By the time Yamamoto Genryusai arrived in a frantic hurry, Ulquiorra Cifer had already vanished without a trace.
He stood at the edge of the training ground, quickly glancing at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was intently investigating something nearby, and then slammed his cane against the ground, producing a dull, serious sound:
"What exactly happened?"
He had been handling official duties but was urgently summoned by Yoriichi Tsugikuni, so he only had a vague understanding of the situation.
A Menos Grande invasion, but where was the Menos Grande now?
Yoriichi Tsugikuni slowly raised his eyes, turned around, and spoke calmly:
"Teacher, a Vasto Lorde did indeed come earlier."
"It was ordered by Aizen to bring Hinoshita Makoto to Hueco Mundo, but I have already repelled it."
"However, we still need to be vigilant, but since many people were affected by Kyōka Suigetsu, this matter should not be widely publicized."
"Currently, the only thing we are certain of is that the Hollows in Hueco Mundo have grown strong, and Aizen seems to have become their King."
"What?" These pieces of information hit like bombshells, causing Yamamoto Genryusai to slightly open his eyes... A King?
If he remembered correctly, it had only been a few months since Aizen's defection.
Counting the days spent recuperating, did Aizen just recover from his injuries and then immediately replace Baraggan?
The efficiency was astonishing.
Although Yamamoto Genryusai had always disdained Baraggan, he had to take this matter seriously.
Because Aizen becoming the King of Hueco Mundo meant a new variable had emerged in the situation.
The extent of these variables' impact on the Soul Society was still unknown, but clearly, Aizen harbored sinister intentions.
The invasion by a Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande was the best proof.
If Yoriichi Tsugikuni hadn't been here just now, Aizen's plan would surely have succeeded.
Fortunately, he arrived one step ahead and once again foiled Aizen's scheme.
Thinking of this, Yamamoto Genryusai subtly tightened his grip on his cane, a look of gratification flickering in his eyes, though his mood was quite complex.
However, he quickly realized that the current Aizen was not yet an unbeatable existence.
So, not long after, he cast aside his complex feelings and asked in a deep voice:
"So, why did you call this old man here?"
"Is it to delve into Hueco Mundo and apprehend Aizen?"
"Or..."
Before Yamamoto Genryusai could finish, Yoriichi Tsugikuni responded decisively:
"I wishe to enter the Dangai, utilize its two thousand times faster time flow, and simultaneously develop new techniques in Hakuda while preparing to enter Hueco Mundo later to eliminate Aizen's forces."
"Previously, Yoruichi Shihouin approached me; she said she had invented a Hakuda technique that merges Kido, and it already has a prototype."
"Although this isn't suitable for me, on this basis, I saw another method of fusion, and entering the Dangai is for this purpose."
"Yoruichi Shihouin?" Yamamoto Genryusai frowned slightly.
He hadn't expected his student's decision to be influenced by that person.
Kido merged with Hakuda?
A path no one had ever attempted.
Would it really be effective?
He trusted Yoriichi Tsugikuni immensely, especially his talent.
However, Kido and Hakuda belonged to entirely different systems; if it caused problems for himself, that would be terrible.
Yamamoto Genryusai wanted to sternly reprimand Yoriichi Tsugikuni, telling him not to do such a dangerous thing.
After all, the Soul Society still had him; no matter how arrogant Aizen was, even if he became the King of Hueco Mundo, what then?
He couldn't withstand his Bankai, so ultimately, he was not a cause for concern.
In response, Yoriichi Tsugikuni said helplessly, "Teacher, you might think that those Hollows and Aizen are nothing significant."
"But in reality, each of them can cause immeasurable harm to the Seireitei."
"Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande consume millions of Hollows or souls during their evolution."
"And their spiritual pressure has already reached Third Class or higher, so even if they die, the souls they consumed can hardly return to the Soul Society."
"Although there is now a new world to replenish lost souls, once Vasto Lorde rampage under Aizen's influence, wantonly devouring souls, no amount of souls can alleviate the imbalance."
"The Hollows in Hueco Mundo are growing stronger day by day, and the number of souls is becoming increasingly imbalanced due to their strength. This is what Kisuke is worried about."
"We must eliminate all of them before they run rampant; only then can the Three Realms usher in long-lasting peace."
"I know you feel that Hueco Mundo is not our territory, which is why you are cautious about deploying troops, to avoid being ambushed by those Menos Grande."
"But if it's just me..."
At this point, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's tone gradually firmed: "I have experience delving into Hueco Mundo, so there's no need to worry."
This was indeed reasonable.
Rather than dispatching Captains who had never entered Hueco Mundo, it was better to send a Captain who had been to Hueco Mundo, possessed strong power, and could escape from the encirclement of Vasto Lorde.
Currently, within the Seireitei, Shinigami who met these conditions were few and far between.
Overall, only Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the most suitable.
At the same time, since the Ninth Division had a Zaraki Kenpachi, even if Yoriichi Tsugikuni disappeared for a period, the Ninth Division's daily work would not be affected in any way.
Faced with these words, Yamamoto Genryusai fell silent.
If it weren't for his duties as Captain-Commander binding him, preventing him from leaving the Seireitei at will, he would have wanted to personally enter Hueco Mundo and eliminate those Menos Grande, bringing lasting peace to the Three Realms.
He slowly exhaled and asked with a frown:
"How confident are you?"
"And how will you explain this to your wife?"
"About eighty percent confidence," Yoriichi Tsugikuni said after a moment's consideration.
"Currently, my spiritual pressure has reached the peak of Second Class and will soon break through to First Class."
"The reason I encountered danger when I was Third Class was simply because I met an oversized Menos Grande."
"It had no mask on its body, and its aura was comparable to yours."
"But now, if I were to meet it again, I would no longer fear it."
"As for Uta..."
When his wife Uta was mentioned, Yoriichi Tsugikuni hesitated for a moment, then finally seemed to understand something:
"I will not take risks; I will simply do my best to maintain the peace of the Soul Society."
Yamamoto Genryusai nodded, the words quite sincere.
If he were to put himself in Yoriichi Tsugikuni's shoes, he would probably make the same choice.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni had seen a future out of balance, and thus wanted to alleviate it.
As for why he didn't rely on other Captains, and didn't want to leave things for the future...
It was naturally because Yoriichi Tsugikuni had been to Hueco Mundo and personally witnessed the true power of the Hollows there.
If Yamamoto Genryusai remembered correctly, he himself had once been taught a lesson by a Hollow, and the pain was still etched in his memory.
And the reason he took action at that time was because only he could fight that Hollow.
The same was true for Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
No Shinigami in the Seireitei could replace him for the task of delving into Hueco Mundo.
Thinking of this, Yamamoto Genryusai solemnly said:
"Since that is the case, go and do what you wish to do. This old man will cover for you."
"However, before you act, you had best go see Yoruichi Shihouin, lest you be influenced by her and go down the wrong path."
...
The technique developed by Yoruichi Shihouin was called Shunko.
This technique was extremely unique, requiring spiritual pressure to be condensed in the hands and behind the back.
Then, upon instantaneous break out, it could greatly enhance one's attacks.
Because it was entwined with Kido, each punch produced an explosive effect, with astonishing power, three to five times that of a normal state.
Even when standing still, the storm formed by the entwined Kido was enough to blow away everything around.
Yoriichi believed this technique was too ostentatious and not suitable for him.
Every time it was used, it was as if the words "I am very dangerous, let your opponent be careful" were blatantly displayed on one's face.
Compared to it, its practicality was far inferior to Ikotsu.
However, Yoriichi felt that this technique could be replicated to some extent.
For example, by transforming the attribute of the spiritual pressure and covering it underfoot, the speed would be much faster.
The Shunpo used by Shinigami for movement was, in essence, only a rudimentary form of footwork, with many derived techniques based on it.
Like Senka, a special Shunpo that could instantly pierce through a person's Saketsu and Hakusui.
Or Sora, an advanced Shunpo developed by Yoruichi Shihouin.
However, even advanced Shunpo was not the limit of Shunpo.
Yoriichi knew that his current speed was the limit for a Shinigami; to break through, he had to advance his Shunpo technique further.
And Shunko was the key.
Yoriichi listened to Yamamoto Genryusai's words and went to see Yoruichi Shihouin.
At this time, Yoruichi was trying to shatter a sealed stone with Shunko.
She was enveloped in a golden spiritual pressure current, and the storm formed by that current blew, incredibly strong.
Everything around rustled.
Yoriichi quietly watched Yoruichi, his dark red ponytail dancing freely in the wind.
Then, with a roar, Yoruichi's fist slammed hard onto the sealed stone.
The sealed stone trembled slightly.
Then, tiny fragments slowly peeled off its surface, like falling snowflakes.
Approximately three seconds later, cracking sounds began, and the sealed stone split in half, crashing to the ground.
Yoruichi Shihouin had not yet marveled at the power of this punch.
Suddenly, the corner of her eye caught a glimpse of a figure.
Looking sideways, a bright smile slowly appeared on her face.
As if to say, I can also shatter sealed stones...
...
Soon after, by a pond in the Second Division, Yoruichi Shihouin held a cup of tea, took a small sip, and asked Yoriichi Tsugikuni:
"So... you think my Shunko can enhance Shunpo?"
"No?" Yoriichi countered.
"Yes, I didn't say no."
"Actually, I had this idea when I first developed it, but Shunko was created to enhance Hakuda, so I didn't develop it in the direction of Shunpo."
"Your words actually reminded me of it," Yoruichi Shihouin said admiringly. "In my conception, Shunko can actually cover the entire body with spiritual pressure."
"But because the manipulation difficulty is extremely high, it's difficult for me to achieve with my current ability, so I plan to leave it for the future."
"Since you've brought it up now, I have to tell you that the attribute of spiritual pressure has a profound impact on a Shinigami's fighting style; you should know this."
"Currently, the Shunko I developed has a lightning attribute, and each punch can produce an effect similar to Raikōhō."
"If you simply want to increase speed, then it's best to switch to a wind attribute."
"Control the output of spiritual pressure, condense the wind-attribute spiritual pressure into one point, and then burst it out all at once."
"This way, it can both propel Shunpo and silently turn all limbs into weapons."
"The cutting power of wind is quite strong, far superior to other attributes, and it suits you as a swordsman perfectly."
"If you could even cover your Zanpakuto with a layer..."
"Even if your enemies have higher spiritual pressure than you, you can easily bypass their defenses without using Bankai."
As she spoke, Yoruichi Shihouin mentioned Kensei Muguruma, saying that his Zanpakuto could cause damage to enemies across ranks.
Ultimately, it was because the cutting power of the wind attribute was the strongest among all Kido.
Upon hearing this, Yoriichi understood.
Before he could speak.
With a bang, Yoruichi Shihouin suddenly put down her teacup.
She stood up, a smile playing on her lips, and faced Yoriichi with an excited grin:
"Talk is cheap, Yoriichi, now try transforming your spiritual pressure attribute. I want to see how much you truly understand my Shunko."
"Thank you so much for Hisagomaru and Suì-Fēng before; you helped them, so I must help you once."
"In the realm of Shunko, I dare say, no one can surpass me."
Yoriichi looked at Yoruichi's confident demeanor, unsure what to say.
In his opinion, no one would naturally surpass the techniques Yoruichi developed.
However... considering that he had only seen Shunko once and might not have fully grasped the details, to eliminate minor issues in the details, Yoriichi slowly stood up.
"How do I do it?" he asked.
Mainly, where to go, it couldn't be here.
Yoruichi looked around, then revealed eight white teeth: "Follow me."
The two quickly arrived at an underground training ground, surrounded by thick yellow rock, with a vast space.
Yoriichi looked around; it covered several hundred mu, at least the size of a Division... Did the Seireitei even have something like this?
Yoruichi briefly explained that this place was a secret base she and Kisuke Urahara had built together when they were young.
However, it had been abandoned because they became Captains and were too busy with work.
Training here would not be seen by others, nor would anyone come to disturb them.
While explaining, Yoruichi had Yoriichi Tsugikuni follow her steps to transform the spiritual pressure attribute and cover his limbs.
This was the most difficult prerequisite for mastering Shunko: spiritual pressure whose attribute had been transformed could not remain on the body for long.
It was like sweat not staying suspended.
How to make it stay and circulate was the crucial point.
She had originally thought that since Yoriichi had only seen it once, he only understood the general idea, and even with his strong talent, it would take a few days to get started.
However, one minute later.
"What's going on?!" Yoruichi Shihouin's incredulous words suddenly echoed in the silent space.
Her eyes widened, her pupils reflecting the scene of Yoriichi condensing his spiritual pressure and circulating it in his fists.
The circulating spiritual pressure was like a storm carrying invisible blades; merely by contact, everything in front of it was completely destroyed.
She felt like she was seeing an illusion.
No, how did you suddenly master it?
Although it could only cover his fists.
But one must know, it took her at least several decades to reach this point.
Although learning was simpler than creating, it should at least take a few years.
Your talent is strong, a few days or even months, but... one minute?!
You're kidding me.
This was no different from someone learning a painstakingly researched skill overnight.
Yoriichi glanced at Yoruichi Shihouin's disbelieving expression and explained helplessly:
"Although I really don't want to admit it, your Shunko seems to have traces of Ikotsu; controlling spiritual pressure is already a thing of the past for me."
Yoruichi Shihouin took a deep breath, put a hand to her forehead, and said in a heavy tone, "No, don't say any more; the more you say, the more uncomfortable I feel."
"Since your control over spiritual pressure is already so proficient, why did you still come to me?"
"Even without me, you should have been able to develop your own exclusive Shunko, right?"
Yoriichi shook his head: "Teacher felt your idea was too dangerous, which is why he asked me to come to you to test it... Now it seems he was overly concerned."
"Is that so." Hakuda merging with Kido was indeed dangerous; Yoruichi Shihouin roughly understood Yamamoto Genryusai's concerns.
But now, wasn't she the one who was being hit hard?
Her developed Shunko actually had traces of Ikotsu?
Yoruichi Shihouin admitted defeat.