Seireitei served as both the political and military headquarters of Soul Society, as well as the home of all Soul Reapers.
The estates of the noble families had stood within its walls for generations.
Countless buildings of every size filled Seireitei, including the Central 46 Chambers, the barracks of the Gotei 13, Sōkyoku Hill, the Senzaikyū, and Shin’ō Academy, the institution responsible for educating generations of Soul Reapers.
Shin’ō Academy had been founded roughly two thousand years ago by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the current Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13.
Its purpose was to train the younger generation of Soul Reapers who would one day join the Gotei 13, the Onmitsukidō, or the Kidō Corps, safeguarding both Seireitei and Soul Society.
Massive walls surrounded Shin’ō Academy, and an equally enormous gate separated the school grounds from the outside.
Today, however, the gates of Shin’ō Academy stood wide open.
A huge crowd had gathered outside, nobles and commoners alike weaving through one another in a lively sea of people.
Today was the first day of enrollment at Shin’ō Academy.
Standing before the gates and staring at the enormous crowd, Yoruichi Shihōin and Kūkaku Shiba were both a little stunned.
This was way more crowded than either of them had expected.
“Kūkaku!
Yoruichi!” Kaien Shiba squeezed his way out of the crowd, breathing heavily.
“I finally found you two.
Didn’t we agree that I’d come pick you up?” “It’s not like we don’t know the way!” Kūkaku shouted.
The area was so noisy that she was worried Kaien wouldn’t hear her otherwise.
Unfortunately, her shout was so loud that Kaien’s ears rang.
He gave his sister a helpless look before turning toward Yoruichi.
“Yoruichi, where’s Shadow?” “Who knows?” Yoruichi spread her hands with a mischievous grin.
“Maybe he’s standing right behind you.” “What?!” Kaien immediately stiffened and spun around.
“You actually believed me?” Yoruichi burst out laughing.
“Shadow comes and goes like a ghost every day.
I only know he’s somewhere around me.
How am I supposed to know exactly where he is?” “…” Kaien stared at her speechlessly, his expression darkening.
He took a deep breath and led the two girls into the crowd.
He didn’t dare say anything else.
Neither of these two young ladies was someone he could afford to provoke.
At the registration area, a middle-aged man wearing a Shihakushō was recording the information of the souls who had come to enroll.
When he saw Kaien and the other two approaching, he handed over two registration forms.
“Fill these out, then go over there to have your Reiatsu (Spiritual Pressure) tested.
You can only enter Shin’ō Academy if you pass.” He pointed off to the side before lowering his head and returning to work.
Kaien was wearing the Shin’ō Academy uniform, so it was obvious that he was already a student.
Naturally, one form went to Yoruichi and the other to Kūkaku.
After spending a little time filling everything out, the three followed Kaien back through the crowd to face the next challenge, the Reiatsu (Spiritual Pressure) test.
The Reiatsu test was merely Shin’ō Academy’s first criterion for evaluating applicants.
As long as someone possessed Reiatsu, no matter how weak it was, they could be admitted.
Those with weak Reiatsu might still be accepted, but very few of them would ever become noteworthy Soul Reapers.
Most would ultimately amount to little more than expendable rank-and-file soldiers.
Those with powerful Reiatsu, on the other hand, would become the backbone of Soul Society, captains, lieutenants, or seated officers.
…
“Reiryoku (Spiritual Power)…
Grade Five, Third Seat level!” A rough voice suddenly boomed over the crowd, filled with surprise and respect.
After a brief silence, excited murmuring spread through the crowd like a rising tide.
“Whoa!
She hasn’t even entered Shin’ō Academy yet and she already has the Reiryoku of a Third Seat.
I’m jealous!” “Seriously.
She might become a lieutenant someday, maybe even a captain!” “…” Listening to the excited voices all around them, Kūkaku couldn’t help curling her lips.
“So what if she’s Third Seat level?
Kaien already had lieutenant-level Reiryoku when he enrolled!
Besides, I’m not going to lose to her.” Kaien smiled helplessly.
He had just opened his mouth to say something when the rough voice rang out again.
“Next, Kūkaku Shiba!” “My turn!” Kūkaku grinned and waved at Yoruichi and Kaien before walking forward.
“Reiryoku…
Grade Five, Third Seat level!” The rough voice rang out again, this time carrying a faint tremor.
This was already the second applicant with the Reiryoku of a seated officer.
“Only seated-officer level, huh?” Kūkaku walked back through the path the crowd opened for her, complaining under her breath, though the huge smile on her face made it obvious that she was quite pleased with her result.
“Next, Yoruichi Shihōin!” “Now it’s my turn.
Watch this, Kūkaku.” The corner of Yoruichi’s mouth rose confidently as she stepped forward.
“Her last name is Shihōin!
She’s from the Shihōin Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Houses!” “Why would someone from the Shihōin Clan come here?
Can’t high-ranking nobles be admitted directly?” “…” Ignoring the surrounding discussion, Yoruichi calmly walked up to the testing station.
“Lady Shihōin,” the Soul Reaper conducting the test said respectfully, “please place your hand here and channel your Reiryoku (Spiritual Power).
The device will display your level based on its strength.” He pointed toward the circular testing device on the table.
“Got it.” Yoruichi nodded, placed her hand on the device, and poured her Reiryoku into it.
The device immediately erupted with dazzling light, far brighter than anything produced by the applicants who had tested at Third Seat level.
“Reiryoku…
Reiryoku…
Grade Six, lieutenant level!” The Soul Reaper administering the test swallowed hard before shouting the result in excitement.
How could he not be excited?
This girl had the potential to become a future captain!
The words “lieutenant level” instantly stunned everyone present.
A moment later, the murmuring that had only just died down erupted even louder than before.
A seated officer might have a chance of eventually becoming a captain, but someone who already possessed lieutenant-level Reiryoku had the potential to grow into a captain-class powerhouse capable of standing on their own.
Of course, that still required sufficient effort.
No matter how exceptional someone’s talent was, they would never succeed if they failed to work for it.
“No way!
Lieutenant level?
Hit me.
I have to be dreaming!” “I think there was one lieutenant-level applicant in the last enrollment too, and now another one showed up this year!” “Exactly!” “…” Listening to the excited discussions around her, Yoruichi walked back with her hands clasped behind her back.
She raised an eyebrow and grinned at Kūkaku.
“Well?
What do you think, Kūkaku?” “What’s so impressive about that?” Kūkaku scoffed.
Still, deep down, she was happy for Yoruichi.
They had been friends for years, after all.
“Then let’s compete!” Yoruichi said with a grin.
“We’ll see who awakens their Zanpakutō first, who learns Bankai first, and who becomes a captain first.
How about it?
You up for it, Kūkaku?” “You’re on!
You think Kūkaku Shiba would be scared of you?” At that moment, both Yoruichi and Kūkaku erupted with unprecedented enthusiasm.
If Tansei Shihōin had been there to see them, he certainly would have been pleased.
Wasn’t this exactly why he had wanted Yoruichi to attend Shin’ō Academy?
“Reiryoku…
Grade Five, Third Seat level!” “Reiryoku…
Grade Five, Third Seat level!” “Reiryoku…
Grade Six, lieutenant level!” “Another lieutenant-level applicant!” Kaien muttered helplessly.
“You’d normally have trouble finding even one person with the potential to become a seated officer or lieutenant, and now they’re appearing one after another.
Did that kind of talent suddenly become worthless?” Before the crowd had even fully processed the results, the testing Soul Reaper’s rough voice rang out again, trembling once more.
“Reiryoku…
Grade Six, lieutenant level!” His trembling voice was gradually becoming numb.
The Soul Reaper conducting the tests had shouted so many incredible results that he’d become numb to them, and the surrounding crowd had heard so many that they were becoming numb as well.
Everyone simply went back to whatever they had been doing, almost as though they hadn’t heard anything unusual.
“This is getting interesting.” Yoruichi’s lips curved into a confident smile.
“But I’m Yoruichi Shihōin.
I don’t plan on losing to anyone.” “Neither do I!” Kūkaku declared.
“Count me in too!” Kaien added.
The siblings seemed to have been infected by Yoruichi’s enthusiasm, and Kaien’s earlier frustration vanished completely.
Every one of them was a genius with the potential to become a seated officer or lieutenant.
Every one of them had their own pride.
Why should any of them willingly admit that someone else was better?
What they were now did not determine what they would become in the future.
I’ll surpass you.
Hidden in a corner, Shadow finally shifted his gaze away from Yoruichi’s face and looked in a particular direction.
Standing there were two figures he had only ever seen once before.