A Shinobi Awakens - Chapter 98 Baby Steps

For the next three days Tatsuo spent time with Nel exploring the Soul Society for the first time since they have arrived. As they spent most of their time in the Seireitei which is the Capital of the Soul Society it was time to exit the paradise and enter the real Soul Society where the normal Souls live.

As he was now a Greater Noble as well as the Head of The Gotei 13 he had many guards from both his House and the Gotei 13. The Stealth force was sent out to “Defend” the Head Captain by Captain Soi Fon, even though everyone thought it was ridiculous it was a necessary formality.

Outside of the capital of the Soul Society is an area known as the Rukongai, it is the largest and most densely populated portion of the soul society. There are a total of 320 districts divided into quadrants of 80, specifically North, South, East, and West Rukongai.

Nothing about the way the Soul Society functions is perfect, even though the souls without spirit energy never hunger. The lives they live outside of the capital is similar to the life of lower class citizens in the World of the Living.

The lower the number of the district the better the quality of life, beyond district 59 people are so poor they cannot afford clothing or footwear.

The Goal of this trip was District 80, also known as Zaraki. The poorest and worst section of the Soul Society, the reason is simple, to find people with the desire for strength. If the Captain of Division 11 originated there, of course there are other youths like him around those parts. Not so much power wise, but he needs that killer mindset and determination to survive. People who have nothing are usually the most grateful when given the opportunity to better themselves.

The Shiba is lacking members, every great noble family has lesser noble families in which they preside over. The Shiba does not, Since that is the case we must create new ones, train and educate them, then you have a fully functioning Lesser noble house. Of course this will take time but currently all Tatsuo had was time, money and power, he was so wealthy he realized how poor his connections were.

From District 1 to District 15 life in the Rukongai was very comfortable for it’s residents, there were many shops, and other businesses lining the streets as people ran about. Tatsuo spent this time taking Nel to many different restaurants and other eateries as she was a glutton in private. While also spending quality time with his fiance, they talked, joked, and kissed like High Schoolers as there was no need to maintain the stiff noble persona.

Making their way through the districts this progressively got worse, no amount of financial or military assistance was helping these places. It looked like a scene out of an apocalypse movie as the people roamed around scavenging for warmth and shelter.

When they finally arrived in District 80 it was similar to the Hoovervilles during the great depression as shacks made from scraps was all that was spotted. The ground was bare of vegetation as mud and tightly packed dirt was all that was visible as the people littered the ground as if there was a mass murder.

Walking around the district the couple eventually came across a large gully, within said gully there was a group of 20 or so young souls between the ages of 10 and 23 approximately all huddled around a large bonfire. The oldest one was doing something extremely weird for souls, as those without spirit energy require no substance to maintain their health. He was cooking.

Tatsuo looked on as the older male cooked a big pot of soup then passed it around in small bowls. After distributing the last bowl to the children he himself poured the remainder into his bowl, which was nothing more than about a shot glass worth of soup. Yet instead of frowning in displeasure the young man smiled, it was as if he was happy that all the Children were able to eat while he himself only got a taste.

In the 3 Lives Tatsuo has lived there has not been many as selfless as the one in front of him, sure he himself advanced the power of others but ultimately that was for his own benefit. He thought of what he did as an Investment that could not fail as he himself became to big to fail. So the Heart of the Great Ancestor that has lived long enough for earth to go through many technological revolutions was warmed.

‘It seems I have found people worthy.’

Tatsuo didn’t say anything to Nel as he approached the group of children, as he was dressed extremely well for someone in district 80 the children tensed up as the older one asked no questions before launching an attack.

The young man rushed Tatsuo in a spirit before pulling out a sword from under in dusty rag cloak. Tatsuo just looked on at the child while advancing leisurely with a smile plastered on his flawless face. His Grey eyes inspected them all before falling back on his attacker.

‘His reiatsu is around the level of a 15th seat at best, but he is young so this shows remarkable potential for future growth.’

When the young man’s Sword was about to reach Tatsuo, the latter simply raised his Index finger stopping the blade.

“I understand survival of the fittest in district 80 However, before you attack shouldn’t you assess the situation?”

When Tatsuo said that 20 members of the Stealth force surrounded the boy with Zanpakuto’s drawn.

“Someone like me in a place like this is clearly not your opponent.”

Saying that he lowered his Reiatsu to a level the Child could detect, like a pipe under tremendous pressure the surroundings was bathed in a Golden light of spirit energy. The power was so intense yet so gentle and noble but, the force behind it ground the rocks into dust.

“If I were a malicious person your head and body would have already parted ways.”

The young man was forced to bow his head while kneeling, as Tatsuo felt this is the only way the child would truly comprehend his words.

“If you would like I can make life better for all of you. All you have to do is follow and obey.”

The Devil once again began to whisper in the ear of the victim while pulling the Heartstrings forcing them to sell their souls.

The boy could not look up at the face behind this power but, those words caused his shattered hope to repair itself.