Death: This Death is a bit unorthodox.

Why did you give me that wink just now?

Could it be that I've misunderstood again?!

Aozaki Mayuki's thoughts drifted to a place Yamamoto hadn't expected.

He shook his head and said with an smug look:

"You old codger, you don't think I'm exceptionally talented and are afraid I'll surpass you in the future, so you don't want to teach me the good stuff and want to kick me aside, do you?"

"What are you saying? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Yamamoto was so angry that his eyes snapped open.

Look at how many strong people he has trained, how could he possibly keep anything to himself?

Only this kid could say such heartless things!

Next second,

He snapped out of his reverie, seemingly realizing that his words had damaged his esteemed image, and quickly regained his composure, asking in a deliberately serious tone:

"I just want to know your answer, Aozaki Mayuki. I'll ask you one last time: do you intend to leave the 'Genryu' school?"

“I don’t want to!” Aozaki Mayuki shook her head firmly.

"What!?" Yamamoto nodded, then asked in surprise.

"I said 'I don't want to!'" Aozaki Mayuki waved her hand. "Being the disciple of the Fourth Division Captain is nowhere near as good as being the disciple of the Captain-Commander."

"One manages the Fourth Division, and the other manages the Gotei 13. You can tell which one has the higher rank, right?"

"I still want to use your identity to run rampant in Seireitei. You old codger, don't think you can get rid of me so easily!"

"You brat, how dare you speak to an old man like that?!"

Yamamoto finally lost his temper, stood up, and gently tapped Aozaki Mayuki on the head with his cane.

Aozaki Mayuki touched her head and looked up with some confusion.

The force was too light; not only was I not injured, I didn't even feel any pain...

Yamamoto snorted coldly, his anger rising at the sight of this ignorant brat, and said irritably:

What are you looking at, old man?

"Go change your clothes. Aren't you capable of using Ryujin Jakka? I'll teach you some moves."

"Having strength but no skill is no different from being a brute. I'd be ashamed to admit it if I heard it out loud."

"How could I possibly have such a foolish disciple as you?!"

"...Yes, teacher."

Aozaki Mayuki bent down, obscuring his facial expression.

…………

The two cultivated for a full day, until it gradually grew dark.

Even Aozaki Mayuki, a training fanatic, couldn't take it anymore, so Yamamoto stopped teaching Ryujin Jakka.

Aozaki Mayuki used Ryujin Jakka's ability.

However, even when he was close to Yamamoto's Ryujin Jakka, he could hardly bear the heat of that Zanpakuto.

One day of cultivation was already his limit.

"Speaking of which, how did you discover that my Zanpakuto can mimic Shikai?"

Aozaki Mayuki wiped her sweat with a towel and voiced her doubts.

"Logically speaking, shouldn't we suspect that my Zanpakuto is a Kido-type sword?"

Chapter 112 Ghost Path

“I don’t know about the other Zanpakuto, but I do know that you used Ryujin Jakka.”

Yamamoto squinted, stroking his long white beard with one hand, and said with a hint of smugness,

"I am very familiar with the power of Ryujin Jakka. Although the spiritual pressure that constitutes the flame is completely different, the way it is constituted is the same."

"I have been with Ryujin Jakka for thousands of years, always together. I have long understood Ryujin Jakka thoroughly. Do you think you can hide your little skills from me?"

"Always together? Do you, like me, sleep with your Zanpakuto every day?"

Aozaki Mayuki's eyes widened, and a look of sudden realization appeared on her face.

I never expected you to be this kind of old man from the mountains! You really can't judge a book by its cover!

You have a bit of my style!

No wonder he was able to enhance his Bankai ability through a thousand years of training.

Generally speaking, the abilities of a Zanpakuto are fixed, and its power depends on the user's spiritual pressure.

But this old man's spiritual pressure was already at the pinnacle of the Shinigami, reaching a point where there was no room for further advancement.

His ability to enhance his Bankai through a thousand years of training demonstrates the depth of his understanding of Ryujin Jakka.

A thousand years!

Aozaki Mayuki couldn't even imagine how uncomfortable it must be for Ryujin Jakka to spend every day with this old man.

He silently mourned for Ryujin Jakka for a second in his heart.

Yamamoto seemed to be enraged and raised his fist to strike Aozaki Mayuki on the head—a familiar sensation to him.

— Painful but not harmful.

Yamamoto rolled his eyes at him and said irritably:

"I am not like you, you brat. I only use Ryujin Jakka to heat up the bed."

"That seems even more outrageous!" Aozaki Mayuki chuckled, feeling as if she could hear Ryujin Jakka's lament.

Using a Zanpakuto as powerful as Ryujin Jakka to warm one's bed is something only this unreliable old man would do.

Thankfully, it was Ryujin Jakka. If it were Hyōrinmaru, the old man would have frozen himself into an icicle if he had practiced Bankai.

By the way, if I remember correctly, Hyōrinmaru is the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō.

Since it has the title of "strongest", we can't let it go easily.

I wonder if Toshiro Hitsugaya has been born yet. His hometown seems to be Junlin'an, which is practically his own territory...

Knowing that his little apprentice was thinking about something out of line again, Yamamoto glared at him sharply.

Aozaki Mayuki didn't back down at all and glared back.

Yamamoto squinted at Aozaki Mayuki for a long while before sighing, "Mayuki."

"The disciple is here."

Seeing Yamamoto's serious expression, Aozaki Mayuki suppressed her smile and responded earnestly.

"Starting today..."

Yamamoto paused, tapped the wooden floor with his cane, making a "thud," and shook his head, saying:

"No, from this moment on, your Zanpakuto is purely of the Kido type."

"The All-Encompassing Realm cannot imitate the Shikai of other Zanpakuto; it can only use Kido abilities of various attributes."

"If you absolutely have to use those abilities that are too distinctive, it's best to kill everyone who sees them."

"Whether you're deceiving others or deceiving yourself, remember this."

"Unless one day you possess strength equal to mine, never reveal its true power to anyone!"

"If you told others about your abilities before this, make them keep it a secret, otherwise..."

Yamamoto's eyes were like knives, and his whole body exuded a ruthless aura. The surging killing intent made people feel a chill in their hearts.

Aozaki Mayuki knew that the killing intent wasn't directed at him, but at everyone who might pose a threat to him... This was what he expected to see.

He felt that the old man would protect him, which was one of the reasons he told the old man about his Shikai ability.

Otherwise, if you always have to be hesitant and cautious when fighting, you'll not only be constrained but also risk giving yourself away.

It would be even more difficult to explain if it were exposed later, so it's better to be honest now.

He knew Old Man Shan's character well, and his choice was not a rash one.

Aozaki Mayuki pondered for a moment, then frowned and asked in confusion:

"But you can see through my initial release, can't you? Perhaps others can too..."

“Besides myself, there are indeed others who can see through your abilities.” Yamamoto shook his head, “but they are not here, so you don’t need to worry.”

He was confident that not everyone understood their Zanpakuto as well as he did.

Most Shinigami are concerned with spiritual pressure and tend to have an attitude of "learning to use it is enough" towards their Zanpakuto.

He only began to focus on Bankai after he realized that his spiritual pressure could not be increased.

"Yes." Aozaki Mayuki understood, took a deep breath, and nodded seriously.

Imitation of another person's Zanpakuto is undoubtedly a powerful ability, but it is also an unpopular one.

If the Tsunayo family finds out, they might completely oppose you in order to maintain the uniqueness of the Enra Kyōden.

There are other Grim Reapers, and few people would willingly let others control their abilities.

Concealing one's true abilities allows others to lower their guard, making it easier for them to imitate the initial release.

From this perspective, Yamamoto really is always looking out for himself...

Seeing that Aozaki Mayuki understood his meaning, Yamamoto was slightly relieved and nodded in satisfaction.

This kid is usually unreliable, always likes to make me angry, and doesn't know how to respect his teachers...

But in some ways he is very similar to him a thousand years ago, equally insidious and ruthless.

This personality trait is a double-edged sword.

Fortunately, he was not without loyalty.