Tōshirō's Terrifying Talent

And just as he thought, after Metastacia, no more Hollows attacked him.

If the first attack fails, immediately launching a second round of attacks doesn't fit Aizen's philosophy.

He would only drink his black tea, flash a mysterious smile, say "How interesting," and then see how he could mess with you next.

So Gaoyu returned to Seireitei smoothly. Since he was patrolling in Rukongai, Gaoyu didn't even need to report back to his division.

He went straight home and found Renji and the other two waiting for him at his doorstep.

Yesterday, Gaoyu's teaching had been incredibly effective. After just one night of instruction, they felt as if they had received divine enlightenment; many things they hadn't understood before suddenly became clear.

"Shinigami are truly amazing. Even ordinary Shinigami are so much stronger than us," Renji couldn't help but say as he was leaving, making Gaoyu sweat.

Heh, you look down on me, huh?

What do you mean, "even ordinary Shinigami are so much stronger than us"?

But this was a minor issue. Gaining their favor was the important thing.

Especially Hinamori's ability, her Strongest Defense was truly useful.

Without this ability, he would have likely been bitten to death by Metastacia earlier!

But thanks to the Strongest Defense ability, he felt as if he had the steel skin of a Hollow or the Blut Vene of a Quincy. When Metastacia bit him, it didn't even break his defense!

"You three are really diligent."

Seeing the three arrive, carrying some food, Gaoyu remarked, "You're still just Fifth-Year Students."

"Senior Gaoyu's guidance is truly excellent!" Hinamori said gratefully. "As expected of a member of the Fifth Division! I want to join the Fifth Division after I graduate!"

"The Fifth Division is indeed a good place to be," Gaoyu also pitched it to them, though he knew they would join the Fifth Division anyway.

If they were in the same division, they would naturally spend more time together, allowing him to gain their favor more effectively.

Gaoyu opened the door and brought the three inside.

Facing their hopeful gazes, Gaoyu began a new lesson.

When facing them, what he should say and how he should teach them felt natural.

However, his Strict Teacher, Talented Student buff only lasted for three days, meaning it would end the night after tomorrow, starting from last night.

He couldn't teach them for too long, or he would eventually be exposed.

So, while watching the three demonstrate their Swordsmanship movements, Gaoyu said, "In a few more days, I might not have time to continue teaching you. Besides, as students, the three of you are already excellent enough."

"So, you don't need to push yourselves too hard... and I have a task for you."

"?What task?" The three looked a bit disappointed, as their progress had been quite fast while being taught by Gaoyu.

Upon hearing the latter part, they became curious.

"This has something to do with you, Hinamori," Gaoyu said to Hinamori Momo. "When I was patrolling in RinAn today, I happened to run into Toshiro. Just as you said, he's a very talented child."

"I persuaded him to join the Shino Academy. Tomorrow, I'll take him to the academy to register, and I'll need you all to take good care of him then."

"!Shiro-chan is really coming to the Shino Academy?!" Hinamori looked very happy. She had always hoped Shiro-chan would come to Seireitei with her.

But Shiro-chan had never seemed interested in becoming a Shinigami before. She couldn't believe Gaoyu managed to persuade him after just one visit.

Is this the gap between myself and an official Shinigami?

"Toshiro? Oh, is that the younger brother Hinamori always talks about?" Kira asked, realizing. "Is he a genius?"

"A genius among geniuses," Gaoyu said with a teasing smile.

He knew Kira was proud of being the top student in their year, but Kira's talent was indeed far inferior to Toshiro's.

Kira didn't like hearing that. "Let's see how much of a genius he is then!"

"Kira, you can't bully Shiro-chan," Hinamori warned him.

Kira's face turned slightly red, and he quickly said, "I would never bully a junior!"

"If you're going to bully him..." Gaoyu pondered, "it's best to do it sooner rather than later. After all, with his talent, you won't be able to bully him in four or five years at most."

"Eh?!! Is it that exaggerated?!"

"Even if he doesn't surpass you, he'll at least be on par with you," Gaoyu said.

Actually, he'll likely surpass you by far!

In my memory, according to the author's later settings for Bleach, Toshiro Hitsugaya learned Bankai before graduating from the Shino Academy.

This means Toshiro will reach Captain-level in four or five years at most!

What kind of crappy talent is this?!

Others struggle for ages to achieve Bankai. Even Ichigo Kurosaki used the special training method of Tenken to learn Bankai, but you, kid, just casually learned it in an environment like the Shino Academy?

I didn't even think about this before. Now that I recall it, I can't help but want to complain.

If I had this level of talent, after decades of arduous training, even without any other abilities, I'd at least have some confidence to survive the Thousand-Year Blood War!

Seeing their surprised and somewhat disbelieving expressions, Gaoyu didn't try to crush them further. People are different, after all. It's better not to compare yourself too much to others.

There was no difference this time compared to last night. After Gaoyu finished their training, they ate a little more, and then the three of them left.

The higher the level, the harder it was to increase favorability. Renji's favorability only went from 75 to 76, while Hinamori Momo's and Kira's favorability reached 70.

Hurry up and get to 80, then I'll permanently gain their abilities!

Gaoyu felt a little antsy, wanting to gain more abilities.

He had used Strongest Defense and Destruction Death Ray on the way back, and he had no trump cards left.

No, if I encounter any enemies again tomorrow, won't I be finished without my superpowers?

Gaoyu had originally intended to lie down and sleep, but now he was suddenly wide awake. He decided to go out for a walk since it wasn't too late yet.

Gaoyu walked out of his house and headed in the direction of District 9. Since his relationship with Hizaki Shūhei was quite good, he might be able to get an ability from Shūhei.

Even late at night, there were patrolling Shinigami on the streets, but very few possessed Soul Ability. And the few who did possess Soul Ability had very low favorability towards him.

This made Gaoyu quicken his pace.