The outcome was somewhat different from what Chigusa Rin had imagined.
On the very night his Asauchi finally transformed into a Zanpakutō, he entered Jinzen.
As his consciousness gradually sank into meditation, he suddenly found himself within a mysterious space.
Having spent five years studying everything he could about Zanpakutō, he immediately recognized where he was.
This was his Inner World.
Somewhere within this place, his Zanpakutō Spirit awaited him.
Once he earned its recognition, he would gain the ability to release Shikai.
Thinking of that, even someone as composed as Rin felt a trace of excitement.
After all, success seemed to be only one step away.
Suppressing that excitement, he began searching for his Zanpakutō Spirit.
His Inner World was a vast, flourishing forest overflowing with life.
Towering over the endless sea of trees stood an enormous ancient tree whose crown pierced the heavens, so conspicuous that it almost seemed to be announcing its own existence.
Come here.
Naturally, Rin walked directly toward it.
As he approached, he discovered a figure peacefully sleeping atop one of the massive branches.
The figure was draped in flowing green robes that blended harmoniously with the surrounding forest, giving off an indescribably gentle and familiar feeling.
“Are you my Zanpakutō?”
Knowing that the spirit had already sensed his arrival, Rin skipped any unnecessary formalities.
Upon hearing his voice, the figure slowly opened its eyes.
“So slow, Ye Lin…”
“If you had continued hesitating any longer, I don’t know how much longer I would’ve had to sleep.”
The familiar name caused Rin’s expression to soften.
Ye Lin.
That had been the name from his previous life.
It was said that a Zanpakutō was born from the soul of its wielder.
Now it seemed those words were absolutely true.
After all, that name was a secret buried deep within his heart, something no one else in Soul Society could possibly know.
Hearing it instantly put him at ease.
“I’m sorry for making you wait.”
Facing his own Zanpakutō Spirit, Rin had no intention of hiding anything.
He understood perfectly well why it had taken five years for his Zanpakutō to awaken.
It had nothing to do with his Spiritual Pressure.
The real reason was his own hesitation.
Although witnessing his adoptive parents being devoured by Hollows had strengthened his desire to become a Shinigami, the peaceful life he experienced afterward within Shin’ō Academy constantly left him with a lingering sense of unreality.
Sometimes he couldn’t help wondering…
Was everything around him merely the illusion of someone who had already died?
Or had he truly been reborn into this world?
Life here was simply too peaceful.
There were almost no crises.
It hardly resembled the dangerous world of Bleach that he vaguely remembered.
Fortunately, the destruction of his flower garden had forced him to face reality once again.
No matter what this world truly was, becoming stronger remained absolutely necessary.
The moment he accepted that fact, awakening his Zanpakutō became inevitable.
The spirit smiled gently, accepting his apology without hesitation before lightly leaping down from the towering tree.
Rin instinctively opened his arms.
The next moment, the Zanpakutō Spirit landed softly against him without the slightest weight, almost as though it were embracing him.
Holding the spirit close, Rin experienced a level of peace he had never felt before.
The spirit spoke first.
“Aren’t you here to obtain Shikai…
and eventually Bankai?”
Rin first nodded.
Then he slowly shook his head.
“I was.”
“But the moment I saw you…”
“I realized I’m still not qualified to wield Shikai.”
“As for Bankai…”
“I’m even farther away.”
The Zanpakutō Spirit neither agreed nor disagreed.
After all, the two shared the same soul.
No one understood Rin better than itself.
Finally, the spirit smiled.
“Since you’ve already been honest with me, I won’t hide anything from you either.”
“There’s no point in doing so.”
“But…”
“You have to become stronger.”
“It’s lonely here.”
“And this world is different from the one you came from.”
“So…”
“You’ll have to be a little braver.”
The instant those words ended, Rin’s consciousness was gently pushed out of the Inner World.
Just before everything faded away, he heard one final whisper.
“Life itself is the cruelest existence.”
“From the moment it is born, it is accompanied by suffering.”
“If you truly wish to understand life…”
“You must first become brave enough to face it.”
His consciousness returned to reality.
Opening his eyes inside his dormitory, Rin quietly looked at the Zanpakutō resting across his lap.
The gentleness in his eyes deepened considerably.
As expected…
Nothing understood him better than his own Zanpakutō.
Only now did he truly understand why the four fundamental arts of every Shinigami were Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō, yet almost every Shinigami ultimately relied most upon the power of their Zanpakutō.
After all, one’s Zanpakutō was an existence even closer than family.
That level of trust naturally became irreplaceable.
Furthermore, releasing Shikai dramatically increased a Shinigami’s combat ability by drawing out far greater Spiritual Pressure through the Zanpakutō itself.
Such overwhelming growth was naturally irresistible.
Now…
Rin found himself genuinely looking forward to the day he could achieve Shikai.
After meeting his Zanpakutō Spirit, he finally understood what he lacked.
Spiritual Pressure was certainly one factor.
However, the more important issue lay elsewhere.
His Zanpakutō and his own abilities were fundamentally one.
His unique talent was the perception of life’s fluctuations.
If he wished to achieve Shikai, his mastery over that ability had to advance even further.
That was the true requirement.
To control life more freely…
He first needed to understand life more deeply.
Merely cultivating the same few medicinal herbs repeatedly would produce increasingly limited results.
In other words… The source of this chapter is g.com.
If he wished to continue growing stronger, he needed to cultivate a far wider variety of spiritual plants.
Or perhaps…
Study other living beings.
Humans.
Souls.
Even Shinigami themselves.
The thought surfaced only briefly before Rin immediately suppressed it.
Now was not the right time.
Within Soul Society, only two divisions could legally conduct research involving the bodies of souls and Shinigami.
The Fourth Division.
And the Twelfth Division.
The Fourth Division pursued such knowledge to improve Kaidō, medicine, and methods of saving lives.
The Twelfth Division…
Well.
That division was filled with researchers whose pursuit of scientific progress often ignored ordinary common sense.
Compared with them, almost nothing seemed impossible.
As a mere Shin’ō Academy student, openly challenging Soul Society’s traditions would be foolish.
For now…
The safest approach remained exactly what he had always done.
Growing flowers.
After organizing his thoughts, Rin once again sought out Nanao and asked her to help purchase a greater variety of rare spiritual plant seeds.
This time, however, Nanao immediately noticed the Zanpakutō hanging at his waist.
The envy and loneliness that flashed across her eyes were impossible to hide.
Rin’s heart stirred slightly.
As her closest friend, he had always known that her inability to complete Jinzen and awaken her own Zanpakutō had become the deepest wound in her heart.
After hesitating briefly, he finally spoke.
“Have you ever asked your family about it?”
“In my opinion…”
“It isn’t that you’re incapable of sensing your Zanpakutō Spirit.”
“It feels more like…
something is preventing the connection from ever being established.”
In the past, Rin had deliberately avoided discussing Zanpakutō with her, fearing he would reopen an old wound.
However, he had secretly observed Nanao many times using his ability to perceive life force.
Her vitality was remarkably healthy.
There were no hidden injuries.
No spiritual abnormalities.
Whenever she entered Jinzen, he could clearly sense her soul attempting to resonate with the Asauchi.
Yet every single time…
It was as though the Asauchi rejected her from the very beginning.
Curious about this phenomenon, Rin had secretly searched through numerous records inside Shin’ō Academy’s library.
Although he had found no definitive answer, he had gradually formed a bold hypothesis.
Perhaps…
The cause had something to do with the most mysterious existence in all of Soul Society.
The Soul King.
Combined with the fact that the Ise Clan had always served as one of Soul Society’s ancient priestly families…
It raised a question that even now remained unanswered.
Just what, exactly, had the Ise Clan been serving all this time?