The judgment was correct, but that didn't mean he could actually defeat Yama-jii; Zero's punch was powerful enough that a single blow to Yama-jii's abdomen could have shattered several giant rocks in the training ground, but Yama-jii was completely unharmed.
Zero didn't know why he was so old and bald, yet his body was so healthy. At this time, he didn't quite understand the theory of Reiatsu growth.
When a Shinigami's Reiatsu stops increasing, their physical appearance also stops growing after adulthood. In other words, the older Soul Reaper is, the stronger their Reiatsu and the more robust their body becomes.
In other words, Yama-jii has been bald since birth, and his Reiatsu has grown over thousands of years... Back when the Gotei 13 was established, he still had hair...
Zero landed another punch on Yama-jii, but this time it hit Yama-jii's shoulder. His left hand, which was swinging the punch, was instead grabbed and he was thrown to the ground.
"You deserve praise for hitting me repeatedly, but... that's enough!"
His Reiatsu surged, and he Shunpo appeared in front of Zero, who had just stood up, delivering a devastating Liver-Shattering Punch.
Zero, who had just stood up and assumed a fighting stance, was sent flying and embedded in a rock. It looked like it would be difficult to pry him out, and blood was still gushing from his mouth.
After glancing at him, Yama-jii was about to turn and leave when Zero suddenly appeared beside him, pushing his left hand with his right and then elbowing Yama-jii in the neck with his left elbow.
Boom!
Zero's attack was very powerful. Yama-jii was like a stone skipping across water, bouncing several times on the ground until he crashed into the rock wall at the end of the underground training ground.
"Old Man Yamamoto, don't underestimate me, this isn't over yet!"
Blood was still trickling from the corner of Zero's mouth as he roared, his eyes were bloodshot, and he arrived almost as soon as Yama-jii stuck to the rock wall.
Before Yama-jii could even shout "Young people don't know martial ethics," Ling had already assumed a horse stance and was throwing straight punches at high speed, at least thirty punches per second. The scene was like Chicken Rendan Goku in Dragon Ball, missing every time.
However, this scene lasted for less than two seconds. Amidst countless punches, Yama-jii grabbed Zero's left fist, which was currently the strongest, with his right hand, and the scene Stillness instantly.
Hey! I really underestimated you!
With a smile, Yama-jii seemed to know that Ling's fate was uncertain. He then delivered a left hook to Ling's right cheek, sending Ling flying more than 300 meters to the side.
If Seated Officer's Shunpo can move two hundred meters in one second, then Ling's Side Flight speed has already exceeded Seated Officer's movement speed; he flew three hundred meters in one second.
This was the third punch. Zero was already in a daze and out of his mind, mainly because this punch landed on his cheek.
"Phew... Ha, this Captain-Commander's position is really hard to get!"
Zero, his right hand trembling with excruciating pain from the shattered bones, forced himself to sit up. He was panting heavily, blood constantly flowing from his mouth and nose, and from his cheekbone.
Yama-jii was completely dominating Zero, leaving him no chance to fight back. Zero's heavy punches just now seemed to have sent Yama-jii flying, and they were very powerful. He even landed dozens of punches in succession, but they didn't cause any actual damage.
After only three punches from Yama-jii, Zero was already starting to lose his senses.
It should be noted that the Reiatsu released by Zero is at the level of an upper-class Captain, which is three times that of a standard Captain, yet he was still brutally defeated. The difference in strength is unimaginable.
"Want to fight again? You stubborn brat."
Zero didn't answer Yama-jii. Instead, he shook his head to steady his vision and rushed forward again...
"Nangong has reached his limit. Kuruyashiki can withstand seven punches without using his Zanpakuto, and that's less than halfway there!"
Kyōraku's statement that Kuruyashiki could withstand seven punches refers to the fact that Yama-jii attacks with only a single punch, as he does now, and that's where the upper limit of his punching power is.
The 'Sōkotsu' technique involves attacking with both fists simultaneously, instantly doubling the punching power. So far, no one has been seen to survive Sōkotsu attack.
"Is this why you called me here? When did you start enjoying sparring with others, Captain-Commander?"
"Impressive! To be able to fight the Captain-Commander with Hakuda."
A gentle female voice came from behind. The short Fourth Division Captain, Retsu Unohana, was walking over with her adjutant, Kiyōnosuke Yamada, whose face was full of shock.
No sooner had Vice-Captain Yamada finished speaking than Zero flew out of the dust and landed not far in front of them, already unconscious.
"I took five punches. I'm sorry to Captain Unohana."
Kyōraku kept a close eye on him, and through the dust and mist, he saw Zero take two more punches before he could finally stand up.
"This is what our Fourth Division should do. Kiyonosuke, after you've given them this first aid, take the injured back for further treatment."
"Yes."
Under Unohana's orders, Kiyōnosuke Yamada used Kidō to examine Zero and found that at least twenty bones in Zero's body were broken.
When Yama-jii came over, he had several bruises on his body, caused by Zero's heavy punch. However, thanks to Unohana's Kaido, they were completely healed in a minute or two.
After a two-minute conversation, Unohana understood the reason for this sparring session and felt great sympathy for Zero. The young man favored by Yama-jii wasn't having an easy time.
Kyōraku was well aware of all this. He had been a disciple of Yama-jii before. He was very mischievous but talented when he was young. As he grew up, he became lecherous and lazy. His skills were almost entirely developed by Yama-jii, who constantly pushed him forward.
It's not that Yama-jii forbids Zero from challenging Azashiro; Zero needs to demonstrate strength that surpasses Azashiro's, even to the point of overwhelming it, before Yama-jii will allow him to challenge it at this time.
The friction with the Quincy Hueco Mundo, are all reasons why Yama-jii needs the Gotei 13 to maintain their fighting strength.
The day after Zero fainted due to a concussion, he finally woke up. The punch that made him faint was from Yama-jii hitting him in the chin.
"You're awake? Take good care of your injuries. Captain Kyōraku has already postponed your appointment with Captain Azashiro."
The speaker was Retsu Unohana, who happened to be bringing a few girls to check the rooms; they were interns from the Fourth Division.
Upon examination, it was found that Zero's injuries had almost healed, and he would recover in a couple more days at most.
"What an amazing Kaido! I had so many broken bones, and I recovered in just one day... Thank you."
Ling moved his fist a little and still felt a bit sore. That was the pain memory of the flesh; his body's nerves still thought he was injured.
"No need for thanks, it's what we should do. If you really want to thank our Fourth Division, it would mean fewer injuries in the future, which would lighten our workload!"
Retsu Unohana smiled sweetly, her voice was gentle and pleasant, and her appearance was also gentle and peaceful. She also had a long braid hanging down in front of her chest.
Judging by her appearance alone, you would never think she's a heinous criminal...
Zero recalled information from the anime-watching event in his past life. He couldn't remember many things clearly, but he still had one thing to say about the First Kenpachi:
The First Kenpachi was a heinous criminal. Yama-jii saw her power, defeated her, and took her under his wing. She created the 11th Division and its philosophy: to live only for battle.
He encountered the young Kenpachi Zaraki, causing the young Kenpachi Zaraki to unconsciously seal his own power. He then stepped down and became the Fourth Division Captain. Later, in order to restore Kenpachi Zaraki's power, he was killed by him...
"Vice-Captain Nangong Ling? Vice-Captain Nangong Ling staring at me like that makes me really embarrassed!"
"Hehehe, Captain Unohana's charm hasn't diminished at all!"
"That's right, Vice-Captain Nangong Ling probably even thought of a name for the child."
"Pervert..."
The voice of Retsu Unohana reached Zero's ears, and he instantly snapped out of it. Only then did he realize that he had been staring at Retsu Unohana for a long time, and the girls next to him were also spouting some rather suggestive remarks.
Because Zero was the Vice-Captain when he killed the Captain, he was very famous. Although he had just been dismissed, the reinstatement notice from Azashiro had been issued, and many people still referred to Zero as the Vice-Captain.
"Sorry, I was just wondering, Captain Unohana was so strong before, why did she agree to become the healing Captain? Why didn't she continue in the combat unit?"
After apologizing with an awkward laugh, Zero turned to Unohana and asked what he had been thinking.
Zero has witnessed Zaraki's strength firsthand; he grows stronger with each fight even without his Shikai, and it's unclear where his limits lie. If Unohana is the reason Zaraki sealed his own power, then she herself is certainly not weak.
Unohana was taken aback by the question. Her eyes, which had been narrowed by her smile, widened slightly as she wondered: Was he a newcomer? Had he heard about things from hundreds of years ago? Kyōraku told him?
"Vice-Captain Nangong Ling, our Captain's Zanpakuto isn't suitable for combat!"
"Yeah, yeah! Let's try a different approach when striking up a conversation, hehe~"
Before Unohana could answer, her subordinates filled in the blanks for her, and Zero was teased again; there were quite a few love-struck fools around here.
"Alright, stop disturbing Vice-Captain Nangong Ling's rest. Let's all go!"
Unohana simply smiled at Zero's question without answering, and then left the medical room.
"Tch, so this is Real Rei '? Never mind her, let's think about how to deal with that old man! He can't even withstand five punches..."
As Zero closed her eyes to rest, various ideas kept flashing through her mind...
Without being able to use his Zanpakuto in the fight, he had no chance of winning and could only choose to endure ten punches without falling.
If you try to tough it out, your body simply won't be able to train to that level in a short time. Bankai would offer a slight chance. Even if you can't use your sword to cut Yama-jii to heal your injuries, you can still raise your Reiatsu to its maximum.
Upon hearing the word 'recovery', Zero's closed eyes lit up instantly. In his Shikai state, he couldn't use his previous health bar abilities, but he could recover from injuries through 'Power of Plunder'.
Since he can't use his Zanpakuto now, if he learns the "Kaido" from Kidō, he can still recover from his injuries, it's just a matter of how fast.
Speaking of Kaido, Zero thought of Retsu Unohana, who had just left. Unohana's Kaido were undoubtedly the strongest in the Seireitei. If only he could learn from her...
Zero has already come up with a plan: first, learn to Bankai even when you're a hundred meters away from the Bankai, and then use the enhanced strength of Bankai to fight against Yama-jii. He'll be able to lock Yama-jii down for ten minutes even after taking five Bakudō.
Then, make sure that Kaido can recover within ten minutes, then engage in Bankai battle, and I should be able to withstand five more punches without any problem.
If we go down this dragon, there's a very good chance of success. Who knows, with the immense Reiatsu after Bankai, we might accidentally kill Yama-jii... Hehe, then I'm sorry.
Unohana doesn't have any particular hobbies. She usually likes to tend to flowers and plants, and there are more than a dozen different varieties of flowers in her office.
Knock knock!
"Please come in."
A knock came at the door. Unohana of deciding which herbs to collect for the herb-gathering team, spoke calmly. Judging from her Reiatsu, she already knew who it was.
"What brings Vice-Captain Nangong Ling here? If you need to complete the rehabilitation procedures, just go to our nursing staff."
Unohana didn't even look up; she was still writing.
"It's not about completing any formalities. I'd like to ask Captain Unohana for a favor. Could you teach me Kaido? I'm very interested in that."
Zero was a little embarrassed, but she still said it anyway.
"Oh dear! This is the first time combat troops have to learn how to Kaido. How strange. Shouldn't you only be pursuing strong combat power?"
"Besides, I remember your Zanpakuto has the ability to regenerate, right? The Kaido is redundant, isn't it?"
Unohana smiled. She was curious why Zero wanted to learn it. Back when he fought against Hideaki Tsunayashiro, his Zanpakuto's abilities were analyzed.
He later admitted to this ability himself, but it only requires injuring someone to activate.
"My Zanpakuto can indeed regenerate, but I can't use it when I'm Zanpakuto with Yama-jii! I want to defeat him and then challenge Kenpachi Azashiro."
Zero openly stated that he wanted to defeat the Captain-Commander in order to get the ban lifted and challenge the Azashiro.
Once Zero said that, Unohana understood. This was because she wanted to defeat Captain-Commander Yamamoto, which was why she came to learn the Kaido. In her opinion, it was a bit naive. She probably wouldn't even have time to recover before being defeated by the Captain-Commander.
"Challenge Captain Azashiro? I forgot to ask you before, why do you want to become Kenpachi so much?"
This is what Unohana really wants to know: even though Zero can't withstand the Captain-Commander's punch, he's still trying to find a way to cross this chasm.
"Becoming Kenpachi? I don't have any particular attachment to that title; I just want to fulfill my promise to Kuruyashiki. There are two people in this world who have had the greatest influence on me."
"A guy named Genji taught me how to condense Zanpakuto, but he died. The second one was him. Not only did he save me once, but it was also his unintentional guidance that allowed me to master Bankai."
"I told a little lie. I had already learned Bankai during my battle with Hideaki Tsunayashiro, I just didn't show it. I lied to Kuruyashiki that I was going to Hueco Mundo Bankai training, but actually I was going to hone myself to become stronger..."
Zero couldn't continue speaking either. By the time he returned, everything had changed; his mentor, friend, and benefactor, Kuruyashiki, was dead.
For Death, Soul Reaper lives for hundreds of years, the decade or so that Zero disappeared was truly short. Yet, even in those few decades, it was enough to change a great deal...
Unohana eventually agreed to teach Zero how to Kaido, and Zero did not give up training his physical strength.
His cultivation method was also very simple: he would challenge the Yama-jii every morning, and after being injured, he would return and heal himself using the Kaido.
With an extra person running back and forth between the Fourth Division and the First Division, Azashiro always knew what Zero was doing, but he had his own things to do and didn't pay much attention.