In Karakura Town, a new kendō dojo had opened.
The dojo was located in a particularly remote area of town. Its exterior was far from luxurious, appearing plain and unremarkable compared to the larger martial arts schools scattered throughout the city.
Yet despite its modest appearance, Kurosaki Isshin personally brought his son, Kurosaki Ichigo, there to enroll.
"Father, is a dojo like this really reliable?" Ichigo asked.
Although he was still young, he already possessed a keen sense of judgment.
Looking at the humble building before him, he could not help but wonder if his father had somehow been deceived.
Isshin took Ichigo's hand and laughed.
"Don't worry. It may look simple, but it's absolutely reliable."
"The owner of this dojo is a truly exceptional swordsman."
"Don't you want to become strong enough to protect your mother?"
"Train here for a while, and you'll start to understand what it means to wield a sword to protect someone."
When Isshin mentioned Masaki, Ichigo immediately recalled the terrifying incident from not long ago.
That monstrous creature.
What exactly had it been?
And how had he and his mother escaped afterward?
By the time everything ended, he had already lost consciousness, so he knew nothing of what happened next.
But there was one thing that had never changed.
His determination to protect his mother.
Ever since that day, the desire to become stronger had taken root deep within his heart.
After hearing his son's thoughts, Isshin had decided to bring him here.
Together, they stepped into the dojo.
The interior was just as simple as the exterior.
Polished wooden floors stretched across the training hall. Standing quietly in the center was a young man dressed in traditional kendō attire.
Ichigo glanced at him curiously.
The man looked surprisingly young.
Could this really be the swordsmanship master his father had spoken of?
Unlike Ichigo, Isshin showed no hesitation.
Looking at the man, he said respectfully,
"Mr. Shigure, I'll leave Ichigo in your care."
The young man nodded calmly.
"Please rest assured, Kurosaki-san."
From that day onward, Ichigo began training at the dojo.
Every weekend, he would spend half a day there studying the fundamentals of swordsmanship.
Although the dojo itself remained plain and nearly empty, and its owner Gosuke Shigurerarely spoke of his past, Ichigo gradually discovered something remarkable.
The man was genuinely strong.
His own progress proved it.
With each passing week, Ichigo's stance became steadier, his movements sharper, and his instincts more refined.
Yet one question continued to puzzle him.
Why did they train for only half a day each week?
There were no other students.
The dojo was almost always empty.
By all logic, he should have been able to train much more often.
Naturally, Ichigo did not know the real reason.
The truth was that Gosuke Shigure did not have unlimited freedom to remain in the Human World.
As a Captain-class Shinigami of the Gotei 13 and the Ninth Kenpachi, occasional visits to the World of the Living were one thing.
Remaining there for extended periods without authorization was another matter entirely.
Originally, after resolving the crisis involving Kurosaki Masaki and Katagiri Kanae, Gosuke had planned to return permanently to Soul Society.
However, he eventually changed his mind.
The reason was simple.
Kurosaki Ichigo.
No one understood the potential hidden within the boy better than Gosuke.
In the future that Gosuke remembered, Ichigo would rise from an ordinary human to one of the most powerful beings in existence.
After obtaining Shinigami powers, he would rapidly grow beyond the level of most Captains.
Later, he would become one of the few individuals capable of challenging Sōsuke Aizenand ultimately confronting Yhwach, the progenitor of all Quincy.
His talent was extraordinary.
Ichigo possessed a lineage unlike any other.
His father, Kurosaki Isshin, was a former Captain of the Gotei 13.
His mother, Kurosaki Masaki, carried the blood of the Quincy.
Furthermore, due to Aizen's experiments involving the Hollow White, Hollow power had also become intertwined with Ichigo's existence before his birth.
Shinigami.
Quincy.
Hollow.
The three powers coexisted within a single individual.
That unique combination made Ichigo a once-in-an-age anomaly.
In the original timeline, it was Kuchiki Rukia who transferred her Shinigami powers to Ichigo, allowing him to awaken as a Substitute Shinigami.
However, Gosuke knew the truth.
Rukia's power had merely served as a catalyst.
The immense power already existed within Ichigo.
Her reiatsu simply unlocked the door.
This realization led Gosuke to an intriguing thought.
What would happen if Ichigo began receiving proper instruction long before Rukia ever appeared?
What if he learned the fundamentals of combat years in advance?
The basics of Zanjutsu.
The principles of Hakuda.
The discipline necessary to control spiritual power.
Would the future Ichigo become even stronger than the one Gosuke remembered?
The idea took root in his mind and refused to disappear.
Eventually, he approached Isshin directly.
He explained that Ichigo possessed unusual potential and proposed personally teaching the boy.
There was no attempt to conceal his observations.
Isshin listened carefully.
Had it only been Aizen, he might have hesitated.
But after the attack on Masaki, he had become painfully aware of another threat lurking in the shadows.
Yhwach.
Ichigo carried Quincy blood.
No one could predict how that bloodline might affect him in the future.
Nor could anyone guarantee that Ichigo would successfully awaken and master his latent abilities on his own.
If the boy could learn discipline and self-defense now, there was no reason to refuse.
More importantly, the person making the offer was Gosuke Shigure.
The Ninth Kenpachi.
A legendary swordsman.
The teacher who had once guided talents such as Shihōin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke.
For someone of that stature to personally instruct Ichigo was an opportunity beyond measure.
Isshin agreed without hesitation.
Thus, the dojo in Karakura Town came into existence.
For Urahara Kisuke, who had spent years living in the Human World, acquiring a remote property and renovating it into a functioning dojo was a trivial matter.
The greater challenge was allowing Gosuke to appear in the Human World without drawing attention.
To solve this problem, Urahara created a specially prepared Gigai for him.
No one in Soul Society possessed more experience with Gigai technology than Urahara.
Over the years, he had developed countless variations for different purposes.
Since Gosuke would not remain in the Human World continuously, Urahara also prepared a modified Gikongan.
Whenever Gosuke returned to Soul Society, the artificial soul would temporarily occupy the Gigai, maintaining the appearance of an ordinary dojo owner and preventing unnecessary suspicion.
Through these arrangements, Gosuke Shigure acquired a legitimate human identity, a residence, and a functioning dojo in Karakura Town.
Everything appeared perfectly normal on the surface.
As for Aizen, who had always monitored the growth of Kurosaki Ichigo from the shadows
Gosuke Shigure was not concerned in the slightest.
If Aizen noticed him, so be it.
After all, the Ninth Kenpachi had never been the type to fear being watched.
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