"Father-in-law!"
Following a clear, sharp voice, a tall and striking young man stepped into the room.
He wore the exquisite Kenseikan headpiece and a vibrant red silken scarf around his neck, the traditional symbols of the Kuchiki clan's nobility making him impossible to ignore.
'Damn, not only is this kid handsome, but his Reiatsu is genuinely impressive! He's practically the standard-issue golden bachelor,' Kazuma muttered to himself.
Kōga Kuchiki's confident entrance definitely broke the heavy tension in the room.
"Kōga, you're here. Come, let me introduce you," Ginrei said, gesturing toward his guest. "This is the Captain of the Seventh Division, Satou Kazuma. He has held his position in the Gotei 13 for over a 500 years. Captain Kazuma, this is my son-in-law, Kōga Kuchiki."
Kōga offered a polite, respectful bow.
His voice was clear and pleasant, leaving a good initial impression.
Kazuma sized the young man up, his admiration for Kōga's raw potential growing by the second.
While Kazuma observed him, Kōga was doing the exact same thing.
'A captain for over a half millenium years... I wonder just how strong he really is,' Kōga mused.
Standing straight, he asked, "May I ask what business brings Captain Kazuma to the Kuchiki Manor?"
Despite the polite words, Kōga's eyes lacked true respect.
He figured that holding a title for a long time didn't necessarily equate to invincibility.
Ginrei immediately caught that rebellious glint in his son-in-law's eyes. "Don't be rude, Kōga. I invited Captain Kazuma here to teach you."
"Teach.... me? I 've already achieved Bankai, so what else is there to teach? What qualifications does he have to instruct me?" Kōga challenged, his youthful pride flaring up.
Kazuma was still debating the best way to handle the Muramasa problem, but hearing Kōga's arrogant tone gave him an easy answer.
He casually toyed with the teacup in his hands.
'The arrogance of a genius, huh? I know exactly how to deal with geniuses. A good, old-fashioned beating usually fixes that.'
A golden glint flashed in Kazuma's eyes. "Captain Kuchiki, your clan should have a training ground built to withstand a Bankai, right? Please prepare it. Let Kōga and me have a little spar, and he'll find out real quick if I'm qualified to teach him."
Ginrei panicked, the color draining from his face. "Captain Kazuma, my son-in-law misspoke! Please don't take offense."
"Don't worry about it. I just want to test Kōga's strength, that's all. I won't break him."
"In that case... very well. I must ask you to show mercy, Captain." Ginrei could already picture the gruesome scene of his talented son-in-law getting completely thrashed.
...
Moments later, the two men stood facing each other on the sprawling Kuchiki training grounds, swords in hand.
Their locked gazes seemed to strike sparks in the air, the sheer intensity of their combined Spiritual Pressure causing the onlooking servants to hold their breath.
Kōga looked at Kazuma, the corner of his mouth curling into a disdainful smirk.
"Captain Kazuma, let's begin!" The blade in his hand glinted with a cold light, practically humming with anticipation.
Kazuma wasn't about to be outdone by a kid.
He gripped his sheathed sword, his gaze calm and unwavering.
"Alright, Kōga. But since it's a spar, we should make a wager! If I win, you must take me as your master. How about it?"
Kōga scoffed. "Oh? And what if you lose, Captain? What then?"
Kazuma smiled faintly, radiating absolute confidence. "Lose? That word doesn't exist in my dictionary."
Raising an eyebrow, Kōga let his provocation bleed into his voice. "Aren't you a bit too confident? If you do lose, you owe me a favor."
Kazuma nodded without a second of hesitation. "No problem. If I lose, forget one favor—I'll give you ten."
Wasting no more time, Kōga drew his sword and launched himself at Kazuma.
His swordsmanship was fierce and refined, every single strike packing immense lethal power.
"I haven't fought in a few hundred years, so I can finally stretch my muscles," Kazuma mused.
Facing the relentless assault, he didn't even bother drawing his sword, effortlessly dodging every swing with bursts of Shunpo.
After a flurry of consecutive slashes, Kōga realized he hadn't even managed to clip the fabric of Kazuma's Shihakushō.
"I admit your Shunpo is better than mine, Captain. But to refuse to even draw your Zanpakutō means you're underestimating me way too much!"
Kazuma didn't respond.
He simply used Shunpo to close the gap in a blink and swung his sheathed Zanpakutō right at Kōga's head.
Swoosh!
Kōga dodged with a desperate Shunpo of his own and instantly countered, his blade slicing cleanly through Kazuma's torso.
He smiled in triumph. "So Captain Kazuma isn't all that great after all—"
His triumphant laughter died in his throat.
There was no spray of blood.
The Kazuma he had just sliced in half blurred and faded away. It was merely an afterimage.
"Damn it..."
Before Kōga could even turn around, six brilliant panels of light slammed into his midsection, locking him in place.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō," Kazuma's voice echoed from right behind him.
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō."
Completely immobilized, Kōga couldn't put up a shred of resistance.
The crimson blast of the Red Fire Cannon struck him point-blank, sending him flying across the courtyard in a thick cloud of smoke.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Taking a direct hit from a mid-level Destructive Kidō left Kōga battered, his pristine noble attire now singed and disheveled.
Scrambling to his feet, he roared in frustration.
"As expected of a Captain, you do have some skill! But this isn't enough to defeat me! Whisper, Muramasa!"
He released his Shikai, the blade emitting a sinister, pulsing purple wave of Spiritual Pressure that washed over the training grounds.
In contrast, Kazuma just stood there, looking completely bored.
"How is this possible?" Kōga muttered.
Muramasa's unique power was supposed to bewitch the opponent's Zanpakutō, turning it against its master.
Yet, the sword resting in Kazuma's hand showed absolutely no reaction.
Realizing his mental infiltration had failed, Kōga leveled his blade and fired a massive, physical attack from the tip.
"Ice Fang Storm!"
A raging torrent of ice and snow erupted from Muramasa, hurtling toward Kazuma like an avalanche.
It was Kōga's most devastating attack before resorting to Bankai.
Kazuma didn't even flinch.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū."
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There's a bit of plot hole that i'm too lazy to correct, the Vasto lordes can naturally evolve to arrancar without Aizen hogyoku.