Just the mention of Shikaon Susumu put Yoruichi in a bad mood, and thinking about the way he had just stared toward the Squad 1 barracks was truly disgusting.
"Someone like him wants to enter Squad 1? In his dreams!" Yoruichi cursed. She turned to Kōe and continued, "You definitely won't allow him into Squad 1, right? Either way, I won't let him into Squad 2!"
"Big sis, I'm not you! Setting aside the fact that the old man is still alive and well, even if something unexpected happened, it wouldn't necessarily be my turn to call the shots!"
Kōe looked helpless. Squad 2 was managed by the Shihouin clan, so as the future Captain of Squad 2 and the future head of the family, Yoruichi had the right to reject anyone she pleased. But Squad 1 was different. Only someone acknowledged by the current heads of the Five Noble Families, Central 46, and all the Captains could serve as its leader. Therefore, even though Kōe was Yamamoto's favorite, whether he could actually take over the banner of Squad 1 was still an unknown.
"The old man doesn't even give you any special privileges. How stingy!" Yoruichi mocked. Her eyes darted around as she continued, "How about you come to Squad 2?"
"What would I do there? Be your Lieutenant?"
"Don't be so rigid! With our relationship, we'd definitely have equal status. We can discuss everything together! Plus, if you're willing to marry into the family, you can even sit as the future head of the Shihouin clan." Yoruichi actually made herself blush with her own words, holding her face in the exaggerated posture of a shy, delicate maiden.
"That joke isn't funny at all." Kōe didn't even notice Yoruichi's current state, assuming she was just messing around as usual.
Among their trio, the only one who actually had the freedom to choose which squad to join was Urahara Kisuke. The foundations of the other two were firmly rooted in Squad 1 and Squad 2; it simply wasn't up to them to mess around.
"Urahara Kisuke! Step forward for testing!"
Yoruichi had originally wanted to have a proper talk with Kōe, but it was now time for the three of them to be tested. Just like six years ago, Urahara went first, and Kōe would go last.
As Urahara began his test, the water in the Spirit Pool quickly submerged the fifth bamboo joint. Without slowing down, it continued to fill the remaining empty portion of the pool until it finally reached the very top.
"Level 6, full!" The testing instructor smiled and gave a thumbs-up, then called out, "Shihōin Yoruichi! Step forward for testing!"
Like Urahara, Yoruichi's test result was also a full Level 6. However, there was a slight difference between the two; Yoruichi reached the full Level 6 mark at a noticeably faster speed.
The absolute testing limit of the Spirit Pool was a full Level 6, so the students present were all whispering, guessing whether Yoruichi had already crossed the boundary of Level 6. After all, six years ago, Urahara had been at a full Level 5, while she was already at Level 6.
Only Kōe knew that these two were currently still at the level of a full Level 6. Furthermore, there was no such thing as a "Level 7" in Reiryoku; a full Level 6 was the absolute limit of Reiryoku levels.
Of course, this didn't mean that all top-tier Shinigami were identical in Reiryoku. The Reiryoku level represented the purity of the energy more than anything else; a full Level 6 was simply the purest state of Reiryoku.
To go any higher required a complete change in approach, specifically regarding the quality and quantity of Reiryoku. To put it simply, this process involved compressing Reiryoku into a high-concentration form and utilizing it in daily combat. Naturally, the actual execution was incredibly difficult. Urahara and Yoruichi were currently stuck at this exact bottleneck.
This highly concentrated Reiryoku was known as Reiatsu. Theoretically, Reiatsu had no upper limit, so there were no distinct numerical levels for it. If one had to categorize it, it was only divided into the broad, generalized terms of Captain-class and Lieutenant-class.
Next up was Kōe's turn to test, but by the time he stepped forward, the crowd had lost most of their interest. Six years ago, he was at the brim of Level 6. Now, he was undoubtedly at a full Level 6. Even if his capacity was higher, it wouldn't show, since it wasn't like the Spirit Pool could explode from the test anyway.
But just when everyone thought they had guessed the outcome, Kōe's test result slapped them in the face once again. It wasn't that the Spirit Pool actually exploded, but rather that he hadn't reached a full Level 6 at all.
"Level 6... brim?" The testing instructor, afraid he had misread the gauge, rubbed his eyes vigorously. The facts proved he hadn't seen it wrong; Kōe's result was indeed the brim of Level 6, exactly the same as six years ago!
Could there be a problem with the Spirit Pool? The testing instructor wanted to find an excuse for Kōe, but as the tester, he knew very well that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the equipment. That excuse simply didn't hold up.
*The genius has fallen!* the testing instructor lamented inwardly.
It wasn't just the testing instructor; even the Gotei 13 Lieutenants present thought the same. To have talent on par with Yoruichi, perhaps even faintly surpassing hers, only to make zero progress over six years—it was truly unjustifiable.
Whispers and discussions broke out among the students. Remarks like "Kōe Shihouin's limit is just the brim of Level 6" and "A commoner's potential is just too low" directly defined his future, essentially sentencing his career to death.
"What's going on with you? You haven't actually been slacking off on your training these past six years, have you?"
As soon as Kōe returned to Yoruichi's side, she hurriedly questioned him. Kōe found it hard to explain, so he merely offered her a bitter smile in return.
"I didn't mean it like that. I meant, have you been taking things too easy? Of course, I'm not saying you've fallen off!"
Yoruichi wanted to comfort Kōe, but the words coming out of her mouth only sounded weirder and weirder. Anxious, she kept scratching her head as she explained, terrified that Kōe might misunderstand her intentions.
Right at that moment, a discordant voice chimed in. "Oh, if it isn't our great genius!" Yoruichi looked toward the sound, only to see the crimson-haired Shikaon Susumu.
"To remain completely stagnant for six years... such a 'genius' is truly unexpected. I'm afraid I'll never be able to catch up to you."
"Do you want to die?" Yoruichi glared fiercely at Susumu, her right hand clenching into a fist with a crisp cracking sound.
"Oh, oh, oh! How terrifying!" Susumu took an exaggerated step back, continuing to mock as he walked. "Someone stepped up to protect our great genius! But it's just a... woman? Our great genius is hiding behind a woman's skirts!"
Yoruichi was thoroughly enraged. She wanted nothing more than to smash Shikaon Susumu's face in right then and there! But just as she lifted her heel, she was held back by a dark-faced Kōe.
"Leave him to me."
Although hiding his true Reiryoku level was part of the old man's plan, being forced to swallow this silent grievance still made Kōe extremely displeased. He was already annoyed, and Susumu's stunt completely ignited his fury. Disgusting him was one thing, but insulting Yoruichi? He was going to crush him! There was no room for negotiation!
"What are you planning to do?" Yoruichi asked.
"Destroy the thing he wants most!" Seeing that Yoruichi didn't understand, Kōe followed up with a question. "What do you think is Shikaon Susumu's greatest wish?"
What was Shikaon Susumu's wish? Yoruichi had truly never thought about this question. In her eyes, the guy was just a lunatic; she couldn't fathom what he wanted at all.
"To enter Squad 1," Urahara, who had been silent until now, provided the answer.
"Exactly. He's yelled at me more than once about wanting to enter Squad 1 and become the old man's disciple."
"Hah, him?" Yoruichi sneered. "Does he really think that highly of himself?"
"Originally, I thought it would be nice to let him into Squad 1 just to watch him make a fool of himself. But since he's pushing his luck, he can't blame me for being ruthless!" Kōe raised his hand like a blade and chopped at the empty air, his tone turning ice-cold. "I'm going to sever his delusions!"
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