Creak-
The door of the 1st Division meeting room opened as Kyoya, wearing a Captain's haori with the number 'eleven' embroidered on the back, stepped inside.
Compared to the last time Kyoya had entered this room, Yamamoto's position remained unchanged, and even his expression seemed exactly the same as before.
Additionally, the floor, ceiling, and all the areas damaged during the morning's battle had been fully restored.
Of course, upon closer inspection, traces of repair could still be seen.
Yamamoto sat at the far end of the room, with the Captains of the other twelve divisions lined up on either side below him.
Kyoya glanced around and recognized every face.
The Captain of the 2nd Division was still the dark-skinned, purple-leather-clad, short-haired Shihoin Yoruichi.
The Captain of the 3rd Division, Otoribashi Rojuro.
The Captain of the 4th Division, Unohana Retsu.
The Captain of the 5th Division, Hirako Shinji.
Captain of the 6th Division, Kuchiki Ginrei.
Captain of the 7th Division, Aikawa Love.
Captain of the 8th Division, Kyoraku Shunsui.
Captain of the 9th Division, Muguruma Kensei.
Captain of the 10th Division, Shiba Isshin.
Captain of the 12th Division, Kirio Hikifune.
Captain of the 13th Division, Ukitake Jushiro.
Though they were all familiar faces, Kyoya didn't show any inappropriate expressions. Keeping his gaze steady, he walked to the center of the room under the surprised eyes of the other Captains and bowed to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
"Captain-Commander."
"Hmm."
Yamamoto nodded slightly and opened his eyes.
"Everyone, this is the person I wished to introduce to you all at today's Captains' Meeting."
"He is the young man who defeated the former 11th Division's Captain, Kiganjo Kenpachi, this morning in front of over two hundred members of the 11th Division, Kyoya."
"After my assessment, I recognize Kyoya as possessing the qualifications to become the Captain of the 11th Division."
None of the Captains present doubted this.
On one hand, Yamamoto had no reason to lie to them, as such deception would be meaningless.
On the other hand, as Captain-level powerhouses, they could still see the repaired traces in the meeting room.
The fact that Kyoya had fought Yamamoto and caused damage to the surroundings was enough to earn their acknowledgment of his strength.
Though, based on Reikaku, Kyoya's Reiatsu was only at the fourth-class Reiryoku, equivalent to a Lieutenant's.
But for an ordinary Lieutenant, it would be very difficult for them to even stand in front of Yamamoto, let alone draw their sword and fight.
"Truly impressive."
The Captain of the 2nd Division, Shihouin Yoruichi, remarked in surprise, "Though I'd heard from the Shin'o Academy about this year's genius swordsman, I never expected young Kyoya's Zanjutsu to have reached such a level."
The other Captains also expressed their amazement.
Especially Kuchiki Ginrei.
As the captain of the 6th Division and the head of the Kuchiki Clan, the foremost of the Four Great Noble Houses, Ginrei was the one who regretted his inaction the most.
He had heard of Kyoya's reputation before but hadn't paid much attention to it.
Had he known that Kyoya's talent and potential were this monstrous, he would have gone to the Shin'o Academy himself and taken Kyoya in as his adopted son.
In the Soul Society, an 'adopted child' was no different from a biological one.
Families in the Rukongai were often formed by strangers coming together, and the same was true within the Seireitei.
Compared to blood ties, what mattered more was the inheritance of their name, their clan, and their will.
Ginrei belonged to a generation later than Captain-Commander Yamamoto and was already over a thousand years old.
Due to his own declining strength, Ginrei could feel that his time was running out.
Others of his era, such as the former head of the Shihoin Clan, Shihoin Chika, had long since retired, and now his daughter, Shihoin Yoruichi, led the clan.
But Ginrei only had two children. His eldest son, Kuchiki Sojun, was of average talent and had recently damaged his foundation by forcing his Bankai training… he likely wouldn't even outlive Ginrei.
His eldest daughter, Kuchiki Rena, was carefree and naive, not the type to settle down and train seriously.
As one of the Four Great Noble Houses standing at the pinnacle of the Seireitei, Ginrei was well aware that other noble families eyed the Kuchiki Clan with greed.
If he were to fall one day, the Kuchiki Clan would have no worthy successor, and those families would descend like hyenas, tearing the clan apart.
Just like the Shiba Clan, which is once one of the Five Great Noble Houses, but now reduced to barely a handful of members.
And even that was only because Yamamoto had forcefully established the Gotei 13 and laid down strict rules.
Otherwise, how could Shiba Isshin and Shiba Kaien have grown up safely?
If the Kuchiki Clan had no strong successor after Ginrei's death, their fate would be no better than the Shiba Clan's.
Right now, Ginrei's greatest wish was to groom a worthy heir before his time ran out.
But Kyoya had already become the Captain of the 11th Division. The most the Kuchiki Clan could offer him was the position of head of the clan and Captain of the 6th Division… neither of which would hold much appeal for Kyoya.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Kyoya might even reach the same heights as Captain-Commander Yamamoto in the future.
Status and prestige were merely accessories in the face of true strength.
"You flatter me. Compared to all of you, I'm still far too inexperienced."
Faced with the Captains' praises, Kyoya shook his head, not taking them too seriously.
True, these Captains were indeed impressed by him.
But their admiration came from the perspective of veterans acknowledging a promising junior.
As for strength-
Well, though Kyoya had defeated Kiganjo and earned Yamamoto's approval, every one of them was a prodigy in their own right.
Each had their own pride and wouldn't believe themselves inferior to Kyoya.
They simply thought Kiganjo had been too weak, unable to even match a young man whose Reiryoku hadn't yet reached Captain-level.
That said, none of them truly underestimated Kyoya.
At the very least, among non-Captains, Kyoya was undeniably in a league of his own.
Kyoya's humble demeanor also left a far better impression on the captains than Kiganjo's brutishness ever had.
Thus, none of the Captains present objected to Kyoya assuming the position of 11th Division's Captain.
After exchanging greetings with the other captains, Kyoya naturally took his place at the end of the right-hand line, listening attentively to Yamamoto's address.
In truth, the main purpose of this Captains' Meeting was simply to introduce Kyoya, the new Captain of the 11th Division, to his peers.