The Captain-Commander's Summons / True Hakuda

"Okay, I've changed back, meow~"

Hearing that familiar meow, Xuanxin actually believed her in his panic. He let out a long sigh of relief, patted his burning cheeks, and tentatively turned around.

But Yoruichi had obviously lied to him!

The moment Xuanxin turned around, what he saw was no black cat.

Yoruichi Shihōin was wearing his roomy pajamas. The clothes fit Xuanxin just right, but were somewhat loose on her.

"Pfft—"

The sight shattered Xuanxin's last line of mental defense. Warm liquid gushed uncontrollably from his nose!

Seeing that Xuanxin, who was always cool and composed and wouldn't so much as flinch if Mount Tai collapsed before him, had been so affected by her that his nose was bleeding, Yoruichi froze for a moment. Then she clutched her stomach and burst into brazen laughter.

"Hahahaha! Xuanxin, so even you have days like this!"

While Xuanxin frantically tipped his head back to stop the bleeding, his brain completely incapable of thought, Yoruichi's eyes darted about, and she hurried to strike while the iron was hot.

She pulled several blank sheets of paper she had prepared long ago from inside her clothes and slapped them onto the desk without a word. Then she forced a pen into Xuanxin's hand.

"You saw my secret infiltration form in all its glory, so you'll have to pay the price! Come on, sign these agreements, and I'll pretend today never happened!"

"There aren't even any words on them. What am I supposed to sign..." Xuanxin held his nose, wanting to cry but having no tears.

"Cut the nonsense! I'll fill them in later! Are you signing or not? If you don't, believe it or not..." With that, Yoruichi shamelessly raised her hands and made the dangerous motion of starting to undo more buttons on the pajamas.

"I'll sign! I'll sign!"

In the end, under Yoruichi's threat, Xuanxin humiliatedly signed his name on the blank sheets with trembling hands.

Looking at the four large characters of "Fujiwara Genshin," written in an obviously flustered hand, Yoruichi curled her lips into a triumphant smile.

"Bang!"

With another burst of white smoke, Yoruichi changed back into the lithe black cat, satisfied. She picked up the sheets of paper in her mouth and wagged her tail smugly at Xuanxin,

Then, leaving him with only the words "I'm off~ Don't miss me~ Meow~", she disappeared into the deep night.

Xuanxin was left alone in the messy single dorm room, holding his nose, his face bright red, and sunk deep in self-doubt.

Chapter 14: The Captain-Commander's Summons

That night, Xuanxin had a rare bout of insomnia.

Lying in bed, he found himself involuntarily replaying the scenes from that afternoon whenever he closed his eyes. In the end, he didn't know when he had fallen asleep.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already broad daylight. He collected himself and hurried to class.

Fortunately, the busy lessons eased the restlessness in Xuanxin's heart.

But when he returned to his dorm after a day of classes, he found the room still empty, and an inexplicable sense of disappointment welled up inside him.

Just as Xuanxin was about to pour himself a cup of water, however, he noticed a book wrapped in thick kraft paper on the desk. He didn't know when it had appeared, but an antique Shihoin family crest was stamped in the center of its cover.

A sheet of white paper was tucked beneath the book.

Xuanxin pulled it out and saw only the four large characters of "Fujiwara Genshin," written in a hurried, flustered hand. In the lower right corner were two clear little cat fang marks.

Looking at the two fang marks, like a stamped signature, Xuanxin paused, then shook his head helplessly.

Xuanxin unwrapped the kraft paper and found four large characters written on the cover: "Cat Transformation Technique." Her intention was obvious: Yoruichi wanted him to learn the Cat Transformation Technique too.

He carefully put the manual away, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes without him even noticing.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

During those three months, being the Zanjutsu teacher for first-year Class One unexpectedly became a high-risk occupation throughout Soul Society.

As a rule, a Zanjutsu teacher was attacked almost once every two weeks and then admitted to the Fourth Division hospital. The severity of the injuries was also remarkably consistent: not serious, but not quick to heal either.

And every time a teacher was hospitalized, Fourth Division Captain Retsu Unohana appeared in Class One's dojo on time, wearing a satisfied smile as she filled in.

Under Retsu Unohana's repeated, merciless provocation, Xuanxin's progress in Jinzen had accelerated somewhat. He could now even open nearly half the ancient book. At this rate, achieving Shikai in his first year was no longer a dream.

One evening, the bell rang to signal the end of classes.

Xuanxin rubbed his aching shoulders and put away his books. He was about to return to his dorm as usual and take a look at the secret technique Yoruichi had left him. She had been pressing him harder and harder these past few days.

But the moment he pulled open the classroom door, he stopped short.

At some point, a tall, upright middle-aged Soul Reaper had appeared in the empty corridor.

He had his distinctive short white hair and mustache, and wore the First Division vice-captain's armband on his chest. He exuded a terrifying Reiatsu that was steady and restrained, like an old pine.

It was the First Division vice-captain, Chōjirō Sasakibe.

Sasakibe looked at Xuanxin as he came out, walked over, and said evenly, "Student Fujiwara Genshin, the Captain-Commander wants to see you at the First Division. Come with me now."

The Captain-Commander wants to see me? Xuanxin's eyes filled with confusion.

Why does the Captain-Commander want to see me? Surely the secret base I dug beneath Sōkyoku Hill hasn't been discovered? No, that can't be right. If it were, he wouldn't be looking for just me.

Although he was full of questions, Xuanxin didn't ask any more.

"Yes, Vice-Captain Sasakibe. Please lead the way."

Sasakibe nodded slightly, then pivoted and instantly became a blurred afterimage. Without the slightest hesitation, Xuanxin's Reiatsu erupted, and he burst into Shunpo, following as closely as he could at the fastest speed of his life.

Two streaks of light swept swiftly across Seireitei's towering rooftops. Before long, they stopped in front of an enormous building that radiated an air of endless age and majesty.

After landing, Sasakibe looked with satisfaction at Xuanxin behind him and said, "You did well. Also, straighten your clothes. Don't forget your manners in there."

With that, he led the way. Xuanxin was taken aback, then nodded briefly in acknowledgment. As he straightened his clothes, he took in his surroundings.

The two stopped outside a room. Sasakibe slid open its wooden door and motioned for Xuanxin to enter, then quietly withdrew to stand guard outside.

Xuanxin took a deep breath and stepped into the spacious office.

The moment he entered, a scorching pressure swept over him, as though it would burn everything to ashes.

In the center of the office, behind a broad, low table, sat an old man with a long beard and long eyebrows, his legs crossed.

He was the goal all Soul Reapers aspired to but could never reach: First Division Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

Hearing Xuanxin's footsteps, Captain-Commander Yamamoto slowly opened his eyes, sharp as a hawk's. In that instant, Xuanxin felt as though two solid greatswords of flame had slashed fiercely at his soul.

The old man stared fixedly at the excessively young, white-haired boy before him and spoke in a deep voice, posing his first question.

"Fujiwara Genshin. In your view, when you grip your Zanpakuto and fight, which is more important: instinct or reason?"

Though he was somewhat puzzled by the sudden question, Xuanxin did not panic.

His struggles between life and death over the past half year, as well as his almost beastlike battle with Retsu Unohana, had long since given him his own convictions about the martial path.

Xuanxin thought for a while, then met the Captain-Commander's heavy gaze and answered calmly and clearly.

"I believe it's reason."

At that answer, Shigekuni Yamamoto's long eyebrows knitted sharply, and a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes. He was just about to speak.

But Xuanxin did not stop. He raised his head, looked the strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years straight in the eye, and continued.

"Perhaps following instinct grants greater power, but I believe reason is just as important. If we fight by following instinct alone, without reason to control it, how are we any different from the Hollows described in the books, who know only devouring and destruction?"

At those words, the reprimand Shigekuni Yamamoto had been about to deliver caught in his throat.

He looked at the boy before him, whose eyes were exceptionally clear, and a strange glint flashed in his own. "Then what would you do?" he asked.

Xuanxin straightened his back and answered firmly.

"I would use reason to control instinct, rather than let instinct control reason. With a blade in hand, I alone must be the one wielding it."

A brief, deathly silence fell over the room.

A moment later, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai suddenly gave a low chuckle. The Reiatsu that had filled the office slowly dissipated with it.

"Use reason to control instinct... Hmph, an interesting piece of sophistry."

Old Man Yamamoto then slowly stood, leaning on his wooden cane. A brilliant light flared in his aged eyes as he stared at Xuanxin.

"Some days ago, someone came to me and strongly recommended you. So I observed you in secret for a while. Your answer today has satisfied me greatly, so now I shall ask you this question myself..."

The Captain-Commander's voice rang like a great bell in Xuanxin's ears.

"Fujiwara Genshin, are you willing to become my disciple?"

Chapter 15: True Hakuda

"Fujiwara Genshin, are you willing to become my disciple?"

The deafening question left Xuanxin frozen on the spot. Become the disciple of the Captain-Commander, the strongest in all Soul Society?!

Even in his own dreams, Xuanxin wouldn't have dared imagine such a thing, yet it had happened today!

After his initial fluster, Xuanxin quickly calmed down. He knew he needed higher-level techniques and a more advanced understanding of the martial path to improve himself and break the deadlock. Captain Unohana's help alone was clearly not enough.

So Xuanxin did not hesitate. He solemnly dropped to both knees and performed the proper salute of a disciple.

"I am willing, Master. Your disciple pays his respects!"

"Good, very good."

Shigekuni Yamamoto was clearly in a good mood after accepting his new disciple. A rare smile of satisfaction appeared on his perpetually stern old face. He stroked his beard and said in a deep voice,

"I have already heard about your swordsmanship from Captain Unohana. Come, let me see how strong your foundation in Hakuda is. You must remember that as a Soul Reaper, you cannot neglect any discipline."

With that, Old Man Yamamoto leaned on his cane and strode into the open inner courtyard.

The old man casually undid his belt and pulled off the white haori that marked him as Captain-Commander, along with his loose shihakusho, revealing his lean, muscular upper body.

"Come on, attack me! Show me the fist techniques you know best. Let me see how you exert your strength and what kind of bone structure you have."

Faced with this overwhelmingly intimidating sight, Xuanxin's handsome face twitched twice.

He opened his mouth awkwardly, hesitating to speak, but faced with his new master's order, he could only steel himself and agree. "Yes..."

Xuanxin then took a deep breath, and his gaze instantly sharpened.

However, the moment he threw his punch, something strange happened.

Xuanxin's normally flawless muscular coordination suddenly twisted into something awkward.

The straight punch, which should have been powerful and forceful, somehow came out as a barehanded sword-drawing slash, jarringly out of place and even somewhat comical.

"..."

A slightly bleak breeze swept through the inner courtyard.

The strongest Soul Reaper in Soul Society, who had lived for over a thousand years, held his defensive stance and stood rooted to the spot, as though he had been turned to stone.

Old Man Yamamoto's eye twitched wildly as he looked at Xuanxin, who had finished his movements and stood there with an embarrassed expression. The old man felt a tightness in his chest, and a powerful sense of regret suddenly overcame him.

What the hell was that?!

Where did this genius come from?! Practicing Hakuda as though it were a dual-sword style?! I've lived for a thousand years, and I've never seen fist techniques this bizarre!

Old Man Yamamoto silently picked up the clothes he had tossed aside and put them back on. He draped the haori he had set aside over his shoulders again, coughed with an utterly serious expression, and looked up at the sky.

"Ahem... Forget it. The weather is poor today, and the wind is rather noisy. It's not suitable for practicing unarmed combat. Let's... take a look at your swordsmanship instead."