He walked to where Sasuke’s Zanpakuto had fallen, lightly nudged it with his toe, and the hilt sprang up into his hand.
“From now on, you will start with the most basic sword swings, until every single swing of yours is no longer tainted by any extraneous emotions.”
This suggestion instantly ignited Sasuke’s suppressed fury.
He abruptly raised his head, his eyes full of defiance and confusion: “The most basic sword swings?
I don’t have time to waste on such boring things!”
What he needed was greater power, Bankai, techniques that could kill that man, not to repeat tedious basic movements like a beginner.
“See, you’re getting agitated again.” Kisuke Urahara shook his head, a ‘just as I expected’ expression on his face.
This calm demeanor, ironically, left Sasuke’s anger nowhere to vent.
He threw the Zanpakuto back in front of Sasuke.
“I am not denying your determination to pursue power, but you must understand that a tower without a solid foundation, no matter how high it’s built, will eventually collapse with a crash.”
Sasuke wanted to retort, but the memory of being easily defeated earlier flashed through his mind, choking back all his words.
He clenched his fist, eventually acquiescing.
Urahara’s strength had convinced him.
Respect for those stronger than oneself was the consensus of the Eleventh Division.
Seeing Sasuke’s struggling yet accepting expression, Urahara’s lips curved slightly behind his fan.
“Then, let’s start with Hakuda.”
He changed the subject, walking back into the circle, “Swordsmanship Technique requires absolute tranquility; it’s too early for you right now.”
He casually struck a fighting pose, and his entire aura subtly changed.
“Watch closely, Sasuke-kun, the essence of Hakuda is not just attacking with fists and feet, but subtly attaching Spiritual Pressure to every part of the body.”
The moment his words fell, Kisuke Urahara suddenly stepped forward, unleashing a seemingly ordinary straight punch at a nearby giant rock.
There was no earth-shattering roar; his fist merely lightly imprinted itself on the rock’s surface.
The next second—
Sasuke’s pupils suddenly contracted.
“Boom!!!”
The several-meter-tall giant rock seemed to be detonated from within, instantly shattering into countless fragments that collapsed to the ground.
“This is a Crushing Punch.”
Kisuke Urahara retracted his fist, explaining with a smile, “It’s instantly condensing Spiritual Pressure to a single point and releasing it at the moment of contact.
This requires extreme control over Spiritual Pressure.”
As he spoke, he subtly glanced back at the black cat that had appeared at the edge of the training ground at some point, a sly smile on his face.
“Of course, destructive power alone isn’t enough; footwork is also very important, like this one…”
His figure swayed slightly, his steps moving with a strange rhythm.
This set of footwork was clearly from the same source as the technique he used earlier to deflect Sasuke’s force.
“These peculiar techniques, I secretly learned them back when a certain esteemed individual was teaching me,” Kisuke Urahara winked, hinting playfully, “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I ‘borrowed’ them now, would she?”
At the edge of the training ground, Yoruichi merely cast a lazy glance at him, emitting an noncommittal hum from her throat, signaling her tacit agreement.
But her golden cat eyes remained fixed on the young man, flickering with an imperceptible light.
This child…
Yoruichi mused inwardly.
That unyielding spirit reminded her of another equally arrogant Genius from a long time ago—Kuchiki Byakuya.
Sasuke, like that Byakuya brat, possesses top-tier talent and seems to bear heavy burdens…
Time flew by quickly amidst the monotonous and rigorous training.
Sasuke didn’t know how long he had been in this underground space; perhaps a month, perhaps only two weeks.
He had long forgotten the passage of time, his shinigami uniform drenched in sweat, but Sasuke’s eyes were more focused than ever before.
Just as he adjusted his breathing once more, preparing for Urahara’s next round of instruction, Kisuke Urahara suddenly stopped.
“Oh my, oh my…”
He looked up at the giant monitoring screen in the training ground, an intrigued expression on his face.
On the screen, dozens of red dots representing “Hollows” were emerging from all directions of Karakura Town, spreading rapidly.
Sasuke naturally also sensed the Spiritual Pressure that had suddenly erupted from outside.
Kisuke Urahara closed his fan, gently tapping his shoulder with its bone.
“It seems your ‘Errand Boy’ has run into a huge problem this time.”
He turned, smiling at Sasuke, “So many Hollows appearing at once, he can’t handle it alone, you know.”
Sasuke’s brows furrowed; he didn’t respond immediately, just coldly watched the dense cluster of light dots on the screen.
“Why?” he asked in a deep voice, “Although the appearance of Hollows is irregular, such a large-scale simultaneous emergence is not normal.”
From his experience, Hollows’ hunting behavior was usually chaotic and independent.
Such a targeted collective action must have a reason behind it.
“Hmm, Sasuke-kun noticed it.” Kisuke Urahara propped his chin with his fan, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
“That’s right, this isn’t a natural phenomenon; someone deliberately caused it.”
“As for the reason, it’s probably some stubborn person trying to prove their ‘excellence’ to us Shinigami in this foolish way.”
“Stubborn person?” A hint of doubt flashed in Sasuke’s eyes.
“Alright, none of this is the main point.”
Kisuke Urahara clapped his hands, bringing the conversation back, with an implied meaning.
“The main point is, if we don’t deal with these troubles soon, if Soul Society gets alarmed and sends someone who shouldn’t come, then our research into ‘finding a way back to the past’ might be forced to halt.”
Sasuke snorted coldly, his impatience evident in his eyes.
He naturally understood Urahara’s unspoken meaning.
This guy was once again using this matter to drive him.
But he couldn’t refute it, because Urahara was stating a fact.
Sasuke stretched his aching shoulders, slowly straightening his body.
“…Troublesome.”
He uttered the word in a low voice, his figure already transforming into an afterimage, rushing towards the exit leading to the surface.
Watching Sasuke’s retreating back, Kisuke Urahara’s smile became a bit more genuine.
“He’s really a useful child.”
“Aren’t you afraid he’ll make things even worse?” Yoruichi appeared beside him at some point.
“Don’t worry.”
Kisuke Urahara fanned himself, his eyes deep, “After these days of training, I believe he can already control his emotions…”
…Sasuke’s figure moved through the chaotic buildings.
Each time his sword was drawn, it was accompanied by the silent dissipation of a Hollow.
He had only one goal: to find the source of this disturbance.
When he arrived at a commercial street intersection, the sight before him made his usually calm heart falter slightly.
“Boom—!”
A giant GG sign on the side of a building was affected by a Hollow’s attack, crashing down directly onto a family of three below.
The parents didn’t flee; instead, they instinctively spread their arms, using their backs to shield their young child tightly beneath them.
That posture was glaringly repulsive.
“Tch…”
Sasuke let out an irritated grunt from his throat.
The next instant, his figure had already appeared beneath the falling GG sign, effortlessly holding it up with one hand, and casually flinging the GG sign towards a deserted shop nearby.
Sasuke looked up, precisely locking onto another location.
There, a person in a white uniform stood silently, holding a bow.
Perhaps he thought of something from that family of three.
An inexplicable killing intent erupted from Sasuke.
The next instant, his figure had already appeared beneath the falling GG sign, effortlessly holding it up with one hand, and casually flinging the GG sign towards a deserted shop nearby.