Yoruichi had returned from Soul Society. She brought back the news that Rukia would be executed in a little over 20 days.
Shin knew this was the result of Aizen's manipulation, otherwise with Rukia's noble status, it wouldn't have led to a death sentence.
He guessed Aizen's motives might be twofold.
First, to obtain the Hōgyoku inside Rukia.
Second, to observe the "guinea pig" Ichigo.
Speaking of which, this was the first time Shin had seen Yoruichi since that day.
"Yoruichi, long time no see."
Yoruichi smiled faintly. "Is that so? It hasn't been many days."
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning Yoruichi's surveillance in her black cat form.
"Yoruichi, are you going to guide the other two next?"
"Yes, Nohara, do you know them?"
Shin shook his head. "I just saw them once before."
Yoruichi said, "Their abilities are quite interesting."
...
"Starting today, we'll begin combat training, mainly to improve your fighting skills."
"Come on, Kurosaki, attack me."
"Alright, then you'd better be ready!" Ichigo charged forward without hesitation, using Shunpo.
Ichigo swung his sword, but in Shin's eyes, it was full of flaws. He easily dodged, and no matter how Ichigo swung, he couldn't even touch a corner of his clothes.
Then, Shin forced him back with a single sword strike and said, "Kurosaki, do you see? Right now, you just slash wildly. Your combat relies entirely on your Reiatsu."
"You'll be in trouble against an opponent with even a little combat experience."
"As a Shinigami, you should at least know two of the 'Zankensoki' (Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, Kidō)."
Ichigo scratched his head awkwardly. He was self-taught and had never systematically trained. He had learned some karate as a child, though.
Shin possessed the swordsmanship abilities of Yoriichi and Brain, so teaching the erratic Ichigo was more than enough.
Swordsmanship cannot be mastered quickly, it can only nurture a sense of awareness.
Furthermore, for Ichigo, swordsmanship was just an extra. Shinigami combat is more about Reiatsu battles.
Therefore, Shin focused more on elevating Ichigo's combat techniques and seeing if he could prematurely awaken Getsuga Tensho.
"Next, I will attack you. You can dodge, block with your sword, or neutralize it with a slash like before."
"Use your Reiryoku to form a higher density of Reiatsu, then release it from the tip of your sword."
With that, Shin continuously unleashed flame slashes.
Ichigo felt as if he was in an ocean of flames, as if his entire body was about to burn. Under immense pressure, he once again used a flying slash.
—
For five days, Shin and Ichigo had been undergoing combat training.
Shin could feel Ichigo's rapid progress.
Ichigo had only fought low-level Hollows before, so the combat experience he could absorb was minimal.
At the same time, Chad and Orihime also completed their training.
Under Yoruichi's guidance, they recalled what they wanted to protect, thereby awakening their inner strength.
Compared to Ichigo, their training was much easier.
Uryū, however, refused to train together and chose to train alone.
[Mission Complete: Instruct Ichigo]
[Reward: Shinigami Women's Association Photo Album]
Shin: ???
What kind of item is this? System, you're improper!
With a critical attitude, Shin opened the photo album.
Hmm... really good.
...
On the agreed-upon day, Ichigo planned to leave without saying goodbye. But he was discovered by Isshin, who gave him an amulet.
When he arrived at the entrance of the Urahara Shop, he was startled by several familiar figures.
"Chad, Inoue, Ishida, why are you all here too?"
Chad said, "I'm going to help you rescue Rukia, I'm going too."
Orihime greeted him warmly, saying, "I heard about Kuchiki-san's situation, and I want to help too."
Uryū, dressed in a white Quincy combat uniform, said, "I can't just lose to a Shinigami like that."
"Wait... wait a minute, what's going on? Why didn't I know about any of this before?" Ichigo was a bit confused.
"Boy, can't you feel their Reiryoku?"
Yoruichi in her cat form stood on Shin's shoulder, and the two slowly walked out of the room.
Shin said, "Kurosaki, they've all undergone their own training too, so don't underestimate them."
However, Ichigo was immersed in the shock of a talking cat.
"The cat talked!"
Orihime explained, "It's not a cat, it's Yoruichi-san."
Kisuke clapped his hands and said, "First, let me introduce everyone. This is Nohara Shin. He and Yoruichi will lead you all to Soul Society."
"Hello everyone." Shin greeted them.
"Hello, Nohara-san. I'm Inoue Orihime." Orihime bowed slightly.
She was quite curious about why Yoruichi and Shin seemed so close.
Chad simply introduced himself by name.
Uryū already knew Shin and was well aware of his strength, so he had no objections.
"Now that everyone has been introduced, I'll give you a brief overview of Soul Society."
"Soul Society is composed of two parts: Rukongai and Seireitei. Shinigami reside in Seireitei."
"The forces that protect Seireitei are called the Gotei 13."
"And among them, the Lieutenants and Captains are whom you should be most wary of."
...
"Alright, information sharing complete. Everyone, follow me."
With that, Kisuke led the way into the underground space.
Everyone saw a massive stone gate standing on the ground.
Kisuke introduced, "This is the senkaimon to Soul Society."
Saying that, he used his cane to poke Ichigo's Reishi body out of his physical body.
"Only Reishi bodies can enter Soul Society, so this senkaimon, equipped with a Reishi converter, will transform you into Reishi."
"However, you only have four minutes. If you can't enter Soul Society in time, you will be forever trapped in the rift between the Human World and Soul Society."
Everyone's expressions shifted slightly upon hearing they only had four minutes.
Shin laughed. "Don't worry too much, everyone. Yoruichi and I are here, you just need to charge forward."
Thinking of Shin's strength, everyone felt considerably more at ease.
Just before entering the senkaimon, Shin suddenly said, "One more thing, could I trouble you, Urahara-san, to build an underground space for me? I'll use it for my usual training."
Kisuke was momentarily stunned. "Okay... no problem."
"I'll inspect it when I get back. Don't forget, Urahara-san."