Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Rukongai District
*SLASH*
Kiruzu dashed through the forest, slicing limbs and juvenile trees with his Zanpakuto.
Over the past 20 months, Kiruzu had been exploring the far reaches of the Rukongai. In these areas lived the poorest, angriest, least-protected souls. Disappearances were common and hollow appearances were often.
However, there were also no shinigami - which meant nobody to see Kiruzu training.
Or so he thought.
"Who's there!"
Kiruzu felt a faint presence behind him and quickly spun around 180 degrees. The feeling was similar to the sensation caused by the monster that killed him, or the monstrous child he saw several years ago, but it was much fainter.
Standing in the trees before him was a tall figure with a large helmet over its head. The helmet was brown like it was made of hardened clay.
"Who are you!"
*BOOM*
Kiruzu suddenly felt a huge pressure forcing every inch of his body to the ground. He collapsed to the forest floor, unable to even lift his head. His skin stopped sweating and his pupils shrunk.
Then, the pressure disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
*Huff, huff*
"What is that pressure?"
Kiruzu could barely speak as he was still recovering from the impact. Although he feared the figure standing before him, the question that had been bothering him for years had to be asked when given the opportunity.
"You don't know about spiritual pressure, yet you have a Zanpakuto?"
"What?"
"Spiritual pressure: the outward manifestation of one's spiritual energy. One with high spiritual energy can suppress one with low spiritual energy using their spiritual pressure, like how I suppressed you just now."
"Who are you?"
The large figure paused for a few seconds before replying:
"You are trespassing in the territory of the Wolfman Clan. Return to Rukongai."
"Huh?"
Without another word, the tall figure turned around before flickering and disappearing.
Now that the mysterious person was gone, the forest was quiet. Kiruzu took this as a sign and went home.
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When Kizuru walked through his front door, his mother was already asleep. Seeing this, he started to walk towards his room.
However, as he started to walk, he stopped in his place. He felt a gaze from the corner of the room. Looking over, he noticed his grandpa was awake and looking at him.
"What is it, grandpa?"
Kizuru's grandpa was the one to teach Isshin Kido. He taught Kizuru as well, but Kizuru could never perform any Kido. All Kizuru knew about his grandfather was that he was a shinigami on the same level as his father, and that he was once upon a time the former head of the Shiba Clan.
When Kizuru walked over to see if his grandpa needed anything, he noticed that his grandpa was not looking at him, but rather at his Zanpakuto - which he forgot to put away before coming in.
'Crap.'
"You found an Asauchi?"
"What do you mean?"
"You have a Zanpakuto. Where did you get it?"
"... I found it on a shinigami's body."
"Hm… Do you know its name?"
"Its name?"
"... Nevermind then."
His grandpa then closed his eyes and tilted back his head. After a few seconds, he started snoring.
Feeling tired after his training and run in with the mysterious figure, Kizuru went to bed as well.
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The following day, like he had been doing every day recently, Kizuru left the house to wander the Rukongai.
He walked through the dirt streets, looking at the decrepit wooden houses flanking either side.
There were countless souls selling food at market stands along the road, children playing with makeshift balls, and old people washing clothes in water basins. The one thing everybody had in common was the raggedy clothes they were wearing.
As one of the poorest and largest districts in the Soul Society, the Rukon District had abysmal living conditions. He had witnessed such poverty in his previous life, but had become spoiled by his large house and servants in this life.
As he was walking down the street with his Zanpakuto on his back he stopped at a food stall to grab a snack. As he was still only a child, his full-sized Zanpakuto katana was too large to hang by his waist - forcing him to strap it across the upper half of his back.
Although Kizuru originally had a hard time adapting to the foreign cuisine of the Soul Society, he had come to love some of the street food sold on the streets of Rukongai.
Kiruzu's black kimono made him stick out like a sore thumb among the field of people wearing only burlap, but the residents of the Rukon had gotten used to his presence over the past few months, and they respected him as a member of the governing Shiba clan.
"Yay, yay!"
"Go, go!"
Kiruzu was not surprised to hear the cheers of the children, but when he saw them playing, someone caught his eye. Playing with the children was another man wearing a black kimono, with a katana on his hip. The man had shaggy blonde hair and a pale complexion, and he was playing tops with the children.
Seemingly noticing Kizuru's presence, the man turned around to see him.
Kizuru was shocked to feel a sort of presence from the man as well. It was a different feeling from the spiritual pressure that made him feel intimidated, but it was also distinctly similar. Kizuru noticed he had become more sensitive to this kind of presence since he met the mysterious helmed figure in the woods the previous day.
Oddly, when he made eye contact with the man, he also felt another sort of sensation. He felt a faint hunger, coming from his sword.
"Do you want to play as well?"
The black-robed man smiled and asked Kizuru.
"Not really."
Kizuru didn't know who the man was, and the feeling coming from his sword made him uncomfortable. The man seemed nice, but Kizuru decided to leave.
To get rid of this pent-up feeling, he decided to once again go into the woods to train.
Unfortunately, he had forgotten the words of the helmed figure from yesterday, as he headed straight to his normal training spot.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone