"So what about the Lan brothers?"
"Hard to say before, but after they wiped out both Hunter Squads without breaking a sweat… yes, Lord Shitan, I believe your guess was right. They likely possess fragments of the Soul King. And not just slivers—these fragments must be substantial."
"Otherwise, there's no way to explain their absurd growth rate. They made contact with Zanpakutō and Kidō just yesterday and already fight like seasoned Captains."
Yamada Kiyonosuke nodded silently. No need to argue anymore.
"There'll be other chances."
"For now, we have enough Soul King fragments to keep things running."
"Let them breathe Soul Society's spirit particles a bit longer…"
"It's the least we can do—considering they'll be delivering those fragments to us themselves soon enough."
Kōnmyōdai Shitan narrowed his eyes, choosing to delay his next move.
The plan had failed.
Yamamoto and Ukitake were now alert.
Sneaking into the Shinō Academy again was out of the question.
Better to wait.
Wait until their attention fades.
Then strike.
The Next Day
Lan Yan and Aizen showed up to class like nothing had happened.
No talk of the assassination attempt.
No change in demeanor.
But Ukitake didn't teach today's class.
Instead, a man with short black hair, wearing the sleeveless haori of Squad 10, strolled in like he owned the place.
"Yo! Mornin', kids!"
"You can call me Teacher Isshin, or just Isshin-sensei if you're feeling formal."
"I'll be covering for Ukitake today—and we're talking Zanpakutō."
With a bang, he kicked the classroom door open, used shunpo to leap onto the podium, and posed like a maniac.
Silence.
Lan Yan raised an eyebrow.
Isshin Shiba…
So this was the man who would one day wield "Mugetsu" as effortlessly as flipping a coin.
Other than Yamamoto, few people in the Soul Society deserved serious attention.
This guy was one of them.
Aizen noticed Lan Yan's subtle reaction and made a mental note.
After class, investigate this Squad 10 Captain.
Yoruichi, watching from her seat, sighed and pinched her forehead.
"This idiot hasn't changed a bit since becoming Captain."
"Let's start the lesson!"
Isshin awkwardly transitioned to teaching mode and scribbled two big characters on the blackboard:
刀禅 – Zanjutsu Meditation.
His brushstrokes sliced through the air like a Getsuga Tenshō.
Even the chalk lines looked like they could cut you.
"Zanpakutō have two stages of release—Shikai and Bankai," Isshin explained, suddenly very serious.
"But no matter the stage, the core principle is the same—communication with your blade's spirit."
"Learn its name—Shikai."
"Force it to submit—Bankai."
Even Yoruichi and Byakuya began listening intently.
"How do we get into our inner world?" asked Komamura.
"Simple. Believe."
"Place your blade before you. Hands on the hilt. Channel your reiatsu. Let your sword be the bridge."
"This… is Zanjutsu Meditation."
Isshin demonstrated the steps and had everyone do the same.
But aside from a few who already knew their Shikai (Byakuya, Yoruichi, etc.), most struggled.
Kommamura, Tousen, Hachigen… no progress.
"That's normal," Isshin said with a grin. "Zanpakutō have personalities, just like you."
"Some are picky. Others are jerks. If they think you're too weak? They won't even show up."
"Take mine, for example. Angry little bastard."
"Took me a whole day just to get in. First time I stepped foot into the inner world? BAM! Booted out before my other foot even touched the ground."
Laughter rippled through the room.
Even the most impatient students relaxed.
They weren't failing. They were… bonding.
Suddenly—
"NO WAY!!"
Isshin's outburst shook the room.
Even Yoruichi nearly dropped her blade.
"What now!?" she snapped. "I was this close to meeting my Zanpakutō!"
But Isshin wasn't listening. His jaw dropped, eyes locked on the back row.
Everyone turned to look.
And gasped.
Standing beside Lan Yan…
…was a massive, crimson dragon claw.
Delicately resting on his shoulder.
"…That's… That's full materialization!" Isshin stammered.
"That's the first requirement for BANKAI!"
"Wait, WHAT!?"
Students leaped to their feet.
"You mean—"
"He's about to achieve BANKAI!?"
"But he only got his Zanpakutō yesterday!"
"Didn't Ukitake say it takes decades to achieve Bankai—even for geniuses!?"
Isshin felt his scalp go numb.
This wasn't bonding.
This wasn't Zanjutsu Meditation.
This was—
"Let you learn sword meditation, and you go straight to Bankai!?"
No one knew how to process what they were seeing.
Even Aizen narrowed his eyes and looked sideways at his brother.
Lan Yan just tilted his head slightly, scratching the dragon's claw as if comforting a house cat.
The dragon purred.
📚 Next Chapter:
More chaos. More jealous classmates.
And… a certain noble begins to lose his grip.
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