"Seriously?"
"That's it already?"
"I still can't wrap my head around it… Zaraki Kenpachi actually got cut up like that!!!"
As the blinding light of the explosion faded and the screen went pitch-black,
inside Las Noches, Nnoitra stared dumbly at the projection, the back of his neck prickling.
Back when it had been Kenpachi's turn on the ranking,
future-him had been sliced in half by Ichigo with a single swing,
just to set off how terrifying the so-called "King of Normal Slashes" was.
He'd been toyed with and man-handled like it was nothing.
Same kind of brutal head-on brawl,
same fighting style that was basically nothing but straightforward sword swings…
But this time, it was completely reversed.
Nnoitra had gone all-out, even splitting himself open, and still couldn't stop his legs from going weak.
Even with all six of his scythes together—
They still didn't add up to that one Zanpakutō of Kurosaki Ichigo's, "Zangetsu"!!!
What really made Nnoitra want to cough blood was that
right now, Ichigo had only just "walked out of the newbie village" that was the World of the Living.
He was only raiding his very first dungeon.
And just with Shikai, he had already fought Zaraki Kenpachi to a standstill!
That, more than anything, highlighted how useless and pathetic Nnoitra and the other Espada below him looked.
That was the real source of his shame!!!
"Even Zaraki Kenpachi got beaten like that. Among the remaining captains, how many are actually qualified to be Kurosaki Ichigo's opponent now?"
Grimmjow frowned seriously as he thought it through.
Setting the Head Captain aside—
He really didn't think catching a single human intruder
was something that required the old man himself to step in. That would be completely beneath him.
So then…
The ones with the best chance
should be the captains who'd already shown up on the ranking earlier!
Kuchiki Byakuya?
Kyoraku Shunsui?
Or Hitsugaya Tōshirō?
"Thing is…"
"Unlike Zaraki Kenpachi, those guys' Zanpakutō aren't stuck on just regular slashes, with 'Nozarashi' never having awakened."
"They can all use Bankai!!!"
A glint of wariness flashed in Grimmjow's eyes.
After watching the earlier videos, even if he couldn't stand those captains,
he still had to admit—
Senbonzakura. Hyōrinmaru. Katen Kyōkotsu.
The ultimate ceiling of those three Zanpakutō, once fully unleashed, was terrifyingly high.
So if it was one of them standing in Ichigo's way instead…
Back at that point in time, their chances of victory should've been a lot better!!!
Very soon,
before his words had even fully sunk in,
the translucent screen flickered.
The video brightened again, drawing the Arrancar's gazes back.
A brand-new segment
continued to play—
Under a clear blue sky,
as the camera panned downward,
the first thing everyone saw was a long suspension bridge
stretching between two sheer cliffs.
The scene didn't change location at all—
still within the Seireitei.
Just that the vantage point was now even closer to the final destination.
They were already very near the place where Rukia Kuchiki was imprisoned!!!
"This spot…"
"This is near the Repentance Cell!!!"
In First Division, Kyoraku Shunsui was the first to recognize it.
He blinked in surprise. "Don't tell me… in the future, this is where Rukia ends up being held?"
The Repentance Cell,
a towering white structure rising from the center of the Seireitei.
It was a famous high-security prison,
used specifically to confine those whom Central 46 had sentenced for grave crimes.
Unlike the ordinary, traditional wooden buildings that made up the various division barracks,
the Repentance Cell was built entirely from Sekkiseki—"killing stone".
It was one of the most secure detention facilities in all of Soul Society!!!
"They wouldn't…"
"Just let Kurosaki Ichigo charge all the way here, would they?"
The Head Captain's brows knit, his displeasure obvious.
It wasn't that he bore any particular hostility toward Ichigo.
But.
For a human,
without any backup,
to barge into the very heartland of the Seireitei so easily—
It was disgraceful.
Especially with this inventory video being broadcast live to the entire world.
It made the Gotei 13 look like they folded at the slightest touch, yet again!!!
However…
The Head Captain's grumbling barely finished when
the camera shifted and zoomed toward one end of the bridge.
Ichigo's figure entered the frame.
Compared to before, his body was wrapped in numerous bandages, still stained from stopping the bleeding.
Clearly,
he hadn't fully recovered from his brutal fight with Zaraki Kenpachi yet.
Opposite him,
Kuchiki Byakuya stood tall, gripping his Zanpakutō with one hand as he faced Ichigo.
"So his next opponent is me, huh?"
On his handsome face, Byakuya's eyes gleamed.
He was surprised, yet it was exactly what he'd expected.
After all,
at this point in time,
he was the one who had defeated Kurosaki Ichigo.
With the boy now having invaded the Seireitei again,
seeking revenge was only natural.
Not to mention—
He was also Rukia's older brother.
There was absolutely no way he could wash his hands of this whole incident!
"Tch…"
"Kuchiki Byakuya…"
Off to the side, Zaraki Kenpachi bared his teeth, deliberately goading him.
"Since we've both been on the list, when you fight Kurosaki Ichigo…"
"You'd better pray your performance doesn't end up even worse than mine!"
To Kenpachi, his "loss" to Ichigo
didn't really count.
The outcome of that fight had only gone that way because of hacks.
You could say that even in defeat,
it was a loss that still left him proud!!!
But if Byakuya lost here,
that would be a true humiliation—
getting his face stomped in right in front of everyone!
At that moment,
on the screen,
the brief standoff came to an end.
"Rumble——!!!"
Byakuya unleashed his spiritual pressure.
The suspension bridge beneath their feet shuddered violently.
Clearly,
he still carried the same mindset as before.
Looking down on Kurosaki Ichigo,
trying to crush him with sheer pressure.
Naturally,
it didn't work.
Ichigo swung his sword and moved to meet his flash steps head-on,
calmly reading and countering Byakuya's Shunpo.
He even managed to force Byakuya back at one point!
That alone
thoroughly enraged him.
Just as Byakuya drew his blade upright, ready to release his Zanpakutō—
Zangetsu's path was suddenly wrapped up by a binding cloth from above.
Yoruichi's figure dropped from the sky,
the cloth twining around the blade and abruptly interrupting the release!
The moment she intervened,
the entire Seireitei erupted into an uproar.
"What the…?"
"Shihōin Yoruichi?!"
"So it really was her, the one secretly protecting Kurosaki Ichigo this whole time!"
"No wonder he could get this close to the Repentance Cell so easily!!!"
The one whose expression changed the most, unsurprisingly,
was Soi Fon, whose feelings for Yoruichi bordered on obsession.
Up to now,
she'd been relatively calm,
watching this entire invasion like an outsider,
not letting much show on her face.
But the instant Yoruichi appeared, everything changed.
She reacted like she'd been shocked,
snorting in tsundere anger.
Back then, Yoruichi had stormed off,
abandoning everything and defecting without a word.
And now, she was showing up as Kurosaki Ichigo's ally.
It really was the most infuriating kind of woman!!!
Behind her,
Ōmaeda's eyes bulged.
"T-two-on-one? If that's how it is, I don't know if Captain Kuchiki can win!!!"
However…
What came next
went against everyone's expectations.
Even in the present, back in the Human World,
Yoruichi herself was stunned speechless.
"Ichigo…"
Just as he felt his confidence swell at Yoruichi's arrival,
both hands gripping his sword as he prepared to launch another charge—
The last thing he expected
was for Yoruichi to suddenly spin around,
drive her elbow straight into his abdomen,
and sink it deep into his gut.
The blow carried a drug with a numbing effect.
It flooded into his organs,
sending Ichigo tumbling into unconsciousness.
Once she'd finished,
Yoruichi lowered her shoulders and hefted him up onto her back.
Then, in a clash of Shunpo,
she toyed with Byakuya for a moment and calmly withdrew from the scene.
Just before her figure vanished, though,
she looked back over her shoulder,
staring down at the "camera".
With utter confidence, she issued a challenge:
"Kuchiki Byakuya…"
"Just give me three days."
"In three days, I'll make sure Ichigo beats you!!!"
That declaration
instantly detonated the watching world!!!
——
"Three days, huh?"
In Urahara's store,
the present-day Yoruichi heard her own words from the video.
A smile touched her lips.
She knew exactly what that line meant.
Then she tilted her head and looked over at Byakuya,
a mischievous sparkle flickering in her golden eyes.
"Kisuke… you get what I'm implying, right?"
"Hehehe…"
Urahara lowered the brim of his hat,
arching a brow with a playful grin.
"Yoruichi-san, what do you think? Three-day instant Bankai… that was my personal achievement, you know."
"I just didn't expect that you'd think of using the same method on Kurosaki Ichigo."
He was right.
Back when he'd still been a seated officer in Second Division,
in order to qualify for the open position of Twelfth Division captain—
A position made available because the previous captain had been promoted from the Kidō Corps—
Urahara had invented something called
the Tenshintai.
By forcibly extracting the true form of his Zanpakutō, Benihime,
and manifesting it outside the blade,
he had managed, within just three days,
to subdue his Zanpakutō, earn its recognition, and attain Bankai.
But…
That had been more than a century ago.
If not for the video exposing it,
even someone as brilliant as Urahara
might not have remembered this little "trick" right away.
"Huh?"
"Mastering Bankai in three days?"
"Think Ichigo can really pull that off?"
Isshin Kurosaki couldn't help blurting out, shaken.
Even with Urahara standing right next to him as a living example,
the situation wasn't quite the same.
Before that,
Urahara had already been a veteran Shinigami,
serving as a third seat in Second Division for years,
with enormous training and experience under his belt.
Ichigo, on the other hand—
He'd only jumped into the Shinigami life halfway through.
He'd only just recently recovered his powers.
If you looked at the overall time span,
and then he really did manage to master Bankai in three days…
Then his talent
would undeniably surpass even Urahara's!
In fact, across all of Soul Society,
throughout the entire history of the Gotei 13—
There had never been anyone
who could compare to Kurosaki Ichigo in raw talent.
Not even Gin Ichimaru or Hitsugaya Tōshirō,
the pair so often praised as the greatest prodigies of the last few centuries.
Compared to this,
their gifts would be overshadowed.
In front of a true protagonist,
they were nothing but supporting cast!!!
Meanwhile,
back in First Division,
the mood had turned… complicated.
"What?"
"Three days?!"
"In my impression, Shihōin Yoruichi isn't the type to run her mouth. There's no reason for her to suddenly boast like that…"
"Could it be… she really does have a way to make Kurosaki Ichigo dramatically stronger in such a short time?"
Ukitake Jūshirō frowned.
His first reaction
was that it all sounded absurd.
Ichigo was a rookie.
From becoming a Shinigami,
to fighting Zaraki Kenpachi on even footing,
and now, in just three days, he was supposed to completely overpower Kuchiki Byakuya?
Just hearing it sounded insane.
Even a rocket's climb might not be that fast,
and yet Ichigo's growth was somehow supposed to leave even that in the dust.
"Another hack?"
"Is this all because of 'Zangetsu', that broken-overpowered Zanpakutō—don't tell me it can just… teach you Bankai too?"
Hitsugaya Tōshirō knitted his brows,
a trace of shock in his turquoise eyes.
He'd been spoiled since childhood,
and he really had attained Bankai unusually early.
But.
Just three days?
Under those conditions, even he believed it was absolutely impossible.
From a Shinigami's point of view,
three days was nothing but the blink of an eye.
How could anyone, without years of groundwork,
simply speed-run Bankai that easily?!
——
At the same time,
the video continued to play:
The scene shifted,
pulling away from the Gotei 13's barracks
to a cliff-side out on the outskirts of the Seireitei—
A secret training ground no one knew about.
"Ichigo, listen up…"
"From Shikai to Bankai—even the most gifted people normally need at least ten years of training."
"But starting now… I have to make you learn it in three days!!!"
Yoruichi crossed her arms as she spoke.
Then she reached behind herself
and produced the key tool—the Tenshintai.
"?!"
"What's that…?"
"Is that another one of Urahara Kisuke's inventions?"
"No. I just happened to test it a few extra times, that's all."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi squinted at the screen,
a faint sense of déjà vu rising as he stared at the object.
He immediately concluded
that it was definitely Urahara's handiwork—
an assist item helping Kurosaki Ichigo.
"Three days?"
"That's ridiculous…"
Kenpachi turned his head slightly,
glancing at the Zanpakutō resting on his shoulder.
Half-skeptical, half-resentful, he snorted.
"To this day, my 'Nozarashi' still hasn't truly awakened!"
"If there really is a shortcut like that… I damn well want to learn it too!!!"
Even the Head Captain and the others
couldn't hide their astonishment.
They were stunned that
Kurosaki Ichigo was essentially about to become famous overnight—
In one stroke, skipping three whole tiers.
In the blink of an eye,
he would go from ordinary human,
to Shinigami,
to someone who had mastered Bankai and reached captain-class strength.
One day of training
was worth ten years for anyone else!!!
The rate of growth was so outrageous
that even the Head Captain almost felt a stab of envy.
After that,
the video sped up, skimming over the process of training.
In truth, the method looked simple:
Zangetsu's human form was forced to completely manifest.
He simply told Ichigo,
"Ichigo… you have three days. Unless you defeat me, I won't acknowledge you."
The words sounded harsh,
but to most of the audience,
they looked more like gentle hints.
Almost as if he were telling Ichigo to just hang in there for three days—
and the "unlock Bankai now" function would automatically activate!
"Nice…"
"The Hollow inside him just finished being his sparring partner, and now it's a one-on-one with Yhwach's fragment, day and night nonstop!"
"Two god-tier training dummies—this is what you call protagonist treatment!!!"
Behind Kenpachi,
Ikkaku Madarame's eyes shone with pure envy.
When he'd trained for Bankai himself,
even with decades, a century of foundation,
he'd still had to work himself half to death
just to barely touch the threshold.
Even now,
his own Bankai wasn't really that mature yet.
And yet here,
barely two days had gone by—
Not even the full three Yoruichi had promised!
You could truly call it rocketing to the top in a single leap.
Was Ichigo's power
actually going to soar all the way to captain-class in just those two days?
In other words—
Kurosaki Ichigo mastering Bankai
was pretty much a done deal.
Because of that,
everyone's idea of what the word "genius" meant
had been completely rewritten.
Hueco Mundo's Gin Ichimaru, Hitsugaya Tōshirō…
They weren't it.
The true genius was Kurosaki Ichigo.
There was only one.
The protagonist…!!!
Kurosaki Ichigo!!!
(End of Chapter)
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