[Seireitei] 1st Division Barracks

[Apollymi]

The Captain Commander heard out both of these individuals. "I haven't forgotten the rules Sato-kun. Like the one which says that if you kill a Captain in front of 200 members of your Division you become the Captain of that Divison, Bankai or not. It isn't just Kidou which makes Kumori-fukutaichou a potentially frightening individual, he's a versatile combatant who is the same kind of strategizing genius as Ayatsuki-taichou. Perhaps better..." she said. "If he wants that position, no need to put someone over him he can take it from. Adding to our lack of staffing," she said calmly. Though she wasn't all together fond of all that Kumori Raizen was, she recognized strength as it was, and his was something to be appreciated, despite his young age. Given who the previous Captain of that Division was, age, was barely a consideration for the woman at this point. Hearing both of sides of this discussion the Captain-Commander took a sip of tea before responding. "I've never properly asked Ben-chan if he wanted to be Captain. I suppose he's always an option, he's among the oldest members of the Gotei and talented enough..." said the Captain-Commander calmly. "And I don't think Kumori-fukutaichou would just murder someone put ahead of him, it wouldn't do well for his image considering..." this person spoke firmly but the opinions of all present were valued.

[Bloodedge]

"And that is the kind of rule that led to today's situation in a way, isn't it? It's a little outdated by now, but either way... if he could and would do that sort of thing, so be it. He'd have still gotten in by one of the accepted methods. I still think someone with a Bankai should be considered." This was Satoshi's take on the matter. He wasn't fond of the idea that another Captain would be assigned without the requirement of them having a Bankai. As much as he accepted that power was a necessity, he also viewed the versatility of a Bankai as necessary for the survival of a new Captain; especially one so young. When the Captain-Commander spoke of Benkei, Satoshi chimed in again. "He's got Captain qualification, to say the least. Power, Bankai, leadership that we haven't seen from this Kumori, and..."

In the midst of Satoshi's sentence, the very man they spoke of, Kumori Raizen, stepped into the Captain-Commander's office without warning. His countenance was a bit less lax than it was normally, but there was also something very unorthodox about his appearance. He now wore the original haori of Himotoya Saori, with its hood over his head, and its special inner trimming showing with every waft of the garb. "Konbanwa, minna."

[Apollymi]

Before Satoshi could even finish his last sentence there was a rather sudden interruption of the group at large. Of course, this was seen by Tamamura whose eyes widened and then immediately narrowed. The Captain-Commander looked up at the greeting an simply sipped tea from the cup before speaking. A hand soon rested on the temple of the Captain-Commander as they assumed Tamao to be too shocked to speak. "Waro, you love breaking laws and general rules don't you? You kids these days are getting to be quite the handful..." said the Captain-Commander. After a few seconds, Tamao seemed to have found her tongue and her words. "It isn't night, Kumori-fukutaichou, though I suppose we know why you're here... Soutaichou," she said. Diverting her attention back to the Captain-Commander. "I hate to say I told you so, but..." she said her eyes flickering over the man behind the desk. "Yare yare," said the Captain Commander. "Explain yourself, Kumori-fukutaichou, you know beyond what we can figure out on our own..."

[Bloodedge]

"It's always night," Raizen replied to the 6th Division's esteemed Captain. As for the Captain-Commander, Raizen disagreed with at last one presented clause. "I haven't broken any laws," he said while pulling back the hood of his haori. "This haori was given to me, so rule of ownership applies more than in any other case. That happens to be why I'm here. I figured there would be some claim that I likely don't have a Bankai, and I'd like to avoid any false assumptions about a better-suited person than myself to be Himotoya-taichou's replacement. To put it simply, I'm here to claim my Division."

"If it's always night, I should be asleep again," said Satoshi. There was a sudden moment of surprise to come when Raizen insinuated that he did possess Bankai. Satoshi frankly did not wish to believe this, and hoped he'd simply misheard things. "Gomen... you're here to claim YOUR Division. With your Bankai... which you have after about two years of being a Shinigami? Soutaichou, I think the long stay in the Senzaikyuu may have gotten to his head."

[Apollymi]

The Captain-Commander seemed to have to hear out the boy's explanation that he'd been given the haori by Himotoya Saori. This made the eyes of the Sixth Division Captain narrow, but she supposed there were worse things. The Captain-Commander raised a brow to this news, but said nothing about it immediately. On the claim that this lad had apparently lost his mind during his extended stay at the Senzaikyuu Tamamura didn't really agree. She'd faced this young man in fair combat, and he'd made it fair for her, even when it was evident that she was supposed to be very far ahead of him. She doubted a mere three months was enough to drive him crazy. Nor did she simply question the logic of his previous Captain. "Himotoya-taichou is a lot of things, but she is rarely wrong about people. Given who taught her how to scout talent, I'd take her word over anyone else's," she said with a curt nod. The Captain-Commander finished their tea and looked at the lad, before them. "While I will agree it is more than a bit outlandish, for anyone so young to have already developed a Bankai. If Himotoya Saori thought him worthy of potential Captaincy, we deserve to at least see if he possesses the Bankai he claims to have. There are at least three of us present so he could in theory claim his division as he put it... right now. If he doesn't have one, I'll talk to Benkei and see if he will take the Captaincy instead, that seems fair," said the Captain Commander standing and carrying the oodachi which made up their Zanpakuto. "Outside then... I can't have you wrecking my office... even potentially." and with that said a door to an outer courtyard would be open.

[Bloodedge]

Raizen had nothing to say in response to any of the present Captains. He remained properly silent until the Captain-Commander ordered him outside. When that happened, he acquiesced immediately, moving onward for the proving of his Bankai. Satoshi walked into the courtyard as well; he remained in disbelief, but also wondered how and why one would take such a tale this far without meaning it. Time would tell, as Raizen now stood with utmost confidence in his abilities, as always, holding his Zanpakutou by its sheath in his left hand. "Before I begin with this test, I have only one question: Once I become Captain, I am permitted to recreate the Division as I see fit, no matter how extreme the change, correct?"

"Yare yare," Satoshi interjected. He was already opposed to the idea of Raizen being named Captain for some reason or another, but this query from the lad was something else entirely. "This generation's just so arrogant."

[Apollymi]

"Getting old, Kogara-taichou, that sounds like something I should say..." said the Captain Commander seemingly amused as they stepped out into the courtyard. All present were outside as Tamamura also followed along outside. "I want it on record that I have said the very same thing about each of you, every time one of you has stepped before me," mentioned the Captain Commander. A few seconds thereafter the Captain Commander looked to Tamamura who went on to explain what the lad wanted to know. "Indeed, you are allowed to make whatever changes you wish to the functionality of your division if it is indeed yours. Whether it be founding an organization or bringing in an existing one, Han-taichou did that when she was made Captain and the Captain before Ayatsuki-taichou founded the SRDI. There isn't much limit on what you can and cannot do in your Division. Though you should avoid any lawbreaking..." she finished her eyes narrowing.

"She's correct. Now if there is nothing else, there is the matter of this Bankai," said the Captain Commander who was also rather curious about whether or not Raizen was lying about his abilities.

[Bloodedge]

"Can't help it. Maybe it just gets worse every generation, so it keeps being noticed by the last one. We should get Aya-chan to research that kind of thing," Satoshi said prior to letting out a long yawn. He didn't expect to see a Bankai here today, so he let himself relax with the intention of remaining in this courtyard until a Captain was chosen for the 10th Division.

Raizen remained apathetic in appearance, but he was pleased to receive the information about Divisional alterations made by new Captains. All he needed to be satisfied was this confirmation. "Good. I know just what I'll be doing, then." The Captain-Commander seemed willing to move this right along, and none too soon at that. Raizen took no issue with this; he still had things on his agenda anyway. "Hai. Bankai," he said, prompting a glow to erupt from his sword and sheath, only to overtake his entire body. Satoshi, for one, looked on in amazement while Raizen gained various layers of flowing robes, a billowing cape, three irregular swords at his hip, a large staff with a crescent head in his left hand, and a very large lexicon hovering over his open right hand. "Mugenteki Shintoku."

[Apollymi]

"You know you have to submit that sort of thing in writing, Ayatsuki-taichou's mind is far too scattered for her to remember to look into something she'd claim was 'mundane'," said the Captain Commander. Moving right along it seemed that all Raizen needed as the confirmation that he could do what he wanted before he unleashed his Bankai. Eyes widened between both Tamao and the Captain Commander, mostly because though they didn't believe the boy a liar they still didn't expect him to be able to produce a usable Bankai. "In fifty-two hundred years, I've never seen a Shinigami produce a useable bankai within their first decade," said the Captain Commander. As this progressed the woman who was Captain of the Sixth Division allowed her eyes to go back to their normal size. 'Kumori... were always some of the strongest among us, several Captains and Vice-Captains were once members of that clan...' she thought remembering a time when these white haired individuals were common place. 'But never have I witnessed anything like this...' she thought but she couldn't argue what was right in front of her. "Sato-kun, seems like you were wrong about one not being able to possess Bankai a mere two years into their tenure." Beyond this was the consistency of the boy's Reiatsu which was also well past what any would expect from one so young. It seemed he would rather easily follow in the footsteps of his predecessors.

"I suppose we are all in agreement. That's a Bankai, usable and with the power and versatility that comes with it. I don't suppose there are any arguments about naming this one, Captain of the 10th Division?" said the Captain Commander waiting on input from the two most senior Captains.

[Bloodedge]

'Bakana!' thought the 8th Division's Captain. It was utterly ridiculous for such a person to have already achieved Bankai. Even though it was possible with such youth, this individual had barely spent time as a Shinigami. Satoshi had many memories of Raizen's clan centuries ago, and the things he'd been seeing and hearing about from its last survivor were not beginning to look good. Still, he couldn't argue Raizen's ability to become Captain, and the stability of this Bankai. "... Hai. I have no argument."

Raizen seemed somewhat disappointed in this little test; if this was all there was to becoming a Captain, he could hardly see how it wasn't easier to replace missing ones. "Is this really all? Show a Bankai, become a Captain?"