Inside the Captains' Conference Hall, silence fell the instant the Captain-Commander's words ended.
Everyone turned their eyes toward the Captain-Commander. To these captains, the old man's words were the direction they were meant to follow.
"Then the meeting shall officially begin. First, the matter of whether Asano Kiyoshi can serve as Chief Kido Master. Although Asano Kiyoshi currently has no particularly great contributions or tangible achievements, having observed his strength, I believe he is capable of serving as Chief Kido Master. If anyone has differing opinions or views, you may raise an objection."
After the Captain-Commander finished speaking, the captains all fell silent. Aside from Kenpachi Zaraki, who was already getting drowsy, every captain seemed to be waiting for something.
Sure enough, after the Captain-Commander finished, Shunsui was the first to voice his opinion. He pushed up the hat that was nearly covering his eyes, smiled faintly, and said to the Captain-Commander:
"Captain-Commander, Little Kiyoshi is certainly outstanding, but appointing him to this position right away may provoke dissatisfaction from some people. At the same time, his prestige is not high enough, and this could very well create instability within the Kidō Corps. I believe this matter still requires further discussion."
Hearing Shunsui's words, all the captains understood perfectly well that this was merely a rehearsed act between master and disciple. Shunsui was playing along only to ensure the matter proceeded more smoothly; he did not truly oppose Asano Kiyoshi becoming Chief Kido Master.
Sure enough, the Captain-Commander immediately followed Shunsui's words and said:
"I already have a solution to that. Before the succession ceremony, I will have the current Chief Kido Master engage Asano Kiyoshi in a one-on-one Kido duel. If Asano Kiyoshi loses, it will prove that he is unworthy of becoming Chief Kido Master. If he wins,