Bleach : I Need To Rizz To Become Stronger ?!-Chapter 105: Yūne’s Promise, Clash for the Ring!

Shortly after Kaien's visit, Matsumoto Rangiku appeared as well.

"What sort of mess have you stirred up this time?" she demanded the moment she saw Shin.

"What could I have stirred?" Shin feigned innocence. "Didn't the Head-Captain himself issue the notice?"

Rangiku frowned. "Weren't we supposed to just have a private spar between our two squads? How did that suddenly turn into a full-scale Gotei Thirteen tournament?"

Indeed, Shin had previously approached her to arrange a friendly match between the Fourth and Tenth Divisions. She had agreed — but before they could even set a date, the First Division's proclamation came down. The abrupt escalation left her baffled.

"We'd already sparred with the Eleventh and Thirteenth. The Head-Captain caught wind of it. He thought it'd be a good opportunity to foster more unity among squads, so now we've got a grand tournament." Shin explained casually.

Rangiku sighed. "So be it... If the Head-Captain thinks it's a good thing. But why in the world is Seireitei's janitorial work the punishment for the losing squad?"

"You find it unfair?" Shin countered.

Rangiku hesitated, lips parting to reply — but fell silent.

She sighed again, her gaze softening as she stared at him. "You little devil... Do you really not understand, or are you pretending not to?"

Shin's voice remained light. "The notice came straight from the Head-Captain. Shouldn't you be asking him instead?"

That gave her pause.

It was true. The decree had come directly from Yamamoto himself. Even if Shin had maneuvered behind the scenes, without the old man's signature, a mere Third Seat couldn't possibly move an entire organization — much less assign punishments involving Seireitei-wide operations.

If Shin had tried this alone, the Central 46 would've hauled him in for trial.

In truth, she'd come today out of concern, to get a read on his motives. Despite the vastness of Soul Society, all administrative control was concentrated in Seireitei — which was populated entirely by nobles, save for the shinigami.

And the Central 46 were exclusively drawn from the noble houses.

To put it bluntly, Soul Society was ruled by aristocrats. The Gotei Thirteen? Just their sword arms.

Some Captains — due to sheer strength and status — might rival or even surpass certain nobles in influence, but the Head-Captain had always maintained cordial ties with the ruling elite.

Which made all this even harder for Rangiku to parse.

She studied Shin's expression and asked carefully, "What exactly did the Head-Captain say to you?"

Shin smiled. "Mostly details about how the exchange tournament will run."

Rangiku pouted and turned away. Best not to know more.

Finally, she said, "Well, forget it. Maybe I'm overthinking things... And honestly, your squad doesn't have great odds of winning."

"What if we do win?" Shin suddenly asked.

She pursed her lips. "Then it's good for you — the Fourth gets a break from cleaning duty for a whole year."

"Someone has to lose," Shin said quietly.

Rangiku scowled. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

Everyone knew the Fourth Division was the weakest in terms of combat. The Eleventh was the strongest, but most other squads were relatively even.

And if one of those squads unexpectedly lost...

That was what worried her.

If things turned ugly, Shin — as the architect of it all — would face the blowback.

Looking at this deceptively young man and his faint, unreadable smile, she couldn't help but feel that she still hadn't seen through him — not back in Rukongai, and not now.

Like Kaien before her, Rangiku left more uncertain than when she arrived.

Not long after, Kotetsu Isane sought Shin out — a rare occasion.

"I've drafted several roster options for the tournament," she said, handing him a file.

Shin skimmed it briefly, then said, "Yūne-nee, you don't need to participate."

Isane sighed. "It's troublesome. Only one of us can fight..."

The rule was set by the First Division: each squad must send three participants — one high-rank (Vice-Captain to Fifth Seat), one mid-rank (below Fifth Seat), and one unseated member.

And the matches were divided into three tiers accordingly: upper, middle, and lower.

Participants could only fight within or above their tier — never below. High-ranking officers could only fight in the upper tier. Middle-ranks in middle or upper. Unseated members had no restrictions.

The structure was clearly designed to limit the Fourth Division.

"Let me take the stage," Shin said gently. "You don't like these public duels anyway."

Isane was silent, then took the roster back from his hands.

"You already planned this, didn't you?"

"More or less."

She exhaled. "This isn't like our friendly matches with the Eleventh or Thirteenth. If we lose badly here... the whole squad becomes a joke."

Shin grinned. "Don't worry, Yūne-nee. When have I ever let you down?"

She didn't reply. Truth be told, she was more worried than anyone.

"Yūne-nee." Shin's voice softened.

She looked up and met his warm, teasing gaze — and her heart skipped.

"If I lead us to victory... will you give me a reward?"

"What kind of reward?" she asked, eyes darting away.

"Just one wish. You'll grant it if we win."

"What kind of wish?"

"You'll find out once I've won," he said with a wink.

It was shameless. Brazen.

She should have said no.

But after all he'd done for the squad... and after what he'd said that night while drunk, only to never cross a line afterward...

Some strange instinct made her nod.

The month passed in a flash.

The Fourth Division's open-air training arena was modified for the occasion, reinforced with massive white pillars made from spiritual-pressure-dampening Reiatsu Stones. The funding, of course, came from the First Division.

The day of the tournament arrived. Clear skies stretched across Seireitei.

The Fourth had prepared everything in advance. At the gates of their barracks, the Head-Captain arrived, leading the twelve current Captains of the Gotei Thirteen (with Squad Three still lacking one).

Every Fourth Division member stood at attention to greet them.

Trailing the Captains were dozens of seated and unseated officers — some participants, some merely spectators.

Shin recognized several faces: Hisagi Shūhei, Kiyone Kotetsu, and Hitsugaya Tōshirō. All three had become full members of their respective squads (9th, 8th, 10th) but none had advanced as rapidly as Shin himself.

They noticed him, too. Since graduating from the Academy, they barely saw each other anymore.

Unohana exchanged a few words with the Head-Captain, then everyone moved toward the arena.

Around the ring, spectator seating had been arranged. The Captains' seats were at the center.

Shin scanned the lineup. Several Captains he'd never interacted with directly.

Soi Fon of the Second.

Byakuya Kuchiki of the Sixth.

Sajin Komamura of the Seventh.

And Kenpachi Zaraki of the Eleventh — whose scowl stood out like a wound.

Shin understood why. Kenpachi lived for battle, but Captains were forbidden from participating in this event. He'd be forced to sit on the sidelines, and that alone must've driven him mad.

His massive frame was unmistakable among the Captains — but even he was dwarfed by Sajin Komamura, a three-meter-tall giant clad in armor and a featureless helmet.

Few knew what the Seventh Division Captain actually looked like.

The Fourth Division was responsible for the entire event's management.

Once everyone was seated, Isane stepped onto the platform to recite the tournament's mission:

"To promote mutual understanding and strengthen cooperation among the Divisions of the Gotei Thirteen — and to encourage progress through combat."

Victory brought rewards.

Defeat brought consequences.

All forms of combat were permitted: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hōhō, Kidō. Injury was acceptable. Intent to kill was not.

Isane read the final rules: three brackets — upper, middle, and lower.

Each bracket followed a "King of the Hill" format. One contestant held the ring; challengers entered one after another. Whoever remained last was the winner. This would repeat to determine second and third place, and so on.

The final squad rankings would be based on cumulative results.

This wasn't what Shin had envisioned.

He'd wanted a tournament bracket format that would allow him to carry the Fourth Division's weight.

But the rules imposed by the First Division had erased that possibility.

He sighed internally. Still, he could adapt.

They didn't need to win everything.

They just needed the right people to lose.

Once Isane finished reciting the rules, two enormous banners were unfurled on either side of the stage, listing the participants by squad.

From the Captains' seats, Kyōraku chuckled. "A lot of Third Seats, I see."

Indeed, in the upper bracket — supposedly the most elite — only half the slots were filled by Vice-Captains. The rest were Third Seats:

Squads 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, and 13 had all sent their Third Seats.

Why?

Squad 1's Vice-Captain, Sasakibe, possessed Captain-level power. It would be overkill for him to participate.

Squad 3 had no Vice-Captain, so their Third Seat, Tojin Rikū, stepped in.

Squad 4 sent Shin.

Squad 6 lacked a Vice-Captain.

Squad 8's Ise Nanao wasn't a combat specialist.

Squad 11's Ikkaku Madarame was a Vice-Captain in all but title.

Squad 13 sent their Third Seat, Sentarō Kotsubaki, instead of Kaien — for some reason.

The remaining brackets were filled by actual Vice-Captains.

Aizen Sōsuke of the Fifth smiled. "Seems the squads sending Third Seats must feel confident."

Kyōraku replied, "That's not quite it. My Nanao-chan isn't much of a fighter. If I forced her in, then we'd have problems. I'd rather not see her get hurt."

A chill ran down his spine as Nanao, seated behind him, stared daggers into his back. She bit her lip, resisting the urge to strike her own Captain in front of everyone.

Aizen chuckled politely, then turned to Kaien. "Vice-Captain Shiba, why aren't you participating?"

Kaien grinned sheepishly. "Heard one of the Vice-Captains has mastered Bankai. If I went up, I'd just get humiliated."

Soi Fon interjected, "Sounds like Squad Five plans to win it all."

Aizen adjusted his glasses with a pleasant smile. "We happen to have a budget shortfall. I thought we might patch it up this way."

While the Captains chatted, Tojin Rikū — the Third Seat of Squad 3 — sat quietly behind them, face pale.

He had a bad feeling. This whole tournament was a disaster waiting to happen.

Honestly, his squad might perform worse than the Fourth.

Just as he was sighing in defeat, he felt a gaze — and looked up to see Shin smiling at him across the arena, eyes glinting with inscrutable intent.