Chapter 8: The Fifth Division's Great Treasure
The first Sunday of April.
After the rain, the air was exceptionally clear.
Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo made their way to the Fifth Division under Aizen's invitation.
When they arrived, they saw Aizen standing on the veranda of the barracks, hands tucked into his sleeves, as gentle and composed as ever, seemingly offering a few quiet words of comfort to a subordinate who had made some small mistake.
Takeru and Ichigo waited at the other end of the corridor, not wanting to intrude, and only approached once he had finished his official business.
"Shimiya-kun, Kurosaki-kun, welcome to the Fifth Division. You did not run into any trouble on the way here, I hope?"
"No, not really. It is just a bit far. It would be a lot more convenient if there were some kind of transportation, like a bus or something."
Ichigo scratched the back of his head with a wry smile.
"A very pertinent suggestion. I will bring it up with the Head Captain and Central 46 at the next Captains' meeting."
Aizen spoke as if he were seriously considering it.
Ichigo immediately felt guilty.
"No, no, it does not need to go that far. It is not that unbearable. Right, Shimiya?"
"Honestly, I do not think buses would be enough. Trains would be better. Actually, is there any potential for building a subway between the different districts? Sounds like a promising investment project."
Takeru's thoughtful expression was a mirror of Aizen's.
"Hey!"
"A bold idea. But if it is the two of you, it may not be entirely impossible."
"Aizen sensei, should you not be stopping your students from daydreaming right now?"
"Kurosaki-kun, I must correct a misunderstanding. As a teacher, I should encourage students not to abandon their ideals, no matter how unrealistic they appear. That is the privilege of a genius."
There was a subtle weight in Aizen's tone.
Ichigo felt that the second half of that sentence sounded a little dangerous somehow, but before he could fully process it and argue back, Takeru cut in.
"We can discuss that investment proposal later. For now, let us talk about the main reason we are here."
"As Shimiya-kun says. But before that, let us move to another location."
Aizen led them deeper into the division's grounds, to a structure that could be called either a small dojo or a thatched hut.
It looked simple from the outside, but it occupied its own independent courtyard and sat in a core area of the inner barracks. No matter how rustic its appearance, its location alone made it clear that it was anything but ordinary.
"What do you think of the Fifth Division now that you have seen it in person?"
Aizen suddenly asked the question as they stepped into the courtyard.
Takeru and Ichigo exchanged a glance.
Ichigo answered first.
"What I think, huh... If I had to say, even though the uniforms are different from the Spirit Arts Academy, the atmosphere feels kind of similar."
"You mean it has an academic atmosphere, right?"
Takeru picked up the thread.
"Exactly. It feels like an educational institution."
Ichigo's eyes brightened as he found the word.
"Actually, I got the same impression. And I think I have some idea why."
Takeru looked toward Aizen, who simply smiled without answering.
"From what I have seen, the members of the Fifth Division are all very emotionally stable. Their spiritual pressure is not deliberately suppressed, but it does not feel oppressive either. It is like breathing or a heartbeat. You are aware of it, but you do not focus on it. It is not that they lack aggression, it is more like they are consciously making sure they do not disturb others."
"This is the complete opposite of Brother Kurosaki here, who still cannot fully get a handle on his spiritual pressure."
"Say what you want, just do not use me as your example. I think I am doing pretty well now. Even the Kido instructor praised me a few days ago."
Ichigo's tone was full of protest.
"With you, any little improvement is enough to make a teacher happy. Do not interrupt. Where was I... Right. In short, if you ask me what my impression of the Fifth Division is, my conclusion is this."
Takeru took a breath and spoke clearly.
"The baseline Kido level of the Fifth Division members is most likely above the passing line."
His words were like a thrown rock.
Even Ichigo forgot his frustration for a moment and blurted out, "You have got to be kidding me."
After coming to the Spirit Arts Academy, he was no longer the clueless Substitute Shinigami who had no idea how things worked. He now understood exactly how valuable "above average Kido" really was.
To put it bluntly:
Even after six full years of training, at least half of all graduates would still not reach that line.
Under those conditions, unless the Fifth Division recruited only Kido specialists, there was no way for every single member to have that level of proficiency.
But if they really did focus their recruitment like that, would the Kido Corps not have reported them already?
Oh, right. The Grand Kido Chief and Vice Chief had both defected. There was no one left to lead the protest.
Before Ichigo's thoughts could spiral any further, Aizen himself cut off that only obvious speculation.
"Shimiya-kun's observations are very sharp, and his idea is very bold. To that, I can only say this."
Aizen turned slightly, the edge of his haori swaying with the movement.
"Indeed, the vast majority of Fifth Division members possess considerable Kido ability."
"And the reason for that is closely related to the building behind me."
At those words, Takeru and Ichigo both instinctively looked back at the thatched hut dojo.
Aizen did not drag it out. He simply revealed the answer.
"It has a name. We call it the Spiritual Power Restoration Chamber."
"As the name suggests, it is a training facility that accelerates the recovery of spiritual power spent on Kido."
"With its help, our members can conduct high intensity Kido practice for extended periods. When that is combined with the theory they learn in their daily lessons, they can truly raise their baseline Kido ability."
"Even if their talent has limits and they cannot master higher level spells, as long as they can abandon the incantation while preserving most of the spell's power, recombine what they have learned into new Kido, then apply tactics and combat experience on top of that, it is still a great accomplishment."
"Giving those who are not geniuses a real path to becoming strong. That hope is what supports their emotional stability."
"It is no exaggeration to say that, at present, the overall Kido strength of the Fifth Division is second to none among the Gotei 13. Of course, we are still slightly inferior to the Kido Corps."
He added that last line with modesty, even though there was no one from the Kido Corps present to hear it.
"I did not expect the Fifth Division to be hiding such a treasure."
Takeru clicked his tongue softly.
The toll that overtaxing the mind took during training was far more troublesome than simple physical strain.
A training ground that helped you quickly recover that spiritual fatigue was almost priceless.
As someone who possessed Compound Potions and could push himself with brutal training every day without worrying about collapsing, Takeru understood the value even more keenly.
It seemed he would be visiting the Fifth Division often from now on.
"So, Aizen sensei, this place can fix my problem, right?"
Ichigo finally could not hold back and leaned forward slightly.
Aizen, however, shook his head.
"I am afraid not."
"Huh?"
"Its purpose is to restore spiritual power consumed by Kido, not to help someone control their own spiritual pressure. It can have a supporting effect, but it is not designed for the stage you are at."
"The more you talk, the less I get it."
"In that case, let us be straightforward."
Aizen's gentle tone did not change, but his words cut cleanly.
"Kurosaki-kun. Give up on Kido."
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