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The sounds of fists and Kido wooden dummies colliding echoed in the room, as Kuna Mashiro, dressed in a Hakuda training uniform, rested her chin on her hands, sitting in the corner of the room with stars in her eyes, watching Aozaki Reiji who stood in the center.
Looking at the man who was as elegant as a nobleman yet exuded an untamed wildness, Kuna Mashiro couldn't help but fall into recollection.
Hakuda, like Swordsmanship, is divided into ten ranks, with the tenth rank being the highest.
Kuna Mashiro's Hakuda level had reached the eighth rank, and whenever the Ninth Division organized Squad members training in the past, Kuna Mashiro would always serve as the Hakuda instructor for the Squad members, teaching with grace and ease under the admiring gazes of countless people.
It was precisely because of this that Kuna Mashiro's Hakuda had always been highly esteemed within the Squad.
However, all of this changed after she joined the Eleventh Division.
Originally, after she became a Third Seat, she was waiting for her work assignment, still expecting Ikkaku Madarame to appoint her as the Hakuda instructor.
However, what she received was Ikkaku Madarame's regretful notification.
"Officer Kuna Mashiro, the Squad members unanimously requested that the Hakuda training task be handled by the Captain, so if you wish to teach, I'm afraid you'll have to teach a different combat art."
Listening to Ikkaku Madarame's refusal, even with Kuna Mashiro's innocent mindset, she immediately felt a bit annoyed.
She wasn't eager to be a teacher, nor was she particularly interested in teaching assignments; it was just that a long-term responsibility had suddenly been snatched away by someone else, so it was inevitable for her to feel a bit displeased.
Hakuda was her most proficient and favorite fighting style; she had a special fondness for this combat method.
Even her Zanpakuto's Shikai form was in accordance with her inner desires, taking on a handguard shape to complement Hakuda.
She wasn't interested in teaching, but as an instructor, she could be assigned an exclusive Hakuda dojo, so she wasn't averse to the Hakuda instructor position.
And while Kuna Mashiro was only a Fourth Seat in the Ninth Division, her Hakuda rank was the same as Captain Kensei Muguruma, and in terms of pure technique, she could even subtly suppress Kensei Muguruma.
Now, having accepted the Captain-Commander's reassignment and arrived at a new Squad, her job was taken by someone who didn't even have a Hakuda rank; even she couldn't help but care.
Vice Captain Yamazaki's notification directly told her one thing: the Squad members don't recognize your Hakuda level; compared to you, the owner of an eighth-rank title, the Squad members trust the Captain, who has no rank, more.
This was also the reason why Vice Captain Yamazaki was quite regretful and hoped she could switch her teaching direction.
After all, she was a top-tier Seat, and even if she couldn't teach Hakuda, other aspects of her were still worth learning from.
Unfortunately, she wasn't proficient in other areas; her Zanjutsu couldn't compare to Ikkaku Madarame, her Kido couldn't compare to Ichimaru Gin, and her Shunpo couldn't compare to Ryusui and Izumo, both from the Second Division.
Simply put, she was no longer needed for teaching assignments.
"Then, Vice Captain Yamazaki, may I ask when the Captain will be teaching?" Kuna Mashiro, frowning, immediately felt the pressure and asked quite seriously.
"On the weekend, Captain Aozaki will hold a Hakuda class at the main dojo. All Squad members interested in learning can attend."
Ikkaku Madarame said with a smile, clearly also looking forward to the Hakuda class.
"Weekend? Alright, this weekend I will attend the class and see just how formidable the Captain's Hakuda is, to make the entire Squad request him to teach." Kuna Mashiro said indignantly at the time.
She appeared innocent and simple on the outside, but she was actually meticulous, and she instantly understood the hidden meaning behind Vice Captain Yamazaki's hint.
Just by her expression, it was clear she was unconvinced, but she hadn't seen Kenpachi Aozaki dominate the entire Squad with martial arts, so it was understandable… Ikkaku Madarame showed a helpless, bitter smile.
The Eleventh Division is the Squad that most reveres martial prowess within the entire Gotei 13, and every year countless Shinigami who love combat flock to join this Squad.
Moreover, the Eleventh Division has a tradition of determining status by strength and advancement by martial ability.
In other words, without strength, it's impossible to hold the position of Captain firmly.
The fact that the Squad members even begged him to open a Hakuda class, praising and extolling him to the utmost, should have indicated his approximate strength.
Officer Kuna Mashiro is still too young!
Ignoring Vice Captain Yamazaki's sympathetic gaze, Kuna Mashiro secretly thought to herself, "I hope he embarrasses himself in front of everyone when he teaches this weekend."
This was the extent of her malice.
Until the weekend arrived, Aozaki Reiji, as promised, held the Hakuda class at the main dojo.
The entire dojo had over two hundred Squad members listening to the Hakuda movement explanations, and besides the sound of explanations and air being cut, there was no other sound.
Listening to the gentle yet powerful voice from the stage, and watching the perfect muscles and fist and foot movements, Kuna Mashiro felt as if she was immersed in an ocean of knowledge and postures, freely swimming.
Each punch and kick, each move and stance, was as powerful and vigorous as ocean waves.
Listening to the magnetic voice, Kuna Mashiro was completely captivated by the figure standing on the stage.
After completing a set of movements and slowly retracting his fists, Aozaki Reiji stood in the center of the dojo and bowed to everyone.
This was basic etiquette, unrelated to position or strength.
"So amazing!"
Boom!!
As a certain Squad member instinctively praised him, the entire dojo immediately erupted in thunderous applause.
"I never thought that the punch Captain used to send me flying was delivered with such force."
"Captain just slowed down, and I still couldn't fully see it!"
"It's truly outrageous; the power of his fists and feet can actually rival a Reiatsu attack."
"So Captain held back that day, otherwise, I would have been torn to pieces like the Kido puppet on the stage!"
The Squad members all stood up, their eyes burning with fanaticism as they looked at the handsome man who had bowed to them.
"Tenth rank? Absolutely tenth-rank level! He even surpasses the martial artists of various schools in the Seireitei! And he's younger than me!!"
Her cute little face, with wide-open eyes, earnestly watched the man whom everyone was praising.
As an eighth-rank Hakuda practitioner, Kuna Mashiro naturally knew that ninth-rank masters considered an eighth-rank level to be amateur.
The Reiatsu of those masters might not be much compared to hers, but their techniques required her to study diligently, something she hadn't achieved even after decades.
At that moment, watching the bright and cheerful man walk off the combat stage, she completely remembered his name, and she would never forget it again!
"Captain Aozaki…" Looking at the man who walked towards her, Kuna Mashiro greeted him a bit shyly.
Aozaki Reiji said with a smile, "Mashiro, don't be so distant, just call me Reiji."
This one sentence made Kuna Mashiro realize that the man in front of her was not a good person, but the next sentence made her change her mind.
"Mashiro is interested in Hakuda? Do you want to learn Captain-Commander Yamamoto's combat art? If you want to learn, I can teach you!"
The ill-intentioned Aozaki Reiji said this without any burden, completely disregarding the lineage of his master's teachings, and Yamamoto never said that Hakuda couldn't be taught externally.
Kuna Mashiro, on the other hand, personally felt the great selflessness of this Kenpachi Aozaki.
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