"One! Two! Three—whack!"
"One! Two! Three—bang!"
"One! Two! Three—thud!"
Soft morning sunlight streamed through the lattice windows, illuminating the otherwise empty Dojo No. 34 in the Shinō Academy.
Under the golden rays, two sweat-soaked figures clashed with wooden swords, rushing at each other again and again.
Strike after strike—neither willing to yield.
Crack!
With a sharp motion, Kibune Makoto knocked the wooden sword from Fūjin Taichi's hand.
Before Taichi could recover, Kibune slid forward in a smooth step and swung his sword downward toward Taichi's neck.
Thud!
Taichi collapsed instantly.
His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe, exhaustion flooding every muscle in his body. He slowly removed the protective gear strapped to his torso and sprawled out on the floor, limbs spread wide as he gasped for air.
Only after a long moment did he finally speak.
"Kibune… your swordsmanship is incredible. I can't even last a single exchange against you."
"Hey, Fūjin… that's not because I'm amazing."
Kibune shook his head.
"It's because your swordsmanship is terrible. Loose, sloppy—like a pile of scattered sand. It's easy to knock you down."
"What can I do about it?"
Taichi struggled to sit up, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"I've never trained in any of this before."
"Then you're in trouble."
Kibune frowned. "Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō will all be tested in the official exam three months from now."
He was referring to the four fundamental combat disciplines every Shinigami had to master:
Zanjutsu — swordsmanship
Hakuda — hand-to-hand combat
Hohō — movement techniques like Flash Step
Kidō — demon arts
"If you're still at this level by then," Kibune continued, "the academy will definitely expel you."
"Yeah… you're probably right."
Taichi retrieved his wooden sword and slowly forced himself back to his feet.
He raised the blade again, pointing it toward Kibune.
"Kibune… let's go again."
"Alright. Here I come."
Kibune lifted his sword and charged forward.
Taichi barely managed to raise his weapon to block—
But in the next instant, Kibune slid sideways with a quick step, appearing at an angle Taichi couldn't defend.
His sword shot forward in a clean thrust.
Crack!
Taichi's wooden sword flew from his hands again.
His entire body was sent flying backward five or six meters before slamming heavily onto the dojo floor.
The impact made his vision spin.
This time, he didn't even have the strength left to stand.
"Fūjin!"
Kibune quickly withdrew his sword and rushed over.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine…"
Taichi rolled over slowly and lay flat on the ground, completely unconcerned about appearances.
Staring at the ceiling, he sighed.
"Maybe I really just don't have any talent for swordsmanship."
Kibune thought for a moment before replying.
"Fūjin, you don't have to get discouraged."
"I heard that Fujiwara Tatsuma, the guy living in our dorm, failed the entrance evaluation twice before he finally got in."
"Fujiwara…"
Taichi murmured.
A memory surfaced in his mind—the scene where Fujiwara had once shown him his Zanpakutō, Yukihime.
Taichi couldn't help but sigh.
"That guy's definitely one of those monsters who pretends to be weak while hiding his real strength."
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right—our roommate Mizuyoshi is from the Special Advancement Class, isn't he? Why is he living in the same dorm as us?"
Kibune's expression darkened slightly.
"That's because he's from Rukongai."
"In his original dorm, he was constantly bullied by three noble-born roommates."
"I heard one of them belongs to the Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Houses."
"Someone like that… nobody dares offend."
"So he had no choice but to move in with people like us—students from Rukongai."
Kibune's tone carried a trace of bitterness.
It was clear he despised the rigid class system of Soul Society.
"I see…"
Taichi nodded slowly.
He knew very well how strict and harsh Soul Society's hierarchy could be.
But deep down, he wasn't particularly bothered by it.
After all, there was an unwritten rule in Soul Society:
As long as a Shinigami earned the rank of seated officer or higher within the Gotei 13, they would automatically be recognized as lower nobility.
Although these "lower nobles" were not acknowledged by the old aristocratic houses, their status and authority had been earned through personal strength. Because of that, many of them looked down on the traditional nobles who relied solely on their ancestors' prestige.
Naturally, the feeling was mutual.
The old noble families regarded these upstart "mud-leg nobles" with equal contempt.
Back when the Gotei 13 had first been established, clashes between the two factions were common. Brawls, duels, and outright street fights occurred with alarming frequency.
However, as more and more Shinigami from Rukongai rose through the ranks, the influence of the old aristocracy steadily declined. Eventually, the Central 46 Chambers introduced a new regulation to protect noble interests.
The Sixth Division of the Gotei Thirteen would be composed entirely of noble-born Shinigami.
Its captain would always be drawn from the model of the Four Great Noble Houses—the Kuchiki Clan—ensuring that aristocratic privilege and authority remained firmly protected.
The tradition had continued to the present day.
The current captain of the Sixth Division was the twenty-eighth head of the Kuchiki family:
Byakuya Kuchiki.
There were even rumors circulating recently.
Despite being the paragon of the Four Great Noble Houses, Byakuya had apparently fallen in love with a woman from Rukongai—and had married her despite fierce opposition from the elders of his clan.
That woman…
Was it… Hisana Kuchiki?
Fūjin Taichi recalled the elegant noblewoman he had glimpsed once in the Clover District.
As long as two people love each other, he thought silently, who the hell cares about background or status?
Still…
He frowned slightly.
Now that I think about it… even though I only saw her for a moment, Hisana really did resemble Rukia.
Could they be mother and daughter?
The thought had barely surfaced before Taichi quickly shook his head, dismissing it.
Instead, he turned his mind back to a far more pressing matter—
How to integrate the Hohō theory he had read about in the academy library with the Wind-Controlling Divine Flame One-Sword Style taught to him by the mysterious woman in red within Jinzen space.
"Hey, Fūjin!"
Kibune Makoto's voice suddenly broke the silence of the dojo.
"Class is about to start. Let's go."
"Right."
Taichi pushed himself off the floor and followed Kibune toward the exit of the dojo.
"By the way," he asked casually, "what classes do we have today?"
Kibune thought for a moment.
"This morning is Saitō-sensei's large Kidō lecture. Classes Three and Four will be joining us. It's in Dojo No. 3."
"In the afternoon we've got swordsmanship with Tachibana-sensei, together with Class Five. That'll be in Dojo No. 1."
"Tachibana?"
Taichi froze for a split second when he heard the name.
A sudden jolt ran through him.
Because the name instantly reminded him of a legendary sword school—
The Tachibana Clan's Divine Dream One-Sword Style..
"I think his name is Tachibana Ukyō," Kibune added after thinking for a moment.
Then he glanced at Taichi.
"What's wrong? Do you know him?"
"No… not really."
Taichi shook his head.
But in his mind, the image of the woman in red standing within the Jinzen space appeared once again.
The Wind-Controlling Divine Flame One-Sword Style she taught me…
Could it have some connection to the Tachibana Clan's Divine Dream One-Sword Style?
And…
What is her name?
What is her Shikai?
...
As for Hisana Kuchiki, fans of Bleach would know her story well.
According to the established lore, Hisana died of illness five years after marrying Byakuya Kuchiki.
Before her death, she entrusted him with one final request:
Please take care of her younger sister, Rukia Kuchiki.
By that time, Rukia had already enrolled at the Shinō Academy, so it was not difficult for Byakuya to locate her.
Using his authority as the twenty-eighth head of the Kuchiki Clan, he formally brought her into the family and gave her the name Rukia Kuchiki.
Within the Gotei 13, however, tensions between the old noble houses and the newly risen "merit nobles" never truly disappeared.
Conflicts between the two sides were frequent.
At times, the most radical factions on both sides had even launched open rebellions.
...
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