Yamabuki Haruto wore a bitter expression. He'd only wanted to take advantage of the situation a little—why was life in the Gotei 13 so difficult?
He hadn't even finished training the new recruits, and now he was expected to teach students at Shin'ō Academy on top of it?
"Captain, can I get three salaries for three jobs?" Haruto asked hopefully.
"No," Yamamoto replied without missing a beat. "Is there a problem?"
"...No, no problem at all." Haruto staggered back to his quarters. Forget it. There's always a way out. With my brilliant brain, I'm sure I can figure out how to get through this without working myself to death!
The next morning, all members of the Gotei 13's new recruits gathered at the training grounds—an expanse of land Yamamoto had personally approved for their exclusive use.
More than a hundred fresh-faced Shinigami stood in rows, waiting for instruction. Haruto stood before them with his hands clasped behind his back, radiating the smug aura of a man in charge.
So… how exactly do I train them?
Truth be told, he didn't fully understand the ins and outs of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō himself. But if there was one thing Haruto could do, it was fake confidence.
"Is everyone here?" he barked.
"Everyone is here, Instructor!"
"Good." Haruto racked his brain for a lesson plan… and then an idea struck him.
"Everyone, go grab a wooden sword!"
The recruits returned, each with a practice blade in hand.
"Lesson one: survival. From this moment, everyone around you is an enemy. This will be a free-for-all. The last one standing will be captain of the newcomers, and in my absence, you'll obey their orders. Now… FIGHT!"
The group froze for a heartbeat—then chaos erupted.
The training ground turned into a storm of swinging swords, flying elbows, and dirty tricks. Even the two smallest girls in the group huddled together, terrified, as the carnage unfolded.
The average spiritual pressure here was barely fifteenth rank. Only one recruit, a young man named Fenghara, stood out—his ninth-rank reiryoku made him a terror, cutting down opponents one after another.
Within thirty minutes, he stood alone. Even the two frightened girls had been unceremoniously knocked out by him.
"Pathetic," Haruto said coldly. "The battlefield will be a hundred times worse than this. If anyone wants to quit, leave now. But if you stay, there's no turning back."
No one moved.
"Good. Now, the remaining 150 of you will be split into Team One and Team Two. I'll teach you how to cut, strike, and dodge. You'll compete against each other regularly. The losers will serve the winners for a day. If you want to keep your pride, then fight for it."
The nobles in the group bristled—being ordered to serve commoners would be worse than death. Which was exactly Haruto's point.
"Alright," Haruto shouted, "time to learn proper swordsmanship. Listen carefully!"
For the first time in their pampered lives, many of these nobles realized raw reiryoku wasn't enough. Under Haruto's relentless drills, they started to work hard for fear of humiliation.
From a distance, Yamamoto watched, arms folded. He nodded slightly. "Not bad… I underestimated him."
Three days later, Haruto stood before them again. "Time for a match. Treat the other team as an enemy. I'd rather you get injured here than die in battle. Go all out—short of killing."
Seventy-five Shinigami on each side charged in. The timid girls from day one were now fighting shoulder-to-shoulder, swinging wooden swords like their lives depended on it.
Hair was pulled, uniforms were torn, Kidō spells flew—
—It was utter chaos.
Shihōin Chihiro and Yamamoto watched from a platform above.
"Captain… isn't this training a bit… much?" Chihiro asked hesitantly.
"Much? I think it's perfect," Yamamoto said with a faint smirk. "In fact, we should give him more responsibilities. See what other talents he has."
By the end, only one fighter from Team Two remained standing. Team One—full of upper-class nobles—looked ready to explode.
"Instructor… can't we have a different punishment? Hit me if you must, but don't make me serve commoners!" one young noble pleaded.
Haruto's expression stayed calm. "Humiliation is the natural consequence of weakness. If you want your pride back, train harder, crush your enemies, and take it back yourself."
A spark lit in the boy's eyes.
"Instructor, increase the intensity of our training. Please!"
Team One echoed the sentiment.
Haruto grinned. "Since you're all asking so nicely… I'll happily oblige. Come on, young lions—let's see if you can roar."