Kūkaku Shiba was a truly remarkable reformer. She was free from the messy and chaotic aspects of Soul Society. Although she inherited the so-called noble bloodline and deeply respected her family's honor, she fundamentally detested the existence of class distinctions.
Moreover, over the years, as the de facto head of the Shiba Clan, he has single-handedly supported the household. Of course, Kaien and Miyako have indeed taken care of their younger sister and brother, but both of them are Soul Reapers. Regular get-togethers are fine, but don't expect them to provide much care.
Kūkaku and Ganju have a relatively neutral view of Soul Reaper. In the original work, because Ganju witnessed Rukia kill Metal Metastacia, who had merged with Kaien, the two siblings developed an extreme aversion to Soul Reaper. In this timeline, they don't hate them as much, but since neither of them are Soul Reaper, they haven't developed the same longing for them over the years.
However, Kūkaku cherished Jun's teachings very much. In her words, "If someone teaches you and you don't learn, wouldn't you be a fool?"
Kūkaku's talent is exceptional; in Jun's opinion, her level is probably comparable to Rangiku's, though her limits are unclear. Unfortunately, she's getting older, so her potential for growth might be slightly lower. However, given her superior bloodline, her effort is unlikely to be lacking.
Jun quite enjoyed spending time with Kūkaku. After several encounters, Aozumi and Kōga, who had discovered Jun's whereabouts, also became involved with the Shiba Clan of this lineage. Kūkaku also got to know her senior brothers and sisters.
In this timeline, Kūkaku doesn't have a prosthetic arm, nor does she appear in the original manga. Jun just asked about it.
Don't you find it inconvenient not to have a right hand?
"It's alright. It hasn't been too inconvenient over the years. I've gotten used to it."
"Although I didn't teach you the Sōdō, it can indeed create useful Sōdō. Would you like me to make one for you?"
Is it really possible?
"Then let's make one. You try it out. If it works, you can use it; if not, I'll improve it."
"Oh, thank you, Master."
"Haha, this will take quite a while, I'll give it to you in a few days."
Kūkaku He didn't care at all; she possessed a magnanimity uncommon among women, and with a nonchalant wave of her hand, she said, "No problem."
Purely for the purpose of creating a prosthetic arm for Kūkaku, it's essential to carefully examine the condition of her Kūkaku arm and the appearance of her intact arm. It can't be too shabby; after all, she's a girl.
However, when Chun was examining the severed arm, the first thing he noticed was a loop made of bandage. "What's this for?"
"Eh? That one~", Kūkaku got up and went to the drawer, opened the first drawer, took out a short sword, and inserted it into the clasp. "Hehe~, it's for storing swords, after all, I have to fight sometimes."
"Oh~", Jun remembered, Kūkaku did indeed have such a short sword when she fought, but it was pretty useless. Jun went over and took the sword in her hand, sensed its power for a moment, and then gathered Spiritual Power in her hand, imbuing the sword with a soul.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Kūkaku was puzzled and asked with a pure smile.
What kind of Shikai do you want?
"Huh?" Kūkaku was even more confused, tilting her head to the side, "???"
"Hehe, it's okay if you don't understand. I just want to know, if you were to obtain Shikai, what kind of Shikai would you want? Your brother and sister-in-law are both Soul Reaper, don't tell me you haven't thought about it."
"Huh? Why are you asking that?"
"Speak up, isn't it okay for your master to have a little curiosity?"
"Oh~", Kūkaku pouted, "The Shikai I'm thinking of is a giant firework tube that can release super big and super beautiful fireworks, hehe~ isn't that a bit silly, Master?"
"If I wanted to see your knife, would I prefer it to be male or female?"
"Huh? Is that even a saying?"
"Hmm, for example, with your big firework tube, if you wanted it to be a person, what kind would be better?"
"Hmm~ Ooh~ Eh~", Kūkaku snapped her fingers, "I hope there's a cool girl like me, preferably one -Eyepatch, I think Eyepatch are especially cool!"
"Puff"
"Master, how could you do this?! I answered your question, and you're still making fun of me! That's too much!"
"Sorry, sorry~", Jun said, her Spiritual Power beginning to fluctuate as she slowly channeled it into the small knife. Then, Kūkaku noticed her own Spiritual Power fluctuating.
This wasn't Kūkaku could control, which startled her. She looked at Jun, who smiled slightly, and Kūkaku relaxed, though still a little uneasy. Then Jun tossed the dagger back to her.
After receiving the dagger Kūkaku sensed something different; a peculiar feeling filled her heart, and a voice within her called out to her.
"Bloom in splendor! Dairan!"
A huge firework tube fell to the ground in front of her. Kūkaku was stunned; it took her a while to recover. She looked at Jun with a questioning gaze, past the firework tube.
Junichi, waving his hand at the bewildered female disciple, "Come on, try out your Shikai and see if it works well?"
When Kūkaku placed one hand on the firework tube, she felt a special connection, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Master~"
"Haha, let's use it, come on, let's go outside and use it, it's okay, no one will notice."
"Hmm!" Kūkaku nodded sharply, lifted her foot, hoisted herself onto her shoulder, and used her left arm to hold her head in Shikai, managing to reach the outside with some effort but still managing to do so on her own.
Then, carrying her Dairan Shikai, she fired a shot into the sky. A beam of light shot upwards, Explosion in mid-day light with a series of colorful bursts. The brighter the light, the higher and more beautiful it became, eventually reaching unimaginable colors.
"Wow! So beautiful!" Kūkaku exclaimed excitedly to Jun, "Master! Did you see that? It's so beautiful!!"
"Ah~ I saw it."
"Master~", Kūkaku threw down her Shikai, ran over and hugged Jun, sobbing uncontrollably, "Master!! You're even better to me than my own father!! I love you to death!!"
"With your own father, it's hard to imagine anyone treating you worse than him."
"Pfft," Kūkaku was amused by Jun, "Master, you've given me back the emotion I felt~!"
"Haha, alright, you're such a grown man, stop acting like a child. Put your Shikai away. What do you think of your brother's reaction? I'll make one for him too."
Really!?
"Are there fakes?"
"Don't worry, Master, if he dares to utter a single word, I'll break all three of his legs!"
"No, no, no, it's not that serious, haha, let's do it another day."
"Yes, thank you, Master!"
Jun was invited to the Kuchiki Clan, where the entire Kuchiki Clan was present except for Kuchiki Ginrei, excluding Hisana and Rukia. Rukia was currently in Rukongai looking after Hisana, while Byakuya had returned home to begin his challenge.
"Father, I now possess the power to become the head of the family! Prepare yourself!"
"Strength alone is not enough; where is your glory? How can your wife be?"
"Shut up! I am the glory of the Kuchiki Clan. My strength should make the Kuchiki Clan proud of me, not laugh at me because of my wife's background! Laugh at the Kuchiki Clan! As long as I am strong enough, no one will have the right to do so!"
"What a joke! This is the duty of a nobleman!"
"I absolutely disagree!"
"So that means you don't accept the legacy of the Kuchiki, you unfilial son!"
Don't let Sōjun Kuchiki fool you; when it comes to matters of inheritance, he's incredibly stubborn. The person who treats everyone with kindness and gentleness is often the most stubborn. Why? Because snobbery is a common behavior, and only those with strong inner strength can truly separate themselves from the crowd. These are the people least likely to change.
Take Jun, for example; Sōjun Kuchiki; and then there's Shunsui Kyōraku, Ukitake Jushiro, Aizen, and Jūshirō Ukitake Yamamoto Genryūsai. The reason these people are so formidable is because they have their own principles, they aren't easily swayed by others, they're unafraid of gossip, and ultimately achieve success through a combination of talent and hard work.
Therefore, while Byakuya in the original work appears cold and mature, he is actually quite immature. He is easily influenced by his surroundings and lacks his own convictions. He doesn't even know what his so-called honor of the Kuchiki Clan truly means.
That's why he was so weak, unable to even beat Ichigo Kurosaki. How embarrassing! What was Ichigo Kurosaki back then?
But in this timeline, Byakuya is truly different. He endures things no noble young master should have to bear. For his wife, he went from being the most powerful nobleman to a commoner. He suffers ridicule and scorn, and even after his family's support ends, he is unable to support his wife.
Hisana isn't Soul Reaper, Byakuya, strictly adhering to the rules, didn't teach Hisana to become Soul Reaper. Therefore Hisana needs to eat, but what can he give her in return? Byakuya has nothing. As a result, after marrying his beloved, the Kuchiki Clan has to rely on his lover dancing to support the couple.
What a humiliation!? Hisana was ill at the time, Byakuya finally understood what life truly meant. So Byakuya lowered his proud head and sold his first painting, earning enough to support himself and his wife.
In the years that followed, due to his wife's frail health, Byakuya tried to teach Hisana to Reishi Sense, but it was too late. Just when he thought he might lose his wife, he suddenly discovered that fate had intervened; Hisana had simply fallen into a long-term slumber. Therefore, Byakuya began caring for his wife and reflecting on life.
Identity, status, family, power— Byakuya pondered all of these. He was born on a mountaintop, lived in a valley, but ultimately, he was no longer a valley dweller. After figuring out what he should do, he decided to return to the mountaintop and change those meaningless things.
He has awakened; he understands the essence of respect. It's actually very simple: power! Or, you could say capital. For example, what makes a country worthy of respect? Its formidable military strength! What makes an individual worthy of respect? Financial resources, military power, intelligence, influence, and other things that can be called power or capital.
Therefore, the fundamental reason why Kuchiki is a great noble family lies not in its surname, but in the power of the Kuchiki Clan. When the Kuchiki no longer has any worthy heirs, it will lose its capital, its power, and its pride, just like the Shiba family in the past.
It's already good enough that he's miserable, pitiful, and helpless; at least no one is kicking him when he's down.
"Whether I'm a rebellious son or not, you can judge when I've brought Kuchiki to new heights!" Byakuya drew his Zanpakuto. "Father! I won't hold back! Forgive me!!"
"Me too. If you're not strong enough, today is your death day. I'll pretend I never had a son like you!"
"Scattered, Senbonzakura!" x2