11 Time skip
Ten years have passed since I became the 11th Kenpachi and Captain of the 11th Division. I have made quite an impact and angered a lot of the Central 46 members as well as a lot of the other Captains. But I don't care about that. I do what I believe is right and there is nothing that they can do to make me change my ways. The Central 46 didn't make trouble for me due to being a part of the Kuchiki Clan as well as Head Captain Yamamoto supporting me.
The 11th Division had been a growing problem and the Kenpachi's were not really doing what the Central 46 wanted and now they thought they could change that. They were wrong of course. I didn't listen to them either. I did what I was told by the Head Captain and what I thought was right. The squad was a mess and an embarrassing one at that. It was a widespread misconception that being violent was enough to qualify for the 11th Division.
Well, I changed that, on the very first day I became Captain. I took Ikkaku as my Lieutenant and Yumichika as my third seat. I wanted capable men in this division and they were the most capable ... as sad as that was. Ikkaku and Yumichika had potential but they didn't have the drive to improve and train. Ikkaku preferred to fight all day long and Yumichika liked to make sure he was looking as good as possible.
After watching them for a week, I told them that this wouldn't work.
.
(Flashback)
"WHAT?! Why do we have to train to stay in the squad?! Can't we just have a fight?", Ikkaku was being dramatic.
"We shall have a fight. At the end of every fourth month, I will test you both on your progress. And if I find out that you haven't made even the slightest progress, you will be removed from your posts and I might even kick you out if you disappoint me too much."
"Captain, isn't that a bit ... much?", Yumichika tried to reason with me.
"No. If anything it might not be enough. I am already very lenient by only scheduling it every four months. I could also do it every month and that would make it even harder. Both of you have potential but you ruin it with useless beliefs."
!!!
This got both of their attention. I had fought both of them to see their skills and found out that both of them weren't honest.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think so little of me? A man shows his true self during battle and what I saw was disappointing. But this time not because of your lack of martial prowess. No, I am talking about you hiding your abilities."
"W-What?!" "..."
They were both shocked. A small smile made it to my face when I saw their expressions. I enjoyed their company. They weren't pretentious or looking for benefits with me. They were just themselves and that's something I came to appreciate.
"Did you think you could hide it from me? I understand hiding your true strengths for tactical purposes and only using them in a fight when you want to overwhelm or surprise your opponent. But you two think that it would mean anything when you show your true strength.
First of all, Yumichika. I can tell that your Shikai is not all there is to it. If I had to guess, I'd say that your Zanpakuto has a Kido-aspect to it and you believe that this would mean you had to leave the 11th Division. I can tell you that I would never make you leave my Squad for a stupid reason like that. I value loyalty and strength above all else. So make sure to use it the next time we fight.
And now to you, Ikkaku. If I'm right you have achieved Bankai."
"!!! How did you-"
"It was just a guess. But my senses are beyond anything you have seen. I could sense the strength of your soul and it was much higher than what you showed me. Since I didn't see you holding back when we fought, I must assume that you have achieved Bankai."
"I- I... don't-"
"So I'm right. I don't care whether or not you have achieved Bankai. Just because you did, doesn't mean that you are Captain material. There is much more to it than achieving Bankai. If you want to stay here and be the Lieutenant of this squad, I have no problem. But don't believe that you can defeat me with only your Shikai."
(Flashback end)
.
Things went better after a few months. The squad members who were left began to train more and I could tell the difference and improvements they made. It was good and even with the diminished numbers, the 11th Division was able to perform at peak efficiency and level. This made everyone acknowledge me, not that I cared about that.
The members who I kicked out asked to join again. They gained quite a bit of humility and I told them that if they wanted to join the squad they had to pass my test. The test consisted of multiple physical tests to see whether they had the minimum requirements I wanted. Then they had to fight a member of the Squad to at least a draw. Those were the requirements. And it made some of them happy and they immediately challenged someone.
They thought that the person was a weak member. But the one they chose was someone who had strong willpower. I noticed him when I pressured all of them with my Haoshoku Haki (Conquerors). He was smaller than the other bulky Shinigami but he had the will to stand there and that impressed me.
Tabata Iwao was his name. After I tested them, I pulled him aside and told him that I would start training him once a week, if my schedule allowed it. I didn't take no for an answer and made him go through hell for three months. He hated the experience but when the day came that he was challenged by the former Squad members ... he laid them out flat.
.
Things were looking good for five years and then something bad happened. Father died. He was sent to Hueco Mundo to have a look at some members who went missing, but he got killed in action. I was very sad for a few days. I allowed myself and my Grandfather to mourn for a few days. We buried Father next to Mother, just like he wanted.
I pulled myself together after a few days. I could feel that this loss and the fact that I allowed myself to grieve and didn't just brush it off, I grew mentally. It was like a tempering of my will. My Haki had leapt and grew stronger. That wasn't my intention but it was welcome nonetheless.
That day I was named the future 28th Head of the Kuchiki clan and Ginrei Kuchki's heir. My grandfather was proud of the way I handled Father's loss but I told him that I didn't act in any way. I simply processed the loss and accepted it. He was surprised at my maturity but I could see the pain he felt at the loss of his son. I was sad as well, but I couldn't allow this to affect my performance in my duties and my training.
.
Speaking of training. I made progress again. During this decade of being a captain, I never once slacked off on my training. The only time I didn't train was when Father died, but that is allowed. I continued to increase the gravity of my kido and pushed myself beyond my limits every day. I was at 60 times gravity at the end of the Academy and now, after 10 years of training, I had surpassed 200 times gravity. It was a big milestone. I was now at exactly 204x normal gravity. I had my special body to thank for that improvement.
I was now faster than ever. My movement-, reactions- and processing speed were not faster than light and quite a lot faster. I was now more than three as fast as Flashy Flash was in his fight against Monster Garou and Platinum Sperm. I could now deal with both Garou and Platinum Sperm without a problem.
My strength had also reached new heights. I didn't know exactly how strong I was but there wasn't anyone that could handle me right now. Not even the Head captain was as physically powerful as I am. I don't know about his speed and strength in his Bankai state, but I'm sure that I'm faster and stronger than him at least in all the physical aspects.
If I had to guess, I'd probably say I was in Tier 5-C Moon Level, or maybe even a bit higher. And that is not counting my Zanpakuto.
.
My Zanpakuto, Senmanzakura - '10 Million Cherry Blossoms' has grown as well. I have made lots of progress there. I grew closer to my Zanpakuto and my Zanpakuto spirit. We understand each other on a very deep level. I spent a lot of time meditating and coming to understand my power and the power of Senmanzakura. I came to understand what it meant to scatter my Zanpakuto into millions of blades and use them in different ways.
Senmanzakura allowed me to weaponize my surroundings and make it a minefield for anyone who fought me. I could use it to fight long-range or close-range. I could spread the blades everywhere and have them enter any orifice of my enemy that I wished without them knowing about it. It was something I tried against a few Hollows. I made my tiny blades so small, that they stopped reflecting the light and had them enter their mouths and then had them wreak havoc in there.
It was a gruesome death but it allowed me to understand my power better. I also realised that just because my Zanpakuto was called Senmanzakura - '10 Million Cherry Blossoms', didn't mean that 10 million was my limit. I refused to accept that as my limit and tried to make the blades smaller and increase their numbers. It was straining mentally and used a lot of stamina. But just like my physical training, I saw this as a way to surpass my limits.
The deeper my understanding, the better I got. And finally, after one year of trying, I managed to increase the number of cherry blossoms to 10'000'032. A small number, but an increase nonetheless. That was a big step for me. And I continued to increase them. And now, I have arrived at 19'894'254 Cherry Blossoms.
.
And finally, two years ago, I decided to ask Senmanzakura about Bankai.
(Flashback)
"So you finally asked me. I was getting restless with you growing your powers and increasing your mastery over your Shikai. But I guess I'm probably the only Zanpakuto with that problem. Normally Shinigami want to reach higher levels of power instantly. I should be thankful you are the opposite."
"I apologize if I made you wait. But you know that I prefer to go slow but have powerful basics. We have time, so there is no rush right? Why would we limit ourselves with what we have, when we can go beyond that?"
"You are correct as usual. I agree, we shouldn't limit ourselves. So your approach is the correct one. I am just excited to finally see you use our full power. You were ready the first time you came to me, but you decided to take things slow. So listen to my true name. It's ...."
I opened my eyes and smiled. I shouldn't have thought that I would get the same Zanpakuto with the same abilities. They are similar but not the exact same.
I stood up and unsheathed my Zanpakuto. I then let it fall to the ground and activated my Bankai.
"Bankai: Senmanzakura Hakai" (In this sense it translates to 'Shredding of Ten Million Cherry Blossoms'. Hakai can mean destruction or shredding in this sense)
