Chapter 141

This time, it Ukitake's turn to be surprised.

He was fairly familiar with the situation of the Kidō Corps. Although he had guessed that Tessai Tsukabishi would pay a heavy price, he did not expect him to be so generous.

Like the Thirteenth Division, the Kidō Corps are teams whose captains haven't rotated in a long time. As the leaders, they all value their teams highly. In order to recruit talent, they, with their deep foundation, are willing to pay a price that other teams don't have.

"I haven't mastered these two Kidō myself, and there's no record of them within the Thirteenth Division either."

Ukitake said with a regretful expression.

"But..."

Ukitake then changed the subject, taking out a large number of books from a neatly wrapped bundle, enough to fill the entire table.

I know you're very interested in the Kidō.

"Seventy-nine Bakudō, Kuyō Shibari."

"Eighty-eighth Bakudō, Fūsatsu Kakei."

"Number Ninety-One Bakudō, Shisō Kekkai"

"As well as..."

At the very end of the heavy book was a Kidō Orb gleaming with a reddish light.

"Number Ninety-Six Hadō, Ittō Kasō."

Ukitake had clearly done his homework beforehand; the Kidō he displayed were all high-level Kidō of grade 75 or above.

They even brought out Ittō Kasō.

This is clearly Captain-Commander Yamamoto's signature Kidō, and Ukitake, as his disciple, seems to have mastered it quite well...

After all, there's a right arm inside the body that will never get damaged.

"These are all high-level Kidō that I can provide in my capacity."

"Besides."

"If you are interested, I can ask Master Genryūsai for... some secret techniques that cannot be passed on to outsiders for the time being."

It has to be said.

Ukitake's last, half-joking remark really touched Haruto.

The items in Captain-Commander Yamamoto's possession are all top-of-the-line, and learning techniques from him is like going to the next movie set to find Whitebeard —you might just become his son... no, his disciple.

In addition, the Kidō that Ukitake presented were exactly what Haruto urgently needed.

"Kuyō Shibari"

An enhanced version of the Rikujōkōrō, it combines Reiatsu sealing and spatial containment capabilities, easily capturing Menos Grande in the process of Sonído.

It can affect multiple targets simultaneously, but requires a certain level of spatial awareness from the user.

"Fūsatsu Kakei"

This Kidō is quite powerful.

Kisuke Urahara used it when he fought Aizen.

One can rely on close combat or other Kidō to penetrate the opponent's body, block all the outlets of Reiatsu along the Flow trajectory of Reiatsu within the body, and finally cause the opponent to die directly from Reiatsu implosion.

It belongs to a very insidious, single-target specialized type of Kidō.

"Shisō Kekkai"

High-level Bakudō with a number of 90 or higher.

Haruto wasn't very familiar with this Bakudō; the only time he remembered seeing it was... apparently when it was used to seal Kōga Kuchiki.

But.

This alone demonstrates the power of the Shisō Kekkai:

Besides the Bakudō that could seal Captain-level for over a hundred years, Haruto only remembered one other technique. "Kyūjūrokkei Kakafūmetsu."

That's right.

It was the same technique that Kisuke Urahara used to deal with Aizen.

Although the version that sealed Kōga Kuchiki was created by Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Kuchiki Ginrei together, and also used four Heavenly Bestowed Armaments as assistance; even without these, the Shisō Kekkai is worthy of its status as the 91st Bakudō.

--This is the same Kidō as Senju Kōten Taihō.

As for Ittō Kasō...

This needs no introduction.

The Kidō that could break Aizen's Millón Escudo was undeniably powerful, but even if Haruto could learn it, he might not dare to use it.

After all, Haruto was quite reluctant to use up all five of his daughters at once.

It's not that I'm unwilling to give up the benefits to myself, but that I won't be able to hold the gun mount with both hands anymore... No, it's that I won't be able to perform many challenging poses anymore.

"At last."

"I want you to be the lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division..."

No, no.

Haruto immediately interrupted Ukitake.

"Are you trying to put me on the opposite side of the entire Thirteenth Division?"

Although Kaien Shiba was punished, he was not removed from his position as vice-captain.

Given his popularity within the Thirteenth Division, if Haruto, a recent graduate, were to replace their most trusted vice-captain, who knows what kind of chaos would ensue.

"If you're willing..."

"Give me Fourth Seats, that will be fine."

The Third Seat was originally intended for Shiba Miyako, but considering that this seat required handling a lot of miscellaneous tasks for the Thirteenth Division, Haruto had no intention of taking it over.

"You agreed?"

Jūshirō Ukitake immediately understood Haruto's implied meaning.

"I felt your warmth and sincerity."

This is a lie.

Haruto chose the Thirteenth Division because it allows him to go to the World of the Living to carry out missions.

Although the Quincy pose a threat in the World of the Living, it's still safer for Haruto than staying in Soul Society.

Aizen has already taken notice of him.

Aizen at this time was probably not as monstrous as he would be two hundred years later. His main research areas were still concentrated within the Soul Society — his World of the Living base and the conquest of Hueco Mundo were things that happened after he became a captain.

Going to the World of the Living would effectively keep him out of sight.

This is the most important reason.

"Haruto."

Jūshirō Ukitake extended his hand to Haruto.

Please take care of me in the future.

"... the same to each other."

"It's over?"

The outer ring of the Shin'yō Grand Auditorium.

The students who had come to watch the ceremony gradually dispersed.

Their graduation exam is today... or more precisely, right after the ceremony.

If it weren't for yesterday's Menos Grande incident, the Shin'yō Spiritual Arts Academy wouldn't have pulled this stunt—last year, Haruto and his classmates did the same thing across the entire grade.

"It's over."

Although not as rare as the sixth-graders, the few remaining fifth-graders were whispering among themselves.

Gyōkaku Kumoi, Togakushi Riku, Gori Takezuna.

They are among the most elite students in the current five-year cohort.

"This graduation ceremony felt like it was held just for Haruto- senpai."

Togakushi Riku said with a sigh.

"Really."

Gori Takezuna nodded.

"The Great Kidō Master and the three captains have all arrived. Even Lieutenant Shiba of the Thirteenth Division didn't receive such treatment upon graduation."

"Of course not."

Gyōkaku Kumoi continued.

Compared to himself six months ago, Quincy, Gyōkaku Kumoi now has much less arrogance and is much more composed in his interactions with others.

"According to news from home, Haruto- senpai single-handedly defeated an Adjuchas- level Menos Grande during yesterday's graduation exam."

It was in these words and phrases that there was a subtle tendency for him to become a fanboy of Haruto.

"Adjuchas!?"

Gori Takezuna covered his mouth and exclaimed in surprise.

"Adjuchas is Menos Grande on par with Captain-level, right? Haruto- senpai, could it be...?"

"Have no idea."

Gyōkaku Kumoi shook his head.

"Only the investigation team, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, and the Central 46 Chambers are aware of the detailed report."

The intelligence network of upper-class nobles is not as swift as that of the great nobles.

"But regardless, Haruto- senpai already possesses Captain-level combat power; that's an undeniable fact."

"... Captain-level, huh?"

Togakushi Riku stood with his hands behind his head, his gaze drifting off somewhere.

We don't know when that day will come.

"Let's practice."

Gori Takezuna casually interjected.

"Is this something that can be achieved through practice alone?"

"But if we don't train, with our talent, we'll never see that day. In the future, we'll most likely encounter Giant Hollow like we did half a year ago and be swallowed whole."

"..."

The painful memories were rekindled by Gori Takezuna's words.

"You're right."

Togakushi Riku's gaze hardened.

"Our fifth-grade curriculum has been taught by Haruto- senpai, which is practically like being personally instructed by Captain-level instructor, isn't it?"

"Sixth grade..."

"The Thirteenth Division is quite easy to talk to. Why don't we ask Haruto- senpai for guidance and have him continue to mentor us!"

Togakushi secretly made up his mind.

Having witnessed Haruto's dazzling performance at the graduation ceremony, who would willingly settle for mediocrity and let their six years at the Shin'ō Academy end in a dull and uneventful manner?

"But what good does this do for Haruto- senpai? After graduation, he'll have no reason to continue teaching us, right?"

Gori Takezuna took off his goggles and wiped them clean.

"Isn't your dad from the Twelfth Division? Kumoi is the one among the three who's the richest."