The Captain's Suggestion

"Captain, how did the rebellion end so quickly?"

The captain's lips curled slightly as she replied, "It should have taken more time, but they were bold enough to attack someone from the Four Great Noble Houses, so we took action directly."

"Tch~ Truly courting death. Wouldn't it have been better to make a scene, negotiate some terms, and step down gracefully?"

"Heh~ It's never that simple. When desire exceeds ability, it's no surprise what kind of things one might do. Speaking of which, your performance this time was poor. To be injured like this as a mere lieutenant—I am very disappointed in you."

"A mere lieutenant?" Ichiro's mouth twitched. He wondered if the captain had some misunderstanding of the word 'mere'. "Captain, that was a lieutenant-level opponent. There are only twelve of them in the entire Seireitei, you know?"

"Their spiritual pressure just happened to reach that level; otherwise, why wouldn't they be a lieutenant?" The captain glanced at the unconvinced Ichiro and continued, "Regardless, I am very dissatisfied with your performance. Once this matter concludes, you will set aside one hour every day for me to personally train your swordsmanship!"

Hearing this, everyone looked at Ichiro and the captain in surprise, including Yoruichi and Urahara. They knew Ichiro's talent was enough to earn Yachiru Unohana's attention, but daily personal instruction was a different matter entirely.

The concept of time in the Soul Society has always been fluid, and even once-a-week guidance would be considered frequent, let alone daily. This was essentially the treatment reserved for a direct disciple.

Or rather, it was a privilege usually granted only to a master's personal apprentice.

However, for Ichiro, there was a slight problem.

Having the captain as his teacher was perfectly fine; even if she hadn't said it, in Ichiro's heart, she was already his teacher.

But!

She was teaching swordsmanship!

This was incredibly frustrating.

The captain's swordsmanship was beyond doubt—a master of the ten levels of kendo, rumored to have mastered every sword style in the Soul Society, styling herself as Yachiru Unohana! Among Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido, her strongest suit was swordsmanship. Regardless of her actual teaching ability, she was certainly qualified to instruct others; as the saying goes, a great teacher produces a brilliant student.

But that premise required the "brilliant student" to have average talent.

And clearly, Ichiro did not fall into the category of average.

"Captain, I am touched that you value me so much, but there is a problem you might not be aware of."

"What is it?" The captain turned her head curiously toward Ichiro. She didn't think Ichiro was worried about the rigor of the training; when it came to hardship, practicing Kaido and Kido was far more exhausting.

"I have no talent for swordsmanship. I've been in the academy for three years, and I've barely mastered the basics taught in school; I haven't made any progress. I haven't even found the trick to Sword Meditation. It's embarrassing to say, but my Shikai only manifested because my Zanpakuto reached out to me first."

After speaking, Ichiro lowered his head in shame. Knowing the original story, he understood the captain's history. To call her the greatest swordswoman in the Soul Society was no exaggeration, and his talent truly did not deserve her guidance.

In fact, this was one of the reasons he felt safe joining Squad 4 and revealing his talents. Although the captain sought death, she hoped to die at the hands of someone capable of bearing the name Kenpachi, for there could only be one Kenpachi in any given era.

Kenpachi—the name itself was synonymous with the sword. With his lack of talent, it would be a miracle if she ever set her sights on him!

So, deep down, Ichiro was still a little panicked. Even though he knew the captain already had the best candidate for Kenpachi, he still worried that if she changed her mind and set her target on him...

However, to Ichiro's surprise, the captain smiled indifferently and asked, "Ichiro, what do you think the Way of the Sword is?"

"The Way of the Sword?" Ichiro pondered for a moment. Instead of giving a perfunctory answer, he spoke his honest opinion: "In times of peace, it is a path for self-cultivation; in times of chaos, it is a technique for killing enemies and securing victory!"

The captain smiled—a very happy smile.

"As expected, Ichiro, you are as accustomed as ever to viewing things from multiple perspectives. Then, let me change the question: what is swordsmanship?"

"Swordsmanship?" Ichiro paused. Hadn't he just answered that? Was she dissatisfied? Still, he didn't change his view, stating firmly, "The technique of killing."

"Indeed, the technique of killing. So, does killing require talent?"

Ichiro was completely stunned now. Right, does killing require talent? A white blade goes in, a red one comes out; pulling a trigger at someone's forehead, striking the neck or heart with an elbow—these things can kill. Does killing require technique?

It does.

But does it require talent?

Not necessarily.

The captain watched Ichiro, who had fallen into deep thought, and continued: "Swordsmanship is the technique of killing, and killing does not require talent. So, why should swordsmanship require talent?"

Ichiro thought for a moment, then realized her point. He looked at the captain with a wry smile: "Captain, that is sophistry. It looks the same, but it is actually different. Swordsmanship has different meanings in different eras, but when practiced to the highest level, they are the same."

"And so, why must one practice to the highest level?"

A spark of insight flashed through Ichiro's mind. He seemed to have grasped something, yet also nothing at all. The captain continued.

"Practicing swordsmanship to the highest level requires talent because that is the Way of the Sword for self-cultivation. But what you are practicing is merely the technique of killing—what talent does that require? High talent has its methods, and low talent has its own. The essence of combat is nothing more than three things: speed, ruthlessness, and precision."

"Your attack speed must be fast, your reaction speed must be fast, your thinking speed must be fast; your strikes must be ruthless, your attacks must be precise, and your training goals must be precise. Tell me, which of these conditions do you fail to meet?"

Ichiro still didn't answer, instead looking down at his Zanpakuto in deep thought. That's right, what was he lacking?

"Since you cannot train a single sword style to the absolute peak, then learn more of them. If an enemy can break one of your strikes, practice ten; if they can break ten, practice a hundred, a thousand! There are so many sword styles in the world; how many people can master them all? A battle of swordsmanship is a battle of countering one another. If your sword styles are ever-changing, your reactions are peerless, and your responses are flawless—to reach this point, what swordsmanship talent do you need?"

Having said this, the captain looked quietly ahead. She believed Ichiro would understand.

And Ichiro did understand. The captain's point was actually quite simple: change his combat style. Typical swordsmen compete in technique, but he could take a different path—learn broadly rather than deeply. Others focus on skill; he would focus on variation!

And utilizing tactics was precisely the combat style he was already good at. Looking back at all the battles he had led, every single one had been won through tactical maneuvering; he almost never engaged in a head-on clash.

If it were a pure contest of kendo, he would certainly lose to someone who specialized in it—that was beyond doubt. But the problem was, in a Soul Reaper's battle, swordsmanship was only one part of the equation!

He could completely use his varied swordsmanship to drag the opponent's skill level down to his own, and then defeat them with his wealth of experience!

So, learning the sword—

It was doable!