"Mere Soul Reaper!! Don't underestimate me!! I am... Arrancar!!"
A failed Half-Arrancar, much like Isshin useless character Isshin defeated with a single strike in the original work, was a towering figure, quite enormous. He swung his massive arm, almost the size of his body, at Ichigo, who effortlessly dodged all his attacks.
Ichigo of dodging, Ichigo blocked the massive arm with his sword and asked again, "Why did Aizen send you to Karakura Town?"
Don't underestimate me!
"Sigh~, is this the only line you know?"
The Arrancar raised his arm again. Ichigo was exasperated; he couldn't get anything out of him, so he might as well just cut him down.
With a simple strike, Ichigo's current strength is almost at the level of Gin Ichimaru. What level is Gin Ichimaru?
What level is Gin Ichimaru? He's the kind of man who went toe-to-toe with Aizen through two rounds of Hōgyoku evolution. Aizen evolved twice, and even though his power control was unstable, Gin Ichimaru was still able to defeat him and directly enter a lower evolution to revive him. This already speaks volumes.
In that state, ordinary people simply couldn't handle it unless the Captain-Commander and Kyōraku intervened. At that time, no one could break through Aizen's second-level evolution. Even at the third-level evolution, the Captain-Commander could handle it with his release. The fourth-level evolution could also be fought off by the Captain-Commander. The fifth-level evolution that was finally destroyed by Mugetsu was truly amazing.
So, to put it another way, Gin Ichimaru's level at that time was such that he could force the Captain-Commander to release his defenses; he was already a top-tier Captain-level. Ichigo is now about half that level.
Clap clap clap! Ichigo had just sheathed his sword when he heard the applause. Completely unaware of anyone nearby, he looked over and exclaimed, "It's you!?"
"It was me," Jun continued clapping, smiling as he looked at Ichigo. "A truly brilliant strike."
"Tch, that's all it takes to deal with this kind of trash."
Jun tilted his head, looking at Ichigo curiously, "Is this your current personality?"
"What do you mean?"
"Heh," Jun chuckled softly, suddenly appearing before Ichigo. Ichigo had no time to react before a sword was plunged into his chest. "I don't like trouble; communicating in the Inner World is much more direct."
After finishing speaking, Jun closed his eyes and the next moment entered Ichigo's Inner World. The first thing he encountered was a direct slash, but Jun steadily caught Ichigo's Zangetsu, gripping the blade tightly.
"Wow! If I weren't reasonably strong, you would have already killed someone, you know that?"
Ichigo narrowed his eyes at Jun, his gaze filled with rage. He instantly unleashed his Reiatsu to its maximum, but to no avail; Zangetsu remained completely still.
"Sigh, young people are so impulsive. You need to understand that violence can't solve all problems, especially when you can't beat your opponent; it becomes the most useless thing."
"You"
Jun noticed Ichigo's anger and tilted his head, smiling, "You seem even more irritable now? Where's Zangetsu?"
"I'm here"
What about White?
Upon hearing Jun's question, Ichigo instantly. Seeing this, Jun laughed even harder, "They've fused? But it seems unstable yet."
"What do you know?"
"Just as you think," Jun released his Zangetsu. "Even now, you have no way to break free from my control. You've reached this point because you're under my control, whereas before, it was Aizen who controlled you."
Ichigo's face turned ashen. Jun shrugged and asked...
"Hey~ I have a question for you now, do you want to be free from any control?"
Ichigo shuddered again. "Can you do it?"
"Emmm, to be honest, it's difficult."
You still want to control me!?
"It wasn't me," Chun suddenly sat cross-legged, tapping on the building's glass. "Sit down and talk, come on."
Ichigo felt quite awkward, but he sat down anyway. "What do you want to say?"
"I have a lot to say, but I don't know if you'll understand, since you're a terrible student."
Ichigo's temple veins bulged. "I'm really sorry I'm a terrible student."
"Huh? Why are you apologizing? What does it have to do with me that you're a bad student?" Ichigo, deliberately Ichigo innocent and naive, blushed furiously, then couldn't hold back his laughter. "Pfft, haha, let's stop the joke here."
Ichigo was so enraged by Jun that he stood up, probably about to strike again with his sword, but Jun remained completely calm.
"Think carefully, who told you all this?"
Zangetsu had been lifted up, but not cut down. Ichigo slumped down like a deflated hot water bottle, his voice weak and feeble, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Believe it or not, I'm doing this for your own good.
"Why?" Ichigo felt that Jun was telling the truth, but he couldn't understand it.
"Why? Haha, why?" Jun reached out and ruffled Ichigo's Ichigo. For Ichigo, Ichigo didn't flinch; he sensed a peculiar aura emanating from Jun.
Jun rubbed Ichigo's head twice, then lightly tapped it. "Because I'm your uncle, I'm on friendly terms with your dad, and what happened? Your dad just ran away, leaving me to rush back to Soul Society to clean up his mess. Tell me, why am I so good to you?"
"Well"
"You know Kūkaku and Ganju, right? You've also met Kaien and his wife. I have some connection with the Shiba Clan. I'm like brothers with your father's branch, but I'm mortal enemies with Kaien's father."
"But I believe in having more friends and more options, and I don't easily make enemies. So I resolved the feud with Kaien's faction, and then I helped you. I've been helping you all along."
Ichigo was stunned. "This..."
"Well, I never expected that your Shiba Clan, especially your dad's and your branch, would all be a bit of a stickler for logic?"
Ichigo moment, scratching the back of his head, "Uh, it's probably genetic."
"Alright, there's no point in talking about this. If you're looking for something interesting, now that you've merged with White, what's happening? Tell me about it."
Can I really trust you?
"Oh my, you've learned to be suspicious now? Not bad. Why don't you suspect Rukia?" Jun shook his head and chuckled. "What makes you suspect me? Is it because I'm mysterious? Or because I betrayed Soul Society? Or is it because I tricked you before, so you don't want to believe me? Think about it carefully, and then tell me the answer."
Ichigo upon hearing this, then began to think seriously. Why not suspect Rukia? Because Rukia is a girl. Then why not suspect Renji? Because Renji gets along well with him? Kenpachi, Ikkaku others are pure...
Why suspect Jun? Ichigo's mind is truly racing. The mysterious Urahara Shopkeeper is equally mysterious; he's fooled countless people. Since Ichigo knows he's not particularly bright, is it because he betrayed Soul Society?
"Is it because of betraying Soul Society?" Ichigo himself wasn't quite sure.
"Real?"
Uh, I don't know.
"Perhaps it's because in your mind, I'm very similar to Aizen. Has anyone ever said something like that to you?"
Ichigo suddenly woke up. Why? Because someone had indeed said this, and quite a few at that. Renji, Ikkaku, and even Yumichika had all mentioned it, and during those days in Soul Society, many more people later said similar things.
"You really did have Aizen?"
Strictly speaking, Aizen and I share the same mentor.
"Huh?"
"That was a man Hanazawa E. If you'd like to hear this story, I can tell you."
"Think!"
Jun recounted Hanazawa E's story without any exaggeration. He didn't even go into detail about Hanazawa E herself, because he didn't know her. The only part Jun spoke of was the part where Hanazawa E ultimately chose Jun and Aizen to inherit his teachings.
Can you understand this approach?
Ichigo shook his head, and Jun also shook his head. "Sigh, I guess I was overthinking it. How could a slacker like you at your age possibly understand these things?"
"I..." Ichigo's face contorted with discomfort. "So what if I'm a bad student? Did a bad student eat your food?"
Have you ever been to Rukongai?
"Uh, I've been there."
"Is Rukongai pretty?"
How could Rukongai possibly be beautiful?
Ichigo wasn't stupid. Rukongai was extremely dilapidated; even the best and highest-ranked Rukongai had very few two-story buildings. Most were just houses made of broken wooden stakes and planks. Yet, this was already quite good.
The Rukongai that followed didn't even have wooden planks or stakes; they were slums. Some people couldn't even afford thatched huts. Why? Because that was the Soul Society. Without the Sodo, where would the resources Sōdō? Going to the outer areas to cut down trees and gather grass was risking your life. Most Hollows originated from the outer areas.
"Why don't the Soul Reaper make Rukongai more beautiful?" This question completely stumped Ichigo.
Jun continued, "Soul Reaper don't need much to live, or rather, we can survive with Reishi. The Dead Souls of Rukongai are much stronger. It's true that many people can't Sōdō structures, but the Twelfth Division can build buildings in Soul Society, so why not build some houses for the people of Rukongai?"
"Since we're just idling around anyway, wouldn't it be better to do something? But if we don't do it, the Soul Reaper won't do it, including those Soul Reaper rose through the Rukongai. After becoming Soul Reaper, they become the people who hate Rukongai the most, not just the vast majority."
"Why are you completely indifferent even though you clearly saw the carnage in Rukongai? Hmm? You live in such a developed modern society? Hmm? Can you answer me?"
Ichigo scratched his head. "That's probably none of my business."
"So that's why you don't understand Hanazawa E, Aizen, and me. Of course, Aizen went too far, and I don't really like Aizen either. If Mu didn't need him, I would have gotten rid of him. He only had a few months left to live."
Ichigo swallowed hard, but he believed Jun was telling the truth; Jun could truly eliminate Aizen, though he didn't know how Jun would do it.
But just then, Ichigo saw Jun pat him on the shoulder with a grin, "Do you still care who you are? Do you still have your aftereffects?"
Ichigo suddenly realized that before Jun spoke, he had been so focused on Jun's thoughts that he hadn't cared, but now he was starting to care again.
Chun stood up and said with a smile, "Walk more, see more, think more, and you won't be so narrow-minded. You'll think about more things instead of just focusing on yourself. Self-reflection is a very important topic in philosophy, and you, a poor student, shouldn't act like you're so high and mighty. Don't think about these things, fill your mind with other knowledge, and you'll find that you're still you."
"If you're not suited for acquiring knowledge, and your brain just doesn't work well, then train yourself, make yourself stronger, push yourself to the limit, and you'll find that you gain something new every day."
Jun patted Ichigo again, "Being a bad student isn't scary, being idle is. You're just bored, stop being idle and find something to do."
Ichigo snapped out of his daze and realized Jun was gone. After thinking for a moment, he made a phone call home.
"Mom~, I need to go do some more spiritual practice, I won't be home tonight! Ah! I'll go to school, just think of this as a club activity, okay~ Okay~, I know, don't worry! Bye-bye!"
After hanging up, Ichigo called Hirako again, "Come pick me up, I need to go to your place for training."