Kapitel 26: Chapter 26: Instructor Chōjirō

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

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AN: If any of you are curious as to why Chōjirō is sometimes referred to as "aspiring-lieutenant", Yamamoto offered him the position but he originally refused, wanting to be capable of doing things Yamamoto wasn't before he was accepted. So there ya go, a bit of lore to get the chapter started.

Chapter 26: Instructor Chōjirō

Sanguine fluid dribbled down his nasal cavity as a vehement throbbing sensation plagued his dome. Patches of skin around his face had turned mauve as a result of the bruising, his back was leaned against against a wooden beam as his breath grew labored.

Even blindfolded, he could postulate the expressions of the others in the room. If he was being candid, he knew he looked like a mess. His battle-mania appeared to be contagious, impeding Shunsui's ability to hold himself back.

But of course, Chōjirō stopped the spar before any of the damage became— permanent, to say the least. With that said, it was a breath of fresh air to see Shunsui take a battle seriously for once, being that carefree during an actual life-or-death situation was bound to get him killed.

Chōjirō didn't want him to try and directly replicate Koda's crude choice of fighting-style, albeit such a scenario was unlikely to begin with, but rather to emulate his approach to combat as a whole.

"Sorry, I didn't intend to get so— carried away, to say the least" He apologetically dipped his head towards Koda, to which the latter simply waved him off, strangely unbothered by the fact his face had just been beaten blue.

"The only way you could've made me mad was if you held back, anything that isn't hard to achieve isn't worth obtaining in the first place" No pain no gain, that was his mantra.

"Still, it wasn't very senior-like of me to treat you in such a manner, especially when you're handicapped" Ukitake nodded in agreement, in clear disapproval for the way Shunsui had assailed their fellow disciple.

But the man in question didn't seem to appreciate the way Shunsui was talking.

"Careful now, it almost sounds like you're talking down to me. This blindfold won't be on me forever you know?" The air between the three started to grow uneasy by virtue of Koda's spiteful comment.

Before either of them had the chance to make the situation worse, the sound of clapping caught their attention as Chōjirō got them to simmer down.

"This was simply a chance for the two of you to get to know each other better, if you wish to squabble with one another you can do it later, but not during my classes. Have I made myself clear?"

The two opponents briefly stared at each other, dropping both their animosity and regret upon understanding how foolish of an idea it was to directly disobey Chōjirō, especially when they could feel his domineering Reiryoku. Moreover this was someone Yamomoto had placed his trust in, his strength should have never been in question to begin with.

"Yachiru, what has this fight taught you?"

An imbecilic question from his perspective, he had clearly just gotten his ass handed to him.

"I suppose hand-to-hand combat isn't one of my strong points" All he had honed till now was his swordplay, and of course his limited Kido. The fact that it was banned during the spar was actually in Koda's favor, Shunsui's knowledge when it came to both Bakudō and Hadō far eclipsed him. The matchup wouldn't have even been remotely fair, a wise call on Chōjirō's part.

"That much is obvious, you have a far more glaring weakness than that, surely I don't have to spell it out for you?" Koda pointed his finger towards his wrappings, causing the instructor to dip his head in disappointment as an audible groan escaped his breath.

"What specifically?" He pressed further.

"I'd have to say my ability to read his hand movements, it was much easier to differentiate his sword from his body than it was his body, from his well— body" Chōjirō's expression eased up a little, thankful that his new student wasn't a complete moron.

"And how do you suggest we fix that?" He wasn't the type to directly give his students answers, not until they at least spared a moment to try to figure it out themselves, otherwise they'd end up being totally reliant on him whenever they encountered a problem. A terrible quality for a warrior to have.

"Not sure, I suppose I could try and rely on something other than Reiryoku to predict his attacks. Though I couldn't even begin to guess what that 'something' would be" Chōjirō nodded, not because he was correct but rather because he admired the attempt.

"Good try, but no. The answer is repetition, remember what the Head-Captain said that blindfold was for?"

"Training my instincts, right?"

"Precisely, you already have the innate-ability to react to his movements even without your vision. The problem is how you get those instincts to surface, your mind has become so used to blades that it has no idea what to do when faced with a fist"

"Then how do achieve that?" To the astonishment of both Shunsui and Ukitake, Chōjirō's lips had curled into a faint smile as he rolled his sleeves back.

"I'm going to start teaching you Hakuda, this is the form of hand-to-hand combat us Shinigami have created. I'm assuming this is the first time you're learning anything of the sort, correct?"

Koda nodded affirmingly as excitement began to stir within his gut, he had been looking forward to learning how to fight without his sword. But he didn't expect Soul Reapers to have a technique dedicated to just that, a most welcome surprise.

"Normally I'd just walk you through the basics bit by bit as I did for Kyōraku and Jūshirō. However the Head-Captain has requested that I use a more, tailor-made, method for you" The edge in his tone made Koda's gut gyrate.

"Brace yourself, this is going to hurt" He warned.

"What's that supp— kuah!"

Without warning, Chōjirō pummeled his fist into Koda's abdomen, his insides caved in as a chunk of saliva jetted from his mouth. His lungs struggled to fill themselves with air as his vision slowly grew blurred, it was as if he had been struck by a semi-truck.

As much as he wanted to curse at his instructor, he didn't have enough energy to give life to his words.

"Get up, how are you going to learn anything whilst squirming on the floor like that?" Chōjirō continued to mock him, looking down at his figure with a cold glint in his eyes.

"Chōjirō-sensei! You're going too far!" Ukitake couldn't believe what he had just witnessed, not once had he or Yamamoto struck either him or Shunsui with such ferocity. He couldn't help but feel pity for the newcomer as foam started to form at his lips.

"Quiet, unless you'd rather teach him?" In spite of his efforts, all Ukitake was met with was a cautioning gaze, daring him to interfere if he had the balls.

"He's not like you nor Kyōraku, words won't do him much good. Isn't that right, Yachiru?" The wounded disciple wanted nothing more than to punch him right in the face, but in his state that was nothing more than a pipe-dream.

"I told you to get up, I didn't take you for one to disobey his elders. A bit of punishment is due for that don't you think?" His wooden-clogs punted Koda in the chest, sending him hurtling towards the wooden beams.

Crash!

The impact erupted in a cloud of dust, wooden shavings scattered around the flooring followed by a strong trembling sensation that threatened to take down the entire structure with it.

"This is your last warning, get up" He wouldn't tolerate Koda's weakness any longer, his patience as a mentor wasn't everlasting. His job was to nurture monsters, not teach children their alphabet.

Ukitake and Shunsui both looked over to the site of impact with stunned expressions, a faint amber light filled the terrain as the sound of rubble being lifted up and tossed away snapped the two out of their stupor.

"You two, head to the courtyard. A hollow-hunt has been arranged for you under the 8th Divisions supervision, and hurry up. As you can tell I'll be needing a little 'space' for this lesson" Feeling the evident weight of his words, they spared no time scurrying off as Chōjirō started performing a few casual stretches, as if he were just preparing for a light jog.

Finally the last of the torn oak flooring had been pushed aside revealing Koda's disheveled figure. Bits of timber were stuck in his hair alongside various bruises and small cuts all over his skin.

His usual smile when fighting had been replaced with a clear scowl, under his masking were strained bloodshot eyes, brimming with bloodlust as they stared daggers towards Chōjirō.

"This enough for you?"

"I suppose it's acceptable" He responded lightly.

——

The moon fell and the sun rose once more, signaling the dawn of a new day. Both Shunsui and Ukitake had returned from their mission, which had gone swimmingly of course, and were headed straight to the dormitories to check up on Koda.

"How long do you think he continued? Surely he couldn't have gone too far right?" The memories from the day before were still fresh in their mind, the sight of Chōjirō mauling Koda without remorse sent shivers down his spine.

'Don't tell me, has he been holding back on us this entire time? Have we let him down? After all these years never once has our training been so— unforgiving. No, that shouldn't be my priority right now, first I need to make sure he's alright'

"I'm not sure, this is the first time either of us have seen Chōjirō-sensei like that. He did say something about Koda needing to be taught differently than us, remember the pressure we felt right before he told us to leave? It's possible he was able to handle it" Though he was doing his best to comfort his friend, he didn't sound all that convincing, to even himself.

Taking his handicap into consideration, the chances of him even scratching the aspiring-lieutenant were almost nonexistent. Even with the strength he used to train Shunsui and Ukitake the man was a force to be reckoned with, not to mention he was using his bare fists rather than a shinai.

Eventually they arrived at the doorstep of their shared room, gently prying the door open so as to not wake Koda up should he still be asleep.

"Shit…" Shunsui muttered under his breath.

There were distinct rose-colored patches on the floorboards, as well as on one of the mattresses. The sheets looked messy as if someone had just collapsed onto it, not to mention the pungent odor of sweat in the air that you'd expect from a marathon-runner.

"Where is he?" Ukitake asked with a hint of urgency in his voice.

Shunsui promptly clamped his eyelids shut, searching the academy for his junior.

"He's on his way to the dojo, but I'm not sensing another presence alongside him…" Ukitake's pupils were quick to dilate, he knew exactly what that implied.

"You're telling me he's on his own!?" With Shunsui leading the way, they both rushed over to Koda's location, considering that the last remnants of light had almost fully arisen the chances of him running into an unsuspecting student were dangerously high.

If that happened, well, they knew what fate would await that unfortunate soul.

——

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this, after five steps all I have to do is take a right and—

Thump!

Ouch, maybe not. Who would have thought being blind was so arduous, thanks to my reserves starting to run awfully thin, my "vision" isn't exactly as efficient as it usually is.

Sometimes it just fails to pick up on certain objects, or outlines should I say, and things like this happen. My body is using up a hell-of-a-lot-of Reiryoku to heal the injuries I've sustained as of yesterday, not leaving me with much I can use to figure out where I'm going.

On second thought perhaps I should have asked Chōjirō to help me out with this. There's a good chance that I might end up running into somebody at this rate, oh well, if they're not smart enough to know better than to step near my pressure, that's on them.

With what I just endured, I think I have the right to be a little selfish.

But man is that guy relentless, and what was that about observing his movements and learning from them?

How am I supposed to learn anything when he's moving at the speed of light? Or at least that's what it looked like to me, maybe once my senses have improved enough I'll be able to follow along. Not that I think that'll happen anytime soon, both him and Yamamoto move like the damn wind.

On the bright side, at least I'm able to move without her breathing down my neck around the clock, it's quite liberating if I do say so myself.

I continued to awkwardly try to find my way around the academy, stumbling into the odd wall every now and then until I felt someone grab me by the shoulder.

I had failed to pick up on their signature but now that they, or should I say he was making direct contact with me, his appearance didn't surprise me in the slightest.

"You look terrible…" As if the burning sensation throughout my entire body didn't make that apparent.

"Is it just you?"

"Nope" Ah, there's that carefree voice.

"Wait, can't you recognize our pressures as long as we're within a meter?"

"Not right now, my body is busy trying to keep me from collapsing onto the ground like a geriatric-grandpa, I don't have much left in the tank to spare for pathfinding" I followed up with a self-deprecating chuckle, it truly felt as if I belonged in a nursing home.

"I see, I'm guessing you need my help?" Unfortunately.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact why don't you just carry me, my legs have gone ka-put" Somehow Ukitake failed to pick up on my clear jest, scooping me up without hesitation in a princess carry.

"Is this fine?"

"..." I could feel the veins bulging on my forehead as the grating sound of Shunsui's poorly-contained laughter met my eardrums.

Does this guy have no self-awareness?

"It was a joke…" Really didn't think I'd have to spell that one out for him.

"But you looked pretty worn, are you su—"

"If you don't put me down within the next five seconds, I'm going to Byakurai you in the face" Each second I spend like this, I can feel my self-esteem continuing to dwindle.

Thankfully he seemed to get the message, putting me down as I did my best to throw that memory into the deepest pit my mind could offer.