In a blink of an eye, the training period reached its fifteenth day.
During these fifteen days, the two squads had two sparring matches, with wins and losses on both sides.
Moreover, through the desperate training of these fifteen days, everyone's strength had seen a small but significant improvement.
However, Yamabuki knew that truly powerful armies were not trained, but rather fought into existence. An army that never experienced real combat could not become a true elite.
When Yamabuki arrived at the training ground that morning, he did not reveal the day's training content in advance. Instead, he had everyone hand in their wooden swords.
"No more wooden swords today! Everyone, switch to real swords!" Yamabuki waved his hand, and two students brought over a neat row of Zanpakuto, one for each person!
Many students were touching a real sword for the first time and were very excited. Would they be using real swords for sparring matches soon?
"Today, we're doing something real. No sparring matches. We're going straight to the battlefield!" Yamabuki's gaze swept over the students. Their reactions varied: some were terrified, some calm, some excited, and some trembled!
"There are Hollows appearing in Rukongai's northern third district. I'm taking you to hunt them. Remember, I will not intervene unless it's absolutely necessary. Every five people will form a squad. Bringing a dead Hollow to me is the content of today's assessment!" Yamabuki said, "Alright, let's go now!"
The numerous students arrived at the northern Rukongai.
The public order here was relatively chaotic, with not only many Hollows but also many ruffians.
These ruffians were not the street thugs of modern society but genuine samurai wielding swords.
Many ruffians stared at the two girls in the team, their eyes gleaming with greed, but because the other side had many people and all were armed, they dared not approach.
But there were always those who were audacious. Eventually, a few ruffians couldn't suppress the urge in their hearts and tried to abduct the two girls from the team.
However, they underestimated the strength of the Gotei 13 members. After half a month of torturous training, even ordinary members were far stronger than these ruffians. Two ruffians were knocked to the ground in a few moves and brought before Yamabuki.
"Instructor, this person tried to attack us? How should we handle him?" Feng Yuan asked.
Yamabuki looked coldly at these ruffians. Ever since Hanako was kidnapped last time, he had no good feelings for these ruffians. It was just that there were too few people now. Once the Gotei 13 had enough personnel in the future, the public order of Rukongai must be rectified.
Yamabuki casually drew his Zanpakuto and decapitated the man with one swing!
Seeing such a bloody scene, half of the Squad Thirteen members screamed in fright.
"Next time you encounter someone like this, deal with them this way. No need to report to me!" Yamabuki said.
From this moment on, Yamabuki's image in the hearts of these members underwent a drastic change. Although Yamabuki used very strict methods to train them, he was like a kind and amiable big brother in their daily interactions!
But at this moment, that amiable image instantly crumbled.
Yamabuki casually flicked the blood from his sword and said to everyone, "Alright, five people per group. Now go hunt Hollows separately. Each team must bring back a Hollow corpse. It must be completed before dark."
Yamabuki said coldly, "Feng Yuan, your strength has also improved. I want you to hunt a Hollow by yourself. No problem, right?"
"Of course, no problem."
"Good, start now!" Yamabuki shouted.
After everyone left, Yamabuki pulled out a small piece of Hollow bait from his embrace and lightly flicked it into the air, where it exploded.
He controlled the dosage very well, only attracting some small fry. After all, his goal was to temper the fighting spirit of this team, not to wipe them out. If a Hollow that these members couldn't handle truly appeared, he would immediately intervene.
...
The Hollows smelled the Hollow bait and gathered from all directions.
Most of these new members were quite confident. After all, it was five against one, and they had undergone such a long period of training, so there shouldn't be any problem!
However, when the first Hollow appeared, the members realized that real combat was completely different from their usual training. Even a slight oversight could lead to death or injury!
Facing genuine Hollows, many people felt fear, unable to exert even half of their strength.
Immediately, this area of Rukongai plunged into chaos.
Yamabuki sensed the spiritual pressure of every student.
He knew that casualties were inevitable in battle, but they were not yet true warriors, only apprentices. If anyone truly suffered a fatal blow, he would certainly step in to help.
However, facts proved that Yamabuki had underestimated his students.
Indeed, there might be fear at the beginning of the fight, but once these members accepted the 'it's either you die or I die' premise, they gradually began to perform steadily and learned to coordinate as a team.
In fact, with their current strength, facing these small fry Hollows, they wouldn't necessarily be at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight. Having them fight five against one, Yamabuki was already being very considerate of them.
Soon, the first team returned. These five people were covered in blood, carrying a Hollow corpse, with proud expressions.
The second to return was Feng Yuan. Her strength was far superior to ordinary members, and she successfully killed a Hollow by herself.
As time passed, more and more members returned. Of course, many were injured, as it was their first true battle.
Yamabuki used Kaido to heal these people's injuries.
Finally, only one team had not returned.
It was already dusk.
Yamabuki closed his eyes, sensing the spiritual pressure of the five people. Suddenly, one of the five people's spiritual pressures disappeared.
Yamabuki abruptly opened his eyes.
What's going on? How did a casualty occur?
"Feng Yuan, take your team back first." Yamabuki shouted, then quickly used Shunpo to move in the direction of the five people.
Not long after running, Yamabuki saw the figures of these students. They were all covered in blood, and there were two Hollow corpses on the ground.
The most severely injured was a girl. Her chest was directly pierced, and she lay on the ground with her eyes closed, motionless.
Yamabuki frowned deeply. The thing he least wanted to see had happened.
"What happened?" Yamabuki shouted.
A boy choked out, "We had already completed the mission and were on our way back, but then a Hollow suddenly ambushed us... Reiko, she... she..."
Yamabuki urgently checked the girl's injury. Half of the Hollow's bone blade was inserted into the girl's back, protruding from her chest. If she wasn't rescued quickly, she would die in a few minutes at most.
....
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