Chapter 16: Sparring Match! |
'In that case, he really is qualified enough.'
Soi Fon lowered her head and whispered under her breath.
Although the Onmitsukido is closer to Yoruichi than the regular Second Division of the Gotei 13, that distinction rarely matters to a lieutenant, as they almost always follow their captain's lead.
Soi Fon would never have allowed a weakling to follow Yoruichi-sama!
But things were different now. Regardless of when exactly Yeruashi had achieved Bankai, he would undoubtedly be stronger than any of those ordinary lieutenants who had only managed to reach Shikai.
Moreover, Soi Fon now looked at Yeruashi with far more respect than she had when they first met. Shinigami who attained Bankai had long been revered by all others, and she herself was still a long way from reaching that peak.
'...'
Lilith sat silently behind Yeruashi throughout the exchange, her crystal-clear scarlet eyes carefully observing every move made by Soi Fon and the others.
She was fully aware that the Gotei 13 would be an excellent environment for her development, but none of that mattered to Yeruashi himself. Lilith quickly concluded that Yeruashi simply wanted to live a peaceful life as a shinigami. Since that was her father's wish, she would follow him quietly without asking unnecessary questions.
Noble, cold, majestic, powerful, all-knowing, and omnipotent... no one could compare to Yeruashi, not even Zero, the one who had created this world!
Yoruichi spoke up carelessly as she stretched her lithe body, "Omaeda, familiarize Yeruashi with the affairs of the Second Division. Soi Fon, you'll accompany them; it will be good for the new lieutenant to meet the members of the Onmitsukido. I think we should have a celebratory dinner tonight to welcome our new members!"
Omaeda and Soi Fon nodded immediately and stood up.
By this time, news of the new lieutenant's appointment had already spread among the members of the Second Division. Upon receiving Omaeda's command, they immediately gathered at the Second Division's assembly point.
After the announcement regarding his Bankai, none of the members dared to object to the appointment.
The numerous shinigami of the Second Division looked at Yeruashi with a mix of fear and reverence, for everyone present understood exactly what achieving Bankai represented.
Many of the women blushed and sighed wistfully as they looked at Yeruashi's charming smile and irresistible appearance, but he remained completely composed. He had long since grown accustomed to such attention during his time as Hokage.
Yeruashi scanned the gathered shinigami and nodded inwardly, seeing that Lilith had attracted almost no attention. He didn't want any perverts or lolicons in his ranks.
It might give the impression that he himself preferred younger girls, but that assumption was fundamentally wrong. Since he could not only freely observe the past and future but also move through time at will, the very concept of age didn't exist from his perspective.
Essentially, he was different.
In the life of any living creature, there are two beautiful moments—birth and growth.
Omaeda dismissed the members of the Second Division after a brief introduction and greeting. Then, Soi Fon led Yeruashi to the Onmitsukido's territory.
Things proceeded even more quickly there, as all members of the Onmitsukido kept their faces hidden, and Yeruashi was not their direct superior. There was no need for him to know any of them personally; it was enough that they recognized the new lieutenant's face to ensure proper cooperation between the Onmitsukido and the Second Division. As a result, Yeruashi simply walked through the Onmitsukido grounds accompanied by Soi Fon.
...
The celebratory dinner was held in the central plaza of the Second Division.
The officers of the Second Division and the unit commanders of the Onmitsukido gathered around a large table, seated in order of their rank.
To the left of Yoruichi, who naturally sat at the head of the long table, was Soi Fon, who always occupied that spot. To the right sat the new lieutenant of the Second Division, dressed in the black shinigami uniform, Yeruashi Hatake.
"Let's welcome our new lieutenant!"
Yoruichi stood up and raised a glass filled with a yellow liquid, a smile on her face as she wrapped her free arm around Yeruashi's neck.
Shinigami were strictly forbidden from drinking alcohol while on duty, so they drank a special non-alcoholic beverage. This drink was quite rare and valuable, but such details didn't bother Yoruichi at all, given her status as the head of one of the great noble families of the Soul Society.
"...Yoruichi-sama!"
Soi Fon couldn't help but exclaim in concern, though her voice quickly trailed off. "Please remember your position, Yoruichi-sama..."
Yeruashi looked away and sighed helplessly as Yoruichi unabashedly pressed his face right against her soft curves.
While both Yoruichi and Soi Fon possessed very slender and athletic figures, unlike Soi Fon, Yoruichi had quite voluptuous features that were not to be underestimated!
"Please keep your distance, Captain."
"Don't sweat it... Bottoms u-u-u-up!!"
Yoruichi cheered carefreely and drained her glass in one go.
The other shinigami emptied their glasses after her, completely unsurprised by her behavior, as if such things happened all the time.
And so, Yeruashi joined the Gotei 13 as the lieutenant of the Second Division to experience the life of a shinigami.
...
Several months later.
At the Second Division's training grounds.
Yeruashi easily deflected every attack from his opponent, fluidly swinging his Zanpakuto.
His opponent was Lilith, who had become much more skilled in swordsmanship and Reiatsu control over the past few months. In addition to that, she had been practicing Shunpo and various Kido spells.
Kido, of course, couldn't compare to her dojutsu abilities, but it served as an additional method of utilizing spiritual power and helped improve her Reiatsu control, so Lilith treated its mastery with due seriousness.
After several unsuccessful attempts at close-range attacks, Lilith suddenly leaped into the air and released the hilt of her Zanpakuto, pointing her right hand at Yeruashi.
"Hado 31: Shakkaho!"
With a loud cry, a red radiance quickly formed in front of her open palm and immediately shot toward Yeruashi.
Omaeda, who was watching their battle from the side, exclaimed in surprise, "She already learned to use Hado 31 without the incantation?!"
Boom!!
Yeruashi smiled and smoothly swept his blade, easily destroying Lilith's ranged attack.
Following another failed assault, Lilith took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of her Zanpakuto with her small hands. "Stain the enemy crimson, Chishita!"
Lilith's Zanpakuto suddenly grew in size, accompanied by a bright flash of scarlet light as it lunged toward Yeruashi, who continued to stand calmly below.
Chishita gained power in exchange for Lilith's blood; the more of the owner's blood poured into the blade, the more powerful its attack would be.
Clang!!
Yeruashi casually swung his own Zanpakuto and firmly held Lilith's Shikai in the air, showing no intention of releasing his own.
Lilith took another deep breath, her face turning noticeably pale, while her Shikai emitted an even more brilliant scarlet glow.
Boom!!!
The pressure from Lilith's side suddenly increased several times over.
A powerful explosion roared, causing the entire training ground to shudder violently. The earth around Yeruashi became covered in numerous small cracks, yet his Zanpakuto continued to hold Lilith's Shikai firmly in place.
"..."
Soi Fon, standing at the edge of the training ground near Omaeda, watched every movement of Yeruashi and Lilith, mentally visualizing how she would act against each of them.
At that moment, a hand rested on Soi Fon's shoulder.
It happened so suddenly that she instinctively swung her Zanpakuto backward.
Whap!
Yoruichi smiled as she caught Soi Fon's wrist. "On alert as always, just as expected of my head of security."
Although Soi Fon's mind knew that the hand must belong to Yoruichi, her body had still instinctively produced a perfectly timed and rapid counterattack. Instincts and speed were of paramount importance to Soi Fon, given her fighting style.
"Yoruichi-sama."
Soi Fon blushed slightly when Yoruichi gripped her wrist, then quickly pulled her hand back and bowed politely.
Yoruichi folded her arms across her chest and looked toward the battlefield. "They've already mastered basic shinigami combat techniques at such a level. These siblings really are incredible geniuses! What do you think, Soi Fon?"
Soi Fon spoke seriously, offering an assessment of Yeruashi and Lilith's skills. "Lilith's movements are very flexible and fast, but they are still quite raw and have some flaws. As for Lieutenant Yeruashi... I haven't been able to find any obvious weaknesses, but he has only been passively parrying so far, so it's too early to draw conclusions. These two possess unparalleled combat talent—if they really did reach this level in just a few months of training."
Yoruichi nodded approvingly and asked with interest, "Quite right. And what about the outcome if you were to fight each of them?"
Soi Fon said thoughtfully, "I can handle Lilith, but as for Lieutenant Yeruashi... my chance of victory is about thirty percent, provided he doesn't release his Bankai."
"Interesting."
Yoruichi smirked. "Try it."
"Yes!"
Soi Fon nodded.
Sparring matches between squad members were a perfectly normal occurrence.
Soi Fon admired Yoruichi's strength, as she could easily crush the entire first unit of the Onmitsukido single-handedly, relying only on Shunpo and Hakuda.
Yoruichi bore the title of the 'Goddess of Flash'!
After Kisuke Urahara's departure, the strongest representatives of the Second Division were Marenoshin Omaeda and Soi Fon, excluding Yoruichi herself, of course.
But with Yeruashi's arrival, Soi Fon was forced to admit she had been pushed from her position as the strongest. Even with all her reluctance, Soi Fon couldn't deny that once he released his Bankai, Yeruashi would simply overwhelm her through his sheer superiority in Reiatsu. However, she didn't believe she would suffer defeat if Yeruashi didn't resort to Bankai.
After all, she had not only trained hard since she was a toddler but had also survived countless bloody battles, whereas Yeruashi had only become a shinigami a few months ago.
Talent was important, but hard work and persistence mattered just as much!
Lately, her understanding of her Zanpakuto had deepened significantly, and her Reiatsu had grown noticeably. Sometimes Soi Fon even felt a vague premonition that in the coming years, she would finally be able to take that final step and master the ultimate shinigami ability—Bankai!
Whoosh!
As Soi Fon prepared for the upcoming fight, Yoruichi's figure instantly vanished and reappeared directly between Yeruashi and Lilith, leaving behind barely a trace of an afterimage.
Yoruichi's delicate palms suddenly thrust outward, firmly blocking Yeruashi and Lilith's blades while emitting a powerful flow of concentrated Reiatsu.
"Good morning, Captain Yoruichi."
Yeruashi lowered his Zanpakuto and smiled at the appearing Yoruichi.
Yoruichi grinned. "I see you're full of energy, heading out to train so early without even having breakfast."
Then she spoke seriously, not waiting for Yeruashi's response, "In these past three months, you've achieved excellent results in mastering basic shinigami combat. Because of that, I've decided to give you a little exam."
Yeruashi smiled carefreely. "Lilith hasn't reached Bankai yet, so only I can play with the Captain."
Yoruichi slapped her hand against her forehead. "What kind of Bankai do you want to use on a training ground without a powerful barrier? Do you want to level the entire Second Division with your spiritual pressure?!"
She sighed helplessly and pointed to the side. "You'll be fighting Soi Fon—and without any Bankais!"
"Understood."
Yeruashi nodded composedly.
Yoruichi looked at Soi Fon, who was standing at the edge of the training ground. "Soi Fon, step forward."
With those words, Yoruichi quickly stepped off the training ground, and Soi Fon headed toward Yeruashi.
"Please give me a useful lesson."
Soi Fon addressed Yeruashi as she drew her short blade.
Yeruashi was one of the few members of the Second Division to have earned Soi Fon's recognition. On one hand, she respected his strength and potential; on the other, his good-natured and restrained manner was very infectious.
Following Yeruashi's nod, Soi Fon raised her Zanpakuto before her, her gaze becoming incomparably focused as she said seriously, "I'm coming!"