"No!"
The instant Madarame Ikkaku brazenly prepared to release Bankai in the middle of the Eleventh Division's training grounds, Ito Makoto decisively borrowed thirty percent of his reiatsu from his main body in Hueco Mundo.
In a single breath, his spiritual pressure surged violently.
Third Class Reiatsu.
Captain level.
He had no choice. The clash between Kenpachi and Ikkaku was already fierce. If he intervened without captain-class spiritual pressure, he could easily be dragged into the crossfire and injured.
"Whoosh!"
Before anyone could react, Ito Makoto vanished in Shunpo and appeared between them. One hand seized Ikkaku's arm, forcibly interrupting the Bankai release. At the same time, he drew his Zanpakutō with his right hand and blocked Kenpachi's casual one-handed slash Kenpachi still wearing his eyepatch.
The impact cracked the ground beneath Ito's feet.
Outside the field, Ayasegawa Yumichika's eyes widened. He had been about to rush forward himself, yet before he could move, Ito Makoto had already stopped Ikkaku.
"Has Little Ito grown to this extent?"
It was astonishing. A newcomer of barely three years who had entered the Eleventh Division directly as Fourth Seat was now releasing captain-level reiatsu.
Yumichika had missed the earlier clash between Ito and Kenpachi due to accompanying Ikkaku in training. Seeing this power firsthand left him genuinely shocked.
On the field, Kenpachi and Ikkaku finally focused on him.
"Ito, you're back?"
They spoke in unison.
Ito Makoto's expression darkened immediately. It was obvious the two had been so immersed in battle that they hadn't even noticed him standing nearby earlier.
"Ikkaku-senpai. Captain. When you fight, could you at least remain aware of your surroundings?"
"Were you really planning to release Bankai so openly inside the division compound?"
He looked at Ikkaku helplessly before turning toward Kenpachi.
"And Captain, are you planning to demolish the training grounds again? If you are, next time you'll personally go to Chōjirō Sasakibe to request repair funds."
Ikkaku scratched his head repeatedly.
"Sorry, sorry, Little Ito. That was my oversight."
"Tch."
Kenpachi merely scoffed and turned his head away, unconcerned.
"Sigh…"
Ito Makoto reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pull-tab canister. It was a barrier capsule purchased from Akon of the Twelfth Division's Research and Development Institute.
Once activated, it generated a simple enclosed barrier. From the outside, it could be broken with a light touch. From within, even a captain-class combatant would need considerable effort to shatter it. Its duration, however, was limited to fifteen minutes.
He flicked the capsule into the center of the field.
A pale blue dome expanded instantly, sealing the entire training ground.
"You can fight now. Fifteen minutes. Try not to break it."
"And remember the cost of this capsule is coming out of division funds."
He understood Kenpachi too well. If they weren't allowed to finish this today, they would simply cause a bigger mess later. The barrier served two purposes: prevent structural destruction, and more importantly, suppress the outward leakage of reiatsu.
If Ikkaku revealed Bankai openly and the fluctuations spread across Seireitei, word would reach the higher ranks immediately.
Ikkaku had always wished to remain under Kenpachi to die gloriously in battle beside him.
Revealing Bankai prematurely would ruin that.
"Yo, you little brat. Thought this through nicely."
Kenpachi grinned.
Ikkaku laughed as well.
Ito Makoto stepped back to the edge of the barrier.
Outside the dome, Yumichika and Yachiru stared at the sealed battleground.
"Sigh. Little Ito is so sneaky. Now we can't even see properly," Yumichika muttered.
…
At the center of the field, Ikkaku reassembled the broken Hōzukimaru.
A violent, invisible hurricane burst from the cracks.
"Bankai Ryūmon Hōzukimaru!"
His reiatsu exploded upward.
From vice-captain class… rising steadily… climbing to elite vice-captain… and still rising.
Finally, it pressed against the threshold of Third Class Reiatsu before stabilizing.
The storm subsided.
Ikkaku stood revealed, wielding two massive axe-blades one in each hand while an even larger crescent blade rested behind him. A dragon-shaped groove was carved into the central blade. Heavy chains linked the three weapons together, crimson tassels fluttering at the joints.
"Damn… that's cool."
Even though Ito Makoto had seen Ryūmon Hōzukimaru countless times in his previous life, witnessing it in person was far more impactful.
Yes, it was known as the weakest Bankai.
But aesthetically?
Unquestionably impressive.
He observed carefully.
"How could such a visually dominant Bankai be considered weak? Is it incomplete… like Renji's original Bankai before learning its true name?"
The thought felt plausible.
Renji had once trained under Ikkaku in the Eleventh Division. If Ikkaku's own path to Bankai comprehension was flawed, it was entirely possible he had unknowingly passed on that flawed understanding.
Only after Renji trained in the Soul King Palace during the Thousand-Year Blood War did he learn Sōō Zabimaru's true name and correct form.
"Heh! This is my Bankai. What do you think, Captain? Little Ito?"
Ikkaku grinned broadly.
"Tch. Too flashy," Kenpachi said dismissively.
Ito Makoto widened his eyes in exaggerated admiration.
"So this is Ikkaku-senpai's Bankai? Incredible!"
As a junior, when a senior sought validation, one provided it generously.
Ikkaku's laughter rang louder.
"Captain, underestimate me and you'll regret it!"
He lowered the twin axes and gripped the central blade, beginning to spin it rapidly. The chains whirled with metallic shrieks.
Kenpachi leaned casually on his sword, bored, even picking at his ear.
"What's the hold-up? Is that Bankai of yours ready yet?"
As Ryūmon Hōzukimaru spun faster, red reiatsu began flowing into the dragon crest carved into the central blade.
Gradually, the groove filled.
With each increment, Ikkaku's reiatsu climbed again.
Thirty seconds later, the dragon crest was fully saturated with crimson energy.
The moment it completed, Ikkaku's reiatsu peaked.
But Ito Makoto sensed clearly
Even at maximum charge, it merely stabilized at Third Class Reiatsu.
Still weaker than Ito Makoto currently was, even after borrowing only thirty percent of his main body's power.
"So that's the full charge output?"
He calculated silently.
At this level, Ikkaku was far weaker than the expeditionary captain his main body had devoured in Hueco Mundo.
And compared to Zaraki Kenpachi?
The gap was immeasurable.