On the outskirts of the Seireitei, a new training ground had been hastily designated by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
This area had been assigned specifically for Madarame Ikkaku's training program.
Because the order had come suddenly, the place didn't even have a proper sign.
Someone had simply carved the words "Training Camp" onto a large boulder and left it at that.
Ikkaku and YAyasegawa Yumichika were sitting under a tree, bored out of their minds as they waited for the other trainees to arrive.
"Ahhh! This is such a headache!" Ikkaku groaned.
Just thinking about what he would have to do made him want to slam his head into the tree to calm himself down.
Who could have imagined that he would switch from a frontline combatant to a special instructor so quickly?
Even Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, whom Ikkaku admired the most, hadn't spoken up for him.
Instead, Zaraki had encouraged him to train more opponents worthy of fighting.
"That's not a bad thing, though," Yumichika said with a comforting tone.
"Tomorrow you'll begin special training under Captain Retsu Unohana. Once that's over, you should be able to use your Bankai freely, right?"
He paused, then added curiously,
"By the way… is your Bankai really as fragile as that Sawada Tsunayoshi guy claimed?"
Ikkaku shot him an annoyed glare.
"You've watched me train plenty of times. The durability of Ryūmon Hōzukimaru…"
But Ikkaku himself wasn't entirely sure anymore.
When he had first mastered Bankai, he had been extremely confident.
But after Tsuna repeatedly said that his Bankai was "as fragile as paper," Ikkaku's confidence had gradually begun to crumble.
Seeing the thoughtful expression on Ikkaku's face, Yumichika could roughly guess what he was thinking.
"Don't overthink it," Yumichika said.
"Once you've trained with Captain Unohana tomorrow, you'll understand."
Today's task for the two of them was simply to set up the framework for the camp.
Yumichika already knew Ikkaku's training methods.
Once everything was arranged, Ikkaku would temporarily leave to train under Unohana for a while.
"I know…"
Ikkaku looked down at the Zanpakutō resting in his arms.
Was it because he had rejected part of its power that his Bankai was so fragile?
"By the way, Yumichika… what about your sword?"
"Can you control it properly?"
Yumichika's situation was different from Ikkaku's.
Ikkaku had rejected the healing-related power hidden within his Zanpakutō, but he could still unleash its combat potential.
Yumichika, on the other hand, had outright changed the name of his Zanpakutō.
And unfortunately, his blade was an extremely vain personality.
The result?
Man and sword barely spoke to each other.
Tsuna's guess had been correct.
After Ikkaku mastered Bankai, he had shared the method with Yumichika as well.
Not long afterward, Yumichika disappeared for a while.
Ikkaku had always suspected Yumichika might have achieved Bankai too—but since Yumichika never mentioned it, he didn't bother asking.
Now, however, things were different.
"So?" Ikkaku asked. "How far did you get?"
"I succeeded once," Yumichika said calmly.
"But after I called it Fuji Kujaku again, it stopped talking to me."
During that time away, Yumichika had indeed activated Bankai.
But the Kidō-type power his Zanpakutō possessed didn't suit his preferred style of flashy melee combat.
So he deliberately called it by the wrong name again, effectively sealing his own Zanpakutō.
"Same situation as Iba?" Ikkaku asked.
"No," Yumichika replied.
"Iba hasn't mastered his yet. He can't use it in real combat."
Then Yumichika casually flipped his hair in a flamboyant gesture.
"My sword is simply throwing a tantrum."
"If my life is truly in danger, it won't just watch me die."
Ikkaku nodded.
He understood the situation now.
Yumichika would make a perfectly capable instructor.
"Hm? Someone's coming," Yumichika suddenly said.
A solitary figure was approaching them.
Because the Seireitei's order had come so suddenly, every division had ongoing duties to hand over.
Today's gathering was simply to meet each other and finalize the arrangements.
Ikkaku and Yumichika had expected to wait half the day.
They didn't expect someone to arrive so quickly.
Ikkaku stood up to greet him—only to realize the newcomer wasn't a Shinigami.
The man wore a sleeveless shirt suited for combat.
Definitely not the attire of a Soul Reaper.
"Hello. My name is Yasutora Sado."
After hearing the introduction, Ikkaku realized this was the other assistant mentioned earlier.
After introducing himself, Ikkaku asked bluntly,
"I heard your strength is just below captain level?"
Chad paused for a moment.
Losing to Captain Sajin Komamura was a fact. There was no point hiding it.
"I lost to the captain of the Seventh Division."
"Captain Komamura, huh?" Ikkaku clicked his tongue.
"If this training camp didn't exist, I'd really like to fight you."
His old habit surfaced again—the moment he met a strong opponent, he wanted to challenge them.
"Would you mind showing your power?" Yumichika asked.
"So I can better plan the training schedule."
After all, Ikkaku would be leaving temporarily, so Yumichika would oversee the camp in the meantime.
"What should I do?" Chad asked simply.
He wasn't a talkative person.
Tsuna trusted these people—so Chad trusted them as well.
"Hit that small rock hill over there with your strongest attack," Yumichika said casually.
Chad walked directly toward the rocky mound.
White armor formed over his left arm.
If it was his strongest move—
Then it had to be the Left Arm of the Devil.
He threw a punch.
A thunderous explosion erupted.
Moments later came the sound of collapsing rock.
A massive demonic emblem was carved into the mountain's surface, and nearly half the hill had been blown apart.
"Whoa…" Ikkaku sucked in a breath.
This was bad.
Seeing that kind of power made his hands itch for a fight again.
He slapped the back of his own hand repeatedly to suppress the urge.
"With that kind of power," Yumichika commented,
"even a captain could be caught off guard if they weren't careful."
Compared to Chad, some lieutenants' Shikai abilities merely changed the shape of their swords without granting special powers.
They wouldn't stand a chance.
Chad withdrew his power and returned.
"Please take care of me," he said calmly.
"Let's work hard together," Yumichika replied with a friendly smile.
"With your help, the pressure on us will be much lighter."
After that came silence.
Chad wasn't talkative.
And with someone unfamiliar present, Ikkaku and Yumichika found conversation difficult.
Fortunately, more people soon arrived.
Izuru Kira and Shūhei Hisagi came together.
Their divisions had recently undergone captain changes, leaving many duties in transition.
Now that those responsibilities had been passed to others, they could finally relax.
"Ikkaku, Yumichika," Hisagi asked immediately,
"why did the Commander suddenly start this Lieutenant Training Camp?"
Ever since developing his journalist habits, Hisagi had gotten used to asking questions.
You never knew when something might become material for the Seireitei Communication.
"Oh, it was suggested by some guy named Sawada Tsunayoshi ," Ikkaku replied casually.
"And it's not just lieutenants. Some others were selected too."
The secret wouldn't stay hidden anyway.
With weeks of intensive training ahead, everyone would find out eventually.
Not all lieutenants were participating.
Chōjirō Sasakibe of the First Division had already mastered Bankai, so he was training directly under Yamamoto.
Renji Abarai of the Sixth Division had also been excluded—apparently Tsuna was giving him special training.
Nanao Ise, Yachiru Kusajishi, and Nemu Kurotsuchi were also absent.
All three had been personally exempted by Tsuna.
There was no need for them to waste time on basic swordsmanship training.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi ? Again?" Hisagi said in surprise.
He hadn't even had the chance to interview the man yet.
But now it seemed many of the recent changes in the Seireitei revolved around him.
"You want to interview him?" Yumichika said.
"I heard from our captain that he's incredibly strong. Be respectful."
After witnessing Tsuna's clash with Yamamoto, Kenpachi Zaraki had spent every day shouting about wanting to fight him.
By now, the entire Eleventh Division knew Tsuna wasn't someone to mess with.
"I understand!" Hisagi said seriously.
He carefully stored that information away.
"He's actually pretty easy to get along with," Chad suddenly added.
"You're… from the Human World?" Hisagi asked eagerly.
His eyes lit up.
He immediately dragged Chad aside and pulled out a notebook, ready to start asking questions.
Unfortunately, Chad himself didn't fully understand many of the events either, so his answers were vague.
"Seriously! That idiot Kensei forced me to attend this boring training camp!" someone complained.
"Yeah! That bald idiot kicked me out without explaining anything!" another voice chimed in.
Those familiar voices belonged to Mashiro Kuna and Hiyori Sarugaki, who had only recently returned to the Seireitei.
Following behind them was Lisa Yadōmaru .
These former Visored lieutenants had also been pushed into the camp.
Since they had held lieutenant positions longer than most, they had even more room for development.
Behind them came another group.
Lisa was dragging along a half-dazed Rangiku Matsumoto.
Knowing the upcoming training would be miserable, Rangiku had decided to spend the previous night drinking heavily.
As for division paperwork—
That was Hitsugaya Tōshirō's problem.
Since Lisa didn't need to handle any administrative handovers, Rangiku had dragged her along for a night of drinking.
That was why Lisa was now escorting a hungover Rangiku.
Tetsuzaemon Iba and Marechiyo Ōmaeda followed behind them.
One wanted to spend extra time researching his Bankai.
The other simply didn't want to work that hard.
For Ōmaeda, being the Second Division's lieutenant was already good enough.
"Hurry up! We're going to be late!"
"Lieutenant Kotetsu, why do I have to come too?"
A tall woman and a short man argued while walking toward the camp.
The tall one was Isane Kotetsu, lieutenant of the Fourth Division.
The short one—
Was Hanatarō Yamada.
Hanatarō had actually been added to the camp personally by Tsuna.
Why?
Because his Zanpakutō, Hisagomaru, had a personality almost identical to its owner—timid and unable to refuse others.
When Hisagomaru once ran away, it had only hidden in the sewer because it thought Hanatarō had abandoned it.
In other words, Hanatarō already had maxed-out Zanpakutō affinity.
As long as his Reiatsu reached the required level, achieving Bankai would be possible.
By sending him to Ikkaku's camp, Tsuna wanted to see whether Ikkaku could help him achieve a semi-Bankai even before his Reiatsu fully matured.
Members from nearly every division had now arrived.
The Thirteenth Division didn't have a lieutenant.
But that didn't mean they had no participant.
A neat short-haired girl arrived last.
Rukia Kuchiki, owner of one of the most beautiful Zanpakutō in the Soul Society, had recovered her Reiatsu and once again donned her Shihakushō.
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