Teaching Shiro

"Ulquiorra, go wake Yammy up and tell him that the person we spoke of has already arrived in Hueco Mundo!"

"Bring those two women along as well! They've become so addicted to being logistics officers that they've forgotten they are warriors!"

"Also, tell Starrk to withdraw the Picaro from the front lines! The war over there can slow down for now!"

Ulquiorra placed his dark, slender hand against his chest, and after receiving the order, he dissolved into dust and vanished from the spot.

With the command issued, the King of Hueco Mundo leaned back against the armrest of his throne, returning to his role as a spectator.

It was another beautiful day, and Aoto stretched his back toward the rising sun.

In truth, Aoto's daily life never really changed much.

Home, the 11th Division barracks, the Rukon District... he spent his days drifting between these places.

Without orders from his original body, he wouldn't easily involve himself with Aizen's side.

If one were to ask which division in the Gotei 13 was least likely to be influenced by Aizen, it would be the 11th Division!

Come to think of it, Aizen never seemed to have meddled with the 11th Division at all.

The captains of the 4th, 8th, and 13th Divisions had all been deceived by the effects of Kyōka Suigetsu.

As for the 11th Division, Aizen had never even used Kyōka Suigetsu here.

It was highly likely that Zaraki Kenpachi's beast-like intuition was a way to see through Kyōka Suigetsu, perhaps?

That was why Aoto was so relaxed and carefree.

He spent his days wandering around, teasing Shiro, and checking on how his studies were progressing.

The only thing that annoyed Aoto was that whenever he was teaching Shiro, he would always find Rangiku Matsumoto peeking from the sidelines.

This woman, she just wouldn't give up!

No wonder she and Gin Ichimaru were a pair! Her persistence was truly remarkable.

Come to think of it, the fragment Aizen originally took from Rangiku Matsumoto must have been a piece of the Soul King's nail, right?

Even after losing that piece, Rangiku Matsumoto's life hadn't been significantly affected... though her talent, which might have easily made her a captain, had dropped to the level of a lieutenant.

Whether it was worth it for Gin Ichimaru to lose his life for that in the future was hard to say.

However, speaking of talent, a soul without a Soul King fragment could still possess far more potential than one that had one.

Take Shiro, for example.

The speed of his progress was something Aoto truly hadn't expected.

After only a little bit of training, his spiritual pressure had already risen to the tenth rank!

Holding the wooden sword Aoto had carved himself, Shiro could emit a freezing current of air every time he swung it.

It seemed that if he were given an Asauchi, he could immediately begin the process of awakening his Zanpakutō.

Had Hyōrinmaru been eyeing Shiro as its vessel for a long time now?

They say a Zanpakutō is the manifestation of a Shinigami's inner self, but that isn't entirely accurate.

Because there were some Shinigami who awakened Zanpakutō that had appeared in the Soul Society in the past.

And they were basically all powerful Zanpakutō that had achieved Bankai.

It seemed that even if the Shinigami who possessed those Zanpakutō died, the blades themselves could still exist in the Soul Society, searching for a new vessel that was highly compatible with them.

That was how Aoto's Zanpakutō had come to be as well.

Otherwise, as a clone of a Hollow—even if he had used a special method to fill his Hollow hole and become a "whole"—he would never have been able to awaken a Zanpakutō on his own.

"Keep swinging with force!" Aoto's voice sounded like the devil's own to Shiro's ears. "Your biggest weakness is still your age and lack of strength! We won't move on to the next stage of training until you split this piece of iron in two."

Shiro felt that this stinky master was just making things difficult for him.

Asking him to cut iron with a wooden sword... was that something a human could do?

Oh, he wasn't human... but that still didn't make it possible!

But angry as he was, his grandmother was watching from the side, and Shiro couldn't let her down.

He swung again and again, following the most standard posture, the recoil of each strike making his arms go numb.

Even with spiritual pressure for protection, a moment of carelessness would cause the wooden sword in Shiro's hand to crack.

But Aoto, who was leisurely eating a peach nearby, always had a replacement wooden sword ready for him.

And when Shiro's arms ached too much to continue and his spiritual pressure was nearly exhausted, Aoto would produce a slice of unknown but fragrant meat for him to eat.

It was delicious and highly nutritious.

One slice, and Shiro would be fully revived.

Although it was tasty, Shiro sometimes wished such good food didn't exist.

After all, he would much rather have actual rest time than an instant recovery.

But this stinky master was just too inhumane!

Oh, he is not human... he really is not human!

When Momo Hinamori, who was about to graduate and had already been confirmed to join the Fifth Division, came back to see Shiro and his grandmother, she witnessed such a scene.

"Momo!"

Seeing Momo Hinamori, Shiro happily tossed his wooden sword aside and leaped in front of her in two strides.

Momo Hinamori was startled... that Shunpo.

Aoto, on the other hand, watched with a face full of black lines.

It seemed that Shiro's "Momo curse" was impossible to erase!

Before Momo Hinamori even reached Aoto, she had already heard Shiro quickly explain the situation.

Momo Hinamori felt that this was a good thing.

But the 11th Division... was it not too dangerous?

Momo Hinamori did not yet know of Shiro's potential; she only felt that the combat-focused 11th Division was not suitable for someone as young as Shiro.

Coming to the Fifth Division would be best!

Captain Aizen was so gentle; he would surely teach Shiro much better.

Momo Hinamori had not even graduated yet, but she was already a Fifth Division member in spirit!

Seeing this scene, Rangiku Matsumoto hurriedly walked out... she had already secretly plotted that after Aoto pulled Shiro into the 11th Division, she would have him apply for a transfer to the 10th Division himself.

Shinigami were free to apply for transfers; as long as the receiving division was willing to accept them, the transfer could go through directly.

This regulation existed to prevent a Shinigami from being perpetually oppressed with no way out after offending the higher-ups of their own division.

Otherwise, how else could Aoto have transferred through twelve divisions in two hundred years?

And once Shiro transferred to the 10th Division, as a patrol officer, he would naturally be able to return to the Rukon District often to see his grandmother.

Rangiku Matsumoto had thought it out well, but she had not expected that Shiro also had an older sister who had just graduated from Shino Academy... if he could transfer, wouldn't it be better for him to join his sister's division than to come to her?

This little brat wouldn't even be tempted by her figure yet!

Aoto had seen the scene where Rangiku Matsumoto was privately "teaching" Shiro, and now, seeing her rush out, he knew she was anxious.

Hahaha, how interesting.

But Aoto did not think Shiro was someone without his own ideas.

Even though he was just a little brat right now, he already possessed quite a bit of character!

After speaking with Momo Hinamori for a while, Aoto became certain that she had been completely bewitched by Aizen.

That guy really knew how to bewitch young girls!