Zero Division Candidate

The captain frowned in distress again and said, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? In short, take this. Aside from the Soul King, no one will be able to give you any trouble, because the Soul King has already recognized your Mimicry Zanpakuto technique and acknowledged you as a 'Person of Soul Society History.' Once your strength reaches the required level in the future, you may choose to join the Zero Division."

"Uh, a choice? Does that mean I don't have to go and can continue staying in Squad 4?"

"Are you that desperate to stay in Squad 4? You can't even become a captain here." Although she said that, the captain still smiled with relief.

"Snap!" Ichiro stood at attention instantly and said solemnly, "I am devoted to Captain Unohana! I will absolutely not go to the Zero Division!"

The captain chuckled, shook her head, and waved her hand, saying, "Go on, kid. Although you have the protection of this Zero Division status, you still need to be careful lately. As for school, just continue with the original plan and take it slow; try to cause less trouble."

"Yes, Captain!" After saying this, Ichiro turned and left the office.

After Ichiro left, the captain picked up the document Ichiro had just been looking at on the desk. Her smile faded, and her expression turned somewhat serious.

Popularizing this matter was, of course, not as simple as Ichiro made it sound. One had to know that even the Zero Division could not completely escape the influence of the noble families; otherwise, where would their servants' Zanpakuto come from?

But since Ichiro was determined to popularize this, she would naturally assist him with all her might. It was just that, as Ichiro said, the timing was not yet right; it still required waiting.

If I plan this well, perhaps it will strengthen the power of the commoners? After weighing it for a moment, the captain shook her head, gave up on her idle thoughts, picked up the document, and stood up, preparing to head to the First Division. It was more appropriate to leave such a major matter to the Head Captain to handle; that guy was more devious, whereas what she excelled at was always just hacking people and saving them.

On the other side, Ichiro was greeting members of Squad 4 as he walked out of the barracks. Midway, he even saw an unexpected person: Tencheng Shiro.

He was the sixth-year student who had originally stood up for Sugou only to be instantly defeated by Ichiro. Looking at how burly and ruffian-like he was, Ichiro hadn't expected him to join Squad 4 after graduation; truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover.

However, the two did not have much interaction; they just smiled and passed each other by. The status of being alumni didn't mean much here—the entire squad consisted of alumni, and only classmates could be considered close.

Just like that, it wasn't long before Ichiro reached his dormitory. However, before his seat was even warm, he received a message from Urahara asking him to rush to the base; he had something important to ask for his help with.

"Sigh~ news travels fast." With a sigh, Ichiro got up and walked toward the secret entrance of the base.

"I just finished and you already knew; your intelligence network is fast enough." With his hands tucked into the pockets of his modified school uniform, Ichiro said leisurely to Urahara and Yoruichi, who were sitting on a rock.

"That's right, don't you know who this lady is!" Yoruichi lifted her head, looking somewhat proud.

Urahara, on the other hand, was looking at the three swords at Ichiro's waist with a strange expression: "You're getting more and more swords. How are you going to hold the third one? Bite it in your mouth? Are your teeth that good?"

"None of your business." Ichiro rolled his eyes and continued, "World, come out and meet them."

"Hm? World? I remember that seems to be your Zanpa—holy crap! How did she become a human!" Urahara stared in shock at World, the palace-attired young girl beside Ichiro.

"Greetings, my name is Tianxin World, and I am Master Ichiro's Zanpakuto." As she spoke, World bowed to the two of them.

"..." X2

After a moment of silence, Yoruichi and Urahara retreated half a step in perfect unison, looking at Ichiro with expressions of disgust. Urahara said, "Your research during this period was on how to turn a Zanpakuto into a beautiful girl? And you actually succeeded? We've known each other for so long, I never expected you, Tenshin Ichiro, to be this kind of person! It's truly enviable—pfft! Disgraceful!"

"Are you serious about that half-step back?" Silently complaining to himself, Ichiro continued, "To me, World is not just a Zanpakuto. As the manifestation of a part of my inner self, she can be said to be the person who understands me best; she is my lifelong soulmate! So don't project your dirty thoughts onto me!"

"Heh~ then if World were male instead of female, would you still be so invested in this research?"

Ichiro: "..."

Urahara's soul-piercing question left Ichiro completely speechless. Come to think of it, if he hadn't seen World's appearance in his Mental World earlier, he might—probably, perhaps, maybe—not have pursued this experiment so firmly.

"Heh~ men~" Yoruichi snorted with disdain from the side.

"Cough~ Yoruichi, your phrasing is inaccurate. I am also a man; you should use 'Ichiro' here and call him by his name directly. Saying it like that is too broad."

Yoruichi glanced at Urahara and said, "I know."

Urahara: "..."

"Stop dragging this out. Tell me, why are you in such a rush to find me?" Ichiro leaned against a protruding rock nearby and asked curiously.

"Two things. First, this is for you." Urahara handed Ichiro a jade pendant. "This is a secondary spiritual power source I made for you. I've performed preliminary reinforcement, but you'll need to keep up with the follow-up yourself, otherwise, the spiritual power compatibility won't be high."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Then, the second thing: I've successfully researched the Tenshintai!" Urahara said calmly.

Hearing this, Ichiro stood up straight instantly and said, "Tenshintai? Does that mean you are going to perform Bankai? Right now?"

"Yes. According to our 'Aquarius' theory, the earlier one performs Shikai and Bankai, the better. Although this will reduce the increase in Reiatsu brought by the Zanpakuto, it allows one to attune to the Zanpakuto earlier. At the same time, it can minimize the impact on combat power caused by the changes in the Zanpakuto's form."

"Hmm, that's true. So, does that mean you brought me here to guard you?"

"Guard? An interesting way to put it. More or less, yes. But once I succeed and prove the feasibility of this thing, you can use it too."

"Heh~" Ichiro smiled dismissively and glanced at World standing beside him. "Do you think I would need such a thing? The bond between World and me is something you mortals could ever comprehend? As long as my Reiatsu is sufficient, I can perform Bankai right now!"

"..." X2

Damn it, comparing people to others is infuriating!

How can there be a Zanpakuto that throws herself at her master these days?

And there's actually a Soul Reaper shameless enough to accept it! Where is your dignity as a Soul Reaper?

It's truly enviable... disgraceful!

He tui! X2

After messing around for a while, Yoruichi and Ichiro stepped aside, watching Urahara begin to use the Tenshintai on the field.

"Master Ichiro, what is a Tenshintai?"

"Originally, the true form of a Zanpakuto only exists within the Soul Reaper's Mental World. Even for biological-type Zanpakuto, their true forms are different from what they appear to be. Only a few Zanpakuto abilities or Kido spells can manifest the true appearance of a Zanpakuto so that others can see it."

"And the Tenshintai uses this principle to forcibly manifest the Zanpakuto into the physical world, and then defeat it to master Bankai."

"Oh~ so it means forcibly advancing the battle that was originally determined by the Zanpakuto, right?"

"Yes."

Following their conversation, the scene on the field also changed. The puppet on the field had already transformed into a gentle, beautiful woman resembling a Yamato Nadeshiko.