Perhaps others could only vaguely discern from Sasakibe's attire that he possessed strength rivaling that of a Captain.
After all, in a world where only Captains were permitted to wear the white haori, Sasakibe's white jinbaori was the only exception… identical in essence to the Captains' haori.
Other Lieutenants merely wore an armband symbolizing their division.
Moreover, in his interactions, Sasakibe never overstepped his bounds.
Despite possessing strength comparable to the other Captains, he always conducted himself strictly as the Lieutenant of the 1st Division.
His approach toward Kyoya might have stemmed from an awareness of how little regard Captains typically held for their Lieutenants. Thus, when speaking to Kyoya, he cut straight to the point-
It was Yamamoto who wanted to see Kyoya.
And yet, Sasakibe did not utter a single word about himself.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he had become an unnoticed 'invisible presence' within the Gotei 13.
This even indirectly affected his Zanpakuto, leading to its rebellion in the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc, the reason being that despite wielding the Strongest lightning-type Zanpakuto, no one even knew of its existence.
"Let's go now."
Kyoya had a fairly good idea why Yamamoto had summoned him to the 1st Division.
No matter what, the 11th Division was still part of the Gotei 13.
Even if the 11th Division's unique Captain selection process fell outside Yamamoto's jurisdiction, the emergence of a new Captain still necessitated reporting to the Captain-Commander.
Kyoya understood his position clearly.
While Sasakibe's words suggested that delaying a little wouldn't be an issue, Kyoya wasn't so arrogant as to keep Yamamoto waiting.
Moreover, he suspected that after his meeting with the Captain-Commander, a Captain's Meeting would likely be convened.
Just as when Kisuke Urahara assumed the position of 12th Division Captain in the future, his appointment was witnessed by multiple Captains.
Now that Kyoya had become the 11th Division's Captain, it was only natural for him to meet the other Captains.
After all, barring unforeseen circumstances, they would be working together for decades, if not centuries.
Furthermore, given Sasakibe's deep respect for Yamamoto, any display of indifference or disrespect from Kyoya might sour their relationship.
Kyoya was no Kiganjo. Even if he aspired to become an 'invincible' existence within the Bleach World, or even transcend it, he didn't believe that showing respect to certain individuals or matters was a mistake.
"Understood, Captain Kyoya. Please follow me."
Sure enough, after Kyoya's response, Sasakibe's expression softened slightly.
Whoosh-
Sasakibe's figure vanished, and in the next instant, Kyoya's form dissipated like an afterimage.
'As expected of a prodigy who made a name for himself in the Seireitei before even graduating.'
'I had already thought Captain Kyoya's Zanjutsu was astonishing, but I never imagined his Shunpo mastery would be just as remarkable.'
A flicker of surprise passed through Sasakibe's eyes as his evaluation of Kyoya rose yet again.
As a genius who had unleashed Kenatsu after just three months of wielding a blade, Kyoya had naturally drawn the attention of the Gotei 13's higher-ups.
Among them, the most interested had been the 4th Division Captain, the first Kenpachi, Unohana Retsu.
However, after visiting the Shin'o Academy once to observe Kyoya, she ultimately concluded that his potential fell short of Zaraki's and ceased further interest.
She was the first Kenpachi. From the moment she lost to Zaraki, she had already died.
The only reason she still lived was to grow stronger… to fully awaken Zaraki's latent potential, allowing him to unleash his full power in a truly exhilarating battle to the death, serving as the foundation for Zaraki's ascension to even greater heights.
Indeed, Kyoya's talent in Zanjutsu was extraordinary.
But the problem was… he had appeared so many years too late.
And compared to an innate monster like Zaraki, Kyoya's path of gradual growth carried far too many uncertainties.
The other figure who had taken notice of him was none other than the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.
As the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, Yamamoto had founded the Gotei 13, reshaping the structure of the Seireitei for the first time in millions of years. It could be said that aside from the Soul King and the progenitors of the Five Great Noble Houses, Yamamoto was the Shinigami with the greatest vision in their world.
However, Yamamoto was old now, and naturally, he was concerned about the future of the Gotei 13.
Shunsui Kyoraku was Yamamoto's most valued disciple, his proudest pupil.
But that didn't mean Yamamoto wouldn't seek to nurture other geniuses when they appeared.
He would never consider the Gotei 13 to have too many strong warriors.
And so, under these circumstances, Kyoya had drawn Yamamoto's attention.
Unlike Unohana's obsession with the title of Kenpachi, what Yamamoto cared about was whether Kyoya was willing to dedicate his strength to protecting the Seireitei.
However, Yamamoto never expected that Kyoya, on his very first day after joining the 11th Division from the Shin'o Academy, would achieve seventeen consecutive victories and immediately rise to the rank of Lieutenant.
And on the third day, he would challenge Kiganjo… and win.
Perhaps it wasn't just Yamamoto who was caught off guard.
Every Shinigami in the Gotei 13, including the students and instructors of the Shin'o Academy, had been stunned.
No one had imagined that Kyoya already possessed the power to defeat a division's Captain!
Could a teenage Captain truly fulfill the duties of leading a division?
This was likely Yamamoto's current concern.
He had considered grooming Kyoya, and in the future, under his arrangements, Kyoya might have become a Captain of some division.
But now…
It was all happening too fast!
Thus, after Kyoya killed Kiganjo, Yamamoto had dispatched Sasakibe to summon him, to see Kyoya with his own eyes.
Naturally, Sasakibe understood Yamamoto's thoughts.
As the first to meet Kyoya, Yamamoto would undoubtedly seek his impressions afterward.
So far, whether in terms of conduct or strength, Sasakibe believed that Kyoya was far more suited to be a Captain than Kiganjo had ever been!
…
"We've arrived, Captain Kyoya."
Stopping before the doors of the meeting hall, Sasakibe turned to Kyoya, "The Captain-Commander is inside."
"Understood. Thank you for your guidance."
After nodding to Sasakibe, Kyoya stepped forward and pushed open the grand doors of the 1st Division's meeting chamber.
Boom…
As the doors swung open, an indescribable pressure suddenly crashed down upon Kyoya-