In the Soul Society, particularly among the nobles of the Seireitei, Makoto's name had become infamous.
This was not only due to his youth and formidable strength but also because Yamamoto had subtly, or perhaps not so subtly, positioned him as a potential successor. More notorious still were the heinous acts he was said to have committed during the war, slaughtering nobles, dissecting the dead, assembling grotesque living centipedes, committing unspeakable atrocities against noble men and women alongside dogs and Hollows, wiping out entire families at a whim, capturing the head of the Shiba family, inciting rebellion, and even subduing the head of the Shihoin family!
Though, after the war's end, some voices rose in his defense, claiming that Makoto had no particular interest in dogs, deeming such small, unchallenging creatures neither stimulating nor worthy of his attention.
Yet, somehow, these defenses only deepened the Seireitei nobles' prejudices against him, even influencing many Gotei 13 Shinigami who were unfamiliar with him. Unwittingly, his name became synonymous with a certain indelible impression, fueled by the spread of gossip.
At this moment, as his pointed words echoed, many noble students instinctively adopted wary expressions, their hands subtly guarding their backsides.
Makoto forcibly maintained a stoic facade, his face impassive.
He was no stranger to grand stages.
Let alone in front of these young students, even at a full assembly of the thirteen Gotei 13 captains, he had faced embarrassment without flinching, a seasoned veteran of such moments.
Noticing all eyes now fixed on him, he spoke in a cold tone,
"The entrance ceremony hasn't even started."
"What are you all making a fuss about?"
This wasn't him putting on airs. On the contrary, for a vice-captain like him to personally address such a trivial matter was almost beneath his station.
Yet, his face, nearly as youthful as the students before him, perhaps even more boyish, created a subtle sense of dissonance. By human standards, Makoto appeared sixteen or seventeen, and his striking beauty made him seem even younger.
Among the crowd, Shunsui rubbed the stubble on his chin, glancing at Makoto.
Suddenly, he wondered if he himself looked a bit too weathered by comparison.
Tokinada, meanwhile, paled.
Villains, after all, often possess keen self-awareness and vivid imaginations.
Having heard countless tales of Makoto's methods, and coupling them with his own creative cruelty toward others, Tokinada instinctively placed himself in the victim's shoes, his temples throbbing with tension.
The crowd fell silent for a long moment until a small figure stepped forward, speaking loudly.
"Vice-Captain Makoto, it was this noble student who provoked us, inciting everyone's anger."
"He openly insulted the Gotei 13 members, and everyone here heard it!"
Recognizing the familiar voice, Makoto turned to look.
It was Kuruyashiki Ryoma, included in this batch of advanced seated officers.
Or rather, this boy shouldn't have been thrust onto the battlefield before fully maturing. His return to the academy was merely a correction of that misstep.
No sooner had Ryoma spoken than the advanced seated officers chimed in with fervent agreement,
"Exactly so."
"Please, Vice-Captain Makoto, see the truth!"
"Utterly arrogant!"
Seeing the crowd's impassioned reaction, contrasted with the silent noble students, Makoto gained a clearer picture.
It seemed that, in this first batch of students, the noble faction didn't hold absolute sway.
That was a good sign.
Yet, Makoto maintained his cold expression, feigning displeasure as he said,
"So you just yell at him?"
At his words, Ryoma's face twisted in confusion, looking at Makoto with puzzlement, he knew his vice-captain's true nature.
Tokinada, on the other hand, visibly relaxed, a glint of excitement in his eyes.
As expected!
Not even Yamamoto, nor his disciple, dared to challenge the Tsunayashiro family name, did they?
A faint smile crept onto Tokinada's face.
The noble students behind him also eased, their expressions lightening.
So that was it.
The Gotei 13 still feared their powerful noble lineage!
But Makoto suddenly widened his eyes, glaring at the advanced seated officers, who stood like timid quails, and roared in frustration,
"Cut him down!"
"Are the Asauchi at your waists just fire pokers?!"
"There's a combat platform right there, and you're using it as decor?"
"Are you expecting me to step in and back you up?"
With that single outburst, the seated officers' enthusiasm reignited, their previously dimmed eyes blazing with renewed fire.
Taking advantage of his proximity, Kuruyashiki Ryoma shouted loudly, "Vice-Captain Makoto! Please allow me to challenge that jerk!"
"Makoto-sama!"
"Vice-Captain Makoto, let me take him on instead!"
The founding Gotei 13, from top to bottom, shared a certain disposition.
Slack in studies, but fervent in combat.
Makoto scanned the crowd and saw a familiar figure suddenly burst forward, declaring loudly,
"Vice-Captain Makoto! He's Tier-6 Reiatsu, I'm Tier-7!"
"Please let me challenge him!"
"We can't let those noble brats find any excuses!"
Compared to the crowd's fervent, bloodthirsty roars, this one's reasoning stood out with clarity.
Makoto turned to look.
If he recalled correctly, this was another Eleventh Division member, Konji Takasugi, one of the three ninth-seated officers.
"Takasugi-kun, keep it to a fair fight."
"Yes, sir!"
Konji Takasugi stepped forward, barely containing the grin on his face.
The advanced seated officers behind him, however, wore looks of disappointment.
But as Takasugi turned to face Tokinada, his expression hardened, his tone icy, "Hey, punk."
"You've got the guts to spout nonsense in front of everyone. Surely you've got the nerve to step onto the platform, right?"
Tokinada glanced at him, then at Makoto standing nearby.
Without a word, he strode purposefully toward the combat platform.
As he turned his back to the crowd, a venomous glint flickered in his eyes.
---
The combat platform was a designated space within the division for settling grudges among soldiers.
Given the fiery, action-over-words temperament of the founding Gotei 13, in just one year, these arenas had already been stained with considerable blood.
At this moment, Konji Takasugi and Tokinada were locked in a rapid exchange on the platform.
Since one of them hadn't yet mastered Shikai, Takasugi, for fairness, refrained from releasing his Zanpakuto. Both wielded wooden swords.
Even so, their duel appeared impossibly advanced to the untrained eyes of the Rukongai students.
Makoto watched the match silently, his mind elsewhere.
Sasakibe, standing beside him, spoke up, "Makoto-kun, still worried about the noble students?"
"Something like that."
Makoto didn't deny it, musing aloud, "The noble students can rally around the five great families… but for Rukongai, the odds of producing a 'genius' every year are slim."
"So I was thinking, what if we conduct a baseline test for these better-off students before enrollment? Place them directly into appropriate grade levels, increase their academic load, and have them self-study lower-level coursework while keeping up with advanced classes."
Sasakibe looked puzzled. "What's the point of that?"
Makoto smiled. "Sasakibe-kun, why do you think some noble students, despite average talent, still carry themselves so arrogantly when facing Rukongai students?"
"Because…" Sasakibe ventured uncertainly, "They've studied longer?"
Makoto shook his head. "It's because they have advantages others don't."
"That's what makes them haughty."
"Forcing them to respect others with a blade won't work, they need to be placed on equal footing with everyone else and made to recognize their own limits."
"Like now…"
He turned his gaze to the combat platform.
Sasakibe followed, thoughtful.
Makoto continued calmly, "Konji Takasugi joined the Genji School just four years ago. Due to the urgency of war, his batch of students underwent only a year of basic training before being thrown onto the battlefield. Their Zanjutsu and Kidō were learned in the gaps between battles."
"In terms of resources and time, he's far behind the Tsunayashiro."
"And his talent isn't exceptional either, four years, and his Reiatsu only improved by one tier."
"But."
Swish!
A chilling blade flashed. Though made of wood, the sword, wrapped in spiritual energy, sliced through the air with a piercing whistle.
Konji Takasugi lunged forward, his blade effortlessly knocking Tokinada's wooden sword aside. As their weapons clashed, his wrist deftly redirected the force, spinning the tilted blade back to aim at Tokinada's chest.
Tokinada scrambled, his eyes clearly tracking Takasugi's movements, his body technically keeping pace. Yet, for some reason, his reactions and decisions lagged just a fraction behind this damned commoner. The rhythm of the fight was firmly in Takasugi's grip, and Tokinada's feet involuntarily retreated.
Each time the wooden sword's tip pointed at him, a chill gripped Tokinada's heart.
In contrast, Takasugi seemed to ignore the wooden blade swinging toward him, grinning like a bloodthirsty predator as he relentlessly slashed at Tokinada, each strike faster than the last.
What was a mere wooden sword?
His Zanjutsu had been forged blow by blow on the battlefield!
Makoto and Sasakibe observed coldly.
A Shinigami's battle, at its core, is a battle of Reiatsu.
That much was true.
But when someone doesn't even know how to fully harness their Reiatsu, talk of a "Reiatsu battle" is meaningless.
The noble students below the platform grew increasingly alarmed.
From the Genji Shinigami, just picking one at random… could suppress a Tsunayashiro genius to this degree?!
In that moment, they began to grasp why their million-year-old families had lost so disastrously in the war against these commoners.
Even someone as carefree as Shunsui couldn't help but adopt a serious expression at the sight of the Genji Shinigami fighting like a rabid tiger.
In terms of Reiatsu, Shunsui far surpassed this man.
But in a life-or-death fight…
Pondering this, Shunsui glanced at Ukitake beside him.
Almost simultaneously, Ukitake turned to him.
The two nodded silently, saying nothing.
Tokinada was about to lose.
As expected.
Before they could turn back, a gasp rose from the crowd below.
Crack!
Wooden sword met wooden sword.
Momentum at its peak clashed with faltering resolve.
The instant they collided, Tokinada's sword was knocked high, leaving his chest wide open.
His pupils constricted.
Takasugi showed no mercy, his wooden sword slashing down. The blunt edge, wrapped in dense Reishi, tore through the air with a shrill rip, carving a path from Tokinada's left shoulder to his right abdomen.
A shallow wound remained.
Tokinada collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Takasugi slung the wooden sword over his shoulder, sneering down at him, "Tch."
"Here I thought you were some big shot. This is all you've got?"
"Fight's over, small fry!"
For a moment, the entire arena fell into deathly silence.
The Rukongai students, the majority of the crowd, could hardly believe that the "noble lord" They'd held in such high esteem had been so easily defeated by a seemingly unremarkable Gotei soldier.
And, by his own words, this guy's Reiatsu was supposedly lower than the noble's!
If… if they could graduate successfully…
Could they become like this Gotei soldier?
Each person harbored their own thoughts.
But, unnoticed, the reverence these new Rukongai students held for the word "noble" began to wane.
Nobles… were just that, huh?
This was one of Makoto's goals.
Dispelling the Rukongai residents' blind faith in the former nobles was the first step to helping them stand on their own.
But just as Takasugi smirked disdainfully and stepped down from the platform, a sharp whistle cut through the air behind him.
"Damn you!"
"Hey!"
"Watch out!"
Angry shouts erupted from the crowd in front.
Tokinada's face twisted with rage, his expression contorted. Recklessly, he drew a short blade from his sleeve and charged at Takasugi.
"Die!"
The blade slashed down with a piercing screech.
But in the next moment, everyone's pupils constricted.
Makoto's figure appeared abruptly behind Takasugi.
He drew a hand from his sleeve.
Extended a single finger.
Cling.
Shunsui and Ukitake's gazes froze, their expressions unconsciously turning grave.
The razor-sharp blade, swung with full force, struck Makoto's fingertip.
Yet it was as if it had hit a pillar forged of pure diamond, unmoving.
In contrast, the wakizashi, starting from the point of impact, began to crack, spiderweb-like fractures spreading along the blade.
Tokinada stared in shock as the short sword shattered into metal fragments before his eyes.
"Hadō #1: Shō."
As the words fell, a fierce, invisible shockwave blasted out, sending Tokinada flying off the combat platform.
Makoto tucked his hands back into his sleeves, looking down at him with displeasure.
"What a disgrace."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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