Trump Card

Baiye had no intention of getting involved in the power struggle among Konoha High Command for the time being.

How the Third and Danzo fought, how Jiraiya maneuvered between them, and which sides the two advisors took—none of that was likely to affect him much at present.

If there was anything that could be considered a potential problem, it was that he had arrived at the scene too quickly. He could only barely explain it away by saying he had "happened to be nearby."

But as before, what was done was done, and he did not regret his judgment or choices at the time.

He had more important things to deal with now.

His Zanpakuto had changed.

Ever since that night, there had been an additional presence in the blade.

This presence, which carried a hint of the Nine-Tails, was neither Reiatsu nor Chakra.

It was like some elusive form of energy that lay between Reiatsu and Chakra.

It lay deep within the blade, like a drop of ink in water. It had spread out, but it had not disappeared.

For the past few days, aside from visiting the patient at the hospital, Baiye had spent all his time shut in his room, trying to understand the change.

He had even asked Might Guy for a break. "I can't train with you for the next few days." Might Guy did not ask why. He just thumped his chest and said, "Get some rest. Youth needs to recharge too."

Baiye came out of Jinzen.

The results were disappointing.

He could sense the new presence in the blade, could feel it there—like a fish resting at the bottom of the water, occasionally stirring but never coming to the surface.

Neither Reiatsu nor Chakra could elicit a response from the Zanpakuto's new "resident."

Baiye opened his eyes, exhaled, and brought up the system panel.

[Shikai: 20%]

The number was right there in black and white, showing that the presence was not his imagination. The panel would not lie. The change had indeed happened.

He began to think.

When had the change occurred?

It was on the night the Nine-Tails went on a rampage. The change could only have originated with the Nine-Tails.

What did the Nine-Tails have that other people or Chakra did not?

What was the Nine-Tails? He was a Tailed Beast, a unique, special life-form separated from the Ten-Tails.

They were wondrous life-forms, made of pure Chakra and capable of being sealed inside a person's inner world... Rather than living creatures, they were more like spirits.

In that respect, their form of life was closer to the spirits in Soul Society, the Soul Reapers.

But on the other hand, when they were not sealed, they had bodies of their own.

A dual nature?

Baiye leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. A crack ran across it from one corner of the room, like an unfinished Sealing Jutsu formula.

He felt he might have guessed the crucial point correctly.

But even if he had, that did not make things any easier.

What were Tailed Beasts? They might once have been walking natural disasters, but ever since the First Hokage had divided them among the great shinobi villages like a cake, they had become strategic weapons for each village, imprisoned inside Jinchūriki.

He had been in Konoha for five years, and it had taken a single "chance" encounter for him to come into contact with the Nine-Tails. How was he supposed to get close to the other Tailed Beasts?

Looking at the glaring "20%," Baiye sincerely hoped that was not all the progress the Nine-Tails could give him.

He needed to find time to see Kushina and find out whether he could get any more Shikai progress from the Nine-Tails.

If not, he would have to find some way to seek out the other Tailed Beasts.

What kind of Akatsuki behavior is this?

He sighed.

Whether his guess was right or not, he could not verify it anytime soon. All he could do was keep it in mind and wait for an opportunity.

Of course, he still had to continue Jinzen. Whether he would get a response was another matter.

Late at night. Shin'ō Academy.

When Baiye walked into the classroom, a man stood at the lectern. He was tall, with brown hair and an ever-gentle smile, and held a book he had never opened.

Sōsuke Aizen.

Baiye's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless. He walked to his seat, placed his Zanpakuto across his knees, and looked straight ahead.

Aizen did not look at him. He opened the book and began lecturing on Kidō theory.

"As we discussed before, the power of Kidō depends on the amount of Reiatsu released, but Reiatsu is not the only factor..."

Baiye listened, his pen moving across his notebook. His handwriting was as neat as ever, but his mind was on something else entirely.

Baiye had already accepted that this "Aizen" was unusual.

After all, it had taken him only one day to awaken a will of his own and realize part of the truth about this "world."

Over the years, Aizen had tested Baiye plenty of times. Sometimes he used gentle words; sometimes he attacked under the guise of teaching. There were even times when Baiye only learned what Aizen had done to him after the system stopped him.

Who knew how many other tests he had failed to notice?

He was almost certain that, through those tests, Aizen had figured out some of the system's rules.

Graduation from Shin'ō Academy took six years, and less than one year remained.

Would Aizen let everything end normally?

Baiye's fingers tightened slightly, then relaxed again.

He was not that naive.

Aizen lectured for a while, then paused and lifted his gaze from the book, sweeping it across the class. His eyes rested on Baiye for a moment.

"Oh? Baiye, your Reiatsu has made another tremendous leap."

Aizen's tone was light, as if he were remarking on the fine weather.

"I'm growing more and more curious about your secrets, Baiye."

Baiye raised his head and looked at Aizen, his face expressionless.

Years of clashes had taught him one thing: he could not hide his emotions from Aizen.

In response, all he could do was keep his face expressionless the entire time and hope that would suffice.

"Professor Aizen," Baiye said evenly, "does an increase in Reiatsu make Kidō more powerful? Why does it feel like there's barely any change in the power of the Kidō I use?"

Aizen looked at him, the smile on his lips unchanged.

Baiye knew that dodging the confrontation did not look good, but it worked on Aizen—he would not press the matter relentlessly.

Sure enough, Aizen answered Baiye's question naturally.

"Every Kidō has a minimum and maximum Reiatsu requirement." Aizen closed the book and leaned against the lectern. "If your Reiatsu is below the minimum, the spell will most likely fail. If it exceeds the maximum, the spell's power still cannot surpass its upper limit."

"Then what can I do?"

"Advanced Kidō." Aizen adjusted his glasses. "For Kidō numbered eighty and above, their upper limits have not truly been explored, even after thousands of years."

Baiye nodded and lowered his head to continue taking notes.

The power of a Soul Reaper had helped him greatly in his activities in the Shinobi World.

But Aizen knew those powers inside and out.

And he could not bring the powers of the Shinobi World into Shin'ō Academy.

He needed a power Aizen would not expect, so he could deal with an attack that might come at any time.

His Reiatsu slowly sank into the blade. The red energy inside it flowed quietly, like a fish that did not know it was in a river.

Could its presence fool Aizen?

Could it really help him?

Would it be the trump card he had been waiting for all along?

Baiye had no answer. He only tightened his grip on the blade.