Three hundred sixty-five days a year, five work, two rest...
Over a hundred years...
Rounding it up, that's nearly thirty thousand seeds!
Although each seed draws only a small amount of spiritual power—unconscious energy that drifts away from the soul—the cumulative effect, over time, is an incredibly terrifying speed of spiritual power accumulation.
'By then, I won't be practicing alone. The entire Gotei 13 will be assisting me in my training!'
As this thought crossed his mind, Makoto's lips curved upward, and he couldn't help but show a smile.
Noticing this, Yamada raised an eyebrow at the sight of Makoto's relaxed and pleased expression and asked, "Makoto, are you that happy to join the Fourth Division?"
Makoto blinked in surprise, then quickly responded with a firm expression.
"Of course. Saving lives and healing wounds is my dream. From the moment I entered the Shin'o Academy, I've been hoping to join the Fourth Division and become a proud and great Shinigami…"
Pausing, Makoto glanced at Yamada's somewhat cold and cynical face and continued.
"At this moment, I feel like I'm so close to my dream. How could I not be happy?"
"Hmm…"
Yamada nodded before sharply retorting, "You're getting ahead of yourself with that joy."
?
Makoto stared blankly at him, a little stunned by the harshness of the words. Yamada, however, smiled to himself and muttered as he moved on.
"Senju Makoto, are you sure you want to apply to the Fourth Division?"
"Yes."
"Alright, then please wait a moment. After we finish recruiting the other graduates, we'll discuss it further."
With that, Yamada turned back to attend to the other graduates.
Taking the opportunity, Makoto said his goodbyes to Ikkaku and Ayasegawa, while also giving a stern remarks on their high-handed actions.
It was precisely because Ikkaku and Ayasegawa had schemed to recruit Makoto into the Eleventh Division that he had, by chance, ended up planting the "Seed of the Forest" inside Zaraki.
However, Makoto could not condone their actions and firmly warned them that if they tried something similar again, there would be consequences—he had already given his warning.
Ikkaku, on the other hand, seemed quite reluctant to part with Makoto, promising that if he had the time, he would visit the Fourth Division often.
Given Ikkaku's personality, Makoto didn't doubt this for a second. With his love for fighting and lack of skill, he would undoubtedly end up in the Fourth Division's infirmary soon after joining the battle-hungry Eleventh Division.
As for Ayasegawa, he didn't say much. He simply expressed some regret, but the way his gaze lingered with unspoken meaning caused Makoto to subconsciously tense up.
But both Ikkaku and Ayasegawa still had to recruit more graduates on behalf of Zaraki, so they quickly got back to work.
As the rest of the graduates slowly made their decisions, the preliminary division choices dragged on for over an hour before they were finally completed.
Leaving the venue, they began the internal assessment for the squads directly within the Shin'o Academy.
However, it seemed that Yamada had no intention of lingering within the Shin'o Academy. He immediately led eighteen graduates, including Makoto, out of the academy and into the heart of the Seireitei.
Seireitei.
The center of the Soul Society's ruling and military institution, surrounded by towering white walls that stretched into the sky. On the outside were the chaotic and impoverished Rukongai districts, while inside lay the magnificent Seireitei, the sacred grounds that the Shinigami of the Thirteenth Division were tasked with protecting.
After leading the graduates into the Seireitei, Yamada continued to give them a detailed tour, explaining the layout of the Seireitei, the division headquarters, special areas, and various taboos to avoid.
"Excuse me, Vice-Captain Yamada…"
While Yamada spoke confidently, a hesitant voice came from among the graduates.
"Are we really allowed to be briefed on all of this beforehand? Have we already passed the Fourth Division's assessment?"
"Of course!" Yamada turned to look at the tall graduate with silver-gray short hair, glanced at the roster in his hand, and said, "Kotetsu Isane, right?"
"Yes, Vice-captain Yamada," Isane quickly responded.
"That's right. Starting today, you are all official members of the Fourth Division," Yamada declared.
"Eh? But… but haven't we not even done the squad assessment yet?" Isane asked nervously. "If our healing and medical skills aren't up to par, won't that affect the injured?"
"That's not important at all..." Yamada shook his head, chuckling. "It doesn't matter if you don't understand healing arts at all. The Fourth Division is severely understaffed when it comes to corpse transport."
Instantly, Isane's face turned pale, and the other graduates' expressions darkened as well.
After all, there were eighteen graduates applying to join the Fourth Division, most of whom had been charmed by Captain Unohara's gentle aura, intending to become his subordinates.
But... corpse transport?!
They had been practicing "Zanjutsu" and "Hoho" every day, not for corpse transport! What the hell?!
At that moment, most of the graduates' faces soured, and their gazes toward Yamada were filled with resentment.
Aside from Makoto, who genuinely cherished the healing arts and medicine, the majority of Seireitei Academy students focused their energy on the four basic combat techniques of the Shinigami: Zanjutsu (Swordsmanship), Hakuda (Hand to Hand Combat), Hohō (Shunpo/Step Techniques), and Kidō (Spiritual Arts).
Healing arts, specifically the special branch of Kidō related to healing, wasn't a major part of the academy's curriculum, and therefore didn't weigh much in assessments.
This led many students to possess only rudimentary healing skills, mostly limited to basic emergency blood-stopping techniques.
Even those applying to the Fourth Division were generally insecure about their healing abilities.
After being struck down by Yamada's harsh words, some graduates began retreating into themselves, growing more withdrawn.
Makoto, too, couldn't help but internally grumble about Yamada's sharp tongue, which seemed unable to hold back its barrage of relentless criticism.
"Perhaps... the constant shortage of members in the Fourth Division has something to do with this sharp-tongued vice-captain..." Makoto thought to himself.
"If it were Aizen as the vice-captain, with his seemingly flawless gentleness and charm, the Fourth Division would never have this problem."
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