"Pretty much," Jūshirō Ukitake mused for a few seconds, slowly stroking his chin with his pale right hand.
"Actually, a few days ago, when Zaraki Kenpachi proposed the challenge, Head Captain already had this idea."
"Because Kisuke Urahara's Captain assessment requires a Captain-level Shinigami to act as the examiner."
"Initially, Captain Retsu Unohana was chosen, but later it became Zaraki Kenpachi, which worked out perfectly, and Captain Retsu Unohana didn't object to the Head Captain's actions."
"I remember she knows Zaraki Kenpachi, so doing this, she probably wants to see his true strength…"
"Of course, this is just my personal opinion."
As his voice faded, he smiled at Tsugikuni Yoriichi, "Head Captain's actions are not something we, as students, can fathom."
"However, one thing is certain: this move is beneficial for the stability of the Three Realms."
"Every Captain-level Shinigami is an indispensable fighting force; they can die from encountering strong enemies, but not from internal strife."
"Of course, the Eleventh Division's challenges are an exception."
The essence of a challenge is survival of the fittest; as a combat division, the Captain should naturally be as strong as possible, unlike other divisions.
One such team is enough.
Whew…
Listening to Jūshirō Ukitake's detailed explanation, Yoriichi let out a long breath.
His thoughts gradually collected, and his gaze moved past the two of them, towards the battlefield.
The continuous clashing of weapons sounded like incessant rain, crisp and intense.
Visibly, the sparks flashing in the air even transformed into lightning.
The two fought very quickly, their bodies becoming afterimages.
The three-hundred-meter-diameter arena was instantly carved with deep and shallow ravines by the sword pressure, and some even split into rifts.
Most of these were Zaraki Kenpachi's masterpieces.
"All brute force."
Kyōraku Shunsui watched for a while, frowning slightly, and commented.
"But…"
His rough fingers touched his bearded chin, a thoughtful expression on his face:
"He won't release his Zanpakuto?"
"Interesting… What kind of monster did Head Captain bring in?"
"To be able to fight Kisuke Urahara, who has released his Zanpakuto, to a standstill without releasing his own Zanpakuto…"
"Is it that he can't… or won't?"
"It should be that he can't," Jūshirō Ukitake coughed twice and replied, having heard the question.
"I've had people investigate these past few days, and Zaraki Kenpachi's reiatsu is around the third tier."
"Generally speaking, a reiatsu of this level would already be able to forcefully learn the Zanpakuto's name through sheer power and achieve Shikai."
"But he can't. The reason is that he is unable to communicate with his Zanpakuto, or rather, he disdains communication."
He shook his head slightly, a hint of regret and helplessness on his face: "Kyōraku, look at the blade of the sword in his hand."
Following his gaze.
Seeing the pitted, worm-eaten-like blade, Kyōraku Shunsui nodded and said, understandingly:
"Are you saying that because he can't communicate, his Zanpakuto can't repair itself?"
"Almost, but it's more extreme. His sword cannot withstand the upper limit of his reiatsu output, and thus frequently breaks."
"If I'm not mistaken, he probably believes his power is already strong enough to defeat other opponents without needing Shikai."
"This has led him to never consider the Zanpakuto's feelings…"
"You and I, having served as Captains for so many years, should understand that a Zanpakuto is an extension of a Shinigami's soul; essentially, it's another untouchable part of oneself."
"Your Katen Kyōkotsu, my Sogyo no Kotowari, both complete our personalities. He is not. Broadly speaking, this is a kind of arrogance of power."
"It's very similar to the Eleventh Division's philosophy, but unfortunately…"
Jūshirō Ukitake sighed, "The Captain assessment isn't just about Shikai."
As his voice fell.
As if to respond to his words, a slight change occurred in the heated battle between the two.
Kisuke Urahara tightly gripped his Zanpakuto's hilt, pointed it at Zaraki Kenpachi, and shouted: "Scream, Benihime!"
A technique similar to a Cero, with the start of his voice, shot out fiercely from the tip of his blade.
The fiery red reiatsu transformed into a rolling torrent in mid-air, like a fiery meteor, aiming to pierce and annihilate Zaraki Kenpachi.
The latter scoffed.
He swung his sword to deflect it.
It seemed as if all reiatsu-based techniques could not get close to him.
However.
"Bind, Benihime!"
With the blade tip pointed, the deflected meteor suddenly changed in mid-air.
As if controlled, it transformed into crimson ribbons and flew back.
Combined with newly infused reiatsu, it formed a large net, firmly binding Zaraki Kenpachi.
As he moved, Zaraki Kenpachi felt a strong resistance.
However, this resistance was gradually disappearing as he unleashed his reiatsu.
"Kisuke Urahara!"
Zaraki Kenpachi's voice was like thunder, "Is this all you can do? Too weak!"
"If this is your strength, then my assessment of you is: Fail!"
"You're far inferior to him! Too slow, too light, only relying on your Zanpakuto's abilities to fight me for a few minutes!"
"Don't tell me all the other Captains are only at your level!"
"Of course not." Kisuke Urahara dug his feet into the ground and shook his head slightly, "I am well aware of my own strength."
"Benihime is more for trapping and defence; dealing with a Shinigami like you who excels in close combat doesn't give me an advantage, but…"
"This isn't my full power, Kenpachi."
Kisuke Urahara's gaze shifted from Zaraki Kenpachi, gently looking at Benihime.
Through the tightly gripped hilt, he seemed to feel the waves of emotion emanating from Benihime, and her true feelings for him.
Ripples of reiatsu spread outwards along the blade, causing actual ripples in space.
Step.
Kisuke Urahara stepped back, lowering his centre of gravity, and his fighting stance changed.
He pointed his blade forward, his voice slightly deep:
"While being a Captain doesn't mean being the thirteen strongest people in the Seireitei, one of the requirements for becoming a Captain is to master Bankai."
"My experience is not entirely the same as yours, Kenpachi. I was not chosen as Captain purely based on brute force.
It was simply because my specialised techniques perfectly aligned with the Twelfth Division, and it was related to my mastery of Bankai."
"Now, Kenpachi, you watch closely."
The moment his voice fell, Kisuke Urahara's entire demeanour changed.
His eyes became sharp, and his clothes billowed without wind.
"Bankai."
Like a murmur,
"Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame."
Gurgle~ Like liquid bubbling, a giant figure rapidly emerged behind him as his words fell.
The figure enveloped Kisuke Urahara, with black, ink-like long hair touching the ground, and a serene expression, giving it an air of compassion.
And the instant this figure appeared, a red reiatsu-formed slash shot directly towards Zaraki Kenpachi.
Crack.
With a sound that only Zaraki Kenpachi could hear.
The Zanpakuto in his hand broke off at the hilt.
Clang.
As it hit the ground, it sounded like a planet exploding. In front of the blade, a mark hundreds of meters long appeared from nowhere, even cutting through mountains.
Everything happened silently.
At this moment, Yamamoto Genryusai's eyes narrowed slightly, and his cane struck the ground heavily.