Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 616 The New Members of the Fifth Division (4,000 words!)

"The Dean?"

Upon hearing Kabuto's voice, Rukia looked at the silver-haired youth who appeared at the door of the reception room with surprise and almost ran to throw herself into Kabuto's arms.

Kabuto Yakushi, the director who raised them, a group of homeless children, like a father and older brother, was undoubtedly the person Rukia respected the most!

"The guest is still here."

Kabuto Yakushi smiled, tapped Rukia's head with his finger, and chuckled as he scolded, "Rukia, don't be silly..."

"Yes."

Rukia stood timidly beside Kabuto Yakushi and asked in a low voice about something serious: "Um... Headmaster, are you leaving...?"

This is what Rukia cares about most.

When Byakuya Kuchiki told her, Rukia was somewhat unwilling to believe it and wanted to know the truth of the matter from Kabuto Yakushi himself.

"That's right."

Kabuto smiled and nodded, patted Rukia's head, and continued, "There's nothing we can do about it... People will eventually have to part ways..."

"Dean..."

"alright."

Yakushi turned to look at Kuchiki Byakuya, who was sitting in the guest seat, and said with a smile, "Rukia, you may step aside for now. Let me have a proper talk with the young head of the Kuchiki clan..."

"This…"

Rukia's expression showed surprise for a second.

However, trusting Kabuto, Rukia nodded earnestly and slowly left the reception room.

After Rukia withdrew, a serious look flashed in Byakuya Kuchiki's eyes. He could disregard Rukia, but he could never disregard Kabuto Yakushi!

Hundreds of years ago, Kabuto Yakushi served as the captain of the 8th Division, which was in charge of intelligence. During that time, the 8th Division's presence was incredibly prominent.

To put it bluntly...

The Eighth Division has almost overshadowed any other division!

Most importantly, the Kuchiki clan actually owes Kabuto Yakushi a huge favor, namely by Byakuya Kuchiki's father, Sojun Kuchiki, the current head of the Kuchiki clan and a close friend of Kabuto Yakushi.

Furthermore, during a mission, Kuchiki Sojun led the Sixth Division into danger, but fortunately, Yakushi Kabuto intervened and saved them.

This act of kindness is here...

Otherwise, Byakuya Kuchiki wouldn't have personally appeared at the orphanage to discuss things with Rukia; instead, he would have directly sent someone to forcibly bring Rukia back to the Kuchiki family.

Unfortunately.

Although Kuchiki Sōjun was very talented and kind, he still couldn't truly possess the aura of a family head.

In comparison, Byakuya Kuchiki was even more suitable than his father, and he also had more of the dignity of a clan leader.

Kuchiki Sojun hoped to protect Kabuto's orphanage after Kabuto joined the Zero Division, but Kuchiki Byakuya disagreed with his father's opinion, which was another reason why he came to the orphanage.

It was only because Kuchiki Sojun had a gentle personality that Kuchiki Byakuya was able to marry Kuchiki Hisa, who came from a commoner background, without facing too much pressure...

This actually helped maintain a good relationship between them, father and son.

Therefore, facing his father's close friend made Kuchiki Byakuya hesitate a little.

Besides, in a sense, Kabuto Yakushi often visited the Kuchiki clan, so he essentially watched him grow up...

"Don't be shy around me."

Kabuto Yakushi sat down opposite Byakuya Kuchiki, smiled as he poured himself a cup of tea, and calmly said, "I really didn't expect this. Byakuya has really grown up and has begun to consider things from the perspective of the clan..."

"Yes... I want to adopt Miss Rukia."

Byakuya Kuchiki frowned slightly as he stared at Kabuto Yakushi before him, and said in a deep voice, "You are well aware of the relationship between my wife Hisana and Rukia..."

If it weren't for the fact that Kuchiki Hisama herself placed Rukia in Kabuto's orphanage, Kuchiki Byakuya would have really suspected that Kabuto was behind it all; this always-smiling orphanage director was far too cunning…

"Um."

Kabuto's smile deepened, and he slowly nodded, saying, "I would never stop something like this. I also hope Rukia can have a better life..."

"Yes."

Kuchiki Byakuya slowly nodded and said in a deep voice, "Although we all believe that the current head of the Uehara family is kind-hearted, his thirteen assassins..."

"No need to worry."

Kabuto took a sip of tea and calmly continued, "I believe Lord Naraku will handle all of this..."

They are all on our side.

There's absolutely no need for outsiders to worry about these issues.

Compared to these trivial matters, they were more worried about which squad Uehara Naraku would join after graduation, since it would be a real demotion for him to become a squad captain.

The next day.

Seireitei.

Zhenyang Spiritual Arts Academy.

Today is the day that Aizen Sousuke, the captain of the Fifth Division, will announce the results of yesterday's assessment, and many students who participated in the assessment have gathered at the school.

Uehara Naraku was no exception.

Perhaps he will graduate from this school today.

Although Uehara Naraku himself did not stay at this school that trains Shinigami for very long, he still became a prominent figure at the school with his legendary status and extraordinary talent.

Whether it was the model students like Kira Izuru and Hinamori Momo from the past, or the hot-blooded idiot like Abarai Renji who refused to admit defeat...

All of this became footnotes to Uehara Naraku's story.

"Naraku..."

A girl with her hair tied in a bun waved happily at Uehara Naraku upon seeing him, exclaiming, "Hurry up! Captain Aizen will be here today to announce the list of those who passed the exam!"

"Hey, Hinamori."

Renji Abarai glanced at Naraku Uehara with a displeased expression, then walked over with his companion, Izuru Kira: "This is the head of the Uehara clan. Perhaps he'll become a captain after graduation!"

Renji Abarai did not dislike Uehara.

Renji Abarai disliked the Uehara clan even more.

The children from the orphanage had little affection for the Uehara clan.

Even though Renji Abarai knew that Naraku Uehara hadn't done anything wrong, he would subconsciously blame Naraku Uehara for the Uehara clan's mistake of suppressing Kabuto Yakushi.

It's estimated that only Gin Ichimaru, who knows the truth, would understand the true relationship between Naraku Uehara and Kabuto Yakushi...

"Renji..."

Hinamori Momo still looked a little aggrieved.

The little girl had always had a good impression of Uehara Naraku because in their interactions, Uehara Naraku never used his status to suppress others.

Even when facing the notoriously short-tempered Renji Abarai, Naraku Uehara always treated him gently and never cared about Renji's offenses.

Even after Abarai Renji habitually expressed his dissatisfaction with the Uehara clan, he secretly felt a little regretful.

Because he knew Uehara Naraku's personality.

This was purely to vent his anger.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Uehara."

Renji Abarai crossed his arms, a hint of apology flashing across his face, and said loudly, "It didn't mean anything by it, I'm just feeling a little unhappy..."

after all…

Today is not only the day their graduates are announced, but also the day Kabuto Yakushi leaves Seireitei, so it's no surprise that Renji Abarai is a little unhappy.

"It's okay."

Uehara Naraku narrowed his eyes, looked apologetically at Abarai Renji, and shook his head, saying, "I know that the identity I don't want might cause you displeasure..."

At this point, Uehara Naraku's apology deepened, and he even said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect that after all this time, you would still be dissatisfied with me because of my status..."

That's a bit of a manipulative, scheming way of putting it.

If we're being honest, it really was Abarai Renji's fault; Uehara Naraku never put on airs!

Even because of his status, Uehara Naraku always kept a very humble attitude when facing the students of the Shinigami Academy. Every student knew that although Uehara Naraku's status was noble, he was actually a kind person at heart.

To put it bluntly...

That's incredibly naive.

If Uehara Naraku weren't the head of a wealthy family, there would probably be no shortage of students in the Shinigami Academy who would dare to bully him, and there would be people constantly bothering him...

but.

This naiveté was very popular at school.

Both Hinamori Momo and Kira Izuru couldn't help but look at Abarai Renji, their faces filled with blame and dissatisfaction.

In their view, it was always Renji who started the trouble... and Uehara Naraku not only never retaliated, but would even apologize on his own initiative.

and so…

Such a kind person...

Who would have the nerve to bully him!

Renji Abarai noticed the reproachful looks from Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira, and his face twitched involuntarily: "Hey, hey, hey, I already said that's not what I meant at all!"

"It's okay."

Uehara Naraku shook his head, forcing a smile, "I'm used to it. Let's not talk about these unhappy things..."

Seeing Renji Abarai's frustrated expression, Uehara Naraku slowly changed the subject: "Speaking of which, our tests seem to be different. What kind of test did you encounter yesterday?"

"I've encountered some trouble."

Kira Izuru's face immediately turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Yesterday we were attacked by a group of Hollows, and the Shinigami squad responsible for protecting us was almost wiped out..."

"Um…"

Hinamori Momo still looked a little shaken, but when she talked about it, a look of admiration flashed across her face: "Luckily, Captain Aizen came to our aid! Otherwise, we would have been in real danger..."

"That's really lucky..."

Uehara Naraku nodded slightly.

Aizen Sousuke really didn't waste any time yesterday!

Aizen Sousuke sent a Hollow to assassinate him, the head of the Uehara clan, and after the assassination failed, he even stepped in to clean up the mess and appease his kind-hearted student…

After dealing with his matter, he still needs to rush to Abarai Renji and Hinamori Momo's place, and take advantage of this feint attack to flirt with the girl...

What a master of time management!

Uehara Naraku frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Speaking of which, there's something strange. For some reason, the place where I took the exam should have been classified, yet I still encountered an attack by Hollows, and even some Great Hollows..."

"Huh? Hollow!"

Renji Abarai's expression changed instantly, and he couldn't help but hurriedly ask, "Are you alright?"

"no."

Uehara Naraku shook his head and continued in a deep voice, "Seventeen Hollows, no, it should be eighteen Hollows, they wanted to cross the boundary to enter my assessment site and attack me, but they were all stopped by the Death Servants of our clan..."

When Uehara Naraku got to this point, he couldn't help but lower his voice and whisper, "I'm just a little curious about how those Hollows knew where I was taking the test and that's why they attacked me..."

"you mean…"

Kira Izuru frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Were those Hollows deliberately trying to attack you?"

Hinamori Momo shook her head slightly and spread her palms, saying, "Come to think of it, this is quite normal. After all, Naraku's status is what it is, so it's not surprising that those Hollows would want to attack someone of Naraku's importance..."

"..."

Uehara Naraku's forehead twitched.

Can these two even guess what's going on?

No wonder these two have been manipulated and played with all this time; they just can't seem to think of anything worthwhile!

Renji Abarai's expression darkened slightly: "Uehara, do you mean someone secretly leaked the location of your exam?"

"Um...no."

Just as Uehara Naraku was trying to subtly plant a seed of discontent, and even planned to do so when he met Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni in the future.

Suddenly, the spiritual pressure of two people appeared within his perception range.

Aizen Sousuke and Ichimaru Gin!

Uehara Naraku noticed their appearance out of the corner of his eye, then immediately changed the subject: "Our clan suspects that some Hollows might have a way to trace our bloodline, since it's somewhat secretive... Never mind, but this matter will cause me some trouble..."

"What's the trouble?"

Aizen Sousuke stood beside Uehara Naraku, smiling gently as he said, "If my future comrades encounter some troublesome problems, it would make me, as their captain, quite troubled as well..."

"Captain Aizen!"

A look of surprise flashed across everyone's face.

Hinamori Momo's face instantly lit up with admiration, and Kira Izuru bowed slightly to show his respect for the captain of the Fifth Division.

Renji Abarai glanced indifferently at Sosuke Aizen, his gaze lingering more on Gin Ichimaru beside Aizen: "Hey, Gin-nii, long time no see!"

"Renji's here too..."

Gin Ichimaru squinted and smiled at Renji before turning to Naraku Uehara, saying with a smile, "Lord Naraku, Captain Aizen will soon announce your assignment to our Fifth Division..."

If you have no objections to this, then we'll become partners in the future!

"Of course not!"

Uehara Naraku shook his head, even taking a slight step back to show his modesty: "No... I should say it's an honor... to be able to serve under Captain Aizen and Vice-Captain Ichimaru Gin..."

"No."

Gin Ichimaru slightly opened his eyes, revealing light blue ones. His laughter carried a subtle, almost imperceptible, respect: "This matter... is actually our honor!"

However, Gin Ichimaru's respectful attitude...

Given their current public identities, it sounds more like mockery.

Ah, the New Year is almost over...

(End of this chapter)