Preparing to set out

The Underground Training Ground beneath the Urahara Shop.

Ichigo Kurosaki rested Zangetsu on his shoulder and looked at Yoriichi Tsugikuni standing ahead of him, the corner of his eye twitching despite himself.

"The third stage of training is fighting him?"

"That's right."

Kisuke Urahara hid half his face behind his paper fan and said with a smile, "And this time, Mr. Yoriichi won't just be trying to exhaust you like before."

Ichigo fell silent for a moment.

That training that had nearly exhausted him to death had actually counted as going easy on him?

"The goal this time is to teach you to control your Reiatsu."

Kisuke Urahara raised his paper fan and pointed at Zangetsu in Ichigo's hand.

"You have tremendous power, but unfortunately, it's far too dispersed. Simply put, you're like someone fighting with a water vat on his shoulder. Most of the water spills out before you can splash it on your enemy."

"That's such a stupid comparison."

"As long as you understand."

Kisuke Urahara paid no attention to his complaint, stepping back to leave the training area to the two of them.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni slowly drew Hekyō.

The long, narrow, dark gray blade gave off no glimmer in the dim underground space. It even looked less imposing than Zangetsu in Ichigo's hand.

But Ichigo didn't dare let his guard down.

He gripped the hilt with both hands, his eyes fixed firmly on Yoriichi.

"Are you ready?" Yoriichi asked.

"Come on."

The words had barely left his mouth when Yoriichi appeared in front of him.

So fast!

Ichigo only had time to raise Zangetsu across his body.

Clang!

The two blades collided. Ichigo slid backward with his feet scraping the ground, his arms numb from the impact.

Before he could regain his footing, Yoriichi brought his blade down again.

This strike carried little Reiatsu, and its force wasn't outrageous, either, but it landed precisely where Ichigo had the hardest time exerting strength.

Clang!

Zangetsu was forced straight to the side.

Yoriichi turned the hilt and struck Ichigo's shoulder with the back of his blade.

Ichigo went flying.

"Damn it!"

He twisted in midair and charged straight back as soon as his feet touched the ground.

The enormous Zangetsu swept out, a vast surge of Reiatsu erupting from its blade and sending dust flying all around.

Yoriichi merely took half a step back.

The edge swept past the hem of his clothes.

"Your Reiatsu is too scattered. Your movements are too wide."

Yoriichi raised Hekyō and struck Ichigo's wrist with the back of the blade again.

Zangetsu nearly slipped from his grasp.

"Don't just think about throwing all your power out at once. You need to keep every bit of Reiatsu on the blade's edge."

Ichigo gritted his teeth and swung again.

The result didn't change at all.

No matter which direction he attacked from, Yoriichi evaded him in advance, then drove him back with the simplest of movements.

Five minutes later, Ichigo had already taken more than a dozen blows.

Most infuriating of all, Yoriichi had remained near his original position the entire time, never moving more than three steps.

"Can you actually see what I'm thinking?"

"No."

Yoriichi answered seriously, "But your shoulders, wrists, and breathing tell me how you're going to swing."

Ichigo looked down at his shoulders.

He can tell from that?

Kisuke Urahara sat in the distance, the smile gradually fading from his face.

As he watched, every strike Yoriichi made avoided Ichigo's vital points, yet interrupted the flow of Reiatsu inside his body at just the right moment.

This teaching method was very direct.

Make one mistake, take one hit.

It was also very effective.

At least Ichigo had started actively drawing his Reiatsu together.

"Again!"

Ichigo took a deep breath and compressed his Reiatsu into Zangetsu.

This time, there were no more chaotic air currents around the blade. A layer of pale blue light gradually gathered over its black edge.

He shattered the ground beneath his feet and slashed at Yoriichi.

Yoriichi held his sword across to block Zangetsu, a faint trace of approval flashing in his eyes.

"Better than before."

"Stop talking like a teacher!"

Ichigo roared and kept pressing his blade down.

The next moment, Yoriichi turned sideways to redirect the force. Ichigo lost his balance and charged straight past him.

Thud!

Ichigo fell face-first onto the ground.

Jinta Hanakari stood at the edge of the training ground with an iron rod on his shoulder and laughed without restraint.

"That orange-head is so lame."

Ururu Tsumugiya said quietly, "Jinta, Mr. Yoriichi sent you flying in one move, too."

Jinta Hanakari's laughter stopped abruptly.

"Shut up!"

Over the next few days, Ichigo barely left the Underground Training Ground.

He took beatings during the day, reviewed them at night, and took more beatings the next day.

Yoriichi pointed out every problem he had, from his grip and changes in footwork to the timing of his Reiatsu release, overlooking no detail.

Ichigo's progress was astonishingly fast, too.

At first, he couldn't last ten moves against Yoriichi. By the third day, he could barely block twenty moves and occasionally even seize an opening to counterattack.

Though he still couldn't touch Yoriichi.

At least he didn't look quite so miserable anymore.

On the fifth day, Ichigo swung Zangetsu again, and Reiatsu erupted along its edge.

An enormous blue-white slash shot out.

The ground was torn open in an instant as the slash hurtled straight toward Yoriichi.

Yoriichi raised Hekyō and brought it down in a single stroke.

Boom!

The Crescent Moon Slash split down the middle, dissolving into Reishi.

Ichigo stared at the sight, completely stunned.

"What was that just now?"

"Your Zanpakuto releasing its power."

Yoriichi sheathed his sword and said, "Remember how your Reiatsu flowed just now, and do it again."

"Easy for you to say."

Ichigo looked down at Zangetsu, his forehead covered in sweat.

That last strike had been forced out of him. He didn't even know how to reproduce it.

"Then we'll continue."

Yoriichi raised his sword again.

Ichigo's expression darkened.

He suddenly understood exactly what it meant to force out someone's potential.

On the seventh day of training, Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado arrived at the Urahara Shop.

They had just entered the underground space when they saw a flash of steel send Ichigo flying through three rocks in succession.

Orihime Inoue covered her mouth.

"Kurosaki-kun... is training, right?"

Chad was silent for two seconds, then nodded.

"He should still be alive."

A black cat walked past them and looked up at the pair.

"Your training isn't here. Follow this old fellow."

"The cat talked?"

Orihime Inoue's eyes widened.

Yoruichi offered no explanation and turned down another passage. Orihime and Chad hurried after her.

Uryū Ishida also visited that evening.

He didn't take part in the training. He only confirmed the method of entering the Soul Society with Kisuke Urahara and asked about the risks they might encounter using the Senkaimon.

Kisuke Urahara gave a lengthy explanation.

After listening, Uryū Ishida adjusted his glasses.

"In other words, you can't guarantee we'll arrive safely?"

"In theory, there's still a very good chance of success."

"How good, exactly?"

Kisuke Urahara waved his paper fan without answering.

Uryū Ishida's expression immediately turned grim.

He left in a hurry, planning to finish his Quincy equipment before their departure.

Time flew by.

Ichigo was finally able to release the Crescent Moon Slash consistently. Though his control remained crude, it no longer drained most of his Reiatsu.

Meanwhile, in the Urahara Shop's backyard, the final assembly of an enormous wooden doorframe had also been completed.

Kisuke Urahara put down his tools and looked up at the device before him.

The specially made Senkaimon for illicit passage, fitted with a Reishi Conversion Machine, was complete.