Blinking, Zhou made his way into the Elder’s quarters. His face was bruised, rivers of crimson still falling down from the top of his head. Almost unbothered, Zhou sat in the designated seating area – in front of a small table bearing a kettle where the steam from the tea that had recently finished brewing rose into the air, the scent of the very area smelling akin to green tea. Zhou remained seated, but his posture was not in its usual refined fashion. Instead, his right foot was planted onto the ground, his knee pointed towards the ceiling as the other leg was simply stretched in a diagonal fashion. He rested his right arm against his knee, those silver orbs staring directly at the Elder who had their entire body covered with a cloth – the only thing visible to Zhou currently were those thin lips.
“If you truly want to learn Shunko in this fashion, you’re going to have to be a pillar within this clan. I already know that you have the power and the ability to master the technique. Regardless, you must understand that this isn’t something that I’m willing to simply … give you without something in return. You made a compelling argument. The growth of the clan is something that we should take into consideration. I do not regret our service to the Shihōin, but at the same time, without change, we shall remain stagnant. For years, our tradition has been to cultivate soldiers for the Onmitsukido. That is a burden, but at the same time it is something that is needed for the Soul Society as a whole. If you want what you’re asking for, you must assist the Clan as someone that will look out for potential Onmitsukido recruits during your tenure within the 3rd Division. If you see someone that’s worth the effort, you are to give the student’s name and information to me. I will also expect you to push students that are worthy of this position within the Academy… in a similar fashion in which you were trained. You were cultivated to be the ultimate weapon, so I expect you to do the same.”
The Elder began, Zhou figured as much – especially with the point he had made earlier. The Elder coughed into their hand, only for him to continue.
“There is… another issue which needs to be discussed. The Nokoribi clan. I’m sure you have heard of them. They used to be one of them that served in the 3rd division for some time. In addition to serving here. I believe you just might have had them as a teacher. The past does not matter now, what is of concern is the present. Being united with the Nokoribi clan is a boon that would suit us greatly. With someone of your stature, we can probably discuss you as a potential suitor for Nana. By uniting both of our clans, we will be stronger financially and have more say within the Seireitei. This isn’t to say that we want to split off from the Shihōin clan by any means. For now, we are going to focus on being stronger – for the entirety of the Soul Society. If you can agree to those two things, we can continue this conversation. If not, leave.”
Zhou’s silver orbs looked towards Elder – his face no longer giving a hint of any emotion. Once the Elder waited on his answer, Zhou closed his eyes, exhaling.
“So this training is contingent on whether or not I pawn students off to the Onmitsukido and marry some old broad, is that right?”
Zhou’s words were as unfiltered as they came. Was this the same soul that had just recently taken a beating to the head? Was this the same robot that genuflected showing reverence and respect? This brute that remained was in stark contrast to everything that he was before. The Elder took a second to truly wonder if this was something worth doing – Whether or not Zhou was the right man for such a thing, especially with this shift in demeanor. The Elder didn’t answer Zhou’s question. Instead, there was silence right before laughter erupted from the male with dark blue bangs running down his face.
“Oi oi… You clan heads are definitely something else. Alright, so be it. I’ll give you what you want. I don’t have time to play politics, though. Let’s get to work. I need everything that you can give me and I need it now.”
With the agreement to the terms, Zhou sat there with blood still loitering about his battered face. The elder snapped his fingers, as two clans members instantaneously appeared on each side by side with Zhou. They had begun repairing the damage to his face with kaidō – another one running inside with a rag in order to clean Zhou’s face.
“When you’ve recovered, you’ll meet me at the training grounds. As always, you won’t be permitted to leave until you have finished your training. We don’t produce failures or half results, so if you have any sort of thing you need to do before we start … ”
The elder began as Zhou scoffed.
“I would’ve started just like this. Let’s get this done.”
With his face being treated, Zhou was first presented with writings - documentations of how Soi Fēng utilized her Shunko and the very steps she took in order to make this technique her own. His silver orbs scanned about the writing, swiftly gathering key points of what was documented. The training itself documented just how… taxing the process was. The emphasis on just how much control over one's Reiryoku was needed paired to the stress of having an efficient level in the usage of Kidō. At first glance, one might had become a little intimidated, but there were not a hint of this displayed in Zhou. Instead, the male continued to read on what Soi Fēng went through, the battles she faced – making an emphasis on the impressions made on her by Yoruichi especially. Another piece of information that genuinely stood out to him was an ability used to halt her Shunko – rendering it completely unusable. At first, one would enjoy or even entertain the idea of learning such a technique. Even though at first glance it could have been slightly appeasing to most, Zhou had absolutely no need to learn this technique, rather, the knowledge was used as something to warn him. Down this path, Zhou would have been forced to strain his body with something he had not utilized daily. By no means was Kido foreign, but at the same time using Kido was something that was a need in order for this technique to have the lethality it needed. Shunko wasn't solely just the concept of infusing his body with Reiryoku and controlling it. No, the concept was much deeper.
Standing, Zhou made his way to the courtyard, the Elder seeming to wait for his arrival.
"All of those transcribed text and you're done analyzing them all? Are you sure you're ready to actually try using this technique? You do know how dangerous this ability is."
The elder continued on as Zhou began speaking..
"I have to analyze, grade, and critique a number of papers… Daily. Unlike Kido, Hakuda is an art that enables free form of the body with each style being different based on the type of body one has. I have not only kept in mind each student's body type, I also have to assess whether or not their answer coincides with what their body would allot them to do. My work constantly changes; My analytical ability in terms of comprehension and speed have not been dulled. I have to do this while training so that my own abilities do not wane. There is no time for simplistic enjoyment. I do have one question for you, though. "
Zhou asked as the elder stood baffled. What could this self-imposed genius have to question about? The elder nodded their head, allowing Zhou to speak. With little time between this action and Zhou's lips moving,
"If it took Soi Fēng to get this far in a century, how long do you think this will take me?"
The Elder thought to themselves. The silence was brief but genuinely warranted.
“That’s … a hard question to answer. In a century, there were a lot of things Soi Fēng took the time to discover. If I were to guess, I’d say it would take a few months at the very least to have a firm grasp on the ability. It would take longer to be at Soi Fēng’s level… Not to mention, your skill in kido has been very limited due to what you’ve been trained to do. You are a fast learner, but that is still my assessment.”
Zhou continued to look towards the elder.
“I’ll do it in two weeks.”
The Elder began to emit a low laughter, raising their hand to cover their mouth.
“Alright. I don’t believe you’ll be able to do it, but with the amount of will you have Zhou, I truly believe that you’d be able to overcome any obstacle… But Zhou, is this something you truly desire?”
The elder asked as Zhou was silent. Why would there be any reason for him not to begin with this training? With this brief silence, he wanted to hear exactly where the Elder was coming from rather than jumping to conclusions. The Elder soon looked to the bruised male in front of him, still eagerly seeking some form of guidance. Both of their silver orbs met – the two of them trudging down completely different paths within their lifetime. The amount of determination that radiated from the younger soul was something that the Elder had no choice but to take some sort of pride in. Zhou made a compelling argument before, and the two of them arguing in front of their clan would have done absolutely no good.
“Zhou, if you wanted to follow the same steps as Soi Fēng, you wouldn’t have left the second division. You’d have stayed and worked through whatever situation you faced. You wouldn’t have tried to grow on your own. Instead, you decided to do something outside of the clan’s norms. Of course, our clan holds an obligation to Shihōin, but at the same time, since the Onmitsukido is under the grasp of that man, he is the one that we have to pay loyalty to as well. Currently, the Fēng’s are in a state of division. There’s not many who are conscious of it, but in essence what if there was something that would have happened between the Shihōin and the Onmitsukido? What side should the clan take? You may assume that those would choose the Shihōin, but at the same time, that will not be the case.”
Zhou blinked, listening to the male intently and having a firm grasp on the intent of the message.
“So you’re telling me… the Fēng are in need of direction?”
Zhou said out loud as he could only imagine himself.
“Speak what you wish of Soi Fēng, she was able to pull the clan and the onmitsukido together. History can only know where things fell short, but instead of you attempting to learn something along her lines, why not make a mark on history yourself? That’s the very first step into being a leader, forging your own paths. Each captain to date has cemented their mark differently without holding an inkling to those in the past. Of course, it’s fine to have admiration, but at the same time, that can only go so far. You being a better Soi Fēng isn’t what anyone needs right now. Including you.”
Zhou paused for a second as his chin soon pressed into his chest.
“... What the soul society needs is the best of Zhou Fēng.”
With this, the male that had just received treatment for his injuries sighed. What was he supposed to say to that? Rushing and trying to learn a technique for strength wasn’t something that he needed to do in any regard. Zhou came to the reality that he needed to forge his own path, etching his own historical prints that he made. This wasn’t just for his newly acquired division, this was for the soul society as a whole. With this realization, there was nothing else to be said.
“Thank you, Elder. Just like before, the next time you see me, I’ll be even better than what I was before.”
Zhou said with his scarred lips curving into a grin, his eyes being covered by his longer, shaggy hair.
“Now go back to your division. Become stronger. When you have reached what you believe to be your pinnacle, succeed. If you truly wish to learn Shunko then, I will be happy to oblige you in your lessons.”
Just as Zhou had appeared, his body vanished.
Zhou’s legs were crossed, his back pressed firmly against the clown’s as he looked up towards the sky. In truth, there was a lot that was on his mind, but there wasn’t any true place to start. In such a short span of time, so many things had grown, so many things had changed. The male’s back was more broad than his division mate’s, yet for some reason, Zhou didn’t apply any pressure to Asahi. Instead, he simply was there as he simply asked the clown…
One.
Simple.
Question.
“Asahi… Where’s Honoka?”
With him awaiting an answer, his spiritual pressure didn’t fluctuate or give off any signs of anger or hostility. Instead, he simply kept his gaze upwards. He felt the fluctuating spiritual pressure of what was another student. With him easily able to keep track of who was who within the academy, he had an exact idea who was along with them.
“It looks like we have company too.”
Zhou waited for Asahi’s answer, but soon after, he made his way over to the student smoking on the top of the building, his silver orbs looking down on her – that stoic expression that Instructor Fēng was known for being visually evident.
“Shiori…”
Zhou began with that monotonous sound that resounded even within his lessons.
“As someone with a keen ability in Hakuda, you should know that you shouldn’t be smoking under any circumstances. You’re supposed to maintain your physical form as best as you can, not hinder it with something that’s going to make your lungs weaker…”
A surge of electricity seemed to shoot through Zhou’s brain as he thought of something right then and there. Regardless of that idea that popped into his head, he didn’t make any sort of visual changes – the automatonic male waiting on her response to what he had said.
“You’re one of the top hakuda students in the academy. Is something troubling you?”
Despite how he was known to not really care about anything, it seemed that there was something that was slowly changing within Zhou as time passed on.