Of course, whether the Captains take action depends entirely on their mood.
Since the thirteen seats were arranged side by side without any assigned numbers, the Captains didn't sit in any particular order. Instead, those who were closer to one another naturally sat together.
Kyoya arrived with Ukitake and Kyoraku, so he naturally sat beside them.
Next to him was Kuchiki Ginrei, the Captain of the 6th Division.
Further down sat Hikifune Kirio, the Captain of the 12th Division.
Ginrei glanced at Kyoya, who was chatting with Kyoraku, opening his mouth several times as if he wanted to say something but ultimately failing to speak up.
The Kuchiki Clan now relied solely on him to uphold its legacy.
To ensure the continued glory of the Kuchiki Clan, he needed to nurture a Captain-level powerhouse before his death. Currently, Ginrei had two options before him.
The first was to arrange a marriage for his daughter, who had already come of age. He could bring in a Captain as a son-in-law to marry into the Kuchiki Clan, allowing him to inherit both the position of clan's head and the Captain of the 6th Division after Ginrei's death.
The second option was to adopt a genius capable of reaching Captain-level strength in a short time as a foster son of the Kuchiki Clan.
Kyoya was the candidate Ginrei favored the most.
However, not only was it unlikely that Kyoya would agree to marry into the family, but judging by his appearance, he was still quite young… far from adulthood. Ginrei didn't have that much time to wait.
As for adopting Kyoya as a foster son… that was even more impossible.
Kyoya was already a captain, standing at the pinnacle of the Seireitei. Why would he willingly place himself under an elder who could potentially dictate his actions at any moment?
"..."
In the end, Ginrei shook his head and sighed, abandoning any hope of bringing Kyoya into the Kuchiki Clan.
However, judging by his age, Kyoya wasn't much older than his grandson, Byakuya. Perhaps he could encourage them to spend more time together.
At that time, if the Kuchiki Clan ever declined in the future, Byakuya would at least have someone to rely on.
Kyoya, of course, had no idea what Ginrei was thinking.
But the reason he was chatting with Kyoraku was precisely because he didn't want to interact much with Ginrei.
He felt that he and Ginrei had nothing in common to talk about.
Moreover, Kyoya believed that what happened to Kuchiki Koga was an absolute tragedy.
Before his betrayal, Koga had been a model warrior… charging ahead in battle, treating his subordinates with humility, and firmly believing that his Zanpakuto's ability could bring peace to the Seireitei. He had been willing to dedicate his life to that cause.
But unfortunately, the power of Koga's Zanpakuto was too feared, leading some to conspire against him and frame him for crimes he didn't commit.
Even then, Koga had believed that his father-in-law, Ginrei, and the Seireitei would clear his name.
Yet, from the mocking and jeering voices of the guards watching over him, Koga learned the truth behind his imprisonment.
Unable to endure the injustice, he killed the guards and the Shinigami who had framed him, sparing the others… because he believed they had only acted against him due to deception.
In the trial, those high and mighty ignored the fact that Koga had been framed, stubbornly declaring him guilty. At that moment, Koga's last shred of faith crumbled. He took up his Zanpakuto and rebelled against the Seireitei, only to be sealed away in the end...
If Kyoya had no ties with Ginrei, then in the future, when he recruited Koga as his subordinate, he wouldn't have any moral qualms about it.
After all, Koga's joining the Kuchiki Clan had only brought him restrictions.
Despite being Ginrei's son-in-law, his merits were repeatedly suppressed. Even though his strength reached Captain-level, he remained nothing more than the 6th Division's third seat.
The Kuchiki Clan also didn't benefit from Koga's marriage into the family at all. Instead, it gained a stain on its reputation.
Looking at it this way, if Kyoya were to take Koga under his wing first, the Kuchiki Clan might even end up thanking him.
"The Captain-Commander has arrived!"
They didn't have to wait long before Captain-Commander Yamamoto entered the arena with the Shinigami of the 1st Division. All the Shinigami present rose to their feet, paying their respects to the strongest Shinigami of the past millennium.
The 1st Division would not be participating in the inter-division exchanges.
Their role was to maintain order during the event.
Even the referee for the matches was Lieutenant of 1st Division, Sasakibe.
This might have caused some confusion among the Shinigami below, but none of the Captains seated above voiced any objections.
Of course not… while Sasakibe was so low-key that people often forgot he existed, his Reiryoku was at least at the level of a century-old Captain, ranking as 2nd-class.
Even among among the current Captains, very few had reached that level.
Not to mention, Sasakibe had been following Yamamoto even before the Gotei 13 was formed, assisting him in the battle a thousand years ago against Yhwach, the Emperor of the Lichtreich...
"Everyone, in response to the expectations of the members of each division, the Captains of the Gotei 13 have specially prepared this stage for exchanges and demonstrations."
"I am Sasakibe Chojiro, Lieutenant of the 1st Division, and also the referee for this exchange tournament."
"Any division, any member, may step onto the stage to challenge others or accept challenges."
"This exchange has no restrictions on methods. Those who fall off the stage, those who can no longer fight, or those whose battles are stopped by myself or any of the Captains will be considered defeated."
"Now, the Gotei 13 Exchange Tournament begins!"
"Are there any willing participants?"
"Me!"
"Me!"
"I'll go!"
After Sasakibe declared the start, many Shinigami raised their hands eagerly, hoping to be chosen.
However, with so many people volunteering at once, Sasakibe found it difficult to decide.
In the end, a Shinigami from the 11th Division lost his patience and directly used Shunpo to leap onto the stage.
"Damn it, that guy got ahead of us!"
Within the 11th Division, some of the Shinigami who had wanted to go first cursed in frustration when they saw Takahiro Hojo take the stage.
"I am Takahiro Hojo of the 11th Division! I seek your guidance!"
Since this was an exchange between divisions, even though they also wanted to be the first to fight, they didn't want to give their Captains the impression of 'infighting'. Reminded by Hojo's actions, the other Shinigami who had been eager to step forward immediately activated Shunpo, rushing toward the stage.
In an instant, dozens of figures blurred as they dashed toward the platform.
"Hahaha, the first match is mine!"
A Shinigami from the 10th Division was the first to land on the stage, waving at the others behind him with a triumphant grin.
"Tch…"
Those who were a step too late could only sigh in resignation.
Their strength wasn't particularly high to begin with.
If they wanted to leave an impression on the Captains, they had to act early in the tournament.
Otherwise, by the later stages, unless they were prodigies whose battles could catch the Captains' attention, ordinary Shinigami like them would be eliminated in the first round… completely forgotten by the higher-ups.
But for the first battle, whether it was a win or a loss, at least they'd leave some impression on the Captains.
Even though this exchange tournament didn't have any official rewards, for these ordinary Shinigami, simply being remembered by the powerful, maybe even mentioned in passing, could change their futures. That alone was the greatest prize.
The 10th Division's member who had taken the stage bowed slightly toward the Captains' seating area before turning to Hojo, "Masayasu Takahashi of the 10th Division! I seek your guidance!"
Seeing that both sides were ready, Sasakibe raised his hand, "I declare the match begins!"
"Haah!"
Hojo let out a fierce battle cry and charged at Takahashi, drawing his Zanpakuto mid-sprint.
Takahashi, startled by the sudden roar, fumbled as he unsheathed his own Zanpakuto, barely managing to raise it before Hojo was already upon him.
Clang!
One fighter was giving it his all, while the other was caught off guard. The sheer force of Hojo's strike sent Takahashi reeling backward, his upper body nearly bending backward from the impact.
Seizing the opportunity, Hojo pressed forward and swung again…
Clang… Thud!
A Zanpakuto spun through the air before clattering onto the ground.
Back on the stage, Hojo's blade was already resting against Takahashi's throat.
"11th Division, Takahiro Hojo, wins!"
"Oh!"
"Ohhhhhhhhh!"
"Good job, Hojo!"
Seeing one of their own claim victory, the members of the 11th Division erupted into cheers.
In stark contrast, the 10th Division's side was filled with glares of frustration directed at Takahashi.
He had just embarrassed their entire division in front of everyone.
After Sasakibe announced the result, Hojo sheathed his sword and tilted his chin up slightly, "Next!"
"I'll go!"
…
"Hahaha, Captain Kyoya, your division's Zanjutsu isn't bad at all. Their fighting spirit is even more impressive."
From his seat, Kyoraku remarked with amusement.
Over a hundred matches had already taken place on the stage.
During that time, more than a dozen members of the 11th Division had taken their turns.
Perhaps due to an unspoken agreement, the first fighters from each division had all been ordinary Shinigami with 10th-class Reiryoku.
The winners could choose to continue fighting or step down.
Most Shinigami from other divisions, once they felt they couldn't win, would voluntarily withdraw.
Only the Shinigami of the 11th Division would choose to continue fighting as long as they were still standing, even if they were already covered in wounds.
In the end, all the dozen or so members of the 11th Division were carried off the field.
And when it came to their defeated comrades, the 11th Division was the only division that didn't mock them. Instead, they'd give them a thumbs-up.
This attitude made Shinigami from other divisions look at the 11th with a mix of awe and fear.
"What can I say…" Kyoya shrugged, "The 11th Division is a combat division. The most important thing is their will to fight."
"As the first line of defense for the Seireitei, they have to have the courage to draw their Zanpakuto… even against stronger opponents."
"Of course, to keep that fighting spirit alive, the most crucial thing is making sure they understand why they fight… and what they're protecting."