Author's Note: It's slow, I know, but since when worldbuilding is fast? Also, it's not like I'm purposefully not giving him any friends, it's simply hard to think of another character that's not already in the canon, not to mention the timeline that only few are clearly identifiable that makes it harder to tell which character is still in the academy or already in active duty. But yeah, it is what it is.

Chapter 4: A New Day and Lessons

"Yours is a long road, my friend, and it stretches on to places beyond imagining. With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there. For in times of hardship, when you fear you cannot go on... The joy you have known, the pain you have felt, the prayers you have whispered and answered—they shall ever be your strength and your comfort. This I hope—I believe, here at memory's end." – G'raha Tia to Shugo.

"What's the matter? The witch of Doma will soon be dead." Yotsuyu asked, as she lay on the ground, her aether slowly dissipating from her body.

"You fool… What witch of Doma? Why would you not wait? I promised you I shall return, yet…" Shugo dropped onto his knees onto the ground, sorrow and grief filled his face.

She looked upon the man closely, before finally remembering the one memory she cherished so much in her childhood. He held her onto his arms, tears slowly escaping his eyes. She smiled softly at him, for he was the first to show that all was not lost. Yet somehow, she forgot, until she met Gosetsu.

"You mustn't need be sad, Shugo… You came back as you have promised… Yet I was the one who failed to keep mine…" She said as she wiped the tears from his face with the little strength she had.

He held onto her weak hands, as the two lock their lips for the first, and perhaps final time.

"You deserved better than this…" His voice cracked.

"No… My happiness was never meant to be… Not in this world." She shook her head.

"I wonder… Was the fruit as sweet… As he remembered…?" She asked as her voice became weaker, recalling her last interaction with Gosetsu.

He knew who she was referring to: Gosetsu, the man who had helped her after they were lost at the battle of Doma Castle.

"He said… It was… Don't worry." He smiled; his voice cracked yet again.

"Then… I am glad…" She said as she breathed her last.

A ball of light escaped her body, as her appearance of pure white returned to how she was: a long, silky black hair with a black kimono. He watched as that ball of light lifted into the air and dispersed, marking the end of Yotsuyu goe Brutus, no, Yotsuyu Naeuri. He screamed in anguish, calling out her name; his voice tore through the mechanical silence of the halls.

"TSUYU!" Shugo woke up screaming; breaking a cold sweat as he shuddered in the memory.

The day was just before dawn as he woke up from the dream. No, it was more of a memory, one he did not want to recall. He had his closure, meeting her and bid farewell before he left. It was simply the feeling that was evoked whenever he recalled that memory.

"Calm down… Breathe…" He said to himself.

Breathing in a calm, paced manner helped to slow down his heartbeat. He sat down for a moment, massaging his forehead and brow before wiping the sweat from his face and neck. He sighed before he went out of his quarters, staring at the sky as the sun slowly rose, receding the dark of night and painting the sky with its light. He went to the courtyard of the complex and decided to train his swordsmanship in the meantime.

Bringing his soul crystal, he wielded his broken sword on his right hand and its scabbard on his left hip. As he changed the active soul within the soul crystal to the Samurai soul crystal, the knowledge began to pour back into his mind. After a moment, he lets out a breath as he returned to being a swordsman.

'Hakaze is the staple of the skills, being the first to start one of the three known combination skills to unleash the Iaijutsu. The second step would either be Jinpu, Shifu, or Yukikaze. The third would be either Gekko or Kasha.' He thought as he put himself into his usual battle stance.

He held his broken sword with two hands forward, with his right hand near the guard while his left hand below it. His right feet placed at the front, while his left being almost horizontal at the back. His eyes sharpened, his breath steady. He closed his eyes and imagined his sword still being whole, unbroken.

'Hakaze.' He raised his sword and slashed down, before swiftly changing trajectory to slash from the bottom left to right.

'Yukikaze.' He changed the sword's trajectory again to slash vertically from up to bottom, before turning to stab from his side, connecting the first combo of the attack in one smooth move. It was as if the slashes generated cold and even ice.

'Sen is ready.' He instinctively knew as he started the second combo with Hakaze again.

'Shifu.' He swiftly pulled back the blade and slashed vertically twice, upwards followed by downwards.

'Kasha' He sheathed his imaginary blade for a moment before slashing horizontally from the left to right, followed by a diagonal slash from upper right to bottom left. It was as if his slashes caused the petals from a cherry blossom tree to fall from his blade.

'Ka is ready. One more to go.' He thought as he starts the third combo, once again starting with a Hakaze.

'Jinpu.' He slashed diagonally from upper left to bottom right, before pulling back the blade swiftly and stabbed.

'Gekko' He motioned as if he was forming the moon, making a full circle with his blade counterclockwise, before slashing diagonally from upper left to bottom right, and then turning to slash from the right to the left.

'Getsu is finally done. Sen, Getsu and Ka.' He affirmed as he sheathed his imaginary blade, while keeping his hand on the sword's grip.

'The final skill of the three known Iaijutsu: Midare Setsugekka!' The ground surrounding him were layered with frost, as he prepared to unleash the Iaijutsu.

KIIIIIIIING… SLASH SLASH!

He slashed diagonally upwards, before pulling the blade to his left side to slash horizontally. Petals of cherry blossom appeared as he unleashed the second slash, while the frost layer on the ground melted almost instantaneously.

He then relaxed himself, taking a deep breath before loosing his stance. This was, after all, only training. Though this all happened within the span of thirty seconds, he unleashed a fluid combo attack, something he usually do not do because he tends to equalize himself forcefully with his opponent to fight at their level, something that was inherent to him.

When he asked Venat on this, she told him that this was due to his soul not wishing to overstress his body. Even when his Echo enhances his body, it was only a step or several times above his usual strength, it never went beyond a certain limit. The only other time he was able to fight without any limits was when he faced Zenos before he arrived here. But now that his body has become an equivalent to that of a soul, he had no such restrictions.

He would go back into his battle stance and continue with this training until the sun rose high in the sky, and the members of the 4th Division began to go about their daily activities. Just before he started the final part, Unohana and Isane came and saw him training. The remained silent as he did his final regiment, not noticing the ever-growing audience.

He opened his eyes as he ended his training. He lets out a breath that was visible to the eyes. As he looked around, he realized that he had gathered quite the audience yet again, despite not even trying to in the first place.

He sighed in helplessness as Unohana and Isane approached him.

"Those were interesting Zanjutsu techniques." Unohana remarked.

"I cannot say. I have yet to learn actual Zanjutsu from the Academy, so I cannot make any comparisons with what I just did." He shook his head.

"Regardless, they can still be considered as techniques of Zanjutsu. Truly an impressive display." Unohana waved.

"Exactly what the captain said, Shugo-san. Those were not skills that a novice could do, especially with how fluid it was in your hands!" Isane was really impressed.

He chuckled, and simply said, "What can I say? I had a good Sensei, and the battlefield tempered me."

That last remark caught the two off-guard a bit, before Unohana changed the topic. "Well then, I suppose we should have our breakfast? We will continue to train you after that." She asked.

"Very well. Let us have the meal to start the day." He nodded as the two went over to the captain's office and he followed suit.

Several weeks passed, and it was time for the welcoming ceremony for the new students, which also marks the start of the academic year. Shugo had prepared to move out once the dorms were ready. He had been trained for that several weeks in the basics and some basic common sense of Soul Society.

"Well then, Unohana-san, Isane-san. Thank you for allowing me to stay here for as long as you did. I have troubled you much." He bowed.

"No, it's fine. I hope you'll do well in your studies, and maybe join our division after you graduate." She smiled.

"While that would remain to be seen, I would still visit you all even if I entered a different division. 'Tis the least I can do for my benefactors, after all. Farewell then." He chuckled before bidding farewell and waving his hand as he left.

He sprinted towards the academy, his armor fluttering due to the wind blowing at the fabric of his armor. He kept a plain face as he sped through the roads of Seireitei, before eventually reaching the academy. It took him 5 minutes to reach the place.

As he entered the academy grounds, the place was filled with students who evidently passed. However, walking through the crowd, most of them gave way as they saw him. Be it because of his rather noble-like behavior and attire, or perhaps due to what he did on the examination day that knocked out the remaining hopeful students. Either way, he welcomed the easier path.

Entering the assembly hall, he found an empty seat as the place was slowly filling up, just like during the entrance exam. Difference is, those here are all accepted students. As for which class he will be entering, the staff said that it will be announced based on the results of their entrance exam. He simply waited until the place was full, and the lights were turned off.

This time around, the man on the stage was not a man, but rather a young boy. To be exact, it was the young boy from the entrance exam who followed Captain Isshin Shiba and his Lieutenant, the female one.

"Ahem. This was supposed to be done by Captain Shiba, but due to certain circumstances, he is indisposed to attend and speak at this ceremony. This is also the case for the Lieutenant as well. Hence, I was appointed to represent the two in their place." The young boy said.

"To preface this, my name is Hitsugaya Toshiro. I am the Third Seat of the Tenth Division. Pleasure to meet you all." He introduced himself.

There were murmurs on the crowd when they heard of his name and his station.

"Hitsugaya? That kid is that genius?"

"I heard he graduated in less than three years!"

"Hey, he looks pretty cute!"

The Third Seat, noticing some of the words of the students, was clearly not happy because they were too distracted to pay attention to his words, making his job harder than it should be.

"Listen well, all of you. Becoming a Shinigami does not mean you simply get to have a better life. Being a Shinigami means that you fight not for the sake of your superiors or your family. Instead, it means that you should give your life to protect your friends and humanity." He said sternly.

The crowd became silent at his scolding. He lets out a sigh as he continued his speech.

"Remember these words well, for they are the commandments that all Shinigami follows: Do not seek beauty in battle. Do not seek virtue in death. Do not make the mistake of considering only your own life. If you wish to protect that which you must protect, slice the enemy you must defeat from behind." He continued.

'So… Do not fight for the sake of only fighting, do not seek redemption in death, prepare to sacrifice yourself, and do not hesitate to use any means necessary to protect those who are most precious to you… Huh…' Shugo summarized.

"That is all. I hope all of you take these words into your heart and become a proud Shinigami." Toshiro ended as he stepped down from the stage.

A staff member then went up to the stage.

"The results of the test have been posted on the announcement board outside. Please check which class you will be assigned to, as it will be based on the results of the test." He said, before dispersing the students.

The students soon exited the hall, with Shugo following from a tad behind. He walked outside and saw rows of announcement boards, detailing the test result of the students and which class they will be in. For his own, it was easy to spot; literally the first board, on the first row with only his name, his results and the class he is assigned to.

[Rank 1]
[#096 Shugo Kurenai]
[Grade: A+]
[Class Assignment: Class #1 - Special Accelerated Class]

He sighed helplessly. At least it will not make him stay in the academy for long, right? In the meantime, the students who saw him and his results were either envious or impressed. He could not care less, so he went to the staff member, who gave him his uniform, his Asauchi and the key to his dorm room.

Having packed most of his things, them being only his soul crystal and his broken sword, along with some allowance money, he immediately moved into the dorm room he was given. Thus, his journey to become a Shinigami begins.

As he settled down in his dorm room, he inspected the Asauchi he was given. It looked like a normal katana, in one glance. But according to what he had been taught by Unohana and Isane, that was not the case.

"An Asauchi can be said to be a contradictory thing. It is not powerful by any means, yet it has the potential to become anything. Or so what a friend has told me a long time ago. When you receive yours, remember to always keep it at your side, except when you're sleeping." Unohana said.

He smirked at a memory, when he recalled something similar to the explanation of an Asauchi: himself as an adventurer. When he started out, he was only a Gladiator. But as time passed, he became a Paladin, and when another opportunity presented itself, he learnt to become a Lancer, and later on a Dragoon. This was not to mention him relearning the way of the Samurai after encountering Musosai in Ul'dah under his tutelage. The him now, however, has learned various classes and jobs, but mastered only four of them, which coincidentally matches the three archetypes of roles in a party: Gunbreaker, White Mage, Red Mage and Samurai.

He sighed fondly at the memory of it. The sheer effort he spent to master those four jobs… It would take normal people years to even try to master one job or class. He did those four within a year and still been an expert on the other jobs he picked up.

It could be said that he had a knack in training and learning, or perhaps it was because of his inhumane capability of being able to go on for long without needing much rest or food. Not to say he does not enjoy those, but he does not actively seek them, unless he felt like it.

He shook his head and refocused on looking at the Asauchi once more. It looks no different than even the first Uchigatana that was given to him after Musosai agreed to take him under his wing.

The grip was long enough to be held with two hands, or even one with ease. Wrapped in a black fabric of sorts, the grip maintained a rather mediocre look. The guard was rather mediocre as well, mute in color with white and no motif whatsoever, nothing that showed exquisite craftsmanship, unlike the many katanas he had owned previously.

If nothing else, the blade itself was remarkable sharp, though the hamon was not as impressive.

Though, that's only if you were to look at it normally. Nothing was like that in the spiritual sense. As he used his spiritual senses, he saw that the blade was like a blank slate, waiting for an imprint to be made upon it. It was not dissimilar to that of a chick that just hatched from its egg, yet to be imprinted until it saw someone and consider that one as its parent after.

"Normally, this would require a slow, prolonged process. While no doubt it could be done within the course of my study here, I would like to try and speed up the process with Meditate." He murmured to himself.

His dorm room was by no means small, though it was only the size of one floor of his small estate in Shirogane. There was one futon to the far-right corner from the door, with a table and a zabuton to the far left. There was also a dedicated bathroom in the place, along with a closet for his belongings. The floor, in the meantime, was covered in tatami, except for the bathroom where it was some sort of marble flooring.

Meanwhile he was currently sitting in the middle of the room that had an empty space. There was a small table for perhaps a guest, but he moved it away to the left.

Holding the Asauchi on the grip with his right hand, while removing it from the sheath and placed the back end of the tip on his left hand. He closed his eyes as he used the skill 'Meditate.'.

SWISH! SWISH! FUUUHHH!

A rather imposing aura of red surrounded him, swirling around him. Because he already had moved things away from him, nothing was thrown off by his swirling aura. Normally, the skill Meditate would be for him gathering Kenki and Meditation. But this time around, instead of standing, he was using it while sitting down. It would last him only for five minutes or so, but still.

PSSSSHHH... FUUUH…

He hissed as warm breath came from his mouth, visible enough to see with the naked eye. The Asauchi was visibly taking in the red aura, albeit slowly. The first two minutes was the Asauchi absorbing his red aura. The next three minutes though…

Without any warning, he heard a voice. It was still unclear to him, he only hears a garbled, cut-off voice trying to seemingly speak to him. But as he just cleared the garble in the voice and was about to pinpoint the source, his Meditate skill was over and the swirling red aura had subsided almost immediately, dispersing into the air.

He opened his eyes and looked at the katana in his hand. The Asauchi now had its guard gained a tint of red, giving its original white appearance some motif. He sighed as he sheathed it back into its scabbard, rearrange the room back into its original look, and put the Asauchi back to his side.

'At least now I know it works. Thank the Twelve my bet paid off.' He thought.

When the welcoming ceremony was done, it was already past noon. The sky had turned orange after he had settled in his dorm room. Looking at the orange sky through the window, he sighed as he changed into his academy uniform, a blue shitagi (undershirt, not an underwear), overlapped by the blue-striped, white kosode (shirt/outer shirt), blue hakama (trousers/pants) for the lower part of the body, and white socks and sandals for the feet. There's also the academy's symbol on both breasts on the kosode.

Holstering his Asauchi on his left hip, he went outside to get some food for dinner. It became more of a habit ever since he arrived here, despite he could last without eating for a while, thanks to living in the Fourth Division Complex for some time. He was also given some money as allowance, courtesy of the 4th Division and blessings from the Head Captain.

As he walked around, carrying some money just in case, he found an academy staff and asked where he could find some food.

"Ah, you can go to the mess hall over there." The staff pointed towards a certain direction.

"Thank you." Shugo bowed and left towards the place.

He walked towards the mess hall. It was pretty much similar to the one he saw in the 4th Division's Complex, though he only entered it once when they showed him around. Most of the time he was invited to have his meals at the captain's office by Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Isane's behest.

The place looked like it could handle several hundred people in one go. Rows of tables and chairs, with a station where the mess staffs would put the food onto a plate before it is put onto the tray the students hold. From what he could tell, the stations serve food that is similar with Hingashi dishes he was familiar with.

The place was not too filled currently, with several tables visibly empty. He went in line, picked up a tray, and got his food from the stations. He found himself an empty table, sat down and proceeded to eat his meal. The few people that were there did not bother him.

The meal was rather uneventful, made him somewhat miss the company of Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Isane. Even if Unohana did not speak, Isane would always have some questions for him, and he would answer her time to time. Though, he does enjoy the silence rather well.

He said his thanks after putting down the chopsticks, carried the tray and dumped the items on the tray into the chute, before putting it on the "used" tray section that was above the chute.

He walked back into his dorm. By the time he had finished his meal, the sky was already transitioning from orange to dark, as stars slowly became visible in the sky. He went into his room, prepared his futon, set the clock that was already available in the room to around 7 AM. According to the schedule he received, classes will start around 9 AM, so he should still have some leeway if he woke up at 7.

He closed his eyes, as the darkness soon overwhelmed him, and he fell asleep.

Gengoro Onabara looked around at the twenty-one students of Class 1 and felt pride in them. No students in this room that are incompetent or entered because of the influence of their families.

"I am your class' chief instructor, Gengoro Onabara. Gathered here are all you freshman of Class 1 that took the top scores in the entrance exam. In other words, you are in the special accelerated class!" He started his welcoming speech.

"Rather than merely serve in your future divisions, train hard to excel in your various pursuits! That will be all!" He encouraged them as he finished his speech.

The students all had a determined look in their face, some of them visibly ambitious for whatever division they wish to join after graduation. Onabara was pleased with the sight.

However, as he looked over to the one student in the corner by the window, he felt confused. He could not read the student's intent at all, as if he's here simply because he was asked to. As he looked over the student list for Class 1, he saw the student's name along with the student's picture: Kurenai Shugo. He then recalled some of the murmurs from the staff during the entrance exam, on how a student was immediately accepted into the academy after just releasing his reiatsu, which also knocked out the other examinees who had not done their exam yet, forcing them to postpone the exam for several hours. The young man had also attained the highest score for the entrance exam, taking the top place.

'Impressive, yet intriguing.' Onabara thought as he looked at the young man, before shaking his head and moved on.

"For now, we will start with lessons on Kido! Firstly…" Onabara began his lecture.

Shugo who kept a poker face paid attention as the instructor explains the basics on Kido, the spell variants that are split within the categories of Hado, Bakudo and Kaido, a few basic spells from those categories with their incantations and details (if any), and some info on forbidden Kido.

Overall, it was what he had been taught from Unohana: Hado are basically offensive spells for directly damaging the enemy, Bakudo are spells for immobilizing or combat support spells, which also includes Kido barriers and seals, while Kaido are healing spells that can be casted without incantations. Aside from Kaido, both Hado and Bakudo have known names, incantations and numbers.

After around an hour or so, Onabara finished up his lecture on Kido. Seeing as his students didn't have any question, he ended the lecture there.

"After this, we will be having a group practice on using Hado spells. You will have a 15-minute break until then, so feel free to use the time to socialize or prepare yourselves. Dismissed." Onabara said as he left the classroom.

The students began to congregate in groups, finding their own cliques or just wandering around and making friends with each other. Shugo, on the other hand, did not seem to mind that no one approached him. It was not like he did not want any friends; it was simply him enjoying the feel of a proper education institute and learning something new.

Before they knew it, the break time was over and Onabara entered the room once more.

"Follow me. We'll be going to the Kido training field." The bald glasses instructor gestured as he exits the room, followed by the students behind him.

After walking some distance, the group arrived at the training field. They sat on a platform that was connected to the field and sat in a seiza position. Shugo was part of the third row, as in the last group.

"Group 1, step forward!" Onabara yelled.

The first row of students stood up and went forward near the edge of the platform.

"Begin Hado exercise!" He yelled another one as the students in that row gave a "Yessir" in union and began to chant the incantations for the designated Hado spell.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado #31: Shakkaho!" The students chanted, some slower than others, but nonetheless chanted the same thing.

As they held their hands forward, a bright red see-through sphere soon formed on their hand, facing forward. After they finished their chant, the spheres were launched at their respective targets. Some missed entirely, not even reaching the targets, some barely touched the target boards, a few managed to hit the boards, albeit not near the center circle on the boards.

"Next, group 2! Forward and repeat!" The bald instructor yelled again.

It was pretty much a repeat for the second row, except for some that managed to hit dead center at the circle on the boards. That elicited a small smirk from the chief instructor, before he gestured at them to go back.

"Next up, group 3!" The instructor ordered.

It was finally his group's turn. Shugo stood up like the rest of the group and went forward.

"Hado exercise… Begin!" Onabara gave the signal.

The others began to chant the incantation. Meanwhile he closed his eyes as he focused on compressing the chant itself, like how he cast spells as a White Mage or even as a Red Mage. One second, a red sphere of light formed on his hand. Two seconds, he opened his eyes as he let out a pressurized breath, limiting the reiatsu he used to one-fourteenth of his overall capacity. At the third second, while others were still chanting the either the middle or last part of the incantation…

"Hado #31…" He paused in a calm manner, before immediately continuing with a firm voice saying, "Shakkaho!" as the red sphere condensed almost immediately into a bright red one, speed through the air and hit the circle on his target board dead center and blasted the board into smithereens, leaving only the broken pole that hoisted the board.

He lets himself relax as he loses the rather intense look from his eyes and back into neutral territory. He remained silent as he went back and sat down in seiza. There was silence for one moment before the rest of the students looked at him in either awe, jealousy or fear.

Meanwhile, Onabara's eyes were twitching in excitement. Seeing such a talented student truly boils his blood, making him want to give it his all to teach his students.

"Impressive work, Kurenai." He nodded in satisfaction, before turning towards the remainders of the class and addressed them, "We'll have another 15-minute break. After that, we'll go to the dojo in the training grounds for some basic lecture on Zanjutsu, followed by a spar between you and your designated classmates. Understood? Dismissed." Onabara said as he left.

Half of the entire class turned and stared at him before proceeding to swarm over him. Being as he was, he could only sigh helplessly and answer any question to the best that he could.

"Hey, how did you cast that fast?" One guy asked.

"I compressed the incantation to the best that I can, and then after adjusting the reiatsu I needed, I unleash the spell." He responded.

"Aw, c'mon, there's no way you can do that!" Another one doubted him.

"It is possible. But it requires experience, and in this context, it requires a lot of it." He shook his head.

"Hey, hey, can you tell us who trained you? No way you can do that without someone telling you how to do it!" A girl tugged at him.

"Most of it is directly from my own experience. But I was taught by Captain Unohana, for a month or so." He smiled and answered her.

"Wait, your teacher was Captain Unohana? THE Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division?" Another student had this look of shock and asked.

"She was my benefactor, not long after my parents perished. I stayed with her for a month before I came here." He was lying through his teeth on the circumstances.

However, he did not lie on the part she was his benefactor and that he had stayed over for a month. The other parts are simply for his cover. The rest of the class, including those who didn't seem to like him were silent when he answered that nonchalantly.

"Whether you believe it or not, it is up to you. I have said my piece. Now, should we not be leaving for the Dojo? I believe Onabara-sensei is waiting for us right over there." He shrugged and pointed at the bald glasses instructor who was already present.

His classmates immediately scrambled towards the instructor, who was waiting on them, clearly not happy with them taking their sweet time.

"Please pardon us for the tardiness, Sensei. They were curious and forgot to look at the time." He said apologetically.

"Sigh… It's fine, Kurenai. Just go over to the Dojo." Onabara sighed and waved away.

Shugo bowed slightly before catching up with the back of the group.

The Dojo was certainly larger than any that he had ever been into. It was more akin to that of an enclosed courtyard, with enough space to house a large amount of people, up to at least several thousand or so.

Sitting in rows enclosing the center area in a large rectangle shape, the students sat down, each with their Asauchi put down while having a Bokken, or a wooden sword, in the stead of their Asauchi on their hips. Right now, Onabara is explaining the basics on Zanjutsu and Kendo.

"When holding a sword, you hold it with your two hands. That's the proper way to hold a sword." He said as he practiced it.

"And if you find yourself in need to move, use one foot to move while the other stays close before you finish your move. Because your opponent certainly won't miss the chance to attack you while you're trying to move to a certain direction." He explained as he had his right leg move while keeping his left leg at a short distance from his right leg as he moved.

For Shugo, it was all instinct at this point. Such basic movement was already mastered by him. It is not arrogance, however, that fueled such a mindset. It was simply his experience. But he does not scoff at it just because he already mastered it. It was still important to remember, because if all else fails, reverting back to the basics never fails.

Onabara gave the lecture for half an hour before moving on to basic Zanjutsu. It was basic slashes, combo techniques, a basic dodge technique, and a basic parrying technique. Nothing too fancy, just enough to introduce most of the students to Zanjutsu. However, he clearly noticed of Shugo's rather disinterest of the subjects.

'Perhaps I should measure him…' He pondered for a moment before deciding.

After another half an hour that involved the lecture and questions from some of the students that he answered, he decided to have the spar now.

"Now that all of you have some idea on basic Zanjutsu and Kendo, we'll be commencing a spar between you lot! But first, we should have a little demonstration." He said as he eyed Shugo, who noticed the instructor's stare and raised a brow.

"Kurenai, you're up for this demonstration. You'll be facing me." He ordered.

"Very well…?" Shugo had his brow raised before standing up, sighing and walked towards the opposite of the instructor.

Some of the students immediately became a bit rowdy. It was certain that Kurenai was not a troublemaker, and some could not help but wonder if the instructor was testing the top ranker out of curiosity or because of something else.

"Get ready, Kurenai. I will allow you to attack first." Onabara said as he readied his Bokken.

"Sigh… If you must insist, Sensei." Shugo shook his head and sighed before putting himself into his usual stance.

Left foot at the back, right foot at the front. Right arm on the grip near the supposed guard, left arm just a couple of centimeters below it. He closed his eyes to calm his mind and heart, before opening them and release a visible breath of sigh. His eyes sharpened, his grip on point. His stance unwavering, as he moved forward.

Onabara was immediately on guard, as he recognized that this student of his was no novice in Kendo.

'Sen.' He unleashed Hakaze, followed by Yukikaze, striking at the instructor who managed to parry his attacks. But nonetheless, he had still gathered the Sen within him. The frost that formed from his attack clearly caught the instructor's attention.

CLANG! CLANG!

'Ka.' In one fluid motion, he used Hakaze, Shifu, and lastly Kasha. The three were still parried by the instructor. Once again, Kasha's flower petals were noticed by the instructor.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

'Getsu.' A string of attacks was launched in one stroke, from Hakaze, followed by Jinpu, and ended with Gekkou. The instructor still managed to parry his attacks. But it was of little consequence, for he had already gathered the three Sens, and was ready to unleash Midare Setsugekka. The illusion of the moon formed did not escape the instructor's eyes.

CLANG! CLANG! SHIIIINNGGG CLANG CLANG!

In the meantime, the students watching this demonstration were baffled by the top ranker's moves. It was clear to them that he was as close as one can get to be a proper swordsman in comparison to them.

'This young man… His attacks are always started by that one attack, before it varies into three different combinations. And they are nothing to scoff at. He certainly knows his techniques, with seemingly enough experience to pull it off with such fluidity, and I daresay elegance…' Onabara frowned at the thought, scrutinizing Shugo's attacks earlier.

He then saw the young man pulled back, before motioning as if he was sheathing his blade for a powerful, single attack.

'No, he mustn't be allowed to finish his attack! I can feel that this attack cannot be parried normally!' He scowled.

As Onabara closed in, Shugo who realized that the instructor knew of his intent, used Enpi, which involves almost the same stance as he is in right now, but instead of unleashing an Iaijutsu, he unleashed what can be considered a violent burst of energy as a ranged attack in the form of a wave slash. It was by no means potent in damage, but it is certainly enough to give the instructor a pause.

'Enpi!' He pulled his Bokken from his "scabbard" and unleashed a wave attack at Onabara.

K-KANG!

Onabara scowled again as he was forced to parry that strange blast attack. He was pushed back a bit, before he resumed to closing in onto Shugo. But it was all Shugo needed to finish unleashing Midare Setsugekka.

'Midare…' He sheathed the Bokken back into his "scabbard" as he pulled back. The layer of frost began to appear on the wooden floor below him, and the cold wind swirled around him within it.

'No! I have no choice but to use some reiryoku! It's the only way to deflect this!' Onabara grits his teeth as he began to cloak himself in reiatsu.

'Setsugekka!' He unleashed the most powerful attack within the Iaijutsu's three skills. Two slashes unleashed in one stroke; a yellow light emitted as the sheer pressure of the attack caused the light to appear.

CLANG! SHINGG!

As soon as the slashes made contact with Onabara's reiatsu-cloaked Bokken, a massive burst of pressure blasted through the area. Onabara's Bokken was visibly shaking from the attack, even starting to crack under the attack. However, he barely managed to repel the attack as the force behind that attack dispersed.

Shugo readied himself before Onabara stopped him.

"Enough, Kurenai." Onabara raised his hand.

"Thank you, Sensei. It was very enlightening." Shugo sheathed his Bokken back into his "scabbard" and bowed.

It was certainly enlightening, since people that have faced him in combat was rarely able to parry or even deflect his attacks, aside from the powerful people. He could certainly tell that his attacks had effects on Onabara, with his Bokken nearly broken being the proof of it, however, he was pleasantly surprised to see people genuinely parrying or blocking his attacks.

It was a refreshing experience, so to speak.

"No, it was nothing. I only intended to measure you, not to put you into trouble. However, I can see that you certainly don't lack the experience or techniques. If nothing else, I'd say you can skip Zanjutsu altogether." Onabara complimented him.

"I would still like to join Zanjutsu classes, Sensei, if only as an observer. I would still like to learn and expand my repertoire in Zanjutsu, for it is a refreshing thing to do so." Shugo shook his head.

"Hahaha! I reckon you're just being humble, Kurenai! But regardless, you're free to do as you like in regards of Zanjutsu classes!" Onabara gave a hearty laugh and smacked Shugo's back, which Shugo could only respond with an embarrassed laugh.

"Students! That is how to be a proper swordsman! Even if you only know few techniques, use them with the right timing and you'll still have a chance against a stronger opponent!" Onabara said with a feeling of pride.

He felt proud that one of his students was actually a hidden gem in the rough! Putting aside his Zanjutsu or even Kendo skills, he already shows quite the aptitude in Kido just from Hado alone! However, he could also foresee this student of his be a contested candidate between numerous divisions.

'I can only pray for you to stay sane, Kurenai! Because those captains will certainly give you a hard time and will want you to join them!' He silently prayed for this one student of his.

"Now, I'll decide who'll be facing who! Kurenai won't be included, so don't worry!" He shouted, while giving a smirk at the last remark.

Shugo shrugged while the others gave a sigh of relief. Seeing a monster like him would really squeeze your guts, even if you're supposedly in the same class as him.

"Next up…" He said as he called a couple of students to spar at a time