Over the next month, Byakuya Kuchiki's life became even more unbearable. In the mornings, he endured Shadow's hellish training; in the afternoons, it was Yoruichi Shihōin's running time. Yoruichi was tolerable enough, but Shadow's training was practically gambling with his life. The enormous contrast nearly drove Byakuya to collapse.
After asking his grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki, Byakuya finally learned where the problem lay. All his suffering stemmed from one careless remark he had made. He wanted to cry, but had no tears.
Still, the benefits of the hellish training were obvious. Byakuya could clearly feel himself growing stronger, and he no longer resisted the training.
However, whenever Byakuya and Yoruichi held their so-called races, the usually composed Byakuya would still lose control and roar in fury. Then, the next day, his training workload would double. He regretted it deeply, but he truly could not control his impatient temper.
Early in the morning, Yoruichi and Shadow appeared on top of the Kuchiki walls right on schedule.
Byakuya, who had already been standing in the courtyard, immediately bowed respectfully.
"Teacher!"
"Hey! What about me, little Byakuya?" Yoruichi asked unhappily.
"Sister Yoruichi!"
Gritting his teeth, Byakuya looked at Shadow's fierce glare and had no choice but to call out.
"Tch!"
Yoruichi curled her lips, while Shadow narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly.
"Teacher, what are we practicing today? Drawing the sword or striking with it?" Byakuya ignored Yoruichi outright and asked Shadow.
"Don't call me teacher!" Shadow repeated words he had said countless times before, his voice cold. "You've practiced drawing and striking enough. What remains depends on your own comprehension!"
"Then what are we training today?" Byakuya asked curiously.
"Your Reiatsu control and reaction speed." Shadow glanced at Yoruichi, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Or, to put it another way... playing!"
"Playing!!!"
Yoruichi's eyes immediately lit up, while Byakuya felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Before he could react...
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
"Ah!!!"
Soul Society, Seireitei, Kuchiki residence, rear courtyard.
"Little Byakuya, run right! To the right, hurry! Watch behind you..."
Standing on a table with one hand on her hip, Yoruichi shouted excitedly.
"Stop nagging me!"
Byakuya roared, flashing backward to evade a fireball. Then he quickly twisted aside and dodged another one, but he accidentally overlooked what was beneath his feet.
"Ow!" He fell into the mud and water, only managing to crawl back out after quite a while, coughing dryly in utter disarray.
"Hahaha..."
Yoruichi clutched her stomach and laughed. "Get up, little Byakuya! Watch your back!"
"It's all your fault! Stop distracting me!" Byakuya yelled angrily.
"Do you still have time to talk? Let's add a little more fire." Shadow spoke lightly, saying words that made Byakuya's face change dramatically. "Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Countless fireballs shot forth once more, continuously attacking Byakuya from every direction under Shadow's control.
"Ah!"
"Ow!"
"Little Byakuya, there's one on your left too!"
Splash!
Above the quiet Kuchiki residence, Byakuya's screams, the sounds of him falling into the muddy Swamp of the Underworld, and Yoruichi's excited shouts echoed once again.
The next day, Soul Society, Seireitei, Second Division Barracks.
Inside the captain's office, Yoruichi sat in her chair, her feet swinging unconsciously. She held a document in her hand, but it was obvious her mind was nowhere near it.
"Shadow, how many more documents are there to deal with?"
"Um, we'll be done soon, Lady Yoruichi!"
Shadow, who was seated behind the desk processing documents, looked up and answered. But what was with the half-person-tall stack of documents beside him?
Yoruichi did not dwell on that issue. She tossed the document she had not turned a single page of onto the desk and lazily sprawled back in her chair.
"Lady Yoruichi, your letter!"
Just as Yoruichi yawned and was about to drift off, a member of the Punishment Force suddenly appeared. Kneeling on the floor, he respectfully held a red-and-white letter above his head with both hands.
"Ah! Bring it over."
Startled awake, Yoruichi stretched and spoke indifferently.
"Yes, milady!"
The Punishment Force member rose, bowed as he approached Yoruichi, and held the letter in one hand while pinching one end of the envelope with the other. With a light pull of his fingers, he opened a slit in the envelope. After carefully taking out the letter, he held it with both hands and presented it to Yoruichi on one knee.
"Ha..."
After yawning again, Yoruichi accepted the letter from the Punishment Force member. Once she unfolded it, her amber eyes swept over the paper, and the sleepiness on her face was instantly replaced by a smile.
"Shadow, we're going to the Shiba Family!" Yoruichi sprang from her chair. "Kukaku just sent a letter. The little brat in Aunt Chiyoko's belly is about to be born!"
"Yes, understood, Lady Yoruichi!" Shadow twisted his slightly sore wrist and stood up.
"Well! I'll spare little Byakuya today." Yoruichi rubbed her nose and chuckled softly. "Let's go have a huge meal at the Shiba Family's place!"
Shadow shook his head helplessly. Looking at the still-towering pile of documents, he decided he should finish all of them today. There would only be more tomorrow.
"Um, Shadow!" Pressing her hands together before her chest, Yoruichi said, "When we get back tonight, I'll help you handle them!"
"No need, Lady Yoruichi!" Shadow shook his head and formed hand seals. "Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Technique!"
With a bang and a puff of smoke, an identical Shadow appeared beside him.
"Eh!"
Seeing this for the first time, Lady Yoruichi was greatly astonished. She walked over and poked Clone Shadow.
"Lady Yoruichi!" Clone Shadow bowed respectfully.
"It can talk!" Yoruichi cried out.
"Mm." Shadow nodded and said to the clone, "Your task is to finish processing these documents before I return!"
"Understood, original!" Clone Shadow nodded and sat behind the desk.
"Then let's go, Lady Yoruichi!"
"Right, right!" Yoruichi nodded and leaped onto Shadow's back. "Will it be okay?"
"That's my clone. There won't be any problem, Lady Yoruichi!"
"Alright! Let's go!" Yoruichi waved a hand and shouted. "Oh, right, we need to bring Kisuke too!"
"Yes, Lady Yoruichi!"
The lively, boisterous sounds could be heard from an entire street away from the Shiba Family residence.
When Yoruichi, Shadow, and Kisuke Urahara entered the Shiba Family's gate, they ran into Kensei Muguruma and Mashiro Kuna, who were arriving from the other direction.
After exchanging greetings, the group entered the courtyard together.
The courtyard was packed with people: Kaien Shiba and Kūkaku Shiba's colleagues and friends from their divisions, several noble families affiliated with the Shiba Family, and representatives from Rukongai.
Even the siblings' superiors had come: Thirteenth Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake and Tenth Division Captain Kitagawa Guobu, along with Shinji Hirako, Shunsui Kyōraku, and others.
Kaien, who was busy in the courtyard, looked up and spotted Shadow, Yoruichi, and the others. He quickly waved and pointed to one side.
Over there, Kūkaku stood with Hiyori Sarugaki and Lisa Yadomaru, whispering about something. Seeing this, Yoruichi and the others nodded at Kaien and walked over.
"The Shiba Family is really lively today!" Yoruichi grinned at Kūkaku. "Congratulations, Kukaku! You'll have a little brat for you to play with from now on!"
"Play... cough, cough!" Kūkaku was immediately choked by the dry tobacco in her mouth. With black lines across her face, she said, "Seriously, Yoruichi, you..."
"I'm just joking!" Yoruichi laughed.
"Congratulations, Kukaku!" Kisuke handed over a gift and smiled. "They're some little gadgets I researched myself. Please accept them as a token of my regards!"
"Everyone knows you're poor."
Hiyori showed him no mercy at all, but Kisuke did not mind. He was used to it by now, just like Shinji.
"Kukaku, has the little brat been named yet?"
Mashiro opened her wide eyes and handed over the gift from herself and Kensei.
"Yes. His name is Ganju Shiba!" Kūkaku accepted the gift and set it aside, then held out her hand to Yoruichi with a broad smile. "Yoruichi, where's your gift?"
"About that... my gift... hahaha..."
Yoruichi laughed awkwardly, her amber eyes darting everywhere. Where had Shadow run off to?
Yoruichi was helpless. She had been so focused on eating a huge meal that she had completely forgotten about a gift. This is bad!
"You didn't forget, did you?"
Kūkaku's smile became even brighter, while Yoruichi grew increasingly weak.
"Lady Yoruichi!"
Shadow appeared behind Yoruichi once more and tossed a small box in his hand to Kūkaku. Frowning, he said, "You left in such a hurry that you even forgot to bring the gift!"
"My mistake! I'll definitely remember next time, hahaha..." Yoruichi reacted quickly, picking up his words without leaving any flaws.
"Tch!" Kūkaku curled her lips. "You got lucky, Yoruichi. I was counting on extorting something from you!"
"Hahaha..." Yoruichi blinked and smiled. "You won't get the chance, Kukaku!"
Yoruichi knew that even if her acting could fool everyone else, it absolutely could not fool Kūkaku, Kisuke, Hiyori, Lisa, Kensei, and Mashiro. They had been old friends for years, after all. Who among them did not know the others well?
Before you continue