Taking Office as Lieutenant, Starting by Putting the Captain in His Place!
The next second, Shinji Hirako's voice suddenly came from nearby.
At some point, he had left the Fifth Division's recruitment table and strolled over to their side.
Meanwhile, Aizen was patiently answering the students' questions with a sunny smile.
"Uh... I'm afraid I wouldn't have the patience to keep waiting for rescue."
Kyōsuke Kuchiki certainly had no desire to go anywhere Aizen was.
If he went there, his proficiency in the Eight Extraordinary Skills certainly wouldn't rise quickly, though his acting skills would improve by leaps and bounds.
Shinji Hirako wasn't angry at Kyōsuke Kuchiki's words. Instead, he shrugged and said:
"Then you'd better think it over carefully. The others aren't as easy to brush off as I am."
Kyōsuke Kuchiki glanced around the room. "I'm flattered by the captains' enthusiasm. I'll be sure to choose carefully."
Several other captains were indeed paying attention to Kyōsuke Kuchiki at that moment.
Though they were very interested in him as well, they had other considerations and hadn't immediately joined the "contest."
"So you're both trying to recruit Kyōsuke? Then please allow me to extend an invitation as well!"
Just then, a voice no one had expected rang out.
Kyōsuke Kuchiki and the two captains were all startled and turned to look.
There stood the tall Tessai Tsukabishi, the current Grand Kidō Chief of the Kidō Corps, looking at Kyōsuke Kuchiki with a smile.
"Even the Kidō Corps wants a hand in this?"
Shinji Hirako asked in disbelief.
Generally speaking, the Kidō Corps didn't recruit sixth-year graduates, because their skills weren't good enough.
Without time to build up their knowledge and make the necessary contributions, even the greatest genius couldn't learn high-level Kidō all at once.
The more advanced the Kidō, the more complex theoretical knowledge one needed to master.
Without the necessary foundation of knowledge, one couldn't be of much use even after joining the Kidō Corps.
After all, the Kidō Corps required its members to apply Kidō to every aspect of the Seireitei; combat was actually less important.
And that was definitely not something a sixth-year graduate could do.
"Well, it is Kyōsuke, after all. He's a genius who created his own Kidō at his age. Of course the Kidō Corps would come to invite him."
"Geniuses are always popular, and they have minds of their own, too."
Yoruichi Shihōin folded her arms, looking ready to enjoy the show.
She really couldn't see through what her little brother was thinking.
But he probably wouldn't join the Kidō Corps, would he?
Tessai Tsukabishi continued:
"I've already discussed it with Deputy Kidō Chief Ushō. If you join us, Lord Kyōsuke, you can take the position of deputy Kidō chief immediately."
The two-meter-tall giant paused, then said firmly:
"I have great confidence in your talent, Lord Kyōsuke."
"In ten years, I'll step down in favor of someone more capable and recommend you for the position of grand Kidō chief."
Tessai Tsukabishi's words shocked Shinji Hirako, Yoruichi Shihōin, and the captains listening to their conversation.
They were indeed eager to have someone with Kyōsuke Kuchiki's talent.
Forget the Shin'ō Academy—in the entire Seireitei, there wasn't a single person who could dare say their talent surpassed Kyōsuke Kuchiki's.
But no matter how great their talent, a new Soul Reaper generally started no higher than a Seated Officer.
And the Kidō Corps wasn't actually subordinate to the Gotei 13.
Like the Gotei 13, it was an organization governed by Central 46.
Only in recent years, as the Gotei 13 had continued to grow and overshadow the Kidō Corps, had the latter come to look somewhat like a subordinate organization.
In truth, both in rank and function, a deputy Kidō chief was equivalent to a division lieutenant.
As for the grand Kidō chief, the position carried even greater responsibility and authority, and was more important than that of an ordinary captain.
Wasn't it a little too hasty to promise such an important position to a sixth-year graduate so readily?
Shinji Hirako soon frowned, suddenly realizing what Tessai Tsukabishi was aiming for.
Even so, he still looked puzzled as he thought:
Tessai Tsukabishi is investing in Kyōsuke Kuchiki as the next Captain-Commander.
As expected of the Grand Kidō Chief. He's got nerve.
Yoruichi Shihōin looked the Grand Kidō Chief, who had kept a very low profile until now, up and down.
For a Soul Reaper, ten years passed in the snap of a finger, gone in the blink of an eye.
If Kyōsuke Kuchiki exhausted his potential or performed poorly by then, Tessai himself would be the one to lose face.
It took great courage to make such a promise in front of so many captains.
Tessai Tsukabishi's expression was resolute as he made another startling statement:
"If it weren't difficult to handle because you'd have been with us such a short time, I'd even want to hand the captain's position over to you after one year, Lord Kyōsuke."
"What do you think, Lord Kyōsuke?"
At that moment, every important figure's gaze was fixed on Kyōsuke Kuchiki.
They were very curious to see what choice he would make.
And since he could make Tessai Tsukabishi take such a gamble,
perhaps this genius really could reshape the balance of power in the Seireitei and raise the Kidō Corps' standing in the future.
At that moment, everyone suddenly felt as though they were witnessing history.
Back when Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto first founded the Gotei 13 and the Shin'ō Academy, no one could have imagined they would become what they were today, either.
Some people were born capable of changing the world and its history.
"Well..." Kyōsuke Kuchiki fell into thought.
Not all of the Kidō Corps' duties involved combat; there were also some trivial affairs to handle.
That didn't fit Kyōsuke Kuchiki's plans.
But Tessai Tsukabishi was clearly sincere.
Starting out as a lieutenant was perfect for him, too.
He didn't actually place much importance on the promise of a captain's position a year later.
With his strength, becoming a captain was only a matter of time.
But given the Kidō Corps' special nature, Kyōsuke Kuchiki could turn it into his own independent kingdom, just like the Projection Hall secretly controlled by the Tsunayashiro Clan.
That was no small temptation.
After becoming deputy Kidō chief, the only ones who could give him orders, in theory, were the Central Forty-Six Chambers and the grand Kidō chief.
That was an enormous amount of autonomy, and for a moment, Kyōsuke Kuchiki found himself happily torn.
Chapter 39: Taking Office as Lieutenant, Starting by Putting the Captain in His Place!
While Kyōsuke Kuchiki weighed his choice carefully, the lieutenant of the 11th Division looked at Kenpachi Kiganjō, who was disciplining his subordinates, and cautiously reminded him:
"Captain Kiganjō, I hear that genius from the Kuchiki Clan is taking part in the selection today as well."
"Are you sure it's all right not to go recruit him yourself?"
Kiganjō immediately turned his gaze on the lieutenant, impatience showing on his savage face.
"Kyōsuke Kuchiki, Kyōsuke Kuchiki!"
"That's all I've heard these past few days. He's just a little brat who fakes his achievements."
"I'm the captain of the strongest division in the Seireitei, the man who bears the title of Kenpachi."
"You want me to suck up to some sixth-year brat? Just how little do you think of me?"
"I'm sorry, Captain!"
Though the lieutenant apologized over and over, the short-tempered Kiganjō still gave him a vicious beating.
The other members were angry with their tyrant of a captain but didn't dare speak out.
For all its apparent peace, the Seireitei had a rigid hierarchy within.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the strongest Soul Reaper, was a supreme powerhouse who stood above all other Soul Reapers, undefeated for a thousand years.
Yet even someone like him had to obey Central 46's orders.
And Soul Society's highest governing body was really just a plaything of the nobles.
Not long ago, Tsunayashiro Tokinada, a member of a branch family of the Tsunayashiro Clan, had brutally murdered two commoner Soul Reapers.
One of them had even been Tokinada's wife.
Yet the punishment he received was nothing more than a painless reprimand from the Central Forty-Six Chambers.
To Soul Reapers, nobles were the heavens, their superiors, even if the nobles themselves lacked strength.
Likewise, within each division, the captain's orders were absolute, and the captain held the power of life and death over the members.
The 11th Division, a combat division, carried this principle to its extreme.
The members could only hate themselves for being too weak. Otherwise, not only could they escape such abuse, they could even snatch Captain Kiganjō's position.
At the Seireitei divisions' recruitment area, Yoruichi, who was closest to Kyōsuke Kuchiki, was the first to come to her senses.
She reached out and pinched Kyōsuke's cheek, smiling mischievously.
"Although you're pretty good yourself, little brother, I've already got my heart set on a lieutenant."
"So, unfortunately, I can only withdraw from this competition for now."
With that, Yoruichi Shihōin's figure blurred, and she vanished, slipping past the spiritual senses of several captains.
The Flash Goddess truly lived up to her name.
"Captain Yoruichi's playing favorites a little..."
Several captains who saw this shook their heads.
Everyone present was shrewd, and they immediately realized that Yoruichi Shihōin had taken the opportunity to raise Kyōsuke Kuchiki's "price."
What she was implying was: "If you want to recruit Kyōsuke Kuchiki, offer him a lieutenant's position."
Unfortunately, the vast majority of captains couldn't do that.
The Seireitei wasn't just about fighting and killing; it was about relationships and obligations.
Their lieutenants had all been with them a long time, and some had connections. How could they replace them?
Shinji Hirako glanced at Aizen regretfully.
His lieutenant was one he would very much have liked to replace.
Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right.
Shinji Hirako then nodded to the two of them and returned to his recruitment table.
By then, Kyōsuke Kuchiki had also made his decision.
Meeting Tessai Tsukabishi's eager, expectant gaze, Kyōsuke Kuchiki nodded and said:
"Grand Kidō Chief, you've extended such a generous invitation that it would be hard for me to justify refusing."
"You agree! That's wonderful!"
Never before had Tessai Tsukabishi felt as certain as he did at that moment that the Kidō Corps had a bright future ahead of it.
Kyōsuke Kuchiki smiled and said nothing more.
Deep down, he knew Tessai Tsukabishi was under considerable pressure.
The Kidō Corps' influence had declined greatly over the years, and it hadn't made any significant progress. It would have been strange if he felt no pressure.