On the Outskirts of the 19th East Rukongai, in a Dense Forest, the sounds of collisions constantly erupted, and the violent Reiatsu continuously sent leaves flying.
Zero and Kensei clashed here. Red Greatsword, Blood Drink, and his violent Reiatsu overwhelmed Kensei in less than ten seconds, leaving him lying on the ground, panting heavily.
"Sixteen seconds, three seconds longer than last time."
Zero's teaching method was simple: he relentlessly pressured Kensei with cruel methods, forcing him to exert all his strength to fight against him at all times.
After catching his breath, Kensei asked in confusion, "Your Reiatsu is only 1.9, while mine reached 1.5 after Shikai, but the difference in power is so huge. What's going on?"
"Rumor has it that when the Captain wasn't Kenpachi yet, he received guidance from the Captain-Commander. Could it have started from that time?" Kensei recalled how Zero First Division Barracks when Azashiro was in charge.
"Only 1.9? Heh, I invented this thing, and you know its purpose: to search for criminals in Rukongai. It's not applicable to me..."
Boom!
A smile appeared on Zero's lips, and his Reiatsu suddenly surged, causing Kensei was about to stand up, to freeze in place.
Kensei realized something: this was Zero's full Reiatsu. Nangong Kenpachi, who could maintain his Shikai state for so long, had never approached the Squad Members with his true Reiatsu.
"The more Reiryoku, the stronger your Reiatsu will be, and the stronger your body will be. You only need a little training to develop your strength. Even if I slightly seal my Reiatsu, my physical strength will remain unchanged."
Zero had been fighting Kensei in a semi-sealed state, yet he was still able to completely suppress him. He continued:
"By maintaining a high level of Reiryoku output as Reiatsu in your battle, your body will determine that you need Reiryoku, and your growth rate will inevitably be much faster. You will soon reach the standard recognized by your Zanpakuto."
"Then let's continue!"
Kensei steadied himself and stood up, intending to face Zero at full power. However, Zero continued to seal his Reiatsu, even sealing it more tightly.
"Don't rush, take your time. Even though it's still about beating newbies."
"I'm not a vegetable!"
The two clashed again with their Zanpakuto; Zero's slashes were wide and powerful, purely overwhelming Kensei with sheer force...
In the third month of teaching Kensei Bankai, this guy finally used his ultimate move, though he wasn't quite proficient at it yet.
Even if a normal person learns Bankai, it would take decades to master it before they can use it in battle at will.
Even Zero's own Bankai is not yet proficient enough, which puts a great strain on his body.
After fulfilling his promise, Zero, whose Reiatsu was growing too slowly, once again went to Rukongai to slaughter various gangs.
Those who are guilty are killed on the spot, and those who are innocent are falsely accused. He will go to any group with more than a hundred people. All he needs to do is kill, and Yanis will absorb the Reiryoku of the victims for him.
He was gradually strengthening himself, bit by bit, though slower than in Hueco Mundo, but still much faster than through his own cultivation.
He had only been gone for less than a month when the Captain-Commander summoned him back. Zero initially thought he had gone too far, but then...
You're back?
As he looked down at the Seireitei, Yama-jii noticed the movement behind him, turned around, and spoke calmly.
"What are your orders, Lord Genryūsai?"
Ling bowed slightly to show respect, assuming that he must have been reported for acting recklessly.
"Those criminal gangs in Rukongai haven't posed a significant threat yet. Even if we were to eliminate them, you wouldn't need to personally take action, would you? Explain why..."
Yama-jii opened his slightly narrowed eyes and stared at the energetic young man in front of him.
Of Kenpachi so far, Rei's bloodlust is no match for Unohana's, and even with Bankai, he probably couldn't defeat Bankai Kuruyashiki. He's also probably not Azashiro Sōken...
In Yama-jii's eyes, Zero's greatest advantage is his potential for growth. He is so young yet possesses such remarkable strength, and he has great potential for development. What he cares about is not whether Zero killed those thugs, but whether Zero had a reason for doing so.
Zero sensed something was wrong: Sure enough, Yama-jii knew what he had done; he'd better give a good answer!
He also sensed a faint pressure, not from Reiatsu, but from the long-standing aura of a superior.
"Genryūsai, the ordinary Pluses in these groups are nothing special, but the leaders are quite formidable, some even capable of unleashing their Zanpakuto. I believe that possessing such strength and not serving us is itself a mistake."
After a silence of more than ten seconds, Ling racked his brains before coming up with such a eloquent remark.
Zero said this somewhat against his will, but it was very much in line with his current position. As the Captain, he had to consider the interests of the Seireitei.
"Hmph, it seems you've developed a little bit of the awareness of Captain. My punch wasn't in vain."
There was a hint of satisfaction in Yama-jii's words, but when Ling first heard it, it seemed as if the old man had woken Ling up.
"I'm giving you a mission: to forcibly assign all the Reiryoku awakeners in Rukongai to the 11th Division. You have two years to develop them into combat-ready individuals."
"Anyone who dares to disobey has the authority to be executed at will. We need fighting power right now, understand? Stand down!"
No matter what Zero thought, after giving the order, Yama-jii began to dismiss the guests, because another person who had summoned him alone had already arrived.
As Rei brushed past Captain Kasumioji Yakumo, he caught a whiff of a fragrant scent. He glanced at her sideways; this woman was probably also on a mission...
Zero really liked the tasks given to him by Yama-jii. If he didn't like any of them or if they were even slightly... you know, he could just chop them up and absorb their Reiryoku. How satisfying!
Upon receiving this order, Zero thought of the matter raised at the last Captains' Meeting. It seemed that the Central 46 had agreed to Yama-jii's plan to take action against the Quincy, and they were probably preparing for war now.
As the strongest fighting force, the 11th Division will inevitably face various perilous battles, which cannot be resolved by high-level confrontations alone. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the team.
It is said that the Quincy population exceeds 50,000, the exact number is unknown, but it is definitely more than that.
At the same time, the Fourth Division also extensively recruited talents skilled in Kidō), training them in knowledge related to Kaido, medicine, and so on...
In the 11th Division's Squad Barracks, Zero gathered all the members and assigned them tasks.
Vice-Captain Gosuke and Maki, who had already been promoted to the Fifth Seat, were left behind in Seireitei to await the recruits ahead, and then quickly trained to become Soul Reaper who could cut people down... or rather, cannon fodder!
That's right, cannon fodder only need to be able to kill people and Hollows; purifying souls, guarding the Seireitei, and respecting nobles are all outside the scope of Zero's education.
As for Gosuke and Maki wanting to teach more things, Zero doesn't object.
The thug-like 11th Division is growing in number, with many new recruits being arrested for their mistakes and not yet released. Gosuke and Maki haven't had time to deal with them.
Another year passed in the blink of an eye, Nangong Kenpachi's infamous reputation spread to the ears of all the underworld groups in Soul Society, with various gangs being forcibly incorporated by Zero.
Those who disobeyed were already buried in the ground, and the Squad Member scattered 11th Division's Sawgrass seeds on their graves, hoping that beautiful Sawgrass flowers would grow on their graves next spring...
Zero is still recruiting like crazy, not only taking in bandits and thugs, but also many ambitious people. The 11th Division now has more than 3,100 combat personnel, and there are still 200 people in jail waiting for the Captain to return before they can be released.
Only then did Zero receive orders from Yama-jii to stop recruiting and return to take control of his subordinates...
"Soldier Abe was arrested for harassing a female officer of the Fourth Division and is currently imprisoned in the Ninth Division's jail."
"Squad Members Yamaki Kawa, Yamada Hiko, Watanabe Jun, Tamao assaulted nobles in the Noble District and were imprisoned in the Ninth Division's jail."
"Team member Olaf, you're eating for free and not paying..."
"Squad Member Kazuo is harassing the Squad Member the Eighth Division!"
"Alright, alright! Stop reading. There are over two hundred of them. How long will this take?"
Maki and Gosuke took turns telling Zero about the mistakes the Squad Members had made. These were all people who had not yet been tried by the Central 46. There were dozens of people who had been convicted but had no chance of being released for the time being.
"Captain, it's unacceptable for the other Captains not to sign the letter of understanding!"
Gosuke looked distressed. He had gone to the other Captains, but no matter how humble he was, they ignored him. Some even said bluntly, "He's just a mere Vice-Captain. Call your Captain over here."
"The other Squads are alright, but dealing with those nobles is a problem..."
Maki raised several more difficult issues, and Zero immediately retorted angrily, "Difficult? Then we won't do it. It's always the 11th Division that makes things difficult for others; who dares to make things difficult for us? Go to the Ninth Division and get everyone except those sentenced. I'll handle the negotiations."
Zero completely ignored the Captains and nobles who had dirt on him, and went straight to Yama-jii ask him to clean up his mess.
You're the one who wanted to recruit thugs as cannon fodder, so you should at least say a few words in their defense!
"What? Not here? Where did they all go?"
When Zero arrived at the door of Yama-jii's office, a security guard said these words to him.
"Captain Nangong, don't you know? All the Captains have gone to the Shiba Clan. The adults from the Zero Division have arrived!!"
"Fuck you!"
A million alpacas were stampeding through Zero's mind. Did he know less than a gatekeeper? Or was it intentional that he wasn't notified?
He had heard Kuruyashiki mention the Zero Division in detail; they were guards of the Soul King, consisting of only three people, but their combat power was equal to or even surpassed that of the Gotei 13.
At first, Zero thought Kuruyashiki was joking, but she received a very definite answer that it was true.
"Uh, Captain Nangong, what were you just saying?"
The security guard said he couldn't hear the three words after "zero".
"I said a herd of mud horses is galloping. Do you know what mud horses are? They symbolize peace, huh!"
"I see, you are truly knowledgeable..."
Without further conversation with the gatekeeper, Zero offered a brief explanation and then vanished. The Shiba Clan was still in Seireitei, and Zero knew where they were.
On a large platform, several figures draped in white haoris had already taken their positions. Even the sickly Ukitake had arrived, standing not far behind Yama-jii along with Captain Komamura of the Seventh Division.
There were also those who didn't come: Seigen Kyōshiba, Kirio Hikifune, and Kasumioji Yakumo, and another one was Zero. They were all Captains who didn't have enough seniority at the moment, at least not for over a hundred years.
When Zero appeared, everyone glanced at him slightly, except for Yama-jii and Hana-nee, who remained with their eyes closed, as they didn't need to say anything since they were already there.