I'm not singling you out. I mean everyone here...

"Small fry shouldn't complain."

Gojo... no, Sōgo Shihoin casually picked his ear, his arrogant bearing that of a demon king who held everyone in contempt.

"Small fry?"

"Who are you calling small fry?"

"Are you calling a genius like me small fry?"

Hearing that sensitive phrase, the young master of the Tsunayashiro Clan immediately grew agitated. He couldn't stand anyone calling him small fry.

"No, no, no..."

"You've misunderstood, young master of the Tsunayashiro Clan~"

Seeing the intense reaction from the young master of the Tsunayashiro main line, Sōgo Shihoin immediately shook his head in alarm.

"Hmph! You realized you misspoke, so you're going to apologize?" The young master of the Tsunayashiro main line looked at Sōgo Shihoin's sincere expression and slowly nodded. "Since you're also a young master of the main line of one of the Five Great Noble Clans, I suppose I could forgive you."

"See? You've misunderstood again." Sōgo Shihoin shook his head helplessly. "I'm not actually singling you out. I mean everyone who can't enter the Omotesandō is small fry~"

"..."

Silence. Deathly silence.

After hearing Sōgo Shihoin's words, the noble young masters and princesses all froze on the spot as though their minds had gone blank. It seemed to be the first time in their lives they had heard anything so disrespectful.

"Hmph~"

Looking at the astonished young masters and princesses, Sōgo Shihoin's lips curled slightly. Despite the blindfold covering his eyes, those noble young masters and princesses could still feel his disdainful gaze, as though he were looking at garbage.

Smack!

But the very next second, Sōgo got hit.

"Why, Sis?!"

Sōgo Shihoin clutched his head, looking utterly wronged.

"What do you take my friend for?"

A vein bulged on Yoruichi Shihōin's delicate face as she demanded angrily.

"Friend?" Hearing his sister's words, Sōgo first froze, then immediately caught on. He turned toward Kūkaku, who stood among the small fry wiping away her tears alone. "Kūkaku, you know I wasn't talking about you. That last remark doesn't count. It doesn't count..."

"It's fine. I don't mind at all."

Kūkaku Shiba looked at Sōgo Shihoin as though she had nothing left to live for. What was it like to be called small fry by your best friend's little brother?

"Ahem~" Sōgo Shihoin cleared his throat and explained, "Then let me say it again. I mean all the nobles who can't enter the Omotesandō, except Kūkaku, are small fry."

"Stop explaining. I understand."

Kūkaku Shiba shed tears into the wind. The wind was awfully boisterous today~

"Y-you bastard! How dare you call us small fry?!"

When had the young masters of the Tsunayashiro Clan ever suffered such humiliation? They glared at Sōgo Shihoin, yet there was nothing they could do... He was that Yoruichi Shihōin's little brother. What could they possibly do? With their status equal, they could only settle the matter through force, but they were no match for him in that department either. They couldn't outargue him or beat him in a fight. A world in which only the young masters and princesses of the Five Great Noble Clans got hurt was complete.

"Instead of complaining here, you small fry should hurry home and train hard for fifty years~" Sōgo Shihoin turned into a life coach, lecturing the young masters and princesses. "Maybe next time, before you pass the age limit, you'll still have a chance to catch an opportunity for further training. Anyway, work hard! Though you'll never catch up to me in your entire lives~ But that's not your fault. Who told me to be invincible?"

"He's infuriating!"

"I really want to duel him!"

"Calm down. We can't beat him!"

"He's Yoruichi Shihōin's little brother. Even if we all attacked together, that woman would take us out!"

"Speaking of which, why hasn't that woman gone off to become a captain in the Gotei 13 yet? Does she enjoy bullying us?"

The reason the young masters of the great noble clans were young masters of the great noble clans was that they possessed a little more sense than the young masters of the lesser nobility. Knowing they couldn't beat Sōgo Shihoin, they stopped inviting humiliation and instead endured it for the time being, planning to find a way to reclaim their dignity later... though they would never manage that in their entire lives.

"Big-Eyed Monk, stop wasting time with these small fry. Let's go train~ Train!"

Sōgo Shihoin stopped looking at the small fry behind him and spoke to the Big-Eyed Monk.

"It's not Big-Eyed Monk. It's Ichibē Hyōsube!"

The Big-Eyed Monk stressed his name.

"Okay, Monk."

Sōgo Shihoin nodded lightly to show that he understood.

"As long as you understand." The Big-Eyed Monk smiled in satisfaction, then looked at the eliminated children. "You weren't selected. Come back in fifty years~"

"Hey! Big-Eyed Monk, what are those of us who weren't selected supposed to do now?"

Hearing Sōgo Shihoin address the monk before him that way, the young master of the Tsunayashiro main line imitated Sōgo's tone as he asked. He thought this would restore at least a little of his dignity as a young master of the main line, making it look to others as though he were very familiar with the Squad Zero member before him.

"Big-Eyed Monk isn't something you get to call me, Tsunayashiro brat!"

Before anyone else could react, towering spiritual pressure erupted from the ground. Bathed in that pillar of spiritual pressure, the Big-Eyed Monk looked like an asura demon as he stared at the young master of the Tsunayashiro main line.

"I-I'm sorry, Master Hyōsube."

Feeling as though the sky were collapsing on him, the young master of the Tsunayashiro main line immediately bent at the waist and bowed in apology.

"It's nothing. Children who correct their mistakes are good children." The Big-Eyed Monk smiled slightly at the Tsunayashiro boy. "Those of you who weren't selected will all take the Tenchūren back to the Seireitei shortly. One more thing: children, don't forget to give your clan heads my regards."

"Understood!"

"Yes, Master Hyōsube!"

"As you command, Lord Hyōsube!"

The children of the Five Great Noble Clans all bowed to the Big-Eyed Monk in greeting.

"Let's go~"

Sōgo Shihoin waved to those beside him, looking every bit the leader of the children.

"I..."

Hearing Sōgo's voice beside him, Tokinada still hesitated.

"What exactly are you afraid of?"

"What anyone else thinks doesn't matter, does it? In the end, what matters most is your own strength. As long as you're strong enough that they don't dare bully you, won't that do? It's not like you don't have that kind of talent."

Before pulling his sister along, Sōgo Shihoin left Tokinada with those words.

"Yes, it's not like I have no talent! I'm not someone who can only endure bullying without fighting back. I have the ability to change things."

After hearing Sōgo Shihoin's words, Tokinada's eyes trembled, and he clenched both fists. He strode toward the Tenchūren.

"Oh? It's Tokinada! So you are planning to come back after all, aren't you? As long as you come back, we'll accept you and treat you as a member of the main line!"

Seeing Tokinada walk toward him, the young master of the Tsunayashiro main line, who had lost face on every front, felt a surge of delight. This was his last chance to reclaim his dignity.

"Sorry, young masters and young ladies~ In the end, I really should keep moving forward~"

Tsunayashiro Tokinada walked up to the Tenchūren and smiled slightly at the young masters and princesses of the main lines who could go no farther, then turned and followed Sōgo Shihoin and the others as they left.

A brief introduction to Tsunayashiro Tokinada, the villain boss of the Four Great Noble Clans arc: simply put, he was an ambitious man from a branch family who refused to accept his fate, defeated (assassinated) every member of the main line, successfully became clan head, and later even wanted to abolish the Central 46 Chambers and secretly control the Soul King. I've changed his background a little here, and I'll try to flesh out his character more.

Then there are Soul Society's Five Great Noble Clans in this book: Shihoin, Tsunayashiro, Shiba, Kuchiki, and that person's clan.

(End of chapter)