Yamabuki Chidori had no attention to spare for learning. He could only watch from the corner of his eye while guarding against Saito's attacks.
But then he realized that, after seeing Sekienton used just once, he somehow already understood how it worked.
At first, he couldn't understand why. Then he remembered the title the system had given him: Child of Destiny.
What was a Child of Destiny?
Limitless talent, limitless growth, limitless potential!
Wasn't that exactly what a Child of Destiny was?
The system had given him its biggest cheat right from the start.
"Bakudō #21: Sekienton!"
Yamabuki Chidori pressed one hand to the ground. A mass of red smoke erupted, blocking Saito's view.
In the distance, Yamamoto and Shunshun Shidō both froze.
"Has this kid studied Kidō before?" Shunshun Shidō asked.
"Probably not. He would've used it earlier if he had," Yamamoto said.
Someone who had never studied Kidō had seen a spell cast once and reproduced it!
It might have been low-level Kidō, but wasn't that talent a little frightening?
"Sekienton! Sekienton! Sekienton!"
With Lieutenant-level Reiatsu, he could cast a low-level spell like this over and over without strain. Soon, red smoke filled the entire area, and everyone lost sight of one another.
Saito hated bastards who refused to face her head-on more than anything!
"Are you going to hide forever? How long do you think you can keep it up, coward?"
"Hide? I think you've misunderstood. I was waiting for an opening!"
Yamabuki Chidori's voice appeared behind Saito like a ghost. Startled, she whipped around, only to see a sword flash stabbing toward her face at incredible speed!
A flash of steel sliced past! Saito's pupils contracted as she jerked her head aside, but the blade still cut her cheek, sending blood down her face!
Her expression turned even more savage. She grabbed Yamabuki Chidori's wrist and raised her sword to bring it down!
Yamabuki Chidori hadn't expected her to dodge an ambush from point-blank range. Caught off guard, he let her seize his hand and could no longer evade the blow!
Just as Saito's sword was about to fall, a large hand clamped around her wrist.
Her arm stopped as though locked in an iron vise. No matter how she struggled, it wouldn't budge. She turned in shock and saw that Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto held her wrist.
"What do you think you're doing?" Saito roared.
Yamamoto's expression didn't change. "You lost. The incense has burned out."
Saito looked at the spent stick of incense in his hand and snapped, "So what? I'm going to kill this brat!"
"You made a wager," Yamamoto said coldly. "Are you going back on it?"
In the next instant, Reiatsu erupted from Yamamoto like a volcano, its violent pressure sweeping across the grounds!
The madness in Saito's eyes gave way to fear. Yamamoto released her wrist, but she remained frozen. Even the hand holding her sword trembled!
Saito wasn't the only one shaken. Watching from afar, Shunshun Shidō felt a chill under that furious Reiatsu. He knew Yamamoto was strong, but he had never imagined he was this strong!
"Hey, old man! Who the hell are you?" Cold sweat covered Saito's forehead.
"My name is Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. Some call me the Sword Demon," Yamamoto said evenly. "Now honor your wager. Yamabuki, well done. You're worthy of being my second-in-command!"
You flatter me, sir! But next time, could you discuss it with me first?
Yamabuki Chidori gave his captain a pointed look. He had nearly ended up that madwoman's slave!
The four returned to the hall, where Shunshun Shidō had a fresh meal prepared.
"What exactly does the Gotei 13 do?" Saito asked.
"We're an organization of killers," Yamamoto said. "Our targets include Hollows and Soul Reapers who stir up trouble. We'll use overwhelming violence to bring this chaotic age to heel, then stand at its pinnacle!"
Yamamoto's explanation piqued Saito's interest. "That sounds pretty fun! As long as I get to cut things down, right?"
That's one way of putting it.
And just like that, in half a day, the Gotei 13 doubled in size—from two members to four.
"The Gotei 13 doesn't have a base yet," Shunshun Shidō said generously. "Why not use the Shihōin Clan estate for now?"
As one of the Five Noble Clans, the Shihōin Clan might lack other things, but money wasn't one of them!
Yamamoto had been worrying about where they would stay. Since Shunshun Shidō had offered, he was happy to accept.
"Come on. Have someone prepare a place for us to rest!" Yamamoto said, dragging Yamabuki Chidori out.
"Wait... I haven't eaten yet..." After all that exertion, Yamabuki Chidori had finally digested most of his food. Just as he was ready to feast, Yamamoto hauled him away. Looking back at the table laden with seafood, he nearly wept with regret!
I never should've eaten that sweet potato!
Once they reached their quarters, Yamamoto spoke in the solemn tone of an elder. "Yamabuki, do you regret eating that sweet potato? Here's the lesson: never sacrifice your future for a small gain today. I hope you remember it."
Yamabuki Chidori hadn't realized Yamamoto had a purpose in doing that to him. He was a man who would found the Central Spirit Arts Academy, after all. In some ways, he really was a good teacher.
"And I watched you fight," Yamamoto continued gravely. "Your talent is extraordinary—even greater than mine. One day, you may surpass me. But you're an uncut gem. Leave it unshaped, and it may never amount to anything. Starting tomorrow, I'll train you properly and make you a capable Soul Reaper as quickly as I can."
Yamabuki Chidori had no reason to refuse. In this world, strength meant a better chance of survival. And because he knew the story, he knew that before long, the Quincy invasion would plunge all of Soul Society into a war for its very existence.
It would mark the beginning of the feud between Soul Reapers and Quincy.
The manga and anime offered only scattered mentions of that war.
But there was no doubting how devastating it would be.
If he wanted to keep coasting until retirement, he first had to survive it.
"All right. Go get some rest. Training starts tomorrow," Yamamoto said.
At the mention of Soul Reaper training, Yamabuki Chidori immediately thought of Kurosaki Ichigo. Would Yamamoto teach him his Zanpakuto's Shikai and Bankai?
What powers would his Zanpakuto have?
That night, Yamabuki Chidori examined his Zanpakuto closely. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like an ordinary Asauchi.
Whatever. At least I can finally get a good night's sleep. Since arriving in Soul Society, he hadn't slept well once. In lawless Rukongai, he had always been afraid someone would cut his throat while he slept!
The Shihōin Clan had given him a room of his own. It was wonderful!
As Yamabuki Chidori lay in bed thinking about what to do next, Reishi in the surrounding air slowly began flowing into his body. He jumped, afraid something was wrong with him.
Soul Reapers weren't supposed to be able to control Reishi. That was a Quincy specialty.
The first part of the story of Soul Reapers revolved around Reiatsu.
A Soul Reaper's battles were battles of Reiatsu.
A Soul Reaper's strength came down to Reiatsu.
But once the Thousand-Year Blood War began, the Quincy shattered the idea that Reiatsu was everything. They fought using Reishi from their surroundings, so they didn't need immense Reiatsu of their own. Combined with their powers that bent the rules of combat, this caused the Soul Reapers no end of trouble.
And now Yamabuki Chidori's body really was absorbing Reishi from the air. A terrifying thought took shape in his mind.
"Am I not a Soul Reaper at all? Am I actually a Quincy?"
Panic seized Yamabuki Chidori.
Soul Society's rule might be rotten, but at least the Gotei 13 treated low-ranking Soul Reapers like people. The Quincy's boss, on the other hand, slaughtered his subordinates whenever the mood struck him.
If you counted the losses after the war, Yhwach would be the MVP for killing Quincy! Who would dare work for someone like that?
And so Yamabuki Chidori spent the whole night agonizing over whether he was a Soul Reaper or a Quincy. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. At last, just as he was drifting off, someone kicked his door open. He instinctively rolled over and drew his sword—only to find Yamamoto in the doorway.
"Hmm. Good instincts. You haven't let comfortable surroundings dull your guard." Yamamoto nodded in approval, then gave him an odd look. How had the kid's Reiatsu grown overnight?
Increasing a Soul Reaper's Reiatsu was no simple matter. If it were, Soul Society would be crawling with Captains.
There were plenty of ways to build Reiatsu: rest, eat, fight, and communicate with one's Zanpakuto. Over time, it would gradually increase.
But every Soul Reaper had a limit. However talented they were, their Reiatsu would stop growing once they reached it. To go further, they had to break past the limits of a Soul Reaper. Aizen was the clearest example.
Yamamoto had never seen someone gain Reiatsu just by sleeping, though. When Yamabuki Chidori noticed the old man staring at him, panic fluttered in his chest. Has the Old Man figured out I'm a Quincy?
"Look at the time! Still lazing in bed? Get up and train!" Yamamoto was astonished, but he kept it off his face. There were many geniuses in the world, and plenty had been undone by their own arrogance.
Yamabuki Chidori was only guessing about his identity anyway. If he really was a Quincy, why had the system given him a Zanpakuto?
What he didn't know was that Soul Society had a far higher density of Reishi than the Human World. An ordinary Soul Reaper's Reiatsu would slowly rise just by living there, even if they did nothing, until it reached its natural limit.
But Yamabuki Chidori's growth potential was "limitless." His Reiatsu increased far faster than that of an ordinary Soul Reaper, which was why his body kept absorbing Reishi around the clock.
Sword in hand and yawning, Yamabuki Chidori followed Yamamoto to the training yard behind the estate. It was still early, and they were the only ones there.
What will the Old Man teach me? Swordsmanship? Flash Step? Kidō? Hakuda? How to raise my Reiatsu?
While Yamabuki Chidori was still imagining the possibilities, Yamamoto approached with a fierce grin. "Looks like you didn't sleep well. Don't worry. If you can't survive today's training, you'll sleep soundly—and never wake up!"
Yamamoto's words jolted Yamabuki Chidori fully awake. What is this old man planning? Why does he make it sound so dangerous?
Yamamoto drew his Zanpakuto, and terrifying Reiatsu crashed over him.
"Today's first lesson is how to survive a stronger opponent's sword! All things in the universe, turn to ash—Ryūjin Jakka!"
Only then did Yamabuki Chidori realize what the wretched old man intended. "Wait, wait, Captain! Give me a chance to prepare—"
"Take this!"
"Noooo!"
BOOM!
At breakfast, Shunshun Shidō took one look at Yamabuki Chidori—charred black and shuffling like a zombie—and burst out laughing.
"You're... you're laughing? I almost died!" Yamabuki Chidori opened his mouth, and a puff of black smoke escaped.
I'm still a kid! Do you have any idea what it does to a teenager when someone swings Ryūjin Jakka at his head?
Still, Yamamoto hadn't truly tried to kill him. If he had, one strike would have left nothing of Yamabuki Chidori but ash.
Yamamoto sat beside him, eating as calmly as ever. "Eat quickly. There's work to do afterward. Someone reported a Hollow in Rukongai. Go investigate."
"By myself?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.
"Of course. We're short on people," Yamamoto said.
Yamabuki Chidori sighed helplessly. Had joining the Gotei 13 really been the right choice?
After breakfast, Yamabuki Chidori took his sword and headed for Rukongai.
Rukongai was divided into four great districts—east, south, west, and north—each of which was further divided into eighty numbered areas. Most of the Soul Reaper story took place in eastern Rukongai.
This time, the Hollow had appeared at Kofuku Mountain, in the northern part of West District Three, not far from Seireitei. With only four members, the Gotei 13 couldn't deal with trouble much farther away anyway.
Yamabuki Chidori wasn't too worried. With his Lieutenant-level strength, he could handle an ordinary Hollow easily. After eating, he went straight to Kofuku Mountain.
The higher a Rukongai district's number, the worse its law and order. Lower-numbered districts were safer and had more resources. Life for ordinary people in Kofuku Mountain, part of West District Three, was fairly good. But when Yamabuki Chidori arrived, he found every household shut tight, with no one daring to go outside.
The streets were desolate. Yamabuki Chidori knocked gently on a door. After a long while, an elderly woman opened it a crack and peered at him with fearful eyes.
"Can I help you?" she asked nervously. Judging by his decent clothes and the Zanpakuto at his side, she might have mistaken him for a noble.
"I'm with the Gotei 13," Yamabuki Chidori said. "I've come to Kofuku Mountain to kill the Hollow."
The elderly woman looked puzzled. "The Gotei 13? Never heard of them. I don't know anything. Please leave me alone."
She hurriedly shut the door. Yamabuki Chidori didn't give up; he tried the next house.
Several households gave him the same response. Perhaps the Hollow had terrified them, or perhaps Seireitei's nobles had oppressed them for so long that they feared speaking to anyone. Some wouldn't even open their doors, watching him leave through the cracks instead.
Yamabuki Chidori fell into thought. This won't work. Having grown up under the red flag, he knew just how powerful ordinary people could be.
Before you continue