Isshin Shiba

BANG!

Shiro struggled to swing his blade, parrying the opponent's strike, only to be sent flying once again.

Even if his spiritual pressure was barely enough to defend, he was still far behind in every other aspect.

Especially in terms of physique and combat experience.

Even when Shiro managed to find an opening and circle behind his opponent, the man could strangely strike from beneath his own armpit, nearly wounding Shiro in return.

Shiro's body had already smashed countless craters into the ground, but Aoto had no intention of calling a halt.

Why would he stop? He hadn't even been cut once yet!

He simply waited for Shiro's current opponent to show signs of fatigue before having one of the other two men swap in.

Thus, the opponent Shiro faced not only constantly changed fighting styles but also remained in peak condition.

This made Shiro grit his teeth in pure frustration.

Is this really my master? Even an enemy wouldn't be this cruel.

Biting his lip hard, Shiro used the pain to steady his spirit, leaping up from the crater he had created... and narrowly dodging his opponent's thrust.

The battle continued, and as Shiro's condition steadily declined, wounds began to appear on his body.

He wanted to pass out, but the constant stinging of his injuries kept his mind sharp, making it impossible for him to lose consciousness.

It was truly a painful form of torture.

When Shiro was sent flying again, he lay in a crater, clearly unable to get back up.

Seeing his subordinates preparing to attack again, Aoto finally acted like a human being. "Alright! Stop there!"

The opponent was very obedient, immediately retracting his strike.

But the moment he pulled his blade back, he felt a wave of freezing cold rushing toward him.

It caused the heat that had been surging through his body from the battle to rapidly dissipate.

And across from him, Shiro had somehow managed to stand up once more.

Shiro's eyes were somewhat glazed, yet he still locked onto his opponent's position and swung a lethal blow!

Ice Flow Eruption!

A visible, ice-blue attack swept forward.

Shiro's opponent hadn't even been touched by the strike yet, but his mobility was already plummeting due to the biting cold. Even the strength in his grip was rapidly fading.

This caused him to stand as if he had forgotten how to defend against the incoming flow, watching the attack arrive while doing absolutely nothing.

His face was already beginning to frost over just from the cold air! There was no need to imagine what would happen once the ice flow fully engulfed him.

But none of that would come to pass.

Standing directly in the path of the erupting ice flow, Aoto blocked the way.

With a single wave of his zanpakutō, the ice flow vanished as if it had never existed, and the temperature in the area instantly returned to normal!

Truly incredible. Can he unleash such an attack without even drawing his zanpakutō?

Just how impatient is Hyōrinmaru?

Watching Shiro, who had collapsed back onto the ground, Aoto tossed a bag of items to the three sparring partners, and they left on their own.

No unnecessary chatter—it was Aoto's favorite state of affairs.

Looking at the unconscious Shiro and sensing his spiritual power rising toward the seventh grade, Aoto confirmed that the time was ripe.

It was time to pull him into the 11th Division!

If he didn't give him a zanpakutō soon, once his spiritual power automatically rose to the fifth-grade lieutenant level, the cold belonging to Hyōrinmaru would start to harm Shiro himself!

Hoisting Shiro onto his shoulder, Aoto carried him back toward his home.

However, before they even reached Shiro's house, Aoto sensed a massive amount of spiritual pressure appearing there.

For Aoto to feel such immense pressure, it could only belong to a captain.

Sure enough, when Aoto arrived at Shiro's home, he saw not only Rangiku Matsumoto but also a man wearing a captain's haori.

Isshin Shiba—the young Isshin Shiba—was currently speaking with Shiro's grandmother, appearing quite amiable.

Without his scruffy beard, he actually looked quite handsome!

Isshin Shiba was Shiba Kaien's uncle, meaning Ichigo and Shiba Kaien were cousins; it was no wonder Rukia thought they looked alike.

And since Aoto was friends with Shiba Kaien, by that logic, Isshin Shiba was his elder.

This was a real headache.

Damn you, Rangiku Matsumoto, you only know how to cause trouble.

Isshin Shiba had been dragged here today by the Fourth Seat, Matsumoto.

Because he was so lacking in airs, even a Fourth Seat could "bully" him like this.

Originally, Isshin Shiba had only intended to satisfy her wish by seeing what this "great talent" she spoke of was like... though he didn't think there would be any shinigami with such talent that he, a captain, would need to personally come and recruit them.

However, looking at the child being carried back by the 4th Seat of the 11th Division and sensing his 7th-grade spiritual pressure, Isshin Shiba had to admit that this was truly a massive temptation.

It was just that this master, Aoto, was a bit difficult to deal with!

Isshin Shiba knew Aoto. Not only because Aoto and Kaien were friends, but also because when Aoto was in the 10th Division, the captain was Isshin Shiba; it was just that back then, Aoto was merely an ordinary seated officer and had no real interaction with him as captain.

To snatch a disciple from his hands without even a shred of justification was impossible.

After setting Shiro down and letting him lean against a pillar, Aoto greeted Isshin Shiba, "Good afternoon, Captain Shiba. I didn't expect to see you here. May I ask what brings you?"

Isshin Shiba usually had a thick skin, but being asked point-blank by Aoto, he found it hard to open his mouth.

Could he really say he came to snatch his disciple?

Even a Menos Grande wouldn't be that arrogant!

Rangiku Matsumoto wanted to speak, but was stopped by Isshin Shiba.

However, while Isshin Shiba was speechless, Aoto had something to say, "Since Captain Shiba is here, I would like to ask a favor of you!"

"Speak freely. As long as it doesn't violate any principles, I can agree to it."

Finally finding an opening, Isshin Shiba secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Aoto smiled and continued, "I will be bringing this disciple of mine into the 11th Division. However, after he gains a certain amount of combat experience, I intend to have him transfer! The 10th Division would be a perfect place for him. I hope Captain Shiba won't object when the time comes."

Eh? There's such a good deal?

But why does it feel so unreal?

"Why would you have him transfer?" Isshin Shiba didn't understand, "Do you think he's too young?"

"It's because his Zanpakutō is of the Kidō type, and the 11th Division would reject that kind of blade!" Aoto clutched his forehead, showing his headache.

Zanpakutō?

Isshin Shiba and Rangiku Matsumoto looked at the sword held in Shiro's hand... it wasn't an Asauchi, was it?

How could he tell the type of Zanpakutō without an Asauchi?

After approaching them, Aoto whispered, "Because that is a Zanpakutō that has appeared in the Soul Society before!"

Glancing back at Shiro to ensure he hadn't woken up, Aoto whispered the name to Isshin Shiba.

"Hyōrinmaru!"