Chapter 859: Chapter 860: The Fourth Division

Intense. Exciting. Yet, no victor was decided.

There was no clear conclusion as to who truly held the title of the strongest graduate of the year.

Ethan and Yoruichi’s battle ultimately ended in a draw. While many onlookers who had only come for the show didn’t mind the result, it left Yoruichi, one of the participants, feeling quite frustrated.

She slammed her hand on the table in annoyance, making all the dishes and bowls bounce. Fortunately, they were already empty. Otherwise, she would have been stuck wondering whether to be upset over the wasted food or disgusted that the table was too dirty to continue eating.

"You bastard! How much are you still hiding?"

She had believed that with her intense training and full effort, she would be able to wipe away the stain of her "accidental" or "unexpected" defeat to Ethan back then.

She wanted to prove to everyone that she, Yoruichi, was still the most formidable one. She wanted to prove that her Hakuda was strong enough to carry the responsibilities she would one day bear.

However, the outcome wasn’t what she expected. She had still failed to defeat him.

Yoruichi wasn’t someone who couldn’t accept losing, but what frustrated her was that Ethan had only used Hakuda against her the entire time, and she could tell that he hadn’t even gone all out. Even so, it had ended in a draw, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

"I’ve never hidden anything... it’s just that no one asked." Turning his head, he looked at Kisuke, who was quietly eating nearby. "Kisuke can vouch for that."

"Ahem, I’m not exactly sure either!"

Kisuke looked quite annoyed. What did this have to do with him? Why was he being dragged into this?

"Fine, I’ll ask you now. What exactly is your Zanpakuto’s ability?"

Ethan had never used his Zanpakuto, but Yoruichi had a strong feeling that he had already mastered Shikai. She was certain of it.

"My Zanpakuto, huh..."

Ethan put down his chopsticks, realizing that he genuinely didn’t know how to answer that.

"Tch, and you say you don’t hide things..."

"No, it’s just that I don’t know how to describe my Zanpakuto. How about I show you sometime?"

"Eh?"

Yoruichi didn’t expect Ethan to be so straightforward about revealing his Zanpakuto’s ability. While it was true that once he became a Shinigami, people would eventually learn what it was, voluntarily revealing it was a different matter. Many Zanpakuto abilities were difficult to detect. In such cases, misleading others with false information could be a deciding factor in battle.

"Let’s talk about that later. Are you really set on joining Squad 4?"

"Yeah? What’s wrong?"

"After sparring with you, I feel even more strongly that you should join Squad 2."

Squad 2 had the highest requirements for Hakuda ability, especially since the captain of the Detention Unit had to be able to subdue everyone in the Maggot’s Nest bare-handed.

"Not interested."

Ethan’s refusal was so blunt that Yoruichi could tell he genuinely disliked Squad 2. There was no point in trying to persuade him further.

They continued eating and drinking, and as the night deepened, the three of them returned to their respective dorms to rest.

The remaining days were spent handling graduation matters. For someone like Ethan, the remaining tasks were just a formality. There was nothing left at the academy that required his attention. What gave him more of a headache were the recruitment offers from various divisions.

To avoid being hassled by recruitment attempts, Ethan went to Squad 4 early and submitted his application.

With his ability, Squad 4 naturally didn’t reject him. However, when the news spread that the most talked-about graduate had actually chosen Squad 4, it shocked everyone.

Among the reactions were also some mocking remarks. While Ethan was gaining recognition, he had also drawn jealousy and resentment from some Shinigami. Now that the "strongest graduate of the year" had voluntarily "lowered himself" by joining Squad 4, they finally had something to gossip about.

Ethan ignored the various comments. Instead, he was glad that once the news got out, no one came to bother him again, and he was able to focus on finishing his graduation procedures.

With no more interruptions, time passed quickly. By the time everything was settled, he was no longer a student of the Shin’ō Academy.

Carrying his personal belongings, Ethan arrived at the Squad 4 barracks to report. Lieutenant Yamada Seinosuke personally received him and arranged for his dormitory and other details.

As for the work skills needed in Squad 4, those would be taught to him one by one after officially joining.

Compared to Captain Unohana Retsu, who appeared gentle and nurturing like a healing-type older sister, Lieutenant Yamada Seinosuke, despite having fair skin and decent looks, gave off a gloomy aura.

His attitude toward Ethan wasn’t as warm as the other Squad 4 members. Squad 4 typically recruited members of average ability or those rejected by other divisions. A genius like Ethan, who had been highly sought after by multiple divisions, had never voluntarily chosen Squad 4 before.

When Ethan decided to join, many Squad 4 members immediately developed a good impression of him and welcomed him warmly. But that group didn’t include Lieutenant Yamada.

The lieutenant simply went through the motions of arranging everything, then looked at Ethan and coldly stated, "I don’t care how well-known you were at the academy. Squad 4 is a medical unit. If your healing ability, that is, your Kaidō, doesn’t meet our standards, you won’t qualify as a seated officer. Until your skills are properly assessed, you’ll be treated as a regular member."

Ethan was momentarily confused about why this guy was saying all this, then recalled that a few divisions had tried to lure him in with promises of a seated officer position. He hadn’t paid attention to those offers at all.

"If you have no objections, then starting tomorrow, you’ll begin training with the other new recruits. The assembly point is the squad barracks I just showed you. Don’t be late."

"Understood, Lieutenant Yamada."

Yamada nodded and left. Ethan then began organizing his room and belongings.

After graduating from the Shin’ō Academy and officially joining the Gotei 13, he could choose to return home or live in the dormitories provided by the division.

As a commoner from Rukongai without a house in Seireitei, Ethan could only live in the dormitory.

He didn’t mind. The treatment provided by the Gotei 13 was quite good, and the living conditions weren’t inferior to private residences in Seireitei. In fact, some divisions had better environments due to location advantages.

For example, Squad 4’s location was especially scenic, seemingly chosen with the emotional needs of patients in mind.

"I’ll be living here for the next hundred years or so. The environment is really nice."

The main plot wouldn’t begin for another hundred years. Until then, he could live quietly and steadily improve his strength.

But before that, he had to learn how to be a proper medical personnel.

Ethan had thought that simply mastering Kaidō would be enough to handle Squad 4’s basic duties, but reality proved otherwise.

Even though it wasn’t as complex or varied as the Human World, becoming a qualified healer in the Soul Society wasn’t easy either.

Mastering Kaidō was only the foundation. Squad 4 members also had to learn spiritual anatomy and the study of spiritual bodies. They even had to understand how to grow and process medicinal herbs. Squad 4 had its own herbal gardens that required maintenance. Their daily life was far more involved than Ethan had originally imagined.

New recruits had a lot to learn, making them very busy in the beginning. According to the veteran Squad 4 members guiding them, once new recruits finished their training and received a fixed post, the workload would ease up.

Since internal transfers were common, all procedures were covered during initial training so recruits wouldn’t be completely clueless if transferred to another role.

They weren’t expected to perform as quickly or as skillfully as veterans, but they needed to understand the workflow and at least avoid dragging others down.

Among all the recruits, Ethan still stood out the most. Whether it was cultivating, harvesting, or processing herbs, preparing medicine, or diagnosing and treating injuries, he learned everything the fastest and did it the best.

As a result, not long after joining Squad 4, Ethan completed his basic training and became the first new recruit to "graduate." He was the first to receive an official assignment: assistant to Captain Unohana Retsu, which basically meant doing various odd jobs for the captain.

It didn’t seem like an important position, but the veterans in Squad 4 understood that Ethan had already caught the captain’s attention. She was planning to personally train him.

Considering Squad 4 rarely recruited geniuses, it was only natural that someone like Ethan would receive special treatment.

In the eyes of Squad 4 members, Ethan had already secured a seated officer position. Which seat he would ultimately receive would depend on his talent and performance.

And Ethan, who they believed had already secured a seat, was now sweating heavily, facing what looked like a gentle and nurturing big sister.

"Oh my. You’re already giving up at such a young age?"

"..."

He really wanted to retort, but he didn’t even have the chance to speak. The moment he let his guard down, Captain Unohana would strike him with her bamboo sword without hesitation.

Wasn’t he supposed to be a healer? Even if he was doing odd jobs for the captain, he had thought it would be things like handing her a scalpel or wiping her sweat. How had it turned into sword practice?

(To be continued.)