"Chojiro, have Shunsui erase Tenshin Ichiro's records from the intelligence files. At the same time, assign people to protect him in secret around the clock. Aside from those involved, no one is to know about this. Handle it personally!"
"Yes, Head Captain!" Chojiro Sasakibe, standing to one side, looked grave. If the Head Captain was treating this so seriously, it was definitely no small matter!
So he asked no further questions. He bowed slightly, then turned and left to take care of it.
"There's no need for that. I'm guiding the boy now. He spends most of his time at the Academy or Squad 4, so there's no need to worry about his safety."
"I trust you, but there are people in the First Division with hands that reach too far. We can't give them the slightest opening."
"All right, then. How do you think we should handle this? We should keep the intelligence under wraps, but he must still receive the credit he deserves."
The Head Captain looked at Captain Unohana in surprise. "You really are treating that young fellow like your own disciple."
Captain Unohana smiled but said nothing, continuing to gaze quietly at the Head Captain.
"Don't worry. He'll get everything he deserves. I remember he likes studying Kido, so he can consult all Kido spells below number 90. Once his strength meets the requirements, we'll give him access to the higher-level spells as well. When he's strong enough, he'll have priority for a captain's position."
For Ichiro, a third-year student, those conditions were exceptionally generous. Unfortunately, the captain simply kept smiling gently and gazing quietly at the Head Captain.
The two stared at each other in silence for a long while. At last, the Head Captain sighed and flipped through the booklet on his desk to the final page. He glanced at the description of the Mimicry Zanpakuto, Flame Sparrow, whose handwriting clearly differed from the rest, then said, "I'll make a copy of my notes on training with flame-type Zanpakuto and give it to him. Will that do?"
At that, Captain Unohana beamed. "Oh, I couldn't possibly ask you to do that. Those are your personal notes, Head Captain. Notes on some other flame-type Zanpakuto would be enough."
"..." The Head Captain stared at Captain Unohana in speechless disbelief. Seeing that she was still going on about it, he pressed his fingers to his brow and said with a frown, "I'll include those notes when I put everything together for him. That should be enough, shouldn't it?"
"Head Captain, you're joking. Ichiro is still young, so it wouldn't be appropriate to give him too many rewards. I wasn't asking for that." After a brief pause, Captain Unohana continued, "How long will it take to approve the mass production of healing-type Zanpakuto?"
Seeing Captain Unohana change the subject so abruptly, the Head Captain's mouth twitched. But he didn't want to keep discussing it with his old friend, so he followed her lead.
"There's no need to worry about that. Healing-type Zanpakuto will only improve Squad 4's medical capabilities. Although the Thirteenth Division's overall strength will increase, the higher-ups won't obstruct this. The real question is whether we can mass-produce them."
"Based on the information Ichiro provided, it should be possible in theory. In practice, though, no one in the Thirteenth Division besides Ichiro, the developer, can do it at present."
"I see. Looks like we'll have to speak with those two. There's no time to waste, so let's go." With that, the Head Captain picked up the booklet and rose, leading Captain Unohana toward the Soul King Palace.
In the current Soul Society, if anyone besides Ichiro could reproduce and refine this technology, it would be Oetsu Nimaiya of the Zero Division, the inventor of Zanpakuto, and Ichibe Hyosube, the Soul Reaper who knew the true names of all Zanpakuto. There was hardly anyone else who could do it.
"Whoa! A Mimicry Zanpakuto? You deliberately embed Kido spells into an Asauchi, then use the Asauchi's innate capacity for growth to evolve those spells and enhance the blade's abilities. What an interesting idea!" Oetsu Nimaiya pored over the copy in his hands, marveling aloud again and again.
"That's not all. He also created a special chant and combined it with the Kido spell to produce a Vow Binding, much like a true name. His understanding of Kido is simply..." Beside him, Ichibe Hyosube studied the section on true names and praised it from the heart.
No one in Soul Society understood Zanpakuto's true names better than he did. The moment any Asauchi in the world was handed to its owner, he knew its true name.
But the true names of these Mimicry Zanpakuto were entirely different. They had the same effect as true names, yet were, in essence, Kido chants. Even he couldn't control these true names!
"You don't need to stand around marveling at how impressive this is. Can you make these and produce them in bulk? I don't want to trouble a genius with a penchant for novel ideas by making him do such tedious work." The Head Captain gripped his staff with both hands, tapped it against the floor, and spoke sternly.
"Who do you think you're looking down on? Optimizing it is easy. It'd take that kid only a few months, let alone us! That's not the point. What matters is that you've been coming here more often these past two years. That's not good. This is the Soul King Palace!" After answering the Head Captain with easy confidence, Oetsu Nimaiya set the booklet on the table and looked intently at him and Captain Unohana.
"They were all necessary matters. If you set up a permanent office outside, we wouldn't have to come in."
"The Zero Division serves the Soul King directly."
"It'd just be a station."
"We have to avoid all unnecessary risks."
"All right, then. We'll come back another time. That child's talent goes far beyond this. Take the Mimicry Zanpakuto seriously. I want everyone in Squad 4 equipped with one within three years. Ask for whatever you need, Retsu. Let's go." With that, he headed for the exit of the Soul King Palace with Captain Unohana.
Ichibe Hyosube watched the Head Captain's departing back and narrowed his eyes. "Looks like those nobles have been giving him plenty of trouble. What do you think? Should we deal with them?"
"No need to meddle. Let him keep wrangling with Central 46. But on one point, I think Yamamoto is right: we really should set up a reception station. People can't come straight to the Soul King Palace for everything."
"Easier said than done. Who would run the reception station? Someone from the Thirteenth Division? Once we allow it, there'll be a second time. Yamamoto won't pass up the slightest opportunity. Then whether we still serve the royal family directly will be open to debate."
In response to Ichibe Hyosube's question, Oetsu Nimaiya smiled confidently and raised the booklet. "We'll do it by our own rules, of course. Don't you think something like the Mimicry Zanpakuto deserves a place in Soul Society's history? And from the contents of this booklet, he should also know how to simulate spiritual pressure. That would completely replace the Zanpakuto of the two of us!"
"..." Ichibe Hyosube fell silent for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "Yes. He really is a terrifying monster. But what's most frightening is that I can't see how he managed it. It's as though he skipped a step entirely to achieve this result."
"I couldn't figure it out either. Either he has some kind of extraordinary technique, or even he doesn't understand it."
"He doesn't understand it. Do you believe that?"
Oetsu Nimaiya flipped through the meticulously detailed booklet and smiled. "I don't. What a terrifying fellow."
"What? Don't tell me you're thinking of doing something foolish."
"Do you think I'd dare? With the strongest Soul Reaper and Yachiru protecting him, who would dare touch him?"
"Some fools in Central 46 would."
Oetsu Nimaiya swallowed, fell silent for a moment, then picked up the booklet and headed toward the Soul King. "In that case, we'll have to act first and secure his identity!"
"He's not strong enough yet." Though Ichibe Hyosube said this, he still rose and followed Oetsu Nimaiya.
"His strength will come in time. Our job is to make sure he survives long enough to grow. Yamamoto wants to set up a reception station, doesn't he? The boy's perfect for it."
"You're playing with fire." Following behind Oetsu Nimaiya, Ichibe Hyosube shook his head and sighed. Still, he said nothing more and simply followed along.
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