5 First day
The crystal ball started to shine brightly and then ... exploded. The crystal ball exploded and shocked the examining Shinigami. He had wide eyes as he looked at the broken table where the ball used to be.
What the Shinigami said was correct. The crystal ball measured your Reiatsu and with it, could decide if you could become a Shinigami or not. But that was not the whole truth. There was more to it than that.
The more Reiatsu a soul had, the brighter the ball would shine and if the threshold was reached, the ball would break. Now breaking or cracking the ball was not as strange as it had happened before. It was usually a sign of a captain-level potential.
The ball exploding ... now that had never happened.
Toji thought he had made a mistake by putting in too much Reiatsu, but he didn't think that this dumb ball could not even take 10% of his total amount...
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While training in the prison in the Wandenreich, Toji found out that he could theoretically use unlimited Reiatsu as long as he imagined he had that much. And he could fight as long as he wished, mentally, because it was dependent on his imagination and not his Reiatsu.
However as Toji started to train physically, he used his Reiatsu and to increase its amounts, he made sure to continue training and having his reserves grow.
So this 10% he just used to send into the ball was not much and he thought it would just make him pass. But to explode like that, he must have underestimated the amount of Reiatsu he had currently.
Toji made a mental note to check out the Captains and see the amount of Reiatsu they had.
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The Shinigami came out of his stupor and looked at Toji.
"Ehm ... did I pass?", Toji asked.
"What? Oh! Yes! You passed. Please go and stand with the other recruits. I will have to get another crystal ball."
"Ah alright, thank you."
Toji then walked over to where some other Shinigami recruits were looking at him and stood next to them. A young man smiled gently and talked to him.
"That was an impressive display there. You must have a lot of Reiatsu.", he said.
Toji looked at the boy and answered him.
"Yeah, I guess."
"My name is Hikari, Hikari Akihiro. But you can call me Hikari."
"Ah, nice to meet you Hikari. My name is Fushiguro Toji. But feel free to call me Toji."
"Nice to meet you then, Toji."
Hikari had a lean and slightly athletic build. He was about Toji's height and seemed to be slightly younger than him. Hikari had a friendly and approachable demeanour. His skin was fair and his eyes seemed gentle with a nice blue colour.
His hair was black and was kept relatively short, just above his shoulders. He wears it slightly ruffled, which gives him a casual appearance.
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After the Shinigami came back with a new ball, the recruitment could continue and after a while, they were led into their respective dorms. Toji got his own dorm as did all the aspiring Shinigami.
He liked that he was no longer in the prison in the Wandenreich. He liked all the colours after the years in darkness. He created colours and had to simulate light, but it just wasn't the same when you knew that it was not the real deal.
After getting their rooms, the students were supposed to attend the main courtyard. There the founder and Headcaptain of the Shinigami Academy was waiting for them and held a speech.
It was a very short speech that welcomed them and that was it. One of the chief instructors took over and divided them all into six smaller groups. Since the total amount of new Shinigami was close to 100, each class would consist of about 17 recruits.
The principle of teaching was simple. There were four major Shinigami combat forms: Hakuda, Hohō, Kidō, and Zanjutsu. But the students were also taught other things, such as history, how to perform Soul Burials, how to communicate with the spirit of their Zanpakutō and are prepared for the general duties of a Shinigami.
The duration of the Academy was six years, but this could be longer if you did not pass one year's exams. Those who were especially gifted could also complete the curriculum faster, but to finish a special test was held that involved fighting an experienced Shinigami, mostly one of the instructors.
Each day classes would consist of one of the four major combat forms, with some others that might be added. But other than that, students were allowed to do things in their own time, as long as they passed the exams at the end of each year.
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Toji walked to his first class that was held today. They did not wait at all at the Shinigami Academy. There was a serious lack of Shinigami and they had to fill this gap.
A stern Shinigami stood in front of our class. He had a powerful but lean build. His eyes were sharp and he was ready for battle at a moment's notice.
After everyone had arrived, the man addressed the class.
"Good morning to you all. My name is Fujiwara Yoshinori. I will be your Zanjutsu instructor for the years you will be in the Academy. I am one of the four teachers who will teach you the major Shinigami combat forms.
These are Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō and Kidō. Here you will learn Zanjutsu so let us get right to it.
Zanjutsu is the fighting style for the Zanpakutō and is one of the four basic fighting styles of the Shinigami. It is considered shameful for a Shinigami to not master at least this technique. So you better make sure you give it your all because have a lot of wounds otherwise.
You will also learn about Zanpakutō. Practising your Zanpakutō is not part of this class. You will however get an Asauchi when we start practising with real swords. That will be next month after we have gone over the basics.
Any questions?"
One student raised his hand and the teacher picked him.
"Yes, you."
"Sensei, I was wondering what an Asauchi is that you mentioned."
"Asauchi are the nameless Zanpakutō which all Shinigami who are still in training - those who do not yet belong to any of the Gotei 13 - and Shinigami who are unable to communicate with their Zanpakutō wield.
As you progress in your training, you slowly and methodically imprint the essence of your soul into your Asauchi. This is how you guide and mould your own unique Zanpakutō."
"Thank you Sensei."
"All right then let us begin. Everyone grab a bokken and team up in groups of two. Now watch me perform this series of moves. It will be up to you to memorise them and master them."
Fujiwara Yoshinori then went over the basic forms of how to handle a Katana. They learned the basic overhead strike, how to sheath and unsheath it and blocking as well.
It took about two hours for everyone to get these basics down and after that, it was practising in groups. The goal was to burn these moves into their bodies to make these moves automatic.
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Toji partnered up with Hikari. It didn't take Toji long to get the moves down. He knew these things already due to learning the basics from Master Kaito. Hikari was also quite talented. He got the moves right after about 30 minutes and started to perfect them the longer they practised.
Yoshinori saw the ease with which Toji performed the moves and was impressed. He would memorise his name and see how he performs in other classes. The Gotei 13 were in desperate need of new talents right now.
While they had recovered after the battle with the Quincies, they could still feel the aftermath of the war.
As the class came to an end, Hikari had gotten quite good with the moves. He gained a lot from partnering with Toji.
"Good, that is it for your first lesson. Next time we move on from the basics. You better not slack off in your free time. Dismissed."
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"That was quite intense wasn't it?", Hikari asked Toji, "Although you didn't seem to be struggling at all."
"It was alright. But I don't know why you thought it was intense. It was only the first lesson."
"No it wasn't the difficulty of the lesson, it was the piercing look that Sensei gave us while performing the moves, that made it so intense for me."
"Hm, yeah I understand how that might make you feel pressured."
"So what's next then?"
"We have our first class of Kidō. I am interested in that class.", Toji said.
"Why? Do you not like the other classes?"
"Oh no, I am excited for all classes. I am just not so enthusiastic about Zanjutsu because it was so easy. But I'm sure it will get better."
"I see. Well then let us go to the next class."
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The Kidō class went similar to the Zanjutsu class. Their Sensei Sawada Satoshi explained to them first what Kidō was.
"Kidō is a form of Shinigami combat based on advanced spells. These spells are produced with strong Reiryoku and fall into two categories: Hadō for direct attacks, and Bakudō for battle support.
Kidō spells are triggered by an incantation. Experienced users can trigger them without an incantation, though the effectiveness of the spell may be diminished."
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After seeing that everyone was listening, he continued.
"Spells are graded on a scale from 1 to 99, spells of the latter being the most powerful and the most difficult to perform. To use Kidō, a Shinigami must recite the specific incantation for the spell, which requires a few seconds to speak.
Some shinigami are so advanced that they are able to cast high-level spells by simply naming them. Whether or not you will reach this level, depends on your effort and talent.
The power of a spell relies on the power of the user, as even a low-level spell can be utterly devastating when utilized by a high-class Shinigami. So make sure to practice each spell and don't look down on the ones with lower numbers."
"There are three main types of Kidō: binding spells also called Bakudō, destruction spells called Hadō, and healing spells called Kaidō. Kaidō is a relatively new form of Kidō, which you won't learn unless you join the 4th Division.
Now, to perform all of these things, you need to know how to control your Reiryoku first. You all have been tested on your Reiryoku and Reiatsu. The difference between those is not that big.
Reiryoku is the amount of energy a being has stored within their body or soul, whereas Reiatsu is the pressure that a person's Reiryoku exerts. In other words, Reiryoku is potential while Reiatsu is energy in use and can be sensed by other spiritually aware beings."
That was a relatively short explanation about a big topic. Kidō were a big part of Shinigami combat and the theory behind it was what allowed Shinigami to understand what they were doing.
Sensei Satoshi trimmed the theory down to a minimum and only told them what they needed to know to use the spells. All other knowledge, the students were expected to get themselves.
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So the first day of Shinigami Academy was not very interesting for Toji. He knew the basics of Zanjutsu and he also knew how to control his Reiryoku and manifest his Reiatsu. But it was a nice and relaxing way to start his life as a Shinigami.
