Chapter 6: The Path of a Soul Reaper

The morning air was crisp as Asta stretched his arms, yawning loudly. The dorms at the Shin'ō Academy were a lot quieter than the Black Bulls' hideout, which was weird to him. No explosions, no screaming from an overly excited Magna or Luck, and no Noelle shouting at him first thing in the morning.

Man, I kinda miss that…

But as soon as he remembered that today meant more training, his excitement took over. He shot up from his futon, got dressed in his academy uniform, and ran outside with a grin.

"Alright! Time to get stronger!"

Kaien, who had just stepped out of his dorm, gave him a tired look. "How do you have this much energy first thing in the morning?"

Asta pumped his fists. "Because every day is another chance to get stronger! Let's go, Kaien!"

Kaien sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You're impossible…"

The two made their way toward the training grounds, where the other recruits were already gathering. The instructors stood at the front, arms crossed, waiting for everyone to assemble.

Instructor Daichi, the same man who had watched Asta destroy a practice dummy the day before, stepped forward. "Today, we begin your real training as Soul Reapers. Swordsmanship is only one part of your development. The true foundation of all our techniques—whether it be Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, or Kido—is reiatsu control."

Asta blinked. "Wait, wait—hold up! What were those words?"

Daichi frowned. "Zanjutsu: swordsmanship. Hakuda: hand-to-hand combat. Hohō: movement techniques. And Kido: spiritual arts."

Asta nodded. "Okay, got it! But, uh… I don't think I can do the last one."

Daichi sighed. "Yes. We are all painfully aware of that."

A few students snickered, but Asta just grinned. "That just means I'll have to train extra hard in everything else!"

Daichi shook his head. "For today's lesson, we will focus on reiatsu manipulation." He gestured to several large boulders lined up at the edge of the field. "Your task is to release your spiritual energy and push these boulders using only your reiatsu. This exercise will help you learn control and focus."

Asta scratched his head. "Uh… yeah, so what happens if you don't have reiatsu?"

Daichi exhaled sharply. "Then you will watch and learn."

Asta frowned. There's gotta be another way.

The class got to work, each student standing in front of a boulder, focusing their energy. Some struggled, barely making their rocks budge. Others, like Kaien, managed to push theirs forward with a decent amount of force.

Asta, however, stood to the side, arms crossed, watching intently.

He narrowed his eyes. Okay… I might not have spirit energy, but I can still analyze what they're doing. If I can figure out how they generate force without touching the rock, maybe I can find another way to mimic it…

After a while, Kaien wiped sweat from his forehead and turned to Asta. "This would probably be easier for you if we were allowed to punch the boulder."

Asta grinned. "Oh! I'd send that thing flying!"

Daichi overheard and sighed. "This isn't about brute force, recruit. If you cannot control reiatsu, then you will always be at a disadvantage in the Soul Society."

Asta crossed his arms. "We'll see about that."

Daichi ignored him and clapped his hands. "Alright! Next up: Hohō training!"

Asta perked up. "Oh! What's that?"

Daichi smirked. "Shunpo."

Asta blinked. "Shun-what now?"

Kaien leaned in and whispered, "Flash Step. It's how Soul Reapers move at high speeds. It's way faster than regular running."

Asta's eyes sparkled. "Fast movement?! Now you're talking!"

Daichi nodded. "Shunpo is the ability to travel short distances almost instantly by condensing and releasing your reiatsu in bursts." He demonstrated, vanishing in a blur and reappearing on the other side of the field.

Asta's jaw dropped. "That. Was. AWESOME."

Daichi continued, "Your task is to perform a single Shunpo step from one point to another." He pointed at a marker about ten meters away. "You will focus your reiatsu into your feet and—"

BOOM!

Asta was already at the marker.

The entire class turned to stare.

Daichi's eyes twitched. "...What?"

Asta turned around, grinning. "Hey, I think I did it!"

Kaien's mouth hung open. "That wasn't Shunpo. You just… ran fast."

Asta blinked. "Oh. So… that doesn't count?"

Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. That does not count."

The class broke into murmurs.

"How is he that fast without using spirit energy?"

"Is he even human?"

Asta crossed his arms, pouting. "Aw, man. I was so sure I did it…"

Kaien shook his head. "Asta, you just sprinted at superhuman speed. That's not what they're doing."

Asta grinned. "Well, I might not have Shunpo, but I do have my speed! That's gotta count for something, right?"

Daichi exhaled. "If nothing else, your body is extraordinary. But speed without control means nothing. You lack refinement, technique, and—"

Asta suddenly burst forward again, dashing in rapid zigzags before stopping exactly where Daichi had stood seconds ago.

The instructor froze.

The students froze.

Asta turned, grinning. "Like that?"

Daichi's eye twitched. "That's… not exactly Shunpo… but…" He rubbed his temples. "Forget it. We're moving on."

Kaien muttered, "I don't think they know what to do with you."

Asta laughed. "That makes two of us!"

As the lesson wrapped up, Daichi addressed the class. "Tomorrow, we will begin sword training with actual Zanpakutōs. Until then, rest up."

Asta clenched his fists in excitement. A real sword, huh? Maybe this will be my chance to finally fit in!

Kaien sighed. "Please don't break anything this time."

Asta laughed. "No promises!"

As the sun set, Asta looked up at the sky. He still had a long way to go, but he wasn't discouraged.

He had never fit in before—but that never stopped him from surpassing expectations.

And it wasn't going to stop him now.

To be continued…