A few weeks later, at the Sekkiseki Mines Training Grounds, Katori Nanatsuki was testing how much Hollowfication had improved Katori Batsu'unsai.
After a period of training, Batsu'unsai had successfully subdued the Hollow power within her.
She could now voluntarily Hollowfy and boost her combat abilities.
Once she entered her Masked state, an oval-shaped mask appeared on her face, marked by two slanted black grooves—resembling a pair of slash scars.
Thud thud thud—
Batsu'unsai flashed rapidly, leaving eight afterimages in the air.
Each afterimage swung its blade simultaneously, combining into a storm of slashes that swept toward Nanatsuki.
"Impressive speed."
Nanatsuki's Reiatsu surged, golden flame and lightning rippling alongside chaotic pressure behind his back.
He flickered at lightning speed, slipping through the gaps between the converging blades.
In her Hollowfied state, Batsu'unsai's speed was phenomenal. Without using Shunkō, Nanatsuki wouldn't have been able to keep up at all.
"You're the one with ridiculous speed! You dodged that barrage?!" she shouted, launching a kick.
Nanatsuki reached out, intending to grab her leg and hurl her aside.
However, the Hollowfied boost to her strength was far beyond his estimate. The moment he caught her ankle, he couldn't hold on.
BAM! Her foot struck Nanatsuki's abdomen—but instead of the feel of flesh, her strike met resistance.
A dense network of blue lines shimmered over Nanatsuki's midsection.
"I held back a little, but seriously—your Blut Vene is ridiculous. It's like kicking into a Bakudō wall. Didn't even budge!" Batsu'unsai flipped in the air, stepping off nothingness and launching into a spinning kick.
Nanatsuki's Blut Vene now offered defense rivaling mid-to-high-tier Bakudō.
At the same time, he switched to Blut Arterie.
His fist, etched with glowing blue lines, slammed forward.
BOOM! The clash of Reiatsu forced both combatants backward, sweeping the area with swirling spiritual pressure.
"Your strength's really gone up." Batsu'unsai rubbed her bruised foot. Beneath her skin, the injuries were rapidly healing thanks to the Hollow power.
The mask on her face began to fade. "Can't hold it much longer… but I lasted one second more than last time."
She had just begun mastering Masking, and couldn't sustain it for long.
Currently, she could maintain the Hollow state for about thirty seconds.
"I switched to Blut Arterie." Nanatsuki flexed his slightly numbed fist. "It boosts my power."
Blut Arterie stacked with Shunkō!
Just now, he'd used raw strength alone to force back a Hollowfied Batsu'unsai!
Twenty years had passed, and his Quincy interface had changed dramatically:
[Base Abilities (Quincy)]: Reishi Control Lv.80 (+5), Blut Vene Lv.80, Blut Arterie Lv.80, Hiryūkyaku Lv.60
In the past twenty years, aside from Kuchiki Byakuya, he hadn't found any new suitable disciples.
As a result, he hadn't earned much EXP from missions—most of his gains came through training.
Once Reishi Control and Blut Vene reached level 80, the growth from training had become negligible.
So Nanatsuki focused on leveling Blut Arterie and Hiryūkyaku instead.
He had a theory.
The Quincy path demanded immense talent.
The Kurosaki bloodline he extracted had suffered severe loss. His Quincy aptitude from it was rather average.
Reaching level 80 in Quincy abilities was likely his natural limit.
To push Reishi Control or Blut Vene further, he'd either need to increase his Quincy aptitude… or dump General Ability EXP into them.
"Let's wrap up for today. I have to head to the Academy—Kobane said he found a promising candidate for me."
Nanatsuki smiled.
Kobane Jin'emon was now the Swordsmanship Department Head at the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy, teaching students Zanjutsu.
Yesterday, he suddenly contacted Nanatsuki, saying a new student had great potential for swordsmanship.
"Then go already!" Batsu'unsai nodded. "You haven't taken in a new disciple in ages. The dojo's been a bit quiet."
The World of the Living had been unstable lately, and the Shinigami were busier than ever—including Nanatsuki's disciples.
Their visits to the dojo had decreased, leaving it feeling a little lonely to Batsu'unsai.
Nanatsuki arrived at the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy.
It was recess time, and he encountered many students along the way.
The campus was lively—new students had only been enrolled for a month and were at peak enthusiasm.
"Who's that? A new teacher?"
"Idiot, don't you see the Captain's haori?"
"Ah… I'm from Rukongai. Never seen a Captain's haori before… That's what it looks like? So cool!"
The students buzzed as Nanatsuki passed.
His former students had all graduated long ago—these were fresh faces.
Nanatsuki knew the Swordsmanship Department well and headed straight for Kobane's office.
"Captain Katori? What a rare visitor!"
Along the way, he ran into Danmu Zōsuke, returning to the department office.
"Zōsuke-sensei, are you still using so many documents for swordsmanship class?"
Nanatsuki eyed the thick stack in his arms with curiosity.
"Not for swordsmanship! Those classes still follow the syllabus you left behind, Captain. You brought the dojo's methods to the Academy—the curriculum's solid."
Zōsuke beamed. "This is for the general education class. The usual teacher is on maternity leave, so I'm subbing."
"General education? Oh right… your wife's the new teacher." Nanatsuki smiled knowingly. "So you're becoming a dad, huh?"
"Hehe, that's right!" Zōsuke chuckled sheepishly.
"What brings you here today, Captain?" he asked. "Don't recall the Academy inviting you to any events."
"Kobane said there's a promising new student this year. I came to check them out."
"A swordsmanship prodigy, huh?" Zōsuke nodded in realization. "I think Kobane mentioned them—it's one of his own students."
They entered the Swordsmanship Department office, where Kobane Jin'emon was currently lecturing a student.
Before him stood a defiant bald-headed boy.
"You've barely enrolled and already caused this much trouble!" Kobane slammed the desk repeatedly, face flushed. "Damaging Academy property will cost you credits!"
"You're wrecking school property too, sensei," the bald student muttered, hands in his pockets.
Sure enough, the desk had caved in from Kobane's pounding.
"Still mouthing off?!" Kobane grabbed a wooden sword from the wall rack. "Looks like you need remedial swordsmanship!"
"Heh—just what I wanted!" The bald student grinned and drew his own wooden sword. "Let me see this famous Katori-ryu Swordsmanship for myself!"
He'd picked a fight with Kobane on purpose—hoping to provoke him into demonstrating the style.
Katori-ryu disciples were known for passing their exams early. Their legends still echoed through the halls.
This student had heard Kobane was one of Katori's disciples, and wanted to learn—only to be rejected.
So now he tried goading Kobane into drawing his blade.
Nanatsuki glanced at the student's Status Interface:
[Madarame Ikkaku]
[Talent: S-]
[Reiatsu: Lv.15]
[Fame: Stranger]
[Status: Blood boiling with fighting spirit]
The bald kid was Madarame Ikkaku!
He had the potential to attain Bankai—a true prospect.
"Seems the one you recommended is quite the energetic one," Nanatsuki said with a smile.
"Don't interfere with our duel…!" Ikkaku scowled.
"Watch your mouth, brat!" Kobane karate-chopped his head. "This man is one of the greatest sword masters in all of Soul Society! If you want to learn swordsmanship, treasure this chance!"
"Owowow—!" Ikkaku clutched his head. "Greatest sword master?!"
"Sensei!" Kobane ruffled the bald head. "This is the student I mentioned. His temperament's rough, but he's not a bad kid."
"Who are you calling rough?!" Ikkaku batted the hand away, flushed with embarrassment.
"You're Captain Katori, right?" He wasn't dumb—he understood Kobane was giving him a chance.
He dropped into a formal kneel. "I want to learn Katori-ryu Swordsmanship. Please accept me as your disciple!"
Madarame Ikkaku requests to become a direct disciple. Accept?
A prompt appeared before Nanatsuki.
"Since Kobane vouches for you, I'll accept you as a disciple. But from now on, you must respect your instructors and train diligently. Don't tarnish the Katori name."
Nanatsuki nodded, officially taking Ikkaku as a student.
A few days later, Yamamoto summoned all Captains and Vice-Captains to the First Division's main hall.
Nanatsuki glanced around—among the Shinigami who held sway at this high-level meeting, nearly half were his own students.
Azashiro Kana, Kotetsu Isane, Aizen Sōsuke, Komamura Sajin, Muguruma Kensei, and Shiba Isshin were now Vice-Captains of Squads 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10 respectively.
Shihoin Yoruichi was the Captain of Squad 2.
At this point, Katori-ryu already held significant influence within the Gotei 13.
And Kana, Aizen, Kensei, and Isshin were all strong candidates for promotion to Captain.
If that happened, Katori-ryu's authority within the Gotei and even the entire Soul Society would rise further.
Nanatsuki looked toward the entrance—two more people arrived.
Squad 7 Captain Love Aikawa and Vice-Captain Komamura Sajin entered together.
Komamura was close to mastering Bankai, but Squad 7 already had a Captain.
Love Aikawa had graduated several years before Hirako Shinji and was already a Shinigami when Nanatsuki began teaching.
Two years ago, he attained Bankai and was promoted to Captain of Squad 7 by Yamamoto.
"Sorry… are we late?" Aikawa scratched his head.
"Not yet. Ukitake hasn't arrived," said Kyōraku Shunsui, hands in sleeves. He'd arrived early and was lounging against a pillar.
Moments later, Ukitake Jūshirō entered and handed a scroll to Yamamoto.
"Head-Captain, here is the latest report." His face was grave. "Confirmation received: no survivors at the Naruki District outpost."
"No survivors? That's… serious," Shunsui murmured. "What happened?"
BANG!
Yamamoto slammed his cane into the floor. "Silence! This is a formal war council!"
"…Yes, sir." Though playful, Shunsui didn't disrespect Yamamoto in public. He obediently stepped away from the pillar.
Yamamoto reviewed the scroll and then looked up, his eyes burning with fury.
"A forward unit has gone dark again in the World of the Living!" he announced coldly. "This is no doubt linked to the resurgent Quincy. When you return, prepare your Squads for war!"
In recent years, Quincy sightings in the World of the Living had increased.
At first, they focused solely on hunting Hollows, avoiding conflict with Shinigami.
But after several skirmishes, fights became inevitable whenever the two met.
"Attacking a Shinigami outpost?!" Kuyashiki Kenpachi scowled. "Head-Captain, allow me to lead the extermination!"
"We have many young Shinigami now," Nanatsuki offered. "Captain Kuyashiki, why not let them gain some experience?
Many of our officers have never led a major war effort. This could be their trial by fire."
He was hoping to secure battle experience for his disciples.
For Shinji and others, such a trial might be the catalyst they needed to achieve Bankai.
"Hmm."
Yamamoto considered it. It was true that many Captains and Vice-Captains still lacked wartime experience.
He himself was growing old. Sooner or later, the Gotei would need a new leader.
He had once planned to choose from his two students.
But Shunsui had clearly expressed reluctance to bear the burden.
And Ukitake, though capable, had poor health. Naming him Head-Captain might doom the position to a short tenure.
Neither was suitable.
But Yamamoto had high hopes for Katori Nanatsuki.
Half the Squads already had Nanatsuki's students in key positions—a sign of both strength and loyalty.
Moreover, Nanatsuki's power was beyond question.
Given time, he could absolutely shoulder the burden of leadership.
But first, he would need to grow through blood and fire.
"Captain Katori—this operation will be under your command."