A Young Boy's Oath

Soul Calendar 2050, Thursday, clear skies, Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy, Kido training grounds.

"Pop."

At the crisp sound, countless veins bulged across Ikkaku's round head. Combined with his flushed face, he looked exactly like an overcooked boiled egg.

Seeing Ikkaku's comical appearance, the surrounding students could not help but snicker.

Jushiro Ukitake could only sigh helplessly at Ikkaku before shaking his head.

Today was the second day of Kido lessons. On Tuesday, he had already explained the use of spiritual power to them.

For the geniuses of Class A, Ukitake's requirement was simple: create a sphere of light with spiritual power and keep it in the palm of their hand for more than ten seconds. That would count as passing.

This task was exceedingly easy for most people, especially freaks like Asano Kiyoshi and Kido geniuses like Yumichika.

After Ukitake demonstrated it once, Asano Kiyoshi had completely mastered the basic use of Reishi with the Scroll's assistance. However, he did not dare use it openly just like that. He feared that if he displayed such absurd talent, the people from the Twelfth Division would haul him off and dissect him.

Thus, he deliberately pretended to still be practicing, waiting until just before Yumichika and Tsunayashiro Kojiro were about to succeed before he "barely" completed the task.

However, Ukitake had clearly not been fooled by Asano Kiyoshi. Still, he did not expose him, merely smiling and nodding. He knew more than Asano Kiyoshi did, so naturally, he had more to consider.

As those few succeeded, more and more people managed to form Reishi Spheres as well. However, since it was only the first day, quite a few students still failed. Ukitake told them to go back and practice more, saying that there would be an inspection on Thursday, followed by new material.

There was no doubt that Ukitake's teaching plan was flawless. Like luxury goods, its only problem was that it was expensive. If there really was a problem, then it was my problem.

Ikkaku was exactly that sort of case. In Hakuda and Zanjutsu classes, he had practically claimed first place without question. Yet in Kido class, he had almost become a different kind of first place.

That was right—Ikkaku's talent for Kido was terrible. Terrible enough to rival some red-haired guy!

He was at the level where he could use Shakkahō as a lamp!

Even with Yumichika and Asano Kiyoshi helping him with everything they had, Ikkaku could only barely keep the sphere of light in his hand for three seconds, still far from Ukitake's required ten seconds.

Ukitake shook his head, but he did not reprimand Ikkaku. After offering him some encouragement, he continued with the new lesson. To make it easier for the students to understand and learn, Ukitake chose the relatively simple Hado #1—Thrust—for the lesson.

The reason he chose Hado was that compared to Bakudo's forced Reishi conversion and Kaido's advanced Reishi conversion, straightforward Hado was easier to teach.

Ukitake lightly chanted at the massive boulder before him.

"Hado #1—Thrust!"

With a slight movement of Ukitake's finger, a crack sounded out. Then that cracking noise continued endlessly like a string of firecrackers, accompanied by the stone nearly shattering into countless pieces.

Seeing this, Ukitake coughed awkwardly and said,

"My apologies. It has been too long since I last taught, so I failed to control my strength for a moment. In short, depending on the spiritual pressure you put into it, Hado will produce differing degrees of destruction. Now, let me explain the key points of this Kido. First, gather all the spiritual pressure in your body into one finger. Which finger is up to you; it depends on personal preference. Then..."

Ukitake's explanation was very clear. Even without the Scroll's help, Asano Kiyoshi quickly grasped how to use Thrust.

However, he had no intention of revealing his talent. He still planned to demonstrate it just before Yumichika and Tsunayashiro Kojiro succeeded.

But while Asano Kiyoshi was slacking off, Ukitake suddenly said to him,

"Asano Kiyoshi, come demonstrate it for everyone. Don't be nervous. You can do it, right?"

Looking at Ukitake's smiling face, Asano Kiyoshi felt that some deeper meaning lurked beneath that smile. Teacher Ukitake seems to want me to show a little of my talent? The moment that thought crossed his mind, Asano Kiyoshi understood Ukitake's intention. Though he did not yet understand Ukitake's purpose, based on everything so far and what lay ahead, Asano Kiyoshi did not believe Ukitake would harm him.

So he nodded lightly to Ukitake, then slowly walked to where Ukitake had demonstrated earlier under the gazes of all his classmates—some surprised, some indifferent, some jealous, some disgusted. Asano Kiyoshi raised a finger and chanted,

"Hado #1—Thrust!"

As Asano Kiyoshi's words fell, the stone before him, as large as a human head, shattered on cue into several chunks. The fragments struck the ground with crisp clatters, like resounding slaps across the nobles' faces.

In particular, some nobles led by Tsunayashiro Kojiro found it hard to keep their composure. They had been exposed to Kido theory and all manner of superior education since childhood, yet now they had been surpassed by a lowborn commoner they could not even see clearly! Anger rose in the hearts of these nobles, who viewed family honor as everything. Tsunayashiro Kojiro in particular looked at Asano Kiyoshi with ever more venom and hatred.

Ukitake took all of this in, but there was nothing he could do. Ukitake was merely a captain from a middle-ranking noble family. Having a deep understanding of the Soul Society's darkness, he knew that his status was wholly incapable of stopping the power of the Tsunayashiro Clan. Therefore, he could only have Asano Kiyoshi display as much talent as possible, until that talent reached a level that would shock even that old man into protecting him!

After Kido class ended, Ukitake kept Asano Kiyoshi behind and explained the pros and cons to him. After hearing Ukitake out, Asano Kiyoshi fell silent for a while. Then he took a deep breath, his gaze clear and bright as he asked Ukitake,

"Teacher, if I don't show enough talent, what price would the Tsunayashiro Clan have to pay to kill me?"

At those words, Ukitake's eyes dimmed slightly. Then, in a somewhat low voice, he said,

"A verbal warning, a symbolic punishment, and in reality... no punishment at all!"

Hearing Ukitake's words, Asano Kiyoshi merely sighed helplessly. Then, just as Ukitake was about to comfort him, Asano Kiyoshi suddenly looked up and smiled.

"Then I'll just keep getting stronger—so strong that they will never be able to look up to me!"

Ink-black spiritual pressure surged from the boy's body. Looking at the youth before him, Ukitake seemed, in a daze, to truly see that scene.