Chapter 10: Jinzen, Asauchi and Communication
[[This is a translation so please don't hate me for the developments. I will try to remove shitty brainrot scenes with better ones but it is from a MTL ... so please no bashing in the comments for the plot. I am just a translator after all.]]
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In the classroom, the Shinigami teacher on the podium was passionately lecturing about the history of the Soul Society. From the glory of the royal family to the rise of the Five Noble Houses, the establishment of the Gotei-13, and even the war between the Shinigami and the Quincy clan hundreds of years ago.
Even today, there are still Quincy wandering in the living world.
Below the podium, a rather peculiar scene unfolded.
Over ninety percent of the students sat neatly in the front, attentively listening to the teacher's lecture. However, at the back of the classroom, several rows were empty, with two slightly thin figures sitting separately.
One of them was listening intently, no different from the other students. The other had his head buried in his arms, seemingly in hibernation.
The teacher on the podium noticed this scene, hesitated, and finally could only vent his frustration on the lecture, raising his voice several notches.
However, this noise seemed like a lullaby to Akira.
As the powerful voice reached his ears, he...
Slept even more soundly.
Aizen glanced sideways at his troublesome friend, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
Perhaps this was the true meaning of "interest is the best teacher."
Since Akira had sent Kaede Runya flying with a single strike in the Zanjutsu class, his quality of life had improved dramatically. Countless elite students had witnessed his true strength and developed a deep respect for him.
No matter where, the strong are always respected.
The Shin'ō Academy was no exception.
This news spread quickly throughout the academy. Both teachers and the headmaster knew that a true genius had emerged in the first-year class.
In just a few months, he had reached a level where he could easily defeat a teacher, and his spiritual pressure even surpassed that of an average Shinigami.
Akira Kisaragi was an undisputed genius.
But this guy didn't follow the usual rules. While he paid attention in practical classes like Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Kidō, he would sleep through History classes, showing none of the arrogance or attitude expected of a genius.
He was always cheerful, and his mind often came up with unexpected ideas, like sneaking into the academy cafeteria at night, altering disciplinary notices, or performing exorcisms and blessings for female classmates.
The key was that he never did these things alone. Whenever he planned to do something mischievous, he would drag Aizen along.
As Akira put it, good brothers share blessings and hardships.
Although Aizen didn't know where Akira got these strange ideas, he always executed them strictly.
"That's all for today."
The history teacher on the podium looked serious.
Akira, still groggy, mumbled, "Is class over?"
"In a month, we will have our final exams. Although practical skills are the most important for Shinigami, History classes cannot be neglected."
"Anyone who fails the exam will be given a major demerit and placed on probation!"
Hearing about the probation, Akira suddenly woke up and looked pitifully at Aizen:
"Sōsuke, we're good brothers, right?"
Aizen remained silent.
"You wouldn't want to see me fail the exam, right? So during the exam..."
Akira, now sitting next to Aizen, familiarly put his arm around Aizen's shoulder, as usual, coming up with a bad idea.
"The next class is Jinzen. You should think about how to complete the basics ofJinzen first."
Aizen stood up calmly, "If I remember correctly, as of last night, you still couldn't complete the first step of Jinzen."
(t/n: Jinzen (刃禅, Blade Zen; Viz "Sword Zen"): This method is the only way to carry on a proper conversation with one's Zanpakutō. I will paste more info on it at the end of chapter.)
"Failing the History class is one thing, but if you don't have your own Zanpakutō, even if you graduate, you can't join the Gotei 13."
"Maybe your only option is the Kidō Corps..."
Akira was stunned, feeling heartbroken by his good brother's sudden betrayal.
But now, he had no choice but to face it head-on.
For some reason, he seemed to be naturally incompatible with his Zanpakutō. From the initial selection of the Asauchi to the current understanding of Jinzen, even the worst students could vaguely feel the power of their Zanpakutō, but he couldn't complete the basic Jinzen.
Let alone unleash the power of the Zanpakutō.
Isn't the Zanpakutō supposed to be forged from the Shinigami's soul? So why was he naturally incompatible with his own soul?
Could it be that he was just stubborn?
With a mix of anxiety and doubt, Akira and Aizen arrived at the Jinzen dojo.
The spacious room exuded a serene, meditative atmosphere.
A faint fragrance lingered in the air, making one feel dreamy and ethereal.
This was the special spiritual incense of the Jinzen dojo, used to help students who had just obtained their Zanpakutō to enter the state of Jinzen more quickly and communicate with their Zanpakutō.
Of course, this incense had little effect on those with strong willpower.
Like Akira and Aizen.
The two sat cross-legged on the mats, assuming a meditative posture, and began their Jinzen meditation.
Like the other students, Aizen quickly entered the state of Jinzen .
Only Akira was scratching his head, as if he had lice.
He couldn't understand why, even after following the teacher's instructions and learning techniques from Aizen, he still couldn't complete the basic Jinzen meditation.
Akira stared blankly at the blade placed on his knees.
The shape, abilities, and state of the Zanpakutō are all forged from the Shinigami's soul.
By knowing the name of their Zanpakutō and communicating with it, Shinigami gain power.
To be precise, the blade before him couldn't be called a Zanpakutō yet; it was an Asauchi.
Shinigami need to live and train with their Asauchi, engraving the essence of their soul into it, thus creating their own Zanpakutō.
However, Akira only wanted to say that he understood the theory.
The problem was, how to engrave the essence of his soul into the Zanpakutō?
It was like knowing that behind the door lay the academy cafeteria and the girls' dormitory, and opening the door would bring endless happiness.
But how to open the door?
The conventional method of Jinzen was completely ineffective for Akira.
He crossed his arms, frowning at his Asauchi, his mind racing with countless thoughts.
"Damn it, even Mimihagi wasn't this hard to communicate with..."
(t/n: TF is he talking about. isn't Mimihagi already with Ukitake at this point.)
Akira muttered, but at that moment, a flash of inspiration struck him like lightning.
"Wait!"
"What if I use the method of communicating with Mimihagi to communicate with the Zanpakutō?!"
With this thought, Akira's gaze at the blade on his knees became fervent!
(t/n: Zanpakutō spirit: YABE!!!
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Jinzen (刃禅, Blade Zen; Viz "Sword Zen"): This method is the only way to carry on a proper conversation with one's Zanpakutō. One places their sword over their lap, takes a meditative pose, and forces their mind to become one with the Zanpakutō.In this form, one can call out the true form of the powers of their Zanpakutō. It has been refined over thousands of years, since the beginning of Soul Society, to allow one to commune with their Zanpakutō. This advanced form of training is far different from attaining abilities by force. In this form, one enters a state of calm to enter the inner world of the Zanpakutō and engage them there. In this state, a wielder will have to fight their Zanpakutō spirit in order to attain access to new abilities. Unwilling to teach its owner these abilities, the Zanpakutō spirit engages its wielder in a battle, the likes of which has never taken place before. In this meditative state, one is so deeply entranced, even sustained wounds are ignored. Any form of injury sustained in the inner world while in this meditative state is reflected in the real world.
[[This is a translation so please don't hate me for the developments. I will try to remove shitty brainrot scenes with better ones but it is from a MTL ... so please no bashing in the comments for the plot. I am just a translator after all.]]