"Is this the Senkaimon?"
Rukia looked curiously at the massive, closed gates. The graduates from the branch campus wore expressions similar to hers; after all, they had only heard of the Senkaimon's existence in textbooks and from their teachers before this.
Compared to the Senkaimon, the students from the main Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy were obviously more curious about them.
"Are those the students from the Yellow Turbans?"
"Didn't they say people over there don't get enough to eat and everyone is sallow and emaciated?"
"They don't look any different from us."
These were commoner students from the first forty districts of the Rukongai. Their curiosity towards the Yellow Turbans naturally outweighed any hostility. However, the students of noble birth made no attempt to hide the rejection and disdain in their eyes.
"Silence," a teacher shouted.
The students quieted down, looking towards several figures that had appeared beside the Senkaimon.
"I am the Captain of the 13th Division of the Gotei 13, Jushiro Ukitake."
The primary function of the 13th Division was to be stationed in the World of the Living, responsible for purifying Hollows there and guiding the souls of the dead. Therefore, during every student internship, as long as Jushiro Ukitake was not ill, he would personally come over.
"This is your first time leaving the guidance of your teachers to face the enemies of the Shinigami alone. What I want to tell you is this: when facing battle, do not blindly rely on that knowledge. Only by utilizing your own power and coordinating closely with your comrades can you survive the battlefield!"
Hearing Jushiro Ukitake's words, some looked solemn, while others were dismissive. Regardless of their reactions, the Senkaimon slowly opened according to the scheduled time.
The students began to flare their Reiatsu one after another, entering the Senkaimon led by their respective team leaders.
Only after the last student had entered the Senkaimon did two figures, who had been concealing their presence, finally appear.
"Captain Kuchiki, Vice-Captain Suzuki, we will be troubling you two this time."
"Leave it to us."
Byakuya Kuchiki nodded. Suzuki Makoto, on the other hand, took a few extra glances at the young man beside Kuchiki Byakuya—that was none other than the Lieutenant of the 13th Division, Kaien Shiba.
The two then stepped into the Senkaimon.
"Captain, you go back first. I'll just wait here."
"I'll leave it to you, Kaien."
Ukitake had always suffered from a chronic illness, so he did not decline, leaving the responsibility of this place to Kaien Shiba.
Although they entered the Senkaimon later than the students, when Suzuki Makoto and his companion arrived in the World of the Living, the others had not yet reached the designated positions. This conveniently made it easier for them to continue hiding their presence.
"I thought you would want to let Rukia enter the 6th Division."
"There is no need. She is better suited to live in a free place like the Rukongai. Moreover, if it is the Yellow Turbans... they are at least much cleaner than the Nobles."
After several years of interaction, Byakuya Kuchiki had gained a very deep understanding of the Yellow Turbans. It was precisely because of this understanding that he finally abandoned the idea of letting Rukia enter the Seireitei.
In fact, deep in his heart, he had even begun to question the current state of the Seireitei.
The stagnant water of the Nobles and the vibrant vitality of the Yellow Turbans—the contrast between the two was so intense and distinct.
However, he ultimately remembered his own surname. Appreciation was one thing, and acknowledgment was another; aside from cooperating more with Suzuki Makoto in his conduct, he took no other extra actions.
"They have arrived."
Byakuya Kuchiki's gaze fell toward the place where fluctuations were appearing; students had already begun to emerge there.
"The number of Hollows arranged this time seems to be quite a lot higher."
"After all, the number of students has also increased quite a bit. Although the number of students from the main campus is smaller, the Yellow Turbans' census is able to discover everyone with spiritual talent and then send them to the academy."
Admission to the original Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy was basically entirely voluntary. Whether for the Rukongai or the interior of the Seireitei, there was no concept of active recruitment. Thus, the number of people in each class was roughly the same. Now that half of the Rukongai districts had been allocated to the Yellow Turbans, the numbers naturally dropped.
The Yellow Turbans, possessing a complete grassroots structure, held an overwhelming advantage over the Nobles' administration in this regard. Therefore, even for the first graduating class, the number of students in the branch campus already approached twice that of the main campus, and the contrast in numbers for the subsequent classes was becoming even more exaggerated.
This also gave Shigekuni Yamamoto some inspiration, and the Gotei 13 began dispatching personnel into the Rukongai to search for people with spiritual talent and send them to the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy to study.
Byakuya Kuchiki merely mentioned the number of Hollows in passing; he didn't think this slight increase could do much. He simply locked his gaze firmly onto Rukia, looking forward to her performance.
As one of the team leaders, Rukia naturally didn't know that someone was watching her right now. Instead, relying on her previous experience, she began to execute the division of labor for her team.
The emerging Hollows were not strong—at least, they couldn't compare at all to the Hollows she had encountered in the Rukongai. However, in recent years, the number of Hollow attacks in the Rukongai had decreased significantly, and the strength of the Hollows themselves had also declined drastically.
At first, no one knew what the situation was. Later, rumors slowly began to spread, saying that this was the original intensity of attacks, and the excess Hollows before were the work of the Nobles. Now that Lord Suzuki and Lord Jeanne had made the Nobles bow their heads, there weren't that many Hollows anymore.
Rukia hadn't met many Nobles, but judging by her brother-in-law's behavior, he didn't seem like the kind of person who could do such things. However, she firmly believed that this must be the merit of Lord Suzuki.
To some extent, she was right. After all, the biggest reason for the reduction in Hollow attacks was the birth of a new order in the chaotic Hueco Mundo. Those Gillian-class Menos Grande and Adjuchas-class Menos Grande were all precious experimental supplies in Aizen's eyes. He sent people all over Hueco Mundo to catch them, so naturally, only those ordinary Hollows were left scurrying around.
Coupled with the fact that these low-level Hollows could only rely on luck to cross the barrier between the Three Worlds, it was not surprising that the rate of attacks in the entire Rukongai had dropped significantly—this was, in itself, one of the conditions of the cooperation between Suzuki Makoto and Aizen.
However, just as she relaxed her vigilance, Byakuya Kuchiki's expression in the distance instantly turned serious.
But just as his hand reached for the hilt of his sword, he was held back by another person.
"Don't panic. An unexpected situation like this serves even better to verify the mettle of these children," Suzuki Makoto said with great interest.
Hearing this, Byakuya Kuchiki's expression also relaxed. After all, what had come was just a Gillian. Whether it was himself or Suzuki Makoto, dealing with such trash was nothing more than a single sword stroke.
Their nonchalance naturally did not convey to the students who were currently fighting. Faced with the sudden appearance of such a terrifying enemy, these young people, lacking experience and preparation, were stunned dumbfounded.
"How could a Menos Grande of this level appear here?!"
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