CH 18: KIDO
The following day, Gojo followed the usual group, though without Rukia this time since it wasn't a shared course, to the Kido training ground.
The previous day, after getting their Zanpakuto, they had just been given basic training such as swinging the sword again and again almost mindlessly.
Gojo had never been a swordmaster. After all, he never had the need to wield any weapons in the first place.
But this didn't mean that he was a beginner either. After all, one of his students, because of the lack of cursed energy, had needed to become extremely proficient in cursed weapons wielding.
How could he keep his head high as a teacher if he wasn't even able to give some help to his students?
Still, despite all his arrogance, he never belittled the necessity to understand the basics and that's why he didn't riot even though that task was super boring.
'Those guys should do like me and find better ways to entertain the students while they train.'
He snickered at the thought of the training regiment he had concocted for Yuji when he was still a newbie.
"Gojo?"
Momo asked after hearing him.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm just thinking about how cute Renji and Rukia were. Though I am a little disappointed in Renji."
On the side, he could see Renji stiffen a little at this.
"What do you mean?"
Gojo turned toward him for a short while then shook his head, "I won't stick my nose in your love story dude. You do as you like."
Renji clenched his fist before lowering his head.
He knew what Gojo was alluding to. He had thought that he was able to hide his feelings quite well, but he must have been wrong if someone he just met two days ago could see it.
The atmosphere cooled down a little but Gojo did not particularly care.
Renji did indeed disappoint him a little. He had never been in love, but he understood how feelings such as love and friendship should be treasured more than anything else.
After all, be it in his world or the afterlife, there was nothing easier than losing the people you cared for.
This rule held even more so for people like them who were training to fight.
Rather than wallowing in self-doubt and hesitations, you should take the hand of the person you love and never let go no matter what.
'Well, not like it matters to me.'
Renji wasn't his friend. For Gojo, he was just a funny dude that could help him pass time.
Why would he waste his time by thinking about the personal problems of someone he had just met? (E/N: You should care about how to fix his damn eyebrows like tf?)
----
[Kido training ground]
The Kido training ground was more like a shooting ground than anything else.
Facing the students, was a stern black-haired woman seemingly in her early twenties.
Her outfit was composed of a black kimono and a badge with the title vice-captain on her shoulder as well as a pair of glasses.
The moment they saw her, the students began to cause a ruckus.
"Hello everyone, I am Nanao Ise, a special lecturer. Normally I only teach the 6th year students in my spare time, but today I decided to teach the first years."
Her voice was calm and a little chilly as she adjusted her glasses, and if Gojo wasn't wrong, she had turned a look at him when she said the last line.
The teacher who was supposed to teach them today advanced and said, "You guys should be happy to receive this privilege. Miss Ise is the vice-captain of the 8th division as well as a Kido expert. Fifty years ago, when she was a student, she had enough credit to enter the Kido corps and was specifically scouted by the Captain of the 8th division, Shunsui Kyoraku."
'Man, this guy is the ultimate definition of bootlicker. Well, I guess with credentials like this, she is really worthy of it.' Gojo thought in amusement.
Meanwhile, even though she kept a straight face, Nanao felt like her face was burning.
She had always hated such excessive praise.
After all, the reason she was so good at Kido was just that she had no other choice since she was unable to bond with another Zanpakuto aside from their Inherited one.
As for being specially scouted, that damn old man was her own uncle. So she had nothing to feel proud of.
'Sigh, anyway, so this is my target.'
Looking at the blindfolded silver-haired man, she had to admit that even though she wasn't particularly interested in having any form of relationship with a man, he was quite handsome.
The reason she had decided to teach the first years this time was because she had been quite curious about the man that had caused a small stir in the Seireitei before even entering it.
More than anything, the part about how he had been able to learn Kido just by watching was something that made her really curious, though also a little jealous.
Kido was a profound art and few shinigami, even at the captain level could be said to reach the expert level, much less the level of master.
As such, for someone like him to exist was something she had to verify for herself.
"Okay everyone, some of you already have some understanding but I will still begin with the basics. Wait for me to finish before asking any questions. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Satisfied with the response, she began to explain,
"Kido is an intricate practice that requires a deep understanding in Reiryoku and Reiatsu manipulation. Over the long history of Kido, we have managed to subdivide it into 3 great types. The way of destruction, Hado. The way of binding, Bakudo, and the way of healing, Kaido. Our western branch simply calls them Magic spells. But well, those guys still aren't properly established."
'A western branch? Hum, well it's understandable. It would be weird for the afterlife to only belong to Asia.'
Gojo thought while listening to Nanao.
"Kaido aside, each Hado and Bakugo are numbered, and the higher the number, the more powerful it is."
Of course, this wasn't all, there were also some Kido outside of those three that were known as Forbidden Kido. But no way she was going to talk about it to the students. After all, she liked having her head on her shoulders.
Remembering how her mother had been executed because she broke some nonsensical law, her mood dampened, "In order to use a Kido, three steps are necessary. Visualizing the spell, chanting the spell, and naming the spell. Well, let me show a mid-grade hado as an illustration."
At this, she turned to face one of the targets standing about a hundred meters away from her,
"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."
A red ball of fire formed in her hand before being launched like a laser beam. The effects had been limited, but it had completely obliterated the target.
While the others were astonished at the power, Gojo on the other couldn't help but have his smile cramp a little when she chanted her spell out loud.
Even though the effects were pretty incredible, the problem wasn't here.
'I will freeze in hell before I am heard chanting a spell like this.'
He seriously wondered if the ones who created those Kido spells didn't suffer from chuunibyou syndrome.
Nanao, who didn't know what Gojo was thinking, continued her lecture,
"Of course, you should understand that most enemies won't just stand there like this target and let you finish. You need to be fast on your feet and use different ways of incantation. But the easiest is without a doubt simply forgoing the incantation altogether. Though, the higher the level the harder it is. Hado #31 Shakkaho."
She once again launched the same spell, though it was clearly weaker, " As you can see. The drawback of using a spell without the incantation is a loss of power. So, any questions?"
Momo raised her hand and asked, "I searched for some Kaido spell in my spare time, but they were very hard to find. What's more, as you said, they weren't numbered, why is it?"
Nanao nodded, "I am unable to answer this question. To be honest, Kaido isn't even in your lesson as only the 4th division can teach it. If you are interested in healing, you just need to reach a good enough level in Bakudo and you will be accepted. Next."
This time it was Gojo who asked, "So, is it possible to not use a Kido without uttering a word?"
Nanao frowned, "To be honest, those able to do so are rare. Those who use Kido are divided into 3 ranks. Practitioners, Experts, and Masters. In the whole Seireitei, out of all the current captains, I only know five who are at the level of master and only those at this level would be able to do what you asked."
"Oh? And is it possible to know who those five are?"
"It isn't a problem. The first one and most powerful is the captain commandant, the second one is Captain Unohana of the 4th division. The third one is Captain Ginrei Kuchiki of the 6th division. Then Captain Isshin Shiba of the 10th and finally Captain Ukitake of the 13th."