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Shin gazed calmly at Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, listening as the old man recounted the threat posed by Yhwach.

"Actually, I’m quite surprised, Old Man... that you’d even consider asking for my help. Given your personality, shouldn’t you be thinking about dealing with Yhwach personally?"

Shin looked at Yamamoto with curiosity in his eyes; this was completely out of character for the Head Captain.

"Asking you is just a precaution," Yamamoto stated his reason for seeking Shin out. The main reason he wanted Shin involved was simply as a safeguard.

Originally, Yamamoto believed he could handle anything, but the incident with Aizen had somewhat shaken his confidence.

"When the time comes, I’ll help depending on the situation," Shin told Yamamoto.

It wasn’t a definitive promise, but Shin’s word was enough for Yamamoto, so the Head Captain took his leave.

"It seems that not even you are absolutely certain."

Shin watched Yamamoto’s retreating figure. Why hadn’t Yamamoto killed Yhwach back then? Was it because he couldn’t?

Probably not. It was unknown why Yamamoto had spared Yhwach’s life, but clearly, it hadn’t boded well for the old man.

In the original story, Yamamoto died at Yhwach’s hands, leaving not even a corpse behind.

To be honest, Yamamoto’s death in the original story was rather frustrating. Now, Shin’s existence had altered the plot. Could he save the old man from death?

Actually, Shin didn’t mind saving Yamamoto once; after all, the old man was actually quite decent.

"This time, the Soul Reapers are invading the Wandenreich. I wonder what choice the Wandenreich will make."

Shin’s gaze seemed to penetrate the shadows, seeing the hidden empire within.

"Not necessarily. Perhaps upon learning they’ll be attacked, the Wandenreich might choose to launch a preemptive strike," Shin mused, considering all possibilities.

However, this great war was definitely happening earlier than in the original story. This might have a significant impact on Yhwach, as he hadn’t fully resurrected yet.

"Shin, what are you thinking about~?" A voice as gentle as water reached Shin’s ears, and his gaze involuntarily turned towards it.

The voice, of course, belonged to Unohana Retsu. Upon seeing her, Shin’s expression showed a hint of surprise.

"Sister Retsu, what brings you to the Second Division?"

"I have plenty of free time now. Since you won’t come to see me, I had to come find you."

Unohana looked at Shin warmly, though he could detect a hint of complaint in her tone.

Indeed, Unohana didn’t have much to do lately.

The previous busyness was caused by Aizen. Now that the injured Soul Reapers had recovered, under normal circumstances, the Fourth Division was definitely the most leisurely.

"Ahem, I’ve been a bit busy lately, so I haven’t visited the Fourth Division," Shin quickly coughed twice and explained to Unohana.

"Oh, really?" Unohana stared intently at Shin, feeling like he was lying to her.

"Of course it is. I wouldn’t lie to you, Sister Retsu." Shin’s face showed no trace of deception.

"Then can you tell me what you’ve been busy with?" Unohana smiled slightly and asked Shin.

Shin’s expression stiffened slightly; he really couldn’t answer that. Because Shin currently had absolutely nothing to do.

First of all, the captain of the Second Division was now Soi Fon, not Shin. Shin had plenty of free time. Saying he was busy was simply lying through his teeth.

"Ahem, some matters are indeed a bit time-consuming," Shin coughed twice, then put on a helpless expression as he spoke to Unohana.

"I still need to research more about the Hōgyoku, which is why I’ve been so busy."

Thinking of the Hōgyoku, Shin found the perfect excuse. Spending time researching the Hōgyoku—that should be fine, right? You wouldn’t press further, would you?

"Fine, I won’t make things difficult for you."

Unohana rolled her eyes at Shin. She knew that if she pressed on, Shin would just come up with more excuses.

So there was no point in continuing. She simply let Shin off the hook. A slight smile appeared on Shin’s face; he had managed to get past Unohana.

"I ran into Captain-Commander Yamamoto earlier. Did he come to the Second Division?" Unohana asked Shin.

"Why, Sister Retsu, are you curious too?" Shin looked at Unohana in surprise.

Mainly because usually, Unohana didn’t seem to have particularly strong curiosity, which was why Shin asked.

"Everyone has curiosity. Is there anything wrong with me being curious?"

"Of course not. Actually, Yamamoto came to ask for my help."

"Help dealing with Yhwach? That doesn’t feel right to me." Unohana felt something was off; that wasn’t Yamamoto’s style.

Would Yamamoto ask for help? Unlikely, considering what a stubborn old man he was.

"Yhwach is not easy to deal with, so you shouldn’t agree too readily," Unohana advised Shin.

"Have you fought Yhwach before?" Shin asked Unohana curiously.

"No, I haven’t fought Yhwach." Unohana shook her head at Shin.

However, Unohana knew that Yhwach was indeed strong, likely even stronger than Aizen.

"Don’t worry. Actually, Yhwach is nothing in my eyes," Shin said to Unohana. At this moment, Shin had no interest in discussing this further.

"Let’s go, let’s take a walk outside." Shin stood up and said to Unohana. If it were just him, he wouldn’t be interested in wandering around.

But now, with Unohana accompanying him, Shin was certainly interested.

Shin took Unohana’s hand and just as they walked out the door, they ran into Yoruichi.

"What are you doing here?" Yoruichi looked at Unohana. Although her expression didn’t change much, she was clearly displeased.

"Why can’t I be here?" Unohana narrowed her eyes, looking back at Yoruichi. There was a bit of tit-for-tat between them.

Shin watched their confrontational stance and couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. They wouldn’t start fighting, would they? Hmm, probably not directly, Shin thought.

If they really started fighting, Shin would intervene then. He believed they would both give him face.

In the end, they didn’t fight. However, what started as just Shin and Unohana now included Yoruichi.

Yoruichi insisted on tagging along. If Shin didn’t take her, there would likely be trouble later, so he decided to bring her along.

Anyway, they were just going out for fun, not doing anything shady. It didn’t matter if Yoruichi wanted to come.

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