What on earth had happened during the few days I was gone?
How had Yamamoto trained this crazy woman into behaving so obediently?
Tenjirō Kirinji was kicked for no reason at all, and immediately burned with rage. He wasn't the kind of person who could survive peacefully in Rukongai without any bite to him. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to start a fight!
"Calm down! Calm down! Everyone, calm down! Captain, I brought two more people back for you!" Yamabuki Chidori shouted. He then led everyone to the inner courtyard, where Yamamoto was drinking tea. When Yamamoto saw Yamabuki Chidori, his brow furrowed slightly. They had only been apart for three days, yet Yamabuki Chidori's Reiatsu had risen by a huge margin—more than twice as strong as before he left!
What had this kid gone through in the past three days?
Under Yamamoto's questioning, Yamabuki Chidori described every detail of his battle, including how the Gillian had suddenly evolved into an Adjuchas, how he had communicated with his Zanpakuto, and how Tenjirō Kirinji had ultimately healed him.
Yamamoto looked toward Tenjirō Kirinji. Indeed, this man's Reiatsu was considerably higher than that of an ordinary person, and he was also proficient in medicine. The Gotei 13 needed talent like him now! Yamabuki had done well. Knowing that the organization was still too weak, he had kept bringing talented people back!
As for those two children...
"Yamabuki, we're an assassin organization. We can't let our emotions cloud our judgment. These two children are useless to us. Give them a full meal and let them leave," Yamamoto said to Yamabuki Chidori in a lowered voice.
"Captain, these two children can't be put to use for the time being. But what's our ultimate goal? To protect the Soul Society! People raised like this from a young age will be highly loyal. If we want to grow stronger and expand, we have to train a large number of people like them. Besides, I think this kid has decent talent. Let's keep him for now and see how he does!" Yamabuki Chidori said.
Yamamoto glanced at Sashō Chōjirō. After thinking for a moment, he decided to give Yamabuki Chidori some face.
"All right, kid! You can stay for now, but you'll have to prove that you're useful. The Gotei 13 doesn't support idlers," Yamamoto said.
Sashō Chōjirō was overjoyed. No matter what, joining the Gotei 13 meant he would be fed! At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about going hungry!
As for Delia, he would have her follow Tenjirō Kirinji for now and serve as a little nurse.
Of course, there wasn't such a term in this era yet.
P.S.: There's too little information about the world of Bleach from a thousand years ago. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please leave them in the comments. Thanks for your support.
Chapter Thirteen: Basic Kidō
After returning to his room, Yamabuki Chidori drew his Zanpakuto and gently wiped it. The ability of his Zanpakuto had first revealed a trace of itself during the earlier battle.
But what exactly was the ability of his Zanpakuto?
His Blade Spirit had cut the enemy into more than a dozen pieces in an instant. Based on his preliminary guess, his Shikai's ability was related to speed.
But that wasn't necessarily true. Perhaps his ability was chuunibyou. The higher his chuunibyou level and embarrassment, the stronger his Zanpakuto's attacks became! If that were really the case...
That actually sounded pretty awesome!
What teenager didn't have a chuunibyou dream in his heart?
"I am the Dark Demon King! All of you are my lowly servants! Stretch out your necks and await death! Hahaha!"
Sure enough, the embarrassment level was still off the charts!
Or was his earlier guess correct? Was the true ability of his Zanpakuto to summon a huge group of adorable girls and kill the enemy with cuteness?
For most male Soul Reapers, that would be an instant kill!
Of course, if anyone was going to be instantly killed, it should start with me, the master! Ravage me to your heart's content! Don't hold back!
At that moment, the Zanpakuto flickered with an intermittent spiritual glow, as if it were about to explode with anger!
Why did it have such an unreliable master?
Perhaps it should run away from home!
That was what the Blade Spirit thought.
"Um... Big Brother Yamabuki, can I stay with you for now?" Sashō Chōjirō asked quietly.
"Of course, of course!" Yamabuki Chidori was delighted to have someone to run errands for him. No, to have a new roommate.
Sashō Chōjirō currently looked like a boy of around twelve or thirteen. His clothes were thin, and he didn't even have a pair of shoes. Taking him outside looking like that would be too embarrassing. Clothes made the man, after all. He should get the kid a well-fitting outfit, and then educate him—though not through forced labor.
"Chōjirō, do you know what's most important if you want to stay in the Gotei 13?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.
Sashō Chōjirō shook his head. His thoughts were actually very simple: having somewhere to eat and not having to live that drifting life again would be enough. Although he was still young, he had to take care of his little sister, so his domestic skills were maxed out. He could wash clothes, cook, clean, and handle all kinds of chores.
"No, no, no! None of that is important. The servants of the Shihōin Clan will handle those things for us. If you want to stay in the Gotei 13, the most important thing is being able to fight! Starting tomorrow, I'll have Old Man Yamamoto teach you Swordsmanship. Yamamoto has nothing else to do anyway." Yamabuki Chidori directly pushed the most troublesome task onto Old Man Yamamoto.
As if I could possibly take on a disciple!
Besides...
After the earlier battle, he had deeply realized his own shortcomings. A true powerhouse had to be a six-sided warrior.
Tougher than a tank, stronger than a berserker, capable of bursting harder than a mage, and dealing more damage than a marksman.
With more healing than Cai Wenji and better protection than Yao Yao Le!
Able to take on five people alone when advancing, and sit back waiting for a surrender when retreating.
Bah, I got carried away.
From the perspective of the Bleach world, a six-sided warrior had to possess Old Man Yamamoto's firepower, Retsu Unohana's healing, Flash God Yoruichi's speed, Aizen's Reiatsu, Tekka Gekka's Kidō, and the scheming shopkeeper's intelligence!
That was the true Soul Reaper!
As for whether he could achieve that goal?
How should I know? I haven't tried!
That lousy system had vanished again, leaving him with nothing but a title.
Although Sashō Chōjirō couldn't understand what this big brother was talking about, it somehow sounded incredibly impressive. He was thoroughly awed despite not understanding a thing!
Thus, early the next morning, Yamabuki Chidori dragged the half-asleep Sashō Chōjirō to Old Man Yamamoto to undergo special training.
Yamamoto was very satisfied with his Lieutenant. His growth speed was astonishing. After casually going out for a trip, his Reiatsu had doubled. Although he still couldn't compare with Saitō Fubōfu and Shunshun Shidō, Yamamoto believed that with more time to grow, Yamabuki Chidori would certainly become a powerful aide.
As for the kid sitting beside them and dozing off, with bubbles of snot coming out of his nose...
Seeing Yamamoto's dark expression, Yamabuki Chidori smacked Sashō Chōjirō on the head with the edge of his hand.
"Ow!!"
"Pay attention!" Yamabuki Chidori barked.
Sashō Chōjirō hurriedly sat up straight in fright.
Yamamoto shook his head slightly. The boy was hopeless!
Forget it. He would just treat him as an auditor.
"Yamabuki, what do you want to learn? I can teach you anything," Yamamoto said.
"Captain, after fighting a Hollow this time, I deeply realized how lacking my strength is. I want to study more Kidō to make up for my weakness," Yamabuki Chidori said.
"Hmm!" Yamamoto nodded. He knew how to find one's weaknesses through battle and then improve them through study. No wonder the talent he had taken a liking to was so promising.
"Good! We'll start with the basics. Follow me." Yamamoto glanced at Sashō Chōjirō and found the child looking utterly bewildered. He was truly hopeless!
The three of them arrived at the Shihōin Clan's training ground.
Shunshun Shidō happened to be there as well.
After hearing why they had come, Shunshun Shidō said with a grin, "You want to practice Kidō? Go ahead and make as much noise as you like. There's a barrier set up here, so it won't be easy to damage anything."
"Since you put it that way, I'm relieved," Yamamoto said. He turned to Yamabuki Chidori. "Yamabuki, I'll teach you a relatively basic Hadō. Watch carefully."
Yamabuki Chidori focused intently.
Yamamoto raised his palm and pointed at a target in the distance. "Hadō #88, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
A golden-blue beam of light two meters in diameter erupted from Old Man Yamamoto's hand. The violent Reiatsu pressed down so heavily that no one else present dared raise their head. Sashō Chōjirō was even gasping in shock, while Yamabuki Chidori hurriedly stepped in front of Chōjirō and shielded him from part of Yamamoto's Reiatsu.
The beam exploded in the distance, unleashing an extremely violent shockwave. It took several minutes for everything to finally settle.
"Hmm! Yamabuki, have you learned this relatively basic Hadō?" Yamamoto asked.
Old Man, do you have some misunderstanding about the word "basic"?
You call Hadō #88 basic?
Please don't use your standards for basic skills to judge me!
What's with that hopeful look in your eyes?
You don't expect me to learn such a difficult Hadō just by watching it once, do you?
I... I think I really learned it!
Yamabuki Chidori swallowed with difficulty. He knew he was a Child of Destiny with extraordinary talent, but he had never imagined that after seeing Hadō #88 just once, he would completely understand the flow of Reiatsu and the structure of the Hadō!
"Give it a try!" Yamamoto said.
Yamabuki Chidori imitated Yamamoto and raised his hand, gathering Reiatsu. "Hadō #88, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"2
A golden-blue beam of light burst from his hand. Naturally, its power and momentum were far inferior to Yamamoto's, perhaps not even reaching a fifth of Old Man Yamamoto's strength. But he had genuinely learned this Kidō!
Chapter Fourteen: I Have a Method—Listen Carefully
A trace of shock appeared in Yamamoto and Shunshun Shidō's eyes. Neither of them had expected Yamabuki Chidori's talent to be so extraordinary. He had completely learned Kidō just by watching it once!
This was Hadō #88! He had released it directly without chanting. Shunshun Shidō considered himself incapable of such a feat. Of course, Kidō wasn't his specialty. He mainly cultivated Hakuda and rarely even used his Zanpakuto.
Sashō Chōjirō was even more stunned by the scene before him. So this was the Gotei 13? So this was a Soul Reaper? Could he reach such a level in the future too?
"Hmm, not bad. Barely acceptable. You're still far inferior to how I was back then. Keep practicing," Yamamoto said indifferently. He was mainly worried that Yamabuki Chidori would become arrogant, so he kept all his praise buried in his heart.
Yamabuki Chidori sighed. He had originally wanted Sashō Chōjirō to learn something as well, but this old man had started with something so advanced. What could the kid possibly learn?
"Captain Shunshun Shidō, please get this kid a Zanpakuto. I want to teach him some basic Swordsmanship," Yamabuki Chidori said.1
"That's easy." Shunshun Shidō smiled.
According to the setting of the Bleach world, nobles were born with much higher Reiatsu than the commoners of Rukongai. Of course, there were exceptions among the rare geniuses, such as Kenpachi Zaraki and Tōshirō Hitsugaya. They were prodigies seen only once in a thousand years.
Most noble children possessed the Reiatsu of ordinary Gotei 13 members, while ordinary people had to pass through multiple rounds of selection before they could enter the Gotei 13.
For that reason, almost all Zanpakuto a thousand years ago were controlled by the nobility. It was only after the Gotei 13 was established that this monopoly was broken.
Shunshun Shidō quickly sent someone to fetch a Zanpakuto. It was Sashō Chōjirō's first time holding a real sword, and he was extremely excited.
Yamabuki Chidori possessed the Swordsmanship Mastery skill. He didn't dare claim that his Swordsmanship had reached the highest level in this world, but teaching a child was no problem.
Yamabuki Chidori also explained some knowledge about Zanpakuto, such as Shikai, Bankai, and Kidō, giving him a general understanding of the system.
The combat methods of Soul Reapers were divided into four categories: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō.
Most Soul Reapers only needed to master one or two of them and hone them to perfection to become formidable.
Someone like Aizen, who was proficient in everything, had only appeared once in a thousand years.
"Sword swings are the simplest and most direct form of attack. One thousand swings this morning. If you slack off, you won't get lunch. Keep it up, kid!" After teaching Sashō Chōjirō the simplest sword swings, Yamabuki Chidori went to look for books about Kidō.
Yamamoto watched for a while before shaking his head slightly.
This child named Sashō Chōjirō lacked talent. He was far inferior to Yamabuki. Yamamoto sighed and left.
But when lunchtime arrived, Yamamoto passed by this place and discovered that Sashō Chōjirō was still swinging his sword nonstop. By then, Sashō Chōjirō was drenched in sweat, and his arms were nearly too tired to lift.
"Hmm... His talent is mediocre, but his perseverance is commendable. With careful cultivation, he might barely reach an average level." Yamamoto used Flash Step to appear in front of the boy and gently caught Sashō Chōjirō's sword.
"The way you're swinging your sword is wrong," Yamamoto said solemnly. "There's no target in your eyes. You're merely waving a piece of iron around. Even if you practiced for another thousand years, it would be useless."
"Captain Commander..." Sashō Chōjirō was terrified of Yamamoto.
"Look ahead," Yamamoto said. "What's there?"
Sashō Chōjirō looked forward, but there was nothing there except bare ground!
"There's a Hollow there—the same Hollow that captured your sister. You once had no ability to protect her, but now you have a sword in your hand. Do you still want to watch helplessly as your family is harmed again? If not, then swing your sword and strike it! Give it everything you have! Drain every last bit of your Reiatsu! Slay the enemy! Go!" Yamamoto roared.
Under Yamamoto's roar, Sashō Chōjirō seemed to truly see the Hollow that had taken his sister appear before him. Tension, fear, worry, and anxiety surged through his heart. Finally, he poured every ounce of strength from his body into a desperate slash, bringing his sword down on the Hollow!
The Hollow turned into an illusion and disappeared.
At that very moment, he felt a surge of power emerge from within his body, nourishing him from head to toe.
"Hmm, not bad." Yamamoto nodded in satisfaction. In that instant, Sashō Chōjirō's Reiatsu had risen slightly. It seemed this kid wasn't a completely hopeless case after all.
He had a little potential.
"Go eat! Practice the same way with your thousand swings this afternoon. If you don't finish, you won't be allowed to eat dinner," Yamamoto said.
"Yes, Captain Commander!" Sashō Chōjirō said in delight. Although he was young, he wasn't stupid. How could he not have noticed that the Captain Commander hadn't liked him before?
Now, the Captain Commander had finally acknowledged him as a member of the Gotei 13.
Before you continue