Chapter 652 - 652 You Are More Qualified Than I Am Now!

"What?!" Toshiro exclaimed in surprise upon hearing Ukitake's words.

"What's this about? Jushiro, although Genryusai-sensei lost his left arm, his body is mostly fine, and it doesn't affect his strength too much. Why would he want to step down?" Toshiro quickly asked.

"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure about that either. I don't know what Genryusai-sensei is truly thinking."

"It's just... a few days ago, when Genryusai-sensei hadn't fully recovered yet, I went to the 4th Division's treatment ward to visit him and accidentally overheard him muttering to himself. At that time, Genryusai-sensei sighed with both relief and a hint of loneliness..."

"'Is that so? Toshiro has already broken the Shinigami limit, defeated Aizen, and sealed him? As expected, that child has lived up to my expectations, surpassed his master, and unknowingly overtaken me. Perhaps... it is time for me to step down and let the worthy take over, to enjoy my remaining years in peace.'"

"When Genryusai-sensei said that, he looked somewhat wistfully at his missing left arm. So, I guessed that Genryusai-sensei had the intention to retire. Calling you here today might be to discuss this with you." Ukitake speculated.

"Is that so? But... this is just your speculation. Maybe Genryusai-sensei was just feeling a bit emotional because he couldn't defeat Aizen even after losing his left arm. It doesn't necessarily mean he really wants to retire." Toshiro said, somewhat unconvinced.

Honestly, Toshiro didn't really think Yamamoto would actually step down now and let him take over the position of Captain-Commander.

After all, in the original work, after defeating Aizen, Yamamoto didn't retire. It wasn't until he died in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc that Kyoraku was forced to inherit the position of Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13.

And in this timeline, with Toshiro around, he certainly wouldn't let Yamamoto die like he did in the original. So, if Yamamoto lived on, Toshiro might have to wait many more years to become Captain-Commander.

Of course, Toshiro wasn't particularly eager for the Captain-Commander's position. Whether he got it sooner or later didn't really matter.

After all, although Toshiro wasn't as lazy as Kyoraku, he wasn't a workaholic either. He was already busy enough with his duties as Captain of the 10th Division. If he became Captain-Commander, he would certainly be even busier.

So, Toshiro was quite satisfied with his current positions as Vice-Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and Captain of the 10th Division. He was the Shinigami with strongest Authority after Yamamoto, but didn't have to deal with the never-ending workload like Yamamoto.

Just as Toshiro and Ukitake were talking, Byakuya and the others filed out of the office. Apparently, Yamamoto had finished scolding Byakuya, Kyoraku, and Zaraki.

"Yo, Toshiro, we're heading off. Let's have a drink together sometime. Oh, right, when we came out, Old Man Yama said he wanted you to go in. He said he has something to discuss with you." Kyoraku said to Toshiro.

"Mm, I see. See you later then." Toshiro nodded to Kyoraku and then walked into the office.

"You're here, Toshiro." Yamamoto said, looking uncharacteristically kind upon seeing Toshiro enter.

"Ah, Genryusai-sensei, I haven't had a chance to congratulate you on your recovery yet." Toshiro said with a smile.

"My body has indeed recovered, but... some things that are lost will never return." Yamamoto looked at his severed left arm with a complicated expression.

Toshiro said reluctantly: "Genryusai-sensei, if you are willing, you could have Ichigo's friend, Inoue Orihime, restore your lost left arm. Even Captain Sui-Feng's arm, lost in battle, was restored under Inoue Orihime's treatment. If you agree, it's entirely possible..."

"Enough!" Yamamoto interrupted Toshiro: "You know my character..."

Toshiro did indeed know how stubborn Yamamoto was, so he wasn't sure how to persuade him. The atmosphere became somewhat silent for a while.

Finally, Yamamoto broke the silence: "Enough of that. The reason I called you here is that I have something important to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Toshiro stopped trying to persuade Yamamoto to accept Orihime's treatment, as losing one left arm didn't affect Yamamoto's strength too much anyway.

Yamamoto said gravely: "Although there were some twists and turns in this final battle against Aizen, we ultimately achieved victory. And that is all thanks to your efforts, Toshiro..."

"No, we also owe it to everyone..."

"You don't need to be modest. Everyone knows very well how things went down."

Yamamoto waved his hand, interrupting Toshiro's modest refutation, and continued: "I have been thinking about some things these past few days. I realized that you, Toshiro, have now broken the Shinigami limit. In terms of strength, you have completely surpassed me. You are truly the strongest Shinigami, capable of bearing the weight of all Soul Society on your shoulders. So, I thought, now is the time..."

"Perhaps it is time for me to step aside for the worthy, to fully entrust the position of Captain-Commander to you, and enjoy my remaining years."

"What?!" Toshiro exclaimed in surprise.

Although Ukitake had mentioned earlier that Yamamoto might step down in favor of Toshiro, Toshiro hadn't taken it seriously. But he never expected Yamamoto to actually have such an idea.

After regaining his composure, Toshiro quickly asked: "Why? Genryusai-sensei! Why would you think that? Is it because you lost your left arm? But losing just one arm shouldn't affect your strength too much, right? And if you're really concerned about it..."

"This isn't just about losing an arm. It's because I truly believe that you, as you are now, are more suited for the position of Captain-Commander than I am." Yamamoto said seriously.

"You have now broken the Shinigami limit, becoming the undisputed strongest Shinigami. You have more ability than I do to protect Soul Society. Furthermore..."

At this point, Yamamoto's expression suddenly became somewhat guilty: "Furthermore, and most importantly... I am no longer qualified to continue serving as Captain-Commander."

"In the final battle against Aizen, Aizen used Kyoka Suigetsu to control Shunsui and the others, forcing you all to fight each other. The situation was very unfavorable for us. Yet, I turned a blind eye to it. Not only did I not try to save you, but I took the opportunity to meticulously prepare a trap, intending to use the Ennetsu Jigoku technique to defeat Aizen."

"But the power of my carefully prepared Ennetsu Jigoku was too great. Once unleashed, it would have engulfed you, Shunsui, and the others who were fighting each other at the time. In the end, perhaps only you, with your strength, would have barely survived. Shunsui and the others would have been annihilated by that technique. However..."

"Knowing this full well, I still intended to unleash Ennetsu Jigoku, shouting pompously about 'sacrificing one's life to destroy great evil being the very will of the Gotei 13'. I wanted to satisfy my own selfish desire for the fame of saving the world by having my subordinates and disciples die with me. Yet..."

"In the end, I failed! After resolving to abandon my subordinates and disciples and defeat Aizen at all costs, I still failed! And I failed miserably, pathetically! In the end, I even lost an arm!"

"And it wasn't just an arm. If you, Toshiro, hadn't appeared in time, I would have lost my very life!!" Yamamoto's face was filled with a complex mix of self-blame, guilt, pain, regret, and other emotions.

"In the past, I was a man who would stop at nothing to achieve victory, even treating my own subordinates like dust. That's why I was called the [Sword Demon]."

"But over the past thousand years, eroded by peace, respected by my disciples, and revered by my subordinates, I thought I had come to understand the preciousness of life. I thought I had changed. I thought I was no longer the man called the [Sword Demon]. However..."

"I was wrong. I never changed. I am still the same person. When the opportunity arose to defeat Aizen, I still unhesitatingly resolved to abandon the lives of my subordinates and disciples."

"But the final outcome proved that way of doing things, with stopping at nothing to achieve victory, was wrong! That way of doing things, abandoning subordinates and disciples to save the world, was wrong!! I… was wrong!!!"

"Your way, Toshiro, fighting to the end to protect your comrades, fearless of sacrifice, never giving up… that way is perhaps the correct one."

"Because a person who cannot protect their comrades is not qualified or capable of protecting the world. You made me understand that the person who protects the world by protecting their comrades is truly strong."

"And now... you have become a person stronger than me, Toshiro." Yamamoto patted Toshiro's shoulder and said: "So... now, you are more qualified than I am to serve as Captain-Commander, to defend the Seireitei, and to protect Soul Society."

Looking at Yamamoto's earnest, hopeful gaze, his expression as if passing on a sacred mission, Toshiro ultimately could not bring himself to refuse.