Bleach: No cheat codes, he joined Aizen's side.

Chapter 165, page 163: The 121st Event of the Female Death God Association

The once invincible Lord of Hueco Mundo, Barragan, is dead, killed by the new Sword Hunter, Higashino Shuichi.

Some curious individuals looked up the textbook and remembered that a thousand years ago, a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow named Barragan was defeated by the then-young Captain-Commander.

So what about this time? Barragán is clearly stronger than he was a thousand years ago.

Does that mean that this great sword hunter might challenge for the position of Captain-Commander in the near future?
"I think it's possible. After all, what a powerful Shinigami Shuichi is! If he hadn't been framed, he would definitely be a squad leader by now!"

Six days after the great battle, most of the ruins in Seireitei had been cleared, and the wounded had been treated. With some rare free time, the newly formed Women's Shinigami Association, led by the 11th Division Vice-Captain, Yachiru Kusajishi, held its 121st association meeting in the 4th Division barracks. The meeting was to make a comprehensive ranking of the male Shinigami in Soul Society from a female perspective. Speaking at this moment was Isane Kotetsu, the new last seat of the 4th Division, who had been newly recruited by the chairman, Retsu Unohana.

As a Shinigami who joined the Fourth Division when Higashino Shuichi was still serving as the vice-captain, and who witnessed Higashino Shuichi's subsequent actions, Kotetsu Isane still remembers the scene of Higashino Shuichi teaching them, the new members, the Kido, with such gentleness.

Even if someone still doesn't learn after being taught many times, Xiuyi will still patiently teach them again and again.

How could such a Shinigami be the one to betray Soul Society, as the Central 46 claims?

Kotetsu Isane's name was on the joint application that pleaded for Higashino Shuichi and guaranteed his safety.

Therefore, after Kotetsu Isane finished speaking, she did not hesitate to fill in 9 points in all four boxes—strength, charm, personality, and potential—in the score column next to Higashino Shuichi's name.

The reason why she didn't give a perfect score of 10 is because Kotetsu Isane considered that Higashino Shuichi's current status is somewhat awkward. The relationship between the Sword Hunters and these real Grim Reapers is not very good in name. Kotetsu Isane felt that if she gave a perfect score, it would make her seem like she was siding with outsiders.

"Right, right? Little Grass Deer also thinks Ah Xiu is very powerful. After all, Ah Jian has challenged him to fight many times. Apart from the first two times when they were evenly matched, Ah Jian basically didn't get any advantage the rest of the time!"

After listening to Kotetsu Isane's speech, Kusajishi Yachiru blinked her large, bright eyes and, in front of everyone, filled in the number 10 in the strength column next to Higashino Shuichi's name on her form.

"Well, in Little Grass Deer's mind, Ah Jian's score should be ten out of ten, so Ah Xiu's strength score should naturally also be ten out of ten~"

Um, Kotetsu Isane glanced at Kusajishi Yachiru's form, then looked at her own. Was her score for the strength column a bit conservative?
At this moment, another newly joined female Shinigami, Kotetsu Isane's younger sister, Kotetsu Kiyone, immediately retorted,
"No, no, Chairman Kusajishi, how could Captain Shuuichi's strength be a perfect 10? When he left Soul Society, he was forced to retreat by my captain, so his strength must be lower than Captain Ukitake's. Our Captain Ukitake's strength rating should be a perfect 10!"

As for Shuichi, I think his charm deserves a perfect 10! After all, he's someone both Captain Ukitake and Vice-Captain Shiba acknowledge. If they both approve of him, then I can reluctantly admit his charm is on par with Captain Ukitake's!

As Kotetsu Kiyone spoke, Kotetsu Isane listened, and as she listened, Kotetsu Isane realized something was wrong. Her sister was ostensibly talking about Lord Shuichi, but in reality, it sounded like she was subtly praising her own Captain Ukitake.

So, Kotetsu Isane quietly leaned back, just in time to see the form that Kotetsu Kiyone, who was sitting next to her, had filled out most of. Sure enough, in the column for the 13th Division Captain Ukitake Jushiro, Kotetsu Kiyone had filled in all the perfect scores of 10.

Another way to get a perfect score from your sister is to show off your adult charm.

Even the captain's strength was only 9 points in his sister's eyes.

Something's not right, something's very wrong. My sister has only been in the 13th Division for less than three years, hasn't she?

Following Kotetsu Kiyone, the speaker was Ise Nanao, the vice president of the Women's Association, the nominal assistant captain of the 8th Division, and the actual vice captain. She was also the only Shinigami in the entire Gotei 13 without a Zanpakuto.

"Although I think it's questionable for us to discuss this matter at this point in time, if we're talking about evaluating that Great Sword Commander, I think strength, charisma, and potential are secondary. The fact that he was willing to put aside past grievances and stand up for us at this critical moment in Soul Society shows that he deserves full marks in terms of character."

As Kyoraku Shunsui's right-hand woman, Ise Nanao knew some inside information that was unknown to outsiders. For example, Kyoraku Shunsui had tested Higashino Shuichi's loyalty to Soul Society, and Higashino Shuichi had once protected Shiba Kaien's safety in the human world for Soul Society.

To be honest, regardless of what Higashino Shuichi's current identity is, Ise Nanao feels that she admires him from the bottom of her heart based solely on what he has done so far.

As Ise Nanao filled in the number 10 in the personality column after Higashino Shuichi's name, Kotetsu Isane looked at her own corresponding column and wondered why she felt that among everyone present, she was the only one who had considered Higashino Shuichi's identity.
Seriously, you vice-captains, don't you care about the reputation of the Gotei 13 when you give scores?
Fortunately, the next person to take over the baton was the chairperson of the Women's Shinigami Association, who was also Kotetsu Isane's captain, the fourth division captain Retsu Unohana. Kotetsu Isane looked at Unohana Retsu with anticipation. If he was the captain, he would surely be as thoughtful as her, right?
"Speaking of Shuichi-kun, he used to be my vice-captain, so I know him quite well."

Retsu Unohana begins by establishing her identity and stance, which prompts Isane Kotetsu to nod repeatedly, "Go on, go on!"
"Shuichi's strength is alright, he was able to defeat Barragan, which is certainly his skill. But I was there that day, and the main reason he was able to defeat Barragan was because of the special nature of his Zanpakuto's Bankai ability, which seemed to be a perfect counter to Barragan. However, his spiritual pressure didn't reach the level you imagined. Therefore, in this category, I can only give him a maximum of 9 points."

Then, Retsu Unohana, as if awakened by the world, pointed out the flaws of Shuichi Higashino amidst the praise.

Kotetsu Isane, who was standing to the side, listened with his eyes shining.

They're all at the captain level, what other level could there be?

Oh, I see. The captain is making excuses. After all, he can't deliberately deduct points, can he?

There always needs to be some plausible reason.

"As for Shuichi's charm, not everyone likes him. At least as far as I know, there are at least two people in Soul Society who don't like him (Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and Yamada Seinosuke sneezed at the same time), so I can only give him 9 points in this category~"

Unohana Retsu continued to deduct points, while Kotetsu Isane nodded vigorously.

Yes, yes, as expected of Captain Unohana, that's real strategic thinking!

"As for his personality, although it's hard to say to you, I can assure you that Shuichi's personality is similar to mine, so it's not actually that great. I'd probably only give it an 8 out of 10."

Unohana Retsu gave a gentle smile, and Kotetsu Isane was so moved she almost cried.

What is this? This is Captain Unohana's vision!

In order to save face for the other male Shinigami in the Gotei 13, Captain Unohana, unable to find a better excuse, even went so far as to personally participate in the situation, lowering Shuichi's rating by belittling herself.

Kotetsu Isane's small hand quietly controlled the pen, moving it to the "personality" column next to Higashino Shuichi's name on her form.

I'm sorry, Shuuichi! For the sake of the other male Shinigami in the Gotei 13, I have no choice but to make you suffer here!
With a single stroke, Kotetsu Isane changed the number 9 that was originally written there to the number 8.

She joined the team leader in distributing the points!

Her subtle actions went unnoticed by others, because Retsu Unohana quickly followed up with her final assessment of Shuichi Higashino.
"Finally, and in my opinion, the most valuable quality about Shuichi is his potential, which I believe deserves a perfect score. I can't say why right now, but please believe me, in my opinion, only Shuichi deserves this perfect score~"

Retsu Unohana smiled as she offered her assessment, her mind filled with memories of every battle she had fought against Shuichi Higashino in the past.

Although these battles were completely different from what she had expected in the past, Retsu Unohana watched as Shuichi Higashino grew step by step from a rookie Grim Reaper who couldn't even swing his sword properly to what he is today. In particular, for a long period of time in between, Shuichi Higashino was actually receiving swordsmanship instruction from her.

Retsu Unohana felt a strange, indescribable feeling in her heart, one that she couldn't quite put into words.

But if it's just describing her fleeting emotions, that's possible.

For example, that day, when she was outside Hueco Mundo and felt Higashino Shuichi's spiritual pressure suddenly disappear, what welled up in her heart was an overwhelming anger.

She, who had never liked meddling in the affairs of Soul Society, felt for the first time the urge to rush into Las Noches and chop that Barragan to pieces.

For example, on that same day, when she was outside Hueco Mundo and about to rush in, she saw Higashino Shuichi descend from the sky. She was surprised, but also annoyed.

She blamed Higashino Shuichi for ruining her mood.

After finishing her sentence, Retsu Unohana filled in her answer on her own form.

From the captain's gesture, Kotetsu Isane knew that it really was the number 10.

But... Captain! What happened to our shared vision and strategic thinking?
Why did they betray us at the end?!

Kotetsu Isane felt a sharp pain in his heart.

So she's the only one here taking care of the big picture?
Oh, wait, there's one more person!

Kotetsu Isane looked around and noticed that there was still one association member who hadn't expressed his opinion!

It's Captain Soi Fon from the Second Division!

As the captain, although she herself, the captain of the Fourth Division, has lost her sense of the big picture, surely Captain Soi Fon has it?
After all, Captain Soi Fon is the captain of the Second Division, with the Xingjun under her command. In terms of function, she is naturally opposed to the Sword Hunters.

Yes!

Kotetsu Isane was sure she was right. As the captain of the second division, Captain Soi Fon didn't need to consider the big picture. She was definitely at odds with that Great Sword Hunter. If it were her, she would definitely give Shuichi a very low score!
That way, when everyone's scores are tallied, your score won't be the lowest!
However, Kotetsu Isane waited expectantly for a long time, but never heard Captain Soi Fon express her opinion on Shuichi.

They even went on to discuss the scores of the other well-known male Shinigami from the Gotei 13.

For example, Aizen Sousuke, the captain of the Fifth Division, received high scores of 8-9 in charm and personality from almost everyone, but only 5-7 in strength and potential.
For example, the captain of the Third Division, Gin Ichimaru, showed polarization in his charm and personality. The Kotetsu sisters both gave him a very low score of 2, while others gave him scores ranging from 6 to 8.

Fortunately, as the initiator of this event, Kusajishi Yachiru did not ask them to rank all the male Shinigami, but rather selected a portion of them. Therefore, after spending an afternoon discussing, everyone's forms were finally filled out.

As the deadline for submitting the form approached, Kotetsu Isane could no longer contain her curiosity. She mustered her courage and approached Captain Soi Fon under the guise of greeting her. Taking advantage of Soi Fon's shorter stature, she successfully looked down at the contents of Soi Fon's form.

But it would have been better if he hadn't looked at it; once he did, Kotetsu Isane couldn't hold back anymore.

No, it's understandable that her own sister, Kotetsu Kiyone, gave her captain, Ukitake Jushiro, a perfect score.

It's normal to admire your own captain; who doesn't?
She herself admires her own captain, Unohana.

But you, Soi Fon, are the captain of the 2nd Division!

Your captain used to be called Yoruichi Shihouin, not Shuichi Higashino!
Why did you give Xiuyi full marks too?!

That's not the most crucial point. The most crucial point is, if that's the case, wouldn't her final score of 9 points become the lowest score?

Good grief, in an instant he went from someone with a great sense of the big picture to a villain.

Kotetsu Isane suddenly felt an urge to rush up to Kusajishi Yachiru and snatch back the form he had just submitted.

This kind of strategic thinking and vision is better left unaccounted for!
Meanwhile, the Women's Shinigami Association was secretly plotting to create the first-ever comprehensive ranking of male Shinigami in Soul Society.

Higashino Shuichi had just finished dealing with the aftermath of the Tsuna Yayo family's situation and was heading to the meeting place he had arranged with Aizen.

He could already foresee that Aizen would have a lot of curiosity and questions about him this time.

After all, the fact that his spiritual pressure disappeared for a period of time during his battle with Barragan, and then reappeared from the sky, might still be a secret to ordinary Shinigami, but for the Shinigami's high-ranking members, including the nobles, such as the head of the Tsunayoshiro family, Tsunayoshiro Kamihara, it was practically public knowledge.

As the current captain of the Fifth Division, it would be difficult for Aizen not to know.

(End of this chapter)