Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Skipping Grades and Combat Exercises
Chapter 19: Skipping Grades and Combat Exercises
"Speaking of which, how many years are you planning to take to graduate?"
Gravestones as massive as mountains tore through the heavens. Within the dark, boundless Kamui dimension, the young boy and the girl clashed fiercely with the utmost resolve.
"One year, two years, either is fine. It depends on the situation!"
Yato replied, his attention momentarily divided, as his hands tightly gripped the blazing gunbai, slamming it ruthlessly toward Akame.
The girl merely let out an "Oh," her body as light and graceful as a paper crane as she dodged the heavy strike.
At the same time, the Uchiha gunbai in her own hands suddenly tilted, pressing down heavily on Yato’s shoulder.
"Don’t use the gunbai like a sledgehammer! How many times have I taught you this? Use your brain, Yato!"
As she spoke, Akame’s eyes shifted into the three-tomoe Sharingan, glaring fiercely at him.
Yato instantly felt as though he were being incinerated by flames, completely unable to move.
—Genjutsu: Shiranui!
Immediately following that, he took a solid kick from Akame.
The girl showed no mercy. Unable to withstand the blow, Yato was forced to retreat to disperse the force. The two exchanged lightning-fast blows—one retreating, one advancing—until they leaped onto another towering gravestone pillar.
Boom!
Yato’s feet plowed deep trenches into the ground before he finally, barely, managed to block Akame’s incoming fist.
His eyes turned a brilliant crimson at that exact moment. The instant his dynamic vision multiplied exponentially, both of their speeds surged simultaneously, escalating the intensity of their battle to another level.
However, even as they fought, Yato and Akame would occasionally exchange words. Sometimes it was Akame instructing Yato, and other times it was just casual banter.
—This was Akame’s demand. As an Uchiha possessing supreme powers of observation, splitting one’s attention was a fundamental skill that had to be mastered.
"One or two years? Don’t you want to graduate as soon as possible? Break the Shin’o Academy’s record for the fastest graduation or something."
"It’s not like there’s a reward. Besides, I came from the Rukongai, so there’s a lot of basic knowledge I need to learn from scratch."
"I see."
"Sigh. That guy Byakuya has been getting more and more formidable lately. His mastery over his Shikai is becoming increasingly proficient, like an extension of his own arm."
"I see."
"So yeah, Byakuya’s Senbonzakura is definitely strong, tsk."
"Mhm."
"And those cherry blossom-like blades, their form is quite beautiful..."
Akame suddenly bloomed into a radiant smile, so beautiful it could put the moon and flowers to shame.
She leapt backward, executing a gorgeous spin in mid-air before landing gracefully on her feet.
Uchiha Yato, on the other hand, was half-kneeling on the ground, panting heavily. He was so exhausted he could barely speak clearly:
"Are we... calling it a day here?"
"Yes, let’s stop here."
"Alright then, I’ll head out first..."
"Oh, don’t go, my Master Yato~" The girl pitched her voice into an artificially sweet, coquettish tone.
"Let me see you out."
"You really don’t need to be so polite... Uh?"
In the next second, agonizing pain racked his body as if he were plummeting into an abyss.
Yato felt his mind go completely blank before he lost consciousness.
The last thing that filled his vision was an endlessly burning, pitch-black flame.
...
"Damn it! Ow, ow, ow!"
In the Shin’o Academy dormitories, Yato had been forcibly kicked out of his Jinzen meditative state.
He sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, rubbing his arms to soothe his trembling skin.
"What did I say wrong this time to piss off that little princess?"
Yato smacked his head in sheer frustration, trying to recall everything he had just done.
The relationship between a Soul Reaper and their Zanpakuto was truly the most bizarre bond in the world.
Master and apprentice? Lovers?
Brothers? Best friends?
Father and son? Master and servant?
No matter how it was defined, to a Soul Reaper, a Zanpakuto was very much a living entity with its own thoughts, not some mindless puppet.
For instance, Yato had discovered that Akame would actually get jealous of other Zanpakuto.
"Alright, it seems I can’t call Senbonzakura beautiful..."
In his dorm room, Yato finally figured out the root of the problem and shook his head with a bitter smile.
He took a good while to recover before standing up, taking a quick shower, and leaving his room.
It was already late at night. With the day’s classes over, Byakuya Kuchiki had returned to his family’s estate. Left alone and bored, and feeling too embarrassed to go back and kill time with Akame, Yato headed to the library.
He was indeed a very hardworking academy student. And just as he had mentioned earlier, because he came from the Rukongai, Yato lacked a lot of fundamental knowledge.
For example, the "Hueco Mundo Hierarchical Lineage" course had troubled Yato for a long time. It was far too complex and disorganized. Thanks to Byakuya personally tutoring him, combined with his own diligent daily studying, he was finally able to achieve a decent grade.
In the dead of night at the quiet library, Yato earnestly flipped through books. Every now and then, he would take a sip of the complimentary tea provided by the Shin’o Academy. It was quite cozy.
Five months had already passed since he last attended the banquet at the Kuchiki estate.
All in all, Yato had been at the Shin’o Academy for nearly a year.
During this time, it was safe to say he had reaped a bountiful harvest.
He had completely mastered Akame’s Stage One Shikai, his usage of the three-tomoe Sharingan was practically second nature, and he had grown far more accustomed to wielding the blazing gunbai.
In the four core disciplines of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido, he was among the cream of the crop at the academy. When it came to fire-based Kido in particular, he was the absolute best.
Furthermore, through his relentless training, his Spiritual Pressure level had received a massive boost.
—Class 8 Rei-i, firmly at the level of a top ten Seated Officer!
Because of his exceedingly excellent grades, Headmaster Hasegawa had even specifically asked Yato if he wanted to graduate in his first year.
After careful consideration, Yato had chosen to decline.
There was still a wealth of knowledge he hadn’t learned at the Shin’o Academy. Entering the Gotei 13 too early would absolutely not be a good thing.
Besides, he had his own personal growth plan:
To complete Akame’s Stage Two Shikai.
To reach Class 6 Rei-i, which was equivalent to the level of a "Lieutenant’s Assistant."
—Yato intended to assume the position of a 4th Seat or even a 3rd Seat immediately upon graduation, becoming a high-ranking Soul Reaper within the Seireitei!
Just like Yato, Byakuya also hadn’t opted to graduate in a single year.
The rules of the Kuchiki Clan dictated that such speed was far too ostentatious and incongruous with their million-year-old ancestral teachings. Furthermore, Byakuya wasn’t someone who cared for empty titles, so he didn’t graduate right away either.
Of course, given the level of capability Yato and Byakuya possessed, strictly following the standard curriculum would also be completely unreasonable.
After consulting with the academy, the two of them were slated to skip four grades in a month’s time. At the start of the new term, they would be promoted directly into the graduating class, becoming 6th-year students!
Graduating in two years—this was actually the orthodox "genius route" at the Shin’o Academy. It maximized efficiency while still ensuring that the students didn’t miss out on any of the academic curriculum.
Even Toshiro Hitsugaya, the wielder of the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto in the original series, had graduated in two years.
This perfectly aligned with Yato’s plans. According to his current training speed, he would likely be able to achieve his goals of a Stage Two Shikai and Class 6 Rei-i within a year’s time.
"However, it seems the 6th-year students in the graduating class have to undergo a live combat exercise to prove they’re fully prepared to become Soul Reapers. I wonder when I’ll get to go to Hueco Mundo to expand my horizons..."
As Yato flipped through his book, this thought popped into his head, filling him with a sense of anticipation.
But what he didn’t expect was that this day would arrive so quickly.
The very next morning, right after their Zanjutsu class ended, Headmaster Hasegawa called Byakuya and Yato over and laid out the upcoming arrangements.
"The combat exercise for the incoming graduating class is scheduled for the first week of classes next month."
"Once you skip grades, you’ll be 6th-year students, which means both of you must participate."
"Byakuya, Yato, the two of you are the strongest among all the students. But you must remember: an exercise is still a battlefield. In the past, there have been geniuses who tragically perished."
"As for what specifically you need to prepare... Yato, you can ask Byakuya more about that."
"A journey into Hueco Mundo leaves absolutely no room for negligence."
☆☆☆
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