The sword light flashed!
Saitō's pupils contracted. She tilted her head sharply, but the blade still grazed her cheek, leaving a cut. Blood trickled down her face.
Her expression instantly turned even more ferocious. She grabbed Yamabuki's wrist and raised her sword for a decisive strike!
Yamabuki hadn't expected her to dodge a point-blank sneak attack. Caught off guard, his wrist was seized, leaving him no room to evade!
Just as Saitō's sword was about to fall, a large hand firmly gripped her wrist.
Saitō's hand felt locked in an iron vise. No matter how she struggled, it wouldn't budge. Shocked, she turned to see Yamamoto Genryusai holding her.
"What is the meaning of this?" Saitō roared.
Yamamoto's expression was impassive. "You have lost. The incense has burned out."
Saitō glanced at the spent incense stick in Yamamoto's other hand and shrieked, "So what? I'm going to kill this kid!"
Yamamoto's voice turned cold. "You must honor your wager. Do you intend to go back on your word?"
The next instant, reiryoku like a volcanic eruption burst from Yamamoto. A violent, crushing pressure spread across the entire area!
The madness in Saitō's eyes was instantly replaced by fear. Yamamoto released her wrist, but Saitō remained frozen, her sword hand trembling slightly from sheer terror.
Not only Saitō, but even Shihōin Chika, watching from the side, was appalled by this violent spiritual pressure. He knew Yamamoto was strong, but never imagined this strong!
"Hey! Old Man! Just who are you?!" Saitō's forehead was beaded with cold sweat.
"This Old Man is Yamamoto Genryusai, known as the 'Sword Demon'," Yamamoto stated calmly. "Now, honor your bet. Yamabuki, well done. You have proven yourself a worthy Vice-Captain."
You flatter me, Old Man! But next time, could you please discuss such life-and-death wagers with me first?
Yamabuki looked at his Captain with a complex expression. He had almost been captured and enslaved!
The four returned to the hall, where Shihōin Chika had another feast prepared.
"What exactly does the Gotei 13 do?" Saitō asked.
"We are an assassination organization," Yamamoto declared. "Our targets are Hollows and Shinigami who disrupt order. In short, we will use extreme force to suppress this chaotic era and stand at its pinnacle!"
Hearing this, Saitō grew interested. "What you describe sounds quite interesting! As long as I get to cut things down, it's fine by me!"
If that's how you interpret it, I suppose that's accurate.
And so, in half a day, the Gotei 13's membership doubled from two to four.
"Currently, the Gotei 13 lacks a territory. How about we temporarily use the Shihōin compound as our base?" Shihōin Chika offered grandly. As one of the Five Great Noble Clans, the Shihōin lacked many things, but money was not one of them.
Yamamoto was also troubled by the lack of a base. Since Shihōin Chika offered, he acquiesced.
"Let's go. Prepare quarters for us to rest," Yamamoto said, pulling Yamabuki along.
"Wait… I haven't eaten yet…" Yamabuki's stomach, having digested most of its contents after the exercise, was ready for the feast. As he was dragged away, he looked back at the table full of delicacies, tears of regret nearly falling.
If only I hadn't eaten those sweet potatoes!
Upon reaching their quarters, Yamamoto said in a mentor-like tone, "Yamabuki, do you regret eating those sweet potatoes? This is the lesson I impart to you: one must never sacrifice future gains for immediate petty advantages. I hope you remember this."
Yamabuki hadn't expected Yamamoto's actions to carry such a deep meaning. He truly is the man who would later found the Shin'ō Academy. In some ways, he really is a teacher.
"Also, I observed your battle. Your talent is exceptional, perhaps even greater than mine. You may even surpass me one day. You are unpolished jade. Left alone, you will be difficult to shape. Starting tomorrow, I will train you properly, striving to make you a qualified Shinigami in a short time," Yamamoto said gravely.
Yamabuki naturally wouldn't refuse. In this world, greater strength meant a better chance of survival. Moreover, knowing the plot, he knew a great war concerning the Soul Society's very existence—the Quincy invasion—was imminent.
This was the origin of the bitter enmity between Shinigami and Quincy.
Whether in the manga or anime, this war was only depicted in fragments.
But its brutality was beyond doubt.
To continue slacking off towards retirement, the most crucial thing was to survive that war.
"Very well, go and rest. Training begins tomorrow," Yamamoto said.
Thinking of Shinigami training, Yamabuki instinctively thought of Ichigo. Was he going to learn his Zanpakuto's Shikai and Bankai?
What were his Zanpakuto's abilities?
Yamabuki carefully examined his Zanpakuto under the moonlight. No matter how he looked, it seemed a very ordinary Asauchi.
Never mind. Tonight, he could finally rest properly. Since arriving in the Soul Society, he hadn't slept well, especially in the chaotic Rukongai, fearing his head might be lopped off in his sleep!
The Shihōin family had prepared a private room for him. It was wonderful!
As Yamabuki lay in bed, pondering his future, the ambient reishi in the air slowly began flowing into his body. Startled, Yamabuki thought something was wrong.
Logically, Shinigami shouldn't possess the ability to manipulate ambient reishi; that was a Quincy trait.
The first half of Bleach revolved around "reiryoku."
Shinigami battles were contests of spiritual pressure.
A Shinigami's strength depended entirely on their reiryoku.
However, after the Thousand-Year Blood War began, the Quincy shattered the "reiryoku supremacy" theory. Quincy fought by gathering and manipulating the reishi around them, not necessarily relying on immense personal reiryoku. Coupled with their various rule-breaking abilities, this caused the Shinigami immense losses.
Now, Yamabuki's body was actively absorbing the surrounding reishi. A terrifying thought crossed his mind.
"Am I not a Shinigami? Is my true identity… that of a Quincy?"
The moment this thought emerged, Yamabuki panicked.
However corrupt the Soul Society's rule might be, the Gotei 13 at least treated its lower-ranked members as people. But look at the leader of the Quincy, Yhwach—he abused and killed his subordinates at the slightest provocation.
During the war, the MVP with the highest 'friendly fire' count against the Quincy was Yhwach himself! Who would dare work for such a boss?!
....
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