Tenshintai

"Hey! Ye Yang!"

Ye Yang heard a familiar voice and turned around. Sure enough, it was Kisuke Urahara. He said helplessly, "What is it, Kisuke? Didn't you go on a mission?"

Kisuke Urahara smiled. "I've finished it, haven't I? I came to find you today because there's something important."

"Oh, come on. You say that every time, and you always end up asking me for help or making me test some newly invented tool." Ye Yang pursed his lips.

"Don't say that. It really is important this time. Oh, and bring Yoruichi along too. Meet me underground this afternoon." A rare hint of gravity appeared on Kisuke Urahara's face, and when Ye Yang saw his expression, he knew there really was something important.

"All right, got it. I'll be there this afternoon," Ye Yang answered.

"Then I'll be going. See you this afternoon." With that, Kisuke Urahara used Shunpo and left.

After Urahara left, Ye Yang didn't waste any time. He had nothing to do anyway, so he went straight to the captain's office. "Knock, knock, knock." Three knocks sounded, and Yoruichi's voice came from inside. "Come in."

Ye Yang pushed the door open. Yoruichi was alone inside, sorting documents. When she saw her little brother, she hurriedly pulled him over and said, "Phew, little brother, hurry and help me sort these. I'm exhausted."

Ye Yang didn't refuse. He went over to help Yoruichi, and as they worked through the documents, he said, "Sis, are you free this afternoon? Kisuke asked us to meet him at the underground base."

"As long as I finish these, I'll have nothing else to do today. Kisuke asked to see us? He probably wants to use us as test subjects for those so-called inventions of his," Yoruichi said disdainfully. It was no wonder she thought so. Every time Kisuke Urahara came to them, it was for that, and most of his experiments ended in failure. Ye Yang and Yoruichi had suffered plenty because of them.

Ye Yang agreed. "Yeah, that's probably it. If it's another failure, we'll beat him up."

"Good, it's settled." And so the unscrupulous siblings made their plan to beat up Kisuke Urahara.

Two hours later, Ye Yang let out a long breath. "Finally done. Sis, do you have to deal with this much stuff every day? This really isn't work for a human."

"Hehe, now you know how hard your sister works, don't you? Come help me more often from now on. Otherwise, if I work myself to death, who'll look out for you?" Yoruichi said smugly.

"Tch... Forget it. Let's go find Kisuke at the underground base and see what new thing he's come up with." With that, he and Yoruichi headed swiftly toward the underground base.

When the two arrived, Kisuke Urahara was already waiting inside, holding a white human-shaped form. Seeing Ye Yang and Yoruichi arrive, he said, "You're so slow, Ye Yang, Yoruichi."

Yoruichi said in displeasure, "I have documents to look through every day, unlike an idler like you. Hmph, you have all that free time and still don't come help me with them."

Kisuke Urahara said sheepishly, "I've been busy with my research. This is what I've just developed." He pointed at the human-shaped form in his hand.

Yoruichi asked curiously, "What is it? Kisuke, you're not messing with us, are you? This thing doesn't look special."

"This is no ordinary thing. You both know there's another level of release above a Zanpakuto's Shikai, right?" Kisuke Urahara's expression grew serious as he spoke.

"You mean Bankai?" Yoruichi said.

"That's right. Bankai is the Zanpakuto's second stage of release, following its first stage, Shikai. Bankai is a Zanpakutō's final form. In other words, Bankai is a higher-level release of the sword. After this release, the sword's abilities can be brought out more thoroughly and comprehensively. Generally speaking, a Zanpakuto in Bankai can grant a Soul Reaper five to ten times the power of its Shikai state." Kisuke Urahara slowly explained how fearsome Bankai was.

Ye Yang asked, "Then what does this have to do with Bankai?"

"As far as I know, the first requirement for Bankai is to manifest the Zanpakuto's true form. Only after making the Zanpakuto submit can one attain Bankai. This thing can forcibly materialize a Zanpakuto's true form and summon it into the wielder's world, making it easier for the wielder to defeat their own Zanpakuto and master Bankai! I call it the Tenshintai!"

"Hiss—" Ye Yang and Yoruichi drew sharp breaths. They both knew what this meant: Soul Reapers could use it to master Bankai faster!

Yoruichi asked, "Really? You're not joking, are you?" She was highly skeptical. If this were true, Soul Society's overall strength would rise by more than one level, and conquering Hueco Mundo in the future wouldn't be impossible!

Kisuke Urahara scratched his head. "There's no doubt that the Tenshintai has that effect, but it won't work for every Soul Reaper. You can only use it if you have the strength to attain Bankai, or are close to having it."

So that was how it worked. With that condition attached, the Tenshintai wasn't quite so overpowered. For someone who already had the strength to master Bankai, attaining it was only a matter of time. The Tenshintai merely shortened that time.

"Tch, I thought it was something amazing. It just speeds things up," Yoruichi said.

Kisuke Urahara shook his head. "Yoruichi, don't underestimate that time. It takes a Soul Reaper more than ten years to attain Bankai, and another ten years or so to master it after attaining it. That makes a huge difference."

"And another thing." Kisuke Urahara fixed his eyes on Yoruichi and Ye Yang. "Don't tell me you still don't have that strength after ten years of tempering yourselves. If that were the case, you wouldn't be yourselves."

Ye Yang knowingly raised the corners of his mouth and said, "So you came to us to test this Tenshintai?"

"That's right."

"How do we do it?"

"Don't rush. I've only made one Tenshintai so far, so you'll have to take turns."

"Who goes first?"

"Ladies first. Naturally, that means you, Yoruichi," Kisuke Urahara said with a smile.

Yoruichi was startled. "Huh? Me first? Kisuke, are you making me the first test subject? Oh, whatever. Once I'm the first to master Bankai, you'll be the first one I deal with."

Ye Yang asked, "So what does she need to do?"

"It's simple. First, release the Zanpakuto's Shikai and stab it into the Tenshintai. It will forcibly materialize the Zanpakuto's true form and summon it here," Kisuke Urahara explained slowly.

Yoruichi drew her Zanpakuto and shouted, "Chirp softly—Mongoose!" After releasing its Shikai, she thrust her hand straight into the Tenshintai. The Zanpakuto in her hand vanished at once, and a cloud of black smoke appeared in its place.

When the black smoke cleared, a young woman appeared before them. She had the same wheat-colored skin as Yoruichi, three black marks on each cheek, a hint of mischief in her narrow eyes, and a teasing smile on her lips. She had two furry ears and a black tail behind her. She was unmistakably a catgirl!

Ye Yang and Kisuke Urahara stared at Yoruichi's Zanpakuto. Suddenly, Ye Yang said, "Sis, your Zanpakuto really looks like you. No wonder Byakuya always calls you Demon Cat. Now that I see her, it really fits."

At that moment, the catgirl on the ground spoke. "Hey, Yoruichi, why did you call me out? Didn't I tell you not to come in when there's nothing going on? Huh? Wait, this isn't the inner world. Is this... Soul Society?"

Yoruichi said, "Yes, I summoned you out here."

The catgirl said to Yoruichi, "Do you know what it means to summon me out?"

"Of course. I'm going to make you submit to me and teach me Bankai," Yoruichi said.

The catgirl let out a long breath. "Then come on."

Ye Yang and Kisuke Urahara were completely ignored. Seeing that the two were about to fight, they went straight to a safe corner to watch.

In the blink of an eye, the woman and the sword had already begun fighting. Yoruichi was fast enough, but the catgirl was a little faster. Yoruichi threw a side kick, which the catgirl dodged. The catgirl immediately spotted an opening and sent Yoruichi flying with a straight punch. Yoruichi landed on one knee, but rather than being discouraged, her fighting spirit flared. Her body tensed, and she sprang up, charging at the catgirl like an arrow loosed from a bow. The two grappled again.

This was purely a contest of speed. Both had pushed their speed to the limit. Every exchange lasted only an instant; they separated as soon as they clashed, never lingering. Even Ye Yang and Kisuke Urahara could only see two blurry figures colliding. That showed just how fast they were!

Although the catgirl had the edge in speed, Yoruichi's technique was a little better. As a result, Yoruichi was at a slight disadvantage, but it amounted to little. The two fought from afternoon until sunset without a victor. By then, Yoruichi was covered in wounds. Though none were serious, they still affected her ability to fight normally. If this continued, Yoruichi would lose sooner or later. But then the catgirl suddenly vanished.

Yoruichi shouted, "What happened? Why did she disappear? I was just about to fight back!"

Kisuke Urahara came out and explained, "Don't be angry. Since I only just invented the Tenshintai, it can currently only be used for about five hours a day. So practice again tomorrow."

Yoruichi had been beaten into a real rage, and she wasn't about to let him off. "Is that so? Well, I haven't had my fill today. Come exchange a few moves with me."

"Ah! No!" Kisuke Urahara's screams soon followed.

Half an hour later, Kisuke Urahara's face was covered in bruises. He muttered under his breath, "You couldn't beat your Zanpakuto, so you took it out on me."

"What did you say?" Yoruichi stared at Kisuke Urahara.

"Nothing... Nothing." Beads of sweat the size of beans ran down Kisuke Urahara's head. He was terrified that Yoruichi would beat him up again; his Hakuda was inferior to hers.

Just then, Ye Yang suddenly asked, "So? What was it like fighting your own Zanpakuto?"

"You saw it yourselves. She's even faster than me, and her body is so flexible that she's like a loach. I can't catch her at all. Damn it!" Yoruichi grew even angrier as she spoke.

Ye Yang comforted her. "It's all right. Try using the fist technique I taught you tomorrow."

Yoruichi's eyes flashed. "That's right, there's that too. Damn Mongoose, I'll show you tomorrow!"