A dojo within Shino Prison.
A young boy sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. His Zanpakutō lay flat across his lap, surrounded by a faint halo of Reiatsu, as if he were in a deep meditative trance.
Genryū · Sword Zen.
This was specially taught by Yamamoto. Compared to the basic Sword Zen taught at the Academy, this advanced version could assist a Soul Reaper in calming down faster and entering a state of perfect tranquility.
Communicating with one's Zanpakutō was also a form of cultivation.
Naraku Sora typically used Sword Zen to pass his idle time. Once he felt sufficiently rested, he would throw himself back into training Zanjutsu or Hakuda.
Ever since the disaster involving the Araki family, he had absolutely nothing to do.
Just as Senior Nishikawa had said, criminal incidents didn't happen every day in Soul Society.
Those rebel forces seemed to have collectively received some kind of news; they suddenly went into hiding, vanishing into the depths of Rukongai without leaving a trace.
And Naraku Sora, the street wanderer, became exceptionally lost because he couldn't find any sinners.
Therefore, for the past few days, he had no choice but to stay in the Shino Prison dojo to cultivate.
As for the suggestion Shutara Senjumaru had made earlier about "investing" in Shihōin Yoruichi, it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.
But on second thought, the disputes between the Five Great Noble Families were not something the current him could intervene in.
With his current small physique, bumping shoulders with upper-class nobles was fine, but if he made contact with the Five Great Noble Families, he would very likely end up with a fate similar to the Araki family.
One slip-up, and he could be completely shredded.
To forge iron, one must be strong oneself; this is an eternal truth.
Otherwise, if he encountered some thorny sinners one day and couldn't beat them, there would be no talk of suppression, let alone harvesting "Justice."
Ending his Sword Zen practice, Naraku Sora turned his head and began to attempt using the power he had previously discovered within his inner world.
The perfect fusion of Kidō and Zanjutsu.
To be precise, Unohana Retsu's guidance had provided him with brand-new inspiration.
Kendo was not simply slashing.
It was injecting one's self-perception and will into Reiatsu. Through extreme control, one guided the Reiatsu to unleash ten times, or even a hundred times, the destructive power.
Kidō was the same.
It was just that the method of control had distinct differences from Kendo.
But none of that mattered.
Although the number of Kidō spells Naraku Sora had mastered was far inferior to Aizen, and he couldn't even compare to some veteran seated officers, that didn't matter because his proficiency was ridiculously high.
After all.
Other people's Kidō was obtained through bitter cultivation, leaving it unstable.
But my Kidō was instilled by the System; the foundation is perfect and solid.
Thus, the difference in quality was clear.
He started with Tsuzuri Raiden again. Jumping arcs of electricity appeared on the blade, crackling loudly.
Naraku Sora carefully felt the changes in the Reishi within it, and then tried to use his own understanding to unleash what Unohana Retsu had taught him—
Kendo!
Billions of Reishi resonated at this moment, overlapping and converging like a giant net, and then...
Shattered all over the ground.
The boy's results were not ideal.
At least, that was the case for the first attempt.
In his inner world, Naraku Sora's combat style had merely been changing the release method of Kidō.
At the moment of slashing, he used the Zanpakutō as a medium to explode the destructive power of the Kidō.
It was equivalent to converting the wind-up chant of a Kidō spell into a sword swing.
This was like a certain Mage King using a shield toss to cancel the pre-cast animation of the Metallium Ray; not only did it not lower the move's power, but it allowed for a faster release.
However, the drawback of this combat style was that its intensity was still limited by the upper limit of the Kidō.
To break through that upper limit, he had to find a new path.
Naraku Sora was not discouraged by this; instead, his fighting spirit soared as he continued to try.
After all, failure is the mother of success.
As long as I fail enough times, I will definitely give birth to success.
Once, twice, three times...
Naraku Sora experimented tirelessly, summarizing the crux of the problem after every failure.
If this were him during his Academy days, he might have given up long ago.
But the buffs to his growth potential brought comprehensive improvements, including his comprehension ability.
Being able to graduate from the Academy with excellent grades was proof enough that Naraku Sora was an out-and-out genius.
When further improved upon that foundation, his talent was already no less than those players who had left their names in the history of Soul Society.
Amidst countless failures, Naraku Sora seemed to glimpse a fleeting flash of inspiration.
As his understanding of the two basic combat methods—Kendo and Kidō—deepened, he gradually understood everything.
The Reishi in his body was seized, controlled, and pulled by an invisible force, constantly gathering in Naraku Sora's arms and even his palms.
Visible to the naked eye.
On his hands, streaks of crimson light, resembling circuit board loops, lit up faintly.
When his five fingers clenched tight, Naraku Sora clearly sensed that the Kidō Reiatsu and Kendo Reiatsu had undergone a subtle and indistinguishable fusion.
In a brief instant, the countless failed attempts flashed through his soul, and a strong dizziness struck him suddenly.
At the critical moment, relying on the willpower honed by Shutara Senjumaru, Naraku Sora forcibly held on, maintaining the fused posture.
The originally unruly Reishi now seemed like a loyal dog. The fluctuating Reiatsu was like flowing water, merging into a brand-new transformation from within the waves.
Until finally, it collapsed with a bang.
The circuits on his hands disintegrated and vanished completely.
'Did I fail?'
Naraku Sora asked himself. Countless thoughts surged through his mind, finally converging into a whole.
Without any hesitation, his Reiatsu rushed out once again.
Completely devoid of the previous awkwardness, Naraku Sora's will reigned over the countless Reishi, recklessly manipulating them to merge into his ideal form.
With that, it was accomplished in one stroke.
Looking at the brand-new patterns on his hands and feeling the matchless power surging within, Naraku Sora couldn't help but reveal an excited smile.
'My world-shocking wisdom has finally come into play!'
Under his drive, the Reiatsu soared sharply, quickly reaching its limit.
Naraku Sora pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword. The crimson light on his hands glowed faintly as two distinct types of Reiatsu blended together, erupting with a brilliant radiance.
He drew the blade.
Thunderlight erupted instantly. Endless electric arcs exploded in a split second. Countless Reishi intersected and collided violently, constructing a blade light that could cut through anything, shooting straight into the sky!
As if even sound had been severed, a striking incandescent line flashed across the sky above the dojo.
The next moment, a deafening explosion echoed through the Shino Prison barracks!
Dazzling thunderlight danced wildly above the dome. The massive dojo disintegrated and collapsed with a crash, and the clouds at the end of his vision were completely obliterated.
Spirited thunder claps echoed over the entire barracks. Countless gazes looked toward the source of the commotion in shock, speculating whether a riot had occurred in one of the hell levels.
Inside the office, Shutara Senjumaru gazed at the sky. A look of surprise appeared on her exquisite face, which soon turned into a gratified smile:
"As expected of my Silly Boy!"