into the depths of the barracks.

Masaru and Byakuya instinctively exchanged a glance.

To Masaru's surprise, Byakuya met his eyes only for the briefest moment before coldly averting his gaze.

Looks like this little brother of mine has quite the opinion of me.

Seeing Byakuya turn away, give a polite nod to Sōjun, and start walking off without another word, Masaru simply shrugged it off. He chalked it up to youthful defiance and cheerfully followed after the boy.

As he walked, he casually said, "Sorry about this. It's my first time in the Seireitei, so I don't really know the layout yet. I'll have to trouble you to show me the way, Little Bro Byakuya."

If Hirako Shinji were here, he'd probably feel a deep sense of déjà vu.

Byakuya's brow twitched ever so slightly at the sound of Masaru's voice. Without responding, he suddenly pushed off the ground, leaving only a light parting remark as he vanished into the distance with a flash step.

"Keep up if you can."

Is this a test?

Masaru chuckled as he watched Byakuya take off like a rocket. Scratching the tip of his nose, he muttered to himself.

Good thing my experience card still has nine days left. Otherwise, this kid might've actually stumped me.

The next second, Masaru tapped his foot gently and in the blink of an eye, he not only caught up but instantly overtook Byakuya, matching pace with him effortlessly.

As the two ran side by side, Masaru even smiled warmly and said, "Your flash step's pretty impressive, Little Bro Byakuya. I almost couldn't keep up."

"!"

Byakuya froze mid-motion upon hearing the voice at his side. Turning with disbelief, he found Masaru gliding along smoothly, looking completely unbothered.

He knew Masaru was strong, at least in terms of combat ability and spiritual pressure, the man was definitely captain-level.

But even so, Byakuya had always taken pride in his flash step mastery.

After all, not everyone had the chance to grow up playing tag with the "Flash Goddess" herself, Yoruichi Shihōin.

Enduring countless pranks at her hands had forced him to master the technique early on. He even believed that, were he to face Yoruichi now, he might not lose outright.

So seeing Masaru trailing behind him at exactly half a step without falling behind or pulling ahead, was enough to make his competitive spirit flare.

Already moving at high speed, Byakuya somehow found a way to accelerate even more.

Yet, no matter how fast he pushed himself, Masaru followed like a perfectly calibrated machine, always maintaining that precise half-step gap with a smile.

His expression practically screamed, "Go ahead and run—I can keep up all day."

To make matters worse, somewhere along the way, another figure quietly appeared beside them.

"Yo. In a rush to meet some lady, huh, Young Master Byakuya?"

The familiar teasing voice made Byakuya's temple throb.

Masaru turned his head curiously toward the newcomer on Byakuya's other side.

Dark skin, short purple hair, and a pristine white captain's haori. Her identity was clear at a glance.

It was none other than the person he'd just met recently, Captain of Squad 2, current head of the Shihōin Clan, Yoruichi Shihōin.

"It's Captain Shihōin-"

Masaru had just started to greet her when Byakuya cut him off mid-sentence with a snarl.

"Damn cat demon! What do you want this time?!"

Even as he ran, he threw a spinning kick toward Yoruichi, "accidentally" including Masaru in the attack's path.

Unfortunately for Byakuya, neither of his targets were amateurs.

Dodge *2!

Yoruichi, clearly enjoying herself, casually evaded the attack and continued teasing.

"Oh come on. I just saw a certain someone gritting his teeth, going all out to compete with a newly enlisted recruit. Naturally, I got a little worried about the future of the Kuchiki Clan, so I thought I'd check in like the kind, concerned big sister I am."

As she spoke, her bright golden eyes locked onto Masaru.

/////////////////////////

Support me by adding this fic into your library!

100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter