The lilies in the flower basket still bore water droplets, their vibrant appearance making the delivery boy look even more like a zombie crawling out of a grave.
"Hey, Squad Member Asuka! What's with this look of yours? Is Kisuke treating you like a donkey at a millstone?" Isshin stepped forward and firmly grasped Asuka's shoulder.
At this moment, Asuka was covered in bruises and showed obvious signs of sleep deprivation.
Masaki also leaned in with concern. "Mr. Asuka, you really look terrible... Today is the clinic's first day of business, and we just bought some Wagyu beef. Why don't you take the day off and celebrate with us?"
Asuka blinked, looking at the two people who genuinely cared about him, and waved his hand expressionlessly. "Thank you for the kind offer, but there's no need for the meal. I wish you a smooth grand opening."
"Don't be like that. Look at yourself lately. Every day, you're either delivering goods or torturing yourself with training... Just looking at that training regimen Mr. Yoruichi gave you makes my bones ache."
Masaki shivered and stubbornly blocked his path, displaying the unique enthusiasm of a high school girl. "The body needs rest too, even if it's just sitting down for a proper meal..."
"I'm sorry, I don't have time." Asuka maintained as friendly an attitude as possible, politely declining Masaki Kurosaki once again. "I need to seize every second to recover, Miss Kurosaki."
He watched Isshin sign the receipt, bowed slightly, and turned to leave the shop.
"Hey, Asuka! Wait!"
"Miss Masaki, let him go."
Isshin gently patted Masaki's shoulder, his gaze profound.
He could understand Asuka's anxiety. After all, as a powerful warrior, it was truly difficult to endure this constant sense of powerlessness.
In the underground training ground, a sandy wasteland piled with jagged rocks.
Smack!
A crisp sound of physical impact echoed.
Asuka's figure nimbly twisted in mid-air, his right palm forming a claw as he viciously swiped at the flashing black shadow.
Yoruichi Shihoin, in her black cat form, darted rapidly among the rocks.
Compared to a few days ago, the teasing in her eyes had gradually diminished, replaced by a growing solemnity.
'This kid...'
Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido.
These were the fundamental disciplines for a Soul Reaper.
Hakuda was the core of the unarmed combat discipline.
Most squad members only met the basic requirements of these four disciplines, usually spending their entire lives constantly honing and improving them in battle.
However, Yoruichi had also seen exceptionally gifted members who could master and integrate these techniques while still in the academy.
If Asuka were to be considered an apprentice who had just recently enrolled in the Shin'o Academy, his progress could only be described as monstrous.
His understanding of swordsmanship made his punches and kicks increasingly proficient and ferocious.
Coupled with the fact that he had integrated his Breathing Style into the rhythmic exertion of close-quarters combat, every strike he made gave Yoruichi a sense of novelty.
"Gotcha!"
Asuka let out a low growl, actively meeting Yoruichi's claw strike head-on.
The moment the cat's claws grazed his shoulder, a familiar yet foreign power began to surface on his body.
Wind Cloak!
It was a technique he used when he first studied Wind Breathing, wrapping his body in a sharp battle aura. He hadn't expected to use it again after so many years.
In that split second, his tiger claw viciously grazed the fur on Yoruichi's abdomen.
Although Yoruichi's agile movements dispersed most of the force, the very real tactile sensation brought a hint of surprise to her originally elegant expression.
"Not very gentlemanly, but quite impressive, Asuka."
The black cat landed lightly on a stone pillar, her tail flicking restlessly a couple of times. "To think you can already keep up with the limits of my cat form. Asuka, this desperate training method of yours is indeed quite interesting."
Asuka stood his ground, shaking the cat fur from his fingertips as he tried to calm the burning sensation in his chest.
His arms ached and trembled slightly.
While he had successfully reached Yoruichi's goal, it was still only the basics.
"...It's not enough." High fighting spirit blazed in his eyes. "This level of progress is absolutely nothing in front of those monsters."
Yoruichi fell silent for a moment.
Looking at this young man, she seemed to see the shadow of her past self, constantly pushing her limits to protect her family.
"Alright, I was thinking the same thing."
The black cat's voice suddenly deepened, and the originally mild fluctuations of her Spiritual Pressure instantly turned violent.
"Since you can already keep up with the rhythm of the 'Black Cat', let's see if you can last even a single second against the 'Flash Master'."
In the next instant, a massive burst of Spiritual Pressure erupted in the center of the arena.
Dust and smoke billowed up, the air seemingly charged with thunder and lightning as a wave of heat washed over him.
Under Asuka's astonished gaze, the black cat vanished.
In its place stood a woman with a slender figure and dark skin.
She stood completely naked among the jagged rocks, her long purple hair cascading down like a waterfall. Every inch of her muscles exuded an explosive power that seemed to transcend all things.
This was the black cat's true form.
Yoruichi Shihoin, known as the Flash Master.
Logically speaking, any man faced with such a sudden visual impact would experience at least a momentary hesitation, shyness, or awe.
But Asuka did not.
His bloodshot eyes didn't linger on Yoruichi's proud figure for even a fraction of a second.
He was staring intently at Yoruichi's legs.
There, pale golden Reishi was vibrating at a terrifying frequency.
'What an intense oppressive feeling... Is this some kind of spiritual power application meant to increase speed?'
Yoruichi had originally prepared herself to be teased or met with screams, looking playfully at the brat in front of her.
However, seeing Asuka's cold and vigilant gaze, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hey, brat. Your reaction right now... makes me feel like I have no charm at all." The corners of Yoruichi's mouth curled into an amused smile. "Don't you feel the least bit shy?"
"Why should I feel shy?"
Asuka reassumed his starting martial arts stance, bearing some resemblance to a certain Fist Hashira he knew well. "The moment a battle begins, there are only two types of opponents: those you can beat, and those you can't... Whether they wear clothes or not has little to do with it."
"Hah!"
Yoruichi burst into laughter, a sound of genuine delight. "Interesting! Truly interesting! Even those centuries-old fossils in the Soul Society lack your pure instincts."
She casually grabbed a spare training uniform from nearby and slipped it on.
"Brat, are you ready? The current me is a completely different beast from my black cat form."
Golden Reishi surged wildly across Yoruichi's body, her aura skyrocketing at a terrifying pace.
"Are you ready to break a few bones?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Before his voice even faded, Asuka made the first move.
He knew the gap between him and Yoruichi was infinitely widening right now. Since that was the case, it was better to take the initiative and see if he could fight for a sliver of survival.
"Good momentum, but unfortunately, you're too slow!!"
"Shunko!!"
Boom—!!
By the time Asuka regained consciousness, it was already the next morning.
.....
He felt as if his ribs had been broken... His entire body was on the verge of falling apart...
Propping himself up to sit, Asuka realized his upper body was wrapped in fresh bandages, every layer bound extremely tight.
The memories of last night flashed in his mind like shattered pieces of a mirror.
He only remembered that at the very end of the training, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Yoruichi's figure before a straight punch knocked him unconscious...
'Such incredible speed... So that is Yoruichi's Hakuda...'
'The Flash Master... truly lives up to her name.'