"Is this the butterfly effect?" Kazuma muttered to himself.
Kenpachi Kiganjō still commanded the Eleventh Division, meaning Zaraki and Yachiru had yet to appear in the Rukongai.
Kazuma frowned, turning the timeline over in his head as he calculated the possible impact.
But he did not have time to dwell on missing monsters when there was already one sitting in his own barracks.
Sajin Komamura was currently serving in the Seventh Division, but for some reason, the giant had only risen to the rank of Fifth Seat.
That made no sense.
According to the original timeline, he should have already mastered Bankai and reached captain-level strength by now.
Kazuma had only realized the wolf-man was in his squad after literally bumping into him in the courtyard.
'I really am a useless captain,' Kazuma sighed inwardly.
He had not even bothered to check his own roster.
Looking up at Komamura's towering figure, completely concealed beneath his iconic bamboo hat, wooden face guard, and heavy gauntlets, Kazuma shook his head.
The other members of the Seventh Division were equally curious.
"Fifth Seat Komamura, why do you always wear such heavy armor? Is there a special reason?"
Komamura had answered in a low, self-deprecating rumble.
"Because my face is ugly. I'm afraid of frightening my comrades, so I keep it hidden."
The squad members had accepted that answer and even admired his humility.
Kazuma, listening from the eaves, knew better.
Komamura wasn't ugly, he was simply an anthropomorphic wolf.
'Is he really allowing the prejudice of weak men to stunt his growth?' he wondered.
Seeing the massive Shinigami gave Kazuma an idea.
Komamura's base spiritual pressure was already hovering around the level of an ordinary captain.
If he mastered the secret Humanization Technique he used during the Blood War, his raw power would skyrocket.
Add Bankai into the mix, and the Seventh Division would gain a devastating vanguard!
"I need to talk to the old man," Kazuma decided.
He vanished from the courtyard, blurring straight toward the First Division.
"Captain-Commander, you know a man named Sajin Komamura, don't you?" Kazuma asked as he stepped into Yamamoto's office.
Yamamoto did not look up from his paperwork.
"Komamura. He fell into the Animal Realm due to the sins of his past life, but his soul persevered, bringing him to Soul Society as a member of the Beast Realm. He holds loyalty as his absolute creed. He is a man who would gladly sacrifice his life for honor."
"Why haven't you ever mentioned him to me?" Kazuma asked, leaning against the doorframe.
Yamamoto's pen stopped.
He leveled a furious glare at Kazuma.
"I never mentioned him because he is assigned to your Seventh Division! You are irresponsible in your duties! You don't even know the names of your own seated officers!"
Kazuma winced and rubbed the back of his neck.
"My apologies."
Yamamoto scoffed and set his pen down.
"When Komamura first arrived in the Seireitei, he was constantly discriminated against because of his canine appearance. He hid his face and limbs behind armor to avoid the cruelty of others. I took him in and trained him at the Academy. He remains in the Gotei 13 solely to repay what he sees as my kindness."
"He's a solid asset," Kazuma noted. "I've heard rumors his clan possesses a secret art called the Humanization Technique. It allows the user to temporarily shed their beast form for a human one, massively amplifying their spiritual power. If he learns it, he'll break right through his current bottleneck."
A flicker of surprise crossed Yamamoto's face.
"The Humanization Technique is a guarded secret of the wolf elders. Komamura severed ties with his clan when he chose to become a Shinigami. I fear they would never willingly hand over their sacred art to an exile."
Kazuma let out a cold, dismissive laugh.
"Leave the politics to me. If they refuse to hand it over peacefully, I'll simply carve my way through their cavern. My blade has not dulled. If it secures power for the Gotei 13 in the coming war, I do not mind slaughtering an entire clan of stubborn beasts."
The corners of Yamamoto's mouth twitched upward into a grim, satisfied smirk.
'That's the ruthless Sword Demon I remember,' Yamamoto thought.
For all of Kazuma's lazy complaints, when the survival of Soul Society was on the line, he would cross any moral boundary without hesitation.
....
Kazuma returned to the Seventh Division barracks.
"Jin'emon! Fetch the Fifth Seat. Send him to my office."
"Right away, Captain!"
Ten minutes later, the massive, armor-clad figure of Sajin Komamura ducked through the doorway of the captain's office.
"Captain Kazuma. May I ask why you have summoned me?"
Kazuma leaned back in his chair and tapped the desk.
"Komamura, it must be suffocating under all that bamboo and wood. Take the helmet off, I was fighting wars before your great-grandfather was even born."
Komamura stiffened.
"My apologies, Captain. It's an ingrained habit."
Kazuma waved a hand dismissively.
"The old man told me your entire backstory. You don't need to hide your face in this room."
Komamura hesitated, his large, gloved hands gripping the rim of his bamboo hat.
"Captain… are you truly not repulsed by what lies beneath?"
"Komamura, I have seen things that would make a Hollow vomit. Fur and fangs do not scare me," Kazuma said, his tone completely serious.
"Take it off."
Slowly, Komamura reached up and removed the helmet, revealing the scarred face of a giant wolf.
He braced himself for the inevitable look of disgust or fear.
Kazuma did not even blink.
He stood up, walked around the desk, and firmly placed a hand on Komamura's massive shoulder.
"You are a warrior of the Seventh Division. You are my subordinate and my comrade. I trust you!"
Komamura's golden eyes widened.
The crushing weight of centuries of prejudice seemed to lift from his chest.
His throat tightened with overwhelming gratitude.
Someone besides Yamamoto was looking at him—truly looking at him—and seeing a soldier, not a beast.
"Thank you… Captain."
Kazuma sat back on the edge of his desk.
"Komamura. You've already achieved Bankai, haven't you?"
Komamura flinched in surprise.
"Captain… how did you know? I've never shown it to anyone."
"I can read the density of a soul. Your spiritual pressure is practically leaking through that armor. You are easily hovering around captain-class strength. There's no way you haven't forced your Zanpakutō to submit."
Komamura bowed his furry head.
"That is indeed the case."
"Then burn that damn mask," Kazuma said, pointing at the helmet. "Soul Society respects one thing: absolute power! You are strong enough to command respect, yet you cower behind wood and straw because you fear the whispers of weak men. Your mask does not protect you, Komamura. It cages you."
Komamura gripped the helmet, his knuckles trembling.
"Captain, I… I cannot. The hatred in their eyes…"
Kazuma let out a heavy, disappointed sigh.
"It seems you still cannot overcome your own hurdle."