80: Legendary 3 Ninja Rebellion

--- Several Hours Later: SRDI, Kisuke's personal lab ---

Kisuke was currently leaning over a table with a corpse on it. The man was cutting it up at various points before writing down notes in a journal. Just as he was about to make another incision...

"Nya!"

Kisuke cut much deeper into the corpse than he had expected when he heard the cat screech in his ear. Looking at the ruined corpse, Kisuke was upset. He threw the body off his table before turning around and seeing Yoruichi in her skin-tight black outfit.

"What are you appearing out of nowhere and scaring me while I am working?"

Yoruichi did not answer his question but walked around the lab. She picked up and poked the various items and instruments inside the room. Once she had satiated her curiosity, she sat down in a seat and turned to Kisuke.

"I saw 'That' man on my way over here. I can't believe you really went against our teacher's words and brought him out of the Nest. You were serious about that plan?"

Kisuke looked back at his childhood friend and nodded. He had told her about the purpose of the Institute earlier but the woman was not sure if his plan would work and told him long ago. But once Kisuke got an idea in his head, he would follow through with it no matter what.

Hearing his answer, Yoruichi let out a sigh. She knew that Kisuke was the most stubborn person to exist when he put his mind to something.

'It's not like I don't understand where he is coming from though. Teacher has been getting very strong lately so it is hard to beat him in a straight up battle.'

Yoruichi suddenly jumped off her chair when she realized something. She rushed over to Kisuke and held onto the man's shoulders roughly as she looked him in the eyes.

"Hehe. I will support your decision to beat Teacher. But we need to work together. And not just us but Tessai too.

I lead the Onmitsukido, he leads the Kido Corps, and you are now the leader of the S.D.R.I. Your group still needs to grow but with all 3 organizations working together, I'm sure that we can take on that old man."

Kisuke was surprised to hear Yoruichi's words. She idolized their teacher and would usually do whatever he said. For her to rise up against him, it meant that she was ready to step out of his shadow as well.

"Good! We also have the element of surprise on our side. As long as we move carefully nad plan this out accordingly, I'm sure that we can bring him down a peg."

The pair began discussing plans on how they would surpass Ren while also planning Tessai's involvement in the plan even if he had yet to agree. Yoruichi had even mentioned something about 'captains' during their talks.

--- 8th Division, Ren and Tier's Dorm ---

Tier had just finished her training and walked into the room to take a bath. When she emerged, she saw Ren laying in bed with an absent look on his face.

"Thinking about something?" she asked while putting on her robe.

Ren looked up and saw the woman changing. Seeing her body had not gotten old at all and had even gotten better since her mask fragments were no longer covering parts of her body. After looking for a few seconds, he remembered the question she had asked him.

"Mmm. I always thought I had a Team 7 but it is more like they are the Sannin but naughtier."

Ren would bring up references that Tier did not understand all the time but after so many years with him, she understood the gist of what he was talking about from context clues.

"Your 3 students? What did they do this time?"

Ren explained how Kisuke went against his words and recruited someone that he did not approve of as well as how he suspected that Kisuke and the others were planning on rebeling against him.

Even if he did not outright state it, Ren was easily able to tell Kisuke's thoughts and knew how the others would most likely support him.

After hearing what happened and his thoughts, Tier decided to give her honest opinion on the matter.

"Are you an idiot?" she asked with the most serious tone of voice.

Ren was caught off guard and did not know how to respond. Tier got into bed and pulled Ren's arm down so that she could lay on it before giving an explanation of her words and why she thought Ren was an idiot.

"We are all very old. Even if they act childish sometimes, you forget that those 3 are well over 400 years old and have each shouldered a large amount of responsibility on their own. They have their own minds and are not children who have to obey everything you say.

As for rebeling, you are thinking about it wrong. If they are coming for you, that means that they now respect you. They had always looked up to you but now you are respected by them."

Ren was very confused about this answer.

"I get the first part but what about the second? What is the difference between looking up to me and respecting me?"

"To look up to someone means that you put them above you and on a pedistal. It also means that you are admitting that you can never surpass them.

By changing their views from looking up to you, to now respecting you, they are saying that they now wish to surpass you but they still view you are their teacher and an important figure in their life."

Ren wanted to ask more questions but Tier put her finger to his lips to silence him.

"No more questions tonight. Think it over yourself. I am going to bed."

Ren thought that he would still have an opportunity to ask her for some clarifications but after 5 minutes, Tier was already out like a light.

'Seems she really did leave me to my own thoughts. Is she right about this? Am I still treating them like children even after all these years?'

Although he did not want to admit it, Ren knew the answer in his heart. The environment of Soul Society itself led to stagnation or corruption. Ren always thought he was above both but it seemed that one of the two had crept into his mind, even partially.

'Tsk. Those 3 want to challenge me? They are a few thousand years to early to try and do so.'

Thinking about how he was going to have to give those 3 a lesson once more like he did when they were younger, put a smile on Ren's face.

He kissed Tier's forehead before he soon drifted off to sleep with a content smile on his face.