Three days later, at the Shiba residence.
"Captain Shinji, is something going to happen to my brother?"
Outside the training ground, Shiba Kukaku wrung her hands together, looking anxiously toward the closed doors.
Her older brother, Shiba Kaien, had been inside for three full days.
At first, the sound of battle could be heard constantly.
But as time went on, the fighting noises had gradually faded. Now, there was no sound at all.
Worried, Kukaku turned to Shinji, hoping for some reassurance from the young captain.
"Relax."
Shinji casually tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"If you're just looking for comfort, then yeah, I'll tell you not to worry. Shiba Seaweed Head isn't someone who gives up that easily."
With his sharp eyes fixed on the door, Shinji narrowed his gaze slightly.
It should be… almost time.
A man willing to stake his pride and his life wouldn't just drop dead in a place like that.
"Hey, Captain Shinji."
Matsumoto Rangiku swatted away Shinji's hand with a twitch, pouting, "You're way too smooth at touching people's hair. How many girls have you practiced on?"
Shinji: "…"
Danger.
Murderous intent.
He instinctively took a step back, looking completely unbothered as he reminded her, "Rangiku, you should stop before someone sees you."
Who's watching? Whatever.
I'm not innocent anyway.
I'm just a bad guy who ogles women. Come on, Rangiku. Let's go,
Shinji glanced sideways.
Okay, to be fair, Rangiku really was built different.
"Then don't look at me like that, seriously. You're heartless."
Matsumoto grumbled, then asked casually, "By the way, are you really making Nilu the vice-captain? She seems like she has zero combat ability."
Her eyes shifted toward the timid little green-haired girl currently hugging Shinji's thigh like a safety pole.
That's her?
This little thing was the new vice-captain of Squad 10? An Adjuchas-level Arrancar?
Matsumoto was speechless.
An Adjuchas should be on par with a captain in strength… So why did Nilu seem so weak, like even an unseated officer could beat her up?
"Don't underestimate Nilu."
Shinji shook his head.
Right now, Nilu might look weak and helpless, like anyone could bully her. But once she gathered enough Reiatsu and returned to her true form, The 11th Vasto Lorde-level Arrancar, the female monarch among Menos Grande, Even the jaws of the Central 46 would drop.
"Pfft. What, is she going to blow my head off?"
Rangiku rolled her eyes and then scooped Nilu up with a seductive hug.
"Come on, cutie. Tell big sis if you've grown recently..."
Shinji: "…"
If you're gonna do that, let go of Nilu and do it to me!
Come for me!
I won't mind! I swear!
Shiba Kukaku looked at the strange group in front of her with a face full of black lines, unable to make sense of any of it.
At that moment,
The doors to the training ground slammed open.
Shiba Kaien, battered and bloodied, covered in injuries from head to toe, stumbled out.
"Big brother!"
"Hngh, ow ow ow ow!"
Kaien winced as Kukaku threw herself at him.
Patting her comfortingly, Kaien looked up at Shinji.
"Captain Shinji… I'm back."
"It looks like you've succeeded."
Shinji smiled faintly.
"All thanks to you, Captain Shinji. I barely got the hang of it. I haven't mastered it fully, but… I can use it."
Kaien laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
But his eyes were full of respect and gratitude.
If not for Shinji, maybe with his own talent, he would never have achieved Bankai in this lifetime.
"Since you've come this far, it's time to act like a man and do what needs to be done."
Shinji stepped aside, giving him a path.
Kaien looked confused.
"Captain Shinji, what do you mean?"
"Those people from the smaller clans harassing your family, what, you want me to deal with them?"
Shinji's tone was annoyed.
"This is your house, your duty as the head of the Shiba Clan. Go out there and show them that the Shiba Family isn't some pushover they can bully."
Now that Kaien had made his choice,to protect his family, to uphold the Shiba name,
Shinji wasn't going to rob him of the best opportunity to make a statement.
This wasn't just a fight.
It was a declaration of pride.
And if you had to gamble your life on it, then so be it.
"Dignity…"
"I understand now, Captain Shinji!"
Kaien nodded with resolve.
Still dressed in his tattered, blood-soaked uniform, he strode out to the front yard.
"You're not going to help him? The way he is now, Kaien might not be able to suppress so many Shinigami."
Matsumoto tilted her head.
"I can't interfere."
Shinji replied flatly.
"A man's pride is on the line. This is what he's fighting for."
"If he loses now, he'll lose forever."
They walked out together.
By now, the front yard was packed with people. The air was buzzing with noise.
"Shiba Kaien, has your family fallen so far?"
"You can't even afford new clothes? Might as well move out of Seireitei! The outer districts would suit you better."
"Hand over your resources. A declining clan like yours doesn't deserve them."
Several Shinigami wearing Shiba clan robes glared at Kaien, trying to pressure him into surrendering the family's holdings and leaving Seireitei altogether.
In the Soul Society, resources were limited.
To rise, someone else had to fall.
That was the cruel reality.
"Now, get out of the Shiba estate. You're no longer welcome here."
At those words, Shiba Kaien took a deep breath and roared:
"I said, this is Shiba's house! Get out!!"
"Still don't understand the situation, huh?"
"This visit was to give you a last bit of dignity. Refuse us, and don't blame us when we show no mercy."
"Leave Seireitei. That's the only way your family survives."
The heads of several minor noble houses stepped forward threateningly.
Even if they could take just a part of the Shiba resources, the benefits would be enormous.
"Then there's nothing more to say."
Kaien's refusal was firm.
Hostility surged in the eyes of the clan leaders.
Suddenly, several Shinigami lunged at Kaien.
But,
Clang!
They stopped, eyes wide in disbelief.
Kaien had blocked all the attacks with just one hand.
"What?!"
"Zoujiro is vice-captain level! How did Shiba Kaien block him so easily?"
"Don't tell me…"
The more observant ones suddenly gasped.
They stared at the fierce Reiatsu swirling around Kaien like burning flames,
It was beyond vice-captain level.
"Too bad Soul Society forbids Zanpakutō release here."
Kaien's voice was calm but firm.
"But if it's just unleashing Reiatsu..."
BOOM!
It was like thunder cracking across the sky!
Kaien's Reiatsu exploded upward like a tidal wave, pressing down with overwhelming force.
In that instant, the weight of the world seemed to increase tenfold.
All those cocky Shinigami were suddenly gasping for breath, their faces turning red as they dropped to their knees.
Crushed by pressure.
Unable to move.
Unable to breathe.
Their consciousness began to blur under the weight of it.
Their hearts were gripped by an invisible fist.
One more squeeze, and they'd pop like balloons.
And then,
It stopped.
Kaien withdrew his Reiatsu.
Everyone collapsed, gasping.
Fear etched into their expressions.
"He really is… captain level!"
"Kaien, you bastard, you've been hiding Bankai this whole time?!"
"He's really reached that level?!"
The heads of the other noble houses were trembling.
This was no longer someone they could afford to mess with.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a white-coated figure suddenly flashed into view.
There was only one man in the entire Gotei 13 who wore a flashy pink haori like that,
Captain of Squad 8, Kyoraku Shunsui.
"Hmm? What's all this ruckus?"
Shunsui frowned, looking over the collapsed nobles.
He recognized some of them, barely.
They were probably minor noble families, the type you forget after meeting.
Then he turned and saw who was standing opposite them.
His pupils shrank.
Almost cursed out loud.
Why is Kuchiki Shinji here again?
Could it be that this whole situation also has something to do with Kuchiki Shinji?
Kyoraku Shunsui rubbed his nose with a strange expression. "Shinji… There was a burst of powerful Reiatsu just now, nearly on the level of a captain. Was that you?"
Shinji: "…"
Why are you looking at me like that?
Don't go blaming everything on me, old man!
Even though… technically, yeah, this is kind of related to me.
"That was my Reiatsu, Captain Kyoraku."
Shiba Kaien stepped forward and admitted calmly.
"Nani???"
Kyoraku Shunsui's face filled with disbelief as he almost tripped over his own feet.
Are you joking right now? You're clearly just a vice-captain!
As Jūshirō Ukitake's senior and close friend, Kyoraku knew Shiba Kaien very well. He was the same vice-captain who often got dragged into running errands when Ukitake was out sick.
So this… didn't make sense.
"I know what you're thinking," Shinji said, noticing the look in Kyoraku's eyes. He turned to Kaien. "Show him."
"Understood, Captain Shinji."
Shiba Kaien nodded and released his Reiatsu again, just for a second.
Boom!
The surge of Reiatsu blasted through the area momentarily before vanishing.
"That… really is captain-level Reiatsu…"
Kyoraku Shunsui looked stunned.
What the hell is going on in this world?
Just a few days ago, Shiba Kaien was a vice-captain, and now he's suddenly on par with a captain?
And even stranger… How did he achieve Bankai so quickly? Isn't that something that usually takes over ten years of training?
Kyoraku felt like this was too much to process.
"Maybe I skipped my nap and my head's not clear," he muttered, rubbing his face. "I must be dreaming…"
"All of this is thanks to Captain Shinji," Kaien said seriously, his eyes glowing with gratitude. "Without him, I wouldn't have been able to unlock Bankai or gain the strength I have now."
Shunsui sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"So this really is your fault, Shinji."
"I prefer to call it my accomplishment," Shinji said without missing a beat.
Kyoraku squinted at him suspiciously.
What the hell did this kid do?
Maybe… maybe he should find an excuse to have Shinji "accidentally" train Nanao, too.
Just a little power-up wouldn't hurt, right?
But then he quickly shook the thought from his head and smiled wryly.
"By the way," Shinji suddenly said, stopping Kaien as he prepared to clean up the mess around him. "You should go report your Reiatsu levels to the Head Captain later. You don't need to say what your Bankai does, but your Reiatsu should be officially recorded."
Kyoraku gave him a sideways look.
"You realize you're probably the last person qualified to say that."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Shinji narrowed his eyes. "Come here, Kyoraku Shunsui. Bring that head over here. I'll give you a buff."
Kyoraku: "…"
Wait, why do you need to draw your sword to apply a buff!?
Put the sword down first, you maniac!
---
Meanwhile, several hundred meters away from the Shiba residence,
"Kuchiki Shinji… that damned brat!!!"
Hidden in the shadows, Tsunayashiro Tokinada blended perfectly into the darkness. His cold eyes were locked onto the Shiba estate.
He had no intention of letting the Shiba family recover.
He'd waited patiently, slowly lured and manipulated several lesser clans into moving against the Shiba—just to make them fall.
But today… everything was ruined.
That good-for-nothing Shiba Kaien, who was barely a vice-captain a few days ago, had exploded with captain-level Reiatsu today.
With a true captain-class Shinigami defending the family, no one could seize a single thing from the Shiba anymore.
And all of it… was thanks to Kuchiki Shinji!
Tsunayashiro Tokinada's gaze darkened.
"I waited so long for this moment… had everything in place…"
"Kuchiki Shinji, you've made yourself a target."
His voice was laced with hatred as he disappeared into the shadows.
---
That night.
Under the pale moonlight, Soul Society lay quiet and still.
The stars shimmered faintly above, mirroring the cold silence that cloaked the Kuchiki estate.
Shua! Shua! Shua!
Several masked figures in black darted swiftly across the rooftops, silent and ghostlike, using Shunpo to bypass the guards and slip into the estate unnoticed.
Creak.
The door to Shinji's room slowly creaked open.
A shadow crept inside, blending perfectly with the darkness.
But just as they moved to strike,
Flash!
Two gleams of violet light slashed down sharply, piercing the bed below.
Puff!
Zanpakutō stabbed through cloth.
But the bed was empty, only a long white coat lay there.
Shinji was nowhere to be found.
"The third technique of the Secret Art, Four Maple Steps: Empty Cicada!"
One of the black figures muttered in shock.
That technique was a high-level Shunpo maneuver pioneered by Shihōin Yoruichi. It allowed the user to leave behind a decoy, such as a coat, while the body vanished to safety.
As Yoruichi's fiancé, of course Shinji had mastered it long ago.
"I see you recognize it," Shinji's voice echoed calmly through the room.
He stepped out from the shadows, eyes glinting with curiosity as he studied the intruders.
Their masked, stealthy attire reminded him of… retainers.
Assassins, perhaps?
His expression darkened suddenly as his gaze flicked toward a room nearby, the one where Nilu was resting.
And just then, he felt it.
A powerful Reiatsu approaching fast.
So this was all a distraction, to lure him out.
The real target was Nilu.
"You went to all this trouble just to get at her?"
Shinji's lips curled up into a cold smirk.
"You're underestimating me too much… trash."
His eyes narrowed as he muttered under his breath:
"That captain-level Shinigami you brought to attack Nilu… he's going to regret it."