Ye Yang vs. Gin

Led by Ye Yang, the group arrived at the testing grounds, where an elderly figure came into view. His imposing frame stood at the head of the room, and with that unmistakable long white beard, he was none other than Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and principal of Shin'ō!

Ye Yang had expected at least one captain to supervise, but he was still surprised that the Captain-Commander himself had come. On second thought, though, it made sense. Yamamoto was also the principal of Shin'ō, and a student had applied to graduate after just one year. It was only natural that he would come to see for himself.

Once everyone had arrived, Yamamoto stood and said, "As you all know, Gin Ichimaru of second year, class one submitted an application for graduation yesterday. The higher-ups have decided to give Gin Ichimaru his graduation test today." He looked at Gin and continued, "Gin Ichimaru, the examination for early graduation is more difficult than the ordinary one. Are you certain you wish to proceed?"

"Yes!" Gin answered without hesitation.

"Then Gin Ichimaru's graduation examination will now begin. Your test is to fight the lieutenant of the Second Division. You do not need to defeat him; you will pass as long as your performance is good enough," Yamamoto said, pointing at Ye Yang.

Gin Ichimaru stared at Yamamoto in surprise, then turned to Ye Yang, who looked just as bewildered. Gin quickly composed himself and said, "I never expected you to be my opponent, Teacher Ye Yang."

By then, Ye Yang had cursed Yamamoto countless times in his heart. He hadn't received any notice at all, and the old man had used him as a tool again.

But with so many people watching, Ye Yang didn't dare object. "Yes, Ichimaru, I didn't expect it either," he said, glancing deliberately or otherwise at Yamamoto, who completely ignored him.

"Please go easy on me, Teacher Ye Yang."

Ye Yang also happened to want to know just how strong this genius was, so he said, "Come on, Ichimaru. Show me what you've learned this past year."

"Then I won't hold back, Teacher. Bakudō #4: Hainawa!" A golden rope of Spiritual Pressure shot toward Ye Yang, only for him to point his hand at it and scatter it with his own Spiritual Pressure. "Ichimaru, Kidō at this level won't work on me."

"Just as I thought. But how about this? Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!" A burst of white explosive flame as thick as a telephone pole erupted from Gin's palm and hurtled toward Ye Yang, bearing down on him as though it would not stop until it had consumed him entirely.

"Bakudō #39: Enkōsen!" Ye Yang calmly recited. An oval wall of Reishi appeared before him, shielding him completely.

Sōkatsui collided with Enkōsen in an instant. Compared to the ferocious Sōkatsui, the oval Reishi wall looked so small that it seemed it could be torn apart in a single blow. But when the two actually met, the result was quite different. The tiny Reishi wall held its own against Sōkatsui, like an impassable chasm that could not be moved in the slightest, no matter how hard it was struck. Like a reef by the sea, it remained unmoved however violently the waves crashed against it. At last, Sōkatsui exhausted its momentum and exploded, but it did not hurt Ye Yang in the slightest.

"As expected of you, Teacher Ye Yang. You really are strong," Gin said slowly after Sōkatsui failed to land a hit.

Ye Yang smiled. "You're not bad yourself. Show me everything else you've got!" As he spoke, Gin suddenly vanished from sight. Without even looking, Ye Yang blocked Gin's punch with his left hand, then turned his palm into a grab and tried to throw him. But Gin's arm slipped out of his grasp in an instant, like a loach.

Gin launched a fierce assault, attacking from every direction and pushing his Shunpo to its limits. But Ye Yang was accustomed to seeing Yoruichi's Shunpo. How could he take Shunpo of this level seriously? He didn't counterattack, simply responding to each move as it came. He stood his ground, and no matter how Gin attacked, he couldn't force Ye Yang back a single step.

"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!" Gin abruptly appeared right in front of Ye Yang and shouted the incantation with a smile. Ye Yang was startled. It was too late to defend himself; Gin was far too close. Ye Yang jumped straight up and dodged the Sōkatsui, but immediately realized something was wrong. Gin had already appeared behind him. "Teacher, I win~"

The corners of Ye Yang's mouth rose. "Let me show you what real Shunpo looks like!" Gin's attack landed, but it was as though he had struck empty air. A closer look revealed that he had hit nothing but Ye Yang's afterimage. Ye Yang was already standing on the ground, grinning up at Gin.

Gin Ichimaru landed helplessly. If Ye Yang had attacked him just then, he would have had no room to counter. But for some reason, Ye Yang hadn't attacked.

Ye Yang spoke. "First, you feinted from every direction, then followed up with a Kidō attack to make me think Kidō was your main means of attack. Once your opponent let their guard down, you used Shunpo to launch a surprise attack. Quite a good plan, Ichimaru."

Rather than looking pleased by Ye Yang's praise, Gin looked dejected. "But it still failed."

"You've used Kidō, Hakuda, and Shunpo. Is Zanjutsu next?" Ye Yang asked.

"You guessed it, Teacher." With that, Gin drew the Zanpakuto he had been wearing at his waist. Ye Yang had initially thought it was an Asauchi, but once Gin drew it, he realized he had been wrong.

It was a short Zanpakuto, about the size of a watermelon knife. Its guard curved outward from both sides to form a circular ring.

Had he already grown enough to possess his own Zanpakuto? He had found his own Zanpakuto in just one year. It wasn't just Ye Yang; everyone present was surprised, including Yamamoto!

Ye Yang said, "I didn't expect you to have already reached this point. Can you tell me its name?"

Gin played with the short blade, the same smile on his face. "Shinsō! Its name is Shinsō~"

"Shinsō? A good name. I just wonder what its ability is," Ye Yang said.

"Oh, I can't tell you that yet. You'll find out soon enough," Gin said with a grin.

"Then let me test your Zanjutsu!" With that, Ye Yang drew his sword and charged. Gin Ichimaru was no longer relaxed, his eyes full of caution. After spending a year with Ye Yang, Gin still hadn't been able to gauge the limits of his strength. There was only one explanation: his opponent was far stronger than him!

Gin steadied his breathing and stepped forward to block Ye Yang's attack. A tremendous force immediately struck him and sent him flying, but Gin Ichimaru didn't give up. He recovered and continued fighting Ye Yang.

The two engaged in a fierce Zanjutsu duel. Ye Yang, however, wasn't fighting at full strength. He adjusted himself to Gin's level, partly to draw out his strength and potential, and partly to teach his student. Gin was his student, after all, so Ye Yang could point out any shortcomings.

Strangely, though, the two were fighting using Zanjutsu alone, and neither had any intention of using Shikai. Ye Yang could be said to have no need for Shikai because of his strength, but Gin wasn't using Shikai either. Had he not mastered it yet?

This could be called an instructional fight. During it, Ye Yang pointed out several of Gin's shortcomings. After fighting for around ten minutes, Gin was beginning to look tired, and beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. Ye Yang, by contrast, was perfectly fine; his breathing hadn't even become ragged.

"Ichimaru, if you don't use Shikai now, you won't have enough stamina left to use it later. You wouldn't be happy to lose like that, would you?" Ye Yang said slowly.

"You'll find out soon enough, but be careful. Do you know why my Zanpakuto is called Shinsō?" Gin moved in again, using Shunpo to appear right in front of Ye Yang. They were very close!

He pointed his Zanpakuto at Ye Yang's body and recited, "Shoot him dead, Shinsō!"

In an instant, Gin's Zanpakuto glowed and began to extend! It was too fast! Shinsō extended and retracted at an incredible speed. By the time Ye Yang reacted, its tip was already right in front of him!

As a transmigrator, Ye Yang had long known Shinsō's ability, but he had thought he could easily dodge it at that speed. What he hadn't expected was for Gin to approach him first and then use Shinsō without warning.

Between Shinsō's speed and the extremely short distance, the next moment, Shinsō pierced Ye Yang's body!

The students below shouted, "Teacher!" Then they glared angrily at Gin.

But the next moment, they noticed something was wrong. The spray of blood they had imagined never appeared. Looking closer, they saw that it was only the teacher's clothing Ye Yang had been wearing. The white garment hanging from Shinsō proved that Ye Yang had indeed been there a moment ago. But where had he gone?

The answer soon became clear. Ye Yang was behind Gin, his teacher's clothes gone. In their place was the black Shihakushō worn by ordinary Soul Reapers. A gray armband on his left shoulder bore the Second Division's emblem: a pasqueflower, symbolizing desirelessness!

Behind Gin, Ye Yang slowly spoke: "Stealth Steps #3: Utsusemi!"

Gin grinned. "As expected of you, Teacher Ye Yang. You could even dodge something that fast. Amazing!"

Just then, Yamamoto suddenly appeared before the two of them and said, "Enough. This can end now."

Ye Yang bowed slightly and withdrew without a word. Yamamoto spoke again. "I now declare that Gin Ichimaru of second year, class one has demonstrated exceptional ability in all four skills of Zankensōki during his graduation examination. I believe Gin Ichimaru is fully capable of graduating early. Gin Ichimaru has passed his graduation examination! I hope you will live up to your mission and contribute to Soul Society! Now, Gin Ichimaru, tell me which division you wish to join."

Gin answered without hesitation. "The Fifth Division!"

"Good. You may report to the Fifth Division tomorrow! From this moment on, you are a member of Soul Society's Gotei 13," Yamamoto said in a solemn voice.

"Yes!"...

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