"Tch!" White Ichigo clicked his tongue in displeasure.
He knew that Uncle Zangetsu was afraid he'd reveal the truth. But just before vanishing, white Ichigo turned to Ichigo and suddenly shouted,
"Ichigo! Your Zanpakutō's true power still hasn't awakened! I believe you'll discover it very soon!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Uncle Zangetsu's expression changed—because that power was exactly what he'd been trying hardest to suppress!
But both of them had already returned to Ichigo's inner world—they could no longer influence his actions.
(Actually, it's kind of strange. Even offensive-type Zanpakutō all have their own unique abilities. Like Renji's Zabimaru extends like a serpent, Hisagi's Kazeshini cuts with rotating blades, Ikkaku's Hōzukimaru transforms into different forms.)
(But Ichigo's Zanpakutō doesn't seem to have any ability at all. Some might think it's Getsuga Tenshō—but that's not right!)
(Zanpakutō abilities are unique to each one. Getsuga Tenshō is a technique, not an ability. After all, Isshin can use it too—are we really going to say Mugetsu is Zangetsu's ability? What kind of ability disappears your whole being after using it?)
(So I've made a slight adjustment to the lore—Ichigo's Zanpakutō does have an ability. And it's simple and brutal.)
"My Zanpakutō's ability, huh..." Ichigo murmured in confusion.
Now that he thought about it, even after achieving Bankai, Zangetsu was still just acting like a blade—no extra abilities.
He remembered how Renji's Zanpakutō transformed into a flexible, snake-like weapon after being released.
Looking down at Zangetsu in his hand, Ichigo muttered,
"What kind of hidden power do you really have...?"
Honestly, only Ichigo's Zanpakutō would be this stingy.
Every other Zanpakutō couldn't wait to tell their master everything. Ichigo's? "Figure it out yourself…"
But Ichigo quickly put the thought aside.
Right now, his strength had grown tremendously—it was more important to stabilize his current power first!
The next morning, Yoruichi arrived.
This time, she looked a little different. For once, she wasn't wearing Ichigo's clothes—she had changed into an orange battle outfit, one that looked a bit like Goku's martial arts uniform.
"Alright then! It's time for my lesson!" Yoruichi stretched and looked at Ichigo.
"My training style isn't exactly normal—so prepare yourself!"
"Don't worry, Yoruichi-neesan! I've been ready!" Ichigo said, rubbing his hands together with anticipation.
"Is that so? Then let's get started!" Yoruichi winked.
Over the next four days, Ichigo was practically living in agony.
Yoruichi launched surprise attacks on him at all times of the day—and he wasn't allowed to fight back. He could only dodge using shunpo.
And because Yoruichi knew about Ichigo's recovery ability, she never held back.
In this near-assassination-level real combat, Ichigo's reaction time and speed improved drastically!
After all, if he was even a little bit too slow, the knife was going into his body.
What surprised Yoruichi was that no matter how badly Ichigo was injured, he never screamed in pain. He just endured silently—and got better the next time.
Seeing such mental resilience, Yoruichi finally understood why Ichigo could improve so quickly.
He was one tough guy.
And she respected that.
So… she hit even harder.
Of course, Ichigo wasn't totally above getting revenge.
One night, while Yoruichi was sleeping in her black cat form, Ichigo grabbed her in his arms and gave her a thorough cuddle session.
As for when she was in her older-sister form...
Cough cough cough—Ichigo didn't have the guts for that.
That would definitely count as harassment...
While Ichigo was undergoing hellish special training, the others weren't idle either.
Uryū Ishida, ashamed of his previous performance, returned home and retrieved the Sanrei Glove his grandfather had left behind. With its help, he significantly boosted his spiritual power!
To be fair, while Uryū had taken some L's before, his improvement was real. In just ten days, he raised his spiritual pressure to vice-captain level!
After all, his goal was to defeat Renji—and now he was just about there.
Though he didn't realize that when Renji came to the Human World, he was only using one-fifth of his full power…
Orihime and Chad focused on mastering their powers. Since they had only just awakened their abilities, being able to control them skillfully in ten days was already a huge achievement.
What truly surprised Urahara Kisuke was the girl named Tatsuki Arisawa.
She didn't seem like someone who had just gained powers…
Or rather, her willpower was the strongest of them all.
Her goal was singular:
To fight alongside Kurosaki Ichigo!
That fierce personal resolve gave Tatsuki immense growth over those ten days!
She successfully developed new techniques and even unlocked new forms of her powers.
And more than that—she was hiding some of her strength!
"Tatsuki's really giving it her all..." Orihime sighed as she watched Tatsuki push herself harder and harder.
Chad watched her too—he could feel it.
He wasn't even a match for that girl anymore.
"Ichigo... I'll do everything I can to catch up to you! I swear it!" Tatsuki thought, red flames burning even brighter above her head.
Finally, it was time to depart.
Ichigo ended his savage wilderness training and walked into Urahara Kisuke's shop—with Yoruichi perched on his shoulder in black cat form.
"Ohohoho~ Ichigo-san, you're here!" Urahara greeted him in his usual cheerful tone, showing no signs of lingering tension from their previous disagreements.
"Alright Kisuke, enough with the chatter. Take us to the Gate." Yoruichi cut in.
During this training period, Yoruichi had told Ichigo about her connection with Urahara.
Of course, she still didn't say anything about Kurosaki Isshin.
Ichigo didn't suddenly warm up to Urahara or anything, but he was no longer completely hostile either.
After all, Yoruichi had given him her all, without asking for anything in return.
Ichigo wouldn't forget that kindness.
"My, my~ Looks like Yoruichi-san and Ichigo-san are getting along quite well," Urahara teased.
After all, it was the first time he'd seen Yoruichi so casually perched on someone's shoulder.
"Hmph." Yoruichi didn't respond.
Urahara turned to Ichigo, who remained cold as ever, and said,
"Everything's ready. And more than that—there are a few people waiting for you."
(End of Chapter)
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