"Stand straight for this old man! What kind of slovenly posture is that?!"
Early in the morning, Old Man Yama was loudly reprimanding his most filial disciple, his booming voice utterly unconcerned about accusations of disturbing the peace.
Should've known better than to come this early. I'll probably be tortured by the old man all day. Sigh, wicked old man, you'll drive me to become like Shunsui Kyōraku sooner or later.
Kensei could only inwardly complain about Yamamoto, while outwardly he had to stand straight and obediently bear the old man's wrath. His two senior brothers looked at the ramrod-straight Kensei with pity, remembering they had gone through the same thing back in their day.
"This old man knows you are talented and promising from a young age, but you must not lose yourself in the world of frivolous pleasures. Look at young Kyōraku—he was also quite good in his youth. Though his talent couldn't match yours, this old man also held high hopes for him. But see what he's become now, drinking in pleasure houses all day?"
"Do you want to become like that frivolous, lazy, unreliable good-for-nothing Kyōraku?!"
Shunsui Kyōraku, who had been inexplicably scolded by the old man from the sidelines, silently pulled his woven hat down to cover his face, trying to minimize his presence.
"Your talent is great, which is precisely why you must learn self-restraint. You absolutely must not act recklessly."
Yamamoto earnestly advised Kensei. He already had one Shunsui Kyōraku; he couldn't afford another Shunsui Kyōraku Plus, or his own reputation, the gold-lettered signboard of 'Yamamoto Genryūsai', would be utterly ruined.
When it came to enduring long-winded lectures, who had more experience than Kensei? The strategy was always in one ear and out the other, putting on a surface performance to muddle through. But his reaction couldn't escape the eyes of the impossibly old Yamamoto, who saw at a glance that Kensei's mind had already started to wander.
"You scoundrel! Do you have any semblance of a Shinigami's bearing?!"
A slap landed on Kensei's head, making him gasp in pain.
"Report, Teacher! I haven't graduated yet, so technically, I'm not a Shinigami!"
Yamamoto glanced at the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy uniform Kensei was wearing and was momentarily at a loss for a rebuttal. But such things couldn't stump him.
"Jūshirō, these next few days, help Kensei submit his application for early graduation to me, the principal. I will personally approve it."
Oh no, forgot the old man founded the Academy. Shot myself in the foot this time.
Kensei's face fell. He cast a pleading look at the kind-hearted Ukitake, but unfortunately, Ukitake was a bully of the weak and feared the strong, not daring to stand up and defy the old man's tyranny.
"Kensei, do you have any objections?"
"Report, Teacher! This student completely obeys your wise guidance!"
Meeting Yamamoto's gaze, Kensei immediately thumped his chest in a show of loyalty. Sigh, when under another's roof, one must bow their head.
"You must have comprehended Sōkotsu recently. Use it, let this old man see."
If it weren't for a technique with the power of Sōkotsu, Kensei's hands wouldn't have ended up in that state. Yamamoto wanted to see if his Sōkotsu had any flaws, to avoid causing harm to his body.
"Osu!"
Kensei's spiritual pressure instantly concentrated in his arms. With his left arm low and right arm high, he slammed the attack toward Yamamoto, his expression so ferocious that one might suspect he was taking the opportunity for revenge.
"Good lad."
Crossing his arms in front of his face, Yamamoto blocked the attack. The force of Sōkotsu flowed around his body, carving two trenches in the ground behind him. Feeling the strength transmitted through his arms, Yamamoto couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
If not for Kensei's spiritual pressure still not being high enough, that blow might have really broken these old bones.
"Old Man Yama, you have nothing left to teach me."
Withdrawing his hands and placing them behind his back, Kensei turned away from Yamamoto, looking up at the sky as he spoke calmly. Then he was promptly punched into the ground by a casual fist from Yamamoto.
"This old man will teach you Jinzen first. Can't have you graduating without having awakened your Zanpakutō."
Having lived so long, Yamamoto had seen much. Logically, with Kensei's level of talent, his Zanpakutō should have long ago begged him to speak its true name. Yet Kensei's Asauchi had remained utterly motionless all this time.
Could it be that the Zanpakutō forged by Ōetsu Nimaiya had counterfeits?
Pulling his head out of the ground, Kensei was also full of anticipation for his Zanpakutō's ability. He wondered if it would be an elegant type like Byakuya Kuchiki's Senbonzakura, or an invincible type like Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka.
"Teacher, please instruct me."
Holding this expectation for his Zanpakutō, Kensei earnestly sought guidance from Old Man Yama. Seeing Kensei finally acting somewhat proper, Yamamoto nodded in satisfaction.
Guiding Kensei to sit cross-legged, he placed the Zanpakutō across his knees.
"Remember this well. A Zanpakutō is not a tool; it is your closest companion. You must treat your Zanpakutō as you would a brother or a lover. Your senior brother Kyōraku does this quite well."
Uncertain if the old man was praising or mocking him, if not for an upcoming meeting, Shunsui Kyōraku just wanted to leave this place sooner. The old man educating his junior disciple is fine, but why always bring me up? Junior probably won't even acknowledge my status as senior brother anymore.
Kensei gazed at the Zanpakutō on his knees. Its blade reflected his own image. Come to think of it, ever since learning Hakuda from Yoruichi, I haven't used my Zanpakutō much. After mastering Shunkō and Ikotsu, I found it got in the way during fights and just tossed it aside.
Feels like communicating with my Zanpakutō might be... perilous.
"Close your eyes!" Yamamoto commanded. "Clear the distractions from your mind. Focus your entire being on your Zanpakutō."
Kensei obediently complied, adjusting the frequency of his spiritual pressure to synchronize with the Zanpakutō. He felt his soul extend toward the sword like countless fine threads, attempting to connect with it. The Zanpakutō on his knees grew scalding hot and began to emit a humming vibration.
If communicating with a Zanpakutō was this easy, I should have done it sooner. The blade's so hot, is my Zanpakutō fire-attribute?
"Fool! You're being too rough!"
Yamamoto struck Kensei's daydreams away with his staff. The disconnected Zanpakutō quieted down once more.
"Kyōraku, you do it!"
Perhaps thinking the two shared similarly cluttered minds, and Kyōraku's experience might help Kensei, Yamamoto waved for the spectator to come over.
"Old man, you really know how to put people to work."
Scratching his head as he stood up, Kyōraku sat opposite Kensei and began imparting his experience, while Yamamoto started drinking tea with Ukitake.
"Junior, when connecting with your Zanpakutō, you must be gentle. Don't be impatient or seek quick success. Otherwise, it will make your Zanpakutō resistant to you. It's just like chatting with a lady."
"Great senior brother! Never thought I'd hear something so useful from you. Now I understand!"
Wounded by Kensei's words, Shunsui Kyōrau silently pulled out his gourd and took a swig of sake, wondering if it was because he hadn't given the kid a gift upon their first meeting that he was treated this way.
This time, Kensei formed his soul into a gentle hand, softly caressing his Zanpakutō. The sword didn't vibrate violently this time. Instead, it emitted a faint white light and floated into the air.
Looks like it's going to work this time.
Yamamoto and his two disciples all reached the same conclusion upon seeing this. Then they watched as the floating Zanpakutō rotated in mid-air, turned its hilt toward Kensei, and shot toward his forehead with tremendous force, smashing him straight into a nearby stream.
"Urgh—What is this?!"
Caught off guard and swallowing several mouthfuls of stream water, Kensei looked bewilderedly at his teacher and senior brothers.
"Ahem. As the saying goes, the master leads you to the door; the rest of the cultivation depends on the individual. The method has been taught to you; the rest you must comprehend yourself."
Could Yamamoto admit he'd never seen such a situation? Of course not! Under Kensei's intense stare, Kyōraku and Ukitake also had no idea how to explain this phenomenon and could only nod, saying the teacher was right.
Kensei glared angrily at the Zanpakutō in his hand. Revolt! The Zanpakutō is turning on its master!
"Teacher, it's time for the meeting!"
Shooting an appreciative glance at Kyōraku, Old Man Yama turned and walked towards the conference hall.
"Alright, practice on your own later. For now, come with us to attend the meeting on the complete eradication of the rebel forces."