Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16 - 16: The Tsunayashiro Clan

The idea of surpassing opponents far above his level—a trope seen in countless novels—wasn't something Masatsuki Aozaki was focusing on for now.

In the world of Bleach, fighting above one's rank was incredibly difficult.

A Shinigami's combat strength was fundamentally tied to Reiatsu. No matter how refined one's techniques were, without sufficient Reiatsu, they were meaningless.

Of course, there were exceptions—special cases like Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, whose Zanpakutō was simply too overpowered.

Even at the time of his death, his Reiatsu had never exceeded the boundaries of what a Shinigami could achieve, yet the sheer destructive power of his Zanpakutō was enough to reduce everything to ash.

Masatsuki didn't know how his own talent compared to Sōsuke Aizen's.

But he believed that with a talent acknowledged by both Retsu Unohana and Yamamoto, coupled with their personal guidance, he would one day reach the pinnacle of what a Shinigami could be.

...

Knock, knock, knock!

A sudden knocking pulled Masatsuki from his thoughts.

He casually threw on a yukata and walked over to open the door.

"Masatsuki."

Standing outside was Gin Ichimaru.

"Captain Unohana sent over some Zanjutsu manuals."

Masatsuki nodded and smiled.

"Thanks for the trouble."

Gin signaled to the two 4th Division members behind him, and they quickly carried in several large wooden crates filled with books.

Creak—

The crates were placed inside in one swift motion. The two 4th Division Shinigami cast Masatsuki a look of admiration before respectfully taking their leave.

Masatsuki, unconcerned with formalities, plopped down on the wooden floor, flipping open a book from one of the crates. As he skimmed through it, he casually asked,

"How's Rangiku doing?"

Gin glanced at the immaculately clean floor, as if debating whether it had been wiped down... or if Masatsuki had simply sat it clean.

At Masatsuki's question, a peculiar smile crossed Gin's face.

"Not sure what got into her, but she's training in the dojo right now."

Masatsuki blinked, then let out a chuckle.

"Looks like little Rangiku's finally growing up."

Then again, he supposed it made sense.

Rangiku wanted to improve— but she was just too prone to slacking off. Now that she was feeling the pressure, it was only natural she'd start putting in effort.

Gin's expression turned serious.

"But Masatsuki, the nobles sent someone to find me again today. Are you sure that continuing like this won't cause problems?"

Masatsuki half-closed his eyes.

"My situation at Shin'ō Academy isn't exactly a secret from the Gotei 13. As long as those nobles don't want to drag me down with them, they won't touch you."

"Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Captain Unohana personally instructing me? It's not just about teaching—it's a form of protection."

Gin was silent for a moment.

"...I still feel like your situation is dangerous. It won't be long before the Gotei 13 starts digging deeper."

Masatsuki shook his head with a smile.

"Gin, don't overestimate how noble the Captain-Commander and Unohana are. And don't assume they're blind, either—they know exactly who I am."

"To them, human lives mean nothing—let alone some back-alley street fights in Rukongai."

"That was just a struggle for survival. The Captain-Commander won't blame me for something like that."

"As for my dealings with the nobles, that's even further outside his concern."

Masatsuki paused, then changed the subject.

"I heard Lieutenant Aizen came looking for me recently?"

Gin nodded.

"Yeah. He showed up while you were in Zanjutsu class. Apparently, he hopes you'll consider joining the 5th Division after graduation."

Masatsuki let out a cold chuckle.

"If Lieutenant Aizen comes looking for me again, pass along a message—tell him I'll seriously consider his offer... but my decision will be based on the Captain-Commander's opinion."

Aizen was still in the early stages of his plan—gathering Reiatsu from souls with Shinigami potential, laying the groundwork for the Hōgyoku.

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