The expression on Tsunayashiro Kugyo's face darkened instantly, the spiritual pressure in his body suddenly swelled, and the Zanpakutō in his hand also burst into a blinding light.
"Professor Saito, you'll regret underestimating the Tsunayashiro family!" the black‑haired young man growled, and the Zanpakutō in his hand suddenly flared with a brilliant golden radiance.
"Crush him, Amaterasu!"
At that moment, the air in the training ground seemed to freeze.
A golden pillar of light erupted from his body toward the sky, and the Zanpakutō in his hand continuously transformed within that light, turning into an ornate scepter surrounded by golden lightning.
Ancient and intricate divine patterns were carved into the scepter, and under the sunlight it emitted a dazzling aura.
A wave of exclamations swept through the audience.
"Shikai?! Another sixth‑year student who has achieved Shikai after Senpai Arata?!"
"As expected of Tsunayashiro‑kun, so this is the genius boy from one of the Five Noble Houses?!"
"Tsunayashiro‑san has already used his Shikai. Will Professor Saito get serious now?"
Kyoraku Shunsui, who had moments ago looked completely uninterested, suddenly seemed very intrigued and leaned forward slightly. "Oho? This student named Kugyo is quite interesting."
"Tsunayashiro… is he a member of that man's clan?" Kyoraku's good friend Ukitake Jūshirō also leaned forward and exchanged a glance with him.
"If nothing unexpected happened, he should be his younger relative." Kyoraku nodded in response.
"Younger relative… so that many years have already passed?" As if remembering something from long ago, a flicker of nostalgia crossed Ukitake's face.
Yamamoto Genryuusai narrowed his eyes slightly and lightly tapped his fingers against the handle of his cane. No one knew what he was thinking.
Aizen, who had been silently observing the entire time, pushed up his glasses, the gaze behind the lenses sweeping meaningfully over Arata in the arena.
He did not show the slightest interest in the student whose Shikai had drawn everyone's attention, even if the boy's surname was Tsunayashiro, the most revered family in all of Soul Society.
——
Faced with the sudden release of Kugyo's Zanpakutō and the surge of spiritual pressure, Arata still maintained a calm expression.
The most he did was lift an eyebrow slightly, showing only a hint of curiosity toward the Shikai form of the opponent's Zanpakutō.
According to Arata's memory, the only Zanpakutō in the Bleach world shaped like a scepter was Mirokumaru, wielded by the heroine Senna in the movie Memories of Nobody.
He subtly adjusted the movement of his right hand. In the earlier exchanges, one finger was enough, but now he would have to use two.
"Amaterasu Kamui!"
Kugyo gripped the scepter tightly with both hands, the golden lightning bursting with crackling force.
Suddenly he stepped forward, and a blinding golden sphere of light condensed at the tip of the scepter before crashing toward Arata.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the entire training ground, and a massive cloud of dust rose where the two stood.
The students in the stands covered their ears one after another, some even turning pale from the force of the spiritual pressure.
"Is this… the power of a sixth‑year?" Renji's eyes widened, his throat bobbing unconsciously.
"I feel like the pressure Tsunayashiro‑senpai gives off is almost the same as when Senpai Arata first took us to the world of the living for field practice…" Rukia swallowed and compared the two.
If Abarai Renji and the others from their generation had been present, they would've immediately refuted Renji's words.
This had nothing to do with being a sixth‑year or anything of that sort. It was simply that his noble upbringing gave him a significantly higher foundation and strength from the start.
Oh? You want to ask Hisagi Shūhei which noble‑born student of this generation is the strongest in battle?
Of course it's Saito Arata, why would it be me?
The dust and smoke gradually cleared, and everyone anxiously turned toward the center of the arena.
Arata was still standing there. His clothes weren't even torn, not a speck of dust marked his face.
His right index and middle fingers remained pressed together, a thin layer of pale blue spiritual energy coating his fingertips—though this time the amount of released spiritual pressure was slightly higher than before.
Those two seemingly fragile fingers had effortlessly stopped the short lightning‑coated blade of the scepter.
"Not a bad Shikai. I had to use two fingers to stop it." Arata said calmly, without joy or sorrow.
If anything, it was merely a small recognition of his student and junior.
Putting aside the Tsunayashiro surname, judging purely from the strength of this lightning‑type Zanpakutō, it was safe to say that Kugyo would one day reach at least a vice‑captain level.
As for captain‑level… that would depend on opportunity and personal effort.
People often underestimated the measurement known as the sixth year, but few understood that the sixth year itself was already a peak many Gotei 13 shinigami could only look up to.
Kugyo's pupils shrank sharply, disbelief twisting across his face.
He had already put seventy percent of his strength into this attack, and yet he couldn't force his opponent even a single step backward?
"Impossible!" Kugyo roared angrily, and the golden lightning on the scepter surged violently once more.
"Amaterasu — Divine Punishment!"
The golden sphere of light at the tip of the scepter expanded several times in an instant, turning into a thick golden pillar of lightning that shot into the sky, then descended upon Arata like a divine judgment.
Arata lifted his head slightly, gazing at the golden lightning crashing down from above, and a flicker of admiration flashed in his eyes.
Purely by power alone, this attack was already close to the level of the eighth or ninth seat in a squad, which was truly rare for a sixth‑year student who had yet to graduate.
But still not enough to draw out his sword, even though…
Out of respect for this excellent student, he should use a slightly more advanced method.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū!"
As Arata quietly spoke, a square orange‑yellow spiritual barrier instantly unfolded above his head.
The golden lightning pillar crashed upon the barrier. Despite the blinding light and piercing roar, it didn't shake the barrier even in the slightest.
"Is that… Bakudō? And a high‑level Bakudō 81 at that!" The instructors from the Kidō Department stood up one after another in shock.
Most of them were active officers from various squads and long since aware that Saito Arata was a genius shinigami whom the Captain‑Commander valued greatly.
As the head professor of the Kendo Department, it made perfect sense that his achievements in swordsmanship were exceptional.
But what they were witnessing now was something they hadn't imagined even in their wildest dreams.
Are you telling them that this young shinigami instructor, already a master of the sword, could also cast the high‑level Bakudō Dankū without incantation… and casually block a full‑power attack equivalent to a high officer?
Oh? Do you take them all for fools?
"To perform Dankū at this level without chanting…" Aizen pushed his glasses up again, a strange gleam flashing in his eyes.
"It seems your accomplishments in Kidō run deeper than I expected."
Seeing this, Tsunayashiro Kugyo's already pale face turned even uglier from exhaustion after performing his strongest technique.
Most of his spiritual energy had been drained, leaving less than ten percent available to him.
How was he supposed to continue fighting if even his strongest attack couldn't break his opponent's defense?
Did this mean that this genius youth named Tsunayashiro Kugyo truly wasn't even close to the level of the sole heir of a "mere" high noble house?
Such thoughts crept into Kugyo's mind, and in the heart that had been wrapped in the praise of others since childhood, a crack slowly opened.
No! Impossible!
Kugyo refused, no, could not accept that truth. His expression twisted as though he was making an excruciating decision.
In the end, he pulled out a dark‑red pill from his pocket and swallowed it without hesitation.
"That is—!" Ginrei Kuchiki in the stands suddenly stood up, the silvery‑white veil around her trembling slightly despite there being no wind.
The moment the pill entered his mouth, bloody lines spread over the surface of Kugyo's skin like a spiderweb, and the previously depleted spiritual pressure exploded from his body like a volcano.
The golden lightning around Amaterasu went berserk, even tinged with a faint crimson glow.
"Professor Saito!" Kugyo's voice grew hoarse and guttural, and with the blood‑shot eyes he looked like a demon returned from hell.
An uproar broke out in the stands!
Zaraki Kenpachi grinned from ear to ear, as if greatly entertained by the sight of a creature so similar to himself.
Ukitake Jūshirō looked anxiously at Yamamoto Genryuusai. "Master, this…"
"The rules do not forbid the use of medicine." Kyoraku Shunsui, standing nearby, lowered his hat slightly, his tone cheerful but carrying a hint of seriousness.
"Besides, aren't the drugs produced by the Technological Development Bureau standard equipment we bring on missions?"
Yamamoto Genryuusai was silent for a moment before finally giving a slow nod.
This tacit approval caused the storm of spiritual pressure on the field to flare up even more violently, and the sleeves of Tsunayashiro Kugyo's uniform were torn in several places by the raging energy.