Chapter 13: Rukongai
"Hey, little Kensei. You can't teach the transformation technique to anyone else."
Although Yoruichi herself didn't care much for her noble status, the transformation technique was still the fruit of her family's efforts. Teaching it to Kensei was one thing—after all, he was considered Old Man Yama's successor, and teaching him was nothing but beneficial for the Shihōin Clan. It might not be the same for others.
Kensei, now fully dressed, nodded. A technique like transformation was best known by as few people as possible; otherwise, its utility for covert operations would be greatly diminished.
"So, what's on the teaching schedule for today?"
Yoruichi was momentarily speechless. Little Kensei really knows how to hit a sore spot. She had hoped to drag things out for a few days with the high-difficulty transformation technique, but Kensei had mastered it in less than half a day.
Teaching a genius was no easy task. She'd have to ask Old Man Yama for compensation for her mental distress later.
But she couldn't just say to Kensei, 'Your master has nothing left to teach you. You may leave.' If she did, she'd be back under her family's supervision, training day in and day out.
Ahem. "Lately, I've taught you quite a few techniques, but practical experience is something you have to gain for yourself. So, I've decided to take you to the Rukongai."
Thinking on her feet, Yoruichi decided to take Kensei to see the rebel forces in the Rukongai. Last time, Old Man Yama had sent three Captain-level combatants to quell the unrest. Everyone thought they'd steamroll the rebels, but then the other side somehow produced a few Captain-level fighters of their own. Coupled with the rebels seemingly predicting the Special Forces' plans and disrupting them, the two sides were now locked in a stalemate.
How could Rukongai rebels possibly have Captain-level combat power? It was probably the nobles behind the insurrection making their move. Those damned old fools from the Tsunayashiro Clan, what the hell are they thinking?
"Little Kensei, what's your view on the Soul Society's noble families?"
The Kuchiki, Shihōin, Shiba, and Tsunayashiro clans, along with one unseen family, together formed the Five Great Noble Families. The Kuchiki Clan valued the Soul Society's order above all. The Shihōin Clan commanded the Stealth Force and was a guardian power of the Soul Society. The Shiba Clan members were all simple-minded and straightforward. Excluding the mysterious Fifth Great Noble Family, only those old undying bastards from the Tsunayashiro Clan were constantly scheming for more power. She was worried Kensei might tar all nobles with the same brush because of the Tsunayashiro's bullshit, which would be a huge loss.
"Normally, I definitely wouldn't want to get involved in these power struggles. But Old Man Yama has been good to me, so I have to help him. As for the future... once I seize Old Man Yama's position, won't I be the greatest noble of all? Then I'll drink and party with beauties on my left and right every day. Who'd dare say anything?"
Yoruichi looked at Kensei, who seemed to be getting more excited as he envisioned his future life of luxury, and wondered if Old Man Yama had chosen the wrong successor. Still, at least he wasn't mindlessly hostile towards nobles. That was good news.
"You little brat, how old are you to be thinking about having women on both arms? Aren't you afraid your body won't be able to handle it?"
"Heh, don't tell me you didn't see it just now."
Yoruichi clicked her tongue, both embarrassed and annoyed, and kicked Kensei. It wasn't her fault that thing was so eye-catching!
"Alright, let's get going."
The two used Shunpo to travel swiftly towards the Rukongai. After his training, Kensei's Shunpo speed had improved dramatically, now roughly on par with Yoruichi's current pace.
The Soul Society was vast, and the Rukongai, which occupied a significant portion of it, was chaotic. If not for Soul Reapers' high-speed movement techniques like Shunpo, who knew how long it would take to travel from the Seireitei to the Rukongai.
Looking at the houses in West Rukongai's 80th District, utterly ravaged by the conflict, Kensei sighed inwardly. He didn't have much attachment to this place where he had first appeared, but it was still a somber sight. District 80 was a symbol of chaos, where incidents of violence and theft were daily occurrences. It was hard for anyone from here to feel any fondness for the place. At least ordinary souls in the Soul Society entered the cycle of reincarnation upon death, and besides, the dead were all strangers to him.
"Over there is the First Division's Special Forces unit responsible for suppressing the rebellion. I heard that son-in-law of the Kuchiki family got chewed out by the clan head for failing to quell the unrest properly after becoming a Captain."
News and gossip traveled swiftly among the nobility, probably because they had too much free time.
Yoruichi led Kensei to a concealed spot. Kensei was a bit confused. They could see their allies' encampment, so why not just go over?
"I don't dare let anyone know I brought you to the front lines. Old Man Yama would be furious."
Seemingly reading the question in Kensei's eyes, Yoruichi explained, a touch exasperated. Yama really does dote on this kid, always trying to keep him away from the high-level power struggles.
"Our main goal this time is to let you experience life-or-death combat, so you won't hesitate when you face a real enemy."
Kensei really wanted to say that he was very cautious and wouldn't stop until his enemies were utterly annihilated, but considering Yoruichi's good intentions, he let it go.
After a short rest, Yoruichi led Kensei deeper in, planning to find a small, isolated rebel squad for him to practice on. True to her status as the head of the Shihōin Clan and commander of the Stealth Force, Yoruichi effortlessly deduced the number and location of enemies from subtle clues. She soon found a small rebel outpost with only about a dozen people—perfect for Kensei.
"By the way, hasn't your Asauchi achieved Shikai yet?"
Although Yoruichi usually used Hakuda to deal with enemies, she also had a Bankai. She just didn't use her Zanpakutō because it would lower her overall combat effectiveness. Normally, achieving Shikai wasn't terribly difficult for a Soul Reaper; you just needed to communicate with the Asauchi, resonate with it, learn its name, and complete the initial release. A Soul Reaper with Kensei's talent should have had his Zanpakutō actively tell him its name by now.
"Who knows."
Kensei shrugged helplessly. He was also curious why his Zanpakutō had been so quiet for so long. Was it planning something big to surprise him?
"Alright, let's deal with the rebels first."
Yoruichi pushed Kensei off their vantage point, sending him tumbling right into the middle of the rebel outpost. She then used Shunpo to a nearby hidden spot to keep watch, just in case any Captain-level fighters were mixed in with the group. Watching Kensei skillfully employ Zanjustu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō in seamless combination, Yoruichi nodded in satisfaction. Although the rebels at this outpost weren't strong, the flawlessness of Kensei's integrated techniques was impressive. Even a weaker Captain-level opponent would have a hard time escaping his combos unscathed.
The one-sided fight ended quickly. The Captain-level combatant Yoruichi had worried about never appeared, which relieved her. Fights at that level tended to be very noticeable, and if word got back to Old Man Yama, she'd be in for a scolding.
"Yoruichi, look at this letter."
After thoroughly searching the outpost, Kensei found a letter in one of the tents. It ordered this squad to launch a night raid on the Special Forces' camp tonight. The two exchanged a glance, baffled. What were these rebels thinking, sending cannon fodder with the strength of low-ranking seated officers on such a raid?
"Something's not right. This letter is suspicious."
Yoruichi stared at the location of the Special Forces camp written in the letter, her expression turning serious. The contents were far too detailed, even specifying the exact times for the guard rotation. To know this so clearly... it seemed there was a traitor within the Special Forces.