When Jun arrived at the First Division with Kōga, he found that the scale of the operation was truly impressive.
Not only did the Captain-Commander personally appear, but all Four Great Noble Clans were present, as were all the captains of the Thirteenth Divisions.
"Greetings, Captain-Commander!"
"Yes, please sit down."
"Well, I'll sit with my disciple. He's still young; he might be scared in this kind of situation."
Haha~ Sure!
Actually, Old Man Yamamoto was usually quite easy to talk to. He simply brought over four cushions, which he would definitely be kneeling on soon. Kōga had been sizing up the people here ever since he came in, and the captains were also sizing him up.
After setting up the mats, Chun introduced Kōga to everyone and then led Kōga to greet them. Kōga's manners were impeccable, quite different from the Kōga in the original work. The captains all seemed to have a good impression of Kōga.
Then Chun called out towards the door, "Come in."
Muramasa and Clear Rain walked in together.
The Captain-Commander had been squinting, suddenly opened his left eye. Though his eyesight seemed dim from age, his gaze was like the sun. While Chun, who had already experienced this, was fine, Kōga, Muramasa, and Clear Rain froze instantly, even their swords trembling with fear.
"Let me introduce myself," Chun said casually, thus easing the Captain-Commander's tension.
This skill earned the admiration of all the captains present. There couldn't be more than twenty people in the entire Thirteenth Divisions who could handle the old man with such ease.
"Muramasa ~, Lord is Kōga Tatara, I am Lord's Shikai."
"Clear Rain, Your Majesty is Jun Shimizu, and I am also Shikai."
"Oh? What's going on? The Fifth Seat Shimizu?" The Captain-Commander's question was also a concern for everyone.
"Muramasa, you tell me yourself."
"As you command, Master," Muramasa said solemnly, bowing to everyone before continuing, "My name is Muramasa. My ability is to make Zanpakuto appear in human form, just like me. My master suspects that the appearance of my Shikai Zanpakuto might differ from its Zanpakuto form, but I cannot verify this. Furthermore, I have a certain degree of influence over Zanpakuto."
Shunsui Kyōraku stroked his chin. "What level of influence?"
"In the most extreme cases, Zanpakuto might betray its master."
Everyone gasped, because this ability was truly terrifying.
"But the effect wasn't good, because the Zanpakuto is the will of the master's soul. So as long as a betrayed Zanpakuto encounters the master, it's easy for it to be taken back. And once the Zanpakuto is taken back, I can no longer make it betray me."
"Oh~?" The Captain-Commander's eyes lit up.
Jun explained, "Every power has its positive and negative aspects. Many people think that our relationship with our Zanpakuto is nothing more than that of a tool. However, the Zanpakuto we create is a manifestation of our soul and will, and it also has an independent soul. This fusion has a physical form. Muramasa allows us to see this physical form and can deepen this bond."
"Betrayal is the opposite of bond, but only by overcoming this opposite can our psychology be elevated to a higher level, achieving true understanding between man and sword, and confronting this hidden bond."
"I see~ I see," Isshin Shiba said. As Jun's captain, and with such a close relationship, he was definitely going to side with Jun. Besides, this guy had always been incredibly curious. "That Muramasa? Call out my Engetsu and let me see it! Haha, I'm really curious to know what kind of thing my sword is."
"I understand, my apologies."
Muramasa opened his hand towards Isshin's sword, and after a ripple, a tall man appeared on the scene.
This man had fiery hair, real burning flames, and his left eye was also burning. His right eye had a red sclera and a jet-black pupil. His face somewhat resembled Isshin's, but he was even more arrogant.
He was two meters tall, wearing a large, bare-chested garment with red chest hair, his body muscular, and wearing wide-toothed wooden clogs.
"Haha~, I'm out!!"
This guy appeared with a maniacal roar, perfectly matching his character. His voice was very rough, reminiscent of Akio Ōtsuka, the voice actor for the Great Emperor and Uvogin. However, Akio Ōtsuka voiced Shunsui Kyōraku in Soul Reaper, a completely different voice.
"Hmm~ What an idiot~"
"Yeah, you idiot~"
"That's right, you idiot~"
"You idiot~"
"You bunch of people! How rude!" He was Isshin annoyed, but then he stood up to face Engetsu. Their eyes met, and a spark flew.
Engetsu crossed her arms over her chest, "You've gotten so thin~"
"Huh~?"
"Very weak!"
"Huh~?"
Haha, I'm better than you!
"Huh~?"
Yi Xin Isshin completely dumbfounded, while Engetsu just laughed wildly; the two of them were inexplicably hilarious.
"Should we send him back?" Muramasa asked. He felt that a sword like the Engetsu wasn't very good; it should be shown respect to its lord. In the original work, he also disliked those noisy swords.
Isshin at his sword, Isshin felt a bit idiotic, but Isshin was still quite satisfied, so he shook his head and said, "Forget it."
"Engetsu, you mustn't be disrespectful in front of the Captain-Commander!"
"Okay~" Engetsu obediently sat down cross-legged behind Isshin.
The captains exchanged glances, then looked at Engetsu behind Isshin, each with their own thoughts. The room quieted down, and Muramasa and Clear Rain knelt down beside Kōga and Jun.
No one knew what the Captain-Commander was thinking. Muramasa's abilities had been demonstrated. At that moment, the Captain-Commander suddenly asked, "Tatara-kun, what are your thoughts on your sword?"
"Huh?" Kōga hesitated for a moment, glancing at Chun. Chun didn't look at Kōga, but remained calmly resting with her eyes closed. Kōga seemed to get a hint, taking a deep breath and saying, "A very interesting sword, I like it very much! I like more direct communication!"
"Is that so? Hmm, I understand. Let's conclude today's meeting here. Thank you, Shimizu and Tatara-kun."
"Not at all~ It's us who have troubled the Captain-Commander," Jun said, bowing respectfully with Kōga.
The captains also saluted. The Captain-Commander left first, and then everyone rose and left the First Division in turn. After leaving the First Division, everything was fine. The captains were all curious and asked Kōga about it, while some spoke directly with Muramasa.
Kōga Muramasa's abilities attracted a lot of attention. Isshin asked how to revert to Engetsu Muramasa, and was told that he could simply change back whenever Engetsu wanted. As a result, Engetsu stayed in the Tenth Division for a whole month, and beat up every member of the Tenth Division from the Vice-Captain down, including Jun, except for those on missions.
The power of Captain-level Zanpakuto is astonishing! This truly shocked all the Soul Reaper. Someone suddenly had a wild idea: what if Muramasa materialized every captain's Zanpakuto? Wouldn't that create two Captain-level Zanpakuto and captains?
However, this idea failed because during the battle, the Spiritual Power used by the Engetsu was still Isshin. Even if Muramasa used betrayal to make the Zanpakuto betray its master, the Spiritual Power used by the Zanpakuto at that time was generated by both Muramasa and the Zanpakuto itself. The moment the Zanpakuto materialized, it would draw some Spiritual Power from its master, and once that Spiritual Power was exhausted, the Zanpakuto would revert back to its original form.
Kōga became a celebrity at the Shin'ō Academy, but it didn't affect them much. As for the senior who tried to kill him during the fight, Kōga didn't pursue the matter, but that person's reputation was ruined; many people realized what that stab was for that day.
So, on the surface, the matter was resolved.
However, secretly, the definition of the Kōga Zanpakuto in the secret documents remains extremely dangerous. This information was given to Jun by Jūshirō Ukitake. Of course, Ukitake cannot see such secret documents, but one of the signatories of this secret document is Shunsui Kyōraku.
Jun remained expressionless, but Kōga's future seemed to be following its predetermined path. However, as Kōga's mentor, Jun was certain that the current Kōga was not the awkward person from the original work, and Jun would eliminate anything detrimental to Kōga.
"That's what a teacher should do, don't you think? Instructor Hanazawa, these are all your teachings, and I will never forget them."
The first phase of Kōga's affair ended there, and a few years later, the second phase began. Kuchiki Ginrei suddenly announced at the captains' meeting that Kōga Tatara had been chosen for the Sixth Division.
Jun learned of this from Isshin. Upon hearing this news, Jun knew things weren't so simple; not only was a squad member chosen, but a wife was also arranged. Yamamoto Genryūsai was worried about the quality of Kōga's sword, so he secretly met with Kuchiki Ginrei. Ultimately, Kuchiki Ginrei decided to make Kōga his son-in-law, thus achieving his goal of long-term surveillance.
Jun wasn't at the academy at the time; it was March. Jun went directly to Aizen.
"When you go to the academy for a teaching assignment this year, ask Kōga for me if anyone is trying to persuade him to give up his Zanpakuto."
"Oh? Did you find something?"
"I don't know, I'm just guessing."
"Giving up my Zanpakuto is impossible; it's probably something I'm suppressing."
"Hmm, someone must be trying to sow Kōga and his knife."
Aizen smiled slightly, "You're really a great mentor, even more so than a biological father."
"Haha," Chun chuckled dryly, "How should I put it? I'm worried about that kid. He's a good kid. If Soul Society destroys him, I'll regret it."
"Okay, I'll keep an eye on this. Do you want to pass on a message to him?"
"Hmm," Chun thought for a moment, and finally decided, "Tell him that he needs to believe in himself, and I believe in him too."
Hehe~ Okay
After leaving Aizen's house, Jun turned and went to the Kuchiki Clan. Kuchiki Ginrei and Sōjun Kuchiki were both with the group. Since the eldest daughter of the Kuchiki Clan couldn't greet guests, Sōjun's wife, Mino Kuchiki, greeted Jun.
"I'm so sorry to trouble you, Mrs. Kuchiki. My arrival here so abruptly..."
"Not at all~ We would be very happy to welcome Shimizu to our Kuchiki Clan. In fact, Father has always wanted to invite Shimizu to our residence for a chat, but we didn't have a reason and were afraid of disturbing Shimizu."
"Is that so? The Kuchiki Clan is too kind. It's my fault; I should have come sooner. I just didn't have a good reason and was afraid of offending them."
"Haha, there's no offense at all. These are just shackles imposed on the Kuchiki Clan by outsiders. Shimizu, there's no need to worry about it. Servants have already gone to inform Father and Husband; they'll be back soon."
"It must have been tough for Captain Kuchiki and his Vice-Captain."
The two exchanged polite words, not taking a single one seriously, as if it were some kind of shackle imposed on the Kuchiki Clan by outsiders. Ha! The Kuchiki Clan rules are the biggest shackle on the Kuchiki Clan.
Jun came here today even with the intention of failing to reach an agreement. And if all else fails, Jun will use the favor from that incident over a hundred years ago. After all, he indirectly helped the Five Great Noble Clans. Even if the Kuchiki Clan doesn't care about Jun, they should at least give him face. I wonder if he will grant me this favor.
Ugh, Kuchiki Ginrei is a total old fogey, just like Yamamoto Genryūsai. Maybe Sōjun Kuchiki is a potential breakthrough. This young master, who isn't in good health, is a very gentle person, at least that's how Byakuya remembers him. I wonder if that's accurate.
But regardless, for the sake of her apprentice's future, and also for the sake of the Kuchiki Clan, the Kōga Incident directly led to Kuchiki Ginrei losing her daughter and son-in-law. Then, shortly after, Sōjun Mino died in battle, leaving only an old woman and a young child in the Kuchiki Clan. At that time, Kuchiki truly became a 'Kuchiki piece of wood'.
"I'm here to save you bunch of Kuchiki! Even if you're stubborn and unrepentant, I'll at least pull Kōga! I can't die with you!"