Over the past month, the members of the 11th Division had shown significant improvement in their combat abilities.
Well, to be precise, their fighting skills had grown… not their Reiryoku.
After all, not everyone was a genius. For most Shinigami, their limits were inherently bound by their Reiryoku.
However, decades of battle and slaughter within the 11th Division had honed the members' sharp combat instincts and innate fighting reflexes.
Kyoya's guidance focused on amplifying their individual strengths while compensating for their weaknesses, supplemented with swordsmanship techniques from the One Piece World.
Once the members fully absorbed these teachings, even the average fighter could expect at least a 30% boost in strength.
For the more talented ones, doubling their combat effectiveness wasn't out of the question.
Over the next two months, they could still refine their skills further.
Only then would they meet Kyoya's standards as true combat division's members.
The 11th Division shouldn't just crave battle… they needed the strength to match that desire.
…
"Hahaha, Kyoya, I'm here to play with you!"
Just as Kyoya was nodding in satisfaction at his subordinates' progress, a familiar voice rang out.
Looking up, he saw Shihoin Yoruichi, the Captain of the 2nd Division, waving at him from a distance… with a tiny figure trailing behind her.
"Captain Shihoin."
Seeing Yoruichi, Kyoya immediately restrained the smile on his face, adopting a stiff, expressionless demeanor as he greeted her.
While Kyoya held a certain fondness for Yoruichi due to his memories, he was also well aware of her favorite pastime is teasing children. Seeing their flustered, helpless reactions was her greatest source of amusement.
Whether it was Sui-Feng, who was currently behind her, Kuchiki Byakuya, or even Ichigo in the future… all of them had been targets of Yoruichi's playful torment at some point.
Of those three, however, Sui-Feng's admiration and respect for Yoruichi made her oblivious to any ill intent.
As for Byakuya, he eventually perfected his stoic mask, robbing Yoruichi of her fun.
Meanwhile, Ichigo also grew up very quickly, shedding his hotheadedness to become a serious and composed young man.
If Kyoya were older and if his body had fully grown, he wouldn't mind chatting casually with Yoruichi.
But with his current youthful appearance, he refused to become another one of her playthings.
Thus, maintaining a formal and serious attitude was the best way to avoid unnecessary trouble.
…
"Tsk."
As expected, Yoruichi's grin faltered the moment she saw Kyoya's demeanor.
She hated this kind of rigid, by-the-book interaction the most.
She had hoped that Kyoya, being a kid, would be more lively and fun to mess with. But instead, he'd turned into a little old man.
Even the likes of Shinji were more entertaining than this.
Of course, despite her disappointment, Yoruichi wasn't about to be outright rude.
"Kyoya, I heard you're planning some kind of inter-division exchange with Shinji?"
"Yes."
Kyoya nodded, "The 11th Division is a combat unit, while the 5th Division is a support unit."
"Therefore, it's necessary for both sides to understand each other's capabilities. That way, when the 5th Division receives a distress call, they can allocate their forces appropriately to minimize unnecessary casualties."
"I see."
Yoruichi nodded in understanding.
'So that was the reason behind the exchange between the 5th and 11th Divisions.'
Though, she suspected Shinji only agreed to this because Kyoya was the Captain of 11th Division.
After all, before Kyoya, the 11th Division had almost never sent out cross-division requests for backup.
Kyoya was young, and his combat strength might still be lacking. If the 11th Division suffered heavy casualties under his command, it wouldn't reflect well on him.
Suddenly, Yoruichi's eyes gleamed.
She had spotted Rangiku standing beside Kyoya.
At that moment, Shifengyuan Yoruichi took a few steps forward, stretched out his hands and put them around Kyoya's head, and whispered in Kyoya's ear, "Tsk tsk, Kyoya… you're not being honest, are you?"
"Who's this girl? I see she's still practicing Shunpo… she hasn't even graduated from the Shin'o Academy yet, has she?"
Caught off guard by Yoruichi's sudden move, even Kyoya was momentarily stunned.
However, Kyoya wasn't some inexperienced kid. Though surprised, he didn't lose his composure.
"Captain Shihoin, Rangiku is a prodigy I personally recruited from the Shin'o Academy into the 11th Division."
"Don't let her youth fool you… her Reiatsu is already on par with most Shinigami."
"Rather than wasting time in the academy, it's better for her to join my division early. Under my direct guidance, she'll grow much faster and stronger."
"I assume you feel the same way, Captain Shihoin."
Kyoya didn't say this last part while looking at Yoruichi… instead, his gaze shifted to Sui-Feng.
"This little girl here is already by your side at such a young age. She must be someone you value highly, right?"
'Who're you calling 'little girl'?!'
Sui-Feng glared at Kyoya, her heart burning with irritation.
However, being in Yoruichi's presence, she couldn't recklessly lash out at a Captain, as doing so would only reflect poorly on Yoruichi's leadership.
Still, Sui-Feng found it impossible to like Kyoya.
After all, Yoruichi had never hugged her like that before.
"You brat, you're really no fun at all."
Yoruichi blinked, then roughly ruffled Kyoya's hair a few times.
As an adult, she didn't just hear teasing in Kyoya's tone… there was also a clear warning.
Bringing Sui-Feng along indeed showed how much Yoruichi valued her.
By mentioning Sui-Feng right after Yoruichi brought up Rangiku, Kyoya was making his stance clear:
His regard for Rangiku was no less than Yoruichi's for Sui-Feng.
So if Yoruichi tried to meddle with Rangiku, she'd have to accept that Sui-Feng might face the same treatment.
Yoruichi had picked up on Kyoya's underlying message… hence her complaint about him being 'no fun'.
However, Yoruichi could understand it.
Both Kyoya and Rangiku had come from the Rukongai. Though Yoruichi had grown up in the Seireitei, she wasn't ignorant of life in the outer districts.
The further one got from the Seireitei, the more lawless and chaotic the Rukongai became.
To survive in such places, you either needed brains or strength… preferably both.
Clearly, strength was something they'd only gained after entering the Shin'o Academy. At their age, Kyoya and Rangiku had relied solely on wits.
Yoruichi didn't blame Kyoya for being wary.
'Maybe after spending more time in the peaceful Seireitei, he'd loosen up.'
'The fact that Kyoya was actively training his division's members proved he wasn't the type to indulge himself at others' expense.'
'Though, given his age, he probably didn't even know what 'indulgence' meant yet.'
"Captain Shihoin, you haven't told me why you came to the 11th Division."
"What, can't I just drop by to play with you?"
Kyoya rolled his eyes: "Sorry, Captain Shihoin. I have training to do. I don't have time to entertain you."
"Seriously, you're so not cute."
As expected, Kyoya's strategy worked.
His overly serious demeanor robbed Yoruichi of any satisfaction in teasing him.
Sure, if Kyoya played along, he could build a closer relationship with Yoruichi… maybe even get involved with Ichigo's future adventures.
But that simply wasn't Kyoya's style.
While he'd always admired Yoruichi's personality in the anime, he had no interest in becoming her plaything.
As for the future… Well, he'd cross that bridge when he got there.
After awakening his Conqueror's Haki, Kyoya felt more 'free' than ever… doing what he wanted without hesitation, and refusing what he didn't.
…
"Fine, fine. There is something I need to discuss."
After releasing Kyoya, Yoruichi continued, "Lately, the exchanges between the 5th and 11th Divisions have stirred up quite a buzz."
"Some members from other divisions want to join in, to gauge the gap between themselves and their peers."
"But since most of them don't know you well, they sent me, the most approachable one, to ask for your opinion."
"Would you be open to expanding the inter-division exchange in two months to include more divisions?"
"I have no objection."
Kyoya shook his head, "Cross-division exchanges help everyone understand the Gotei 13 better. Recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses will only improve future cooperation."
"However, if too many people join, the 11th Division doesn't have the space to accommodate them."
"Leave that to me!"
Yoruichi thumped her chest proudly. As one of the Four Great Noble Houses, the Shihoin Clan could easily secure a suitable venue.
"In that case, I'll leave it to you, Captain Shihoin."
"By the way, which divisions will be participating?"
"Aside from the 1st, 4th, and 12th Divisions… all the other divisions."
Kyoya nodded.
The 1st Division was the Captain-Commander's division, which is the undisputed strongest. They had no need to participate.
The 4th Division was the medical unit, widely regarded as the weakest in combat. Moreover, their seated officers were ranked by healing prowess, not fighting skill.
That said, while the 4th wouldn't compete, their members would still attend… after all, someone had to treat the injured.
The 12th Division was the research team. Like the 4th, their rankings were based on scientific ability, not strength.