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"You intend to reopen the Genji School, Sir?" Chojiro asked, genuinely surprised.
The Captain-Commander shook his head. "Of course not. This old man does not have the time to take on formal disciples anymore. I merely intend to step in as a substitute instructor for a few classes, in my capacity as Headmaster."
Even though he wasn't reopening his legendary private dojo, the fact that Yamamoto was willing to personally step onto the training field spoke volumes. Chojiro hadn't expected the Captain-Commander to be this deeply intrigued.
Down on the field, the sparring session had finally concluded. Despite Yoruichi boasting a vastly superior overall movement speed, the victor of the Hakuda match was Lu Li.
"Fascinating. The little Shihouin girl didn't lose because her Hakuda technique is inferior to his," Yamamoto commented. "She lost in judgment."
"Judgment?" Chojiro asked curiously. He hadn't been analyzing the microscopic details of the rapid-fire clash.
"Combat is fundamentally a sequence of multiple-choice questions. How to dismantle your opponent's guard, how to counterattack once the guard is broken, and so on. Every single exchange is a process of making choices," Yamamoto explained. "Tell me, Chojiro. How do you make decisions in the heat of battle?"
Chojiro pondered for a moment before answering. "Actual combat is highly complex. If I were to break it down, every strike is a gamble. Personally, I rely on adapting to the immediate situation. For example, if an opponent launches a frontal slash and I judge that I cannot intercept it in time, I will retract my blade to defend. If I calculate that my blade will strike them first, I will target a vital point..."
He paused, thinking deeper. "If combat is a multiple-choice test, the options are infinite, and the opponent has just as many. A single variable shifts everything. It is nearly impossible to consciously calculate every outcome. Realistically, my decisions are made subconsciously."
"Subconsciously. Well said."
Yamamoto looked at his Lieutenant, leaving Chojiro slightly unsure if he had answered correctly.
Chojiro quickly elaborated. "To summarize, rigorous daily training is paramount. In battle, it is often muscle memory that makes the split-second decisions for me. Calling it 'subconscious' feels accurate."
"You are not entirely wrong, but you are not entirely right either," Yamamoto nodded slowly. "That is precisely why a proper Soul Reaper must train relentlessly, without a single day of complacency. Combat techniques carved into the very marrow of your bones will save your life in a deathmatch. However..."
Chojiro straightened his posture, knowing the Captain-Commander was about to drop a profound truth.
"...Chojiro, there are some monsters who do not rely on a thousand days of tempered technique or the muscle memory of endless repetition to make their choices. They rely on... pure instinct."
Yamamoto's ancient eyes narrowed to fine slits, locking onto Lu Li, who was currently wiping sweat from his brow with a towel. "Every single move he made instinctively gravitated toward the absolute optimal solution. That is why, even though the Shihouin girl completely suppressed him in speed, he still won."
"Instinct..." Chojiro rolled the word over in his mind.
It was true. In the actual fraction of a second when blades clashed, no one had the luxury of conscious, tactical thought. The only thing a warrior could truly rely on was instinct—or as he had called it, the subconscious.
He stared down at Lu Li with a heavy gaze. If this young man truly possessed the innate, monstrous instinct to flawlessly execute the optimal solution in any given scenario, didn't that mean he was functionally invincible in a matched-Reiatsu duel?
According to the Captain-Commander's philosophy, the sheer mechanical level of a combat technique and the cognitive ability to make the correct choice were two completely separate metrics.
In simple terms: if both fighters had the exact same Reiatsu, and Yoruichi's punch could obliterate ten Hollows, while Lu Li's punch could only obliterate eight, Yoruichi technically possessed a higher mastery of 'Hakuda technique'.
However, combat dictated whether a punch or a kick was necessary at any given microsecond. If Yoruichi made the wrong choice and missed, while Lu Li made the correct choice and landed his blow—even if his strike was mechanically weaker—he successfully avoided damage while critically injuring his opponent.
Under that logic, the sheer instinct to 'make the right choice' was infinitely more terrifying than raw technical mastery.
Instinct...
"Let us go. We shall return the day after tomorrow," Yamamoto declared. The class was ending, and he intended to personally "educate" this arrogant brat during the next Hakuda period.
...
"Why do I suddenly feel a chill down my spine? Did I not eat enough for lunch?" Lu Li shivered, feeling as if a terrifying apex predator had just locked its sights onto him. He scanned the training grounds, but he didn't spot anyone particularly threatening.
"Lu Li, let's go. Zanpakuto Resonance is next," Aizen called out, breaking Lu Li from his thoughts.
Having lived together for two months, the two had grown quite familiar with each other. Aizen had to admit that, outside of the realm of Reiatsu cultivation, Lu Li's talent in every single subject either rivaled or completely eclipsed his own.
But what drove Aizen absolutely crazy with "disappointment" was Lu Li's agonizingly slow progress in raising his Spiritual Pressure.
Aizen knew Lu Li had the innate talent to cultivate his Reiatsu. Yet, for the past two months, the guy had been incredibly lazy. He hadn't joined Aizen for late-night meditation even once.
It's all Captain Unohana's fault...
Aizen fundamentally could not comprehend Lu Li's fanatical obsession with Kaido. From his perspective, why waste time learning how to heal from critical injuries when you could just ascend to a level of absolute power where no one could injure you in the first place?
He knew Lu Li harbored a manic obsession with growing stronger. That was why he was so deeply baffled as to why Lu Li was essentially slacking off on Reiatsu cultivation—the single most direct path to raw power.
Well, "slacking off" wasn't entirely accurate. Lu Li definitely put in the effort during the three mandatory Reiatsu classes each week. The real reason he never joined Aizen for night cultivation was because, lately, Lu Li was always "incredibly weak."
Aizen had no idea what kind of "lessons" Lu Li and Captain Unohana were doing behind closed doors, but every evening, Lu Li would stumble back into the dorm with pale skin and wobbly legs. He would barely manage to chat for a few minutes before passing out dead asleep on his bed, completely neglecting his spiritual meditation.
He's so obsessed with Kaido... could it be... Lu Li has fallen for Instructor Unohana?
Aizen felt he had finally deduced the truth. It was the only logical explanation as to why a battle-crazed brute would obsessively study Kaido and completely ignore his Reiatsu!
Unable to hold it in any longer, Aizen finally spoke up. "Lu Li, don't you think you need to exercise a bit of restraint?"
"Huh? Restraint? With what?" Lu Li asked, completely bewildered.
Aizen carefully chose his next words. "I understand that Captain Unohana is an incredibly captivating woman. And the thrill of engaging in... taboo experiments with a female instructor must be highly exhilarating. But if you keep draining yourself to the point of exhaustion every single day, when will you ever achieve Shikai?"
Lu Li: ???
Because Unohana had explicitly ordered him to keep the contents of her "after-school tutoring" a secret, he had never told Aizen about getting brutally hacked to death on a daily basis.
Sosuke, how the hell do you know I'm doing taboo experiments with Instructor Unohana?!
Wait. What exactly are you misunderstanding here?! I'm not some sick freak with a bizarre fetish! Who the hell gets exhilarated by getting hacked to pieces?!