Yamamoto and Shihōin Chika both had a hint of shock in their eyes. They hadn't expected Yamabuki's talent to be so high; he had completely learned the Kido just by watching it once!
This was Hadō #88, released directly without incantation. Shihōin Chika admitted he didn't have that level of skill. Of course, his main focus wasn't Kido; he primarily practiced Hakuda and rarely even used his Zanpakuto.
Chōjirō Sasakibe was even more astonished by the scene before him. Was this the Gotei 13? Were these Shinigami? Could he also reach this level in the future?
"Hmm, not bad, just barely acceptable. It's far worse than when I started. Keep practicing slowly," Yamamoto said, neither too lightly nor too heavily. He mainly feared that Yamabuki would become arrogant, so he kept all his praise to himself.
Yamabuki sighed. He had originally wanted Chōjirō Sasakibe to learn something too, but this Old Man immediately started with something so advanced. What could this kid possibly learn?
"Captain Shihōin, please get this kid a Zanpakuto. I want to teach him some basic swordsmanship," Yamabuki said.
"That's easy," Shihōin Chika said with a smile.
In the Shinigami world's setting, nobles naturally have much higher spiritual pressure than commoners from Rukongai, with the exception of a few geniuses, such as Zaraki Kenpachi and Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who are rare prodigies seen only once in a millennium.
Most noble children possess the spiritual pressure of ordinary Gotei 13 members, while commoners have to go through multiple layers of selection to enter the Gotei 13.
Because of this, a thousand years ago, almost all Zanpakuto were controlled by nobles until the establishment of the Gotei 13 broke this monopoly.
Shihōin Chika quickly sent someone to retrieve a Zanpakuto. Chōjirō Sasakibe was very excited to hold a real sword for the first time.
Yamabuki possessed the 'Swordsmanship Mastery' skill. He wouldn't claim his swordsmanship was top-tier in this world, but teaching a child was no problem.
Yamabuki also explained some knowledge about Zanpakuto, such as Shikai, Bankai, and Kido, giving him a general understanding of the system.
Shinigami combat methods are divided into Four Basic Combat Styles: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, Kidō.
Most Shinigami are already very powerful if they master one or two and hone them to their peak.
Aizen, who is an all-rounder, is the only one in a thousand years.
"Swinging a sword is the simplest and most direct attack. One morning, one thousand swings. If you slack off, you won't have lunch. Go for it, young man!" After teaching Chōjirō Sasakibe the simplest sword swing, Yamabuki went to look for books on Kido.
Yamamoto watched for a while and shook his head slightly.
This child named Chōjirō Sasakibe's talent was insufficient, far too inferior to Yamabuki's. He sighed and then left.
But when it was time for lunch, Yamamoto passed by and found Chōjirō Sasakibe still swinging his sword. By then, Chōjirō Sasakibe was drenched in sweat, and his arms were almost too tired to lift.
"Hmm... Although his talent is mediocre, his perseverance is commendable. If carefully sculpted, he could barely reach a middle-tier level." Yamamoto used Shunpo to appear before the boy and gently grasped Chōjirō Sasakibe's sword.
"You're swinging your sword incorrectly," Yamamoto said in a deep voice. "There's no target in your eyes; you're just swinging a piece of iron. Even if you practice for another thousand years like this, it will be useless."
"Captain-Commander..." Chōjirō Sasakibe was very afraid of Yamamoto.
"Look forward," Yamamoto said. "What's there?"
Chōjirō Sasakibe looked forward, but there was nothing but bare ground!
"There's a Hollow there, the Hollow that captured your sister. You once had no power to protect your sister, but now you have a sword in your hand. Do you want to watch your loved ones get hurt again? If not, swing your sword and cut it down! Use all your strength, drain all your spiritual pressure! Slay the enemy! Go!" Yamamoto roared.
Amidst Yamamoto's roar, Chōjirō Sasakibe seemed to really see the Hollow that had taken his sister appear. Tension, fear, worry, anxiety—all sorts of emotions surged within him. Finally, he used every ounce of strength in his body, desperately slashing his sword at that Hollow!
The Hollow vanished like an illusion.
And in that instant, he felt a surge of power within him, nourishing his entire body.
"Hmm, not bad." Yamamoto nodded in satisfaction. In that instant, Chōjirō Sasakibe's spiritual pressure increased slightly. It seemed this kid wasn't purely uncarvable timber.
There was still a little bit of malleability.
"Go eat! For the thousand swings this afternoon, practice like this. If you don't finish, no dinner," Yamamoto said.
"Yes, Captain-Commander!" Chōjirō Sasakibe said joyfully. Although he was young, he wasn't stupid at all. How could he not have seen that the Captain-Commander didn't like him before?
And now, the Captain-Commander finally acknowledged his status as a Gotei 13 member.
Yamabuki was lying on a beam not far away, watching. "Old Man, you're really good at teaching disciples! Why don't you open an academy and take in more disciples? That way, we could expand our Gotei 13 and also spread our name."
Yamamoto pondered for a moment, thinking it was a good idea, but they currently had no money, no people, and no territory. They couldn't always rely on the Shihōin family.
"I'll consider that. Didn't you say you were going to research Kido? Have you been slacking off here all morning?" Yamamoto stared at Yamabuki.
"That... I was... I... Goodbye!" Yamabuki immediately used Shunpo to escape. What do you do when you're caught slacking off at work?
Yamamoto laughed and cursed.
The construction of the Gotei 13 was a long and arduous task.
How could they build an academy without money?
Yamamoto was worrying when he saw Yamabuki return.
"What are you doing back, kid?"
"Captain, don't be angry. As your Vice-Captain, of course, I must help you with your worries. I have a way to get money, and it's a legitimate way to take money from the nobles," Yamabuki said.
It was well known that most of the resources in Soul Society were controlled by the nobles. It wouldn't be easy to extract money from them.
They couldn't just steal it openly. Yamamoto couldn't think of a good solution for a while.
But this kid said he had a way to make the nobles hand over their money willingly.
"Tell me in detail!" Yamamoto asked.
"Captain, as the saying goes, sincerity is fleeting, only schemes win hearts. To make them hand over their money willingly, we must play schemes with them," Yamabuki said.
"Schemes?" Yamamoto was even more confused.
The Old Man was not good at this, so he could only listen carefully to what Yamabuki had to say.
"Captain, lean in, this is how to do it..."
....
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