The tea room door slid open quietly, and a woman in a light purple kimono entered.
Her features were gentle, her eyes filled with concern.
"Husband, if it's truly impossible, just forget it," Yuka walked to his side, advising softly. "Our Kasumioji Clan is, after all, an upper noble family just below the Five Great Noble Families. We have deep heritage. Although the Tsunayashiro Clan is powerful, they can't truly do anything to us."
Taishi looked up at his wife, the anger in his eyes gradually replaced by weariness.
He took Yuka's hand, his voice hoarse. "Yuka, you underestimate the depravity among noble families too much. Even the Shiba Clan among the former Five Great Noble Families is gradually being marginalized. In this world, if you don't eat others, you'll be eaten!"
"Just take the tragic case of the Azashiro Family a few years ago. Overnight, the mansion of a noble family with a thousand-year legacy turned to ruins. Over a hundred clan members died under mysterious circumstances. Publicly, they called it 'evil deeds attracting a Hollow attack', but such words only fool naïve idiots."
He turned to Yuka, his gaze frighteningly sharp. "The Azashiro Family tragedy was clearly other noble families seeing their decline, seeing they had fallen below the noble 'execution line', wanting to divide their wealth and territories, even fabricating false charges against them. If we don't strive to climb higher, we'll end up like the Azashiro Family, pulled into the abyss by those behind us."
Yuka's face paled slightly. She truly hadn't known the infighting among nobles was this terrifying.
Taishi released Yuka and walked to the sword stand in the corner of the room, gently stroking an old katana.
"This sword was passed down from my great-grandfather. He was once the Captain of the 7th Division of the Gotei 13. He earned great merit battling in Hueco Mundo, winning the Sato Family its status as a lower noble family."
"He left a family maxim: The higher we climb, the more eyes watch our backs. Either become strong enough to make everyone fear you, or never let anyone know your trump card. The Bakkoto is our most important trump card. We absolutely cannot stop. At worst, I'll go and use my connections with the Central 46 again."
...
On the Shin'o Academy's training ground, Setsuna was instructing an upperclassman in Hakuda.
"Lower your center of gravity a bit more, Kisaragi. The essence of Hakuda is gathering the strength of your entire body into one point, not just using arm strength alone." Setsuna reached out to adjust the other's posture.
The student named Kisaragi Shusuke looked at Setsuna with admiration. "Senpai, your advice is so good! A technique I couldn't grasp after three months of practice, you made me understand the key with just one sentence."
He hesitated, then asked, "I heard you're planning to graduate early, Senpai. Is that true?"
Although Setsuna was only a first-year, Kisaragi didn't hesitate at all in calling him 'Senpai'.
Setsuna nodded. "That is the plan. Once I complete the remaining course assessments, I'll apply for the graduation test."
Shusuke's eyes flashed with envy. "If only I had talent like yours, Senpai. Then I could graduate early and fight alongside my father in the Gotei 13."
As soon as the words left his mouth, footsteps sounded from the training ground entrance.
The Academy's history teacher walked over, accompanied by a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious attire.
The man's face was haughty. The scabbard of the Zanpakuto at his waist was inlaid with gems, clearly indicating an extraordinary status.
"Setsuna-kun," The teacher spoke somewhat awkwardly, "This is the husband of the Kasumioji Clan's head, Sato Taishi-sama. He has a matter to discuss with you."
Taishi stepped forward, looking at Setsuna with greedy eyes. But he quickly reined in his gaze. "I am here under orders from the Central 46 to recruit you for the capture of a criminal."
"Recruit me?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow.
Sato Taishi said, "Yes. A highly dangerous criminal named 'Zaraki' has appeared in the Rukongai. I heard you fought him before, so I've come specifically to recruit you to assist in his capture."
Setsuna asked with a half-smile, "You want me to deal with Zaraki?"
He could clearly perceive the undisguised malice from the person opposite him.
"Precisely," Taishi nodded as if it were natural. "This is your opportunity. If you perform well, you will earn the favor of the esteemed 'sages' of the Central 46. Your future prospects would be limitless."
Setsuna yawned, saying lazily, "Oh. Then I refuse."
"Wh-what?" Taishi's eyes widened in disbelief. "You... how dare you refuse a recruitment order from the Central 46?"
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Setsuna retorted. "Which law stipulates that Shin'o Academy's students must obey recruitment orders from the Central 46? Please point it out, I'd like to study it."
Taishi was stunned, then angrily said, "The Gotei 13 must obey the orders of the Central 46. That is the iron law of the Soul Society!"
"Well, there you have it," Setsuna shrugged. "I'm not an official Shinigami yet. I'm just a student. The Central 46 has no authority over me. Wait until the day I join the Gotei 13, then come talk to me about orders."
The teacher nearby coughed a few times, trying to smooth things over. "Setsuna, are you perhaps not feeling well recently? Maybe you should go rest first..."
Setsuna smiled at Taishi. "Then just report back to the Central 46 like this: say my Zanpakuto has a cold tomorrow and can't go. How's that for a reason?"
"You... you low-born scum dare mock me!" Taishi's face flushed red with anger, his pointing finger trembling.
A cold light flashed in Setsuna's eyes.
In the next instant, Taishi didn't even see what happened before he was pressed to the ground.
Setsuna grabbed him by the collar and began punching him in the face, one blow after another.
At first, Taishi was furious, but then he felt a secret joy.
He had long wanted to capture Setsuna for experiments, but couldn't act within the Shin'o Academy, which is why he had targeted that Zaraki instead.
He never expected this so-called genius to have so little patience. Wasn't this handing him the justification for capture on a silver platter?
"Rebellion! This is rebellion!" Taishi pretended to be furious, shouting with blood from his nose and mouth. "You low-born scum dare attack a noble! Someone! Help, quickly!"
He looked at the other students and the teacher around, only to find everyone standing in place, looking at him with strange expressions.
More precisely, they were watching him rolling on the ground and shouting alone, as if performing a ridiculous one-man show.
No longer feeling secret joy, an inexplicable fear took hold of Taishi's heart. "Are you all blind? Can't you see him hitting me?"
A student muttered softly, "You're the one rolling on the ground by yourself... this isn't how you fake an injury..."
"Exactly. We saw clearly. You suddenly fell to the ground and started acting crazy..."
"Could it be a mental problem?"
"Rebellion! Rebellion!" Taishi screamed in terror, scrambling on all fours toward the training ground exit. "You Shin'o Academy dares lie with your eyes wide open! I will report this to the Central 46! I will report this to the Central 46!"
Watching Taishi's disheveled fleeing figure, the surrounding students and teachers looked at each other, completely baffled.
In their eyes, what had just happened was Taishi suddenly going mad, talking to himself, rolling on the ground, then shouting 'rebellion' and running away.
Behind Setsuna, Aizen chuckled softly as he slid his slightly drawn Zanpakuto back into its sheath. "These nobles are laughably foolish. But what interests me more is whether those so-called 'sages' of the Central 46 are equally foolish."
Setsuna smiled and said, "You'll see soon enough."
The two spoke as if no one else was around. The surrounding teachers and students showed no reaction.