Chapter 18: Hikaru's Attack (1)

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Remember to join the discord! discord.gg/yFMYSWxaUY

AN: Wow I didn't expect so much traction from the last chapter, remember if you're enjoying this series please leave a review, it's helps me improve the writing quality and boosts my motivation! 😊

Chapter 18: Hikaru's Attack (1)

The group of six individuals were being led by a man donning a dark kimono with red accents, alongside a tightly fastened obi that kept his longsword in place. His eyes carefully searched through the smog, examining the decaying bark and fauna with the vigilance of a meerkat. 

One of the figures sported the kimono alongside a unique puffer bag labeled with Kanji that read as "4th Division" in bold characters. He wore neatly combed onyx hair, bright leafy eyes and an oddly uniform scar that spanned across his forehead.

Rather than scanning the area with caution, his expression suggested panic. Something about this place didn't sit well with him, the eerie white noise that polluted his ears every now and then struck him as a bad omen. 

Soul Reapers were known to be fearless, but he didn't adhere to such a characteristic. He had immense talent in practicing Kaido, but remained utterly hopeless when equipped with a blade. Truth be told, the Asauchi that hung from his waist was mostly there for decoration. 

As a result of his shortcomings, the brass had opted to place him in a division bred solely for support purposes. It was either that, or he could spend the rest of his life slaving away with paper in one hand and an inkstone in the other. For better or for worse, he had chosen the field. 

His only reassurance was the fact that he had six members of the 8th Division that were supposedly there to keep him safe for the duration of the mission, he wasn't sure why Shijima thought he was a good fit for the operation, but he certainly wasn't in a position to refute his Captain's orders. 

At least they were being led by a Lieutenant, and not one that most of the grunts thought little of like Tomio. Hikaru was an exemplary officer who had garnered a considerable amount of respect throughout his career, he was knowledgeable, committed, and most importantly— strong. 

Members of the upper echelon, including his own Captain, expected Hikaru to achieve the fabled second release of his Zanpakuto within the next fifty years. There was no doubt that he was going places, and completing this mission would only boost his resume. 

But not even Hikaru's noble presence was enough to drown out the chills these woods instilled in him. Each and every step he took felt like he was tempting fate, a lump had formed in his throat as he struggled to voice out his concerns. 

"L-lieutenant, a-are you s-sure this i-is the place?" His stutters were uncontrollable as the man in question responded without so much as turning his neck. 

"What's your name?" His tone seemed cool and composed, which not only inspired a little confidence in the healer but also company. 

But only a little, of course.

"H-hirota, sir" He responded meekly. 

"In that case, Hirota, the person we're after was reported to have killed a 3rd Seat, and right now you are being accompanied by a Lieutenant, am I correct to interpret your concerns as a lack of faith in my ability?" 

It didn't take much to see that Hirota's question was just a masquerade for his faltering confidence. Had he been a member of quite literally any other division, Hikaru would have slugged him without so much as a single word. 

"O-of c-course not!" Normally failing to refer to an officer properly would have dire consequences, but deep down the grim atmosphere of the forest was starting to get to Hikaru as well, the only difference was he had the maturity to not let it show. 

After all, if the leader isn't poised, how can he expect his subordinates to be? 

"If that's the case, I see no reason for your anxiety to be warranted, my men are perfectly capable of protecting you, and personally I'd rather not get on Captain Shijima's bad side to begin with, understood?" 

Hikaru wasn't foolish enough to take Shijima's strength for granted just because the division he led was catered to healing, all it meant is that he was someone who had both mastered the second release and the art of Kaido at the same time. 

A well-learned person would know that such a feat actually made him more dangerous than most of the Captain's. Not that antagonizing any of them would be a good idea in the first place. 

Lieutenants could be replaced, Captains had to be nurtured. The difference in value between the two positions despite being only one rank apart, was enormous. 

"U-understood!" The medic's heart began to settle, his composure gradually began to return to him as the group continued to traverse the forest. 

'Still, for a mere vagabond to defeat Hoshino without even using their Shikai? Something's not adding up here…' 

Hikaru thoughtfully scratched his chin as he tried to put two and two together, but no matter how many times he recalled the report the Onmitsukidō had made, his instincts told him they had missed something. 

He had thought of asking the Stealth Corps to investigate further, but to do so would almost be a direct insult to Captain Shihōin via bringing the ability of his underlings into question. 

An undeniably terrible idea. 

'Hoshino's Shikai allowed him to almost double his speed, if he had really been in trouble there's no way he wouldn't have tried to escape, doesn't that mean this "Yachiru" managed to catch him with just their raw agility? Impossible, even if they had a basic understanding of Shunpo the dots still don't connect!' 

His subordinates noticed how deep in thought their Lieutenant was, but out of respect they decided to keep their mouths shut. As Hikaru wracked his brain, finally he had managed to come across a somewhat believable train of thought. 

'Could it be, they used a Bakudo spell on him? However even if that was true, you'd still need at least a 30's level incantation to stop Hoshino— how on earth would they obtain such a thing?' 

Hikaru's steps almost came to a halt as his mind arrived at a most alarming conclusion, his pupils dilated as his heart didn't want to believe what his brain had conjured. 

'Don't tell me, have one of ours' been leaking our techniques? Shit, if that's the case what could I even do about it? If it's someone with more leverage than me, bringing it up could do me more harm than good, I could lose my entire career!' 

He couldn't even begin to deduce who the alleged mole could be, as almost every single member of the Gotei 13 had been a criminal at some point, perhaps save for Central 46— but the happenings of those old fogeys was none of Hikaru's business. 

This meant almost everybody had some sort of secondary agenda, whether it be influence, money, or prestige it didn't really matter. 

What mattered, is who desired it enough to stoop to such lows in order to obtain it. But once again, this led to another problem. 

'What on earth does giving some nobody Kido techniques even accomplish? Perhaps they're trying to discredit our division? But what even would be the point of going after the 8th? Why not go after something more prestigious such as the 2nd or the 4th? Unless it's one of them of course…' 

Hikaru wasn't someone who invested much, if any resources into cementing himself into the bureaucracy of the Gotei 13. He was much more invested in developing his personal strength than getting cozy with any of the Noble Families or even other divisions. 

Granted, treating Hirota well might curry him a smidget of favor with the 4th Division, having healers think highly of you could influence how much they prioritize you on the battlefield, but there was no guarantee. But more was always better than less. 

Finally arriving upon a segment of the woodland where there weren't as many trees obscuring their vision, Hikaru held his hand up in a fist, signaling for his team to halt. 

"We'll camp here, you two will keep watch first and after six hours you can rotate. We'll heat our food with Shakkahō instead of a regular flame to avoid our camp from looking like a beacon, Hirato, are you able to evaluate how toxic the water here is?" 

Something like accidentally ingesting a bit of bacteria wasn't a big concern for people with powerful bodies like Shinigami, but something about the off-putting forest had made him extra wary, it never hurt to be safe after all. 

"I'm not sure how to do that, but I can purify it just in case" Each of Hikaru's subordinates handed him their canisters as he carefully collected water from a few neighboring stray puddles. They each watched him with looks of slight intrigue as a jade glow shone from his hand as he touched their canisters. 

Hikaru nodded approvingly as he ordered a few of his subordinates to carefully cut down a tree, having at least one member on the other side of the trunk so they could catch it before the impact could make too much noise. 

The collected logs were repurposed as seats for the group, each of them sat down as Hikaru nodded for Hirato to perch down next to him. Some of his underlings shot him glances of skepticism but upon responding with a warning gaze their mouths were firmly shut. 

"Are you sure?" As a grunt of the 4th Division Hirato was used to being surrounded by bumbling buffoons who didn't see the value in his expertise, fortunately Hikaru understood how much of a difference having, and not having a healer by your side made. 

'But I'm more worried about him being ambushed, if there is in fact someone from the Gotei 13 supplying Yachiru, it's possible they'll know how to recognize a member of the 4th. Captain Shijima would probably have my head if I let him die so carelessly, especially seeing as I'm responsible for having a healer assigned to me in the first place…' 

As they recovered their energy, Hikaru couldn't help but stare intently at the scar across Hirato's forehead. It didn't make sense for it to be there when he should be practically surrounded by healers, couldn't he, or one of them just remove it? 

"What's your story?" He queried. 

"Sir?" Hirato questioned, unsure of what the Lieutenant was referring to. 

"Don't act coy, I'm talking about that" He gently tapped the medic on the forehead, ensuring that he didn't discomfort him too much. 

"Ah, Captain gave me this" Hikaru's eyes dilated in surprise, Hirato had appeared awfully timid throughout the short time he had known him, he certainly didn't take him for the rebellious type. 

"What on earth did you do?" But what was really perplexing, is that if he had managed to annoy Shijima, he shouldn't be alive right now. 

"Oh this isn't a punishment, it's for my training. The cut was imbued with Captain's Reiryoku, he told me to practice healing it every day, but I've had it for five months now and I still haven't fully recovered my tissue. You should've seen it when he first gave it to me though, it was quite grotesque haha" 

Hirato's mood seemed to uplift itself just by thinking about his Captain, he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck with  an awkward grin on his face. 

'Wait a minute…' 

Confident that Hirato hadn't lied, something about what he said caught Hikaru's attention. 

"Do all members of the 4th have it?" 

"Hm? Oh no, I'm pretty sure Captain only did it to me— strange right?" Hikaru furrowed his brow and clenched his forehead out of stress, he knew the true meaning of the cut on Hirato's forehead. 

'Crap, that means Captain Shijima is personally nurturing him, if I let him die I'll probably receive a fate worse than death!'

Immediately the Lieutenant scooted closer to Hirato, resting his hand upon the hilt of his Zanpakuto. Keeping him alive had just become a primary objective.