Responses and Investigations / Lady Rukia's Daily Life
The Sixth Division was the noble guard, so entrusting matters concerning nobles to them was always a safe choice.
As for the Second Division, they were the Stealth Force.
Entrusting them with a target who needed surveillance would also make things easier for him.
Shunsui Kyōraku went up to the roof and poured himself a cup of sake. He looked up at the moon, but for a long time, he did not drink.
Ever since that group of captains had defected decades ago, a shadow had lingered in his heart.
He always felt that Soul Society was shrouded in darkness and that the enemy was hiding somewhere within it, yet he could never find them.
Could the great noble Tokoyo, who had suddenly appeared, have something to do with that incident?
Chapter 24: Responses and Investigations
The Thirteenth Division captain's room.
Jūshirō Ukitake sat up in bed, frowning at the information in his hands.
He was a noble as well, though only a minor one.
After serving as a captain for so many years, he had reached the same conclusion as Shunsui Kyōraku, captain of the Eighth Division.
If a genuine great noble appeared now, it would have an enormous impact on the current order of the Seireitei.
After thinking for a moment, he called outside, "Kaien, cough, cough..." No sooner had he called out than he coughed twice and pressed a hand to his chest.
The door slid open, and a young man with spiky hair appeared.
He immediately took two steps forward and patted Jūshirō Ukitake on the back:
"You haven't recovered yet. Whatever it is, there's no need to rush. Just leave it to me."
Jūshirō Ukitake pushed him away and said quietly, "It's all right. I'm feeling pretty good today."
As he spoke, he handed over the information in his hands:
"Kaien, you're the current head of the Shiba Clan. Have you heard of the Tokoyo Clan?"
Kaien Shiba, lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division, was the head of the main branch of the Shiba Clan, one of the great noble clans.
Kaien Shiba scratched his head. "Captain Ukitake, you know me.
"I really don't have the slightest interest in clan matters.
"I just want to live happily with my family. I've never even heard of this so-called Tokoyo Clan."
"I hope he isn't genuine," Jūshirō Ukitake said softly. He smiled at Kaien Shiba again:
"If a great noble really did suddenly appear, it would be a huge headache."
"Don't look at me like that. Our Shiba Clan has withdrawn from the noble district.
"Those guys fighting over the territory my clan left behind has nothing to do with me."
Kaien Shiba replied casually.
A hundred years ago, Kaien Shiba, head of the Shiba Clan, one of the great noble clans, had suddenly made a decision.
He had taken his younger brother and sister out of the noble district to live in Rukongai and had declared outright that the Shiba Clan was withdrawing from the ranks of the nobility.
At first, of course, the other nobles had not taken it seriously, thinking it was merely a whim of the young clan head, Kaien Shiba.
But as time passed, they found that the Shiba Clan really did seem to have no intention of returning to the noble district.
And so a feast of contention began over the mansion, land, and various properties the Shiba Clan had left behind.
During that time, at least ten thousand people died fighting over what the Shiba Clan had left behind.
That was despite the great noble Kuchiki Clan and the Gotei 13 both stepping in to stop them.
If they had been left to continue fighting, over a hundred thousand people might have died.
Yet even when the fighting had grown so fierce, no noble dared make trouble for the Shiba Clan.
That was because Yoruichi Shihōin, former head of the Shihoin Clan, had remained in contact with the Shiba Clan living in Rukongai.
At the same time, Kuchiki Ginrei, the former head of the Kuchiki Clan, had also given those upper nobles with designs on the Shiba Clan a blunt warning:
Even if the great noble Shiba Clan had truly given up everything in the noble district, they were not a clan others could pick a fight with.
Jūshirō Ukitake gave a wry smile. "I'm just worried something like that will happen again."
When it had happened back then, quite a few members of his own clan had urged him to join the fight for the inheritance the Shiba Clan had left behind.
Kaien Shiba sighed helplessly. "I know what you mean. Once I get home today, I'll look through the books in my house and see if I can find any information about the Tokoyo Clan. If I do, I'll tell you right away."
"Sorry for the trouble, Kaien."
"All right, all right. Get some rest."
Around the same time, Second Division Captain Soi Fon arrived at the mansion of the great noble Shihoin Clan.
She respectfully knelt on one knee and addressed a dark-skinned, purple-haired boy before her:
"Lord Yushiro, sorry for the trouble, but could you check the clan records and see if there's any information about the Tokoyo Clan?"
"Sister Soi Fon, you're a captain now. You don't have to be so formal with me." Yushiro Shihōin hurried forward and helped the Second Division captain to her feet.
Soi Fon said solemnly, "The Fon Clan has served the Shihoin Clan for generations. Those are the rules."
"All right, all right. There's no arguing with you." Yushiro Shihōin pulled Soi Fon to her feet, then turned and said, "I'll go look in the clan archives."
After taking two steps, he suddenly looked back. "Sister Soi Fon, would you like to come in and look with me?"
Soi Fon immediately replied, "I can't do that. It would be against the rules."
"All right. If I find anything about the Tokoyo Clan, I'll let you know."
Yushiro Shihōin left the room.
Soi Fon of the Second Division looked at the enormous chair in the center of the room and remained kneeling motionlessly on the floor.
At the same time, at the mansion of the great noble Kuchiki Clan.
The Kuchiki butler came to the study, found Byakuya Kuchiki, and told him everything about Tokoyo Misao.
Byakuya Kuchiki replied calmly, "Ignore him."
"But the Noble Council wants a definite answer," the Kuchiki butler said, leaving it at that.
This was the first time the Noble Council had encountered someone claiming to be a great noble, which was why they wanted confirmation from the Kuchiki Clan, the foremost of the noble clans.
"Tell them not to touch Tokoyo Misao," Byakuya Kuchiki said coldly.
The Kuchiki butler was puzzled. "Clan head, does that mean there really is a clan called Tokoyo?"
"I can't be certain yet." Byakuya Kuchiki put down his brush and turned to look at the elderly butler beside him:
"Some time ago, I searched the clan archives. On a very old piece of parchment, I did indeed see that strange eye crest alongside our own clan crest."
"There was no information on whether that crest represented a clan called Tokoyo."
When Byakuya Kuchiki had been spying on and stalking... no, observing Rukia at the academy, he had naturally noticed Tokoyo Misao, who was always at her side.
The young man's exquisite Reishi Manipulation and his understanding of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Kidō had all amazed him.
After some time, he had grown curious and wanted to see whether a noble with that kind of design really existed.
Not long ago, he had found a drawing in the clan ancestral hall bearing the crests of the other Four Great Noble Clans.
On that parchment, four of the five clan crests stood side by side, while the Eternal Eyes emblem sat alone at the edge of the page. He did not know what that meant.
"Tell them to leave Tokoyo Misao alone for now. They can act as though he doesn't exist."
Byakuya Kuchiki picked up his brush again and looked down at his desk.
The Kuchiki butler nodded, then said, "Lady Rukia wants to visit the clan archives."
"She is a member of the Kuchiki Clan. As long as she doesn't fall behind on her regular lessons, she can go wherever she likes in her free time," Byakuya Kuchiki replied calmly.
Chapter 25: Lady Rukia's Daily Life
The Kuchiki Clan mansion in the Seireitei's noble district.
In the enormous courtyard was a fishpond nearly a hundred meters across, where many fish were swimming merrily.
The water was so clear that the fish seemed to be suspended in the air.
A bang rang out, sending ripples across the water, and the startled fish quickly swam to the bottom of the pond.
Under a cherry tree not far away, Rukia Kuchiki was sparring with the clan's kendo instructor.
Members of great noble families did not attend the academy. Instead, they were taught by instructors hired by their own clans.
This instructor possessed Seventh-Class Rei'i and was accomplished in kendo, making him a notable figure even in the Seireitei.
Yet now he stood rooted to the spot, his pupils trembling slightly as he looked at Rukia Kuchiki, who had only recently joined the clan. He praised her:
"Although your kendo doesn't follow any particular school, your fundamentals are exceptionally solid. Combined with your unrestricted control over Reishi, it's very impressive. You truly are a member of the Kuchiki Clan."
Rukia Kuchiki stood calmly with both hands on her Zanpakuto, her face showing neither joy nor sorrow.
Seeing her composure, the kendo instructor nodded in even greater approval. "That's exactly the kind of mindset you need to practice kendo.
"You must remain calm in a fight, and as a member of the Kuchiki Clan, the foremost of the noble clans, you must never appear panicked or disordered.
"Come, let's continue, Lady Rukia."
Rukia's brow twitched at the address.
Even though she had been here for nearly half a month, she still was not quite used to it.
She gathered Reishi beneath her feet and unleashed it in a sudden burst. Using Shunpo, she appeared at the kendo instructor's side in an instant.
Then she gripped her Zanpakuto in both hands and slashed horizontally.
The kendo instructor held his sword upright to block and commented, "Your speed is excellent, but the direction of your attack is too naïve.
"Since you can reach an enemy's side so quickly, you should use that advantage to attack their feet directly.
"Besides, attacking the lower body would let you apply your strength more easily."
Before he had finished speaking, Rukia released her left hand, pointed her index finger at the kendo instructor's chest, and shouted, "Hadō #4, Byakurai!"
A flash of silvery lightning burst from her fingertip and struck the kendo instructor's chest instantly, burning a hole in his clothes and sending up white smoke.
Rukia Kuchiki touched her toes to the ground and immediately retreated. She came to a stop about ten meters away, staring directly at the kendo instructor.
"Lady Rukia Kuchiki, I am a kendo instructor. You shouldn't use Hadō during my lessons."
He casually patted the hole in the chest of his clothes and shook his head slightly.
"After all, I possess Seventh-Class Rei'i. Against a fourth-level Hadō cast with such low Rei'i, I don't even need to defend myself. It won't injure my skin."
"In a fight, of course you have to use every means available. Whether it's Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kidō, or Shunpo, isn't the ultimate goal to defeat the enemy? Why study them separately?"
Rukia Kuchiki replied calmly.
At the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts, she and the others had followed Tokoyo Misao's instruction, completely abandoning the approach of learning one skill alone and instead studying Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Kidō at the same time.
Naturally, each of them had strengths and weaknesses, but they could never let a weakness become a fatal shortcoming. Instead, they used their weaker skills to complement their strengths for better results.
Their time at the academy had already proven that this was far better than studying kendo or Hakuda alone.
The kendo instructor was taken aback, then found himself unable to offer any rebuttal.
Of course he understood that, for Soul Reapers, fighting was a matter of life and death, not simply winning or losing.
But as the Kuchiki Clan's dedicated kendo instructor, he also ran a dojo in the noble district where he taught students, and his philosophy centered on kendo.
He sighed. "Lady Rukia, during our practice these past few days, I've noticed that you don't seem interested in learning sword techniques.
"Your fundamentals are indeed excellent, but I still recommend learning some sword techniques.
"You could even create your own sword techniques to use alongside your Shunpo, Hakuda, or Kidō.
"In a life-or-death battle, having a few more trump cards never hurts."