"Too… too strong."
Shihouin Yoruichi's voice trembled slightly. Her gaze lingered on Ran Yan, eyes sparkling.
As the young head of the Shihouin Clan, she had always taken pride in her unmatched Shunpo talent, noble bloodline, powerful presence, and striking looks. In the eyes of many, she embodied everything that was "noble and fearsome," just as Sui-Feng always said.
That upbringing made her naturally picky.
The average man didn't even enter her field of view.
Even someone like Byakuya Kuchiki, the heir to another of the Four Great Noble Houses and her childhood playmate, would barely earn a second glance—if not for their shared past.
But in front of Ran Yan?
The longer she spent time with him, the more ordinary she felt.
She, the noble heiress.
He, the mysterious talent from Rukongai.
When she was near him, it felt like he was the noble—and she the commoner.
That inversion made her want to close the distance between them, to see what lay beneath the surface.
"So this is his strength…"
"He's already come this far."
"Can I still catch up?"
Byakuya Kuchiki stood silently, his hands clenched beneath his sleeves.
Seeing Ran Yan abandon chanting and fire off Hadō No. 78 with captain-level force made him question everything.
Had he spent his life training in vain?
Was all his noble pride nothing more than pretense in front of this… monster?
"Monster."
"He's from Rukongai too—just like us."
"And it's only been three days since enrollment. Why is the gap so… huge?"
"We're still learning how to cast Hadō No. 10, and he's casually skipping chants and casting Hadō No. 78."
"Even vice-captain-level Shinigami wouldn't dare compare themselves to Ran Yan now."
Voices whispered across the Kidō training ground, filled with awe, envy, and disbelief.
If Ran Yan had come from noble blood, trained from birth—it would make sense.
But no.
He came from the same place they did.
And still, in three days, he was already knocking on the door of captainhood.
"Teacher Isshin," Ran Yan said as he calmly walked back to the group, ignoring the stares. "What do you think?"
"After I become a captain, dinner's on you."
"This Kidō target must be expensive."
Shiba Isshin gave him a long stare before finally laughing.
"Damn right it is."
"But sure—if you make captain, I'll treat."
"Don't get too cocky just yet, though," Isshin added, his tone shifting. "Kidō, Kendō, Reiatsu—you've passed those."
"But what about Hakuda and Shunpo?"
"You've never even taken a class."
He didn't want Ran Yan to get complacent. Even if he was a genius, underestimating the Gotei captains could cost him everything.
"Hmph! That's where I come in."
Yoruichi stepped forward, patting her chest proudly.
"If we're talking Hakuda and Shunpo, that's my home turf!"
"Ran Yan, I can teach you myself. I guarantee you won't lose to Hirako Shinji in Shunpo."
"Demon cat…" Byakuya muttered under his breath. "You're not planning to teach him your secret footwork, are you?"
"And if I am? What's it to you?"
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow with smug confidence.
Byakuya fell silent.
It was true—their families were equals among the Four Great Noble Houses, and as childhood friends, there had been a kind of unspoken exchange between them.
But this?
If she taught Ran Yan the Shihouin family's secret footwork, the Kuchiki clan might demand a trade—perhaps one of their secret techniques.
And Yoruichi? She never came out on the losing end.
"If your father knew about this, he'd thank you with a facepalm," Isshin sighed.
"Of course he would!" Yoruichi grinned, completely unbothered.
"No need, Yoruichi."
Ran Yan's voice cut through the teasing.
"I'll just take the standard Shunpo class."
"After all, the opponent is just Hirako Shinji. The Academy's basic Shunpo is enough."
His words might have sounded arrogant to anyone who hadn't seen him fight.
But everyone present had.
After all, this was the same man who nailed a captain to a wall with one sword stroke.
Not a single person argued with his statement.
"Hakuda and Shunpo are fine…" Isshin said carefully.
"The real issue is Bankai."
"That's the foundation. The core strength of a true Shinigami."
He wasn't worried about Ran Yan's control over Zanjutsu, Kidō, or spiritual pressure.
But Bankai? That was another matter entirely.
Even among the Four Noble Houses, the fastest anyone had ever achieved Bankai—without external help—was about ten years.
Unohana Retsu, Ukitake Jūshirō, Kyōraku Shunsui, and Yamamoto himself had all required decades of bloody combat and intense training.
Kurosaki Ichigo would eventually do it faster—but not without Urahara's help and a trip to the brink of death.
"Bankai is a second-stage release beyond Shikai," Isshin explained. "Once unlocked, your Reiatsu multiplies at least five to tenfold."
"A captain like Hirako Shinji, once he activates his Bankai, can instantly increase his power by three to five times, just in raw Reiatsu."
"And that's not even counting the ability itself—it's usually far more devastating than Shikai."
"But Bankai can't be taught. There's no textbook. No shortcut."
"You either earn it through battle… or not at all."
"The Soul Society's fastest recorded achievement of Bankai from zero? Still took ten years."
What Isshin didn't realize was that his words had awoken something.
The moment the words "ten years" left his mouth—
[Ten years? Your Zanpakutō scoffs: "Trash." She says she can help you comprehend Bankai in just three days, and fully master it in two weeks.]
[And who dares compare Reiatsu? Yours says it's already worth ten chariots of force. Give it ten more days, and it'll reach eighteen. Let's find out.]
Ran Yan smiled faintly.
This was why Isshin could never be trusted with a mic.
Even his most composed abilities—like Reiatsu, the usually quiet and dependable one—couldn't help jumping out and throwing hands.
It had only spoken up twice in three days.
Now it was ready to brawl.
Unlike Kidō and Kendō, which constantly fought for attention, Zanpakutō and Reiatsu had been reserved.
Until now.
Isshin's offhand comments lit a fire under both of them.
And that fire? It burned hot.