The lecture hall was silent.
More than six hundred students looked up at Yoriichi, waiting for the Third Division Captain to speak.
Standing on the stage, Yoriichi suddenly felt that the material he had prepared was not quite suited to the occasion.
Aizen had probably already said most of those words encouraging them to train hard.
Simply repeating them did not seem very meaningful.
After a moment of silence, Yoriichi slowly said, "Before coming here, I kept thinking about why Soul Reapers should seek power."
The students below looked attentive.
"Some want to join the Gotei 13, some want to become Seated Officers, and others hope to attain a higher position."
"None of those aspirations are wrong."
Yoriichi looked at a few younger students in the front rows.
"But power itself has never been the goal."
"Soul Reapers study swordsmanship, Hakuda, footwork, and Kidō to purify Hollows, guide departed souls, and protect those who cannot protect themselves."
"If one day you possess great power but forget why you first took up an Asauchi, then no matter how high your position, you cannot be considered a worthy Soul Reaper."
The lecture hall grew even quieter.
The excitement on many students' faces gradually faded, replaced by seriousness.
Yoriichi continued, "One person's strength is ultimately limited."
"The Gotei 13 can maintain stability in the Three Realms not because any one captain is strong enough, but because countless ordinary members are all fulfilling their duties."
"Purifying a Hollow, performing a soul burial, protecting an ordinary soul-these things might never be remembered."
"But it is precisely these things that make up the Gotei 13."
Sitting in the front row, Gin Ichimaru's smile faded a little.
He had originally only wanted to see Yoriichi stand speechless onstage.
He had not expected the man to actually prepare