Thanks to having Kazuhiro in the same division, Jūshirō found himself at home at the 13th a bit faster than he expected.
Some time had now passed since he came to the 13th division and Jūshirō had made plans to meet up with Shunsui at their old training area.
So after finishing what captain Miya had asked him to do, he Flash Stepped to the small forest and since Shunsui wasn't there yet, he sat down under a tree to wait.
About ten minutes later, rustling came from a few bushes and Shunsui came from them.
"Hey Juu. Sorry I'm late"
"It's fine"
Shunsui smiled and sat down next to him.
"So how's the 13th?"
"Better than I expected actually
-And it turns out that Kazuhiro is part of that division"
"So that's where he ended up when the divisions formed"
"Yes.
-How is the 8th division?"
"Well my captain is not as strict as old-man Yama so that's a positive thing.
-But unlike you, I don't have anyone I know there"
"Do you have a seated position?"
"3rd, just like at the 1st division
-You?"
"Same
-But my captain hopes I'll be able to take over the lieutenant position"
"Really?"
"Yes. Lieutenant Sato is a man who acts first and thinks later
-Captain Miya thinks I'm better suited for the position since I think things through carefully"
"That you do
-But won't your health get in the way"
"My captain knows about it since Genryūsai-sensei told her about it and she said that my health won't trouble her or the position as long as I don't overdue it.
-Also, you know I don't want my health to stop me from being a good Soul Reaper"
"Yeah, you're right"
Jūshirō chuckled slightly at that.
"What about you Shun?
-Has your captain offered you a higher rank?"
"Nope and I don't think he will.
-Our lieutenant is a good guy and still on the younger side so he won't go anywhere in the near future"
"I see"
They sat there and talked for a little longer before they decided to go back to their divisions.
As they walked down a street, Kazuhiro came running.
"Jūshirō!"
"What's the matter Kazuhiro?"
"We just got a report of Hollows not far from the west gate.
-Lieutenant Sato is taking those of us officers with high rank to take care of it"
"All right. Let's go meet up with them"
"Yeah"
Kazuhiro then turned to Shunsui.
"It's nice to see you again Shunsui but sorry we don't have time to talk more"
"It's fine Kazuhiro. There'll be more times for us to meet up and talk
-So get going on your mission"
His friends nodded and began Flash Stepping towards the gate.
"I need to get my Zanpakutō"
"No need, I have it right here"
Kazuhiro took the sword on the right side of his belt and handed it to Jūshirō.
"I thought it's be best if I brought it with me so we could head to the gate right away"
"Thank you"
Jūshirō put his Zanpakutō by his waist and they soon reached the gate where Eijiro and three others waited.
"Good timing you two. We were just about to head our"
"Understood"
The gate opened and they Flash Stepped through it to an open grass field not that far from the residental part of the district.
"Be on your guards
-The Hollows should be here somewhere"
"Yes sir!"
Everyone drew their swords and looked around them before three Hollows came out of nowhere.
"Divide into groups of two and take care of them!"
"Understood!"
"Let's go Kazuhiro"
"Right behind you Jūshirō
-Freeze Mō Fubuki"
"All waves rise now and become my shield, lightning strike now and become my blade. Sōgyo No Kotowari!"
As their Zanpakutō took on their Shikai forms, the Hollow they went towards fire a Cero but Jūshirō quickly reflected it back.
"Nice hit Jūshirō"
"Thanks"
"I forgot how useful that ability of yours is"
Jūshirō smiled before looking at the Hollow.
"Let's do it togethere"
"Right"
Both of them ran towards the Hollow and jumped onto it, Jūshirō used the red cord between his swords to keep its head still as Kazuhiro cut the mask.
"That's one of them"
They then looked towards the others and saw that another duo had taken care of their Hollow but Eijiro and the 5th seat were struggling.
"Let's give them a hand"
"Don't need to tell me twice"
They ran to help but before they got there, the Hollow shoot out its claws.
One hit Eijiro in the chest and the other close to his stomach, making him fall to the ground.
"Lieutenant Sato!"
Jūshirō, Kazuhiro and the others all stood around their wounded lieutenant, eyes focused on the Hollow.
"Everyone get behind me"
"What are you saying Jūshirō?"
"Just do it! The Hollow will most likely attack again"
They all did as he said and Jūshirō took a deep breath.
"Ready Sōgyo No Kotowar?"
"We're ready when you are"
"Then let's go.
-BANKAI! Sōgyo No Kotowari: Tengoku No Hansha"
As the shields of his Bankai formed, the Hollow fired a Cero but Jūshirō put one of the shields in front of them and the attack reflected back.
"Kazuhiro now!"
His friend nodded and jumped up, cutting the Hollow's mask and it faded into spirit particles.
Jūshirō then deactivated his Bankai and fell onto his knee, slightly panting.
Kazuhiro held out his hand and helped him get up.
"I didn't know you had a Bankai
-Sensei must have trained you hard"
"Not that much actually
-I got my Bankai through my own training and didn't show sensei until I had fully achieved it"
"That's impressive"
The two of them then looked at the injured lieutenant and Jūshirō noticed were the attack had hit.
"That's close to his Soul Chain and Soul Sleep"
The Soul Chain and Soul Sleep were important parts of a Soul Reaper's body.
They were considered to be pressure points since they are they source and boost to spiritual powers. If they get pierced, it would seal up the powers and the Soul Reaper would lose them.
"Let's hope it's not that bad"
Since he had the highest rank after Eijiro and with that automatically in charge, Jūshirō took a step forward.
"We can't carry him back like that so send a Hell Butterfly to the 4th and request their help"
"Yes sir"
The 5th seat did as told and members of the 4th arrived 10 minutes later.
They put Eijiro on a stretcher before one of them turned to the 13th division officers.
"We got it from here so you should go and report to your captain
-Once captain Kirinji has taken a look at him, we'll send word to your division"
"Understood"
So with Jūshirō in the lead, the group made their way back to their barracks.
"You three can take a break while Kazuhiro and I report to the captain"
"Thank you sir"
Jūshirō smiled at them before making his way towards their captain's office, Kazuhiro right behind him.
"Do you think lieutenant Sato will be okay, Jūshirō?"
"I'm not sure
-Based on the wounds, the Hollow may have pierced his Soul Chain and Soul Sleep"
"That would mean he'll lose his powers and never be able to return to being a Soul Reaper"
"We'll just have to wait for captain Kirinji's report on his condition
-But it's most likely that will happen"
They then reached Tsukiko's office and knocked on the door.
"Captain Miya, we wish to report, said Kazuhiro"
"Enter"
They walked in and stood in front of the captain's desk.
"I expected Eijiro to report about the mission.
-Did something happen?"
"Yes ma'am, said Kazuhiro
-When we found the Hollows, he ordered us to split into pairs and fight them"
"Kazuhiro and I quickly took care of our opponent so did the 6th and 7th seat
-But as we were about to go and help lieutenant Sato, we saw how the Hollow fired its claws at him and they pierced his chest"
"We all stood around him and had Jūshirō not activated his Bankai, the rest of us would be in worse shape than we are now"
"Once the Hollow had been taken care of, we sent a Hell Buterfly to the 4th and their members took lieutenant Sato there.
-Captain Kirinji will inform you of his contition once he's had a look at him"
Tsukiko sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"Thank you both of you for reporting"
"Of course"
"You're dimissed 4th seat Hayashi.
-3rd seat Ukitake, please stay for a moment"
"Yes captain"
Kazuhiro left and Tsukiko looked at Jūshirō.
"That was quick thinking of you, using your Bankai to save the others"
"I just didn't want more people to get hurt and since my Bankai reflects whatever attacks hits it compared to my Shikai which only works with energy attacks, I thought it was a good idea to use it"
"Still, that quick thinking saved the other officers from getting injured as well.
-It shows how good your tactical thinking is"
"Thank you captain"
Tsukiko smiled at him.
"You're dismissed"
Jūshirō bowed to his captain before leaving.
Later that day, word came from Kirinji that Eijiro had indeed been wounded in his Soul Chain and Soul Sleep.
His powers had been lost by the time he got to the 4th division barracks and he was removed from his position the next day.
"I had hoped to wait a little longer to get him more used to the division but I guess I have no choice now
-He is inteligent though and most of the officers seems to look up to him already"
Tsukiko leaned back in her chair and thought back to her conversation with Yamamoto earlier that day where she had told him about who she wanted as her new lieutenant.
He had hesitated at first but agreed with her choice in the end.
"Shunsui and Jūshirō have become the closest I have to sons of my own. I guess a part of me don't want to see them go through something that could be dangerous to them.
-But Jūshirō is a clever young man and would be a good choice for the position of lieutenant"
A knock on the door got Tsukiko out of her thoughts.
"Come in"
The door opened and Jūshirō entered the room.
"You wanted to see me, captain"
"Yes Jūshirō"
Tsukiko stood up and walked over to the window.
"Do you remember what I told you the day you joined this division?"
"That you'd want to make me your lieutenant before the end of the year"
"Exactly.
-But you may have guessed that with what happened to Eijiro the other day, those plans have changed"
"Yes ma'am.
-But I don't think I'm ready for this position yet"
"Well, I think you are.
-Especially with how you handled taking command during your mission after Eijiro was wounded"
Walking back to her desk, Tsukiko opened a drawer and looked at the white-haired young man.
"Even Yamamoto believes you're ready for this promotion"
"Sensei does?"
"Yes. I talked to him after the meeting this morning and while he was hesitant at first, he agree that you would be perfect for the position"
She picked up something from the drawer and walked over to Jūshirō.
What she held in her hand was a badge with the number 13 along with a snowdrop on it.
"I believe in you, Jūshirō"
Hesitating for a moment, Jūshirō took the badge and looked at it.
He then bowed his head towards his captain.
"I won't dissapoint you, captain Miya"
"I know you won't"
Later that day, Jūshirō was officialy presented to the rest of the division as the new lieutenant and everyone was happy with the choice.
Kazuhiro also rose from 4th seat to 3rd seat and he kept working close to Jūshirō, helping his friend whenever he needed it.