Jushiro cleared his throat softly before speaking.
"Well... you're in the 13th Division barracks. Seireitei."
The boy's eyes fluttered open at that. He blinked a few times, tilting his head curiously toward the ceiling.
"Hmm... Seireitei? Where's that? I used to live in Rukongai."
Jushiro's brows rose.
Unbelievable... he speaks so casually.
And his tone— is so relaxed.
Does he really not know anything about Seireitei?
Of course, most from the outer districts rarely did.
Especially a child from the seventieth.
If he'd only recently passed into the soul society, it made sense he might never have heard of the central city of Soul Society.
Clearing his throat again, Jushiro tried to keep his voice gentle.
"I found you in the northern seventieth district of Rukongai."
"I see..." The boy nodded, thinking for a moment before his lips curved mischievously. "Then how about these—"
He paused. Should I really ask about Hollows? A seven-year-old probably shouldn't know about them... but maybe I should act a little older than this body?
It might be in my best interest to stay here with Ukitake.
At least for a while.
"What happened to those monsters?" He asked.
Jushiro's expression softened, remembering how he'd found the boy that night.
"They left."
"Uh-uh? And who were they?"
This time, the captain hesitated. But the kid's eyes were sharp—much sharper than most children his age—so he decided to be honest.
"They're called Hollows. Souls consumed by negative energy."
The boy raised one small finger and pointed straight at him.
"Then who are you?"
"My name is Jushiro. Ukitake Jushiro. And yours?"
The boy hesitated for a moment, falling quiet as if weighing something.
Since I'm in this child's body, I should honor him at least a little just like that being said.
"I'm Kurotsuki. Chigetsu Kurotsuki."
A rare smile touched Jushiro's lips. "Nice to meet you, Kurotsuki. You can just call me Jushiro. Is it alright if I call you Kurotsuki?"
The boy nodded. "Sure. But... what's going to happen to me now?"
Jushiro's expression faltered as he thought carefully.
This child... if he goes back to Rukongai, he's in danger.
He has far too much reiryoku for someone his age.
His body can't contain it, so it leaks out as uncontrolled reiatsu—like a beacon for Hollows.
I wonder... would he want to stay here?
He knelt so they were eye level.
"Kurotsuki... what would you like? Can I hear your opinion?"
'Uh... Kurotsuki-chan? Didn't we just agree he'd call me by name? That was fast…'
Kurotsuki pretended to think for a second then asked bluntly, "Can I stay with you?"
Jushiro's heart warmed up.
This kid was special.
He chuckled softly. "Then let me ask properly—would you like to stay in Seireitei with me? If you do, I'll take care of everything. From today onward, you're part of the 13th Division."
Kurotsuki blinked at him, completely thrown off.
'Huh? Just like that? That was... easier than I thought.'
..
The Next Day
Chigetsu Kurotsuki was given a standard-issue shihakusho, carefully tailored to his child-sized frame.
Now he wandered the 13th Division barracks, following a girl who looked about ten or eleven.
"Kuchiki Rukia," he thought, eyeing her curiously. So she's already here. She looks young, though by Shinigami standards she might be a hundred years old. Interesting... and the mood in this division feels heavy. Did something happen?
He was pulled from his thoughts when Rukia pointed to a nearby building.
"This is Ugendo. Captain Ukitake spends most of his time here recuperating. If you need him, this is where you'll usually find him."
Kurotsuki tilted his head, then asked, "Rukia-senpai, is something wrong? Everyone seems kind of... gloomy."
Rukia froze. She inhaled sharply before answering, her voice quieter than before.
"I suppose you should know... last week, our lieutenant—Shiba Kaien—died in battle. That's why Captain Ukitake was in Rukongai when you were found. He was still patrolling to make sure no more Hollows were lurking around."
Kurotsuki frowned, his expression thoughtful.
Kaien?
I don't remember much about him. I stopped watching the anime after the Bount arc.
All I know about what happens next is from friends and the occasional wiki page...
Noticing the sadness in Rukia's eyes, Kurotsuki quickly decided to change the subject.
"Rukia-senpai, Captain Ukitake said I have reiryoku that leaks out as reiatsu. Could you explain what that actually means?"
Rukia blinked in surprise.
He already knows the terms?
And he wants me to teach him?
Can I even explain it properly?
Seeing her hesitation, Kurotsuki smirked, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the training grounds.
Sitting cross-legged in front of her, he said firmly:
"I'm ready to learn, sensei."
Rukia's cheeks turned pink, but instead of flustering her, it sparked something.
Pride replaced her doubt.
She remembered asking Kaien to teach her the same way once. A small smile formed as she straightened her back.
"Fine then," she said, voice gaining confidence. "Listen carefully. Don't get distracted, got it?"
Kurotsuki nodded with exaggerated seriousness, hiding a chuckle.
Acting like a kid is definitely working. Now I can really learn something useful.
Rukia began her lecture, and Kurotsuki soaked in every word. This was his first key to survival.
"There are three core principles of reiatsu," she explained. "Reiryoku, reiatsu, and reikaku.
Reiryoku is your total spiritual energy—the potential power within you. You use it to perform Kidō.
Reikaku is your ability to sense spiritual pressure. It lets you locate others without relying on sight.
And finally, reiatsu is your spiritual pressure—the manifestation of your energy.
Controlling it is the key to controlling your strength.
The better your control, the stronger you become.
With training and meditation, you can increase your Reiryoku, and therefore your potential power."
Kurotsuki nodded eagerly. "Then I want to start learning to control my reiatsu. Right now."
Rukia blinked, surprised by his determination, but nodded.
"Alright. You do leak a lot of reiatsu constantly. If you ever leave Seireitei without learning control, you could cause serious problems. First, focus on feeling it."
Kurotsuki closed his eyes.
Just like training with my grandfather... except this time, it's reiatsu.
He cleared his mind, sweeping stray thoughts away until there was nothing but stillness.
Two points.
One between the eyebrows.
One in the stomach.
He pictured a drop of water falling, rippling softly in his core, then flowing back to the mind.
Down... up. Down... up.
A steady rhythm, matching the slow rise and fall of his breath.
And then, he began.