After once again "donating" a significant amount of valuable resources—symbolically—to Captain Commander Yamamoto-Genryūsai Shigekuni, the final invisible obstacle on Shihōin Hiroki's path to the position of "Grand Kido Master" vanished into thin air.
The process went exceptionally smoothly; there was no questioning, no obstruction, as if this position had long been reserved for him.
Yamamoto Genryusai's deep gaze lingered on the approval document for a moment before he finally affixed the seal representing the authority of the Captain Commander, tacitly allowing this subtle shift in the power structure.
Hiroki had achieved his goal; another important piece of the puzzle at the heart of the Seireitei had fallen into his palm.
The headquarters of the Kidō Corps was located in the heart of the Seireitei. Its solemn and magnificent complex of buildings stood facing the Forest of Sages, where the Central 46 Chambers—symbolizing the highest judicial power—resided, separated only by a few wide and quiet stone avenues.
This geographical proximity spoke to the special status of the Kidō Corps within the system of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads—they were the masters of Barriers, seals, and massive Kido incantations, serving as an indispensable cornerstone of the Seireitei's defensive system.
The architecture of the headquarters was ancient and imposing, with huge stone carvings of talismans embedded in the lintels and pillars. The air was heavy with a sense of tranquility accumulated over centuries, unique to the precise manipulation of reishi, as if every breeze contained an invisible binding power.
When Shihōin Hiroki stepped into the headquarters as the new Grand Kido Master, he was not met with the suspicion or resistance common during transitions of power.
On the contrary, the members of the Kidō Corps gathered in the spacious dojo and corridors wore expressions of undisguised joy, bordering on relief.
Ever since the former Grand Kido Master, Tsukabishi Tessai, defected due to the Captain Hollowfication incident, the Kidō Corps had fallen into a long and awkward period of silence, having lost its core leader and direction.
They were like a precision instrument missing its most important drive core; possessing technical reserves but unable to exert their true power, they could only waste their days on routine maintenance and the operation of simple Barriers.
Hiroki's arrival—especially as a powerful figure from the Shihōin Clan, the head of the Four Great Noble Clans, whose own strength was unfathomable—was like rain after a long drought, the only hope for regaining the glory and sense of purpose of the Kidō Corps.
They needed a strong leader, regardless of where he came from, as long as he could lead them out of their predicament.
Therefore, those gazes held only anticipation and respect, along with a faint spark of hope reignited for the future.
However, Hiroki's thoughts were clearly not entirely focused on these earnest gazes or the daily management of the Kidō Corps.
He looked around at the slightly aged but still orderly environment within the headquarters, while his mind had already flown to more core areas.
Regarding personnel arrangements, he was extremely concise and efficient, one might even say nonchalant.
He casually selected a few Uchiha elites who possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and had calm, reserved auras from his core team, as well as a few experienced retainers who had served the Shihōin Clan for generations.
These people were led directly to Uchiha Izumi.
"Izumi,"
Hiroki's voice was calm, his gaze sharp,
"I leave these people to you. The daily operations, personnel scheduling, and training arrangements of the Kidō Corps are all to be managed by you on my behalf. Make sure to familiarize yourself with everything here as soon as possible and get the organizational structure of the Kidō Corps running again."
His trust was absolute.
Uchiha Izumi, this kunoichi who possessed both strength and wisdom, had long since proven her outstanding management skills and absolute execution of Hiroki's will.
She bowed slightly, her cold eyes sweeping over the new subordinates before her, and silently accepted this heavy responsibility.
Hiroki then turned to the subordinates who had been selected and said with authority, "From today on, you are members of the Kidō Corps. In all actions, obey the orders of Uchiha Izumi."
No one raised any objections; the Uchiha Ninja and the retainers of the Shihōin Clan had long since engraved loyalty into their very bones.
As for the affairs of the Sixth Division, for which he was originally responsible, that was even less of an issue.
One name was enough to solve all problems—Uchiha Shisui.
Hiroki had not the slightest worry about this.
"As for the Sixth Division, leave it to Shisui to handle entirely."
He spoke as if he were merely explaining an insignificant matter,
"Also, have him mentor Kuchiki Byakuya more."
When mentioning Byakuya's name, Hiroki's tone carried a rare hint of ease.
This young noble heir's recent changes were astonishing.
His height shot up like new bamboo after spring rain, and his once youthful facial contours quickly became defined and firm.
Even more remarkable was the momentum of the growth of the spiritual pressure within him, surging and magnificent, like a long-dormant volcano that had found a vent.
Hiroki could clearly perceive that this massive power was infinitely close to the threshold of "Third-Class" spiritual pressure—a sign sufficient to support Lieutenant-level or even stronger strength.
At this rate, Hiroki estimated in his heart,
"Mastering 'Bankai' is likely something that will happen within the next few years for you."
Once Byakuya successfully mastered Bankai, the heavy responsibility Yoruichi had entrusted to him to look after this heir of the Kuchiki Clan would be considered successfully completed.
Within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, the Sixth Division could be called the most special and most difficult to manage.
It was almost the spokesperson for noble interests.
Eight or nine out of ten members of the squad came from noble families, large and small, in the Seireitei.
They joined the Sixth Division not so much to protect the Soul Society, but rather to maintain and consolidate their respective families' power and status within the Seireitei.
Their obedience to Hiroki was not so much respect for a captain, but rather awe of the suffocating, gargantuan power of the Shihōin Clan behind him, and his own unfathomable strength that had once defeated Aizen.
This was a kind of reluctant submission based on the deterrence of power. And handing the Sixth Division over to Shisui was an extremely exquisite arrangement.
Although Shisui had not been with Hiroki for long, the name of his Uchiha Clan had been accepted by the noble circles of the Seireitei through the deliberate operations of Hiroki's faction.
Coupled with his powerful strength and his gentle yet firm style of handling affairs, and more importantly, he himself had been granted the status of a newly appointed Lower-ranking noble.
In the eyes of those self-important, long-established old nobles, Shisui was certainly a "nouveau riche," but he belonged to the "same circle" after all.
In this noble society of the Seireitei that placed extreme emphasis on status, lineage, and "class," a Vice-Captain who possessed noble status, powerful strength, and was relatively easy to communicate with was clearly easier to accept than an "outsider" who relied purely on force and background to suppress them.
After all, in the deep-rooted concepts of the nobles, without hundreds or even thousands of years of family history, no matter how powerful one was, they could only be considered a "nouveau riche" with shallow foundations.
Hiroki understood this set of rules perfectly. He cleverly used Shisui's status as a buffer, ensuring that the noble bastion of the Sixth Division would remain stable and serve his overall situation after he left.