Gin Ichimaru

Time always passed very quickly in Soul Society. In the blink of an eye, another year had gone by, and today was the day of Shin'ō's annual admissions. This year, young master Byakuya had finally come of age. But the Kuchiki Clan's ancestral rules differed from those of the Shihoin Clan: once a Kuchiki child came of age, they could join the Sixth Division without studying at Shin'ō. They believed that gaining experience in a division was far better than wasting time at school.

Over the past year, Soi Fon's performance in the Second Division had been excellent. Whether in the Bodyguard Corps or the division, she had shown astonishing strength and considerable efficiency. In just six months, she had not failed a single mission, and she had completed them all very quickly. She had also claimed the position of Fifth Seat in a single sweep through the Seated Officer challenges. Because she was always at Yoruichi's side, she was known as Yoruichi's successor. Her performance had earned praise from the captains as well.

For the new school year, he had received another assignment: to serve as the instructor for the incoming class one's students for three years! Ye Yang had repeatedly discussed the matter with Yamamoto, but had been turned down every time.

Ye Yang had said that he was the Second Division's lieutenant. Having his name on the academy's rolls and teaching an occasional class was one thing, and it wouldn't take up much time, but he feared he wouldn't have enough time to take over as an instructor. Yamamoto had gone even further, directly ordering Fifth Seat Soi Fon to take over all the Second Division lieutenant's duties for the duration of the appointment.

That order had left Ye Yang speechless. Before leaving, Ye Yang said to Soi Fon, "Shaoling, I'll leave the Second Division's affairs to you. With how unbelievably lazy my big sister is, I'm afraid you'll have a hard time from now on."

Soi Fon smiled happily instead. "It's my honor to help Lady Yoruichi and Brother Ye Yang with their burdens."

Ye Yang smiled and left without saying anything else. When he finally reached Shin'ō, he looked at the familiar place and the energetic figures of the newly enrolled students and couldn't help sighing. Time!

When he entered Shin'ō's classroom, most of the students were talking and chatting. Since most of the students in class one were children of nobles, they knew one another to some extent. When Ye Yang entered, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at him, sizing up their future instructor.

Sharp-eyed Ye Yang, however, noticed two people who were different. They were at the front left of the classroom, right by the door. One was a silver-haired boy whose smile seemed frozen in place, never changing in the slightest. His eyes were always narrowed, making them impossible to see. He seemed unconcerned with the people around him, as though he were thinking about his own affairs.

Beside him was a girl with beautiful, long golden hair, her beauty further accentuated by a beauty mark beneath her mouth. She was watching the boy beside her intently; it was clear that they shared an unusual bond.

Ye Yang walked slowly to the podium and said, "Everyone, return to your seats and sit down. Starting today, I'll be your instructor. My name is Ye Yang Shihoin. You can call me Teacher Ye Yang from now on." With that, Ye Yang picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the blackboard. Looking at the students, he continued, "Some of you may know me, and some may have met me, but most of you have probably only heard of me. For now, keep every question you have to yourselves."

None of the students spoke again. Even those who had questions held them back. A person's reputation preceded them, and Ye Yang's reputation at Shin'ō, and even in Seireien, was no small thing. His words carried considerable weight.

The students all looked up at Ye Yang, waiting to see what he would say next. Sure enough, Ye Yang spoke again. "Good. Since you were able to make it into class one, you must all be quite talented. Starting with this student, introduce yourselves." Ye Yang pointed at the silver-haired boy.

The silver-haired boy raised his head, his eyes still narrowed. "Huh? Were you talking to me, Teacher?"

"Yes," Ye Yang said with a nod.

The boy stood and spoke in his distinctive Kansai accent. "Gin, Gin Ichimaru." It was a very brief introduction.

But waves of shock rose in Ye Yang's heart! The silver-haired boy before him was none other than Gin Ichimaru, the future Third Division Captain! The same Gin Ichimaru who would betray Soul Society alongside Aizen! Though Ye Yang was surprised, he didn't show it. He nodded and said to the girl beside him, "You, next." In fact, once the boy had revealed his identity, the girl's identity had become obvious as well.

Sure enough, the blonde girl stood up. "My name is Rangiku Matsumoto. I'm from the western district of Rukongai. I like sleeping and drinking, and my favorite food is dried persimmons. I don't have any particular talents, but I'm easygoing. I hope we'll all get along well."

It seemed Rangiku's lively, cheerful, warm, and uninhibited personality later in life had developed in childhood.

Ye Yang smiled faintly, motioned for her to sit, and moved on to the next student. After all the students had introduced themselves, Ye Yang pointed at Gin Ichimaru and said, "You're Gin Ichimaru? The student who got excellent marks in everything except the written portion of the entrance exam?"

Though the boy was puzzled as to why Ye Yang was asking, he nodded. "Yes, Teacher Ye Yang!"

Ye Yang nodded but didn't reply to him. Instead, he addressed all the students. "Since you've made it into class one, and my class at that, I'll be direct with you. I never waste time on things that are useless. You should feel lucky to be in my class, because while others are still taking theory lessons, you'll be learning things here that you'll actually be able to use in the future!"

Seeing their bewildered expressions, Ye Yang continued, "You're dismissed for a thirty-minute break. In half an hour, put on your training clothes and gather at the training grounds. Dismissed!"

With that, Ye Yang left using Shunpo, leaving the students in the classroom staring blankly after him...

At the training grounds, Ye Yang watched the students gather, then walked over slowly. "Good, everyone's here. Do you know why I asked you to come here?"

Everyone shook their heads. Ye Yang explained, "You all know a Soul Reaper's four fundamental skills: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō. Of those four, Shunpo and Kidō both require Spiritual Pressure as a foundation to use, but Zanjutsu and Hakuda don't. During the first three months of your first year at Shin'ō, you would normally only learn some basics. That period is actually meant to let everyone gain a proficient grasp of Spiritual Pressure. What I'm going to do now is teach you the two skills that don't require Spiritual Pressure as a foundation: Hakuda and Zanjutsu!"

Sure enough, every student's face lit up with excitement at his words. After all, what hot-blooded youngster would want to study theory?

"Great expressions," Ye Yang said for no particular reason. "Next, I'll divide you into groups of two to spar. I'll decide what you should practice based on your performances."

Ye Yang then divided them into groups. He deliberately put Gin Ichimaru in the first group, and his opponent was a child of a high-ranking noble family. He wanted to see just how strong Gin Ichimaru was.

As he spoke, the two stepped onto the platform. Gin Ichimaru looked languid, holding a wooden sword casually in one hand. He seemed inexperienced, his stance full of openings. But Ye Yang was the only one present who could tell that his seemingly casual posture actually concealed deadly intent, and that he was ready to fight at any moment.

The student on the other side, however, assumed a very proper stance. One look was enough to tell he had received orthodox training. He said, "Matsushita Ikeda. Please take care of me."

"Gin Ichimaru. Please take care of me!"

Matsushita Ikeda watched Gin Ichimaru, who not only hadn't changed his stance but hadn't taken the initiative to attack either. He frowned slightly. Are you looking down on me? Even if you got in with excellent marks in everything, there's no need to be this arrogant! Today I'll show you the difference between a noble and a commoner! With that thought, Matsushita Ikeda charged straight at him.

An opening! Openings everywhere! Matsushita Ikeda muttered under his breath as he swung his sword with great confidence.

Seeing this, Ye Yang already knew the outcome. Ikeda had acted rashly. If he had observed carefully and picked the right moment, he would still have had a chance, but charging in recklessly like that was no different from throwing his life away.

Sure enough, just as Matsushita Ikeda was feeling pleased with himself, Gin Ichimaru suddenly vanished before his eyes, and a wooden sword was pressed against his throat. He stared wide-eyed at the wooden sword at his throat, his eyes full of disbelief.

Ye Yang walked up to him and moved the wooden sword away. "Can't believe it? You lost the moment you charged in." With that, he paid no further attention to the dejected Matsushita Ikeda and turned to Gin Ichimaru. "Very good. Although you haven't undergone systematic training, your combat instincts and technique are both excellent. But your killing intent is too strong. Remember, you mustn't show killing intent at school again! Understand?"

He looked at Ye Yang with the same indifferent expression. "Yeah, yeah."

Afterward, Ye Yang had the others spar. It was worth mentioning that Rangiku's talent was no less impressive. After all, she came from one of Rukongai's outer districts, and her fighting skills were first-rate as well. The fact that she had made it into class one suggested her Spiritual Pressure was probably strong.

Once they had all finished sparring, Ye Yang came among them again and said, "All right, I have a pretty good idea of everyone's abilities now. What we're going to practice next is... physical conditioning!"

The students were all startled. The word "why" was written on their faces. Ye Yang explained, "I know you might not understand, but you heard me right! Physical conditioning! You may be wondering why, so let me ask you: what's the most important thing for a Soul Reaper?"

After a while, a faint voice answered, "Spiritual Pressure, right?"

"Louder!"

A student shouted, "Teacher Ye Yang, it's Spiritual Pressure!"

"Good. If you know the answer, shout it out loud and clear. That's right, it's Spiritual Pressure, but that's not the whole answer. There's another important factor: stamina! If you don't have enough stamina, what are you going to use to fight your enemy?" Ye Yang said slowly.