Unohana Retsu smiled gently as she faced the crowd, but her terrifying aura bared its fangs at everyone.
Those familiar with her knew that in such situations, it was best to keep quiet and follow Unohana Retsu's decisions.
Even someone like Chikane Iba just fiddled with the tea cups on the table, as if she could discern eighteen wrinkles from them.
Chikane Iba had recently submitted a report to the First Division about the Third Division's vacant Captain position. Being an acting Captain was too unbearable, and if they didn't appoint a Captain for the Third Division soon, she feared she might lose many years of her life.
As she waited for the new Captain to be appointed, Chikane Iba decided to keep a low profile.
Unohana Retsu nodded in satisfaction. Just as she was about to make a decision on this matter, someone suddenly raised their hand.
"Vice-Captain Kuchiki, do you have any objections?"
Kuchiki Byakuya clenched his fist near his mouth, coughed lightly, and said, "Regarding the reclassification of the Zanjutsulevels, I believe it is indeed feasible. The addition of level 11 and 12 is perfectly fine."
"However..."
"Does this guy really deserve to be the Vice President of the Zanjutsu Association?"
For a moment, all eyes were focused on Tokikaze.
The atmosphere gradually became eerie, and everyone's gaze kept shifting between the two, with some onlookers shining with curiosity as if they had learned something incredible.
Kuchiki Byakuya held his breath and tried to ignore the gaze of others, but he was still affected to some extent.
On the other hand, Tokikaze leaned back in the chair, eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to the situation.
"Hey, Captain, aren't you going to say something?"
Matsumoto Rangiku extended her finger and poked Tokikaze's arm.
"Ah, there's nothing to say." Tokikaze sighed lightly. "He is just jealous of me. But I've long been used to it. After all, he has never beaten me once since we're little."
Hearing these words, Kuchiki Byakuya's expression froze, staring at Tokikaze with a shocked look, as if wondering how he could utter such shameless words.
But when he recalled their past encounters, he suddenly realized that this kind of statement was in line with the current image of this guy.
Indeed, time was hard to change a person's nature!
"Rejected." Unohana Retsu replied lightly. "In terms of Zanjutsu, Captain Tokikaze is indeed qualified to serve as the vice president of the Zanjutsu Association. More precisely, no one is more suitable than him."
The spar between the two was exhilarating, and she expressed satisfaction, having not seen such a fulfilling battle in a long time.
Of course, if they could replace the bamboo swords with a Zanpakuto, it would be much better.
Unfortunately, that was not an option.
"Vice-Captain Kuchiki, do you have any other objections?" Unohana Retsu looked seriously at Kuchiki Byakuya, and the aura behind her lingered, gradually solidifying, as if a malevolent spirit was also staring at him.
"Ahem, since Captain Unohana says so, then I have no issues."
Under the oppressive momentum, Kuchiki Byakuya instinctively chose to yield.
At a critical moment, he finally remembered the identity of the woman in front of him, the most infamous criminal in the Soul Society.
Although the current Unohana Retsu had restrained herself a lot and learned to abide by the rules of the Soul Society, it was still better not to provoke her nerves at such times.
If he wasn't careful, he might not be able to succeed his grandfather as the future head of the Kuchiki Clan.
Hearing this, Tokikaze raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kuchiki Byakuya.
He suddenly realized that the current Byakuya was far from being as cool as he would become in the future.
Byakuya did it just as a way to maintain his own dignity as the role model of a Soul Reaper from Kuchiki Clan.
Since Kuchiki Sojun died in battle, Kuchiki Byakuya had been imposing strict requirements on himself, striving to meet the standards of the Kuchiki Clan's head.
And when Kuchiki Ginrei realized this, it was already too late. Byakuya couldn't change anymore as his personality had been ingrained in him.
Kuchiki Ginrei could only hope for other aspects, hoping that in the future, Kuchiki Byakuya would encounter someone or something that would make him change again.
Threatened by Unohana Retsu, Kuchiki Byakuya temporarily gave up on this topic, but he discreetly glanced at Tokikaze.
It indicated that this matter was far from over.
He would definitely wash away all the humiliation Tokikaze had inflicted on him in the past!
"As the future head of the Kuchiki Clan, it's quite impolite to look at people with such eyes."
Although Tokikaze had closed his eyes, due to his high level of spiritual particle affinity, he could keenly perceive any small movements of everyone in the room.
Kuchiki Byakuya turned his head away, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and also closed his eyes without saying a word.
Interracting with Tokikaze was too infuriating, and a slight mishap could lead to losing control of emotions.
To maintain the dignity of the nobles, he decisively chose to ignore what he didn't see.
The meeting proceeded as usual, and the following discussions involved trivial matters such as the budget issues of other associations, the supply of sweets for the president, and the purchase of swimsuits for the Female Soul Reapers Association members.
Ironically, the Female Soul Reapers Association had a highly efficient meeting, finishing in just half an hour.
It was more than several times more efficient than the family meetings Tokikaze had attended recently.
After the association meeting, Tokikaze, along with Nanao Ise and Rangiku Matsumoto, went straight back to the Ninth Division barracks.
It was time to fulfill the earlier promise.
"Captain, what is this for?"
Nanao Ise looked at the empty Kido training ground in front of her with a puzzled expression.
"I promised Captain Kyoraku to teach you Kido. Now that I have some free time, it's time to prioritize it."
Tokikaze spread his five fingers, and blue-white lightning danced repeatedly at his fingertips like spirits.
Nanao Ise adjusted the glasses on her high nose and watched the scene before her seriously.
"Hado #4 Byakurai?"
"Yes." Tokikaze nodded. "This is one of the most basic Hadō in the Shin'o Academy. You should have fully mastered it by now."
"Is the Byakurai I release any different from what you know?"
In terms of teaching, Tokikaze was not a good teacher. He could only transfer his knowledge to the person he taught by demonstrating it.
He believed that with Nanao Ise's intelligence, she should quickly be able to master it.
"The intensity of the lightning flashes is higher, and the aggregation of spiritual particles is more compact between releases. It seems to have a restrained aura, but the power should be amplified by two to three times."
Nanao Ise observed keenly. "This should stem from your profound control over Reiatsu and your perfect understanding of Byakurai."
"Just basic knowledge of mid-level Kido," Tokikaze explained. "It's also the knowledge taught by the instructors at the Shin'o Academy, but this seemingly simple common knowledge is rarely mastered by people."
Easier said than done, a truth that applied to any field.
"To not delay the work within the Division."
Tokikaze raised his right hand, emitting a sparkling electric light, and gestured, "I came up with a solution. Even the best knowledge and words cannot compare to trying it out for yourself."
"Put your hands on mine."
Tokikaze's words made her hesitate for a moment. The flickering electric light seemed like a spiky hedgehog. She knew she shouldn't touch it just by looking at it.
If she were to put her hands there, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Don't worry," Tokikaze said in a gentle tone, "I've already toned down the power within the range that an ordinary Soul Reaper can endure."
Nanao Ise raised her gaze, meeting Tokikaze's eyes. His gentle look was filled with confidence and encouragement.
After a moment of hesitation, she closed her eyes, extended her right hand forward, and intertwined her fingers with Tokikaze's.
Bzzz!
Electric flashes shimmered and jumped, spreading throughout Nanao Ise's body in an instant.
She widened her eyes, a look of disbelief in her gaze. The expected pain did not manifest. Instead, under the flow of the electric current, Nanao Ise felt her senses sharpening, as if the world had become clearer.
At this moment, Tokikaze's voice echoed again, "Remember this feeling and way to accumulate Reishi. While this method may not work to all Kido techniques, you can learn other Kido techniques by analogy..."
Tokikaze spoke eloquently. Although he wasn't good at paperwork, his knowledge of Kido flowed effortlessly.
In this situation, Nanao Ise's eyes sparkled as if she were absorbing relevant knowledge like a sponge.
The only downside was the tingling sensation in the palm of her hand, intensified by the continuous release of electric light.
And this sensation was gradually spreading throughout her body as the electric light wandered.
The situation seemed a bit precarious.
...
"Each Kido technique has different ways to gather Reishi, and there is more than one."
Tokikaze shared his knowledge about ghost Kido while briefly increasing Nanao Ise's affinity with Byakurai.
This teaching method was only applicable to him. For anyone else, it would be impossible.
After all, most Soul Reapers had similar affinities with Reishi. If they found it challenging to perceive the Reishi in the atmosphere, how could they use this method?
"The Hado #63 has sixteen different ways to accumulate Reishi. Different way will result in variations in the released effects, such as the triggering of Raikoho's boundary..."
"Captain, please stop for a moment!"
Before Tokikaze could finish his words, Nanao Ise interrupted, "I suddenly remembered that there's something urgent I need to attend to. Please resume your teaching next time!"
She abruptly withdrew her right hand and left the training ground without looking back.
Observing this, Tokikaze was puzzled and muttered to himself, "I was planning to let her try using Byakurai. Why did she leave so suddenly?"
"Didn't you already delegate the paperwork to Rangiku?"
"She sacrificed her shopping time to help with the paperwork."
He looked down at the palm of his hand, where the lightning was dancing, and then glanced at the distant figure stumbling away.
Suddenly, a dangerous thought flashed through Tokikaze's mind. He took a deep breath, his eyes slightly widened, and murmured softly:
"This teaching method seems a bit..."
In the following days, Nanao Ise deliberately avoided Tokikaze. Even the transfer of case files was entrusted to Rangiku Matsumoto.
Such abnormal behavior led Rangiku Matsumoto to instinctively have strange thoughts.
Because of that, she kept her eye on both Tokikaze and Nanao Ise.
This situation continued for several days until...
A new order was issued from the First Division.
"A large number of residents have gone missing in the areas beyond the District 70th of the North Rukongai."
In the Captain's office, Tokikaze sat lazily on the sofa, his black hair scattered on the backrest without the usual clip to hold it in place. He read the contents of the order expressionlessly.
"The Second, Third, and Fourth Division members are missing in the vicinity. Captain Tsunayashiro Tokikaze is to immediately investigate the North Rukongai."
"If necessary, the Bankai restriction may be lifted..."