The Shin'ō Academy was located in the southeastern region of Seireitei, not far from the dormitories of the Gotei 13.
Today was the entrance examination for new students, and the streets leading to the Academy were bustling with activity.
In addition to nobles from the Four Great Houses and lower noble families, countless hopefuls from Rukongai had also gathered. Unlike nobles who could rely on their lineage for influence, commoners had only one path to rise within the Soul Society: admission into Shin'ō Academy. If they could complete the rigorous six-year curriculum and pass the final assessment, they would be eligible to join the Gotei 13 as seated Shinigami—thus leaving behind the anonymity of Rukongai.
Of course, there were rare exceptions. Zaraki Kenpachi, for instance, bypassed the Academy entirely due to his overwhelming strength and was appointed captain after defeating the previous Kenpachi. But individuals like him were anomalies—prodigies so exceptional that centuries might pass before another like them emerged.
Because of this, the entrance exam remained the most reliable and respected route for advancement.
The Academy's instructors were drawn from experienced members of the Gotei 13, the Onmitsukidō (Stealth Force), and the Kido Corps, each responsible for different branches of training based on their specialties. The curriculum focused on the Four Core Shinigami Disciplines:
Zanjutsu (swordsmanship)
Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat)
Hohō (agility and Shunpo techniques)
Kidō (demon arts/spells)
While some instructors rotated, others used this opportunity to scout promising recruits for their own squads or organizations.
Exceptional students—those who either demonstrated extraordinary aptitude in a specific discipline or balanced excellence across all four—could request early graduation once they reached a qualifying standard, typically after six years. Failure to meet that standard, however, meant expulsion.
Yet prodigies like Shiba Kaien, who completed the entire program in just one year and went on to become Vice-Captain of Squad 13, were exceptions. The same applied to Ichimaru Gin and Hitsugaya Tōshirō, both widely recognized as once-in-a-generation talents who were fast-tracked into positions of influence.
Such individuals were often seen as future captains.
—
"Hey, check that guy out! He's being carried on a stretcher by senior Shinigami! Look at him—bandaged, unconscious, clearly in pain… yet he still came for the exam. That's some real guts!"
"Right? Just seeing his expression—brows furrowed, mouth wrapped in gauze—it's clear he's been through hell but didn't want to miss his only chance to escape Rukongai."
"He's a hero, man. A symbol of civilian perseverance! I feel fired up just seeing him."
"Exactly! If a half-dead guy can crawl his way here, what excuse do we have?"
"…"
One after another, voices in the crowd swelled with emotion. Their admiration spread like wildfire, echoing across the Academy courtyard as the stretcher was carried toward the examination gate. Even the nobles watching the commotion began nodding in agreement, praising his indomitable spirit.
Trailing behind the stretcher, Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji both looked like they wanted the ground to swallow them whole.
The two had done everything they could to wake Shiba Kuroba during the journey, but the boy remained dead asleep, still deep in his drunken stupor. With no other option, they'd borrowed a stretcher from the medical corps and asked a kind medic to accompany them in hopes of sobering him up before arrival.
They had hoped to quietly slip through the crowd.
But Kuroba's antics ruined that.
When a young female medic joked that his "wife" was waiting for him, the inebriated Kuroba began muttering romantic nonsense. In a panic, Rukia and Renji wrapped his face in bandages and bundled him up like a war casualty.
And thus began their humiliating procession—accompanied by cheers and praise from civilians and nobles alike for the supposed war hero fighting against fate.
The poor medic, overwhelmed with second-hand embarrassment and unable to cope with the praise, soon ran off with a weak excuse, leaving the two alone to carry their "heroic cripple."
Were it not for Ukitake Jūshirō's personal instructions, Rukia would've gladly dumped Kuroba in the gutter and walked away. Especially considering that if he remained drunk during the actual test, their farce would fall apart instantly—turning their inspiring tale of perseverance into the laughingstock of the entire Soul Society.
The final result was still only three tiers of spiritual pressure. He hadn't even come close to reaching the threshold required to enter Shin'ō Academy.
It was humiliating.
"Renji, the test has already started for the people ahead. Let's find a quiet spot and wait until the crowd dies down before going in," Rukia said, scanning the long line of examinees. Her voice was low, hurried.
She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of such a large crowd.
Today marked the final day of the academy's entrance exam. As expected, the turnout was massive—far larger than the days before.
A majority of the crowd were nobles.
In noble society, the earlier days of testing were considered reserved for commoners. The noble clans, believing themselves naturally superior, traditionally appeared last—on the final day. It had become customary, though no one knew exactly when or why. Coincidentally—or perhaps not—this was also the day when several seated officers or even captains of the Gotei 13 came to observe the proceedings.
It was the perfect opportunity for promising candidates to be noticed.
Candidates with confidence in their abilities would always choose the last day to make an impression.
"You're right, Rukia," Renji nodded. "Let's wait. I thought I just saw Captain Kuchiki over there—I should go greet him. If he hadn't told me you went to the Zaraki District, I wouldn't have made it in time." Renji scratched his head, blushing slightly.
His eyes drifted uneasily toward Shiba Kuroba, who was snoring softly beside them, completely unfazed by the noise around him.
Renji was sweating inwardly.
He had tested Kuroba's spiritual pressure himself and was certain the guy had at least three tiers—an embarrassingly low reading. But during the bracelet test, the result had somehow displayed nine tiers, a rating reserved for geniuses—unheard of since the time of exceptional prodigies like Gin Ichimaru or even Shiba Kaien.
Renji didn't buy it. Not for a second.
He knew if it got out that he had personally escorted a so-called prodigy who turned out to be a dud, his reputation would be shredded. Worse still, if the nine tier result was real, it would mean he had misjudged someone right under his nose.
Either way, it would be humiliating.
He could already hear the Jōrenin nobles laughing about it for the next hundred years.
They'd probably turn the stretcher-bearing squad into a running joke passed down through generations of academy candidates.
"You coward, Renji!" Rukia snapped, instantly seeing through his plan to duck out.
She knew him too well. Since their days together in the 78th District of Rukongai, she had always been able to read his thoughts.
Before she could berate him further, a wave of new candidates surged into the courtyard. Their sudden collective gaze fell upon the trio—Renji, Rukia, and the dozing Kuroba—making all three freeze under the weight of scrutiny.
Their scalps tingled.