Master and Disciple's Tussle

11th Division barracks, bathhouse.

In a corner, Shiro sat on a wooden stool with a towel draped over his head.

He felt mentally exhausted.

The source of this exhaustion was the way the other squad members had been looking at him just moments ago.

It was no wonder his master had prepared him to transfer squads the moment he obtained his Zanpakuto; the rejection of Kido-type Zanpakuto here was truly immense.

Not to mention one that was so irregular.

But he had absolutely no intention of using his Zanpakuto just now; Hyōrinmaru had acted on its own to protect him when he was in danger, without Shiro's consent at all.

This was the drawback of a Zanpakuto inherited rather than cultivated through one's own efforts, just as his master had warned.

The blade was strong, but the wielder was weak!

In reality, he was currently little more than a scabbard.

Unless he chose to abandon Hyōrinmaru, he would have to rely on his own training to fully tame the blade.

But how could that be easy?

It had taken his master nearly two hundred years to fully achieve that.

As for himself... it would surely take at least fifty years, right?

Until then, he wouldn't be able to fully control his Zanpakuto, and similar incidents would undoubtedly happen again.

It seemed he really would have to transfer squads.

However, just as Shiro was deep in thought, a basin of hot water was suddenly poured over his head.

"Hot, hot, hot, hot..." Shiro jumped straight up, turning to glare at the culprit who was currently snickering, "Master, what are you doing!"

"Hahahaha, who told you to act like such a little old man, sighing and groaning. You'll age quickly that way," Aoto said, holding a copper basin tucked under his arm and resting his hand on his hip, speaking in a carefree tone. "You're already prematurely gray; if you grow wrinkles and age spots on top of that, you'll really be a little old man!"

A cluster of black lines appeared on Shiro's forehead. "My hair color is natural!!! And I am not a little kid anymore!"

What Shiro hated most right now was being treated like a child.

But Aoto looked at Shiro, his gaze drifting downward, then further down, and further still...

"Tch!" Aoto wore an expression of disdain. "Still saying you aren't a kid, you haven't even grown any hair down there!"

Shiro's already thin skin turned bright red instantly.

Before he could react, Aoto laughed heartily and tossed him headfirst into the bath!

The spiritual pressure belonging to Hyōrinmaru began to flare up again.

But Aoto tapped the air, and the sudden, scorching sensation caused Hyōrinmaru's spiritual pressure to vanish.

Shiro fell into the bath in a completely undignified, head-first dive.

Shiro seemed not to have felt the clash that occurred in the interim; he finally managed to find his footing and surfaced from the water, then, burning with shame and anger, grabbed the nearby copper basin and splashed water at Aoto. "Take this!"

Aoto didn't dodge, taking the splash full in the face.

Wiping the water from his face, Aoto roared, "You brat, you dare to ambush your own master? Take my Lightning Five-Fold Splash!"

Scooping hot water from a nearby bucket, Aoto splashed it at Shiro with all his might.

Unexpectedly, Shiro sank back to the bottom of the pool.

The little rascal, hiding underwater just to avoid being splashed... was he really that desperate not to lose?

Sensing the ripples on the surface, Shiro rose to retaliate, but another basin of water was poured directly over his head.

"Haha, even if you dodged the first basin by hiding underwater, you couldn't dodge the second one I waited for you to surface for, could you? Blocking your own vision was unwise! Didn't you know to surface somewhere else?"

Drenched again, Shiro wailed in protest.

The master and apprentice made quite a scene in the bathhouse.

Once they were finally tired from playing, the depressed mood that had previously faded from Shiro began to creep back in.

Submerged in the water with only his head and the towel on it visible, Shiro asked Aoto, "Master, should I really transfer squads?"

Aoto rested his arms on the edge of the bath, his skin flushed red from the heat. "Soon! Once your Hakuda and Shunpo are good enough for me to look at! I'm not very good at teaching Kido, so you can learn that once you get to the 10th Division!"

Shiro felt a bit down again, but suddenly perked up, smiling as he said, "So you aren't good at Kido, Master! And here you were claiming your Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kido, and Hoho were all balanced."

"You little brat," Aoto tapped Shiro on the head. "I said I wasn't good at teaching it, not that I wasn't good at it. Are you trying to get a taste of your master's Kido?"

Shiro was indifferent. "How could you use Kido in a bathhouse? You're just all talk, Master."

"Is that what you really think? Heh heh!" Aoto curled his lip. "Way of Destruction No. 11, Zhuleidian!"

Aoto tapped his finger lightly against the surface of the water, and waves of tingling electricity surged through the pool.

"Bzzzt, bzzzt..."

Shiro's hair stood on end from the shock.

Though Aoto was in a similar state, he seemed to find it quite comfortable.

"Hahaha, a little bit of electric shock is good for the body!" Aoto watched as Shiro's eyes began to roll back, and finally, he stopped the technique.

Shiro nearly face-planted into the bath.

Having finally recovered, Shiro pursed his lips. "Whoever created this Kido certainly never imagined a descendant would use it like this."

Aoto didn't care in the slightest about Shiro's sarcasm, waving a hand dismissively. "There are plenty of things the predecessors never imagined; if I can think of it, then it's my own innovation!"

"Everything in this world is in a constant state of flux. While there's nothing wrong with upholding tradition, refusing to adapt to the changing times is undoubtedly a mistake!"

"Take your Hyōrinmaru, for example," Aoto asked. "Shiro, have you thought of any special training methods for modification yet?"

Shiro shook his head.

He hadn't even considered it.

Aoto was speechless. "I've already told you how to tame your Zanpakuto, so why are you still dragging your feet?"

Shiro felt deeply ashamed...

Could it be that his master had some brilliant ideas?

Shiro looked on with anticipation.

"Of course I do!" Aoto laughed. "In my view, the strongest ability of Hyōrinmaru isn't summoning an ice dragon, but the Heavenly Weather Manifestation!"

Although limited by Shiro's current Reiatsu, the range he could control was small, but it was absolute control.

The weather... had never been just about ice.

"What if you encounter someone who isn't afraid of being frozen?" Aoto pointed toward the ceiling. "Then you just switch to a different weather phenomenon!"

"In my opinion, lightning is quite suitable. After all, impure ice is conductive! Whether you're discharging electricity yourself or using ice to craft a lightning rod, both can effectively strike an opponent."

"As a warrior, you can never rely on only one way of fighting."

"After all, there has never been a single, ultimate power that holds the absolute advantage against every ability!"

"But if you can unleash a power that perfectly counters your opponent, wouldn't that make you invincible?"