Heart and Blade

Kon Society, Seireitei, Shin'ō Academy, training grounds.

"This morning, we'll be practicing Zanjutsu!"

The goateed instructor pointed at the several dozen iron-forged dummies lined up behind him and shouted at the gifted class students gathered in small groups before him, drawing their attention.

"Zanjutsu primarily trains strength, precision, agility, reaction speed, and more. Now, watch my movements closely!"

After demonstrating several times, the goateed instructor pointed at the row of dummies. "Today, your task is to leave twenty blade marks on the dummies. Whoever finishes first can go back and rest. Then gather here again this afternoon to practice Kido!"

"What? It's actually that easy?"

"They're underestimating us at the Root!"

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, disdainful complaints rose from the group of students.

A boy carrying an Asauchi stepped forward. "Teacher, I can split it in half with one swing!"

"Then go ahead and try!" the goateed instructor said indifferently.

The student snorted and walked up to a dummy. He gripped his Asauchi and slashed down fiercely, but the instant the blade touched the dummy, it was immediately knocked aside without leaving even the slightest pause.

Seeing this, the goateed instructor burst into laughter. "Idiot! How could Zanjutsu practice possibly be that simple? These dummies are coated in Reiatsu. Without enough strength and skill, you cannot, at the Root, leave even the faintest mark on them. If you want to rest, then swing with all you've got! No one gets to rest until today's task is complete!"

After hearing that, everyone chose a dummy and began practicing. Yet quite a few were still knocked back by the rebound, and the sounds of clang! and clang! rang out endlessly.

"Haha... I like this!"

Kensei Muguruma laughed loudly and swung his Asauchi sideways.

With a scrape!, metal grated against metal, and a mark immediately appeared on the dummy before him.

"Watch me!"

Unwilling to be outdone, Hiyori Sarugaki leaped into the air and brought her Asauchi down hard, leaving a mark on the dummy.

Kukaku Shiba snorted and rushed forward with her Asauchi, but failed to leave a mark.

"Oh my! I'd better hurry. If I can't finish the task, I won't have time to go back and do research. What a headache!" Kisuke Urahara complained as he scratched his head.

"Kensei, this thing is really hard!" Mashiro Kuna pouted, looking utterly unwilling.

"Boring!"

Lisa Yadomaru was the most straightforward of them all. She picked up her book and walked to the side without even sparing it a glance.

Yoruichi Shihōin, however, held her Asauchi and stared at the dummy before her with a troubled expression. She had never been skilled at Zanjutsu, and now she did not even know where to begin.

Taking a deep breath and gritting her teeth, Yoruichi Shihōin ran forward a few steps with her Asauchi and slashed at it.

With a crisp clang!, the dummy remained unmarked, but a chip appeared in Yoruichi Shihōin's Asauchi. Just one more strike—yes, just one more—and the sword would definitely break.

The training grounds instantly fell silent. The students who had failed to leave marks all looked over with undisguised schadenfreude.

"Yoruichi!"

Kukaku Shiba undoubtedly knew Yoruichi Shihōin well, but it was precisely because she knew her so well that she was worried.

"I'm fine, Kukaku." Yoruichi Shihōin shook her head.

"Lady Yoruichi, stop! Your heart has already been in turmoil since your last strike!"

A cold voice rang through the training grounds like ancient ice that would never melt. The next second, a figure suddenly appeared before Yoruichi Shihōin.

"Shadow!"

Yoruichi Shihōin froze for a moment, then gritted her teeth. "Shadow, move aside!"

"In Lady Yoruichi's current state, no matter what you do, it will have no effect." Shadow looked at Yoruichi Shihōin and spoke calmly.

"What are you saying, Shadow? Do you know that Yoruichi, she..."

The hot-tempered Kukaku Shiba rushed forward, grabbed Shadow by the collar, and shouted.

"Then what does Lady Yoruichi believe the heart is?" Shadow ignored Kukaku Shiba completely and spoke.

"..." Yoruichi Shihōin lowered her head in silence.

"You still don't understand."

Shadow flung Kukaku Shiba's hand away and walked before Yoruichi Shihōin. "Then, Lady Yoruichi, please raise your head, close your eyes, and tell me: what do you see?"

"If I close my eyes, won't I be unable to see anything?" Yoruichi Shihōin asked strangely.

"Is that so?" Shadow was silent for a long while before speaking. "Lady Yoruichi, open your heart."

"Heart?" Yoruichi Shihōin was taken aback.

"Close your eyes, open your heart, and cast away every chaotic thought. Understand your heart. Observe your heart. It will tell you what to do!"

Looking at Yoruichi Shihōin, who had closed her eyes, Shadow continued calmly. "Your eyes can deceive you, but your heart never will. As long as you see it clearly, you and your heart are one. Born together, dead together!"

"Do not let any emotion affect your heart. In battle, calmness is what matters most. The more critical the situation, the more you must maintain absolute calm at every moment. Only then can you have a chance of victory in any situation, even if it is only the slightest chance!"

"A blade is a weapon for killing. It can become your greatest reliance, but at the same time, it can also become your greatest weakness. Everything has two sides. There is no such thing as 'absolute' in this world!"

"But the stronger your heart is, the stronger your blade will be. If the heart does not stop, the blade will never rust!"

"As for Zanjutsu, strength and skill are both important. Everyone has things they excel at and things they do not. Making the most of your strengths while avoiding your weaknesses is what matters most!"

"But what about you, Lady Yoruichi? Without absolute strength, without absolute skill or observation, you rushed in blindly. You know you are not good at Zanjutsu. You have no confidence at the Root. Forcing yourself forward only deceives yourself!"

"So from the very beginning, you had already lost. You lost to your own heart!"

"Then what should I do, Shadow?" Yoruichi Shihōin asked softly.

"Use your Reiatsu to make contact with the Reiatsu attached to the dummy. Memorize the path along which it flows, then find a point within that Reiatsu. That point is the key!"

Shadow paused, then continued. "True Swordsmanship needs no forms. It depends entirely on enlightenment. No form is the best form—simple and direct!"

"Lady Yoruichi, remember this!" Shadow said in a deep voice. "The heart moves with the blade. Wherever the heart is, the blade is there. Gather all your essence, energy, and spirit. Do not stare. Do not hesitate. Trust your heart, trust your blade, and strike with all your strength!"

Yoruichi Shihōin did not answer. After a long while, she suddenly raised her sword.

"I found it!"

She slashed steadily downward from its left shoulder. The chipped Asauchi plunged directly into the dummy's two-meter-tall body, cleaving the Plus body diagonally in two. With a boom!, it collapsed.

"..." The vast training grounds fell so silent that not even a crow could be heard.

"S-so amazing!"

"No way! She's that strong?"

"You've got to be kidding!"

"..."

Amid the murmuring voices, the goateed instructor stared at Shadow with shining eyes. This young boy possessed such unique and precise insight. Moreover, he could not sense any Reiatsu from Shadow at all. Yet judging by the way he had appeared, it was clear that Shadow did not lack Reiatsu—it was simply too powerful, so powerful that he could not perceive it.

"Yoruichi..."

Kukaku Shiba was stunned, and Kensei Muguruma, Hiyori Sarugaki, and the others beside her were equally dumbfounded.

"Hey, Shadow." Yoruichi Shihōin turned around and smiled with narrowed eyes. "I succeeded, didn't I? I did it!"

Yet the moment Yoruichi Shihōin finished speaking, her face suddenly turned pale. Her body began to sway, and the Asauchi in her hand shattered into fragments. Even so, she continued smiling with stubborn pride...

Shadow stepped forward and caught Yoruichi Shihōin. A trace of warmth appeared in his dark, cold eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly. "That's right, Lady Yoruichi."

"I'm so tired, Shadow."

Yoruichi Shihōin murmured softly; Kin could no longer keep her eyes open.

"Then rest well, Lady Yoruichi." Speaking softly, Shadow lifted Yoruichi Shihōin into his arms. This state is still too much for Lady Yoruichi to bear.

Looking at the sleeping Yoruichi Shihōin, Shadow sighed softly. His figure flashed, and he vanished.

"Who was that guy, Kukaku?" Hiyori Sarugaki turned and asked.

"Is it really okay to leave Yoruichi with him?" Kisuke Urahara scratched his head. "He looks rather cold."

"Mm." Kukaku Shiba nodded. "It's fine. He is Yoruichi's Shade, after all!"

"Shade?"

"Her inseparable Shade!" Kukaku Shiba said. "All right, all right, get back to practicing! I don't want to lose to that Yoruichi!"

"I don't want to come in last either!"

Lisa Yadomaru very rarely put away her book. Even Mashiro Kuna began practicing, though he was not using a sword, but his legs.

(All right, all right, I admit I've watched too much Raka.)