Technology Development Bureau.
"Captain, the technician in charge of the Zaraki District reported a safety incident. The monitoring equipment was destroyed by a resident of the Rukongai."
"Zaraki District? That place is chaotic."
Sora took the incident report from his subordinate.
To prevent Yhwach (who is allied with Hell) from invading Soul Society, the bureau had been setting up 24-hour monitoring systems in the Rukongai.
The report had the last image captured by the monitoring equipment—the person destroying the device was swinging a blade at the lens.
What caught Sora's eye was the man's spiky, weed-like hair, and the young, pink-haired girl sitting on his shoulder.
"Kenpachi and Yachiru?"
Sora was interested. The two looked very familiar. It was almost certainly Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi.
"Ignore the Zaraki District for now. I will handle it personally when I return."
"Yes, sir!"
Sora finished arranging the work for the Technology Development Bureau and headed to the outskirts of the Seireitei.
The Zero Squad was coming down today, and he had to go to the Soul King Palace.
...
"Everyone is here."
When Sora arrived at the outskirts of the Seireitei, he found that many people were already there.
"Professor!"
"It's rare to get to see the Zero Squad. Of course we came to watch!"
Many of the new captains had never seen the Zero Squad. When they heard they were coming to the Seireitei today, they all gathered.
"I heard there are 72 barriers between the Soul King Palace and the Seireitei, and you need a King's Key to get through. How will they come down?"
Sōsuke Aizen looked up at the blue sky, his eyes showing a hint of curiosity.
Just then, everyone sensed something falling rapidly from the sky.
"They're here! It looks like a pillar..." Isshin Shiba raised his hand to block the sun. "It must be the Zero Squad's transport—the Tenchūren. This is my first time seeing it!"
"The Tenchūren is the King's Key..."
Sōsuke Aizen memorized the name.
The Tenchūren was close to the ground, but it still wasn't slowing down.
Boom—
The Tenchūren smashed directly into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
"What a loud entrance—cough, cough—"
The Tenchūren was a yellow cylinder, over ten meters long. The end stuck in the ground had a door with a square pattern.
The red square pattern on the door had a hollow center, looking just like a "0".
The next moment, the door on the Tenchūren opened, revealing two figures.
"It's Senjumaru-senpai and Kirio-san! It's been a long time!"
Sora said with a smile.
"They're all familiar faces! Long time no see, everyone!"
Kirio Hikifune was quite familiar with this generation of captains. She had known them since she was captain of Squad 12.
"Is that Kirio-san... She's changed a lot!"
Isshin Shiba's jaw dropped when he saw Kirio Hikifune's massive change in size.
Even before Kirio joined the Zero Squad, she had started using "temporary souls" to store up Spiritual Pressure.
But back then, she was still somewhat conscious of her image, keeping herself at a slightly plump level.
The current Kirio Hikifune had completely let herself go. She had stored a huge amount of Spiritual Pressure, and her body was now extremely overweight.
"I haven't changed that much! How rude!"
Kirio Hikifune said cheerfully.
"You've recovered well, Batsu'unsai."
Shutara Senjumaru looked at Batsu'unsai Katori, who was standing beside Sora.
Batsu'unsai Katori knew most of the Zero Squad. When she heard they were coming down, she came to see her old friends.
"If we weren't already full on captains, I'd want my old job back!"
Batsu'unsai Katori seemed happy to see her old friends after so long.
"You did not betray Batsu'unsai's trust."
Shutara Senjumaru looked at Sora and smiled.
"Of course not," Sora smiled.
After the brief reunion, Shutara Senjumaru got to business.
"We came down this time on orders from Lord Soul King. He invites you to the Soul King Palace to train for a period."
"Lord Soul King's orders?"
Shutara Senjumaru nodded.
Sora was a little surprised. He had thought this was the Zero Squad's idea.
Sōsuke Aizen was also surprised. He had read many ancient texts and knew that the Soul King was now just the 'Linchpin of the Three Worlds' that maintained stability.
"Interesting. The Zero Squad still follows the Soul King's directions?"
Sōsuke Aizen thought to himself. He had assumed the current Soul King was just a puppet who had become the Linchpin. He didn't expect the Zero Squad to actually follow the Soul King's will.
...
A moment later, the Tenchūren was moved to a platform in the Shiba family's estate.
The Tenchūren did not have the ability to return to the Soul King Palace on its own. It needed an external force to launch it.
The Shiba clan controlled the secret technique to launch the Tenchūren, allowing it to return to the Soul King Palace.
"The Shiba clan is sparse..."
Sora looked at the Shiba clan members watching. There were barely any people, about the same as a fallen minor family.
The current Shiba clan head was Isshin Shiba's cousin. Besides them, they had one other brother. This generation was down to just the three of them.
The Shiba clan head was much older than Isshin. He didn't look like he was from the same generation; he looked more like Isshin's elder.
The spiky-haired young man next to him caught Sora's eye.
"Captain Katori, this is my son, Shiba Kaien."
The Shiba clan head introduced him when he saw Sora looking at the young man.
"His name is Kaien? That's a good name."
Sora nodded lightly and checked Shiba Kaien's panel.
[Shiba Kaien]
Talent: S
Spiritual Pressure: lv75
Affinity Level: Stranger
Shiba Kaien's Spiritual Pressure was already at the level of a seated officer.
"Just the other day, Kaien asked me if he could come to the Katori Dojo to study swordsmanship!" Isshin put his arm around Kaien's shoulder and laughed.
"I told him he could meet the Professor today, and he was too excited to sleep last night!"
"Captain Katori!" Shiba Kaien stepped forward, his face full of respect. "I have admired the Katori-ryū of swordsmanship for a long time. Please, could you let me train under you!"
"You want to train with me? You haven't attended the Shin'ō Academy yet, have you?"
Sora currently had two disciples, Byakuya Kuchiki and Ikkaku Madarame, studying at the Academy, so he was familiar with the current generation.
If a talent like Shiba Kaien had enrolled, he would have known.
"The Shin'ō Academy?" Shiba Kaien paused. "I am not a student. With my strength, I don't think I can learn much at the Academy."
Shiba Kaien's father was training him to be the next clan head. He already had a foundation in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō.
He could become an official Shinigami right now, so he didn't think the Academy had anything to offer him.
"Get first place in this year's entrance exam for the Academy, and I will accept you as a disciple."
Sora remembered what Uemon Tsubakiri, who was teaching at the Academy, had said a few days ago.
The Academy had recently undergone a reform. New students no longer had to start from the first year.
Some people already had skills when they enrolled, so making them start from year one was a waste of time.
Therefore, they set up a separate entrance exam for new students who wanted to skip grades. They could be placed in the appropriate level based on their performance.
"No problem! I will definitely take first place and become your disciple!"
Shiba Kaien accepted excitedly. For him, this was an easy task.
"Then I will wait for the good news."
Sora gave him a meaningful look.
If everything goes smoothly, this year's entrance exam might not be as simple as Shiba Kaien thinks.
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