"Oh?"
Ōunabara frowned. He didn't really believe Yoshio had found a genius.
He knew Yoshio—a hardworking student, but not very gifted. What kind of prodigy could he find?
Yoshio said nothing more and had Hitsugaya stand before Ōunabara.
"This child?" Ōunabara asked, puzzled. He didn't see what was special.
Yoshio tapped Hitsugaya's Saketsu and Hakusui points—the lock and soul-sleep points most crucial to a Shinigami.
Because Hitsugaya couldn't control his power before, Yoshio had sealed his reiatsu. Now, once released, Hitsugaya's spiritual pressure burst forth.
Ōunabara's pupils dilated instantly!
This…
Such powerful reiatsu from a Rukongai soul who has never trained as a Shinigami?
Unbelievable!
Never trained, yet born with such terrifying spiritual power?
Ōunabara grew excited. "My god, incredible! You truly never trained before this?!"
"With reiatsu like this, why didn't you come to be a Shinigami sooner?!"
"I didn't know I had spiritual power," Hitsugaya said softly.
"That can't be. Those with reiatsu feel hunger, unlike ordinary souls who only need to breathe and drink water."
"…" Hitsugaya paused, then said, "Grandma told me only kids feel hungry."
"I see," Ōunabara nodded seriously, then looked to Yoshio. "Yoshio, you did very well."
"Next, I'll bring…" He glanced at Hitsugaya—he still didn't know the boy's name.
"Hitsugaya Tōshirō," the boy said succinctly.
"Good. Tōshirō-kun, come with me for testing!"
"I won't disturb you, Sensei."
Yoshio was about to leave when he suddenly noticed Hitsugaya's favorability toward him had reached eighty!
Yoshio was overjoyed!
That meant he could permanently acquire Hitsugaya's "Child of Kirin" ability!
Which also meant he'd gone from mediocre to a genius in one jump!
Fantastic!
He kept his excitement in check. He hadn't expected his first permanent ability to come from Hitsugaya.
The kid was indeed cold outside and warm within. He acted cool, and his Zanpakutō was the strongest ice-type, but once he recognized you, he treated you as a true friend.
Maybe he wouldn't show much on the surface, but inside, he'd care deeply.
So Hitsugaya's favorability leapt from below sixty straight to eighty!
Good, good.
Watching Ōunabara take Hitsugaya for testing, Yoshio left Shin'ō in high spirits.
He still had patrol.
On his way out, he activated [Child of Kirin].
Yep, it turned out to be an active skill. Once you start doing something with [Child of Kirin] on, you become a genius in that area.
He'd thought it would be a passive, like [Star Chaser], that let him transcend limits automatically.
Using [Child of Kirin] even consumed reiatsu—but compared to the talent it granted, that cost was nothing.
He'd poured half his reiatsu into [Black Sun] last night; now, after activating [Child of Kirin], he felt himself recovering that spent power quickly.
Keep this up and he'd casually become a seated officer, lieutenant, even captain.
Thrilled, he decided to begin serious training once patrol ended.
When he reached the Rukongai and found nothing pressing, he parked himself at the White Road Gate and chatted with Jidanbō.
Another day of slacking.
…
By dusk, Yoshio strolled home at ease.
Tonight, Renji and the others were actually around—and they'd brought Hitsugaya!
"How's it feel, Shiro? Did you pass the entrance exam?"
Seeing Hitsugaya with Hinamori, Yoshio called out.
"It's unbelievable—Hitsugaya tested at a staggering sixth-class spiritual pressure at entry. Incredible!"
Kira spoke. He'd always thought he was pretty talented, but now he felt the meaning of "there's always someone better."
"The last entrant with sixth-class reiatsu was Thirteenth Division's Lieutenant Shiba. And he's from a noble house—one of the Five Great Noble Clans," Renji added.
Like the Kuchiki, one of the highest-status families in the Soul Society.
Noble offspring generally had higher reiatsu, especially among the Five Great Clans, where super-strong spiritual power was common.
That's why they were shocked—Hitsugaya wasn't noble.
Yoshio chuckled. "That's normal. I told you Hitsugaya's talent is strong. But raw reiatsu isn't everything—you still have to train Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō."
Think of reiatsu as inner energy—your power supply.
Zan-Hak-Ho-Ki are your fundamental applications.
A Zanpakutō is like top-tier martial arts plus a power amplifier—boosting energy and maximizing output.
Strong inner power is great, but if you don't know how to use it, it's no good.
Sometimes refined technique alone can bridge a power gap—unless the gap is ridiculously huge.
So when Aizen said "a Shinigami's battle is a battle of reiatsu," that was because his own reiatsu dwarfed everyone else's.
Yoshio couldn't teach them how to increase reiatsu, so he could only coach the basics of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō.
"That's it for tonight's lesson. I'm going to be busy next."
He told the four:
"Next, study well at Shin'ō. Aim to graduate and become seated officers ASAP—don't be like me, still just an unseated Shinigami."
"Senior Yoshio, are you really just unseated?"
Kira couldn't help asking, "Why do I feel like you're stronger than the instructors I've seen?"