Captain's Assessment

Sitting in his home, Hyakume-ki Seikyo performed his final Sword Zen, engaging in an intimate communion with his Zanpakuto.

Before long, Toshiro slid open the door. "Master, it is time!"

Seikyo opened his eyes, all his power retracting deep within his body, leaving him with a sense of returning to simplicity.

"Understood!"

Rising to his feet, Seikyo slid his Zanpakuto back into the scabbard at his waist.

At this moment, however, there were three blades at Seikyo's waist.

One was his own Zanpakuto, one was a steel blade he had forged himself, and the last was a wooden sword.

The Zanpakuto needed no explanation.

The wooden sword was used for training and instructional combat.

As for the steel blade, Toshiro knew his master had only started carrying it after the incident involving the Shiba lieutenant.

When Toshiro first heard of a Hollow capable of making a Zanpakuto disappear, he had been shocked.

Although it was sheer bad luck that the Shiba lieutenant had encountered it, no one knew if they might run into a Hollow with the same ability in the future.

If the Shiba lieutenant had possessed a steel blade at that time, he surely could have slain the Hollow quickly without giving it a chance.

That was why Toshiro now also carried a plain steel blade at his waist that was still capable of cutting a Hollow.

Taking precautions had always been Seikyo's habit.

Under Seikyo's tutelage, Toshiro had developed a similar habit.

"Let's go!"

Seikyo walked out of the room, and Toshiro followed.

Toshiro would be on-site to witness Seikyo's captaincy examination, as he was firmly convinced that he, too, would be a captain one day.

Outside Seikyo's home, many Shinigami who had come to cheer him on had gathered early.

They were mostly members of the 11th Division.

Though they were reluctant to see the 4th Seat Hyakume leave, him becoming a captain was certainly a good thing!

Seikyo was deeply grateful for their encouragement, keeping it all in his heart before leading Toshiro toward the 1st Division headquarters.

Seikyo's captaincy examination had to be completed under the gaze of three captains, including the Captain-Commander, so the location was naturally the 1st Division!

Upon arriving outside the 1st Division headquarters, Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe was already waiting there!

Because Seikyo had reported in advance that he would be bringing his disciple, Lieutenant Sasakibe did not stop Toshiro, leading them both into the 1st Division grounds.

Beneath the 1st Division headquarters lay the prison of the Seireitei, where criminals who truly threatened the Seireitei were held; the deeper the level of the prison, the more severe the crime.

The deepest of these, the eighth level, was Muken Hell.

Therefore, generally speaking, the 1st Division was not a place one could enter casually.

When Seikyo walked into the large room where the Captain-Commander resided, he saw several captains gathered there.

4th Division Captain Unohana Retsu, 8th Division Captain Kyoraku Shunsui, 13th Division Captain Ukitake Jushiro, as well as 9th Division Captain Tosen Kaname and...

5th Division Captain Aizen Sōsuke.

Well now, what was he doing here?

The corner of his eye twitched slightly, but Seikyo continued to walk in as if nothing were amiss.

"Genryusai-sama, Hyakume-ki Seikyo has been brought here."

Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai nodded at Lieutenant Sasakibe, then turned his gaze toward Seikyo.

With just a single look, Seikyo felt a powerful Reiatsu descend upon him.

Oh my, the Reiatsu in that look alone must be at the second-class level! The Captain-Commander is truly terrifying!

However, Seikyo was unaffected, and his composure remained unshaken... if he couldn't even withstand a single look from the Captain-Commander, there would be no point in conducting the captaincy examination at all!

However, Toshiro, standing beside Seikyo, was also caught in the wake.

Yet, when Seikyo turned his head to look at Toshiro, he found that aside from a frown and a layer of frost appearing on his body, Toshiro was not in a sorry state either.

A fine seedling!

The other captains believed that Captain-Commander Yamamoto would certainly not affect others without reason.

It seemed Captain-Commander Yamamoto had discovered Toshiro's potential the moment he walked in.

A genius who had received a proper education—even in the Soul Society where geniuses emerged in droves, Toshiro was absolutely at the top of the pack.

Very good, he has made an impression on the Captain-Commander! The first goal Seikyo had for bringing Toshiro along was achieved.

Reaching out to pat Toshiro on the shoulder, Seikyo not only helped him disperse the Reiatsu that continued to press down on him but also shattered the ice that had leaked out. "Go over to Captain Ukitake's side!"

Taking a deep breath, Toshiro replied, "Yes, Master!"

He walked slowly to the side of Captain Ukitake, who was greeting him.

Turning back, Seikyo addressed Captain-Commander Yamamoto, "Shino Academy graduate, 4th Seat of the 11th Division, Hyakume-ki Seikyo, has arrived to take the 13th Division captaincy examination, and humbly requests Captain-Commander Yamamoto to bear witness."

Passing the captaincy examination is not a guaranteed outcome; Seikyo is currently still the 4th Seat of the 11th Division.

If Seikyo were to fail, he would remain the 4th Seat of the 11th Division, but Captain Ukitake, who has already finalized his retirement, would be unable to return.

Head Captain Yamamoto looked at Hyakume-ki Seikyo, his mind flashing through the files he had reviewed on him in the past.

Aside from keeping his Zanpakuto, Garaku Kairo, a secret, his entire career as a Soul Reaper has been exemplary.

Furthermore, the only reason his secret was exposed was because he had to use his Bankai to save fellow Soul Reapers who had fallen into a Quincy trap...

Therefore, Head Captain Yamamoto's evaluation of Hyakume-ki Seikyo was "Excellent!"

A truly outstanding graduate of the Shino Academy.

Consequently, based on Seikyo's combat style, Head Captain Yamamoto summoned 9th Division Captain Tosen Kaname to serve as his opponent for the captaincy examination.

While it is not strictly required for Hyakume-ki Seikyo to defeat a captain to pass, he must demonstrate combat prowess at the captain level.

Moreover, Head Captain Yamamoto wanted to see if Seikyo was hiding anything else.

If they had followed Ukitake's suggestion to have Kyoraku Shunsui serve as the examiner, the test would undoubtedly have been far too lenient.

Head Captain Yamamoto understood the temperaments of his two disciples all too well.

"Understood! Begin!"

Without further ado, Head Captain Yamamoto signaled for Tosen Kaname to take the field.

This actually made Seikyo breathe a secret sigh of relief... at least it wasn't Aizen!

Wait, no—Aizen is standing right there. If he were bold enough to swap places with Tosen Kaname, that would be a disaster!

And so... Seikyo felt a sudden urge to back down.

"Captain Tosen, please go easy on me!" Seikyo offered a brilliant smile.

Though, in truth, this smile was literally wasted on a blind man.

"If I were to hold back, you might fail the examination altogether!" Tosen Kaname clearly had no intention of showing mercy. "Make your move! Otherwise, I shall strike first!"

"Very well!" Seikyo sighed. "But Captain Tosen, I have actually already made my move—you just didn't see it!"

In that instant, a blade erupted from the shadow beneath Tosen Kaname's feet, thrusting directly toward his vitals!