Chapter 10: I Am Willing
"He has no intention of graduating early for the time being."
"Hm..." Yamamoto stared at the Headmaster and slowly asked, "Why?"
Had the nobles moved so quickly? He had only just received word of Masatsuki Aozaki's talent, yet had the boy already been drawn in by their offers, choosing to reject the Gotei 13?
As the de facto ruler of the largest military force in Seireitei, Yamamoto was unwavering in his loyalty to the royal family and the noble hierarchy. This was common knowledge, and it was precisely this that emboldened the noble families to scheme under his very nose.
He upheld the laws of Soul Society with absolute discipline, and he had no personal need to cultivate or expand his own influence.
The only reason he wished to recruit Masatsuki Aozaki was to prevent such a prodigy—one who even surpassed Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake—from being entangled in the nobles' meaningless power struggles, reduced from a once-in-a-millennium talent to nothing more than a tool for their ambitions.
So then... which family had set their sights on Masatsuki Aozaki?
The ambitious Tsunayashiro Clan?
The Kasumiōji Clan, desperate to rise to the ranks of the Four Great Noble Houses?
Or...
Yamamoto's gaze fell upon the document, scanning the section listing the boy's teachers.