After following Naraku Sora into the Central Underground Prison, Kuchiki Kōga realized the atmosphere here was completely different from what he'd seen before.
Unlike the awed, reverent looks Sixth Division Shinigami gave him, the jailers here always bowed respectfully whenever they met Naraku.
From their expressions, it was clear they weren't simply afraid of raw strength—they genuinely respected him as their superior.
Did that mean this newly graduated Shinigami was even stronger than him?
Kōga openly studied Naraku's back as he walked ahead.
Though Kōga spent most of his time outside suppressing rebel Shinigami, he'd still heard—here and there—rumors about Naraku.
And it wasn't as if they'd never crossed paths before.
The first time they met, Shihōin Yoruichi publicly announced an engagement between them. Only afterward did Kōga learn the truth: Naraku had broken into the Shihōin estate in the middle of the night and killed nearly half the clan's elders—
Single-handedly laying the foundation for Yoruichi to seize full control of the family.
He'd also heard that during another mission, Naraku clashed with Seventh Division Captain Takeda Satoru—and while Naraku walked away unharmed, Takeda ended up punished.
Digging a little deeper revealed why: Naraku had already become a student of the Captain-Commander's Genryū, Yamamoto's youngest student.
A rookie, yet his name was already everywhere in Soul Society.
By the time they met again, Kōga couldn't help but be intensely curious.
And from their brief conversation earlier, Kōga could tell Naraku hadn't been lying.
As far as he knew, Naraku—like him—came from Rukongai. For people like them, many nobles were instinctively hostile.
To integrate into the Kuchiki, to gain his father-in-law's approval and the respect of the clan, Kōga had thrown himself into the most dangerous front lines, piling up merit after merit to strengthen the Kuchiki family's standing.
Every time he achieved something, he made sure to emphasize the name "Kuchiki," wanting the two characters to carry even more weight among Shinigami.
And yet Kuchiki Ginrei still kept a stiff face all day long, while everyone else treated him with cold politeness at best.
It was hard not to feel the psychological gap.
"Of course it's the fists," Naraku answered matter-of-factly. "I killed my way from one end of the estate to the other without blinking."
"The Shihōin elders aren't idiots. Why would they keep picking a fight with me after that?"
Kōga's expression stiffened, his voice dropping.
"That's… kind of extreme."
Those people just didn't recognize him. It wasn't worth killing them for.
Besides, Ginrei treated him well enough. He was strict, yes, but he'd never truly belittled him.
All Kōga wanted was recognition. Nothing more.
"Extreme?" Naraku snorted. "Honestly, I think you're more extreme than I am."
Kōga blinked, not immediately understanding.
"As far as I know, since the day you debuted, you've never once lost. Even against captain-class rebel Shinigami, you've still fought with style and won."
"Add in your loyalty—to the Kuchiki, to Seireitei—and the fact you keep throwing yourself onto the most dangerous battlefields without complaint."
"Across all of Soul Society, you're rare enough to deserve the title 'rising star.'"
"Do you know what people call you?"
"A once-in-a-thousand-years Shinigami prodigy."
"You graduated from the Academy in a single year. You already mastered Bankai while you were still a student, and afterward you piled up outstanding achievements for Seireitei."
"With talent like that, even most captains can't compare…"
From someone else, that might've sounded like empty flattery.
But it mattered who said it.
If a random Shinigami praised him like this, Kōga would've smiled and brushed it off.
But when the praise came from a genius who was clearly not weaker than him, it was hard not to feel moved.
Kōga took a deep breath. His gaze toward Naraku softened.
When everyone else doubted him, a fellow genius suddenly appeared—someone who seemed to understand him. Wasn't that what a true confidant was?
"Actually, Kōga—you know something?"
Naraku opened a cell door and tossed the rebel Shinigami at the front inside.
[Successfully suppressed criminal: Hijikata Yamakawa. Sin Value: 365. Contribution: 5%!]
The reward was barely worth mentioning.
"Teacher has mentioned you before. He and I think the same way—you're rare talent in Soul Society. The backbone of the present, not just the future."
"If I'm not mistaken, he intends to transfer you from Sixth Division to First Division. That alone is proof of his recognition."
Kōga's face flushed. He looked almost giddy.
"C-Captain-Commander… he really thinks that of me?"
"Before I came here today, he did in fact transfer me to First Division and appointed me captain of the First Detachment. From now on, I'm under his direct command."
Naraku paused, rubbing his chin as he thought.
"Kōga… if that doesn't prove Teacher values you, what possibly could?"
"And yet the old fossils in the Kuchiki still refuse to recognize you and keep making faces."
"And you—somehow you've endured it all the way until now."
"Doesn't that mean you're more extreme than I am?"
Kōga froze. He hadn't expected Naraku to come at it from such a strange angle.
But if he thought about it carefully… there was a certain logic there.
Then, as if something hit him, Kōga's expression suddenly darkened. His low voice echoed down the prison corridor.
"But my father-in-law really does treat me well. The only thing is… he's never praised me even once."
"Not a single 'you did well.' Nothing."
"And when dealing with other noble factions, the advice and proposals I make are never accepted."
"Naraku… am I really that inadequate in my father-in-law's eyes?"
"Or… has he never truly considered me part of the Kuchiki family?"
Without realizing it, the two of them had grown closer during the conversation.
They'd only met twice, but their similar backgrounds, their shared "genius" label, and Naraku's way of speaking—all of it lowered Kōga's guard, until he was talking from the heart.
Naraku grinned confidently.
"When you're inside the situation you can't see clearly. When you're outside, you can."
"If you want my honest take, it's not that you're the problem—"
"It's that you and your father-in-law are both the problem."
As Kōga stared in surprised confusion, Naraku's gaze lowered, and his entire aura changed as if the world itself had tilted.
"Admiration…"
"…is the emotion farthest from understanding."
~~~
Patreon.com/Weze_
— You can read more Chapters in my Patreon Page! please vote, comment, share this, or visit my Patreon Page and join the Free Membership!