Blinking at Jūshirō, Satoru asked,
"To effortlessly suppress a Shinigami using Shikai… that's incredible!"
"Senior Jūshirō, did they manage to identify who it was?"
Jūshirō shook his head. "The person was extremely skilled at concealment. When they acted, they were shrouded in a special Kidō barrier."
"Witnesses at the scene couldn't even make out their appearance, let alone their height."
"Even the Onmitsukidō found no traces of lingering spiritual pressure at the scene."
"Whoever it was must be a seasoned expert, specifically trained in stealth techniques!"
Hearing this, Satoru sighed inwardly.
Sorry, Senior Jūshirō… Aizen doesn't need specialized training. Tricks like these, he picks them up effortlessly.
Jūshirō continued, "But at least one thing is certain."
"This mysterious expert seems to be on the Gotei 13's side."
"They slaughtered every last rebel on the scene but left the Gotei 13 members untouched."
Satoru exhaled in relief. "That's good then. Doesn't seem too dangerous."
"Indeed," Jūshirō nodded. "With so much turmoil already, we don't need any new enemies."
Satoru was actually a little puzzled.
He suspected Aizen had already begun his bizarre experiments.
Killing the rebels was likely to obtain Shinigami corpses or souls.
But here's the question—knowing Aizen's nature, rebels and the Gotei 13 should be no different in his eyes.
To eliminate risks, he should've killed both sides to tie up loose ends.
So why did Aizen only kill the rebels and spare the Gotei 13?
Could it be that Aizen, being younger now, wasn't as ruthless yet?
The thought nearly made him laugh out loud.
Suddenly, Shunsui's voice chimed in beside him.
"Little junior, you seem quite interested in this matter?"
Turning to see Shunsui—who had somehow bent down beside him with an amused grin—Satoru chuckled.
He lifted his chin slightly, adopting a righteous expression.
"Of course I care about matters concerning the Captain-Commander! My goal is to one day ease his burdens!"
Hearing this, Shunsui was taken aback for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter.
He was growing increasingly fond of his junior.
In Soul Society, geniuses weren't uncommon—having lived for centuries, he'd seen more prodigies than Satoru had classmates.
But someone like Satoru, who could maintain such an optimistic outlook despite the murky darkness of Soul Society, was a rare sight indeed.
Still, Satoru was still young and hadn't experienced much of the world yet.
Would he still hold onto this mindset after witnessing more of its shadows?
The thought made Shunsui sigh faintly.
He reached out and patted Satoru's shoulder.
"Hey, hey, Satoru, since there's no class today, how about we go for a drink?"
"I've got two bottles of fine sake stashed at a tavern in Rukongai—I rarely bring them out, but today, to celebrate you joining our school, I'll treat you. What do you say?"
Satoru shook his head. "I took cephalosporin this morning."
"What?" Shunsui blinked.
"Ah… I mean, I'm underage. Can't drink."
Shunsui: "?"
This was the first time he'd ever heard that underage people couldn't drink.
Walking beside them, Jūshirō suddenly seemed to remember something and smiled at Satoru.
"By the way, Satoru, since Yamamoto-sensei is busy today, why don't I teach you something instead?"
"Can't let you come all this way for nothing."
Hearing this, Satoru paused briefly before giving Jūshirō an appreciative look.
"See, Shunsui? This is what a senior should be like."
"Are you stripping me of my title just like that?!" Shunsui gaped.
The mention of teaching piqued both Shunsui and Jūshirō's interest.
The three found a quiet spot and stopped.
"Satoru, first tell us what you've been learning recently. I'll figure out what to teach you based on that."
Satoru thought for a moment.
"First week, I learned Reiatsu techniques."
"Second week, hand-to-hand combat."
"This week was supposed to be advanced 'bone-breaking' techniques, but I got stood up."
"So, Senior Jūshirō, how about teaching me the two-handed 'bone-breaking' technique?"
Jūshirō's expression froze.
The two-handed "bone-breaking" technique—that had to be Yamamoto-sensei's "Nitoryū."
He had learned it back in the day, but due to his frail health, he'd barely used it since.
Trying to teach it now would probably do more harm than good…
At this thought, he instinctively glanced at Shunsui—only to find the man sweating bullets too.
Shunsui leaned in and whispered, "Honestly, I never really learned it properly back then. I just faked it to get past the old man…"
Jūshirō: "?"
If it weren't for the timing, he'd drag this guy straight to Yamamoto-sensei for a thorough beating!
Scratching his head awkwardly, he turned back to Satoru.
"Satoru, let's save that one for Yamamoto-sensei to teach you himself next time."
"After all, it's his original technique. Only he truly understands the finer details."
Satoru nodded.
After a pause, he said to Jūshirō, "Then I'd like to learn something life-saving—preferably a passive-type ability."
Jūshirō blinked.
He hadn't expected such a "down-to-earth" request from Satoru.
At this age, most people want to learn flashy, stylish abilities with strong combat power.
No wonder he was noticed by Yamamoto-sensei—this junior of mine is quite cautious indeed.
After pondering for a few seconds, he tapped his palm in realization.
"Got it. When it comes to this kind of technique, I actually did research one."
Under Satoru's watchful gaze, he lightly tapped the back of his own hand.
Then he said, "Come on, Satoru, try attacking the back of my hand."
No sooner had he spoken than he saw Satoru draw his sword without hesitation and slash at him.
A cold gleam flashed—clang!!
Satoru's blade stopped just a few centimeters away from Jūshirō's hand.
A small blue energy shield appeared between the blade and the back of his hand, completely blocking the strike.
Seeing this shield, Satoru's eyes flickered with surprise.
He could confirm that, in that instant, Jūshirō had not cast any Kidō.
This shield had manifested spontaneously, without any incantation!
"Ukitake-senpai, is this shield something that can be preset to activate under certain conditions?"
Satoru's gaze turned intrigued.
Having been in the world of Bleach for so long, this was the first time he had encountered such a Kidō technique.
Jūshirō looked momentarily stunned, only snapping back to attention when Satoru spoke.
Damn... this junior of his was really something.
He had merely said to attack his hand, and without a second thought, the guy had swung his sword!
Shaking his head in amazement, he nodded.
"Exactly. This is a Kidō technique I developed myself."
"Bakudō #8: Seki—Preset Trigger Version!"
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