The Gotei 13 sat at the center of Soul Society’s power structure, the official body of the Seireitei.
Shin’ō Academy existed for one purpose: to train students capable of entering the Gotei 13 and becoming Shinigami.
The organization itself was divided into thirteen divisions.
Each division was made up of one captain, one lieutenant, twenty seated officers, and hundreds, even thousands, of rank-and-file Shinigami.
If, among the souls of Soul Society, only one in a million had Reishi concentration high enough to reach the minimum rank of twenty needed to become a Shinigami, then becoming a lieutenant was a one-in-ten-million prospect, at least.
As for captain-level talent, that was one in a hundred million.
These captains were the ones who actually held power in Soul Society.
Just the sight of the captain’s haori on his shoulders was enough to make every student present understand exactly how extraordinary the man on the podium was.
“On behalf of the Gotei 13, I welcome each and every one of you to the academy.
I hope that after your training here, you’ll all grow into fully qualified Shinigami and join us in the Gotei 13.
Together, we’ll protect the Soul King, guard the Seireitei, and keep the three worlds in balance.” Sosuke Aizen stood at the podium, his back bent slightly rather than held straight, his hands hanging naturally at his sides.
His words came out gentle, warm enough that every student there felt bathed in a spring breeze.
He continued with his welcome speech.
Almost every new student instinctively lowered their head, not daring to meet the eyes of the man on the podium.
It had long been common knowledge, even among the most ordinary souls of Soul Society, that a Gotei 13 captain commanded respect.
But one student among them kept his eyes fixed straight ahead the entire time.
At the back of the line of new students, Kira Izuru noticed that Moriyasu Tokoyo, standing in front of him, still had his back held perfectly straight.
Unable to help himself, Kira reached out and tugged at the hem of Moriyasu’s uniform, whispering, “Moriyasu, lower your head, quick.” His voice was quiet, but the students nearby still caught it.
They turned to look at Moriyasu too, and found his expression hadn’t changed one bit from how it had been back in the classroom.
He didn’t seem to hold the captain on the podium in any particular awe.
Rukia hissed at him too.
“Moriyasu, lower your head already.
That’s the captain of the Fifth Division.” Moriyasu Tokoyo answered under his breath, calm as ever.
“Red Baboon, Onion, Lemon…” After a brief pause, he added one more.
“Peach.” “Peach” here referred to Momo Hinamori.
He went on, “You all came to this academy because you want to become Shinigami through your studies, naturally.” “But is that really the whole of your ambition?
Just becoming a Shinigami?” “Shouldn’t your goal be to keep training after that, to become a seated officer, then a lieutenant, and finally reach the rank of captain?” “I-idiot, of course everyone’s dreamed of becoming a captain someday.
But right now we’re just students.
Of course we have to show a captain proper respect and awe!” Rukia edged back half a step closer to Moriyasu, her back still bent low, hurrying to argue back at him.
“Rukia’s right.
Sure, my goal is to become a Shinigami captain myself, but what’s that got to do with right now?” Renji, standing a little farther off, kept his voice down as best he could as he growled back in a hurry.
Momo and Kira said nothing, their eyes fixed on Moriyasu.
“If that’s the case, then the goal is standing right there in plain view, right up on that podium, close enough to touch.
Why should we lower our heads?” “The goal is right in front of us.
All the more reason to look at it closely, to face it head-on, to become it, and in the end, to surpass it.” “Isn’t that right?” This time, Moriyasu made no effort to keep his voice down, and every new student around them heard it clearly.
Heads turned toward him one after another.
Some looked at him with surprise, some with disdain, some just hoping to watch a show.
Naturally, his words carried all the way to the front.
The homeroom teacher’s brow shot up.
He stepped forward half a pace, mouth already opening to lecture him.
But at that moment, Sosuke Aizen raised a hand to stop him, and spoke gently.
“That student’s got the right idea.
None of you need to lower your heads at all.” “If it’s out of respect for me, well, you’ve been at it a bit too long.” “Lift your heads.
Look at me.” Aizen waited a moment.
Until all twenty-six new students had raised their heads, eyes wide, looking straight at him.
He raised his right hand and held it out flat, palm turned toward the sky.
“Just as that student said, if becoming a captain is your goal, then all the more reason not to lower your heads.” His gaze settled on Moriyasu Tokoyo, seated in the second-to-last row on the far left, and he gave a small nod of approval.
Then he brought his right hand to his waist, gripped the hilt of his Zanpakuto, and drew it slowly.
“Since becoming a captain is your goal, me just standing up here talking would leave things far too vague.” “So let me show you a little of what a captain’s strength actually looks like, so you all have something clearer to aim for.” The homeroom teacher immediately shouted, “Everyone, pay attention!
Captain Aizen is generously showing you his Zanpakuto’s Shikai.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!” The teacher figured the students, fresh off enrollment, had no idea just how significant this really was.
His voice climbed several notches higher still.
“Watch closely, all of you, and burn every bit of this into your memory!” The moment he finished, he stepped back, coming to a stop three paces behind Aizen.
Aizen spoke, his voice calm and unhurried.
“Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu.” The blade of his Zanpakuto dissolved into churning water, like two serpents of water coiling around each other, surging rapidly.
At the same time, an intense pressure burst out from him, spreading in every direction.
That sudden, overwhelming pressure crashed down on every new student like a tsunami, slamming into their shoulders.
A moment later, it bore down on them like the weight of a mountain.
More than a few students had their knees buckle under the weight, nearly dropping to the ground.
A few others were flattened outright by the reiatsu, pinned face-down, unable to get back up no matter how hard they tried.
“Damn it, this is heavy!” Renji gritted his teeth so hard the veins stood out on his forehead.
He was doubled over, straining with everything he had just to stay upright.
“This is really something.” Rukia was holding up a bit better, but she too had planted her feet hard into the ground, stubbornly forcing her body to stay straight.
“How, how are you completely fine?” Kira had both hands braced on his knees by now, gasping for breath.
Fat beads of sweat rolled off his forehead, ran down his face, and dripped onto the ground.
But in his line of sight, something up ahead looked off.
He forced his head up and saw Moriyasu Tokoyo standing right where he’d been, in exactly the same posture as before.
Not a drop of sweat on him, and the ground beneath his feet hadn’t shifted in the slightest.
“Moriyasu’s amazing!” Momo wiped a bead of sweat from her chin, marveling.
“How the hell are you doing that, Caboose?!” Renji whipped his head around and shouted at Moriyasu.
Naturally, the homeroom teacher and Aizen up on the podium saw all of this too.
A faint smile touched the corner of Aizen’s mouth as he extended his senses.
His awareness reached out like an invisible tendril, and quickly settled on Moriyasu Tokoyo.
But in the next instant, his brow twitched, just slightly.
Spiritual power rank nineteen.
No concealment.