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Kisuke had avoided the topic for years assuming that the Shiba clan head would have retaliated had he thrown doubt onto his teaching skills. But perhaps he shouldn’t have. Ichigo had a strange way of shaping low level kidō. And the complaints of others trying to teach it to him piled up over the years.
Low level ones failed, or strange effects occurred.
Higher level ones were under or over powered.
Failure to shape without telegraphing.
Refuses to follow the words.
Shapes them wrong.
And so on.
Which he thought was odd because he had never really had any problems teaching Ichigo his personalized kidō. Ichigo even followed along when he was rambling about the theory behind how he changed the shape of the reishi used and how he picked the incantation variations to change the effects and even the calculations used to change things on the fly for different situations. Even Tessai didn’t listen that closely and he was a member of the kidō corps.
But Ichigo did seem to have the oddest mental block on standard kidō. Almost like he’d never had the seven cornerstones and thirteen foundations taught to him.
Wait.
Had Isshin taught him them?
He frowned mildly in thought.
Shiba were drilled in the cornerstones and foundation blocks. He’d overheard several use it as a meditation mantra before he’d been a Captain.
Honestly he thought the twenty concepts were overly simplified; but it was good starting point for children and fools to know. If only so they don’t accidentally implode themselves by doing something obviously stupid from an energy shaping point of view.
Hmm. If Ichigo didn’t know the concepts his refusal to use the word order is based on instincts. Ichigo is one of the better sensors of his own internal reishi movements.
Yet he utilizes my own techniques after they’ve been explained with few issues. And what issues he encounters tend to be from lack of experience which is easily corrected with practice and training.
But where does the disconnect come from?
The word energy shaping link would be a likely cause.
If he wasn’t drilled in the concepts until they were as ingrained as kanji meanings. Then he likely shapes it like how he feels others do and it comes out… off. As there are some subtle adjustments hidden in most kidō that the ingrained techniques taught use when the mnemonic is spoken and reishi is channeled at the same time. And it would explain why Ichigo would intentionally make mistakes in the wording if it was to make it so that the kidō doesn’t implode horrendously. And cause a mess.
Hmm.
To tell Kukaku or Shinji first?
Family head or person most likely to get some sort of sense out of Isshin’s reasoning.
He tapped his chin thoughtfully with a finger.
Perhaps both at the same time? They do have a shared regular drinking night that’s coming up relatively soon.
Watching Isshin have to run from both family and one of his closer drinking friends would be hilarious.
Although perhaps he’d inform Ichigo first. It’s only fair, Isshin set him up for failure. He also had more time in close proximity to Isshin than Kisuke ever had. Thus would be able to assist in providing information on which order to inform other Shinigami of Isshin’s lack of teaching would cause Isshin the most difficulties.
Well the order before gossip spread word to everybody else. Shinigami did so love gossip. And the fact the previous Shiba head famous for his love of kidō failed to teach his son the basics would be a tasty piece of gossip.
He let himself release a small giggle, causing the last lingering customer to finally leave at speed utterly unnerved by the sound from the odd looking shop keeper. Vengeance for a friend was always so sweet.