Chapter 25 

Kaelith Yurei blinked as he looked at Ukitake.

"To be able to easily suppress a Shikai-level Shinigami... That's amazing!"

"Brother Ukitake, did you manage to figure out who that person was?"

Ukitake shook his head. "The individual is quite skilled at hiding. When they acted, they kept a layer of specialized Kido around themselves."

"The witnesses couldn't even make out their appearance or height."

"Even when members of the Stealth Force went to the scene, they couldn't find any lingering traces of Spirit Pressure."

"This person must be a veteran, someone well-trained in concealment!"

Hearing this, Kaelith felt a sense of admiration in his heart.

Sorry, Brother Ukitake, but that guy Aizen doesn't need any special training. He could pick up such little tricks with minimal effort…

Ukitake continued, "At least, we can be sure of one thing."

"This mysterious expert seems to be on the side of the Gotei 13."

"He left none of the rebels alive—all of them were killed, but none of our Gotei 13 members were harmed."

Kaelith let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good. It seems like he's not that dangerous to us."

"Indeed," Ukitake nodded. "With everything going on lately, the last thing we need is another new enemy."

Kaelith, however, couldn't shake off his curiosity.

He suspected that Aizen was already conducting some strange experiments.

Killing the rebels likely had something to do with obtaining Shinigami corpses—or perhaps their souls.

But that raised a question… Knowing Aizen's character, the rebels and the Gotei 13 should be the same in his eyes.

To eliminate potential threats, he should have killed both sides. So why did he only target the rebels and leave the Gotei 13 untouched?

Could it be that Aizen, still young at this stage, wasn't as ruthless yet?

The thought almost made him laugh.

Suddenly, Kyōraku's voice broke the silence.

"Little Junior, you seem rather interested in this matter, don't you?"

Kaelith chuckled as he looked over at Kyōraku, who had leaned in at some point with a playful grin on his face.

He raised his head slightly, putting on a righteous expression.

"Of course, I care about what concerns the Captain-Commander. My goal is to one day relieve the Captain-Commander of his worries!"

Kyōraku blinked and then burst into laughter.

He was really beginning to see promise in his little junior brother.

In the Soul Society, geniuses were not rare. Having lived for hundreds of years, he had seen more prodigies than Kaelith had classmates.

But someone like Kaelith, who could maintain such optimism in the bleak and murky world of the Soul Society, was indeed rare.

Still, Kaelith was young and had yet to see much.

Would he still have this attitude after witnessing more of the darkness around him?

At this, Kyōraku felt a bit sentimental.

He patted Kaelith on the shoulder.

"Well, Yurei, since there are no classes today, why not join me for a drink?"

"I've got two fine bottles of sake stored away in the Rukongai district. I hardly bring them out, but I thought I'd celebrate you joining the family. How about it?"

Kaelith shook his head. "I took medicine this morning."

"What?" Kyōraku looked confused.

"Oh… I mean, I'm underage, so I can't drink."

Kyōraku: "?"

Underage restrictions on drinking… that was a new one for him.

Ukitake, walking beside them, suddenly remembered something and smiled at Kaelith.

"By the way, Yurei, since Captain Yamamoto doesn't have time today, I can teach you a few things."

"We can't have you coming all this way for nothing." Kaelith paused, looking moved.

"Uncle Kyōraku, see? That's what a proper senior brother should be like."

"Are you stripping me of my senior brother title?!" Kyōraku's mouth dropped open.

As soon as the topic of training came up, Kyōraku and Ukitake perked up.

The three found a quiet spot and stopped.

"Yurei, tell me what you've learned recently, and I'll think of what to teach you next."

Kaelith thought for a moment and replied:

"The first week, I was taught the basics of controlling Spirit Pressure."

"The second week, I learned Hakuda techniques."

"This week, I was supposed to learn advanced Ikkotsu techniques, but I got ditched."

"How about it, Brother Ukitake? Teach me the double-handed Ikkotsu?"

Ukitake froze at the suggestion.

The double-handed Ikkotsu… He figured Kaelith meant Captain Yamamoto's Sōkotsu.

He had indeed learned this move long ago, but due to his frail health, he hadn't used it since.

Teaching it now might do more harm than good…

With this in mind, he glanced over at Kyōraku, only to find him sweating as well.

Kyōraku leaned over and whispered, "To be honest, I didn't fully learn it back then. I just pretended to pass to fool Old Man Yamamoto." (t/n hah a slacker...just like me)

Ukitake: "?"

If it wasn't the wrong moment, he would have dragged him to Yamamoto for a good scolding!

Scratching his head awkwardly, he said to Kaelith:

"Yurei, let's leave that move for Captain Yamamoto to teach you directly."

"After all, he created it. Only he understands the finer points."

Kaelith nodded.

After a moment's thought, he turned to Ukitake. "I'd like to learn a defensive technique, preferably one that activates passively."

Ukitake blinked.

He hadn't expected Kaelith to make such a "practical" request.

Most young people at his age wanted to learn powerful, flashy techniques.

No wonder Captain Yamamoto valued him so highly—this junior brother was indeed cautious.

After a few seconds of thought, he snapped his fingers.

"Ah, I've got it! If it's that type of technique you're looking for, I actually developed one myself."

Under Kaelith's watchful gaze, he tapped the back of his own hand.

Then he said, "Alright, Yurei, try attacking the back of my hand."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he watched as Kaelith drew his sword without hesitation and swung it down.

With a flash of cold light—bam!

Kaelith's blade stopped a few centimeters above Ukitake's hand.

A small, blue shield appeared between the blade and Ukitake's hand, completely blocking the strike.

Seeing the shield, Kaelith's expression showed a hint of surprise.

He was certain that Ukitake hadn't activated any Kido at that moment.

The shield had appeared on its own, without any command!

"Brother Ukitake, this shield—can it be set to trigger under certain conditions?"

Kaelith's eyes gleamed with interest.

He had been in the world of Soul Reapers for a while now, but this was the first time he'd seen such a Kido.

Ukitake, still a bit stunned, came back to his senses when he heard Kaelith speak.

This junior brother of his was something else.

He only asked Kaelith to attack his hand, and the guy didn't hesitate—he just drew his sword and swung!

While Ukitake marveled at his spirit, he nodded.

"That's right. This is a Kido technique I developed myself."

"Bakudō #8, Seki, pre-set trigger version!"