[send power stones please]
"What?!"
"Bai Chen… are you serious?"
"A Kidō spar—and you want to challenge both of us at the same time?!"
For a brief moment, Shiba Isshin honestly thought he'd misheard.
But when he saw Bai Chen nod calmly, his expression froze.
If Bai Chen had simply felt that step-by-step Kidō demonstrations were a waste of time, Isshin could have understood.
After all, in Soul Society, any genius with even a little fame tended to have their own quirks and temperament.
And Bai Chen was no ordinary genius—he was widely acknowledged as the most talented prodigy in history.
But—
To declare that he intended to face two Captain-class Shinigami at once in a Kidō spar?
That crossed the line.
This wasn't just bold.
It wasn't even arrogance.
From Isshin's perspective, this was outright disrespect.
A newcomer.
One versus two.
Opponents: two Captains.
No matter how you framed it, that was absurd.
Isshin felt both annoyed and amused at the same time.
He looked at Bai Chen again, helplessness written all over his face.
Seriously…
I was just defending you, telling Rangiku not to push too hard—
and now you're the one looking down on us?
"Bai Chen," Isshin said, exhaling slowly.
"I'll be honest. That was offensive."
"But strangely enough…"
He tugged his Captain's haori, his demeanor shifting completely.
"I actually admire your courage."
With a light hop, Isshin landed beside Matsumoto Rangiku, his casual laziness gone—replaced by a seriousness she rarely saw.
"He's really annoyed now," Rangiku muttered with a faint smile.
To provoke a man who was famous for slacking off into this level of focus—
Bai Chen's words had clearly crossed a line.
Fine.
If Bai Chen wanted a lesson so badly, they'd give him one—thoroughly.
Before he grew complacent from his overwhelming talent.
However—
Both Isshin and Rangiku were mistaken.
Bai Chen wasn't being reckless or prideful.
From his perspective, there was only one truth:
The fastest way to raise proficiency was real combat.
And in real combat—
The stronger the opponent,
The more enemies faced at once,
The greater the growth afterward.
Bai Chen's eyes flickered with a trace of mischief.
Then, right in front of Isshin and Rangiku, he reached for the Zanpakutō at his waist.
"…?"
Both Captains frowned simultaneously.
What is he doing?
Wasn't this supposed to be a Kidō spar?
Why was he drawing his blade?
"Captain Shiba. Vice-Vice-Captain Matsumoto."
Bai Chen spoke calmly as he drew the sword and held it upright before him.
"I think you've misunderstood."
"What do you mean?" Isshin asked, unease rising in his chest.
His instincts were screaming.
Whatever Bai Chen was about to do—
It would shatter his common sense.
"You'll see in a moment."
Bai Chen smiled faintly and began pouring reiatsu into his Zanpakutō.
Not to release it—
But to invoke its power.
This was the prelude to a Wood-Style technique.
Not only Kidō.
Bai Chen had no intention of limiting this spar to a single system.
The next instant—
BOOM隆——!!
Without any visible movement, the abyssal reiatsu within Bai Chen erupted.
Emerald light flooded the area, brilliant and overwhelming.
"Ggh—!!"
Even though both Isshin and Rangiku had braced themselves in advance—coating their bodies in reiatsu to resist—
The moment the Zanpakutō Wood Dragon's reiatsu crashed into them head-on, both let out muffled groans.
Their vision was swallowed by endless green light, forcing them to shut their eyes.
Then they heard Bai Chen's voice ring out:
"Wood Clone."
The instant those words fell—
Both Captains sensed something deeply wrong.
Within the crushing reiatsu storm, the pressure suddenly split.
One stream became two.
Two became three.
Then four.
Then five.
Isshin's reiatsu perception went completely haywire.
He distinctly sensed—
Five identical reiatsu signatures.
"…What the hell?"
"Did my perception just malfunction?"
"There's no way Bai Chen suddenly multiplied himself."
Driven by disbelief, Isshin forced his eyes open despite the burning glare.
And what he saw made his scalp go numb.
"…No way."
"One… two… three… four… five…"
"I'm not hallucinating."
"There are five Bai Chens."
Isshin was stunned beyond words.
Standing before him were five identical figures, identical in appearance, posture, and presence.
And that wasn't even the most horrifying part.
Each one carried nearly identical reiatsu.
Whether by sight or by spiritual perception—
There was no way to tell which was real.
Or perhaps—
Every single one of them was Bai Chen.
"You don't need to panic, Captain Shiba."
Bai Chen's lips curved upward as he observed Isshin's expression.
Perfect.
This was exactly the reaction he'd expected—the classic worldview collapse that followed one's first encounter with Wood Clones.
"These are clones formed through my Zanpakutō's power, condensed entirely from reiatsu."
"They have no independent will. No thoughts of their own."
"I control all of them simultaneously through intent."
Isshin and Rangiku stood there, completely speechless.
Five bodies.
One will.
That meant—
Five Bai Chens fighting at once.
That wasn't absurd anymore.
That was terrifying.
"So now you understand, right?"
At Bai Chen's command, the four clones stepped forward.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished—
And reappeared beside the two Captains.
Two clones surrounded Isshin.
Two more flanked Rangiku.
Bai Chen's voice echoed calmly through the clearing:
"I'm not the one fighting two of you."
"It's the two of you…"
"…who are each fighting two of me."
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto