"Teacher, how about we call our little junior apprentice brother over today? Let Spring Water and I, as his senior brothers, meet him."
Having just finished disciplining Kyōraku, Yamamoto felt a headache coming on at the words of his only normal disciple. Kyōraku alone was enough to exhaust him. If he let Kensei Kenzuru—who was similarly unreliable—meet Kyōraku, who knew what kind of sparks would fly? But he couldn't not let them meet. At least in this setting, under his own watchful eye, Kyōraku wouldn't dare spout any nonsense to Kensei. If they met in private, however...
Yamamoto didn't dare continue that line of thought. He channeled his spiritual pressure and used Bakudō #77: Tenteikūra, a very useful communication Kidō often employed to convey messages. Besides the intended recipient, others could only sense the vibration of spiritual pressure, unable to eavesdrop on the content.
"Boy Kensei, come to the 1st Division now. This old man wants to assess your recent progress."
Kensei Kenzuru, who had been dozing off, heard Old Man Yamamoto's voice by his ear and thought he'd been caught sleeping in class. He jolted upright with a start. Realizing it was a communication Kidō, he awkwardly sat back down under Aizen's 'idiot' gaze.
"What's gotten into you now?"
"Old Man Yamamoto wants to test me."
Kensei let out a long sigh, simply thinking his talent was too dazzling, making the old man reluctant to let him go.
"Then why aren't you on your way? Aren't you afraid of neglecting the Captain-Commander?"
"Ah, that's where you don't understand, Sōsuke."
Kensei rested his right arm on the table, crossed his legs, and wagged the index finger of his left hand, looking at Aizen with a disdainful expression.
"Know the story of 'Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage'? Right now, I'm basically Old Man Yamamoto's Zhuge Liang!"
Aizen looked at him strangely, unsure where Kensei's confidence came from. Zhuge Liang was a genius of near-supernatural wisdom, while Kensei, at best, could be described as 'great foolishness masquerading as wisdom.'
"So, you want the Captain-Commander to visit your 'thatched cottage' three times to invite you over?"
"Indeed."
Kensei sat there with an air of serene importance, showing off to Aizen. The old man can't hear me anyway, so I can say whatever I want.
"I heard all of that."
Holy shit?!
Kensei was so startled by Old Man Yamamoto's words that he fell off his chair. Since when did the old man have a habit of eavesdropping? I'm done for.
"If you have complaints about this old man, you can voice them to my face later."
Kensei's face turned ashen; he knew he had overplayed his hand. Who would have thought the esteemed Captain-Commander would stoop to eavesdropping? Shooting a glare at the smirking Aizen, Kensei immediately used Shunpo to rush towards the 1st Division without a moment's delay. Noticing Kensei's Shunpo had improved yet again, Aizen silently sighed internally at the unfairness of it all. Even though they learned the same things, not only did Kensei grasp them faster, but he could also have flashes of inspiration and make improvements. The Shunpo he'd just used was an innovative result from the past few days, conserving about 10% of spiritual pressure compared to the basic Shunpo while increasing speed by 20%.
So this is what it feels like to be the one chasing...
Pushing up his glasses, which served to hide the expression on his face, Aizen swaggered out of the academy. The people around, however, didn't sense at all that someone had left the classroom. Or rather, from their perspective, "Aizen Sōsuke" was still sitting obediently in his seat.
"Holy shit, what monster dares show itself in broad daylight to scare people?"
Sliding the wooden door open, Kensei saw a face so bruised and swollen, with two panda-like black eyes, that its features were almost unrecognizable. He was so startled he nearly jumped.
"Ahem, little junior apprentice brother, I am Jūshirō Ukitake. This is Kyōraku Shunsui. We two are your senior apprentice brothers."
Kensei stared at the barely human-shaped Kyōraku Shunsui for a long time, finally managing to match him with the face in his memory. So the old man still beats people up like this at this time? Doesn't that mean I'm finished?
Trembling, Kensei stole a glance at Yamamoto's expression above, only relaxing when he saw no intent to strike him. His furtive movements naturally didn't escape Yamamoto's perception, who snorted in annoyance.
"This old man isn't so petty as to hold a grudge against a mere brunt like you."
Seeing Kensei's awkwardness, the good-natured Jūshirō Ukitake stepped in to smooth things over, pulling a small booklet from his robes and handing it to Kensei.
"Heh heh, meeting our junior apprentice brother for the first time, your senior brothers don't have anything great to give. I can only offer this Kidō handbook I've been studying."
Kensei solemnly accepted it with both hands, first thanking Ukitake, then looking meaningfully at Kyōraku Shunsui.
"Sigh, people really are different from one another, aren't they, Uncle Kyōraku?"
Kyōraku Shunsui, who had resumed his frivolous uncle persona, twitched the corner of his mouth. This little junior apprentice brother is a bit... not simple.
"Don't underestimate me, junior apprentice brother. Your senior brother has prepared a big gift for you. But first, you have to tell me your size."
"18."
"I meant your age."
"Same difference."
Kyōraku Shunsui sucked in a sharp breath. Now he understood what 'the pupil surpassing the master' truly meant. Leaning close to Kensei's ear with a wink and a nudge, he whispered:
"Senior brother will take you to a great place tonight. Guaranteed you'll like it."
"Oh? What kind of place? Should you take this old man along as well?"
Turning his head mechanically to see Yamamoto, who had somehow appeared right behind him, Kyōraku Shunsui felt all meaning drain from life. Resigned to his fate, he closed his eyes and welcomed another round of brutal beating from Yamamoto.
"If you dare learn from this scoundrel Kyōraku, I guarantee you'll end up the same way."
Kensei hypocritically mourned for Kyōraku Shunsui in his heart for three seconds, then righteously assured Yamamoto.
"Alright. This old man said today was to assess your recent progress. Prepare yourself."
The master and disciples followed Yamamoto to the vast underground training ground beneath the 1st Division. The seemingly endless space was clearly designed for high-intensity training. Tapping his cane on the ground, an intangible barrier enveloped the area.
"Now, show me everything you've mastered at full strength. This old man hopes you can give me a pleasant surprise."
Without any visible movement, the aura Yamamoto projected was completely different from the frail old man of before. His mere presence felt like a sharp blade piercing the heavens. The moment Kensei's Asauchi left its scabbard with a ring, his figure was already in front of Yamamoto, his sword descending heavily. This speed startled the onlooking Kyōraku and Ukitake.
No wonder the teacher wants to personally instruct Kensei. That kind of talent is simply monstrous.
Facing Kensei's attack, Yamamoto used only his left hand to forcefully deflect the Asauchi, while simultaneously thrusting the cane in his right hand like a venomous snake towards Kensei's throat. Using the momentum, Kensei drove his Asauchi into the ground for leverage, twisted his waist to adjust his posture, pushed off with his right foot, and whipped his left leg like a long whip towards Yamamoto's side.
"Foolish!"
Yamamoto roared angrily. He released the cane in his right hand, which was about to be kicked by Kensei, and directly used his palm to firmly seize Kensei's left leg. For a Shinigami like Yamamoto, who had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, his combat experience was immensely rich. Perhaps Kensei could hold an advantage against Shinigami of his own level, but before Yamamoto, his movements were full of openings. As for Kensei's fate, as expected, it was about to resemble the famous scene of Gaia SV's 'Supreme Nine Throws'—except he was the one being thrown.
"Urgh—!"
Kensei landed on the ground in an utterly humiliating pose, mouth agape and eyes shut, letting out a sound of defeat. The difference in weight class was a bit too great. It seemed his path to invincibility was still very long.
"Enough. This old man already held back."
Recalling the details of his brief exchange with Kensei, Yamamoto had more than enough to judge Kensei's level.
"Your Shunpo is somewhat different from what the academy teaches. Did you modify it yourself?"
Picking up his cane from the ground, Yamamoto reverted to his usual frail old man appearance. Receiving an affirmative reply, he nodded with satisfaction. Although his combat experience was still somewhat lacking, Kensei's potential was undeniable. Being able to modify Shunpo based on his own habits at this stage boded well for the future.
"Kensei Kenzuru, are you willing to formally become this old man's disciple? I am aware this is tantamount to having you declare your stance in the current turbulent Soul Society. But I promise you, as long as you are unwilling, these sordid struggles will not affect your normal life."
Faced with Yamamoto's sudden question, Kensei—who had already heard the analysis from Aizen-sama—wasn't particularly surprised. He didn't dislike the old man; it would just mean a bit more minor trouble. If it got really bad, he could always ask Sōsuke to just slaughter the entire Central 46. After all, wasn't that what happened in the original story?
Having made up his mind, Kensei seriously performed the ritual bow to formally acknowledge Yamamoto as his master. In truth, becoming a disciple or not didn't change much. In the eyes of outsiders, he had been branded from the moment Yamamoto summoned him. Now, becoming his disciple merely solidified that label.
"Excellent. From now on, come to me for instruction every three days. This old man will impart to you all I have learned in my lifetime."
This time, all three disciples were shocked. Not only was Yamamoto treating Kensei as his successor in knowledge and skill, he was clearly grooming him as the future Captain of the 1st Division.
"Teacher, that might not be appropriate..."
Looking at his two senior apprentice brothers, Kensei felt he should show some humility at this point. Unfortunately, Yamamoto was not one to be swayed. Leaving only the words, "Rest assured, I will not overly restrict you before my death," he departed, leaving the three apprentice brothers behind.
"Hahaha! Good junior apprentice brother! Thank you! Now I can finally relax and slack off without worry!"
Kyōraku Shunsui threw his head back and laughed heartily, excitedly patting Kensei's shoulder. Heaven has eyes! He no longer had to bear the weight of Old Man Yamamoto's expectations. From now on, he could be as carefree as he wanted. As for the little junior apprentice brother... well, good luck to him.
The kind-hearted Jūshirō Ukitake also looked at Kensei with sympathy, offering only this comfort: "Don't worry, your senior brothers will help you."
Kensei Kenzuru stood rooted to the spot, on the verge of tears, feeling that his future was both bright and filled with darkness.