After finishing his discussion with Kuchiki Ginrei, Nanatsuki returned to the dojo.
Ginrei had decided to lobby Central 46 to lift part of the Reishi Shell ban.
Given the Kuchiki Clan's influence, achieving this wouldn't be difficult.
But it would still take time, and until the ban was lifted, Kuchiki Sōjun would have to remain under medical care.
"I'm back."
"Sensei's back!"
Nel cheered.
In the courtyard of the dojo, Azashiro Kana, Hoshino Rie, Nel, and Katori Batsu'unsai were preparing ingredients.
"Weren't you on duty today, Kana? Why are you back so early?"
Nanatsuki was puzzled. He had messaged the disciples before returning from Hueco Mundo.
With Isshin and the others having graduated successfully, he planned to cook a feast to celebrate.
Only Hoshino Rie happened to be on leave—everyone else had duties and could only return in the evening after work.
"Hehe, I heard you were coming back from Hueco Mundo today, so I took a day off specially!"
Kana held up the cleaned and chopped ingredients. "We've just about finished prepping everything!"
When she heard her teacher was hosting a banquet, she dragged the vacationing Rie along to help with prep.
"After all these years, you're still just as much of a foodie."
Nanatsuki chuckled helplessly. When it came to food, Kana was always the most enthusiastic. She had even taken time off just to prepare extra ingredients.
"Hehe~ It's not every day we get a feast! Of course, I'm looking forward to it!" Kana grinned.
She often dropped by the dojo to mooch meals, but they were usually everyday dishes. Tonight's banquet was special.
"It's been a while since I cooked something new. Let me show you all a fresh recipe."
Nanatsuki glanced over the ingredients, thinking up ideas.
"What's Captain Kuchiki's stance on lifting the Reishi Shell ban?"
Batsu'unsai asked while folding vegetables. Though she could no longer fight, she could still manage light tasks.
"Ginrei has decided to persuade Central 46 to partially lift the ban," Nanatsuki replied.
"Kuchiki nobles are all so stubborn," Batsu'unsai laughed. "If the ban changes, I won't need to hide my true strength anymore with my new Spiritual Pressure Core."
"Given the Kuchiki family's weight, it should go smoothly." Nanatsuki nodded.
—
By evening, all of Nanatsuki's disciples had arrived.
"Yoruichi-neesan unlocked her Bankai?!"
Muguruma Kensei's tone was slightly bitter.
He had always thought his gap with Shihōin Yoruichi wasn't that big—but she had already unlocked Bankai!
He was still stockpiling Reiatsu and hadn't even begun manifesting his Zanpakutō. He had a long way to go.
"Hehe~ Do you even know who I am? I'm the Flash Goddess Yoruichi!" she laughed.
Nanatsuki had once casually called her that, and she loved the name. She'd decided to use it from now on.
"If you've mastered Bankai, does that mean you're qualified to become a captain?"
Hirako Shinji asked enviously. Like Kensei, he still had a long way to go before unlocking Shikai.
His Reiatsu had been improving quickly lately—he was close to vice-captain level now.
Thinking about that, he couldn't help but glance at Aizen Sōsuke.
"Do I have something on my face?" Aizen asked innocently.
"You bastard! You parachuted into the 5th Division!"
Hirako had lived a quiet life in recent years.
The 5th Division's vice-captain was aging and wouldn't last much longer. Hirako thought that if he just stayed the course, he'd smoothly inherit the role.
But Aizen swooped in first!
"That's what you get for slacking off!" Kensei used a term he picked up from their teacher. "Vice-Captain Genhara thinks you're useless, hahaha!"
Kensei had outpaced Hirako and was now the 3rd Seat of the 9th Division—just one step from vice-captain.
"Do all squads let you become captain as long as you unlock Bankai?"
Kobane Jin'emon asked curiously.
He was from the 11th Division, which had different rules.
There, rankings were based on strength. If you could beat the current captain in front of 200+ members, you could become captain.
"Not quite. Becoming a captain isn't only about strength."
Yoruichi took a sip of soup with a satisfied smile. "Outside of the 11th, there are two standard ways."
She continued:
"First, a test under the supervision of three current captains. If you pass, you become captain."
"Second, if six or more captains recommend you, and three of them endorse your capabilities, you also qualify."
"Wait, but aren't there fewer than thirteen captains now? Doesn't that mean only the first method works?"
Lisa asked curiously.
"When a squad has no captain, the vice-captain acts as one—and they also have recommendation rights. So the second method still applies," Yoruichi explained.
Nowadays, many captains were missing. So if someone unlocked Shikai, they were usually recognized right away.
"Yoruichi-neesan... which method will you use?"
Kana asked with puffed cheeks, still chewing.
"Obviously the first one! I'm not afraid of a challenge!"
Yoruichi replied confidently.
"What's in the captain's test?"
Kensei asked. Everyone leaned in, curious.
"There are three parts: demonstrating your Bankai; sparring with a current captain—not necessarily winning, just earning approval; and finally, your résumé. You typically need to have held important positions like seated officer or vice-captain. If you meet all three, there's no issue."
Yoruichi explained.
She had already served as the 2nd Division's vice-captain for years and now had Shikai. All she needed was to fight a captain and get their recognition.
"You even have to fight a captain... Becoming one really is hard," Aizen smiled.
"Sōsuke, I'll become 5th Division captain before you!"
Hirako wasn't willing to be left behind. Even if Aizen was ahead for now, as long as he hadn't mastered Bankai, Hirako still had hope.
"Is that so? Then I'll do my best as your vice-captain, Captain Hirako," Aizen said with a warm smile, showing no ambition at all.
Nanatsuki rolled his eyes.
From what he knew, Aizen had nearly finished his Bankai manifestation training.
Hirako would probably never surpass him in this lifetime.
"Everyone's graduated, but I'm still stuck in school..."
Azashiro Sōya looked dejected. His peers had all graduated early—he was the only one still studying.
"Then just train harder!"
Shiba Isshin clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll wait for you on the other side!"
"I'll work hard to graduate early too!"
Sōya clenched his fists in resolve.
—
Late at night, Nanatsuki checked his status interface. A new reward notification had appeared.
[Shiba Isshin has graduated with an Excellent rating. Rewards: 30,000 General Ability EXP, +1 Random Skill Proficiency]
Komamura Sajin, Yadōmaru Lisa, and Kotetsu Isane had also graduated with Excellent ratings, each earning Nanatsuki 30,000 EXP and a random proficiency bonus.
And then came Aizen's reward for early graduation:
[Aizen Sōsuke has graduated early due to outstanding performance in the Live Blade Tournament. Rewards: 30,000 General Ability EXP, +1 Random Skill Proficiency]
In total, Nanatsuki gained:
150,000 EXP5 × Random Skill Proficiency +1
He glanced at the panel:
[Reiatsu Lv. 94 (500 / 100,000)]
With this EXP, he could raise his Reiatsu another level.
A thought triggered—and 100,000 EXP was invested.
[Reiatsu Lv. 95 (500 / 500,000)]
His Reiatsu surged.
Even though he tried to suppress it, some of the pressure inevitably leaked.
In an instant, everyone in the dojo was awakened.
"This is... Second-Class Spiritual Pressure!"
Batsu'unsai's eyes widened.
To reach that level of Reiatsu in such a short time was astounding—even captains usually plateaued for decades.
But Nanatsuki's growth seemed endless.
"At this rate, he'll surpass my prime in no time..."
His disciples also felt the oppressive wave.
"That's Sensei's Reiatsu..."
Yoruichi was shocked. Her Reiatsu had reached captain-level, but it was still far from his.
"I thought I was close... but I'm nowhere near!"
She sighed.
"I was just about to eat in my dream, and then I got woken up!"
Kana rubbed her eyes.
She and Yoruichi were sharing a room tonight.
Both were active Shinigami, usually staying in squad quarters—so sharing made things easier.
"You already ate so much, and you still weren't full?" Yoruichi teased. She remembered Kana eating the most tonight.
"You can eat in dreams too!"
Kana replied like it was obvious.
"Good thing you don't get fat. Otherwise, you'd be sitting next to Kishinosuke at the buffet table," Yoruichi joked.
—
In another room.
Aizen Sōsuke sat cross-legged with Kyōka Suigetsu resting across his lap.
The traditional path to unlocking Shikai required communication with the Zanpakutō spirit to gain its true name.
He was currently attempting to manifest it.
Suddenly, Aizen opened his eyes and looked to the side.
There was nothing there—but he saw something nonetheless.
"One step closer to Bankai."
He smiled faintly.
He had successfully manifested his Zanpakutō—it could now appear before him in reality.
But then, a tremor passed through his chest.
He turned his head toward his teacher's room.
A monstrous burst of Reiatsu flickered and disappeared.
"Seems like... we still have a long way to go, Kyōka Suigetsu."
Aizen chuckled softly.
—
Meanwhile, Nanatsuki felt the shift within himself.
"The boost is tremendous..."
He had broken through a major threshold—his Reiatsu had skyrocketed.
The jump from Lv. 94 to 95 was greater than all the levels from 90 to 94 combined.
In his fight with Baraggan, he had relied on skill and ability counters.
He had no advantage in Reiatsu—he had even been pushed back by sheer pressure.
Had it not been for his counters and swordsmanship, the outcome might've been different.
But now that he'd reached Second-Class Spiritual Pressure, that would no longer be the case.
He wouldn't be pressured like that again.
It now required far more EXP to keep leveling Reiatsu, so he dumped the rest into Shunpo.
His base Shunpo was average. In battle, he relied on boosts from Shunkō: Raikiri.
Yoruichi was already faster than him—it was time to catch up.
[Shunpo Lv. 75 (600 / 10,000)] → [Lv. 80 (600 / 30,000)]
Then came the 5 random proficiency bonuses:
Raimei San, Tenran, Wasteflame all rose to Mastery level.Earthshift Leap rose two tiers—reaching Mastery as well.
Thus, all of Nanatsuki's mid-tier Hadō were now at Mastery.
His panel now showed:
Core Abilities (Shinigami): Reiatsu Lv. 95, Swordsmanship Lv. 90, Kidō Lv. 80, Hakuda Lv. 70, Shunpo Lv. 80
Sword Skills: Stormfire Blade Seal (Extreme), Katori-ryu Swordsmanship (Mastery)
Kidō: Kaido (Mastery), Low-Tier Hadō (Mastery), Low-Tier Bakudō (Mastery), Mid-Tier Hadō (Mastery)
Traits: Culinary Sage, Patient Guidance, Battleborn Berserker, Swordheart Clarity, Kaido Self-Regeneration
Disciples: Azashiro Kana, Muguruma Kensei, Hirako Shinji, Kotetsu Isane, Azashiro Sōya, Kobane Jin'emon, Shihōin Yoruichi, Hoshino Rie, Aizen Sōsuke, Shiba Isshin, Yadōmaru Lisa, Komamura Sajin, Kakyō, Nel (14/15)
"Now that Yoruichi is becoming a captain, it's time I move to the 12th Division."
Nanatsuki recalled his recent communication with Hikifune Kirio—she had mentioned the Royal Guard would be arriving soon to take her to the Soul King Palace.
He had originally planned to finish mentoring this class before stepping up—but the Royal Guard's decisions weren't something he could delay.
Once Hikifune was promoted, he had to take over the 12th Division quickly—lest complications arise.
"Tomorrow, I'll go speak with Principal Kotetsu."