By the time Rei returned home, exactly one year had passed. It was now 267 years before Aizen, the overbearing CEO, was sealed away.
Rei learned that Maki had already been approved for early entry into the Gotei 13. He had long possessed a Zanpakuto, and his talents were still continuing to show.
He might even receive a seat somewhere in the teens upon joining. Such seats were not limited to one person; some particularly busy positions had more than a dozen people holding them at once.
Only divisions that fought frequently had one person per seat. In the 11th Division, for example, which was responsible for taking the offensive, a seat was proof of strength.
The Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy was off for the weekend. A servant had already told Maki that the head of the family had returned and grown even stronger.
After a year of formal instruction, Maki's strength had advanced rapidly, and he had experienced a fearsome Captain-level Reiatsu. He judged that Rei's former strength had been at most on par with a Third or Fourth Seat, but now, having grown stronger, he was at least Lieutenant-level.
So he decided to persuade Rei to join the Gotei 13 for further training. Perhaps he really could become a lieutenant before long. Maki sincerely hoped Rei would continue to grow stronger...
"Why are you all standing outside?"
"Lord Maki, Lord Tsunayashiro told us to come outside. He's training!"
"Mm!"
Hearing that Rei had arranged it, Maki asked no more. He silently affirmed to himself, Big Brother Nangong really works hard. He hasn't grown conceited because of his talent.
Soon, Maki discovered he had been wrong, and outrageously so. A terrifying Reiatsu was coming from the Nangong family's training hall. Even though he was still a novice at sensing it, he could already feel it from so far away...
"Is this violent, crushing Reiatsu really Big Brother Rei's? Compared to the Reiatsu of Captain Seigen Kyōshiba, whom I met... it's far stronger..."
Gulp!
Maki swallowed hard. Only now did he understand that Rei might have feared his Reiatsu would make the guards uncomfortable, so he had sent them outside to stand watch.
"Is that you, Maki?"
Before Maki even entered, Rei had already sensed his Reiatsu. Any normal person could do that... except Kenpachi Zaraki, who could only detect powerful Reiatsu, at least Lieutenant-level.
"Mm, Big Brother Rei, you're finally back!"
Under the Reiatsu Rei was unconsciously releasing, Maki forced a smile. He knew exactly what condition he was in; he could barely even walk.
"You've grown taller in the year since I last saw you! Don't push yourself. I know how powerful my Reiatsu is. I've traveled through almost every inhabited place in Soul Society..."
Rei began consciously lowering his Reiatsu. Reiatsu was mainly emitted through the wrists of the spiritual body, so he only needed to suppress the pressure points there slightly.
"Amazing! Big Brother Rei, your Reiatsu is even stronger than a captain's. In that case, you could join the Gotei 13 and challenge the captains. Then you'd stand at the pinnacle of this world."
Maki went from praising Rei to making suggestions with fervor. His admiration for Rei had never changed, but this time he truly had been shocked.
"Tell me exactly what it takes to become a captain. Are there any ways besides challenging one?"
Rei opened his eyes. They held none of the ferocity and killing intent he showed when fighting enemies; those had gradually been concealed after long experience.
"Yes!" Maki answered loudly, then began explaining at length. "There are three ways to become a captain. The first is to pass the captain's examination in the presence of three captains, including the Captain-Commander."
"Second, you need a joint recommendation from six captains, then the support of three of the remaining seven."
"The third method is to defeat the current captain in a duel witnessed by two hundred division members. Then you can succeed him as captain. That's the most dangerous method."
"There aren't any vacant captain positions right now. If you want to become a captain, Big Brother, the third method may be the only way. I can gather information on the captains for you..."
That was the very method Maki had been considering. There were currently no vacant captain positions in the Gotei 13, so it was probably the only path to becoming one.
He was so eager partly because he had suffered a slight at the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy. Young noblemen with influential backgrounds had mocked those of them who came from Rukongai.
Maki wanted to see the young noblemen's faces when someone they admired was suddenly defeated, and Rei happened to be from Rukongai too...
"There's no need for that now. Give it a few more years! Since Bankai is a requirement for captains, and I haven't learned it yet, I might not win even if I challenged one now."
Rei dampened Maki's hopes a little. His current goal was Bankai. If all else failed, he would do as Yanis had suggested and train in Hueco Mundo.
"Yes!"
After Maki answered, Rei waved him away. He wanted to continue training, while Maki's thoughts were in a bit of a muddle:
Bankai? Right. Judging by the Reiatsu Big Brother Rei was unconsciously releasing just now, he might be able to beat a captain in the same state, but if his opponent used Bankai, he might not win...
Wait, Big Brother Rei mentioned Bankai? Could he be training for it? It certainly looks that way... He's getting stronger so fast.
It's said that even the most gifted genius needs ten years to go from learning Shikai to learning Bankai. Is Big Brother Rei already about to attempt it? I really am far behind him...
Maki kept asking and answering his own questions as he returned to his room, his mind in turmoil. He had planned to practice Kidō, but he forgot...
By evening, the sun was setting!
Rei went alone to the slope behind his home to watch the sunset. The grassy slope only offered a view of the sunset; to see the sunrise, he would have to go to the other side of the hill, but that was a minor noble's territory.
The red sun dyed the white clouds in the sky crimson. Rei thought the scene beautiful, and he seemed to have an idea about Bankai, but a Ragged Hollow saw that he had been lying there alone for a long time and darted out to ambush him.
His inspiration interrupted, Rei angrily tore off its mask and put it in the large pocket on his left. Then he slipped his left hand into the pocket and let Yanis chew on the mask inside.
Yanis finished the mask in just two or three minutes. The sun had not yet set and looked as though it would remain for a while longer. Rei had just had a flash of inspiration about Bankai, but now it was gone, and it felt awful.
The sun continued to set, and the sky grew redder and redder.
At that moment, Rei felt a faint trace of Reiatsu. Though the newcomer was doing his utmost to suppress it, Rei still sensed it. He sat up slightly and saw who was behind him, surprise showing in his eyes.
It was none other than Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, who had once saved Rei's life. He walked straight over to Rei.
"Mind if I watch the sunset here?"
"I do."
"What did you say? My hearing hasn't been too good lately."
"For a captain, you sure have a thick skin."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had already been slowly sitting down as he asked. He let Rei's "I do" go in one ear and out the other, and took the taunt as a compliment.
That was Kuruyashiki Kenpachi: easygoing and courteous, with a bit of a thick skin. He never looked down on anyone weaker than himself, and he was deeply trusted and respected by his subordinates.
"Did you come all this way to see me, Captain?"
Rei lay flat again, considering why Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had sought him out. The most likely reason was still that he wanted to recruit him into the Gotei 13.
If it were about his devouring Reiryoku, there might have been more than one captain. Knowing he had killed three Seated Officers on his own, they would surely have sent two or three captains, perhaps with lieutenants as well, to capture him, just to be safe...
"Don't insist on calling me 'Lord.' I came from Rukongai too. You guessed right; I came to see you..."
"About nine months ago, a battle at Captain-level or above took place in District 80 of Rukongai. One fighter was a fellow who named himself Kenpachi Zaraki, and the other was a young man with a red greatsword. That was you, wasn't it?"
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi got straight to the point, asking about the battle to get confirmation from Rei himself.
He did not care about the details, but someone else did. So, after learning that Rei had returned from his travels, they had sent him to ask.
"It was me. What about it? Are you afraid of our power?"
Rei asked with a faint smile.
"Haha, not at all. I just came to ask which of you won!"
Kuruyashiki laughed and began gradually probing for information about their battle. Quite a few people cared about information on the two of them, especially the Captain-Commander.
"A draw, I suppose. After the fight, I only stayed standing about five seconds longer than he did. Why? Do you want to cross swords with him?" Rei's expression suddenly turned wicked. Thinking of an amusing scene, he said, "His name is Kenpachi Zaraki! I hear there can only be one Kenpachi in an era!"
"Kenpachi Zaraki? I've heard of him for a long time. He was originally a nameless fellow who sought nothing but battle. He didn't have a name before; he gave himself that one!"
"Besides, the title of Kenpachi is only given to the strongest captain of the 11th Division. You have to become a Soul Reaper to inherit it. He's no Soul Reaper, so there's no need for me to take issue with a civilian..."
Kuruyashiki was no fool. He could naturally see through such an obvious attempt to goad him, and stated plainly that Zaraki's title of "Kenpachi" was not legitimate.
The Seireitei had known about Kenpachi Zaraki for a long time. It began when the First Kenpachi went to the outlying areas in search of a fierce warrior to his liking. Kenpachi Zaraki had still been a child then, and the two had fought a great battle.
Afterward, the First Kenpachi stepped down, and the name Kenpachi began to spread. Later, someone of Captain-level encountered him while carrying out a mission in the outlying areas and was cut down, suffering grievous injuries and nearly dying.
The Captain-Commander then ordered everyone, whoever they were, to take a detour if they encountered the child, who was still nameless at the time... After that, Kenpachi Zaraki was once again deliberately forgotten. The Captain-Commander and the others would only bring him to the Seireitei when they needed his power...
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi and Shunsui Kyōraku were good friends, so they had once discussed the matter...
"Did you come to me just to talk about something so boring? I'm busy."
Rei began changing the subject, dropping the topic of Kenpachi Zaraki.
"You've finished traveling around Soul Society, haven't you? Don't you have any plans?"
Kuruyashiki wanted to talk to Rei about his aspirations, then dangle a grand promise before him and draw him into the 11th Division to run errands for him.
"Learn Bankai, challenge and defeat the Captain-Commander, and unite the Seireitei!"
Rei stood and took two steps forward, solemnly declaring this grand ambition. Kuruyashiki could not help being startled and looked at Rei's back.
The blood-red sunset had reached the height of its crimson, as though heaven and earth had been filled with the color of blood by Rei's words. From the bearing Rei displayed at that moment, Kuruyashiki knew he might truly have such a dream.
"The sunset dyes the white clouds red, just as blood dyes a blade red... At the rate you're growing, I believe you'll have the strength to challenge the Captain-Commander someday. But you have to take the road one step at a time. I'll be waiting for you to become a Soul Reaper!"
Kuruyashiki turned his gaze from Rei to the horizon. After offering him that encouragement, he left with Shunpo.
Rei did not answer Kuruyashiki. The first thing Kuruyashiki had said made the inspiration that the Ragged Hollow had quieted suddenly burst forth, so much so that Rei had not even heard the rest clearly.
"The sunset dyes the white clouds red, just as blood dyes a blade red... Haha, hahahaha! I understand!"
After laughing wildly, Rei immediately sat cross-legged and entered his inner world. He had come prepared for this challenge.
He still held that white Asauchi. Under the gazes of Blood Drink and Yanis, Rei immediately plunged the white Asauchi into his own abdomen.
"Honestly... if you want Bankai that badly, I suppose I have no choice!"
Blood Drink wore a helpless expression this time. Then he gradually vanished and appeared on the hillside, where the sky had already grown dark. Rei opened his eyes as well.
"You've finally manifested? Now tell me, how can I achieve Bankai?"
A faint smile appeared on Rei's lips. He had dyed the entire Asauchi red with his own blood and earned Blood Drink's final approval. Next came training for Bankai.