Shihoin Clan

Tsunayashiro Akizuki, the 22nd head of the Tsunayashiro Clan, diligently managed various Clan businesses, overseeing Clan meetings monthly, and never misses Noble Assembly.

His motto was don't seek achievements or mistakes. When faced with a rebellion that threatened the Clan's interests, Tsunayashiro Akizuki personally funded the development of the combat spiritual tools. Despite the fear of death, he was considering to personally join the war to end it.

Not every Noble Clan head possessed Captain-Class strength, making them vulnerable on the battlefield. However, Tsunayashiro Akizuki sacrificed his wealth to end the war. The funding for developing combat spiritual tools was substantial, though insignificant for the Tsunayashiro Clan.

Hoping to make a name for himself as a worthy Clan head after resolving the rebellion, Tsunayashiro Akizuki allowed Tokinada to join the battlefield as a precaution. After all, Tokinada was quite strong since he was a disciple of Yamamoto Genryusai.

He never expected that a mere branch family member like Tokinada would dare to act on his own and assassinate the main family heir on the battlefield.

Wasn't he afraid of the plan being exposed, leading to capital punishment?

Indeed.

Such incidents are common among the nobles, almost becoming a tradition throughout the generations, with Tsunayashiro Clan being one of the prominent examples.

Even Tsunayashiro Akizuki climbed to the position of the Clan head through various means.

But he certainly was nowhere as bold as Tokinada.

Now, not only did Tokinada fail to kill Tokikaze, but he also made trouble for him.

"Ahem, there might be some misunderstanding in this matter."

Tsunayashiro Akizuki attempted to salvage a shred of hope, at least to save himself from this situation.

Hearing these words, Tokikaze rubbed his temples, showing impatience. "Do you think such reasons could convince the elders or even me?"

Yes, Tsunayashiro Akizuki didn't have any intentions to go against Tokikaze himself, but that didn't mean the feelings were mutual.

The Tsunayashiro Clan had various factions, each acting independently and mostly cooperating for mutual benefits.

Interestingly, Tsunayashiro Akizuki and Tokikaze belonged to different factions.

Now, with Tokinada dead during his attempt to take Tokikaze's life due to Tsunayashiro Akizuki's unauthorized decision, wouldn't it be time to find a scapegoat?

"Ahem, I think we can discuss this during the Clan meeting."

Tsunayashiro Akizuki was desperate, hoping to avert this crisis.

Tokikaze's gaze remained calm, indifferent as he stared at his opportunistic uncle.

With neither of them speaking, the room fell into an eerie silence.

After a while,

"Well, I will respect your decision," Tokikaze stood up and left without showing the slightest respect.

Before, in the Human World, he tore open his own lining to set a trap for Tokinada. In addition, during the battle with Szayelaporro, he got his face smeared with various unidentified substances.

Now he urgently needed to find a place to clean up.

"So, is that the reason you came to my room to take a bath?"

Matsumoto Rangiku, with her hands crossed, looked at the figure in the bath suspiciously.

"Don't stare at me with such rude eyes, Rangiku."

Tokikaze placed his hands on both sides, comfortably leaning against the rock wall, enjoying the soothing temperature of the hot spring water. "After all, the temperature of the hot spring water in this bath is the most suitable."

There was nothing more comfortable than soaking in a hot spring after multiple battles.

If there was, please be sure to bring him along.

Unable to argue, Matsumoto Rangiku squatted next to Tokikaze, poking his cheek with her fingers. "Is this war very difficult for you? I've never seen you come back in such a miserable state before."

"As much as I hated to admit it..." Tokikaze heard the concern in her words and softened his tone. "All the rebels combined are not even hald as strong as the Vasto Lorde, Szayelaporro Granz."

When Tokikaze mentioned this, Matsumoto Rangiku subconsciously recalled the battle in Sakahone with the Adjuchas who had nearly Vasto Lorde-Class Reiatsu.

The Adjuchas's Reiatsu alone left her in despair.

Thinking of this, Matsumoto Rangiku suddenly felt a bit discouraged, and a decadent aura spread over her:

"Speaking of which, I am really useless. I can't help you at all in so many battles even though Vice-Captain is supposed to be quite skilled even in the entire Soul Society."

Tokikaze stretched out his right hand, which was reddened by bubbles, from the water and pinched Matsumoto Rangiku's cheek:

"Don't sell yourself short, Rangiku. You being by my side is already the greatest help to me."

Hearing these words, Matsumoto Rangiku was stunned, and a strange light appeared in her eyes, making her look even lovelier.

Unfortunately, this scene did not last too long.

"So, Captain, how long do you plan to pinch me?" Matsumoto Rangiku, with a puffy face, pointed her finger at Tokikaze's fingers, "This is not friendly to women's skin!"

"Well, you didn't say anything, so I didn't let go." Tokikaze stopped pinching. "I thought you liked it!"

"Who would like this kind of thing!"

Matsumoto Rangiku pouted, showing a fierce expression. "I met Captain Aizen earlier, and he told me to remind you to go to Fourth Division for a physical examination just in case."

"Let's talk about it after the Tsunayashiro Clan meeting is over."

Tokikaze slightly raised his body, exposing his well-built chest body above the water surface and said, "Actually, I haven't suffered much injury, just excessive Reiatsu consumption."

Looking at that nearly perfect body, Matsumoto Rangiku couldn't help but be stunned. When she came back to her senses, she found Tokikaze looking at her with a smile.

"What are you looking at?"

Matsumoto Rangiku disdainfully snorted, then stood up from the bathside, deliberately straightening her waist:

"You're not even half as big as mine!"

Before she finished her words, her voice became even smaller, like a mosquito's hum.

Apparently noticing that she just said something awkward, Matsumoto Rangiku hastily left the room.

Tokikaze also noticed from the side that her fair earlobes were now as red as jade, with a faint enticing luster.

Obviously, Matsumoto Rangiku wasn't as carefree as she appeared.

At least, not right now.

...

In the elegant and ancient meeting room, a faint fragrance wafted through, permeating the air.

Dozens of elderly men with serious expressions sat around the conference table, waiting for others to take their seats.

In no time, the seats were filled.

"This meeting is to discuss about the heir of branch family, Tokinada, attacking the heir of the main family, Tokikaze."

The one-eyed elder, Tsunayashiro Aomine, suddenly said. His demeanor made it look like he was a typical antagonist.

But everyone in the room knew that Tsunayashiro Aomine, a senior elder, was a staunch supporter of the head of the Clan.

"No, I think we should also discuss Tokikaze's reckless behavior in the Underground Assembly Hall and the incident of him targeting lower-ranking nobles."

"Let's stick to the matter at hand. If you continue to quibble, I don't mind having Tokikaze talk to you personally."

Tsunayashiro Aomine also had a violent temper, showing no patience, directly confronting.

In addition to being the Captain of Ninth Division, Tokikaze also personally quelled the rebellion and defeated the Vasto Lorde.

He could be considered to have remarkable achievements.

In the entire Tsunayashiro Clan, there weren't many who dared to confront Tokikaze head-on.

Tokikaze sat at the end of the conference table, calmly looking at Tsunayashiro Akizuki, who sat across him.

He wasn't interested in the bickering among the Clan elders.

In the end, anyone with eyes would know which side to pick in this situation.

As the meeting continued, Tokikaze also noticed that the rebellion and the power struggle within the Tsunayashiro Clan were actually not related whatsoever.

This group of suddenly emerged rebels not only attacked nobles in the Rukongai but also entered the jurisdiction of the noble street, spreading slogans, and launching suicide attacks.

There was no way that other major Noble Clans weren't behind this.

However, guessing who the mastermind behind this was from a few clues was a bit tricky.

Moreover, the conflicts between Nobles were usually ignored by Gotei 13, so in the end, this rebellion would likely become an unsolved case or having some head of the Clan took responsibility.

Just like now.

"The Shihōin Clan has always had the most loyal followers. Even if they are not the mastermind, the Shihōin Clan is definitely involved."

"Although this reasoning makes sense, isn't it too hasty to determine it like this?"

"Do you have a better solution?"

The Clan meeting made Tokikaze feel drowsy, completely unable to muster any interest.

Until half a day later, the Clan elders finally provided a reasonable solution.

After some digging, they found out that the Shihōin Clan and Kuchiki Clan were pulling strings to trigger the rebellion.

As for Tsunayashiro Akizuki, the plan was to reduce his reign as the head of the Clan and his authority within the Tsunayashiro Clan.

Tokikaze did some calculations and discovered that he would become the 23rd head of the Tsunayashiro Clan in another decade.

Seemingly long, but actually very short.

From the expression of Tsunayashiro Akizuki, who looked like he had lost his father, one could see that his once brilliant life had abruptly come to an end, with no chance of a comeback.

...

Fourth Division barracks, Coordinated Relief Station.

After leaving the Tsunayashiro Clan's mansion, Tokikaze immediately headed to the research laboratory of the Fourth Division.

His main purpose of this visit was still related to Yamada Seinosuke.

Although he couldn't kill Szayelaporro, he did manage to cut off several tentacles from him.

During his return to the Soul Society, Tokikaze had Clan members seal them with Kido.

It should be somewhat valuable to study.

Secondly, it was about the progress of the research on the Adjuchas.

Previously, Yamada Seinosuke solemnly promised that, at the shortest, it would take a couple of months, and at the longest, three to five years, to be able to research and develop a Kaido.

Although the time had not yet come, he should have made some progress.

Tokikaze didn't expect much; just some insights.

Through the battle with Szayelaporro, he realized his biggest weakness.

Indeed, the power of Sky-Breaking Blade was astonishing, capable of cutting through anything with just a swing, but it could only be used for two or three times before exhausting his Reiatsu.

However, after hearing what "Aizen" said earlier, Tokikaze had a bold idea.

As everyone knew, Kaido did not only heal injuries but could also accelerate recovery by stimulating Reiatsu.

These were the basic uses of Kaido.

Although Kaido was not as used as often as Hado and Kido, it still had its merits.

 Could he recover Reiatsu during a battle if he mastered Kaido?

Similar to Unohana Retsu's Bankai.

Tokikaze named this tactic, for now, the "Reiatsu Perpetual Motion Machine."

Coordinated Relief Station, File Room 32.

Yamada Seinosuke listened attentively to Tokikaze's idea, then nodded thoughtfully:

"Regarding your idea, in fact, many predecessors of the Fourth Division had come up with similar ideas and conducted numerous research and attempts hundreds of years ago."

"Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't use Kaido during battles."

As he spoke, Yamada Seinosuke pulled out several stacks of files from the piles behind him, placing them on the table, indicating:

"These are the experiment data and ideas from that time."

"3776 times of analytical experiments and 89,078 attempts at Kaido…. All failed without exception."

Tokikaze casually flipped through a few pages, then tossed them aside with an uninterested look.

All of them were filled with difficult terms and numerical descriptions, individually recognizable but incomprehensible when combined.

"The key issue is the lack of precise control over Reiatsu."

Yamada Seinosuke seemed to realize he had done something foolish and hurriedly explained:

"Sophisticated Kaido techniques already require very precise control over Reiatsu, and even that's far from enough. Using Kaido to stimulate the recovery of Reiatsu, especially during a battle requires much more precise control. If you want to stimulate Reiatsu recovery through Kaido in a battle, the first thing you must achieve is micro-level control of Reiatsu."

Tokikaze nodded thoughtfully.

In simpler terms, it was insufficient control.

This type of Kaido was already challenging to execute, and with unstable Reiatsu during a battle, the difficulty increased significantly.

"These are the advanced Kaido techniques."

Yamada Seinosuke brought out another stack of materials, placing them in front of Tokikaze. "These are semi-public materials in the Fourth Division, accessible to Seated Officers and above."

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

As a tool, Yamada Seinosuke almost covered all bases.

He was very clear about his position.

...

As a seeker of knowledge, Yamada Seinosuke wanted to try researching various forbidden fields, and the only ones who could grant him permission were just a few in the entire Soul Society.

Undoubtedly, Tokikaze was the most accessible among them.

The apparent cooperation between the two was a clear reflection which one of them was more superior.

Tokikaze browsed through the records of Kaido, attempting to learn and analyze it through his Kido's proficiency.

Although he only knew the basics of Kaido, he had more profound knowledge than almost anyone in the Soul Society when it came to Kido.

By drawing connections between them, mastering Kaido in a short period didn't seem like an overly ambitious idea.

To Tokikaze's surprise, the Kaido that Yamada Seinosuke described as extremely difficult to control didn't seem as challenging as expected.

Kaido #7: Moro Seisei!

Tokikaze began his first attempt after understanding the traces of Reiatsu flow and the transformation of Reishi.

It went surprisingly smooth.

The emerald green glow of Kaido radiated from his palm, and a rich vitality rippled through the file room. Just touching the edge of the glow gave a sense of bursting vitality.

In that instant, Yamada Seinosuke subconsciously tightened the files in his hand, almost crumpling the papers directly.

A genius like him took three months to learn this Kaido.

Even Unohana Retsu praised him as a genius that was born in a thousand years when it came to Kaido.

But if he was a genius, how would one evaluate the person in front of him?

A monster?

Tokikaze didn't pay attention to Yamada Seinosuke's expression and focused entirely on executing the Kaido.

"Lend me your hand for a bit."

Seeing that he couldn't judge the learning effect, he pulled Yamada Seinosuke over, pointing his finger, and a wind blade flew out.

Splatter—

Yamada Seinosuke's flesh was torn apart, and blood spurted out.

"Ah!" Yamada Seinosuke gasped, "What are you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Kaido glow illuminated the wound on his arm.

In the next moment, the gruesome wound visibly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"It seems the effect is pretty good." Tokikaze nodded in satisfaction; he seemed to have grasped Kaido better.

At the same time, he found the key.

Reishi Affinity.

As the Soul Society was a world composed of Reishi, an increase in affinity meant enhancement in various aspects.

It was like a permanent buff, with all attributes improving, and even mastery of skills would be faster than others.

From this perspective, the idea of the Reiatsu Perpetual Motion Machine might not be impossible to achieve...