Ichigo emerged from the Training Ground, a gun slung over his shoulder. "Anyone there? I knocked Kirigiri unconscious."
"I'm here, leave it to me," Hachigen Ushōda appeared instantly, took the person, and then vanished just as quickly.
Today marks 27 days since Ichigo his stay at the Seaside Villa. He has finally accomplished something remarkable: he defeated his opponent using his Shikai.
Given Ichigo's strength, using his Shikai Hammer to break free after donning the Hollowfication Mask is already achievable. It's certainly difficult, but as long as the opponent is weaker than a Vice-Captain like those in the original work, Ichigo should have no problem.
The next level of training required is to be able to use the Shikai to counterattack and then stop, forcing the opponent to automatically resign. If he reaches this stage, he will have reached the level of Shinji Hirako and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, and will not be far from his maximum threshold, or may have already reached it.
Training is once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The morning match is already over. My opponent was Kirishiki Chūdō, the Fifth Seat of the Third Division 118 years ago. His Zanpakuto is called Kirigakimaru, and its ability is actually the Hidden Mist Technique, which is quite disgusting.
Its release is named Kirisamaru, and its effects are not much different from its Shikai release, except that it also transforms into mist, giving it the feel of an elemental creature.
Facing this opponent, Ichigo had only one strategy: to use his formidable Spiritual Power to outlast his opponent's. In this process, Ichigo learned the true essence of Reiatsu combat—the ability to use Spiritual Power to deplete the opponent's—a feat requiring a certain level of Spiritual Sensitivity.
So Kirigiri was completely exhausted, his Spiritual Pool almost depleted, and Ichigo wasn't doing much better either. He was so tired that his steps were unsteady and he felt dizzy. He staggered downstairs and saw the two of them playing games in the lobby.
A man and a woman. The man looks like a child about the same age as him, but younger. His name is Tentozaemon. The woman is his wife, Tento Shū. 118 years ago, they were the Sixth Seat and Ninth Seats of the Eighth Division.
These two have both fought Ichigo before. Currently, Ichigo can't suppress Tentozaemon's power release because Tentozaemon's power release is also enhancement-type. A direct confrontation between two direct confrontations is the most difficult.
"Yo~", Ichigo greeted.
Tentozaemon used a combo to instantly kill his lover. "Are you exhausted from fighting Kirigiri?"
"Yes, I'm really tired!"
"Hehe, what do you think of Kirigiri's strength?"
Tento Shū went to get them some fruit, and Ichigo, upon hearing this, thought for Ichigo, "Hmm, not that strong, right?"
"Think about it again, what if we're not on the Training Ground?"
"Huh, not in the Training Grounds?" Ichigo frowned. "He's not that strong, is he? We can wear him down with our Spiritual Power sooner or later. He only has so much Spiritual Power."
"Think about it again!"
"Emmm," Ichigo scratched his head, "Does that mean his mist can spread very far?"
"Impressive! Kirigiri's mist can absorb surrounding moisture when it dissipates; in fact, when fully extended, it can cover a range of over ten kilometers. Kirigiri is the second strongest among us, after the three Captain-level. It's just that he's not strong enough in the Training Ground."
Ichigo looked surprised. "Is that so!?"
"Ha~ Looks like you understand. He's actually a complete counter to our type of being. Even if you manage to break free, if it were just the two of you fighting without limits, you'd definitely lose."
"I"
"You really think you can win!?"
Ichigo suppressed his resentment and started thinking. After Tento Shū brought over the fruit, Ichigo said with a look of reluctance, "It seems that's really the case."
Tento Shū looked at Ichigo and laughed, "You're really interesting. It seems like you always deliberately ignore things that are not in your favor. Why did you develop this kind of mindset? You're still just a child."
"Me?" Ichigo frowned. "Am I really like that?"
"They're incredibly stubborn, unwilling to admit mistakes, and unwilling to acknowledge their shortcomings compared to others. They even deceive themselves into believing they're better than others, isn't that right?"
"Hmm, it seems like it really does exist, why is that?"
"Is it because everything has gone too smoothly for you since you gained your abilities?"
"Hirako"
Shinji Hirako happened to come in from the doorway, sat down on the sofa next to Ichigo, and then snatched Ichigo's fruit. "You surpassed Byakuya in just a few months, and in such a brainless way. Now you're completely lacking in intelligence when it comes to ability. You can only say you're too lucky. And because of this luck, you've become quite arrogant, thinking you're invincible. Hehe, I wonder if you dare to face Aizen?"
Ichigo looked away. "I definitely dare, but I'm not sure I can win."
"That's a good idea, but whether we can win or not is no longer important," Hirako said with a smirk, using the "Tenteikūra Arrester" Arrancar.
Ichigo and the others were startled. Upon hearing Hirako's words, the other Visoreds in the room quickly ran out. Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi asked anxiously, "Hirako, you've met them?"
"Ah~, but it wasn't Ichigo was talking about, just an Arrancar," Hirako shrugged. "That guy was huge, several stories tall, his Hollowfication Mask wasn't completely broken, and he wasn't humanoid. He was clearly a failure, so I killed him."
"Is that so? But this is already Arrancar."
"That's right, they've already become Arrancars."
The two veteran captains' expressions turned serious. Ichigo, "Are you saying that from now on, everyone coming will be Arrancar?"
Everyone else stared at Ichigo in shock, Ichigo face flushing red. "What do you mean by those looks? Can't I even use my brain!?"
"That's right, that's exactly it! So, Ichigo, you need to train even harder now!"
"What's the meaning?"
"Because you are the only one capable of standing against Aizen! You! Have never been affected by Kyōka Suigetsu!"
Hirako's words put pressure on Ichigo, but this pressure also became a driving force. Ichigo suddenly stood up, then dazedly sat back down.
Hirako sighed helplessly, "No one can trust you like this. Although you seem to have fulfilled your promises every time, what if you fail? And take the matter of saving that little girl from the Kuchiki Clan, you didn't even manage to kill Aizen, did you?"
"In fact, you don't have the power to break through everything, so you should think about how to maximize your power instead of rushing to do something meaningless."
"Don't ask me what's meaningful; you have to figure that out for yourself. And I have some bad news for you: these kinds of crude, mindless sparring sessions are over. We'll be patrolling the entire Karakura Town to ensure the Arrancar don't cause too many casualties. Your training will have to continue."
Hirako acted swiftly, canceling Ichigo's sparring session that afternoon. Ichigo was left sitting idly on the Training Ground, and after a while, Ichigo stood up, raised Zangetsu, and began to swing his sword.
But swinging a sword is boring. Ichigo has never systematically trained in Zanjutsu, and having always learned quickly, he couldn't accept the slow and painstaking process of Zanjutsu. So he switched to randomly swinging Getsuga Tenshō.
He swung Getsuga Tenshō Slash dozens of times, and then he was out of chakra. That morning's battle was a real chakra drain, and he already had very little chakra. Now Ichigo found himself completely helpless, except for sleeping.
"This won't do! How am I supposed to train? Ugh! You're telling me to figure it out myself? That's way too difficult!"
This is incredibly difficult for someone as intellectually challenged as Ichigo Kurosaki. Incidentally, his academic performance is also terrible; his only redeeming quality is his athletic ability, but he's never actually trained in sports.
In fact, Ichigo Kurosaki has never seriously tried anything from childhood to adulthood. His efforts have always been forced upon him by others. His mental fortitude and ability to withstand pressure are truly remarkable, but this has also resulted in him being unable to do anything without supervision.
He's not really mentally challenged; he can always find a way out in critical situations. But he becomes mentally challenged when there's no crisis. So, this guy is truly an oddball.
Meanwhile, Ichigo, having nothing to do and racking his brains, couldn't think of any good training methods or shortcuts, so he lay on the ground talking to himself.
"Just how strong am I? It seems I can almost fight Hirako a standstill. If that's the case, I should be stronger than Byakuya, right? So, who's stronger, me or Gin Ichimaru? Speaking of Gin Ichimaru is the guy who ambushed me when I went to rescue Rukia, right?"
"That guy's a sneaky one, but I think I'm close to catching him now, which means I'm almost at my threshold. Huh? Could it really be like that!?"
Ichigo sprang to his feet, grabbed Zangetsu's Spiritual Power, and began to resonate. This guy finally remembered how to enter the Inner World; resonance requires frequency, not Spiritual Power, so Ichigo easily entered the Inner World.
"Uncle Zangetsu ~"
"You still came."
"What's the meaning?"
You'll find out soon enough.
Ichigo suddenly sensed a sense of danger, turned around and slashed, the black Zangetsu and the white Zangetsu clashed, White's broken smile was almost within reach.
"You idiot, how dare you come in?!"
"I'm not an idiot!!" Ichigo cleaved White in Ichigo a single strike, shouting, "This is my body! My Inner World! Why shouldn't I dare to enter!?"
A burst of dark Spiritual Power erupted from White's body, and his smile crumbled even more drastically. "Soon it won't be like that anymore! Because you'll all be mine!"
Ichigo flew into a rage, "Keep dreaming! Today I'll show you who's really in control of this body and this consciousness! Don't push your luck with mere instincts!!"
Ichigo unleashed all his Spiritual Power, and the two Zangetsu clashed once more.