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Squad 1.
In the courtyard directly facing the eaves of the tea room, spring water flowed gently into a rock pool, producing a crisp, clear sound. Cherry blossom petals drifted down onto the smooth stones resting upon the white sand.
The elderly man held his teacup, quietly gazing at the distant scenery, soaking in the Zen-like tranquility.
It was pleasant and beautiful.
A rare moment of holiday leisure.
Ever since the Tsunayashiro family incident, he had been swamped with various matters. He hadn't been this relaxed in a long time.
If his rebellious disciple hadn't recruited a new Captain for the Gotei 13, he likely wouldn't have had such a moment of leisure.
Speaking of which, although that kid was a bit mischievous, a bit insubordinate, a bit reckless, and a bit lawless...
...he was quite good in other aspects.
His occasional bursts of filial piety could even help an elder over a thousand years old like himself relax considerably.
Besides, compared to his other ignorant, lazy disciples, the kid's performance was already outstanding.
It seemed he had finally learned to be considerate of his elders' hardships, understanding the difficulty of guarding the massive Seireitei, and no longer causing trouble like he used to.
Such long-awaited peace.
Yamamoto took a sip of hot tea, calmly gazing into the distance. Even the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out.
Then, at the very edge of his vision—
A massive mushroom cloud composed of explosive flames and thick smoke soared into the sky!
Yamamoto's expression instantly froze, his entire body turning to stone.
What happened?!
Did the Wandenreich Quincy invade again?
Or had the remnants of the Tsunayashiro family made a comeback?
Or perhaps a horde of Hollows from Hueco Mundo had torn open a passage between the two worlds?
When he realized the explosion originated from Shino Prison, Yamamoto fell completely silent.
Without overthinking it, acting almost entirely on instinct...
...he drew Ryūjin Jakka from beneath the hearth and marched toward the rising mushroom cloud without looking back.
Although they were protected by a Kidō barrier, the intensity of that final strike clearly exceeded the barrier's upper limits. As a result, after a certain someone took the brunt of the impact head-on...
...the shockwaves ravaged the surroundings, instantly crushing the entire dojo into ruins and sending dust billowing into the sky.
"Cough, cough. Lord Naraku, if you're still alive, make a sound!"
The three observers standing on the sidelines bore the brunt of the blast. Urahara Kisuke was the unluckiest of the bunch, taking a face full of scorching heat.
If he hadn't sensed the danger and cast a defensive Bakudō in advance, he likely would have ended up severely injured from being caught off guard.
When the dust finally settled, a massive, magma-like crater was revealed, constantly radiating scorching light and heat.
The moisture in the air rapidly evaporated.
A charred figure was half-buried in the dirt. There was hardly a single intact patch of skin left on his body, making him look as though he had been repeatedly dunked into a pool of molten lava.
It was an unprecedentedly gruesome sight.
It was a direct hit.
Normally, if an ordinary Soul Reaper sustained such horrific injuries, they would have already returned to the earth of Soul Society, re-entering the underlying mechanism of the Reishi cycle.
However, the figure pressing his hands against the ground, struggling to pull himself out of the dirt, didn't look like he was about to die at all. At most, his Reiatsu had just plummeted to an extreme low.
Seeing this, Urahara Kisuke looked visibly disappointed.
He had hoped this would finally free him from a certain someone's demonic clutches, but alas, it was nothing more than a pipe dream.
"Ultimately, she's just a mount."
Naraku Sora shook the dirt off his body, stubbornly running his mouth despite his pale face.
'I almost died.'
'Facing a slash that encompassed my entire field of vision, dodging was impossible. I had no choice but to take it head-on.'
'When I felt the aura of death closing in, I didn't hesitate. I instantly triggered my Hollowfication, elevating the durability of my spiritual body to the next level.'
'Even with three layers of buffs stacked, I was still almost obliterated.'
"Kisuke, Mayuri."
Feeling his internal spiritual power steadily recovering and his outer layer of Hierro rapidly regenerating, Naraku Sora waved at the two men who were still captivated by the magnificent spectacle.
"Hurry up and clean this mess up as fast as you can."
"If the wrong person sees this, we'll be in massive trouble."
However, before Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri could make a move, a low, spine-chilling voice suddenly rang out from behind him the moment he finished speaking.
"The 'wrong person' you mentioned wouldn't happen to be me, would it?"
Naraku Sora's expression instantly stiffened. Like a rusty machine in desperate need of oil, he slowly, creakingly turned his head.
A darkened, elderly face filled his vision. It was like a jump scare straight out of a horror movie, instantly making his scalp go numb.
"Teacher, let me explain!"
Yamamoto didn't say a word. He simply hoisted his rebellious disciple up by the collar and marched toward the Squad 1 barracks.
"You can't do this to me!"
"Wait! I've bled for Soul Society! I've sweat for the Seireitei...!"
Under Urahara Kisuke's gratified gaze, the esteemed Lord Naraku finally faced his long-overdue retribution.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri stretched his mouth into a wide, sinister grin that reached from ear to ear.
He didn't care what the others thought; as far as he was concerned, this Tenshintai test had been incredibly rewarding.
Not only had he witnessed something extraordinary, but he had also collected a wealth of useful data. He had even managed to complete the preliminary groundwork for remodeling the barracks.
It was an absolute win-win-win situation.
Aizen, meanwhile, watched Naraku Sora being dragged away with a thoughtful expression.
'If I remember correctly, wasn't his Reiatsu only at the third-class level just a short while ago?'
'How did he reach the second-class level in the blink of an eye?'
'At this rate, it won't be long before he catches up to me.'
An inexplicable sense of urgency welled up within Aizen.
He could already picture that shameless guy flaunting his power in front of him.
'No. I need to put those trivial research experiments on hold for now.'
"Absolute nonsense!"
Yamamoto's deafening roar nearly blew the roof off the building.
The squad members passing by the barracks were already used to this. Ever since the Head Captain had taken the boy in as his disciple, similar scenes played out every few days.
"Making such a massive commotion right inside the Seireitei... just what exactly are you trying to do, boy?!"
"It was just a minor, unexpected miscalculation."
Yamamoto shot him a fierce glare.
He had thought this brat was finally willing to settle down, but the moment he took his eyes off him, he went and caused a massive explosion.
It was fortunate that it happened at the Shino Prison barracks, which were usually sparsely populated.
Had it been any other Squad's barracks, at least a dozen or two Soul Reapers would have been caught in the blast.
"Out with it."
Yamamoto suppressed his anger and demanded in a deep voice, "What shady thing have you cooked up behind my back this time?"
Naraku Sora remained silent. '...'
'This old man is always so prejudiced against me. He's constantly looking at me through tinted glasses.'
"I was advancing the cause of science."
Yamamoto's eye twitched. Veins bulged on his forehead, and he was a hair's breadth away from shouting at him again.
But then he paused, suddenly realizing that the boy actually had been contributing to scientific development.
From proposing the renovation of the Maggot's Nest, to scouting out talent, and eventually establishing multiple exclusive laboratories within the Shino Prison.
Furthermore, they had recently developed actual, usable products.
For instance, communication devices with built-in, miniaturized Tenteikūra arrays. These allowed Soul Reapers who hadn't mastered high-level Bakudō to communicate across different regions.
It had drastically improved the efficiency of intelligence transmission.
There were also simplified, budget-friendly Kidō recovery rooms, which allowed Soul Reapers with weaker Reiatsu to rapidly replenish the mental energy they expended while practicing Kidō.
To a certain extent, it had revolutionized the training methods for lower-ranking Soul Reapers.
In turn, this indirectly elevated the overall strength of the Seireitei.
As strict as Yamamoto was, even he had to admit that the boy had genuinely advanced Soul Society's scientific endeavors and benefited countless people.
"Your intentions are commendable, but do not put the cart before the horse."
The fiery anger in Yamamoto's eyes faded significantly, and his tone softened.
"As a Soul Reaper, personal power must always come first. Absolute strength is indispensable for maintaining order."
"Your talent and potential are clear for all to see. Therefore, you should be focusing the bulk of your energy on your training."
"Strive to surpass me as soon as possible, so that you may become a true pillar of Soul Society."
Naraku Sora twitched his mouth.
He hadn't expected Yamamoto to hold such high expectations for him.
"Now, tell me. What specific research triggered an explosion of that magnitude?"
After his brief lecture, Yamamoto forcefully steered the conversation back on track.
"I clearly detected your Reiatsu within those flames."
Naraku Sora pondered for a few seconds before answering honestly.
"It's an epoch-making device called the Tenshintai."
"It allows a Soul Reaper to bypass the process of [Materialization] and fast-forward directly to the [Subjugation] stage."
"By defeating your Zanpakutō spirit after forcibly summoning it into the real world, you can achieve Bankai."
Hearing this, Yamamoto immediately narrowed his eyes.
As a Soul Reaper who had lived for thousands of years, his breadth of knowledge was vast.
Although he didn't dabble much in the sciences, he could instantly deduce the inherent flaws of this Tenshintai.
The prerequisite for forcibly materializing a Zanpakutō was not only having sufficient Reiatsu, but also possessing a deep foundational understanding of the blade itself.
Most importantly, this method carried a severe risk of failure.
The consequences of such a failure would be catastrophic, meaning this device was entirely unsuitable for mass distribution within Soul Society.
"I see."
Yamamoto nodded. "I understand now."
"However, judging from the current state of your Reiatsu and aura, I take it you failed to achieve Bankai?"
The smile on Naraku Sora's face stiffened.
Seeing his reaction, Yamamoto knew the answer. He shook his head.
"You were too eager for quick results. You forcibly materialized your Zanpakutō and ended up getting a thorough beating from your sword spirit."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora immediately grew defensive.
"Training... how can rigorous training be called getting a beating?!"
He then launched into a string of obscure, defensive justifications, muttering phrases like 'connecting with the Zanpakutō's heart' and 'Bankai isn't such an inflexible thing.'
In truth, it wasn't as if he had gained nothing. He was just still a ways off from fully mastering his Bankai.
In Naraku Sora's mind, the moment he could completely withstand that apocalyptic slash, he would finally achieve Bankai.
All he could say was that the future looked promising.
Yamamoto shot him another exasperated glare.
"Enough. The next time you use that Tenshintai, do it far away from the Seireitei."
"Those old fogies in Central 46 are on the verge of a nervous breakdown because of you!"
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