Ichigo has ended up being "looked after" by the members of the Eleventh Division.
However, Ichigo is about to face the absolute cream of the crop within the division. He is going up against people who cannot be compared to the ordinary rank-and-file soldiers he has fought until now...
Well now, what will Ichigo's fate be!?
"What is this place...?"
Led by Unohana, they arrived at a subterranean space located beneath the Eleventh Division.
"This is a special space primarily used by Kenpachi and myself. Normally, I would not wish to invite outsiders here... but well, considering your circumstances, Kurosaki. I decided to use this place as a special exception this time so that we won't attract too much attention."
"Huh..."
Whether he was actually listening or not, Ichigo gazed at the vast underground space with admiration.
Now, this underground space should be familiar to all of you, shouldn't it?
—That's right! It is the place where Retsu Unohana and Kenpachi Zaraki clash once a year—their "love nest," so to speak.
Well, it's also a convenient location where they can each train or go on a rampage to their heart's content without causing trouble to the outside world.
In truth, Unohana secretly feels that she doesn't want anyone else to enter this place—with the exception of the Twelfth Division members who handle maintenance—unless they possess enough strength to withstand the clash between the two of them.
It's a maiden's pure heart. How adorable.
It was a space that effectively had a "No Entry" sign for anyone with spiritual pressure below the Captain class, but Ichigo didn't seem to notice at all.
"Ah... come to think of it, this place looks familiar..."
"What does it resemble?"
"There's an underground space where I was training a little while ago. It looks like that."
It seems Ichigo was remembering the underground space dug by Urahara. Indeed, if you say they are similar, they are.
Furthermore—
"Mm...!?"
"Mayuri-sama, what is the matter?"
"It is nothing. For some reason, I just felt a slight surge of irritation... I don't quite understand it, but I feel as though I was compared to someone extremely distasteful. How utterly vexing..."
—It seems such a conversation took place somewhere in the Seireitei. However, since it has absolutely nothing to do with Ichigo and the others, let's leave that aside.
"I see. However, I believe such trivial matters will soon cease to concern you."
"What do you mean by—?"
"Oh, there you are. Captain, what's the business!?"
"Tch... seriously, I wanted to try fighting that rumored Ryoka. If you have business, make it quick... huh?"
"Ah! There's a Soul Reaper I don't know!!"
"What...!?"
Summoned by Unohana, Kenpachi and Ikkaku made their grand entrance. Of course, Yachiru is right there with Ken-chan.
The moment Ichigo saw the two of them, his movements froze.
Even from Ikkaku alone, he felt a spiritual pressure equal to or greater than Kaien's. As for Kenpachi standing next to him, just looking at the man made Ichigo feel like he was being crushed to death by spiritual pressure.
"I am glad you could come. This is Ichigo Kurosaki, the Ryoka everyone is talking about."
"Ho..."
"What!? So you're the one who beat up our rank-and-file guys!? Hey!!"
The moment he heard the word "Ryoka," Kenpachi's mouth twisted into a ferocious grin. Meanwhile, Ikkaku was a bit annoyed, realizing this was the person who had trashed his subordinates.
Well, the one who actually did most of the trashing was Kukaku, though.
"I will explain the details later, but he is the prospect I mentioned finding in the World of the Living a while ago. At her request, we have decided to train him here in the Eleventh Division... or rather, we will be the ones training him. Therefore, I want you two to be his sparring partners."
"Oh!"
"Oho!"
Upon hearing her name, the look in their eyes changed further.
Since she was the one who found and recommended him, they were certain he must be an interesting opponent.
In an instant, the heads of these two battle-maniacs were filled with the single desire: "I want to fight him."
"Interesting! Then I'll—"
"Wh-! Hey, wait a minute!"
"Kenpachi, I understand how you feel, but hold back this time. There was a request from her that we start with Ikkaku first."
"Huh!? What's that about!?"
Kenpachi had been eager, but if Unohana said so, he had no choice. He complied surprisingly obediently and plopped himself down on a nearby rock.
"Tch, fine... Hey, Ikkaku! Get it over with quickly! Then pass him to me!!"
"What are you saying, Vice-Captain!? There's no way I'm gonna lose!!"
Instead, the designated Ikkaku stepped forward aggressively.
"Then, Third Seat Madarame, if you please. Ah, feel free to do it with the intent to kill. We have a medic on standby."
"A medic...? Oh, you... were you Yamada Taro from the Fourth Division? I heard you were good at Kaido."
"Eek! U-um..."
Hanataro is indeed there, though he's essentially acting as a first-aid kit.
And as expected, despite his skill in Kaido, his name hasn't quite stuck.
"If this guy is here, then there's no problem even if I really do kill you."
"Heh, kill me...? Don't screw with me!!"
He was talking big, but his body was honest.
Sensing the paralyzing bloodlust—the same kind he felt during his fight with Kaien—Ichigo instinctively took a stance with his Zanpakuto.
"Hey you, your name was Ichigo, right? That's a good name."
"Yeah? That's the first time anyone's ever complimented my name."
"Yeah. It's a given that guys with 'Ichi' in their name are handsome men overflowing with talent."
Seeing the Zanpakuto in Ichigo's hand, Ikkaku smirked.
"I am the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division, Ikkaku Madarame! For the sake of our shared 'Ichi,' I'll go easy enough not to kill you—just a little bit, though!!"
Instantly shifting into his unique combat style—holding the unsheathed Zanpakuto in his right hand and the scabbard in his left—he attacked without a moment's delay.
"Guh...!"
"Come on, come on, what's wrong!? Don't hold back!!"
Being toyed with by the unpredictable sword movements, Ichigo was instantly driven into a corner.
Every strike released was filled with genuine killing intent; overwhelmed by it, he couldn't block or dodge effectively.
He was already losing in terms of spiritual pressure; at this rate, victory for Ichigo was nearly impossible.
"Darn... it!!"
Even when he tried to counterattack, his strikes were parried by Ikkaku's scabbard before he could put any power into them.
No, being parried was actually the kind outcome.
"You're slow, hey!!"
"Gah...!?"
Not satisfied with just parrying, Ikkaku used the scabbard to strike Ichigo directly.
Unlike a sword, there was no need to align the blade. A single blow that dealt damage simply by connecting began to ruthlessly shave away Ichigo's stamina.
"Are you scared of just this much!?"
When he thought he was being cut by the sword, he was struck by the scabbard; when he thought he was blocking the scabbard, he was blocked by the sword. Moreover, before he knew it, the weapons in Ikkaku's hands would swap in an instant.
It wasn't that Ichigo was weak, but he was completely bewildered by Ikkaku's formless fighting style.
In his fight with Kaien, there had been a certain established form—a sort of flow—that allowed for some level of prediction, but that didn't work against Ikkaku.
The number of cuts and bruises on his body only continued to increase.
To put it simply, Ichigo was still severely lacking in experience.
"Uwah... uwah...!!"
Yachiru, watching the brawl from a distance, let out a voice of disappointment at Ichigo's performance.
"No, no, no! No way, Ken-chan! At this rate, he's just a super weak, bottom-tier orange!!"
Yachiru's standard was based on her combat prowess.
If compared to that, ninety percent of the Gotei 13 would be deemed "failures," but that was a separate matter.
Yachiru was pouting with dissatisfaction at Ichigo, who was being overwhelmed even by Ikkaku.
She had concluded that he couldn't even serve as a playmate for her beloved Kenpachi, so her reaction was perhaps unavoidable.
"Well, let's just watch until the end... don't you think?"
"Yes, quite. Besides—"
When Kenpachi sought agreement from Unohana, who had approached, she concurred.
"He is doing much better than she was at the very beginning."
"Heh. That woman had a time like that too?"
"Indeed, she was of quite average ability. Compared to that girl's growth, it seems he has potential. Look..."
As she spoke, Unohana gestured with her eyes.
"Ooooooh!!"
"Tch!"
Faced with Ichigo's powerful strike, Ikkaku accidentally failed to catch the attack cleanly.
"Hah! I've finally gotten used to it!!"
It was only a single instance, but by halting Ikkaku's movement, he must have grasped the sensation.
His eyes were catching up to the free-flowing movements, and he felt he could respond.
"Now it's my turn!!"
He attacked, trusting that sensation, but—
"Gotten used to it? To what..."
From Ikkaku's perspective, that was nothing more than a careless attack.
Lowering his body, he took a large step forward, dodging the attack and effortlessly slipping into Ichigo's guard. To Ichigo, it must have looked as if he had closed the distance in an instant.
"...exactly?"
"What...!?"
Furthermore, it came with the bonus of a powerful upward slash delivered from that low posture. Using the incredible spring-like tension of his body as he snapped upward, he sliced Ichigo deeply.
Intense pain shot from Ichigo's waist upward, and his stance collapsed completely.
"Don't you die on me, Ichigo!!"
Ikkaku didn't stop there.
If he hesitated against an off-balance opponent, he wouldn't be worthy of the title of Eleventh Division Third Seat. He unleashed a powerful follow-up downward slash, leaving a deep wound on Ichigo's torso.
"You... you weren't... serious before...?"
"Hah!? What kind of misunderstanding is that?"
Falling to his knees from the pain and shock, Ichigo muttered resentfully.
But those words were offensive to Ikkaku.
"I've been serious from the very start. Though I wasn't using my full power."
Unohana had said it was fine to kill him, but this was training.
Since it was training, Ikkaku had been restricting his spiritual pressure and fighting style to match Ichigo. He was holding back, but he wasn't slacking within those restricted boundaries.
If he had been using his full power, he would have used Bankai from the very first move.
"Damn... am I losing... again..."
Saying that regretfully was his limit.
While bleeding profusely, Ichigo collapsed powerlessly.
"Captain, is this enough?"
"He is still alive, so that should do for now. Come, Yamada-kun. What are you doing? Kurosaki-san is going to die."
"A-ah! Yes!!"
What had unfolded before him was a fierce battle that the frail Hanataro wouldn't even have been allowed to step into.
Yet these two described the fight as "enough."
Hanataro was left bewildered by the gap in their perceptions.
If Unohana hadn't spoken to him, he might have forgotten to even move.
"Oh dear, he really is just a weak orange... wait, Ken-chan? What's wrong?"
"..."
Yachiru had been watching the fight with a bored expression, but Kenpachi apparently felt differently. He slowly approached the fallen Ichigo.
"U-um... is there something...?"
Naturally, Hanataro was nearby trying to provide medical aid.
With the even more terrifying Kenpachi drawing close, Hanataro looked ready to cry, but Kenpachi didn't pay him any mind.
He simply drew his Zanpakuto and, aimed at the fallen Ichigo, swung with all his might—
"Hah!!"
"Whoaaaaaaa!!!!"
"!!?"
The moment the blade swung down, Ichigo leaped up and intercepted the attack with his Zanpakuto.
"A-ah? What...!? Wait, it hurts—ouch ouch ouch!?"
"Ah, no! Please don't move!!"
Ichigo had no idea what had just happened. He didn't understand why he was holding his sword.
However, the fact that he was injured hadn't changed, and moving in that state caused him to writhe in agony.
Hanataro hurriedly tried to get him to stay still, but Ichigo was in too much pain to listen.
"Heh, so you can do it when you have to..."
In contrast, Kenpachi had a broad smile at Ichigo's action.
The boy should have been completely unconscious, yet he had blocked the attack—perhaps by instinct—so of course Kenpachi was pleased.
On top of that, Ichigo's spiritual pressure was rising, so it was only natural for Kenpachi to expect that "if we repeat this, he might actually become a decent playmate."
"I'm looking forward to this... just a little bit."
The only one listening to Kenpachi's monologue was the mask that had tumbled out from inside Ichigo's clothes.
A mask with a sinister design, now bearing two distinct scars from an upward and a downward slash.
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