Chapter 007: [Rewards: All Five Zanpakuto Categories +1]
He didn't let himself sit in the glow of Aizen's compliment for long. A quick mental reset, and Matsushita Yusuke was back to baseline.
The point of performing well was to get Aizen Sosuke to notice something worth noticing.
And then to keep him interested.
Which meant it was time to move to the next phase.
"Aizen-sensei, there's actually something else I wanted to ask you about..."
Aizen caught the shift in Matsushita Yusuke's expression and let his smile settle into something a little more composed. He gave a measured nod.
"Of course. Anything I can help with, I'm happy to."
...Is leaving things deliberately open-ended just how people like this operate?
Whatever. Not worth analyzing.
Matsushita Yusuke exhaled quietly, reached to his side, and drew the blade hanging at his hip.
His Zanpakuto.
"Actually, during the week you were away, I went ahead and filed the paperwork with the Academy. I've been issued this asauchi."
Aizen's gaze dropped to it.
A blade. Sharp enough to cut, built to fight, the foundation of a Shinigami's confidence.
Matsushita Yusuke wasn't sure if Aizen had caught it, but for just a fraction of a second, something in those eyes seemed to go cold.
It was buried quickly. By the time Aizen lifted his head again, his expression was back to its usual calm, and he spoke with a quiet laugh.
"An asauchi, then. Is there something specific you wanted to ask me about it?"
Matsushita Yusuke gave a small nod.
"I want to know what it actually takes for a Shinigami to achieve Shikai."
Shikai.
The first step of releasing a Shinigami's power. The initial attempt at unlocking what was there.
In practice, it wasn't an unreachable goal. In the original story, anyone who could manage Shikai was generally qualified to hold a seated officer position in the Gotei 13. Even so, the total count of Shinigami who could pull it off was somewhere in the low hundreds across all of Soul Society. A small minority.
So Aizen Sosuke's first reaction, on hearing the question, was to tilt his head.
Then the corner of his mouth curved up, and after a moment he let out a quiet laugh.
"Matsushita-kun certainly aims high. But for where things currently stand... it might be worth bringing those expectations down just a little, don't you think?"
Because honestly.
"If someone could release their Zanpakuto right after receiving their asauchi, 'genius' wouldn't even begin to cover it."
Actually, when you put it that way, that's fair.
Matsushita Yusuke laughed a little awkwardly.
He'd let his manga knowledge warp his sense of scale, if he was being honest. The entire original story followed Ichigo Kurosaki's perspective, and Ichigo was not a useful reference point for what was normal.
What kind of person was that guy, exactly?
Permanent Shikai release as his default state. A compressed Bankai he could pull out on a tight deadline. A few days of intensive training and he'd come out with the pro version of whatever ability he'd just unlocked. Push him hard enough and some stand-in would pop out of nowhere and batter the big villain into a breakdown.
Viewed from any kind of normal angle, those stories were simply unhinged.
Matsushita Yusuke was already an Academy student, but that kind of Ichigo-brain had clearly leaked into his expectations more than he'd realized.
He was still working out how to apologize for the question when Aizen exhaled softly and spoke first.
"That said, having ambitions that outrun your current situation is not a bad thing in itself."
A goal required a direction.
A direction gave you something concrete to push toward.
And Aizen Sosuke had never been the type to dismiss someone who showed genuine talent alongside genuine drive.
"Since Matsushita-kun came to me with this, I should give it a real answer."
Aizen set his hands down, adjusted his position, and turned to face Matsushita Yusuke more directly.
His expression was sincere. His attention was fully present. When he spoke, his voice had settled into something a little more deliberate.
"Let me ask you something first, then."
"Go ahead, Aizen-sensei."
"Why did you come to me with this?"
Why me specifically?
Is there something you noticed? Something that stood out? Are you trying to confirm a theory through the way I answer?
Nothing was said outright. But Aizen Sosuke carried a second language beneath everything he said, a layer of intent that moved quietly underneath the words. In this moment, that layer was very much present.
Matsushita Yusuke gave the answer he'd already prepared.
"Because you're the strongest Shinigami I have access to, Aizen-sensei."
He spread his hands open and smiled.
"If I search this entire Academy, you're the only confirmed Vice-Captain of Squad 5 on staff. I won't pretend otherwise. When it comes to this kind of thing, your opinion is the only one here that actually carries weight."
Aizen blinked.
Then something settled across his face, a look that was equal parts wry and quietly moved, like a man who'd just had something pointed out that was obvious in retrospect.
That was... actually hard to argue with.
Shin'o Academy had a strong academic tradition. But looking at the actual credentials of its permanent teaching staff, the most distinguished title anyone could claim was his own. Vice-Captain of Squad 5. Just the one.
He let out a short, helpless laugh, then composed himself and refocused.
Back to the question.
"Alright then... let me think through this properly."
Aizen adjusted his posture, fingers moving slowly along his jaw, a look of genuine consideration in his eyes. Then, unhurried:
"Generally speaking, the first thing a Shinigami needs to do in order to release their power is to have a conversation with their Zanpakuto."
This was extremely basic material.
For someone at Aizen's level, it was like being asked to solve a simple two-variable equation after years of advanced mathematics. Not difficult, but the kind of thing you had to actually stop and recall rather than just know instinctively.
"The practice is called Jinzen. You enter a meditative state, go inward, and speak directly with your Zanpakuto's spirit. The more you do it, the deeper that understanding becomes, and eventually that understanding is what lets you release your blade."
Oh.
Good to know. Probably not immediately useful, but good to know.
At the same moment, a familiar prompt surfaced in Matsushita Yusuke's vision.
[Learn Zanpakuto techniques under Aizen Sosuke]
[Profile: You are asking a hidden giant for guidance. His knowledge and insight run far deeper than anyone else around you. The question is... how much of it can you actually take in?]
[Rewards: All Five Zanpakuto Categories +1]