(T/N: Hey guys! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone! Thanks for the support!! it really helps a lot!)
"Vice-Captain Urahara is really diligent..." Kyōraku Shunsui looked envious as he turned to Katori Nanatsuki. "How do you manage it—getting your subordinates to work overtime so willingly...?"
"Research is Kisuke's passion. He's working voluntarily."
Katori Nanatsuki shook his head. He hadn't forced anyone to work overtime.
"It's true," Urahara Kisuke shrugged. "Once I dive into my research, I tend to lose track of time..."
These days, there were plenty of projects in the Development Department that caught Urahara's interest, keeping him busier than ever.
Aizen Sōsuke glanced at Urahara Kisuke. He was intrigued by this seemingly laid-back man. He had heard his teacher speak of Urahara before.
Aside from Urahara, Aizen had never heard his teacher praise anyone's intellect so highly.
"Truly enviable..." Kyōraku Shunsui sighed and looked at his own vice-captain. "If only Reika was just as understanding!"
Vice-Captain Takagi Reika of Squad 8 was a bespectacled woman with the air of an intellectual older sister.
"If Captain could refrain from drinking on duty, sleeping on duty, and going missing during work hours... then maybe I'd have fewer complaints," Reika calmly adjusted her glasses and replied.
"Don't be ridiculous! I work hard!" Kyōraku's expression shifted slightly, sneaking a glance at Yamamoto.
"Vice-Captain Takagi," Yamamoto said coldly, "If anyone is drinking, sleeping, or otherwise missing during duty, report it to me at once."
"Reika!" Kyōraku was horrified. "Please give me a chance to change!"
Reika simply pursed her lips and said nothing.
"Hahaha, Captain Kyōraku is still as lively as ever!" Kuruyashiki Kenpachi laughed heartily.
"And both students who made it to the finals are disciples of Captain Katori. The Katori-ryu really is overflowing with talent!"
Ukitake Jūshirō turned to Aizen. "Vice-Captain Aizen's performance in the last Live Blade Tournament was also unforgettable."
After familiarizing himself with the Fifth Division's operations, Aizen took on the role of vice-captain. Among Nanatsuki's disciples, only Shihōin Yoruichi had been promoted faster.
"Any success I've had is thanks to my teacher's guidance," Aizen replied humbly.
"That blind student of yours—he was taken in later, right?" Kyōraku asked curiously. "He's quite the prodigy. Blind in both eyes, yet his spiritual perception is extremely sharp."
Kyōraku had watched the semifinals, so he had seen Tōsen Kaname fight.
"His perception might even surpass many seated officers'," Ukitake praised.
"I tested Kaname's perception before I accepted him as a disciple. It truly is extraordinary," Nanatsuki nodded.
"I don't know how you do it—finding so many prodigies!" Kyōraku said with a hint of jealousy.
The Soul Society never lacked talent, but to have so many geniuses gathered under one teacher was a marvel in itself.
"Maybe he has some trick for identifying them..." Unohana Retsu mused. She too found it mysterious how so many prodigies ended up under Katori Nanatsuki.
"It's fate!" Shihōin Yoruichi giggled. "Fate brought us all together!"
"That's not wrong," Nanatsuki chuckled. "Kaname was introduced to me by another of my disciples. They're friends."
During his time at the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy, Nanatsuki had naturally come across many students. Using his knowledge of the future, he had taken them in as disciples before their talents had even manifested.
"Fate, huh..." Aizen suddenly recalled the day he met his teacher.
It had indeed been a chance encounter.
Later, Aizen had asked his teacher about it. He learned that Nanatsuki had been looking into someone from the Kasumioji family, and had stumbled upon Aizen through a mutual contact.
"That kind of fate is truly enviable..." Unohana said.
She had never officially taken on a disciple but had occasionally mentored promising young Shinigami.
She had once taught Nanatsuki some Kaidō for a while.
Now, she was helping Kotetsu Isane become a competent vice-captain.
"Teacher, which of the two is stronger?" Yoruichi asked. Since Tōsen Kaname joined later, she wasn't too familiar with his capabilities.
"In terms of Reiatsu, Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Kidō, Azashiro Sōya surpasses Tōsen Kaname," Nanatsuki replied.
"If his Reiatsu and core disciplines are all superior, then it's a total victory, right?" Yoruichi asked, puzzled. "Or is there more to it?"
"Tōsen has incredibly sharp combat instincts. He's a natural-born fighter." Nanatsuki paused. "Perhaps it's his heightened spiritual perception that grants him such uncanny intuition."
Though Kaname was blind, his battle instincts were terrifyingly sharp.
Nanatsuki believed Kaname's intuition rivaled that of seasoned vice-captains and elite seated officers.
"That makes this match all the more exciting," Ukitake smiled.
Moments later, Danmu Zōsuke stepped onto the arena platform.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Shin'o Academy finals!" Danmu's tone was bright with enthusiasm.
"Azashiro Sōya and Tōsen Kaname have fought their way through countless opponents to reach this final showdown. Now, they'll battle it out for the championship! Let's see who emerges victorious in this year's Live Blade Tournament!"
Azashiro Sōya and Tōsen Kaname stepped onto the arena one after the other.
In the past two years, Sōya had grown taller and now resembled a noble young lord.
The moment he appeared, the student stands erupted with cheers.
"Your disciple sure is popular with the girls!" Kyōraku Shunsui chuckled after glancing toward the crowd. He immediately gave up on the idea of recruiting Azashiro Sōya into Squad 8.
'This little heartbreaker can go wreak havoc in some other squad,' he thought.
"Captain," Reika calmly adjusted her glasses and asked, "You're not seriously jealous of a student who hasn't even graduated yet, are you?"
"What nonsense..." Kyōraku's eye twitched. He straightened his expression. "As the Captain of Squad 8, I would never be jealous of a mere academy student. I'm simply moved by the passion of the youth!"
When Tōsen Kaname walked up to the arena platform, the reaction from the students was much more subdued.
"Come on, give it your all! I won't be holding back!" Azashiro Sōya said, cracking his knuckles.
"Of course," Kaname nodded calmly.
The two bowed to each other—then almost simultaneously drew their blades.
Clang!