Shin'ō Academy

Seireitei was the political and military headquarters of Soul Society, as well as the dwelling place of all Shinigami, and the estates of the Shinigami nobility had been built there for generations.

Countless buildings of various sizes were distributed across the interior of Seireitei, including Central 46, the Gotei 13 barracks, the Sōkyoku, the Senzaikyū, and Shin'ō Academy, which was known as the Shinigami Academy.

Shin'ō Academy had been founded about two thousand years ago by the current captain-commander of the Gotei 13, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, with the philosophy of nurturing the younger generation of Shinigami to become the future Gotei 13, Stealth Force, and Kido Corps, in order to protect the safety of Seireitei and Soul Society.

Massive city walls surrounded Shin'ō Academy, and gates of a similar scale partitioned the academy off.

Today, however, the gates of Shin'ō Academy were wide open, and a sea of people was gathering at the entrance, nobles and commoners alike, bustling back and forth in a lively manner, because today was the day Shin'ō Academy began its admissions.

Standing before the gates and looking at the sea of people, Yoruichi Shihōin and Kūkaku Shiba were both rather surprised; this scene was simply too spectacular!

"Kūkaku, Yoruichi!"

Kaien Shiba squeezed his way out of the crowd and said while panting, "I finally found you. Didn't we agree that I'd go pick you up?"

"We're not incapable of finding our way!"

Kūkaku Shiba shouted loudly, as it was far too noisy around them, and she feared Kaien Shiba wouldn't hear her clearly.

This loud yell made Kaien Shiba's ears ring with a buzzing sound. He cast a helpless look at his younger sister, then immediately looked at Yoruichi Shihōin and said, "Yoruichi, where is Shadow?"

"Who knows!" Yoruichi Shihōin spread her hands with a mischievous grin. "Perhaps he's right behind you, who knows!"

"Ah!" Kaien Shiba was startled at once, and immediately turned his head to look around.

"You actually believed that!" Yoruichi Shihōin couldn't help laughing out loud. "That fellow Shadow is elusive every single day. I only know he's around me; how would I know his exact location!"

"..."

Kaien Shiba was left speechless, covered in black lines. Taking a deep breath, he led the two of them into the crowd. He dared not say anything more, as he couldn't afford to provoke either of these young mistresses.

Arriving at the registration desk, a middle-aged man wearing a Shihakushō was registering the souls who had come to sign up. Seeing Kaien Shiba and the other two, he promptly handed out two application forms.

"After filling these out, go over there to test your Reiatsu. Only those who pass can enter Shin'ō Academy!"

With that, he pointed to the side and lowered his head to continue with his work.

Kaien Shiba was wearing the uniform of Shin'ō Academy, making him easy to recognize, so the two application forms were handed—one to Yoruichi Shihōin and one to Kūkaku Shiba.

After spending a moment to fill out the application forms, led by Kaien Shiba, the three of them walked out of the crowd once more to begin the challenge of the next stage: testing Reiatsu.

The Reiatsu test was merely the primary standard used by Shin'ō Academy to evaluate applicants. As long as one possessed Reiatsu, no matter how small, they would be admitted.

Though those with weak Reiatsu would be selected, practically too few of them became actual Shinigami, and the majority ended up as cannon fodder-like existences with no great value.

Those with strong Reiatsu, however, would become the primary forces of Soul Society: captains, lieutenants, or seated officers.

"Spiritual power... Fifth-grade, Third Seat!!!"

A rough voice suddenly rang out through the sea of people, carrying astonishment and respect.

Following a brief silence, buzzing noises erupted like a tidal wave.

"Whoa! To have the spiritual power of a Third Seat the moment they enter Shin'ō Academy, I'm so envious!"

"Exactly, they might become a lieutenant or even a captain in the future!"

"..."

Hearing the continuous exclamations of surprise sounding all around, Kūkaku Shiba couldn't help curling her lip.

"Isn't it just a Third Seat? Big Brother had the spiritual power of a lieutenant back then, after all! Besides, I won't lose to her!"

Kaien Shiba smiled helplessly, just as he was about to say something.

"Next, Kūkaku Shiba!" The rough voice rang out once again.

"It's my turn!"

Kūkaku Shiba gave a chuckle, waved at Yoruichi Shihōin and Kaien Shiba, and walked forward.

"Spiritual power... Fifth-grade, Third Seat!!!"

The rough voice rang out accordingly, carrying a trace of trembling. This was the second person to possess the spiritual power of a seated officer.

"Just a seated officer, huh!"

Kūkaku Shiba walked out along the parting stream of people, complaining in her mouth, but her face was plastered with smiles, showing she was still quite satisfied with her performance.

"Next, Yoruichi Shihōin!"

"It's my turn this time. Watch me, Kūkaku!" Yoruichi Shihōin curved the corners of her mouth and walked forward.

"She has the surname Shihōin; she's a member of the Shihōin family, one of the Four Great Noble Families!"

"Why would someone from the Shihōin family appear here? Can't high nobles be directly approved for enrollment?!"

"..."

Amidst the discussions of the crowd, Yoruichi Shihōin walked up to the testing platform with an expressionless face.

"Miss Shihōin!" the testing Shinigami said respectfully. "Please place your hand on top and circulate your own spiritual power. The tester will display the rank based on the strength of the spiritual power!"

With that, he pointed to the circular testing device on the tabletop.

"Understood!"

Yoruichi Shihōin nodded, placed her hand on the testing device, and channeled her spiritual power. Immediately, the tester burst forth with a blinding glare, far more dazzling than the Third Seat's spiritual power from before.

"Spiritual power... Spiritual power... Sixth-grade, Lieutenant!!!"

The testing Shinigami couldn't help swallowing hard, shouting out in an excited voice.

How could he not be excited?! That was a future captain!

The spiritual power of a lieutenant—these few short words stunned everyone in an instant. Consequently, the discussions that had already died down grew even louder.

If seated officers had a certain probability of growing into captains, then a lieutenant would 100% become a captain-class figure capable of standing on their own. Of course, that was on the condition that they put in sufficient effort; otherwise, no matter how great the talent, success would still remain out of reach.

"No way! Lieutenant-class, hit me, am I dreaming?"

"It seems the previous recruitment batch had a lieutenant too, yet another one actually appeared this time."

"Exactly, exactly..."

"..."

Listening to the chorus of discussions from the crowd, Yoruichi Shihōin walked back with her hands clasped behind her back, lifted her eyebrows, and smiled. "How about that, Kūkaku?"

"What's so great about it!"

Kūkaku Shiba curled her lip, but in her heart, she was still happy for Yoruichi Shihōin; after all, they were friends of many years!

"Then let's have a competition and see!" Yoruichi Shihōin smiled. "Who awakens their Zanpakutō first! Who learns Bankai first! Who becomes a captain first! Well then, do you dare to compete, Kūkaku?"

"Compete it is! Would I, Kūkaku Shiba, fear you?!"

At that moment, both Yoruichi Shihōin and Kūkaku Shiba erupted with unprecedented enthusiasm. If Shihōin Shanqing had been here, he certainly would have been delighted; wasn't this the very purpose for which he wanted Yoruichi Shihōin to attend Shin'ō Academy?

"Spiritual power... Fifth-grade, Third Seat!!!"

"Spiritual power... Fifth-grade, Third Seat!!!"

"Spiritual power... Sixth-grade, Lieutenant!!!"

"Yet another lieutenant-class!" Kaien Shiba felt rather helpless. "Seated officers and lieutenants, who are normally so hard to come by, have actually turned up in such numbers today. Are they really so worthless?!"

Before everyone had fully digested that, the rough voice of the testing Shinigami rang out with a tremor once more.

"Spiritual power... Sixth-grade, Lieutenant!!!"

Trembling, the voice gradually approached numbness. The testing Shinigami grew numb from shouting, and the surrounding crowd grew numb from listening, each going about their own business as if they hadn't heard a thing at all.

"How interesting!" Yoruichi Shihōin curved the corners of her mouth and smiled quite confidently. "However, I, Yoruichi Shihōin, will not lose to anyone!"

"Me neither!"

"Count me in as well!"

The brother-and-sister pair of Kaien Shiba and Kūkaku Shiba also seemed infected, and their prior gloom was swept away in an instant.

Everyone was a genius of the seated officer or lieutenant-class level, and each possessed their own pride. Who would easily submit to anyone else? The present did not equate to the future, after all!

I... will surpass you!

In a corner, Shadow shifted his gaze away from Yoruichi Shihōin's face and turned to look in a certain direction, where two figures whom he had only seen once before were standing.

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