Chapter 13: Chapter 13: The Fate Upon the Blade
Chapter 13: The Fate Upon the Blade
Yato eventually took Akame with him and participated in the sword-granting ceremony.
"All new students must participate. You won’t be issued a new Asauchi, but experiencing the atmosphere is always a good thing."
Those were Headmaster Hasegawa’s exact words.
The sword-granting ceremony was quite grand. However, since he already possessed Akame, Yato didn’t feel much of a sense of participation and merely treated it as watching a show.
After the ceremony concluded, Shinya Hasegawa brought Yato to the Headmaster’s office.
"Have a seat wherever you like, Yato."
The elderly Hasegawa casually gestured for the youth to sit down.
"What is the name of your Zanpakuto?"
"Akame."
"Could you unfasten it and let me take a look?"
Yato didn’t hesitate much. He gently stroked Akame’s handguard and placed the sword on the Headmaster’s desk.
Hasegawa nodded with evident goodwill.
For a Soul Reaper, the act of "unfastening one’s Zanpakuto" was typically considered an offensive gesture. The vast majority of Seated Officers viewed their Zanpakuto as their very lives, living and dying with their blades. Therefore, Headmaster Hasegawa’s attitude was exceptionally cordial, afraid of inciting any rebellious sentiment from the youth before him.
—Indeed, in Hasegawa’s eyes, the current Yato, much like Byakuya Kuchiki, had to be treated with the respect afforded to a Seated Officer.
Byakuya Kuchiki hailed from a Great Noble Family, possessed extraordinary innate talent, and commanded formidable Spiritual Pressure; that went without saying.
Uchiha Yato, having already achieved Shikai, could enter the Gotei 13 directly upon graduation and secure a Seated Officer position.
Each class of the Shin’o Academy consisted of roughly three hundred students, and the number of those who achieved Shikai prior to graduation never exceeded five per year.
As the Headmaster, Shinya Hasegawa naturally had teaching quotas to meet and progress to report to the 1st Division and the Central 46 at the end of the year. Naturally, he harbored a bias toward top-tier students like Yato and Byakuya, taking care to accommodate their temperaments.
Shortly after Yato placed Akame on the desk, a knock came at the door.
"Enter." Shinya Hasegawa smiled, introducing the newcomer to Yato.
"This is Ayaka Fujita. She is exclusively in charge of matters relating to the distribution of Asauchi... Fujita, take a look at this Zanpakuto."
"Yes, Headmaster."
Ayaka Fujita pulled out a ledger, released the Kido seal binding it, and took out a magnifying glass to inspect the detailed features of Akame’s blade.
"Curvature: 0.85. Hilt wrapping: Crimson fine silk. The kurigata is positioned slightly further back. The tsuba is a hexagonal prism..."
She flipped through the ledger, quickly finding the answer.
"This sword was escorted here by envoys from the Soul King Palace eight years ago. It was one of the forty swords from the second batch that year, designated as ’Geng-15-Aka’ within the Shin’o Academy. During the opening ceremony three years ago, it was granted... it was granted..."
Ayaka Fujita’s expression grew rather peculiar.
"The recipient was named Moritora Shiba. He tragically perished in a live combat exercise during his second month at the academy."
Shinya Hasegawa frowned almost imperceptibly.
Shiba?
Uchiha Yato was somewhat surprised. Just as he was about to ask something, Headmaster Hasegawa waved his hand, dismissing Ayaka Fujita.
"This matter... is slightly problematic," the Headmaster said, carefully choosing his words.
"For us Soul Reapers, the sword and the wielder coexist. It is exceedingly rare for one to survive while the other perishes.
"Therefore, when a student of the Shin’o Academy dies unexpectedly, their Asauchi is collected and incinerated alongside their remains.
"Of course, since you have now invoked the true name of this sword and achieved Shikai, Akame belongs to you. Even someone as esteemed as Head Captain Yamamoto cannot strip you of it. This is an unshakable law of the Soul Society.
"Situations like yours have occurred in the past. Usually, the wielder visits the deceased’s family and friends to offer them closure.
"However... Moritora Shiba was the second son of the main branch of the Shiba Clan.
"The thoughts of a Great Noble Family might differ from those of ordinary people."
[The Shattered, Heaven-Falling Maelstrom] — The Shiba Clan.
Even living in the Rukongai, Uchiha Yato had heard of this family’s illustrious reputation.
In this era, the Shiba Clan had not yet been stripped of their status and remained one of the Five Great Noble Families.
Their name was prominent, their prestige was immense, and they were renowned throughout the three realms for their naturally massive Spiritual Pressure.
Kaien Shiba and Moritora Shiba of the main branch.
Isshin Shiba of the branch family.
Though these individuals were young, they had captured the attention of the Soul Society, widely believed to be destined to achieve Bankai and reach the level of a Captain within a century.
Tragically, just a few years ago, Moritora Shiba met with an accident shortly after enrolling in the Shin’o Academy, reducing the three great geniuses—known as the "Three Carriages of the Shiba Clan"—by one.
Given that a Great Noble Family was involved, Headmaster Hasegawa felt it necessary to proceed with caution. He pondered carefully for a moment before returning Akame to Yato.
"Fortunately, the Shiba Clan maintains a good family tradition. In all these years, no unsavory rumors have ever come out about them. They revere freedom and are very approachable.
"A few years ago, Kaien Shiba graduated from here. I will inform him of this matter first.
"It can’t be helped. To graduate smoothly, your Zanpakuto must be registered and matched with the records from the Soul King Palace. Don’t let this weigh on your mind. Head to your dormitory; official classes begin tomorrow."
Uchiha Yato thanked the Headmaster and left the office.
He truly felt no burden whatsoever.
Among the Five Great Noble Families of the Soul Society, the Kuchiki Clan viewed themselves as the paragon of Soul Reapers, placing the highest importance on rules. The Shihoin Clan was the most combative, possessing a free-spirited and uninhibited nature. The Tsunayashiro Clan controlled all the history and intelligence of the Soul Society, possessing a dark and scheming disposition. The hidden aristocratic clan had not appeared in the Soul Society for a millennium, serving to guard the borders of Hell.
Only the Shiba Clan, disliking the rigid rules and regulations of the current Soul Society and opposing the imprisonment of the Soul King in the sky, had moved out of the Seireitei and taken up residence in the Rukongai. They maintained the closest ties with the commoners and enjoyed an excellent reputation.
Familiar with the original story, Yato knew that the Shiba family was indeed very easy to talk to. Committing a vile act like snatching another person’s Zanpakuto for the sake of a deceased brother was something they were absolutely incapable of doing.
After meeting with the members of the Shiba Clan, the Zanpakuto in his hand would undoubtedly be completely legitimized, leaving him with no lingering concerns.
After leaving the Headmaster’s office, Uchiha Yato headed straight for the dormitory area.
Before the sword-granting ceremony, he hadn’t visited the dormitory because he needed to handle the matter regarding his Zanpakuto. Now that the heavy stone weighing on his mind had been lifted, Yato felt quite relaxed, leisurely taking in the sights of the Shin’o Academy along the way.
"This is the one."
Yato glanced at the door plate marked "Kou-1" and pushed the door open.
It was an exceedingly spacious double room, immaculately tidy. The sun shone brightly outside the window, tracing a faint, golden halo onto the face of the occupant.
A youth was seated cross-legged on the floor.
He had placed his newly acquired Asauchi flat across his lap. His shoulders were slightly lowered, his fingers rested lightly against the spine of the blade, his eyes were tightly shut, and his breathing was even.
Even the most stringent, old-fashioned scholar couldn’t find a single flaw in this posture for Jinzen.
Hearing the noise, the youth slowly opened his eyes.
"Hello, I am your roommate..." The Kenseikan on his forehead swayed gently with his movements, emitting a crisp, clear chime.
"...Byakuya Kuchiki."
Comments