Discovering a Genius Boy / Tōshirō Hitsugaya

"Lord Aizen?" Kaname Tōsen asked, sounding somewhat puzzled.

He had clearly sensed Enrakyōten release its power just now.

But it seemed to have fallen quiet again, and his spiritual senses detected no change.

"How interesting." Aizen gently waved the blade and continued, "Over the past three years, I've thoroughly studied every property of this Zanpakuto."

"As long as its user understands another Zanpakuto's properties, abilities, release command, and name, Enrakyōten can perfectly imitate it."

As he spoke, he set Enrakyōten back on the floor, then walked slowly over to the window and sat down.

Kaname Tōsen immediately followed, picked up the teapot, and poured him some tea. "But Lord Aizen, you seemed to use Enrakyōten just now..."

"That's right. I did use it, but it had no effect." Aizen propped his chin on one hand, a smile appearing on his lips as he looked up at the moon hanging in the night sky beyond the window.

"I've tested Enrakyōten many times.

The fact that it had no effect proves that I don't understand the properties, abilities, release command, or name of the Zanpakuto I just tried to imitate."

This left Kaname Tōsen somewhat puzzled.

Since Aizen had chosen to imitate a particular Zanpakuto, he must have believed he understood it beforehand.

But what had just happened proved him wrong.

At that thought, Kaname Tōsen's brow furrowed instantly, and his whole body went rigid.

Who could have fooled Lord Aizen?

Was this some kind of joke?

"There's no need to be nervous, Kaname," Aizen said softly. "I simply had a sudden impulse to see if I could copy Tokoyo Misao's Zanpakuto."

"It seems the Shikai he demonstrated at the academy was false."

"Could that boy have been hiding his abilities from the start? Did he already know Shikai and only pretend he didn't?"

Kaname Tōsen frowned and pondered the question, but he couldn't understand why.

"No. When he was at the academy, a problem with his understanding really did prevent him from nurturing a Zanpakuto.

But the moment he learned how, he used a false Shikai. Isn't that interesting?"

Still wearing a gentle smile, Aizen gazed at the moon in the sky, its light reflected in his eyes.

"That boy Tokoyo Misao is on guard against you, or rather... is he on guard against everyone?"

Kaname Tōsen finally understood the crux of the matter.

Even after Tokoyo Misao learned to nurture a Zanpakuto and discovered its name,

at a moment when any ordinary person should have been ecstatic, he deliberately used false Zanpakuto abilities to mislead everyone present.

And one of the people present had been Lord Aizen.

Kaname Tōsen knew very well how popular Lord Aizen's kindly persona was in Soul Society. Almost no one would be on guard against him.

It was one thing if Tokoyo Misao was wary of everyone, but if he was wary of Lord Aizen alone...

Kaname Tōsen stood quietly beside Aizen without a word.

Chapter 67: Discovering a Genius Boy

"Are you going to do it or not?" a voice as sweet as an oriole's song rang out from the Tenth Division office.

"No!" came a firm, forceful reply.

"As long as you agree, anything is negotiable." The oriole-like voice grew sweeter, making the listener feel almost lightheaded.

"I refuse." The man's voice was calm and cold; he wasn't affected in the slightest.

"Come on, just do it, please?" This time, the voice took on a pleading, coquettish tone.

Isshin Shiba, captain of the Tenth Division, had been eavesdropping at the door. Unable to listen any longer, he threw it open with both hands.

The door opened with a smack, and Isshin Shiba immediately shouted, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, just what are you two doing in there?"

"It's not that I can't understand you young men and women having feelings..."

Before he could finish, he saw Tokoyo Misao sitting in a chair to one side, his hands over his ears and his head buried, looking as if to say, I'm not listening, I'm not listening.

Beside him, Tenth Division lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto was crouching, her right hand still on her collar, as though she intended to do something more.

When Rangiku Matsumoto saw Captain Isshin Shiba enter, she sprang to her feet excitedly.

"Captain, help me persuade Tokoyo Misao to become lieutenant!"

"Don't you think being Third Seat is a bit unfair to him?"

"Huh?" Isshin Shiba walked over wide-eyed. Once he was close to the two, he looked back and forth between them and said awkwardly,

"So after all that, you were trying to get Tokoyo Misao to be lieutenant?"

"Ahaha, but Rangiku, are you really willing to give up a lieutenant's salary?"

He was genuinely surprised. Given Rangiku Matsumoto's usual spending, losing her lieutenant's salary would be a big deal. How had she suddenly become so willing to give it up?

Rangiku Matsumoto put her hands on her hips and replied with a pout,

"Misao often refuses to carry out assignments, saying his rank doesn't give him enough authority. There have been so many things to do lately that I'm run off my feet."

"Besides, who says you have to spend money to drink?"

Isshin Shiba's brow twitched a couple of times. Looking at his self-assured lieutenant, he was truly at a loss for words.

He spread his hands and said helplessly, "Misao is very capable, but he only has Seventh-Class Rei'i right now. He's still a little short of what's needed to be lieutenant."

"I can help him!" Rangiku Matsumoto still refused to give up.

"But doesn't he want no part of it?" Isshin Shiba's tone turned serious for once. "Not just anyone can reach Captain-level."

"I think Misao needs at least a few more years of experience."

"And think about how much effort you put in to get where you are. How can you plan to give up your position as lieutenant just because you've been a little busier lately?"

Faced with Isshin Shiba's questions, Rangiku Matsumoto walked somewhat helplessly behind a nearby desk and pulled open the door to the rear courtyard.

She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the doorframe, looking out into the courtyard as she said quietly,

"It's precisely because of all these years that I understand I'll never become a captain."

"What do you mean?" Isshin Shiba hurried over. He could tell something was wrong with Rangiku Matsumoto's state of mind.

At last, Tokoyo Misao lowered the hands covering his ears and spoke.

"Here's what happened. When Lieutenant Rangiku was patrolling Rukongai today, she found a genius boy."

"Apparently, it came as a shock to her. She thinks she's reached the limit of what she can achieve in this life, so she'd be better off stepping down as lieutenant and enjoying herself."

"A genius boy? Could he be even stronger than you?" Isshin Shiba asked, puzzled.

Graduating from the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts in six months was a feat no one else had accomplished since its founding.

Even if other geniuses came along, they would have a hard time surpassing that record.

After all, the academy required more than a sufficient Rei'i Grade and combat skills; students also had academic courses to study.

Tokoyo Misao had been able to graduate so quickly partly because he had passed the written exams with perfect scores.

Unless someone learned Bankai outright, there was no way they would be allowed to graduate.

"I haven't met him, so I don't know. You'll have to ask Lieutenant Matsumoto."

Tokoyo Misao lowered his hands and gestured with his eyes.

Isshin Shiba followed his gaze and turned to look at Rangiku Matsumoto, who stood by the doorframe. Still pouting, she continued,

"That child can already release his Spiritual Power unconsciously to form Reiatsu, and it has the characteristics of his own attribute. If my assessment was correct, he was born with Ninth-Class Rei'i."

"With training, he could reach Captain-level before long."

"What? He's that gifted? He can unconsciously produce attributed Reiatsu?" Isshin Shiba's expression also turned serious.

Reishi had no attribute, and neither did Spiritual Power.

That was why Kidō incantations were needed to combine them into attributed Kidō and add characteristics.

Characteristics such as scorching heat, freezing cold, or restraint.

Even when the vast majority of Soul Reapers used incantations to cast Kidō, at most around seventy percent of the Reishi could be converted into the corresponding Spiritual Power to generate attributed Kidō and launch an attack.

Soul Reapers themselves also had a stronger affinity for certain attributes, which reduced the loss of Reishi when converting it into a particular attribute.

If their affinity for a characteristic was exceptionally high, then when using certain Kidō,

they could use it without any loss and with greater power. Even when using Incantation Abandonment, its power would not diminish.

So the Rukongai soul Rangiku Matsumoto had found, who could naturally emit attributed Reiatsu, was undoubtedly a genius among geniuses.

Isshin Shiba scratched his head. "Did you take the child to enroll at the academy?"

"I've already spoken to him. He'll enroll at the academy after saying goodbye to his grandmother, but I think it'd be better to bring him straight into the Tenth Division, so nobody else snatches him up at the academy."

Rangiku Matsumoto was the Tenth Division's lieutenant, after all, so naturally she thought of her own division.

"But we're so busy. Who would teach him?" Isshin Shiba was tempted too.

It was just that several Rukongai districts around Seireitei had been somewhat chaotic lately.

The Tenth Division was the security force. Besides patrolling Seireitei itself, it was also responsible for several districts close to it.

Recently, its responsibilities had expanded outward by more than a dozen districts.

That was because the 11th Division currently had too few members, and even with the Fifth Division's support, it was far from enough.

"That's why I want Tokoyo Misao to become lieutenant and let me be Third Seat. Then I can teach him!"

Rangiku Matsumoto immediately turned around, her eyes shining as she looked at Isshin Shiba, hoping to win him over.

"Wait, Captain Shiba." Seeing that the captain seemed tempted, Tokoyo Misao immediately spoke up.

"As everyone knows, I taught several outstanding students from my class at the academy."

"And my grades were good in both academic courses and zankensoki."

"Why don't you let me teach him?"

"All right!" Isshin Shiba immediately nodded his agreement.

Compared with the somewhat unreliable lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, he trusted Tokoyo Misao more.

"You... I'm going out to clear my head!" Rangiku Matsumoto's cheeks were slightly flushed and her eyes were wide. She looked genuinely angry.

She turned and started toward the rear courtyard, but suddenly a force pulled her back into the room.

Isshin Shiba held her up by the back of her collar and said with a smile,

"Take care of division business. Don't even think about running off."

Tokoyo Misao immediately stood up. "I know where the child is. I'll go bring him back now."

With that, he immediately left the room.

Rangiku Matsumoto sat back down at her desk in a huff, muttering,

"That damn Tokoyo Misao!"

Chapter 68: Tōshirō Hitsugaya

Kobushi Mountain, Rukongai District 3.

Two figures, one tall and one small, were strolling through the countryside.

They were Tokoyo Misao and Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the genius he had recruited directly from Rukongai.

As they walked, Tokoyo Misao said softly, "You've been learning very quickly lately, and you've pretty much mastered the fundamentals of zankensoki.

All that's left is to practice them over and over until those techniques become ingrained in your body and turn into instinct."

Tōshirō Hitsugaya kept his young face taut as he replied, "Yes, Brother Misao."

There was none of a young boy's drive in his response. Instead, he was like a middle-aged man worn down by years on the job.

This left Tokoyo Misao both gratified and sighing.