Yamamoto left, thoroughly satisfied.
Seeing that the old man was no longer immersed in the past, Naraku Sora was also very satisfied with his own handiwork.
Although the old geezer hadn't said a word, as a disciple who had spent so much time with his teacher day and night, he could still sense the lingering melancholy in his heart.
A simple sparring match between master and disciple wouldn't have been enough to help Yamamoto bounce back so quickly.
Sometimes, it was necessary to use a few unconventional methods.
For the next period of time, Naraku Sora also began to slack off and idle his days away.
He occasionally supervised the reconstruction of the squad barracks, squeezed some labor out of Urahara Kisuke, beat up Zaraki Kenpachi, exchanged insights on Zanjutsu with Unohana Retsu, and pacified Matsumoto Rangiku, who was endlessly annoyed by the addition of the newcomers.
Perhaps having discovered that Katori Batsu'unsai shared a similar nature to her own, Matsumoto Rangiku shifted her target to her. Whenever she had nothing better to do, she would go and challenge the first-generation captain.
It was worth mentioning one thing.
After the internal squad tournament, the new Gotei 13 had gained several more captains.
The new captains were: Kakyo of Squad 2, Ichimaru Gin of Squad 3, Saitō Furōfushi of Squad 4, Urahara Kisuke of Squad 5, Kuchiki Kōga of Squad 6, Komamura Sajin of Squad 7, Katori Batsu'unsai of Squad 8, Tōsen Kaname of Squad 9, Matsumoto Rangiku of Squad 10, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri of Squad 12.
The only ones missing were Squad 11 and Squad 13.
They could have easily promoted a few seated officers to fill the numbers, but they all refused, citing their lack of strength.
For these highly prideful individuals, taking on the role of captain without sufficient strength would only bring shame to the new Gotei 13.
And more importantly, it would cause Lord Naraku to lose face.
Naraku Sora didn't force the issue.
There were still a few SR cards waiting for him to pull in the Rukongai; who knew, he might discover a few more geniuses one day.
However, there was one matter that required his attention.
Naraku Sora looked at the thriving Shino Prison, stroked his chin, and decisively walked toward a certain courtyard.
Urahara Kisuke had been in a very good mood lately.
Although he had been assigned the duties of a new squad captain, his workload hadn't increased much. He was still just tinkering with new inventions and researching the Gates of Hell.
It was just that, for some unknown reason, he had been able to track the traces of the Gates of Hell a while ago, but suddenly, they had completely hidden themselves.
The current observation equipment couldn't capture a single trace of them.
Even if he occasionally detected a fluctuation, by the time he rushed over, the Gates of Hell would instantly vanish.
He didn't have the slightest clue about such an abnormal change.
He could only bite the bullet and start his research over from scratch.
In the courtyard, Urahara Kisuke sat in a rocking chair, humming an unknown tune. He picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and savored the lingering fragrance in his mouth, his expression extremely relaxed.
Ever since a certain someone started slacking off, he felt that his own life had become much more leisurely.
Aside from doing research, he was just enjoying life—brewing tea, burning incense, and occasionally finding the time to read a few issues of the Seireitei Communication.
Was there any life more beautiful than this?
Urahara Kisuke stretched lazily and reached out toward the fruit platter beside him.
He grabbed nothing but air.
'Huh?'
'Didn't I just cut some fruit?'
He subconsciously turned his head, only to see the face he least wanted to see.
Urahara Kisuke gasped, quickly closing his eyes as he tried to hypnotize himself into believing this was just a nightmare and not reality.
However, when he opened his eyes again, he saw that face looking at him with a half-smile, as if admiring something amusing.
After a few seconds of silence.
He offered an awkward smile and said, "Lord Naraku, what brings you here?"
Naraku Sora didn't reply. He simply chewed on the fruit and glanced at the magazine in Urahara Kisuke's hand.
The 172nd issue of the Seireitei Communication.
If he remembered correctly, Old Man Yama had published his photo collection, "Bones," in this very issue.
Normally, Naraku Sora never missed an issue.
But after seeing the preview in the previous issue, he had specifically skipped this one to prevent his eyes from being poisoned.
He hadn't expected Urahara Kisuke to be so hardcore. As expected of the number one tactician under his command.
Truly brave.
Urahara Kisuke felt a chill in his heart under that gaze, terrified that this guy was about to assign him some absurd task again.
Just as he was on edge, Naraku Sora's eyes suddenly turned serious, and he said earnestly:
"Kisuke, are there still materials in the warehouse to make Tenshintai?"
Urahara Kisuke hesitated for a moment. "Yes, they aren't rare materials. If I gather them now, I should be able to scrape together enough for eight or ten of them."
"Good. I'm giving you a task: make a few Tenshintai right now. I need them immediately."
Hearing this, Urahara Kisuke breathed a sigh of relief.
If it was just making Tenshintai, it would be very easy. He had gained a massive boost in proficiency when he made one to help Naraku Sora learn Bankai earlier.
It wouldn't take much time at all to produce them now.
He was just a little curious as to why so many Tenshintai were suddenly needed.
This item could usually only be used by Soul Reapers whose Reiatsu met the standard and who had reached a certain level of comprehension with their Zanpakutō.
There shouldn't be many in the barracks who met those requirements, right?
Although puzzled, Urahara Kisuke didn't ask for details. He would find out when they were used.
The desolate back mountain of the squad barracks.
Several straight figures stood in the clearing, all eyes focused on Naraku Sora standing before them.
He held a stack of white, human-shaped cardboard cutouts and explained seriously:
"This is the Tenshintai I mentioned to you before."
"Its ability is simple: it allows a Soul Reaper to shorten the time needed to master Bankai, but it also carries significant risks."
"If you are defeated by your materialized Zanpakutō during the process, your mind and soul will suffer varying degrees of damage."
"No one can interfere in the battle between you and your Zanpakutō. The only person you can rely on is yourself."
"Now, does anyone want to back out?"
Ichimaru Gin, Komamura Sajin, and Matsumoto Rangiku all shook their heads in unison.
As some of the few captains in the new Gotei 13 who hadn't mastered Bankai, they had always felt that their strength was insufficient to bear their responsibilities.
Therefore, aside from paperwork, they spent their time intensely training, or at the very least, picking fights with others.
The reason they worked so hard was to learn Bankai as soon as possible so they could repay the kindness of the man standing before them.
Now that there was a shortcut, they had to try it, no matter how dangerous it was.
Seeing their resolute gazes, Naraku Sora was very satisfied and signaled to the person beside him with his eyes.
Urahara Kisuke sighed deeply, stepped forward helplessly, and stabbed a Tenshintai into the ground.
"Alright, who's first?"
"Me."
Komamura Sajin stepped forward with a firm stride, drew his Zanpakutō, and stabbed it in without hesitation.
A brilliant red light instantly bloomed.
A tall, burly red figure appeared in everyone's line of sight.
Without any unnecessary words, the dog and the blade simply exchanged a glance, understood each other's intentions, and charged at one another.
Komamura Sajin's strength had actually met the standard long ago.
However, mastering Bankai required not only Reiatsu but also a deep comprehension of one's Zanpakutō.
He wasn't very skilled in this aspect, which was why he had fallen a step behind his good friend, Tōsen Kaname.
Now that he had a chance to speedrun the process, he naturally had to seize it.
The battle between dog and blade was exceptionally fierce, with short fur and blood flying everywhere.
But Komamura Sajin was clearly a cut above his materialized Zanpakutō. After paying a small price, accompanied by a deafening roar...
...his massive blade cleaved the red figure before him in half.
At that moment, a terrifying wave of Reiatsu swept through the entire barracks, even continuing to spread outward.
The Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13 also sensed this powerful aura.
For a time, countless curious gazes looked toward the back mountain of Shino Prison, trying to identify the source of this Reiatsu.
Even Yamamoto in Squad 1 stopped his writing brush, stepped out under the eaves, and narrowed his eyes.
"This Reiatsu fluctuation..."
The large dog looked forward with a face full of joy, the corners of his mouth rising uncontrollably.
"Lord Naraku, I have not failed my mission!"
Naraku Sora grinned. "Do you still have any strength left? Try out your Bankai."
Komamura Sajin nodded vigorously. His bloodstained hands tightly gripped his Zanpakutō, erupting with an unprecedentedly powerful Reiatsu.
A crimson light shot into the sky, stirring up waves of dust. A terrifying pressure permeated the surroundings, and the earth trembled slightly.
When his gathered power reached its limit, Komamura's eyes widened in fury. He opened his massive maw and let out a deafening roar:
"Bankai!"
"Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"
The red light blazed, growing ever more dazzling.
*Hum—*
Accompanied by the ground groaning under the overwhelming weight, the red light transformed into a colossal behemoth standing atop the back mountain, its terrifying size even dwarfing the nearby mountain peak.
It was a giant, black-armored samurai standing a hundred meters tall, wearing a red face guard, its golden eyes exuding a tyrannical aura.
Its entire body was covered in heavy armor, with thick black ropes tied behind it, and its right hand tightly gripped a giant blade tens of meters long.
Regardless of its actual strength, its appearance was undeniably fierce.
Just standing there, it gave off a suffocating sense of oppression.
Seeing this, Ichimaru Gin opened his eyes slightly, revealing a gleam of anticipation.
Matsumoto Rangiku clenched her small hands tightly, beginning to fantasize about her own Bankai.
At Naraku Sora's signal, Komamura Sajin deactivated his Bankai and stood respectfully to the side, like the most loyal of guards.
Next was Ichimaru Gin.
As a boy genius, his talent was far superior to that of the other Soul Reaper captains.
He had no shortcomings in the four basic combat skills of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō, and his fighting style was extremely clean and decisive.
Before long, another terrifying wave of Reiatsu shot into the clouds.
It once again attracted the attention of countless Soul Reapers.
Were the guys at Shino Prison on steroids? How were they all learning Bankai one after another?
"My turn, my turn!"
Matsumoto Rangiku stepped forward excitedly and cleanly pierced the Tenshintai.
Haineko burst forth, countless grains of sand whipping up a hurricane as the sky instantly darkened.
Compared to the previous two matches, her battle was a bit more grueling.
But fortunately, because of the Spirit King fragment, Matsumoto Rangiku's combat power was several times stronger than in the original timeline, so the process of defeating her Zanpakutō went relatively smoothly.
When the third Bankai Reiatsu erupted, the expressions of the other Soul Reapers had gone completely numb.
Someone quietly did the math.
They suddenly realized that the so-called captains of the new Gotei 13 had actually all mastered Bankai.
Could it be that the new Head Captain, Lord Naraku, was truly going to replace Head Captain Yamamoto?!
The news of the three mastering Bankai spread like wildfire, quickly setting off another wave of intense training and competition within the Seireitei.
Some people, in their desperate bid to get stronger, even took the initiative to seek out Zaraki Kenpachi of Squad 11.
Their reasoning was actually that challenging the strong was the fastest way to improve.
Of course, their fates were quite miserable.
Just as everything was thriving and flourishing, Aizen suddenly sought out Naraku Sora, bringing an unexpected piece of news:
"Sora, I am preparing to undergo Hollowfication..."