Black Rebirth – Asta’s Journey in Soul Society

The next morning, Asta stood in the academy training yard, stretching his arms with a huge grin plastered on his face. The academy's students were already lined up in orderly rows, waiting for their morning drills. Some looked calm and collected, others nervous, but Asta? He was pumped.

"Man, I can't wait to start training! What are we doing first? Sword fighting? Hand-to-hand combat? Running laps?—Oh, I bet it's some crazy Soul Reaper secret technique, right?!"

Kaien sighed beside him. "Asta, calm down. We haven't even started yet."

Asta barely heard him, still bouncing on his feet. He was used to intense training—really intense training. Compared to his grueling days in the Clover Kingdom, this academy stuff would be a breeze.

At least, that's what he thought.

A tall man with a shaved head and sharp eyes stepped forward. "Alright, maggots! Welcome to day one of your training! I am Instructor Daichi, and from today onward, you will learn to wield a Zanpakutō, refine your reiatsu, and conduct yourselves as proper Soul Reapers!"

Asta gave him a thumbs-up. "Sounds awesome!"

Daichi's eyes twitched. "Who said you could talk, recruit?"

Asta blinked. "Uh… me?"

The class snickered.

Daichi took a deep breath before turning to the students. "Listen up! Before you can even think about wielding a Zanpakutō properly, you need to master controlling your reiatsu! Otherwise, you're no better than a fool swinging a stick around!"

Asta raised a hand. "But I don't have reiatsu!"

The class fell silent.

Daichi's eye twitched again. "Then what are you even doing here?"

Asta grinned. "Becoming the strongest Soul Reaper ever, duh!"

A few students groaned. Others whispered among themselves.

"He's still going on about that?"

"He doesn't even have spirit energy! What's the point?"

"I don't know how he got in…"

Kaien sighed. "Asta, you really know how to make an impression."

Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, since you're so eager, why don't you demonstrate your… 'power'?"

Asta beamed. "You got it!"

The instructor tossed a wooden sword at him. "Try cutting through that dummy."

Asta caught the training sword and turned to face the wooden practice dummy. He took a deep breath, positioned his stance, and—

SWING!

BOOM!

The dummy exploded into splinters.

The entire class froze.

Even Daichi's jaw dropped.

Kaien facepalmed. "Asta…"

Asta blinked at the wreckage. "Uh… oops?"

Daichi snapped out of his shock. "That wasn't reiatsu! That was just raw strength!"

Asta scratched his head. "Yeah, I don't really have the fancy spirit energy thing, so I just hit stuff really hard!"

The whispers among the students grew louder. Some were impressed, others skeptical.

"That's insane…!"

"But if he doesn't have reiatsu, can he even use a Zanpakutō?"

"That kind of power isn't normal…"

Daichi rubbed his temples. "I don't have time to deal with whatever you are. For now, just… stand over there and don't break anything else."

Asta laughed awkwardly and stepped aside.

Kaien shook his head. "You're unbelievable."

Asta grinned. "Yeah, but you gotta admit—that was pretty cool!"

Kaien sighed. "I won't argue with that…"

The lesson continued, focusing on channeling reiatsu into their practice swords. Asta, of course, struggled. No matter how hard he focused, he couldn't feel the spiritual pressure the instructors kept talking about. It was like trying to grab air—there was just nothing.

That didn't discourage him, though.

I'll just have to find another way.

By the end of the day, most students were exhausted, but Asta was still buzzing with energy. As he walked toward the dormitories, he spotted a familiar red-haired figure leaning against a wall.

"Yo, Renji!" Asta waved.

Renji glanced at him. "Still standing, huh? Not bad."

Asta grinned. "Of course! Today was just the warm-up!"

Renji smirked. "I heard about your little 'incident' with the dummy."

Asta laughed. "Hey, at least it means I'm strong, right?"

Renji studied him for a moment. "You're weird, shorty. Most people here rely on their spiritual power. You're the only guy I've seen who fights without it."

Asta crossed his arms. "Well, I don't need it! Strength, determination, and a never-give-up attitude are more than enough!"

Renji chuckled. "We'll see about that. But don't think brute force alone will get you through this place. There's more to being a Soul Reaper than just swinging a sword hard."

Asta nodded. "Then I'll learn whatever I need to! One way or another, I'll find my own way to the top!"

Renji smirked. "Heh. You better, or you're gonna get left behind."

Asta grinned. "Not a chance!"

As Renji walked off, Asta clenched his fist.

No magic, no spirit energy… but that's never stopped me before. If there's a way for me to become a true Soul Reaper, I'll find it!

The night sky stretched above the academy, filled with stars. Asta had taken his first steps into a new world, one full of challenges unlike any he had faced before.

And he couldn't wait for the next day to begin.

To be continued…