"The academy is in its recruitment season, and we're short on teachers. The instructors in the academy asked me to come and help. I saw that there were no major issues in the squad, so I took a few days off."
Aizen's temperament was gentle, his tone slow and elegant. At a glance, he seemed like a very good person, inspiring favorable feelings.
If Kenma didn't know his true face, he would have been deceived by his hypocritical act.
'Helping?'
'I'm afraid he's looking for some useful tools among these new students, isn't he?'
Kenma's gaze fell on the silver-haired boy.
The boy's familiar appearance gave him a strong sense of déjà vu, adding a few more guesses to his mind.
Noticing Kenma's gaze, Aizen turned slightly, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.
"Senior, this is a child I discovered during the assessment earlier. His name is Ichimaru Gin. I'm bringing him to introduce to the teachers."
The young Ichimaru Gin bowed politely to Kenma, like a shy child.
"Greetings, my lord."
He still kept his eyes narrowed, but the faint smile on his face had lessened considerably.
Kenma nodded slightly in response.
'It really is Ichimaru Gin!'
To think he had already latched onto Aizen so early.
Kenma didn't believe a single word Aizen said.
However, combining it with the memories from his previous life, he could still see some clues.
Since Ichimaru Gin had come to join Aizen, it meant that Aizen had already begun creating the Hōgyoku!
Kenma's expression remained unchanged. "Sousuke, for you to bring him personally, it seems this child's talent is very high."
"You are a senior, after all. You saw it at a glance."
Aizen's praise was completely sincere.
"Senior, don't underestimate this child just because of his age. Gin's aptitude is outstanding. At such a young age, he already has the spiritual pressure of a professional Shinigami. He is also intelligent and quick-witted, without a doubt a true genius."
As if he were seeing the bright future of the Seireitei, Aizen's expression was completely genuine, utterly sincere.
After speaking, he even added a joke.
"His future accomplishments are limitless. He will surely far surpass an ordinary person like me. It's not impossible that he will even surpass you in the future, senior."
"You're being too modest."
Hearing Aizen say this, and then thinking of all his posturing and grandstanding in the future, Kenma felt a strange sensation in his heart.
'Acting?'
'Still acting?'
'If you're an ordinary person, then most of the Shinigami in the Seireitei are no better than pigs and dogs.'
It was as if Aizen had only just noticed there was someone else with Kenma. His gaze fell on Shisui, and the lenses of his glasses reflected a white light, obscuring one of his eyes.
"Senior, and this child is?"
"Same as you."
Kenma's reply was concise.
Aizen nodded and lamented, "A senior's judgment is never wrong. It seems another rising star will soon appear in the Seireitei."
Then he gave Shisui a gentle smile. "You and Gin are both freshmen in the same year. Please look after him in the future."
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Kenma led Shisui away.
Watching Kenma's departing figure, a smile once again rose on Aizen's face.
Gin, at his side, had been paying close attention to Aizen's every move. Seeing this, he asked, "Is that Shinigami very special, for you to pay him so much attention?"
"It's nothing."
Aizen shook his head slightly.
He remembered that back when he was studying at the academy, this senior, who was also called a top student, had been very resistant to him.
Although they were peaceful on the surface, how could the vigilance revealed in the other's subconscious actions escape his perception?
But seeing him again today, he detected a subtle change in his senior.
Should he say he was full of confidence, or perhaps the deliberately hidden fear and dread he had for him was gone?
'Is it because he joined the Shihoin clan?'
'How ridiculous.'
Aizen turned and walked towards the school building without looking back.
"Gin, let's go. The teachers inside must be getting impatient."
"Yes."
On the other side, Shisui noticed that Kenma, in front of him, had quickened his pace.
Recalling the faint tension he had sensed earlier, doubt arose in his heart.
After leaving the academy gates and seeing that the road was much less crowded, he asked apprehensively, "My lord... that person just now was..."
"Shisui, you must be careful of him in the future."
Kenma said without turning his head, his voice filled with an unprecedented gravity.
"Yes, my lord."
Shisui nodded in acknowledgement, then asked with a look of confusion, "I observed that his words and actions were gentle and kind. He seems like a good person. Is there something special about him?"
"A good person?"
Kenma snorted coldly. If Aizen was a good person, there would be no evil people in the world.
"Shisui, don't be deceived by his friendly exterior. That pretense is just a mask he uses to hide his true nature. His true colors are those of a cold and ruthless person."
Shisui seemed to only half-understand, but seeing Kenma speak so seriously, he raised his guard completely.
Kenma advised, "I remember he is currently a part-time instructor at the academy. In the future, if you see him at the academy, stay far away. Do not provoke him, including that boy with him, and above all, do not believe a single word he says."
"As you command."
"One more thing, never, ever watch his sword release."
Kenma remembered that that old fox Aizen had used the opportunity of teaching to release his Zanpakuto in front of the academy students on multiple occasions.
Shisui asked, "Why is that? Is his Zanpakuto's ability special, like our Uchiha clan's Sharingan, where you can be caught just by making eye contact?"
Kenma turned his head and gave Shisui a strange look.
A thought struck Shisui, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face. "Could it be that my guess is correct?"
"That's right."
Kenma nodded heavily and let out a sigh.
In all the days they had known each other, this was the first time Shisui had seen such an expression on Kenma's face.
Kenma explained, "His Zanpakuto is named Kyōka Suigetsu. Although he himself claims it is a water-type, with the ability to simply refract light and create illusions, its true ability..."
"Anyone who has seen Kyōka Suigetsu's release even once will be successfully brainwashed by him, completing the hypnosis. All external information they hear, see, and perceive will be altered by him, and they will become a puppet manipulated by him."
As far as Kenma knew, this was one of only two abilities in the Soul Society that could affect people's cranial nerves.
And as it happened, both of these abilities were currently in Squad 5. One had to say it was a kind of destiny.
Shisui was also taken aback by this terrifying ability.
"It's so powerful. Doesn't that make him invincible?"
With such a terrifying ability, Shisui simply couldn't imagine what in the world could defeat him.
"While it is strong, it can't be called invincible."
Kenma chuckled inwardly.
The Soul Society had countless powerhouses. Even if Aizen was very strong, he was not invincible.
"At least on the surface of the Soul Society, there is one person who is enough to overpower him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so restrained up to now."
The person Kenma was referring to was, naturally, the strongest Shinigami in the Soul Society for the past thousand years, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 who presided over the Seireitei!
Shisui suddenly realized something, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at Kenma.
"Then what about you, my lord?"
Not only could he see through that man's ability, but judging by their interaction just now, he showed no signs of being mesmerized and acted with great composure.
With such confidence, how strong must his true power be!
"Haha."
Kenma chuckled twice, the meaning unclear.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]