Sensing the shift in Satoru's demeanor, Yamamoto squinted curiously.
The young man's focused expression first puzzled him.
Then understanding dawned.
The old man's lips quirked upward.
Like Shunsui Kyōraku, this rascal caused endless headaches—but his heart was in the right place.
When Satoru finished, Yamamoto examined the work.
"Indeed impressive."
"Next time, compose the full piece properly. I'll keep it as a collector's item."
He summoned an attendant, instructing them to mount the calligraphy as a scroll.
Satoru gaped. "Captain-Commander! How dare you besmirch my honor? This masterpiece represents my life's essence!"
Yamamoto rolled his eyes, ignoring the outburst.
Shrugging off his white haori, he tossed it toward the wall where it settled perfectly.
Next, he loosened his shihakushō, tying the upper garment around his waist.
His muscular upper body was exposed to the air.
Under Satoru's watchful gaze, Yamamoto clenched his fist and nodded in satisfaction.
"Last time, I had urgent matters to attend to and couldn't check your training progress."
"Now that you've mastered 'Ikotsu,' let's have a real fight today."
"If your performance satisfies me, I'll teach you the technique of 'Sōkotsu'!"
Hearing this, Satoru's eyes lit up.
Mimicking Yamamoto, he stripped off his upper garment and tied it around his waist.
Clenching his fists, he locked eyes with Yamamoto for a few seconds before darting forward.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of flesh colliding echoed continuously through the dojo.
Sensing the refinement in Satoru's techniques, Yamamoto couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
The last time Satoru used "Ikotsu," his skill was still at a beginner's level.
While there were no major flaws, the details had plenty of mistakes.
Yamamoto had originally planned to use this as the foundation for today's lesson.
Yet, in just a week, this kid had polished his Ikotsu to near perfection.
The obvious errors had been corrected, leaving only a few subtle imperfections.
What was truly astonishing was that Yamamoto had never taught him the intricacies of Ikotsu—Satoru had mastered it entirely through self-study.
Though he had witnessed Satoru's monstrous talent many times before, Yamamoto still found it hard to believe.
Given enough time to grow, this kid might inherit the title of "Strongest Shinigami" from him in less than three centuries.
The thought alone filled Yamamoto with anticipation.
After confirming Satoru's strength, Yamamoto casually punched him, slamming him into the wooden floor.
As Satoru struggled to pull his head out of the splintered planks, Yamamoto calmly put his shirt back on.
"Your performance was passable, barely satisfactory."
Yamamoto turned his back, hands clasped behind him, and pointed out the flaws he had observed in Satoru one by one.
Kneeling beside the crater he had punched into the ground, Satoru pulled out a small notebook from his robes and diligently jotted down everything Yamamoto said.
Seeing his earnest attention, Yamamoto's gaze softened with approval.
This kid might usually be a bit of a slacker, but when it came to learning, he was serious.
With such an attitude and his natural talent, it was no wonder he progressed so rapidly.
If Yamamoto knew that Satoru's diligence was solely to relay the lessons to Aizen so he could practice them instead, he'd probably faint from rage…
Once Satoru finished taking notes, Yamamoto slowly began teaching him the technique of Sōkotsu (Twin Bones).
On the surface, Sōkotsu was just Ikkotsu (Single Bone) with an extra fist, but the difficulty skyrocketed far beyond a mere incremental increase.
Naturally, so did its destructive power.
To this day, aside from Yamamoto himself, only Jūshirō Ukitake had fully mastered this technique.
Though Jūshirō was exceptionally gifted and diligent, his frail constitution was his downfall.
Sōkotsu demanded immense physical strength.
If Jūshirō threw even a single punch, he'd likely cough up blood and collapse on the spot.
Yamamoto had long lamented that despite finally having a student capable of learning his ultimate technique, Jūshirō couldn't wield it effectively.
But now, with Satoru, that regret might finally be resolved.
During the midday break, Satoru's eyes gleamed mischievously as he sidled up to Yamamoto.
"Hey hey, Captain-Commander."
"Earlier, I heard from Senior Shunsui that there's a crazy strong Shinigami causing trouble in Rukongai."
"Rumor has it this guy's so powerful, even seated officers with Shikai can't touch him..."
"After all this time investigating, have you figured out who he is?"
Yamamoto shot him a sidelong glance.
"Oh? You're interested?"
Satoru grinned. "Not interested per se, but our academy's right next to Rukongai. If I bump into him someday, it'd be good to be prepared, y'know?"
Yamamoto lifted his teacup and took a slow sip.
After a few seconds, he replied, "Though his identity isn't confirmed yet, we're close."
Satoru blinked in surprise.
Setting down the cup, Yamamoto continued, "This Shinigami didn't just appear recently."
"Over three months ago, I received reports about him."
"However, initially, he operated with extreme caution—killing every witness, regardless of faction."
"That made tracking him nearly impossible."
"At the time, the Gotei 13's focus was on the rebel forces, so we didn't pursue it further."
"But... recently, for some reason, he's only been targeting rebels, sparing our side."
"Thanks to that, my scouts finally uncovered traces of him."
"One more move from him, and I'll have his identity."
With that, Yamamoto raised his cup again, savoring the tea.
The warmth seemed to ease the wrinkles on his aged face.
Normally, he wouldn't divulge this much to an ordinary subordinate.
But Satoru was different.
From the moment he officially took him as a disciple, Yamamoto had resolved to groom him as his successor.
Even if Satoru hadn't come to ask about these things, he would have gradually taught them to him.
Hearing Yamamoto's words, Satoru nodded as if he had just listened to a story.
In his heart, however, he couldn't help but feel emotional.
Fortunately, he had been cautious enough to ask Yamamoto for information.
It seemed he needed to find a way to remind Aizen to behave himself soon...
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