Kazuma drew Hokushin Raitei, preparing to unleash its domain to suppress Muramasa and sever its psychic link to Kōga.
Suddenly, Shunsui scrambled up from the floor, waving his arms frantically.
"Hey, hey, hey, no way! You're going to release your Zanpakutō in the captain's office?! People will die!"
Hearing this, Kazuma paused, looking at Shunsui with a deeply puzzled expression.
"Huh?"
He stared at the 8th Division Captain as if he were an absolute idiot, his tone laced with genuine confusion and a hint of mockery.
"Who told you that you have to call out a release command to use a Zanpakutō's abilities?"
Kazuma's casual words hit the room like a thunderbolt, stunning everyone into silence.
Kōga was completely dumbfounded, the Muramasa he had half-drawn frozen in mid-air.
Beside him, Batsu'unsai stopped the calligraphy brush she was using for paperwork.
Shunsui and Saitō both slowly lowered their sake cups, their jaws practically on the floor.
After a long moment of stunned silence, Batsu'unsai finally broke the quiet.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Kazuma. "Are you some kind of freak? Go ask around! Who in the world can use their Zanpakutō's abilities without releasing it?!"
This time, it was Kazuma's turn to be dumbfounded.
He had always done it this way—drawing upon the localized gravity and stellar Reishi of his domain subconsciously—only ever needing to formally call out the release command when he wanted to manifest the full, physical 'Starry Night' domain to unleash a major attack.
"Wait, seriously?" Kazuma asked, unwilling to give up. "Out of all the Shinigami in the Gotei 13, is there really no one else who can use their abilities in a sealed state?"
Shunsui, slowly regaining his composure, replied grimly, "As far as I know, no Shinigami in history can do that."
Kōga was even more shocked than the Captains.
Just what level of power had his overpowered master reached? To use Zanpakutō abilities without a release... he feared not even the Captain-Commander could achieve that!
It seemed he had really struck gold by being forced to become his disciple.
'Hell yeah! What a sweet deal!'
Batsu'unsai thought for a long time, her expression growing intensely serious.
"Kazuma, it's best you don't let this get out." She turned to the others. "And to everyone else present, I hope you can keep this a strict secret."
Seeing Batsu'unsai's incredibly stern expression, the others quickly realized the gravity of the situation.
If news spread that the Captain of the Seventh Division could wield his Zanpakutō's reality-warping abilities in a completely sealed state, it would paint a massive target on his back and definitely be extremely disadvantageous for him.
"Don't worry, Mistress," Kōga said firmly.
"We definitely won't leak this. We'll take it to our graves," Shunsui and Saitō declared in unison.
"Kazuma, oh, Kazuma, sometimes you're such an idiot. Blurting out something like this, and in front of everyone, no less," Batsu'unsai couldn't help but start nagging him again, rubbing her temples.
Kazuma wasn't so foolish this time.
He grinned widely. "Hehe, you're my dearest wife. Even if you knew all my secrets, how could you possibly harm me?"
He leaned in quickly and planted a kiss on Batsu'unsai's cheek.
Batsu'unsai flushed, pulling him in for a longer, passionate kiss.
"Mwah!"
"Die!"
"All you lovebirds have to die!"
"Can you two not be so outrageous?! There are other people here! If you keep this up, I'm going to draw my sword and cut you both down!" Saitō roared from the corner like an angry lioness, emanating waves of bitter, single-person cold air.
Kazuma held out a hand in a taunting gesture, breaking the kiss to smirk at her.
"Tch, bring it on! Let's see who cuts down whom, you single mutt."
"Aaargh! I can't take it anymore! I'm going to kill you two shameless lovebirds! And you're personally attacking me!" Saitō's face flushed with violent anger.
Her body trembled slightly, and the sword at her waist actually began to hum.
Shunsui quickly grabbed the furious Saitō in a bear hug, terrified she would actually rush out and fight Kazuma.
He knew in his heart that with Saitō's current strength, killing Kazuma was completely impossible.
The outcome would surely be her getting pinned to the ground and mercilessly thrashed by him—though Batsu'unsai wouldn't let it go that far.
Batsu'unsai quickly stepped away from Kazuma to soothe the raging woman. "Don't be angry, Saitō! Don't be angry! I'll personally cook dinner for you later to apologize."
She turned to the 8th Division Captain. "Shunsui, don't just sit there. Go tell Ukitake to come over for dinner too. It's a good day to have a full house."
She shot a glare at Kazuma. "Kazuma, take Kōga out and go train!"
"I got it, I got it," Kazuma said, quickly ushering his new disciple out the door to the training grounds for his first lesson.
As they walked, Kōga remained deeply skeptical of his unreliable master.
"Master, how do you actually plan to teach me?"
Kazuma rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Hmm... first, we'll start with the very basics. Like how to properly hold a Zanpakutō."
With that, Kazuma picked up his sealed sword and demonstrated a simple stance for Kōga.
"Who doesn't know how to hold a sword?" Kōga scoffed.
But as he looked closer, his eyes widened.
"No, wait... that's ninety percent wrong!"
Hiss.
'My master is just casually holding his Zanpakutō, but why does it feel like his entire body is full of openings... yet simultaneously has absolutely no openings at all?'
Kōga watched intently, then drew his own sword to imitate Kazuma's stance, but it always felt slightly off, clumsy in comparison.
Seeing Kōga's confusion, Kazuma smiled. "See? This is called the absolute unity of man and sword. Although we Shinigami rely on releasing our Zanpakutō to fight, what do we do if one day we encounter an enemy where we can't release it? Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, Kidō—these are the fundamental, pure skills every Shinigami must master. Coming from a Great Noble family, you should be familiar with the theory, but your execution is hollow."
Kōga frowned.
It was true; he had always relied heavily on Kidō and Muramasa's unique abilities, especially after learning Bankai, and had severely neglected his foundational practice of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Hohō.
"As a true warrior, you must have a flawless foundation. Without a solid foundation, your Bankai is just a castle built in the air, and you will inevitably stumble on the path to the peak. Let me show you another stance."
Kazuma began to demonstrate various fundamental sword stances to Kōga, explaining the subtle weight distribution and lethal purpose of each fluid movement.
Kōga gritted his teeth, trying hard to memorize the techniques, but his body struggled to keep up with Kazuma's flawless precision.
Kazuma offered a rare word of encouragement. "It's okay, take it slow. You're already doing very well for a beginner. As long as you persevere, your spiritual pressure will align with your physical movements, and you will definitely improve."
Although he initially thought Kazuma was entirely unreliable, Kōga now understood that his master possessed a profound, ancient understanding of combat and was willing to teach him with genuine patience.
"Master, I also want to learn that movement technique of yours. Is that a technique you created yourself?" Kōga asked, looking at Kazuma with longing.
Kazuma shook his head. "You mean my custom Shunpo? I can't teach you that right now."
Kōga was a little disappointed but asked respectfully, "Is it because my Reiatsu is insufficient to master the technique?"
Kazuma suddenly thought of Neliel, wondering how she was doing out in the barren wastes of Hueco Mundo.
He rubbed his chin and smiled warmly. "That's not it. I did indeed create this technique myself, but it was developed by combining the Shinigami's Shunpo with a movement skill I learned from a very dear old friend. I promised her I wouldn't pass her clan's secrets on to others without permission. I haven't even taught it to my wife."
Hearing Kazuma's honest answer, Kōga felt a bit dejected.
He sighed. "I understand."
Kazuma patted Kōga's shoulder. "Don't be discouraged. The technique is ultimately something I developed based on her teachings. Next time I see my old friend, I'll discuss it with her. So, you just can't learn it right now. In the future, I promise I'll teach it to both you and your Mistress."
Hearing Kazuma's promise, hope rekindled in Kōga's eyes.
He nodded vigorously. "Okay! I will train hard to be worthy of it!"
...
As expected, dinnertime was an absolute riot.
Everyone sat around the massive hot pot, noisily sharing stories, drinking sake, and trading jokes.
Kōga sat quietly to the side, listening to the Captains converse with a genuine smile.
Although it was his first time joining them, the rigid noble felt a profound sense of peace and warmth.
It was late at night when Kōga finally returned to the Kuchiki estate.
The moon cast a silver glow over the grand, immaculate courtyard.
The main gates were closed, with only the paper lanterns emitting a faint light.
Kōga gently pushed the gate open and walked inside.
"Kōga, you're back," Ginrei's voice sounded quietly.
Kōga looked up and saw Ginrei standing on the wooden veranda, a small smile on his stern face.
"Father, you're still not resting at this hour?" Kōga asked.
Ginrei shook his head. "I was waiting for you to return. I wanted to hear about your first day of training."
Kōga walked up to his father-in-law and bowed respectfully. "Father, Captain Kazuma's guidance is profound. Although I initially thought he was quite unreliable, after his teaching today, I've found that he is an unparalleled master of the fundamentals. I feel I will benefit greatly from learning by his side."
Ginrei nodded in deep satisfaction. "Haha, that's excellent. Captain Kazuma is a strong Shinigami. He is more than qualified to instruct you."
Kōga asked curiously, "I know Master is strong, but just how strong is he? Father, can you explain his past to me in detail?"
Ginrei smiled, beckoning Kōga to sit with him on the veranda.
He poured two cups of hot tea, handing one to the youth.
As they drank under the moonlight, Ginrei began to tell the legend of Captain Satou Kazuma.
"Captain Kazuma's fame began a thousand years ago, during the bloody extermination war between the Soul Society and the Lichtreich..."
...
Kōga listened with rapt attention, his eyes shining.
He imagined the apocalyptic battles, his heart filling with a burning yearning to reach that level of power.
"So Master really is that amazing!" Kōga exclaimed in pure awe.
Ginrei couldn't help but sigh, looking up at the stars. "Your master is indeed a remarkable Shinigami. So, Kōga, you must follow Captain Kazuma and learn well. I have no doubt that in the future, you will become an outstanding Shinigami just like him."
Kōga gripped his teacup, nodding firmly.
"I will work hard, Father!"