First Division, Barracks.
"Makoto!"
"Where the heck have you been lately?"
"I couldn't find you anywhere!"
Saitō strode into the barracks with her sword slung over her shoulder, her bowlegged gait bold and brash. Spotting Makoto, her eyes lit up, and she jogged over, clapping him hard on the shoulder.
Makoto rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Saitō! You don't have to work, but me and the guys under you sure do."
"Every time you show up, you drag people into sparring for ages, who wouldn't run from that?"
"Huh? You're just scared of getting beat!" Saitō raised her voice, looking smug.
In situations like this, Makoto's go-to response was always the same.
"Yeah, yeah, sure!"
"Exactly what I thought!"
Saitō oblivious to his sarcasm puffed out her chest proudly.
She completely ignored Unohana, who watched the scene calmly, almost as if she was deliberately showing off.
She looked pretty dumb doing it.
Makoto sighed inwardly.
If only Saitō stayed this easy to handle forever.
After brushing her off, Makoto stood quietly beside Unohana, his gaze drifting blankly to the system panel hovering in midair.
[Name: Makoto Fujimiya
[Reiatsu: Tier-4 · Upper (Vice-Captain)
[Four Skills:
- Zanjutsu: Tier 12 (99/100) — [Zanjutsu Bottleneck · Stage Four]
- Hakuda: Tier 9 (26/100) — [Ikkotsu]
- Kidō: Tier 6 (95/100)
- Hohō: Tier 12 (16/100) [Talent-Limited]
[Zanpakutō: Unreleased
[Talent Points: 3
[Bond Traits: Swordsmanship Prodigy, Art of Footwork, Wall of Sighs, There's Always a Master, Flawless Circle, Final Dawn, Teetering on the Edge, Soul Incineration.
[Love Traits: None]
After a long period of training and refinement, Makoto's stats had reached the pinnacle of Vice-Captain strength.
Through months of experience and adjustment, he'd roughly mapped out what the tiers of the four skills represented in terms of power.
For ordinary Shinigami squad members, Tiers 1 to 3 were the most common range.
Limited by low Reiatsu reserves, their spiritual bodies struggled with advanced techniques, whether it was condensing Reiatsu to an elite level or, as Yamamoto had once trained, infusing their will into their bodies for devastating attacks.
For Shinigami, such skills relied heavily on Reiatsu.
The so-called [Talent-Limited] tag referred to this, not mere physical aptitude.
The second stage Tiers 4 to 6 is required at low-level seated officer-level reiatsu. Occasionally, some in this range could use self-invented tricks to perform at Tier 7 or higher those were the ones commonly called talented.
Reaching that level demanded both innate ability and raw power.
The third stage Tiers 7 to 9 required at least Tier-6 Reiatsu, a higher-level seated officer.
Spiritual bodies at this stage often had the potential to live over a thousand years.
With such long lifespans, many could hone their skills to an extreme degree.
But breaking through this bottleneck was far harder than at lower tiers, the difficulty of the four skills scaled exponentially.
And now, at Makoto's current fourth stage…
He glanced at the Swordsmanship Prodigy and Art of Footwork traits on his panel.
With his current Reiatsu baseline, further improvement demanded genius-level talent and relentless effort to match.
Tier 12 was typically the ceiling for most Vice-Captains and even some Captains.
The path beyond that, he was still groping for.
But if he remembered correctly…
"That monk's Kidō was Tier-21, wasn't it?"
That single number drove home the vast chasm between him and the world's top-tier powerhouses.
If Ichibe Hyōsube's Kidō reached that level, then…
Makoto lifted his head, his gaze settling on Unohana before him.
Just how high was her Zanjutsu?
Her Zanjutsu stood as the undisputed pinnacle of the Gotei 13. Even Yamamoto acknowledged that, in pure swordsmanship, he couldn't match her.
Faintly, Makoto felt an urge to burn his talent points bubbling up inside him.
Thankfully, he held back.
In this prolonged peacetime, grinding levels the old-fashioned way was still the smarter play.
The stronger you got, the harder it was to earn points and boost your Reiatsu rank.
Makoto had learned that lesson firsthand.
If he blew through his points now and later found himself stuck at Kensei Muguruma's level, unable to climb higher, he didn't even want to imagine the despair.
"Makoto-kun?"
Sensing his stare, Unohana murmured softly, "It's about to start."
"Yes."
Makoto snapped his focus back.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had arrived.
…
Thud! Thud!
With two light taps of his cane, Chōjirō Sasakibe announced loudly, "Gotei 13, First Captains' Meeting."
"Now commencing."
Once the room settled into silence, Yamamoto spoke calmly.
"Genshirō, begin your report."
"Yes."
Genshirō Okikiba responded, picking up his prepared notes and starting.
"As of now, over eighty percent of the Seireitei's ruins have been cleared. Reconstruction is being handled by the Third and Fifth Divisions."
"Two days ago, the former upper noble families Ryūtōji and Hirata jointly launched a rebellion, killing 117 Gotei members under cover of night. They've since been subdued by the Tenth Division and handed over to the Judicial Court for trial."
"Thirty-six other clans, Tanaka, Minamoto, Mabu, and more are implicated, all demanding the Gotei 13 restore noble titles and privileges. They've also been turned over to the Judicial Court…"
"Due to massive reishi particle fluctuations in Soul Society over the past decade, numerous Garganta have appeared in Hueco Mundo, impacting Rukongai Districts 45 through 60."
The current Gotei 13 wasn't yet the bloated behemoth of the future. Reports and data were concise and thorough.
But the news they carried was far from rosy.
The Seireitei nobles weren't about to relinquish their million-year grip on power so easily. Rebellions and skirmishes would likely persist, though as long as the five great noble families remained stable, these upstarts couldn't stir up much trouble.
The Hueco Mundo issue on the other hand was straightforward.
Just keep killing.
Makoto mused inwardly, his eyes drifting to the Second Division Captain's seat.
As expected.
Matsumoto Shihan, once the Genji School's reconnaissance and espionage expert and Yamamoto's shadow had vanished from sight. Word was she'd shifted to the Onmitsukidō Captain role, moving from the spotlight to the shadows.
The new Second Division Captain was Chika Shihōin.
The dark-skinned man lounged casually, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, looking utterly unbothered.
Beside him stood Yorita Shiba, naturally.
This was a simple balancing act, positioning these two noble traitors as the five great noble families' representatives within the Gotei 13.
A blatant move, no need to overthink it. Classic Yamamoto.
"Any suggestions for rooting out noble rebellions?"
After Ōkikiba finished, Yamamoto scanned the room, ostensibly seeking input.
In reality, his gaze locked straight onto Makoto.
After his recent exploits, Makoto had fully inherited Kinroku Izuhara's strategist mantle, becoming the Genji School's top tactician.
This wasn't just evident in the peace talks but also in the months of organizational work since the divisions were founded. The stuff he casually tossed out? All practical.
A whole new system whipped up in such a short time.
Not just the others, even Kinroku himself was genuinely impressed.
But Makoto knew his limits.
He only had so much in the tank empty it now, and he'd be tapped out.
So he kept his head down, staring off to the side, pretending not to hear.
His feigned deafness didn't matter, though. Every pair of eyes in the room widened like saucers, zeroing in on him, waiting for him to speak.
'Come on, Makoto!'
'What're you waiting for?'
'You don't seriously think that old man's fishing for their ideas, do you?'
Oh right, he'd almost forgotten what these people were at their core.
A bunch of murder freaks!
"Vice-Captain Makoto?" Seeing the prolonged silence, Yamamoto called him out directly.
Makoto stayed quiet for a beat, then ventured cautiously, "The noble families probably still have plenty of young direct-line heirs, right?"
The moment he said it, the Captains caught on.
"You're right! Using kids as hostages works great." Former chaos gremlin Nobutsuna Shigyō nodded earnestly.
"Idiot! Makoto obviously means kill a batch first for intimidation, then reasonably off the rest of those noble fools too! Two birds, one stone, right?" Chigiri Shijima flashed Makoto a grin.
A poison expert himself, he'd only just realized Makoto's schemes were even nastier than his own!
"What are you all on about?" Entetsu Kumoi snapped. "Makoto clearly means keep the kids, kill the adults."
"Kids can't start rebellions."
"…"
"That makes sense too!"
A chorus of agreement followed.
Chika and Yorita were dumbfounded.
Can you people not be this savage?
That's terrifying!
Makoto realized if he didn't speak up now, his reputation would take a nosedive.
He raised his voice sharply, cutting in, "I mean! If there are lots of young people, why not expand the Genji School further? Integrate them into the Gotei 13's regular operations, absorb them into the system as a whole."
"…"
The room went quiet for a few seconds.
Someone muttered under their breath, "What a lame idea."
Then chaos erupted again, everyone scrambling to prove their ruthless plans were superior, they were bursting with twisted ideas on this front.
Only Yamamoto's eyes gleamed. He unleashed his Reiatsu, silencing the rabble.
"Keep going."
Makoto's face stiffened, and he sighed. "…Also, tie education directly to Shinigami and samurai status. If a direct heir fails to graduate, they can't inherit either rank. Post-establishment violators implicate their families, strip their status, exile them from the Seireitei, bar enrollment for five hundred years, and codify it in law. But during schooling, enforce strict isolation to block outside influence, ensuring fairness."
"Beyond that, separate noble and commoner students. Charge nobles steep fees, then use that to subsidize food, clothing, and lodging for commoners and remove their burdens..."
"And we secure fresh blood…"
Reward and punish, carrot and stick.
What do nobles cherish most? Their precious status.
Banish them from the Seireitei, that's worse than death.
Kinroku gaped at him, did this guy just pull that strategy out of thin air after two seconds?
Is this your brilliance, Makoto?
Yamamoto nodded with a faint smile, encouraging him.
When Makoto finished, he exhaled deeply and concluded, "It's thorough. Proceed accordingly."
"However, we can't keep calling it the Genji School anymore," Yamamoto mused, gazing out the window. "Let's… rename it the Shin'ō Academy."
"…"
Makoto stayed silent.
Call it whatever you want, old man.
Yamamoto's smile was genuine.
He'd had similar ideas before, but Makoto's approach was clearly more refined and practical even accounting for the burden on commoner students, a detail he'd overlooked.
Makoto still remembered his words from back then, didn't he?
Treat commoners as humans…
This kid had truly taken it to heart.
Thinking of this, Yamamoto's gaze toward Makoto grew complex.
But he quickly cast aside the excess sentiment, moving on to the next agenda.
"Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Saizō Sakahone."
"The Lichtreich that appeared in the living world some time ago, your Thirteenth Division will investigate. If you can confirm its nature, eliminate it on your own."
"This old man understands."
Makoto blinked, glancing at the insect-like old man with a flicker of pity.
So that's how you die.
Still, he had no intention of speaking up. With Yhwach's current strength, sending any number of Captains would be a death sentence. Better to sacrifice fewer top-tier fighters and wait for him to come to Soul Society, where he'd face that monk.
"Lastly."
Yamamoto paused, addressing the room, "The Soul King Palace has ordered the Seireitei to dispatch a Hueco Mundo expeditionary force to maintain the reishi particle balance in the Hueco Mundo. They'll be stationed there permanently to hunt down Menos Grande. Specific quotas will come from Zero Division later."
"There are only three Captain slots."
"Who doesn't want to go?"
Yamamoto knew these ruffians well, phrasing it in his peculiar way.
The room erupted into chaos.
Everyone scrambled for a spot!
Makoto, however, perked up and raised his hand high.
"I don't want to go."
"Excellent! Makoto, you're on the expedition." Yamamoto nodded slightly, his smile sly and devious.
Makoto's eyes widened, his face collapsing.
'You rotten old man, are you seriously targeting me alone?!'
But his reluctant lead had a ripple effect. The other Captains quieted down, staring expectantly at Yamamoto.
They'd caught on.
Who went or didn't wasn't up to them, it was this bastard's call.
"…"
Yamamoto nodded approvingly. "Since you're all so lukewarm about it, I'll choose."
He turned to Sasakibe beside him.
Sasakibe presented a document and read aloud:
"Captain of the Third Division, Kinroku Izuhara."
"Captain of the Sixth Division, Saitō Furōfushi."
"Captain of the Eighth Division, Batsu'unsai Katori."
"That's all."
The words barely landed when...
"YEAH!!!"
Saitō leaped into the air, pumping her fist wildly. After so long without bloodshed, she was practically itching to burst.
Katori sighed helplessly.
She couldn't be bothered to go.
Makoto's face paled.
In a hellhole like Hueco Mundo, where was he supposed to farm bonds?
Unohana, meanwhile, patted her beloved disciple's shoulder consolingly.
"Makoto-kun."
"Don't come back until you've mastered your Shikai."
"Huh?!"
"Is there a problem?" Unohana tilted her head, feigning confusion.
"N-No, none." Makoto's voice faded instantly.
Perfect.
A consolation pure Unohana style.
Makoto's smile was tinged with bitter resignation.
***
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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