"You flatter me, Lieutenant Aizen."
"You didn't even use your Bankai yet claim I didn't get to enjoy myself… isn't that going too far?"
"Captain Kyoya, you jest."
Aizen shook his head with a wry smile, "It's true I didn't use Bankai, but Captain Kyoya didn't even draw his sword."
"My Bankai wouldn't have made any noticeable difference in a battle against Captain Kyoya."
"But Captain Kyoya's Zanjutsu is universally acknowledged as the strongest..."
"If Captain Natsuye uses his Zanjutsu, even if I activated Bankai, I would have stood no chance of resisting."
As the battle between Kyoya and Aizen concluded, Aizen released his Zanpakuto's Shikai, and the thick mist dissipated. Everyone could now see Kyoya's fingertip pressed against Aizen's back.
Naturally, Aizen's words were heard by all.
On this point, many of the Captains nodded in agreement.
Zanjutsu, as one of the four fundamental combat skills of a Shinigami, could indeed greatly enhance one's strength.
Just look at Unohana for proof.
In terms of Reiryoku, there were certainly first-generation Captains who could rival Unohana.
Yet, the title of Strongest Shinigami belonged to her… Unohana Yachiru!
Similarly, the [Kenpachi] title, which granted immunity to interference from the Captain-Commander and the Central 46, was a testament to Unohana's overwhelming strength.
Kyoya's abilities were far from being so limited.
While it was true that after his Bankai, Kyoya's Zanpakuto fused with his body, during his Shikai, he had already demonstrated the ability to condense light into a light sword.
It was unlikely that Kyoya would lose this ability after achieving Bankai.
Aizen's claim that he hadn't let Kyoya fight to his full potential wasn't wrong.
But in reality, Aizen's mastery of Zanjutsu might not be inferior to Unohana's.
If Kyoya had used his swordsmanship in their battle, his combat prowess would undoubtedly have risen by another level.
Of course, if Kyoya hadn't used his [Light Perception] or Observation Haki, even with his unparalleled swordsmanship, he would have been completely at Aizen's mercy under the hypnosis of Kyoka Suigetsu.
"My apologies, Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
Aizen sheathed his Zanpakuto and approached Yamamoto, "I failed to last half an hour against Captain Kyoya. I failed the test."
Yamamoto remained silent.
Even he hadn't expected the battle between Aizen and Kyoya to end so quickly.
"Haha, don't feel too bad, Lieutenant Aizen. Against Captain Kyoya in that state, even I might not last half an hour."
At that moment, Kyoraku's voice chimed in.
"Old man, Captain Kyoya's strength isn't something an average Captain can match."
"Though Lieutenant Aizen lost to Captain Kyoya, he still demonstrated combat prowess no weaker than any other Captain."
Hearing this, the surrounding Captains nodded in agreement.
Aizen's displayed mastery of Kido was indeed superior to many captains.
"Indeed, it's just that Lieutenant Aizen chose Captain Kyoya as his opponent."
"If he had picked me instead, I likely would have been defeated by now!"
This remark came from Ginrei.
When Aizen released his Zanpakuto, the mist enveloping the battlefield had even blocked their Reikaku.
Clearly, being trapped in that fog would pose a significant challenge for any Captain present.
Combined with Aizen's demonstrated Kido prowess, defeating someone like Ginrei, who is deprived of sight, would have been no difficult feat.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, I believe Captain Aizen has already displayed strength befitting a Captain. Therefore, he undoubtedly qualifies to become the Captain of the 5th Division."
"Hereby, in my capacity as captain of the 6th Division, I recognize Captain Aizen as the new Captain of the 5th Division!"
The Captain Assessment was, after all, an opportunity for fellow Captains to assess the new candidate.
Since Aizen had been recommended by Kyoraku and others, Ginrei had no objections.
After stating his decision, Ginrei turned to the 10th Division's Captain, Isshin.
"Captain Shiba, what do you think?"
"Eh? Me?"
Isshin was momentarily taken aback by Ginrei's sudden question.
After a brief pause, he straightened up and replied seriously, "I agree with what Captain Kuchiki said."
"Aizen has indeed demonstrated captain-level strength. In my capacity as Captain of the 10th Division, I also recognize Aizen as the new Captain of the 5th Division."
"Captain Kyoya, what do you say?"
Yamamoto turned to Kyoya for his opinion.
Currently, the Gotei 13 has only seven Captains remaining.
Among them, Yamamoto has made his final decision and will not personally intervene.
The recommendations of Kyoraku, Unohana, and Ukitake, as well as the approval of Kyoya, Isshin, and Ginrei, are the key factors in determining whether Aizen can become the Captain of the 5th Division.
Now, Ginrei and Isshin have already stated their positions.
As the one Aizen Sosuke challenged, Kyoya's attitude is particularly crucial.
If Kyoya approves, Aizen will become the new Captain of the 5th Division.
But if Kyoya does not approve, Aizen will have to wait at least three more years to become a Captain.
Seeing everyone's eyes turn toward him, Kyoya shrugged.
"Lieutenant Aizen didn't even use his Bankai and still forced me to release mine. If someone with that level of strength can't pass the Captain Assessment, then none of the future Captain Candidates would ever qualify."
Hearing Kyoya's words, the other Captains inwardly rolled their eyes.
'What kind of joke was this?'
'Did Aizen really 'force' you to use his Bankai?'
'It's obviously you who can always maintain the Bankai state, right?'
Just ask the other Captains… how long can they maintain their Bankai state at their peak?
This was like when Ichigo was training with the Visored to master his Hollowfication. After a period of hard work, he finally managed to maintain his Hollow mask for eleven seconds.
But then, he asked why Kuna Mashiro didn't train, only to learn the ultimate truth.
Mashiro was the only one in the Visored who could maintain her Hollowfication state 24 hours a day.
Eleven seconds versus twenty-four hours… how could that not be crushing?
At the time, eleven seconds was Ichigo's limit.
But twenty-four hours wasn't Mashiro's limit… it was just that a day only had twenty-four hours.
"Since Captain Kyoya also acknowledges Lieutenant Aizen's strength, I now declare that Aizen Sosuke's Captain Assessment has been passed!" Yamamoto nodded slightly.
Having Aizen Sosuke become the Captain of the 5th Division was, after all, a good move to stabilize the current situation in the Seireitei.
The sooner the vacant Captain's positions were filled, the sooner the Gotei 13's Shinigami could feel at ease.
"Congratulations, Aizen Sosuke."
"From now on, you are the Captain of the 5th Division."
"Thank you, Captain-Commander."
Aizen bowed slightly: "Captain-Commander, and all my seniors, I will do my utmost to fulfill the duties of the 5th Division and dedicate my strength to protecting the Seireitei!"
Well, there was nothing wrong with that statement.
After all, from Kyoya's understanding of Aizen, his goal had always been to create the Oken himself, ascend to the Soul King Palace, and replace the Soul King as the new 'God'.
Even when he ultimately failed and was imprisoned in Muken, during his battle with Yhwach, he told him, "Welcome to my Soul Society."
Clearly, Aizen already saw the three worlds as his own possession.
He firmly believed that one day, he would become the God seated upon the throne.
Since it was his own property, he would naturally protect it, not destroy it.
'No notification…'
After returning to the 11th Division's Captain's quarters, Kyoya sighed.
Even though he had acted as an examiner and added a new 'Admiral' to the 'Marines', the achievement system showed no reaction.
Clearly, as a 'Marine Admiral', he had pretty much reached the limit.
From here on, only the highest achievements, [Fleet Admiral] and [Commander-in-Chief], would grant him achievement rewards.
Translated to the Bleach World, this meant he would have to become the Captain-Commander or a member of the Zero Division to complete the achievements.
However, neither the position of Captain-Commander nor a Zero Division's member was something Kyoya could attain at his current level.
In terms of strength, he hadn't yet reached his peak, and there was still a gap between him and Yamamoto.
Even with the Steel Balloon Physique, Kyoya currently had no confidence in withstanding Yamamoto's Bankai.
At the very least, he would need to break through to 1st-class Reiatsu or further enhance his Armament Haki before he could stand against Yamamoto.
Unconsciously, Kyoya brought his thumb to his mouth and lightly bit his nail.
Today, Aizen had become the Captain of the 5th Division, stirring a rare sense of urgency in Kyoya's heart.
In a hundred years, if he didn't receive any achievement rewards within that time, Kyoya estimated his Reiatsu would barely reach 1st-class.
And that was only if he could maintain his Bankai state indefinitely without ever releasing it.
Additionally, his Steel Balloon Physique and Buccaneer bloodline would likely reach their peak, maximizing his defense and granting him a massive boost in strength.
As for Haki, the Conqueror's Haki wouldn't grow much without battles against strong opponents.
For Armament Haki, it is estimated to be increased to a higher level.
In Observation Haki, he might develop new abilities, but the changes wouldn't be drastic.
Calculating it out, Kyoya in a hundred years would be on par with Yamamoto.
That wasn't to say Kyoya was weak.
But the problem was, in a hundred years, every major enemy would be at least as strong as Yamamoto.
Whether it is Aizen who has transformed with the Hogyoku, Yhwach who has opened his eyes, or Ichibe, the Captain of Zero Division, none of them are simple characters.
And that wasn't even counting Yhwach after absorbing the Soul King, who would reach the realm of a literal God.
'I'll wait a little longer.'
'Twenty more years.'
'If nothing I do in the next two decades triggers any achievements… then I'll leave the Seireitei and establish my own faction...'
In the end, Kyoya set a deadline for himself.
After all, as long as he unlocked an achievement, he could gain a massive power boost in an instant.
A hundred years was a long time, so even if he spent twenty years experimenting, he'd still have eighty years to play with.
Once he made up his mind, Kyoya handed most of the Seireitei's administrative duties to Zaraki and turned his focus to the Rukongai.
"If I want to change the Rukongai, transportation is the key."
Staring at the map of the Rukongai spread across his desk, Kyoya stroked his chin, running calculations in his head.
It had been three years since the 11th Division's reforms began.
During these three years, under Ichinose's leadership, half of the Shinigami of the 11th Division have completely defeated all the violent groups in Rukongai.
At the same time, they had completed a full geographical survey of the entire Rukongai.
The map in front of Kyoya was a road network plan drafted by professional cartographers under Ichinose's supervision.
As someone who had undergone nine years of compulsory education in his past life, Kyoya knew that to improve people's lives, the most important thing was to increase their income.
To get rich, first build roads.
That principle held true no matter which world he was in.
Only with convenient transportation could local specialties circulate to other regions, allowing people to trade for what they needed.
Furthermore, not every district had desirable goods… if a region lacked competitive products, its people could still become the commodity.
Well, this is not in the sense of human trafficking, but rather labor migration… moving to areas with higher demand for workers to earn wages.
Better roads would also facilitate cultural exchange, allowing people to see sights they might never have witnessed otherwise, broadening their horizons and improving their quality of life.
"But… Mayuri still holds a grudge over me blinding him."
"If I ask him to develop road-building equipment, he'd definitely sabotage it somehow."
Kyoya shook his head.
The Rukongai's reconstruction was too important to risk involving an unstable element like Mayuri.
As a mad scientist, there was no telling what hidden traps he might plant in his inventions.
For example, Uryu had only fought Mayuri once, yet he was implanted with surveillance bacteria without even realizing it.
Sure, at Kyoya's current level, something like surveillance bacteria escape his perception and he could easily purge them.
But that was just one of Mayuri's known tricks.
If Mayuri had more advanced, undetectable monitoring methods, Kyoya had no interest in living under his constant surveillance.
"Forget it."
"I'll do it myself."