Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami

11th Division.

Akira sat cross-legged at the front of the grass field, examining his three new subordinates.

Kaname Tōsen, Sajin Komamura, and Kenpachi Zaraki.

Each looked fiercer than the last — while Kaname and Zaraki still appeared somewhat human, Sajin literally had a dog's head.

Kaname's expression was serene, his eyes tightly shut, yet his awareness remained sharp. Through his natural talent with Reiryoku, he could sense his environment through special means, even without strong Reiatsu. Not a single movement escaped his notice.

Sajin's canine face betrayed hints of nervousness. His path to joining the 11th Division had been peculiar, though so far, the experience proved pleasant enough.

Zaraki, meanwhile, was wrapped like a mummy by the 4th Division's Lieutenant Seinosuke Yamada. Despite not meeting discharge standards, they'd released him due to his relentless demands.

He'd arrived at the 11th Division with several officers in tow, immediately challenging Akira to another duel.

And promptly got thrashed again.

After this incident, Akira discovered the joy of one-sided domination. No wonder Genryūsai always looked so refreshed after beating him up — the old man's wrinkles would completely smooth out, making him look five hundred years younger.

With Zaraki's seal still unbroken, Akira figured he might as well continue the beatings.

Kisuke stood beside him, every bit the scheming advisor. He secretly observed the unhealed bruises on his Captain's face, his own teeth aching in sympathy.

Only someone as tough-skinned as Akira could maintain such high spirits after multiple brutal battles. Even after being sliced up by Unohana and beaten by Genryūsai, mere surface wounds didn't faze him.

His powerful Spiritual Body granted him top-tier recovery speed. Even without the Hell Springs or Kaidō, he could heal completely in no time.

"Kisuke, what do you think?" Akira turned and asked.

Kisuke froze for a moment before realizing he meant arrangements for the three newcomers.

The mere thought gave him an instant headache. With his lazy, work-avoiding nature, he could barely manage himself, let alone others.

"Never mind, forget I asked." Akira waved his hand, "Tōsen and Komamura can train with the others. If they have questions, they can ask our Lieutenant — Lord Urahara."

Under their watchful eyes, he gave Kisuke's shoulder such a forceful pat that it nearly left him lopsided.

The poor Urahara wanted to cry but had no tears. From document processor to barracks constructor, and now adding childcare to his duties.

This damned Captain was grinding his bones for all they were worth! At this rate, he'd die from overwork!

This wouldn't do — he needed to find someone else to exploit.

"Yes, Captain!" x2

Akira waved his hand: "No need to be so formal, we don't have many ugly rules in the Eleventh Division. As for you..."

His scrutinizing gaze fell on Zaraki.

A single-minded beast, a brute whose head was filled with nothing but fighting. Yet, his docile behavior in Akira's presence was surprisingly unexpected.

Zaraki spoke up, his voice hoarse from battle injuries.

"I'm not leaving. Until I officially defeat you, I'll stay right here." His eyes flashed with burning passion, his fighting spirit blazing wildly.

Despite spending less than a day in the 11th Division, he had discovered that this environment was perfect for him.

Shinigami here would start fighting at the slightest provocation, crossing swords with each other, continuing even when covered in blood.

The only disappointment was that most were too weak. Only Akira, who had beaten him down, and that pretty boy beside him with the fawning smile seemed noteworthy.

Akira nodded with satisfaction, "Good, you won't regret this decision! You should know that our Eleventh Division has a complete organizational structure, full benefits package, annual leave, year-end double pay, plus additional bonuses. We also regularly organize missions to eliminate bandits outside the city and team-building activities in the Rukongai. Looking across Soul Society, you won't find a better workplace than my Division."

Kisuke: "?"

Why was it that he recognized every word this guy said, but when put together into sentences, they made no sense at all?

Where exactly was the problem?!

Zaraki nodded.

He didn't understand what Akira was saying either — he only understood one principle: here he could challenge this Shinigami Captain to fights anytime and experience the thrill of battle.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

The Soul Society entered a long period of peace afterward.

Even Genryūsai felt uneasy about this tranquility. He sent people to inspect the 11th Division, but they found his foolish disciple behaving quite normally.

Still concerned, he visited the Division personally.

There he found Akira thoroughly engaged in training his Officers, hosting regular combat tournaments where burly men battled wildly on the fighting platform.

Only Zaraki and Kisuke proved worthy as his opponents.

Though Kisuke cleverly avoided fights by claiming design and construction duties.

Zaraki, however, embraced the challenge with fierce enthusiasm. Despite appearing mortally wounded daily, as if possessing an endless supply of blood, he would fearlessly challenge Akira again after each recovery.

During this time, Kisuke successfully designed and built the Gravity Chambers.

The chambers barely satisfied Akira's daily training needs, but he was so delighted that he immediately granted his hardworking Lieutenant three hours of vacation time.

Upon hearing this news, Kisuke burst into tears.

After several peaceful months, a significant event occurred in the Soul Society.

Though it didn't directly involve Akira.

Senjumaru Shutara of the 12th Division was preparing to ascend — specifically, to join the Zero Division in the Soul King Palace.

Despite several delays due to various incidents, with all paperwork finally in order, her departure could no longer wait.

Senjumaru had shared this news with very few people.

Only the 12th Division Captain Kirio, Akira, Genryūsai, and her sole research subordinate Mayuri knew of her departure.

As she stepped into the Tenchūren, while others watched with melancholy and offered their blessings, Akira alone stood seething with indignation, wearing an expression as if Kisuke had died.

With this crazy woman who had designs on his body leaving, how would he get his revenge now? Wouldn't he have to wait until who knows when?

He knew that once in the Soul King Palace, she would use its power to reforge her body and form an Ōken, making her even more formidable.

If he couldn't defeat her now, what chance would he have after such a power boost?

Akira fell into deep thought.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

"Sōsuke!"

A voice echoed through the underground laboratory of the Sakahone Shrine. Thanks to the Bakudō barrier, no one outside could detect the sound.

Aizen's brow furrowed as his blood pressure crept up.

Why did this man always show up during critical experiments?

Had he grown bored with those three new recruits he'd found in the Rukongai?

"Sōsuke, I'm invincible now!" The visitor burst in, immediately bragging about his training, "I've mastered the first stage of Shunkō that Yoruichi taught me. From here on, we'll explore new heights together! I'm already so powerful I can demolish a cart with one punch! And there's more — the Kidō Corps has developed something called Nativity of a World of Trees!"

Aizen listened in composed silence.

No one knew Akira's potential better than he did. He'd witnessed his friend's growth firsthand, much of it due to his own contributions.

Though Shunkō was a rare and advanced combat technique in Soul Society, it had posed little challenge for his friend.

He'd studied Shunkō himself before. Akira had offered to teach him, but he'd declined — the fighting style didn't suit him, though it was perfect for a certain someone else.

Mastering Shunkō would push his already formidable combat abilities to new heights.

"You're here for new Kidō patterns, aren't you?" After a thoughtful pause, Aizen voiced what his friend was thinking.

"You read me like a book, Sōsuke!" Akira flashed him a thumbs up, "Time waits for no one. If I don't get stronger now, I might miss my chance to change things."

Aizen nodded and retrieved a specialized syringe and his Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu, from the workstation.

"I need to measure your Spiritual Body's strength to determine the most suitable Kidō patterns for your current state."

Without hesitation, Akira extended his right arm.

Aizen first attempted to use the special syringe, but it couldn't penetrate the skin. He then drew his Zanpakutō and struck the arm with added force.

Clang!

A metallic ring resonated through the laboratory.

Aizen stared at the unmarked skin in silence. He'd known Akira's defense would be strong — but not this formidable.

No wonder he could remain so energetic and spirited even after being beaten by the Captain-Commander.

He released a touch of Reiatsu. The blade gleamed, cleanly cutting the skin and drawing blood as it separated the flesh tissue.

The measurement results appeared instantly, data cascading down the screen like a waterfall.

Aizen studied the content intently, his fingers dancing across the keyboard like hell butterflies.

After a moment, he closed his eyes to ease the strain.

"I've designed two plans for you. The first is methodical and step-by-step. It's low risk but produces gradual effects. The second uses higher-level Hadō to overlay the lower-level ones, completely upgrading the Kidō patterns inscribed on your Spiritual Body. Its advantages and drawbacks are exactly opposite to the first plan."

Hearing this, Akira grinned, "Sōsuke, you know me — I hate complicated things. Just give me whichever plan is fastest and strongest!"

As expected, Aizen nodded slightly, "I've already prepared for you. Hadō #63 and Hadō #73..."

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

The Kidō pattern inscription proceeded smoothly — aside from someone nearly being burnt to a crisp, everything remained within controllable limits.

Naturally, as his battle power surged, someone's confidence instantly skyrocketed.

After recovering from his injuries, Akira marched straight to the 1st Division, completely disregarding the consequences.

And that was that.

To summarize briefly: Genryūsai's clothes exploded off, he donned a flamming jacket, and a touching scene of master-disciple affection ensued.

After the battle, Akira reflected deeply and reached a conclusion: the Old Man was still too powerful to confront directly. The plan to overthrow heaven's law would need to proceed gradually.

Worth noting is that Aizen truly deserved his reputation as a master of Kidō.

Hadō #63: Raikōhō and Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui perfectly encompassed Byakurai and Sōkatsui respectively.

The seamless fusion of the two techniques elevated his power to another level.

His Reiatsu Level reached an impressive Level 92, approaching Rank 2 Reiatsu.

The Spiritual Body strength also increased significantly. Unlike the defensive bonus from Indestructible, the Kidō pattern inscription provided comprehensive enhancement.

However, this inscription caused those black patterns to reappear. Intrigued, Aizen ventured to the Daireishokairō (Spirit Library) seeking answers, researching everything related to the Soul King's right arm and Zanpakutō records.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

Several days passed in a flash.

When Aizen appeared before Akira again, his expression was grim.

"I have good news and bad news."

In the 11th Division, Aizen lifted his teacup and sipped the scalding tea, as if trying to calm his troubled thoughts.

Akira watched him curiously, wondering if his friend had discovered something in the Daireishokairō so disturbing it had shaken his composure.

"The good news is I found the answer, though it's incomplete." Aizen paused, noting Akira's silence, then continued, "The bad news is I've discovered a potential world-ending disaster."

Akira: "?"

In all their time together, Aizen had been the picture of calm reliability — why was he being so ominous today?

With Yama-jii around, what disaster could possibly end the world?

"Remember the Soul King's history I told you about?" Aizen's voice turned grave, "The Reishi cycle of the Primordial World still exists as the foundation of reality, even after the separation of the Sangai."

"But according to my research and measurements, the cycling Reishi is steadily decreasing. If this continues, the separated Three Worlds will revert to their primordial state, and everything will return to nothingness."

"Based on my investigation, all of this — is related to a group called the Quincy..."

⤫⤬⤫

T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

For just $1 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!

That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)

https://www.patreon.com/mrblackwing