Time passed swiftly, and several years had gone by since the birth of Kurosaki Ichigo.
During those years, Kurosaki Isshin had fully adapted to life in the World of the Living. The former captain of the Gotei 13 now lived as an ordinary human running a modest clinic, supporting his family, and handling the trivial burdens of daily life.
He had become, in every sense, a father and a husband first.
Not long after Ichigo's birth, two more children were born into the Kurosaki family.
Both were daughters.
The elder of the two was named Yuzu, and the younger, Karin.
Unlike Ichigo, whose name carried Isshin's earnest wish to protect, the origins of Yuzu and Karin's names were far more simple chosen with warmth rather than symbolism.
Still, there was no denying it
Isshin and Masaki had built a lively household.
From a broader perspective, however, this also highlighted a fundamental difference between Shinigami and humans.
Due to their immense spiritual composition, Shinigami rarely had children. Their existence was stable and long-lived, but reproduction was far less common. Humans, by contrast, lived short lives but formed families with ease.
Isshin, now existing in a human body through Urahara Kisuke's Gigai, naturally followed human norms.
The births of Yuzu and Karin did not go entirely unnoticed.
Certain individuals, both in the shadows of the World of the Living and within Soul Society, cast brief attention toward the Kurosaki household.
But only briefly.
Because compared to Ichigo the child who possessed the intertwined powers of Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow
Yuzu and Karin appeared almost entirely ordinary.
They possessed faint spiritual awareness, nothing more.
Meanwhile, in Soul Society, the effects of Isshin's disappearance continued to ripple through the Gotei 13 most notably within the Tenth Division.
That absence had driven one individual forward.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō.
After years of relentless training, he had finally achieved full command over his Bankai Daiguren Hyōrinmaru.
With that, he formally applied to undergo the captain proficiency test.
Hitsugaya had long been under observation by Central 46.
His Zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru, was widely regarded as the most powerful ice-type Zanpakutō. Combined with his extraordinary Reiatsu and prodigious talent at such a young age, he was seen as a potential pillar of the future.
Some even speculated that, given time, he might stand alongside the greatest figures in Soul Society.
Thus, when news came that he had mastered Bankai, Central 46 immediately turned its attention toward him once more.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto approved the request.
Ordinarily, even with Bankai, passing the captain proficiency test was no simple matter. Experience, judgment, and composure all played critical roles.
And Hitsugaya was young exceptionally so.
But talent could not be ignored.
He was not merely gifted
He was a prodigy among prodigies.
His Reiatsu had already reached captain-class levels. His control over Hyōrinmaru granted him overwhelming combat capability, and even among captains, his Bankai was not something to be taken lightly.
Though still maturing, his strength was undeniable.
In the end
Hitsugaya Tōshirō passed.
Without obstruction, without exception.
He was appointed as the new captain of the Tenth Division.
The youngest captain in the history of the Gotei 13.
Within the division itself, the shift was profound.
The former Third Seat had risen directly to captaincy, surpassing even Matsumoto Rangiku, who now stood as his lieutenant.
When Rangiku first heard the news, her reaction was… complicated.
"Seriously…? That kid?" she muttered, clearly displeased at the thought of addressing Hitsugaya as "Captain."
But her complaints were surface-level.
Deep down, she understood.
Hitsugaya had stepped forward when the division needed it most.
He had carried the weight left behind by Isshin.
And if Isshin were still here
He would undoubtedly be proud.
Across the Gotei 13, reactions varied.
Among older Shinigami, there was no small amount of disbelief and envy.
Many had spent decades, even centuries, striving to climb the ranks, only to remain seated officers or lieutenants.
Yet this young prodigy had ascended in mere years.
From Third Seat… to captain.
Such was the difference in talent.
Within the Thirteenth Division, Jūshirō Ukitake received the news with a gentle sigh.
"A remarkable individual…" he said softly.
He recalled how he had once considered recommending Shiba Kaien for the same position. Yet in the end, the true successor had already been within the Tenth Division all along.
A hidden brilliance, revealed only through adversity.
Ukitake did not regret Kaien's choice.
If anything, Kaien's presence within the Thirteenth Division allowed him to focus more on his fragile health, entrusting the division's daily affairs to capable hands.
In the Fifth Division barracks, Aizen Sōsuke remained as composed as ever.
"Let us hope," he murmured quietly, adjusting his glasses, "that you do not become an obstacle in the future."
A genius, certainly.
But still incomplete.
Growth required time and whether Hitsugaya would become an asset or a hindrance remained to be seen.
If he chose to stand in Aizen's path…
Then his fate would be no different from the many "geniuses" who had come before.
After all, within the Gotei 13, those who reached captaincy were all exceptional.
And yet
They had all been accounted for.
Time continued its steady flow.
Years passed after Hitsugaya's appointment, and the world both within and beyond Soul Society remained in motion.
Far from Japan, in the human world
In the heart of London, within an ancient and secluded castle
A presence that had slumbered for many years…
Slowly awakened.
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