Being a Soul Reaper was not as busy a job as Jun had imagined. Compared with the hectic pace of modern society, it was quite relaxed. After all, Soul Society was still rather old-fashioned, and the slow flow of information meant a slower pace of life.
That state of affairs had not changed much by the time of the original story. That was why Ichigo ran into most of his acquaintances every time he visited Soul Society. Every one of them had nothing to do, and even if they did, they could drop their work at any time to run errands for Ichigo. It was not just because Ichigo was the protagonist; mainly, it was because nobody was busy.
For more than a month after his first day, Jun had been running patrol missions. During that time, the Tenth Division had discovered and dealt with seven Hollow incursions, and Jun had been present for four of them. Two of the incursions had involved more than a dozen Hollows each, making them medium-sized groups, and three had been captured alive: two of the lowest-ranking Hollows and one Evil Spirit-class Hollow.
Jun's Zanpakuto Asauchi had been delivered to him on his fourth day of work. The moment he took hold of it, he did feel something very special: it felt exceptionally comfortable. Was it some kind of blending of souls? Or the passing on of a bloodline? Jun did not understand any of that; holding the sword simply felt good.
As for Shikai, unfortunately, Jun could not achieve it yet, though it was not a major concern. Jun had asked Isshin about it, and Isshin had told him bluntly that his Reiatsu was insufficient. That left Jun puzzled. What exactly was Reiatsu? Was it the total amount of Spiritual Power?
After some discussion, Jun finally understood what Reiatsu was. Soul Society defined Reiatsu as every aspect of Spiritual Power. It was a very broad definition: anything related to Spiritual Power was Reiatsu.
Whether it was the total amount of Spiritual Power, its concentration, or the speed and freedom with which it could be mobilized, it was all Reiatsu. When Jun learned this, he was truly speechless. No wonder the original story was so vague about power levels. There was no way to break them down; everyone was muddled.
Under those circumstances, if someone said a person had high Reiatsu, it could mean they had a large total amount of Spiritual Power or could spread it over a wide area. It could also mean their Spiritual Power was highly concentrated or that they released it quickly. So in Soul Society, you might as well read "Reiatsu" as "Spiritual Power"; the terms were interchangeable.
But when the total amount of Spiritual Power was the same, the latter three corresponded to wide-area Reiatsu intimidation, localized pressure that pinned someone in place, and an instantaneous Reiatsu assault on the mind.
In reality, then, there were major differences between the three. To give some examples:
Sajin Komamura, Captain of the Seventh Division in the original story, was someone this author often dragged out to beat up on. That was because he was a typical example of wide-area Reiatsu intimidation, but was not particularly strong in terms of Reiatsu concentration or release speed.
As a result, when he released his Bankai, the entire battlefield could sense it. That was not just because his Bankai was enormous, but also because his Reiatsu could spread over an exceptionally wide area. The advantage was that it could put pressure on all enemies during a large-scale battle.
In the middle of a fight, everyone would suddenly sense his Reiatsu, and both sides would be stunned. Holy crap, whose Bankai is that? Usually, Komamura's side would celebrate first, because someone on their side had released Bankai. They had it in the bag and could attack-move their way to victory. That was how it went.
The second type, localized Reiatsu intimidation, was different. The point of comparison was Kenpachi Zaraki. Zaraki was also a sea of Reiatsu, with power beyond imagining.
But when he released his Reiatsu, you could not sense it from far away unless you paid particular attention in that direction. To put it in game terms, with Soul Society as the map, Sajin Komamura affected the whole map, while Kenpachi Zaraki affected a quarter of it—roughly the entire Seireitei.
So how did the two types affect the enemies fighting them?
Komamura's enemies would receive a powerful visual shock. Holy crap, why is your Bankai so huge? After that, it did not have much effect on the fight.
But against Kenpachi Zaraki, the pressure would make it difficult to move. Everything around you would grow viscous, making every step a struggle. If you were unprepared, that tremendous pressure could even force you to your knees.
The third type was extremely rare. The only example Jun could give was Sōsuke Aizen. When Aizen fought Ichigo on Sōkyoku Hill, Ichigo's mind had suddenly gone blank, and Aizen had struck him down. Why had that happened? Everyone knew there was a gap in strength, but where did that gap lie?
It was the speed and concentration with which Reiatsu, or Spiritual Power, was released! In an instant, Aizen had mobilized powerful Reiatsu that affected Ichigo alone. A surge of Reiatsu had struck Ichigo's head and blasted his mind blank in an instant.
The same thing had happened later when Aizen moved to execute Gin Ichimaru in the fake Karakura Town. When Aizen targeted an individual, he could unleash that powerful, instantaneous Reiatsu assault against them. Without Aizen's speed and concentration in mobilizing Spiritual Power—at least enough to cast Kurohitsugi with Incantation Abandonment—anyone who came at him would be killed. It was no use; nobody could defend against it.
Aizen did not often use Kyōka Suigetsu's power. In a sense, that move alone was enough for him to stand unrivaled.
So Jun felt that Soul Society really had far too many problems at present. Why was Reiatsu defined so broadly? Did everyone think it sounded mystical? To outsiders, it looked profoundly abstruse, yet even after encountering it, people remained confused, and everyone's explanations were vague. What did that resemble?
The answer was Traditional Chinese Martial Arts! It was especially like ancient Chinese martial arts: things could not be explained clearly, because if they were, would that not mean anyone could train in them? If anyone could train, how could someone still be a great hero? How could they fool people? How could they keep the martial class exclusive?
That was how Soul Society was now. The absorption of Spiritual Power, the strengthening of Reiatsu, the various ways of using Spiritual Power—not one of them could be learned easily. People could not even understand them.
This was done to preserve the class system. Take great noble clans like the Kuchiki Clan, for example. Byakuya Kuchiki had never attended Shin'ō Academy. Why? Who knew how much better the Kuchiki Clan's hereditary abilities were than anything at Shin'ō Academy? What could a bunch of pompous Soul Reapers from the commoner class teach him? Could they match the clan's thousands of years of accumulated knowledge?
Why were the Five Great Noble Clans able to stand above the fray, even above the Gotei 13 in the power structure? In the original story, why had Old Man Yamamoto not gone back when Rukia was being executed? If he had wanted to, could Kyōraku and Ukitake alone have stopped him? Impossible.
But why had he not gone back? Because the person being executed was Rukia Kuchiki, a member of the Kuchiki Clan, and the person interfering was Ichigo Kurosaki, Isshin Shiba's son.
Some might say that nobody knew Ichigo Kurosaki was Isshin's son at the time. But in fact, the older generation should, logically, all have known, because Getsuga Tenshō was the signature move of Isshin Shiba's branch of the Shiba Clan! Nobody else knew it! The moment Ichigo showed up and unleashed Getsuga Tenshō, there was no way he was not Isshin's son! That was why the captains who went out to stop Ichigo in the original story were all newcomers, while the veterans were at home drinking tea.
The veterans all knew perfectly well: what Ryoka invasion? This was the damn son of the Shiba Clan member who had fled years ago, bringing friends home for a visit. He had even taken a fancy to the Kuchiki Clan's daughter. The Shiba Clan might have fallen, but a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. The two great noble clans could handle their own family affairs; everyone else could just watch the show.
That was also why Old Man Yamamoto had not gone back. His presence would have made things awkward. Yamamoto could not tolerate the slightest wrongdoing, so if he had gone, Rukia would certainly have died. But judging by what happened afterward, Byakuya had not been determined to kill Rukia either; a little interference was enough for him to spare her. Byakuya had just been waiting for an excuse.
If Old Man Yamamoto had been there, what would have happened after Byakuya fought Ichigo, assuming Aizen did not show up? What if Old Man Yamamoto had said, "Resume the execution"? Byakuya would inevitably have withdrawn for the sake of his clan's honor, and Ichigo would have resisted, only for Yamamoto to kill him. Would that not have sent Isshin charging back to tear Soul Society apart?
So that old immortal Yamamoto really did have a hard time of it. But Soul Society's entrenched class system was also formidable. Never mind that Yamamoto had no intention of challenging it, because he was already a beneficiary. A single Thousand-Year War had turned Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, a man from the lower classes, into the guardian of the Seireitei, the gatekeeper for those above. What Yhwach said in the original story was not sarcasm at all. It was the truth.
Now that Jun had come to Soul Society, he could feel the differences in status even more oppressively than in the original story.
Old Man Yamamoto probably had not done nothing, though. Society was constantly evolving; it never stopped. As had been said before about the Gotei 13, it was an institution modeled as a very modern instrument of force, so it conflicted with Soul Society's ancient social order.
Under those circumstances, whether Yamamoto acted or not, the Gotei 13 itself would come into various conflicts with the old powers. From what Jun had learned during his time there, the Gotei 13's relationship with Central 46 was not very good. Although they had to be respectful on the surface, criticism of Central 46 was very common in private.
Society ultimately had to move forward, and all this mess would inevitably be worked out and stabilized through one incident after another. Since Jun could see and understand all this, he chose to make a few small moves to speed up the process.
So Jun proposed that Captain Shiba Kazato hold a small evaluation meeting within the division.
"What do you mean?" Shiba Kazato did not quite understand what Jun was proposing.
"I think there's no end to learning. We don't just learn at the academy. I've learned a lot in the division during this time too; learning is everywhere. But for many people, that kind of learning is too inefficient, so I'd like to train the division members more efficiently. I believe that after a long time on the job, there must be some people who feel their abilities are lacking and want to improve, but have no way to do so."
"Hmm." Captain Shiba fell into thought.
The still-young Isshin Shiba, on the other hand, was very much in favor. "Dad, isn't that a great idea? If Jun wants to do it, let him."
"Hmm~?"
"Ah~ Captain, I think Ninth Seat Shimizu's proposal is highly constructive. As lieutenant, I believe it's feasible."
Shiba Kazato remained silent for a while longer, then looked at Jun and asked, "How should the points for this be determined?"
"I think we can submit it to the First Division for review." Jun shrugged indifferently. "My points are far behind Eighth Seat Tōjō's. I reckon it would take me decades or even a century to surpass him on points, so I don't care much about them. Until we hear back from the First Division, I'll do it on my own, and I won't take any points."
"Wouldn't that leave you at a disadvantage? Oh, Jun, you really are a good boy. I'll see if I can find you some other benefits to make up for it." Captain Shiba Kazato finally agreed.
Jun was overjoyed. Outwardly, he bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Captain."