Tsunayashiro / The Pinnacle of Getting Something for Nothing

One strike wiped out every Hollow.

Ordinary Hollows, Menos Grande, Adjuchas—it made no difference before the Blazing Fire Sword. Every last one had fallen to a single slash!

The strike stunned the Soul Reapers and nobles alike. Even Yamabuki Chidori was shaken.

"So this is the Captain Commander at full strength?" Yamabuki Chidori knew that as long as he didn't get himself killed, he would reach that level someday. But right now, he couldn't help marveling at it. The man was a walking nuclear bomb!

"Full strength? I didn't even dare use half my power!" Yamamoto appeared beside Yamabuki Chidori with a Flash Step. "If I had gone all out, the Seireitei beneath our feet would be ashes, and none of you would have survived! Ah, perhaps I'm getting old. My control over my Reiatsu doesn't feel as good as it used to."

Yamamoto sighed as he reined in his power.

Captain Commander, did you have to brag so humbly?

"What should we do next?" Shunshun Shidō asked.

"Nothing. We just sit at home and wait," Yamabuki Chidori said.

It wouldn't take long for those nobles to find out who Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was. Then all they had to do was wait for the money to roll in.

After Yamamoto killed every Hollow with one slash, peace returned to the Seireitei for the moment. Some nobles collected the dead, while others mourned. But none of them dared forget that a man named Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was in the Seireitei.

Yamamoto went back to his room and resumed practicing calligraphy as though nothing had happened. By now, the entire Seireitei knew who he was and what he could do. The next step was to build his reputation. He had to seem untouchable. Five Noble Clans or not, getting an audience with him would not be easy.

As for everything outside, he could leave it to that little fox Yamabuki Chidori!

Taking that youngster under his wing had been worth it!

P.S. The Monk is up in the sky, so there's nothing wrong with that title, right?

Tsunayashiro

A day later, a crowd had packed the entrance to the Shihōin Clan estate. They were nobles from every corner of the Seireitei, each carrying lavish gifts for Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

But the Shihōin Clan kept its gates shut. As one of the Five Noble Clans, its head had only to say the word, and none of those nobles would dare force their way in.

One man was the exception.

"A distinguished guest comes calling, and you leave him outside the gates? That hardly befits the Shihōin Clan's hospitality!"

A fox-eyed man spoke with a beaming smile.

Others might not dare enter the Shihōin estate uninvited. He did.

He was Tsunayashiro Fūka, head of the Tsunayashiro Clan.

Yamabuki Chidori narrowed his eyes. An unwelcome guest had arrived.

The Tsunayashiro Clan was the most detestable of the Five Noble Clans. It had never contributed anything to Soul Society despite the considerable power it held. During the Thousand-Year Blood War, everyone from the Zero Division down to ordinary soldiers had fought together against the invaders. The Tsunayashiro Clan alone had refused to fight the Quincy alongside the Gotei 13. Instead, after the Zero Division was wiped out, its members had slipped into the Soul King Palace and stolen Ise-Ise-Iseba, a Zanpakuto the Sword God Nimaiya Ōetsu had forged from an Ancient Menos Grande. They had even tried to make an artificial being the Soul King so they could control the Three Realms.

A million years ago, they had led the dismemberment of the Soul King, cutting him open, stripping away his power, and discarding his organs. That was why, much later, two of Yhwach's four Sternritter had ties to the Soul King.

The Tsunayashiro Clan bore a large share of the blame for the Gotei 13's devastating losses.

"What do we do?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

Shunshun Shidō held a cup and grinned. "Why ask me? You're the chief Staff Officer. You decide."

The visitor's purpose was obvious. Tsunayashiro Fūka hadn't come alone. He had brought a large retinue of servants, each carrying a heavy chest. There was no need to guess what the chests held: vast sums of wealth.

Tsunayashiro Fūka probably meant to use that money to buy Yamamoto's loyalty and make him a retainer.

It fit the thinking of ancient Japan well enough.

No matter how strong a person was, he was still expected to pledge loyalty to some clan head.

Even Miyamoto Musashi, hailed as peerless under heaven, had pledged himself to a powerful faction for money and fame when he was young.

"I'll go, then." Yamabuki Chidori stood.

Why was he working so hard to build the Gotei 13? For his retirement plan, of course. Only when the Gotei 13 was strong enough would Old Man Yamamoto let him retire, draw a comfortable pension, and spend his days at leisure.

To bolster the Gotei 13's image, Yamabuki Chidori rubbed his cheeks. He had to be cold, arrogant, and overbearing. That was how he would make the Gotei 13 look formidable.

He didn't even use the gate for his entrance. He used a Flash Step to appear right in front of them.

Seeing someone had come to receive him, Tsunayashiro Fūka approached with a smile.

"What are you here for?" Yamabuki Chidori asked coldly.

Before Tsunayashiro Fūka could answer, a servant behind him flared up.

"Do you know who stands before you? This is the head of the Tsunayashiro Clan! You should be on your knees when you speak to him," the servant shouted.

Tsunayashiro Fūka made no move to stop his servant.

What did they mean by sending a boy to greet him? He was testing their attitude, just as they were testing his.

Yamabuki Chidori wasted no words on the servants. He released his Reiatsu, pinning the two of them to the ground so they couldn't move!

Tsunayashiro Fūka was secretly startled. Such powerful Reiatsu! It's stronger than mine. Is this boy a member of the Shihōin Clan? Why have I never heard of him?

"My servants don't know better. Please don't take offense, young man. May I ask who you are?" Tsunayashiro Fūka asked with a smile.

Yamabuki Chidori kept his face stern. "Yamabuki Chidori, Lieutenant of the Gotei 13's First Division and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's adjutant."

Tsunayashiro Fūka's heart lurched. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's adjutant?

And he's already this strong?

Then he remembered Yamamoto's terrifying, demon-god-like power. Perhaps it wasn't strange for that man to have someone so strong as his adjutant.

"My apologies! We've come to visit Mr. Yamamoto. Please make an exception for us. These are all gifts for him." Tsunayashiro Fūka swept his sleeve toward the dozen or so large chests behind him.

It was hard to turn away someone bearing gifts. Yamabuki Chidori knew the man had no good intentions, but the Gotei 13 was desperately poor. They needed those resources!

Still, Yamabuki Chidori said coldly, "Captain Yamamoto is resting. He isn't seeing any visitors. Go home."

You think you can see the Captain Commander whenever you please?

They had to keep him mysterious and untouchable!

At first, the nobles had little fondness for this swaggering boy. But when they learned he was Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's right-hand man, their attitude changed to respect at once.

Still smiling, Tsunayashiro Fūka took a small wooden box from one of his men and held it out. "Young friend, you helped defend the Seireitei yesterday, didn't you? Please accept this small token of appreciation from its people. My conscience won't rest if you refuse!"

Could such a cheap trick buy Yamabuki Chidori off?

Of course it could!

He might want for neither food nor clothing, but the Shihōin Clan paid for all of it. He was so broke that all he owned were the clothes on his back and a sword.

Yamabuki Chidori fought the urge to reach for the box and kept his aloof expression. "That won't work on me. Captain Yamamoto said he isn't seeing anyone. Please leave..."

Before he could finish, a cheerful voice called out, "Yamabuki, don't be so unfriendly. They came all this way to thank Captain Commander Yamamoto, didn't they?"

Shunshun Shidō appeared before the crowd in an instant.

The nobles wondered uneasily whether the Shihōin Clan had already bought Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's loyalty.

If so, the Shihōin Clan would rise above the other four Noble Clans.

But Yamabuki Chidori's next words and actions overturned everything they thought they knew.

"Captain Shihōin. Good day." Yamabuki Chidori bowed slightly to Shunshun Shidō.

Every noble there was stunned, Tsunayashiro Fūka included.

They had heard clearly that the organization Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had founded was called the Gotei 13. That meant there would be twelve Captains besides Yamamoto, the Captain Commander.

Yamabuki Chidori had called Shunshun Shidō "Captain." The Shihōin Clan hadn't bought Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's loyalty. Its head had joined the Gotei 13!

The Pinnacle of Getting Something for Nothing

To ordinary nobles, the Five Noble Clans were supreme, the highest authorities beneath the Soul King.

Yet the head of the Shihōin Clan, one of those five, had become a member of the Gotei 13—a subordinate of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. It shattered their understanding of how things worked.

Those nobles still clung to tradition. No matter how powerful someone was, he had to serve the nobility. That was what protected their authority. But Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's arrival had broken a monopoly that had lasted a million years.

Most of the nobles looked deeply uneasy. They sensed that Soul Society was changing again.

Tsunayashiro Fūka had indeed brought the gifts to buy Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's loyalty. Now he knew that was impossible.

The man's ambitions and vision reached far beyond his own.

Of course, Yamabuki Chidori and Shunshun Shidō had planned this scene beforehand. They wanted to give the nobles a jolt.

But Tsunayashiro Fūka had not become head of one of the Five Noble Clans by being a fool. He promptly changed his approach. "I've come to thank Mr. Yamamoto. Please let me meet Captain Commander Yamamoto."

Tsunayashiro Fūka had his own calculations. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto possessed unrivaled combat power. Stopping his rise was no longer possible, and the Gotei 13's rise was all but certain. Why not do him a favor while he had the chance?

The Gotei 13 was still an unofficial organization without formal recognition. The Seireitei had two principal centers of authority.

One was the Five Noble Clans. The other was Central 46.

After all, the Seireitei had laws of its own. It wasn't a lawless place, and Central 46 administered those laws.

Central 46 was the highest governing body, made up of six Great Sages and forty Sages. Once it made a decision, even the heads of the great noble clans could not change it.

Only a joint appeal from all Five Noble Clans, backed by an order from the Soul King, could overturn a Central 46 ruling.

But everyone knew the Soul King's current condition. He had been reduced to a limbless torso. Giving orders was out of the question; no one even knew whether he could speak.

Without the Soul King to counterbalance it, Central 46 held authority above the Five Noble Clans.

Of course, some of Central 46's Sages came from the Five Noble Clans. The relationship between the two was too tangled to explain in a few words.

A smile touched Shunshun Shidō's face. Everything had gone exactly as that little fox predicted. The nobles couldn't sit still and had come to them.

"Since you put it that way, I'll take you to see Captain Commander Yamamoto. Yamabuki, take the other guests to the Shihōin Clan's reception hall. Someone will look after them there," Shunshun Shidō said.

"As you command, Captain Shihōin." A faint smile curled Yamabuki Chidori's lips.

By calling Shunshun Shidō "Captain," he was telling the nobles that he took orders not from their ridiculous noble lordships, but from a Captain of the Gotei 13.

He led the nobles to the reception hall, where the Shihōin Clan's elderly steward welcomed them. Yamabuki Chidori then hurried to Yamamoto's room.

"Captain, they're here," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Yamamoto nodded slightly.

Just then, Shunshun Shidō arrived at Yamamoto's room with Tsunayashiro Fūka.

Shunshun Shidō bowed slightly to Yamamoto. "Captain Commander, this is Tsunayashiro Fūka, head of the Tsunayashiro Clan. He's come to thank you."

Yamamoto glanced at Tsunayashiro Fūka. In the next instant, his Reiatsu erupted. Tsunayashiro Fūka felt as though the middle-aged man before him had become a volcano on the verge of eruption. Cold sweat soaked him in an instant.

What did I do wrong? Does he know about the Tsunayashiro Clan's unspeakable experiments?

In that instant, Tsunayashiro Fūka even composed his last will in his head.

But Yamamoto swiftly withdrew his Reiatsu.

"If you've come to offer thanks, you may leave now. We established the Gotei 13 to protect the Seireitei. It is our duty," Yamamoto said firmly.

Tsunayashiro Fūka hastened to agree. "Of course. I understand your ambition to preserve peace in the Seireitei and Soul Society. But there is something you may not want to hear. May I say it?"

"Speak freely."

"Your intentions are good. I acknowledge that. Yesterday was the clearest example: if the Seireitei had had a dedicated fighting force, none of that would have happened! I fully support the founding of the Gotei 13. But... you don't have the resources yet, do you?" Tsunayashiro Fūka asked cautiously.

"Please don't be angry. The Seireitei's highest governing body is Central 46. For the Gotei 13 you founded to gain recognition, it must have Central 46's approval..." Tsunayashiro Fūka watched Yamamoto warily, afraid the man would burn him to ash if displeased.

It was true. The nobility controlled most of Soul Society's resources. Even something as basic as obtaining Zanpakuto required the support of a Great Noble. They couldn't very well send their soldiers to fight Hollows with wooden swords!

Once the Seireitei recognized the Gotei 13, it could rightfully demand funding and recruits.

Yamamoto considered this for a moment. "Go on."

"Central 46 will hear about this soon, and we don't know what position it will take. But the Tsunayashiro Clan is willing to give the Gotei 13 its full support," Tsunayashiro Fūka said.

Yamamoto did not agree. Instead, he looked at Yamabuki Chidori. That little fox always had ideas.

"Clan Head Tsunayashiro, I imagine you want something in return?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

"You make it sound so serious. How could we dare? Of course, if... you could reserve a Captain's position for us, I would be delighted."

There it was: his true aim.

With Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto at its head, the Gotei 13's rise was certain. Tsunayashiro Fūka might as well back it early and tie his clan's interests to it.

Yamamoto's expression grew grave.

"Of course," Yamabuki Chidori said with a smile. "But our method for choosing Captains is simple: whoever can fight best leads. If you're strong enough, even the Captain Commander's position is yours to take."