Scrutiny

From the encounter with the Menos Grande to Hasegawa's attack and eventual escape, Wang Xun gave a clear, orderly account.

Unfortunately, Hasegawa had been cautious and left no useful information behind.

When Wang Xun finished, a brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Shinji Hirako's blond bangs hung over his face, concealing most of his expression as he spoke quietly.

"Hasegawa used his Zanpakuto to open a Senkaimon and escape. I followed him into the Dangai and found him at the edge of the turbulent currents. He'd been badly wounded by several Soul Reapers who were chasing him."

He paused, as if recalling the unpleasant scene.

"He told me he resented the nobles for monopolizing the high positions and was bitter about what had happened to him. In his disillusionment, he was seduced by an Adjuchas from Hueco Mundo into leaking intelligence and plotting to kill Soul Reapers."

"Once he realized I was investigating the matter, he tried to attack the students in the World of the Living and create enough chaos to escape. In the end, he refused to surrender and drew his sword to cut his own throat. His body fell into the turbulent currents of the void in the Dangai."

Hirako raised his head and looked at Wang Xun, then swept his gaze over the others. His voice held a trace of barely perceptible weariness, along with a gnashing anger.

"What you described mostly matches the traces at the scene. And certain matters I previously asked Captain Shihōin to investigate in secret did ultimately point to his involvement. With his death, the trail has gone cold."

The words were laden with meaning. Several perceptive people in the room could tell he was referring to more than just Hasegawa's defection.

Many other issues were entangled in it.

Shunsui Kyōraku pressed down on his straw hat. His usually half-lidded eyes now shone sharply as they settled on Wang Xun.

"I see... but, Wang Xun."

"The strength you displayed was far beyond what a fifth-year student should possess. Is there a particular reason you've kept it so well hidden?"

"With your abilities, you should be more than capable of applying for early graduation and joining the Gotei 13, shouldn't you?"

At that moment, Shunsui Kyōraku's languid gaze carried a pressure that seemed capable of seeing straight through a person.

Wang Xun's expression remained unchanged. He had anticipated this.

"An astute observation, Captain Kyōraku. My strength has only improved significantly in recent days."

"Kaien Shiba, a first-year at the Spiritual Arts Academy, can attest to that. We're good friends, and we've often trained together in private for some time. That's how I managed to barely hold my own against Sixth Seat Hasegawa's attack."

"If the other Soul Reaper instructors hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid I couldn't claim I'd be standing here unharmed."

Bringing up Kaien Shiba was a safe explanation.

"Kaien, huh? In that case, it does make sense."

A flicker of interest passed through Yoruichi's eyes.

When the Shiba Clan still lived in the Seireitei, she had often visited and was well acquainted with both Kaien and Kūkaku.

But since the Shiba Clan had moved away from the Seireitei, she had indeed gone a long time without seeing them.

When she learned that Kaien Shiba had decided to enroll in the Spiritual Arts Academy and become a Soul Reaper, she had kept an eye on him for a while.

Hirako and Kyōraku exchanged a glance in private.

They naturally knew of the gifted new student from a once-great noble clan.

They hadn't expected Wang Xun to have that connection as well.

It explained part of the matter, but the fundamental reason for hiding his strength still hadn't been fully addressed.

Wang Xun caught the doubt in Shunsui Kyōraku's eyes.

He fell silent for a moment, as though making up his mind about something, then raised his eyes to meet their gazes and slowly spoke a name.

"Tokinada Tsunayashiro."

"He... has been trying to recruit me."

The name was like a stone dropped into a deep pool, stirring ripples in the captains' hearts.

The Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the current Four Great Noble Clans, stood at the pinnacle of the Seireitei's great houses.

Wang Xun's voice was calm, but held an unmistakable note of helplessness.

"He offered generous terms and wanted me to become his retainer, but I have no intention of getting caught up in disputes between nobles."

"If I displayed abilities beyond what a student should possess, it would only draw me sooner into a whirlpool I don't want to face."

"There's enough trouble in the Seireitei already. I just want to graduate in peace and quietly join the Gotei 13 on my own merits. That's all."

His explanation was reasonable.

Being recruited by a noble was both an honor and a shackle.

It made perfect sense for a student without a backing to hide his talents rather than become a pawn in the nobles' game before graduation.

Shinji Hirako's gaze grew somber, and Shunsui Kyōraku's playful smile faded.

With a private recruitment attempt by one of the Four Great Noble Clans involved, the matter had become delicate.

They could question a student's account, but they couldn't ignore the weight of the Tsunayashiro name.

If Wang Xun was telling the truth, he had ample reason to keep a low profile.

Noble affairs were indeed difficult to meddle in lightly, and even harder to comment on publicly.

"So there's that connection too."

Shunsui Kyōraku's gaze shifted, and he accepted the explanation for the time being.

Yoruichi, meanwhile, had little interest in such convoluted political considerations. She was now more interested in Wang Xun himself.

"All right, all right. We can talk about the nobles' damn business later."

She waved a hand, interrupting the rather heavy mood, and leaned forward to study Wang Xun with interest.

"Whatever the reason, kid, your strength is the real deal. I admire that... interested in following me?"

"If you join the Stealth Force, I'll make an exception and let you into the Punishment Force. You'll be my direct subordinate from then on, and that Tsunayashiro brat won't dare do anything to you."

Her direct, exceptional bid to recruit him made Soi Fon's eyes widen.

"Uh, well..."

Wang Xun hadn't expected Yoruichi to try to recruit him.

Watching from the side, Shunsui Kyōraku's eyes flashed beneath his straw hat.

Apart from his concern over the defection of a Fifth Division Seated Officer, Shunsui Kyōraku had another reason for coming to the Second Division.

His deeper and more important purpose was to personally scrutinize Wang Xun.

The reason was none other than Nanao Ise, one of Wang Xun's teammates during this Konsō field training in the World of the Living.

She was the only daughter of his late elder brother, his own niece.

Yet, apart from a few people in the know, he had never volunteered this information to anyone.

Even Nanao Ise didn't know she had an uncle in such a powerful position.

This was Shunsui Kyōraku's way of protecting Nanao.

Once Nanao graduated from the Spiritual Arts Academy, he would transfer her to the Eighth Division, where she could grow up safely under his protection.

He hadn't expected such a serious mishap to occur during this Konsō field training in the World of the Living.

When he learned that Nanao Ise's group had been attacked by a Menos Grande, his heart had skipped a beat.

Thankfully, Nanao had come to no harm in the end.

After receiving a detailed account of the incident, his attention naturally turned to Wang Xun.

Only after a day of investigating and making inquiries did he learn that Nanao was surprisingly close to the boy.

Nanao had even made a special trip to the Fourth Division yesterday to visit him.

Hidden in the shadows, he had watched the two interact affectionately through the glass window, his eyes going wide.

It was rather like a father coming home after years of working away to find that someone else had gotten his hands on the little cabbage he'd raised.

But more importantly, there was the shroud of mystery around Wang Xun that he couldn't see through.

He possessed the strength of a high-ranking Seated Officer while still at the Spiritual Arts Academy, and had connections to both the Shiba Clan and the Tsunayashiro Clan.

He hid his strength and blended in, yet was also entangled with great noble clans.

If this incident hadn't brought him to light, no one would have known that someone like him was hidden in the Seireitei.

This kid runs deep...

By now, Shunsui Kyōraku had marked Wang Xun as a dangerous person in his mind.

But during the Konsō field training, Wang Xun had slain Hollows and saved Nanao, which made Kyōraku's assessment of him somewhat more favorable.

Perhaps getting this kid out of the Spiritual Arts Academy and into another division, and thereby away from Nanao, wouldn't be a bad choice either...