Chapter 201 – New Perspectives

Chapter 201 – New Perspectives

Due to Tōshirō drawing his Zanpakutō, Ailin’s teachings expanded beyond reiatsu control. He began introducing Tōshirō to Zanjutsu and Shunpo.

As for Hakuda and Kidō...

Well, with Tōshirō’s current height, practicing Hakuda would be extremely inefficient, a waste of time and energy.

And Kidō, before Tōshirō could completely control his reiatsu at will, would only result in harming both himself and others.

Later on, besides practicing Zanjutsu and reiatsu control, Ailin and Tōshirō traveled using Shunpo.

Even without Ailin’s guidance, they only took three months to reach Seireitei.

Of course, every night, after Tōshirō fell asleep, Ailin would return to the Kuchiki Manor and leave again before Tōshirō woke up the next morning.

Otherwise, even though Ailin had already told Haruko about Tōshirō, he couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t overthink things.

...

Tōshirō’s astonishment was understandable.

In fact, even Ailin, who frequently traveled between Rukongai and Seireitei, felt a sense of disconnect every time he returned to Seireitei from Rukongai.

Seireitei was located in the center of Soul Society, covering an area of 133,000 square reiri, with a radius of about 365 reiri.

Perhaps the concept of "reiri" was unfamiliar, but to understand the sheer size of Seireitei, consider this: Karakura Town, where the protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki resided, didn’t even cover 0.5 square reiri.

It would take an ordinary Shinigami forty days to walk around Seireitei.

Encircling Seireitei was a white wall over five meters tall, with only four exits.

These walls were built using "Sekkiseki," a special stone that could release a "killing intent" to disrupt and decompose reiryoku. The residents of Rukongai, who lacked reiryoku, couldn't even approach the walls.

These walls divided Seireitei and the rest of Soul Society into two distinct worlds.

Beyond Seireitei lay the dwelling places of countless souls. In Rukongai, even in the safest and most orderly district, the homes of the souls were still made of wood.

The tallest buildings were only two or three stories high.

However, within Seireitei, towering structures and magnificent mansions were commonplace.

And unlike the "dirty," "chaotic," and "poor" conditions of Rukongai, Seireitei was almost entirely pristine white, occasionally adorned with red glazed tiles. It was clean and orderly.

Besides the architectural differences, what was even more striking was the contrast in living conditions between the residents of Seireitei and Rukongai.

Outside of Seireitei, even in the safest district closest to the walls, occasional Hollow attacks occurred.

The residents of Rukongai lived in constant fear, afraid that one day they might be unlucky enough to encounter a Hollow descending from Hueco Mundo.

Although the Shinigami within Seireitei would quickly deal with any invading Hollows, those who had already been devoured wouldn’t come back to life even if the Hollow was slain and purified.

For the people living in Rukongai, there was little difference from their lives before death.

After all, unlike the few souls who retained their memories from their previous lives upon entering Soul Society, nearly ninety percent of souls were sent to Soul Society by Shinigami using the insignia on their Zanpakutō hilts.

Only by letting go of their attachments could they be guided to Soul Society.

"Tōshirō, as my disciple, you will attract a lot of attention in the future. You need to learn to get used to it, either ignoring those gazes or bearing the weight of their expectations."

"Ah? Ignoring or bearing?"

"Yes."

Ailin nodded, then explained, "I have five disciples in Seireitei, including you."

"Three of them have already become captains in the Gotei 13. Naturally, the remaining two, you and the other, will receive even more attention. They are all eager to see what kind of accomplishments those chosen as my disciples can achieve.

If you cannot reach the level of the first three, then ignore those gazes. Because they will mock you, ridicule you, and subject you to endless mental torment. But if you have the confidence to reach or even surpass the achievements of the first three, then learn to bear the weight of their doubt, scrutiny, and expectations."

"Teacher Ailin, what kind of accomplishment is it to become a captain in the Gotei 13?"

Instead of answering how he would handle those gazes, Tōshirō first wanted to know how significant the achievements of his senior disciples were.

"A captain..."

"Hmm..."

"Let's just say, the Gotei 13 are the strongest armed forces in Seireitei, shouldering the responsibility of protecting it. At the same time, the Gotei 13 are also the first line of defense for the Soul King.

The thirteen divisions each have their own duties. Each division has at least a thousand Shinigami, and some even have tens of thousands. And the strongest individuals within these thirteen divisions are their respective captains. It can be said that the captains of the Gotei 13 are the most powerful fighters in all of Seireitei."

"Wow..."

A spark of admiration flickered in Tōshirō’s eyes.

He didn’t fully understand everything else yet. But he understood the meaning of "most powerful fighters."

So, his three senior disciples had become one of the thirteen strongest individuals in Seireitei?

"Teacher, you were able to train three captains. Are you a captain too?"

"Hahaha... Tōshirō, we've walked a long way, and you've seen many Shinigami. Tell me, what's the difference between them and me?"

"Difference?"

Tōshirō suddenly realized what Ailin was getting at.

"I know! Those Shinigami all wear black clothes, but Teacher has a white coat over your black clothes."

"That's right. In Seireitei, Shinigami attire is basically limited to these two types. The black one is called a Shihakushō. The white one is called a captain's haori. As the name suggests, a captain's haori is something only captains can wear."

Ailin laughed heartily and turned around, showing Tōshirō the number on the back of his haori.

"Tōshirō, what number do you see on my back?"

"Eleven."

Tōshirō had already seen the number, but he didn't know what it represented.

"The number on the back of a captain's haori represents their division. The number on my back means I am the captain of the 11th Division."



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