Bleach: Starting From Joining Squad 6

"Take... take off my clothes?"

Hearing the words spoken beside his ear, Byakuya Kuchiki widened his eyes in disbelief, his face clearly expressing his shock.

Thinking back on the conversation between Nagasawa Masaru and Shutara Senjumaru just now, he couldn't tell whether he had misheard or if Senjumaru had simply misspoken.

"Yes, take off your clothes. You don't want me to say it a third time, do you?"

With a casual glance at the stunned Byakuya, Senjumaru's voice remained calm as she continued.

"Ever since I designed the Shihakushō myself, only Captains have been eligible to have me personally take their measurements. Don't be ungrateful, young Byakuya."

Once he was sure he hadn't misheard, Byakuya's eye twitched slightly.

He didn't care about being measured or fitted. In his eyes, the Shihakushō was a disposable uniform. If it wasn't mandatory in the Gotei 13, he wouldn't bother wearing it at all.

Besides, stripping in front of a woman he had never met before went against both the teachings instilled in him by the Kuchiki clan and his own pride.

He instinctively took half a step back, quietly muttering to Nagasawa Masaru beside him.

"Hey, Nagasawa, there's something off about this woman. I think we should just leave—"

"Wait, why are you already undressing?!"

But before he could finish speaking, his eyes shifted to Nagasawa, only to be shocked to see his superior officer already loosening his belt!

What stunned him even more was that Nagasawa replied to his question with a look of pure innocence.

"Huh? Isn't it easier to be measured when you're completely undressed? What's the big deal?"

After all, Bleach is a story where "the uglier you are, the more you lose." Style matters. Getting personally measured by the legendary "Great Weaver" Senjumaru? That's an honor Nagasawa had no intention of refusing.

Nagasawa's nonchalant attitude completely unsettled Byakuya, to the point that he began doubting whether he was the one being unreasonable.

Although Nagasawa had joined Squad 6, it was his first day reporting in, so he was still wearing the Shino Academy uniform he had stolen from Sakaki.

But as he slipped off the top of that stolen academy uniform, Byakuya suddenly froze in place.

"Your... your body..."

Byakuya stared in disbelief, and even Senjumaru's eyes narrowed slightly when she saw Nagasawa's body, a hint of sorrow surfacing on her face.

What kind of body was this?

Thin as bamboo, so frail he looked like he might be blown away by the wind.

His ribs protruded like mountain ridges, with barely a trace of flesh. It looked more like skin wrapped over bones. Byakuya couldn't even fathom how Nagasawa had managed to defeat Captain-level Shinigami with such a body.

Nagasawa sighed softly at his words. The original owner of this body had truly suffered.

"Oh, that? Back then, we were so poor we could barely afford food, let alone clean water. If I hadn't come to the Seireitei to find work, I probably would've starved to death in Rukongai."

In Soul Society, souls are generally categorized into two types: those with spiritual power and those without.

Souls without spiritual power don't feel hunger and don't need food. They just absorb spiritual particles from the atmosphere and drink water to survive.

But those with higher spiritual power, even after absorbing reiryoku from the air, may still suffer from hunger. Severe cases can lose strength or even die.

Even so, the original owner had only managed to scrape by on the most basic survival.

The 64th District, Kusume, wasn't as desolate as the 80th District, but it was still far from prosperous.

Even someone like Nagasawa, who had seen his fair share of life's hardships, felt a pang of sympathy after learning the past of this body's previous owner.

But in Byakuya's ears, Nagasawa's words had a different impact entirely.

Byakuya looked at him with a complicated expression, guilt, remorse, and shame surfacing in his eyes.

With that kind of spiritual power, surviving just on atmospheric reiryoku must have been incredibly difficult.

He had the strength of a Captain but never once used that power to obtain anything for himself. He only came to the Seireitei to seek a job when he was on the verge of collapse.

All he ever wanted was to live.

Why had I looked down on someone like him?

Byakuya Kuchiki... When did your heart become so narrow and your vision so small?

With thoughts swirling, Byakuya silently lowered his noble head and began to remove his clothing.

However, after comparing his strong arms to Nagasawa's emaciated chest, he fell silent again.

He made up his mind that once they left the Squad 12 barracks, he would speak highly of Nagasawa to both his grandfather and Head Captain Yamamoto.

Boys undress quickly. In just a short while, Nagasawa was standing confidently before Senjumaru.

Her gaze lowered slightly, and the skeletal prosthetics extending from behind her tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Looks like standard measurements won't do here."

Then, Senjumaru turned her eyes to Byakuya and said in mild displeasure,

"Did I not make myself clear?"

"When I said 'take off your clothes,' I meant everything. Why are you still wearing that loincloth?"

Byakuya crossed his arms, wearing only a white fundoshi at the waist, and responded with a righteous tone.

"The Kuchiki family has worn fundoshi for generations."

Senjumaru raised an eyebrow. "Who asked you about that? I'm telling you to remove it. Don't pretend you didn't hear me."

A flush of crimson spread rapidly across Byakuya's pale cheeks. He turned his head away and muttered,

"Being measured for a uniform shouldn't require removing the fundoshi, right?"

"Pfft!"

So he's a pure little virgin after all.

Nagasawa couldn't help but laugh. The young Byakuya Kuchiki was worlds apart from the aloof noble he knew from the future.

What on earth had happened to turn him into that stoic ice king?

Senjumaru, meanwhile, appeared genuinely thoughtful at Byakuya's words, as if seriously considering his suggestion.

After a moment, she nodded slowly as if having made a decision.

"I see. In that case, I'll just cut off your ○○ and take the measurements after."

(╬￣皿￣)

Veins popped on Byakuya's forehead.

Aside from Yoruichi Shihōin, this woman was the only one who had ever provoked him so easily.

But faced with Senjumaru's fearsome reputation, Byakuya ultimately surrendered.

What followed was relatively simple.

The skeletal prosthetics behind Senjumaru's back moved like precision instruments, measuring every inch of Nagasawa and Byakuya's bodies, leaving Nagasawa thoroughly impressed.

"Huh?"

While in the middle of her measurements, Senjumaru suddenly let out a quiet sound of surprise, and her six prosthetic limbs slowed.

She turned to Nagasawa with a contemplative look and asked softly,

"Your Soul Sleep and Soul Chain... did they just finish healing?"

Nagasawa blinked, then nodded.

"Yeah, they were damaged for some time, but fortunately, they've just recovered."

The system's repair function had been fast. Right after joining Squad 6, even before the full system had formally activated, it had already healed his damaged soul components and cleansed his body of all negative statuses.

Even so, someone skilled in reiryoku detection and healing arts could still notice something off.

Senjumaru's prosthetics had sensed the anomaly the moment they touched him.

But after hearing Nagasawa's explanation, Senjumaru simply nodded lightly and said no more.

Damage to the Soul Sleep and Soul Chain wasn't irreversible, just extremely difficult to heal—akin to a rebirth from the ashes. Her task was merely to conduct a full inspection and tailor a new uniform. Digging deeper wasn't her job.

Byakuya? That was just incidental.

Senjumaru worked swiftly. Not long after, she waved them away.

"Alright, you can leave now. I'll have your Shihakushō delivered to Squad 6 shortly."

But perhaps moved by Nagasawa's frail condition, she paused briefly with her back turned, then looked over her shoulder and said gently,

"I'll be staying in Squad 12 a bit longer before transferring to Squad Zero. If anything troublesome happens... come find me."

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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter