Disclaimer: The Laughing Phoenix does not own Bleach and receives no profit from this work. This was the result of her own desire to see the fourth division get some credit for once.
Summary: Fourth division Captain Unohana Retsu has been a captain for longer than anyone other than Yamamoto. Thus, there is little in Soul Society she does not hear about.
If you asked the average student at the Shinigami Academy which division knew the most, they would almost invariably say the second. Some might say twelfth, but it was generally agreed that while the Research and Development Institute's links to twelfth might make them knowledgeable, it was the second division's involvement with the Black Ops that made it the most aware.
If you asked the average unseated Shinigami which division knew the most, you'd be asked a question of your own: The most about what? Shinigami are notoriously proud of their divisions, and will cheerfully outline exactly why their division is superior, but most are intelligent enough to recognize that you cannot compare specialties. Admittedly some eleventh division members might refuse to acknowledge power other than that on a battlefield, but only the truly idiotic would say this aloud.
Yet there is arguably one division that does know more about the goings-on in Soul Society than anyone else, and it's not the obvious choice. However much the twelfth division lauds its scientific prowess, or the second its spies, the seated officers of the fourth division know better. When members of another division start bragging, they share fondly exasperated glances, and let them talk. They know that, between the members of their division, they hold the knowledge necessary to bring the Gotei 13 to its knees.
(Yamamoto knows this, and after Aizen defects with two other captains, crippling the morale of Soul Society, sends up a silent prayer in thanks of Unohana's loyalty. For a week he worries about ways to ensure the Gotei 13's survival should this change, but he hears the thinly veiled anger and disgust in Unohana's voice when she details exactly what the Traitor did to Hinamori Momo, and is calmed.)
You see, what the other Shinigami forget is that since the fourth acts as the supply and support division, they go everywhere. They know all the tunnels, all the shortcuts across roofs and down alleys. For whatever reason, people ignore a person with a broom or a tray, and the members of the fourth division have learned to keep their ears open. They hear all the gossip: who is dating who, who is arguing and about what, the best places to get sake or buy dumplings. They also hear division-specific news: when Kuchiki Rukia was reported missing, they heard about it within two hours, even before Kuchiki-taicho.
And news gets passed around within the fourth division. More than any other, except perhaps the thirteenth, they are a family of sorts, and share the tidbits that will amuse each other and even keep each other out of trouble.
-Kenpachi-taicho's training the new recruits, better be ready to open the ward.—Hitsugaya-taicho found Matsumoto-fukotaicho's sake stash, you should have heard her shriek when she came in to find it gone.—Hoshiko didn't report in on time, does anyone know if Kurotsuchi-taicho has a new experiment going?-
Naturally, all this information eventually works its way to the top. In the time before and after the division officer meetings, the top officers gossip, discuss rotations, and compare notes on the activity within the other squads. Between them, the images and parallels they can draw (an increase in hangover cures for the eighth and ninth divisions, melted candles outside a wall near the twelfth, a damaged wall in the second, and a request for an extra cleanup crew from the seventh, throw in the date) are scarily accurate.
-Kyoraku-taicho must have been throwing a party, perhaps in remembrance of the officers who went missing all those years ago. Hollowfication, wasn't it? And why didn't anyone from the fourth division get called in, since everyone knows that those working in the RDI are only good for taking things apart?-
Unohana listens in silence, absorbing the information, only stepping in when the rumors become so exaggerated as to be unreasonable. This is rare, as she trusts her seated officers to know what she needs to hear, and to winnow out the truth, or as close as they can. She has had centuries to perfect this method, and finds it the most efficient.
It is Iemura who brings her the gossip about Aizen's death being the cover for something bigger.
-Some of the members of the tenth said Ichimaru-taicho might be involved, said that their captain thought that Aizen-taicho discovered that Ichimaru-taicho was up to something treasonous, confronted him on it, and got killed.-
Hanataro's news makes her worried enough to go back and do the second autopsy.
-Kurosaki-san was very worried about Kuchiki-san. So worried that nothing else mattered. Ganju-san told me that Kurosaki-san is the only one with a zanpakto in the group, and that the other's attacks wouldn't kill a captain in that way.-
And Isane is the one who assists with the autopsy, accompanies her into the Central 46, and spreads the warning to the other captains.
Not once do Iemura and Hanataro think that their words are unimportant, that they are bothering their captain when they approach her with their concerns. For Unohana has spent time cultivating their trust in her, and her people know that they can talk to her when they need to.
-Isane still comes to her for a cup of tea when the nightmares keep her awake.-
With the end of the Winter War, Unohana's time is taken up entirely in caring for the wounded. She leads her division in working to exhaustion, and her own officers take turns bringing her tea and food, while Isane periodically begs her to sleep. The exhaustion leads to some interesting moments: When Kurotsuchi comes to them asking why the RDI isn't as clean as it once was, Iemura calmly tells him that there are too many people in the wards, and if he wants the place clean then he is going to have to assign some of his own division to do it. Yamamoto receives a dressing-down from Isane when he tries to leave the infirmary before being discharged, insisting that she doesn't care about how much work he has waiting for him, if he leaves now he's only going to end up aggravating his injuries, and he is to get back in his bed immediately! Most impressive is when shy, timid, apologetic little Hanataro finally snaps, and starts screaming at a number of eleventh division members who are harassing the nurses.
Somehow, the majority survive the ordeal, the divisions pulling together and taking up each other's slack. If Unohana has to call in a few favors and casually reveal some of her carefully collected blackmail material to make it happen, it is never mentioned. Isane giggles occasionally at the sight of various captains and lieutenants, but everyone came out of the War a little cracked.
(Although, from this point on, Kuchiki, Kurotsuchi, and Zaraki regard Unohana with wary awe, and Kyoraku looks pathetically grateful half the time. There are fewer requests for the fourth division's services outside of medical support and delicate tasks, and the unseated members of the other twelve divisions find themselves on menial labor more. Unohana just smiles that scary little smile that makes eleventh division members fall over themselves to obey her, and says nothing.)
Finally, things slowly return to some strange approximation of 'normal'. The fourth division members quietly listen as they go about their chores, noting trouble spots, eagerly sharing the happier bits of gossip. After a war, everyone is looking for good news. The information they collect makes its way to the fourth division office. Unohana listens, and smiles gently.
In case you haven't figured this out, the fourth division is decidedly my favorite. I admire Unohana's patience and calm control, and would cheerfully work for her any day. It tends to get on my nerves the way that the other divisions sometimes walk all over the fourth, so this is my vindication of their abilities.
As always, a billion thanks to my beloved pseudo-twin and beta, Singing Unicorn, fixer of plot holes and checker of grammar.