"Ah… so annoying… I should've known better than to let him enter this stage so soon."
Yūshirō Shihōin continued leaning lazily over the chair back, dozing off as he glanced at the clock and calculated silently.
"Come to think of it, it's almost three hours now. That guy should be done by now, right? He should be… or maybe he's already dead because he couldn't achieve Bankai? If Urahara really dies, how am I going to explain it to my sister? Maybe I'll just say Urahara committed suicide… Yeah, Urahara Kisuke couldn't handle the intensity of my training, so he ended his life, and despite my best efforts to save him, he unfortunately didn't make it. Perfect excuse! "
"No, I don't think lying to your sister is a good idea! "
Just as Yūshirō was mentally writing the entire script, Urahara Kisuke slowly opened his eyes.
"Oh, you're awake, Urahara."
Yūshirō looked at him with a faint smile, as if he had trusted Urahara completely from the start.
"I knew if it was you, you'd pull it off and achieve Bankai."
"No, you literally just pronounced me dead a moment ago, didn't you? "
Urahara couldn't help but complain.
"Not at all. You must have misheard."
Yūshirō kept smiling.
"Anyway, let's not dwell on the past. Let's move on to the next stage of training! By the way, I'm really looking forward to seeing your Bankai."
"Yūshirō, you're just trying to gloss over it, aren't you? "
Urahara gave a stiff smile. Just as he was about to move, he realized his body was tightly bound by iron chains.
"And another thing… Yūshirō, do you know why I'm chained up like this? "
"Oh, that? You know, I had to wait for you for three whole hours. Do you know how boring that was for me? "
Yūshirō sat back, explaining casually.
"So to kill time, I needed something to play with, right? Isn't that reasonable when you think about it? "
"Your toys are other people's bodies? "
Urahara twitched at the corner of his mouth and sighed.
"Fine. Just unchain me so we can start the next phase."
"What are you talking about, Urahara? "
"Our training has already begun~"
Yūshirō said this as he picked up the largest boulder from the training ground, raised it high above his head, and aimed at Urahara.
"Wait—Yūshirō, I'm still tied up here! You're not actually going to throw that thing, are you? "
"Of course."
Yūshirō nodded with a straight face.
"Come on, let's talk this out… Just unchain me, and we can do proper training—"
BOOM!
Before Urahara could finish, the massive rock crashed down where he was sitting, raising a cloud of dust.
"It's over. I'll just tell my sister Urahara accidentally got crushed by a falling rock. Perfect."
Yūshirō brushed the dust off his hands, looked at the boulder pinning Urahara, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Be grateful, Urahara! Now you don't even need a tombstone."
"Yūshirō, doing this will only make both your big brother, Urahara, and your sister really sad."
A calm yet slightly resentful voice came from beneath the boulder, followed by a crushing spiritual pressure erupting from within.
"Bankai! Kanonbiraki Benihime Aratame! "
CRACK—
The massive rock shattered into countless fragments, scattering like sand. Urahara sat cross-legged calmly on the ground, gazing at Yūshirō with cold eyes. Behind him stood a towering figure—a beautiful, statuesque woman in a sleeveless kimono with a traditional Japanese hairstyle, her presence exuding elegance and lethal grace.
"Urahara, seriously… what should I even say? Are you just a pervert, or something else entirely? "
Yūshirō rubbed his chin, tilting his head as if studying the scene intently. Despite the blindfold on his face, it was as though it didn't affect his vision at all.
"A Bankai manifests the deepest part of a Shinigami's soul. Who would've thought yours would take the form of such a stunning woman? "
"If you think my Bankai is as gentle as it looks, you couldn't be more wrong. Honestly, I'd rather not use its power against an ally if I can help it."
Urahara's voice was calm as he nodded. His Bankai's ability was so brutal that even he found it unsettling.
"Oh? Now I'm curious. Show me. Show me what it can do."
Yūshirō's grin widened with excitement.
"Careful, Yūshirō."
Urahara's tone was solemn as his gaze fell to the ground beneath Yūshirō's feet.
"First, the ground."
"Huh?"
Yūshirō sensed something wrong beneath him and instantly leaped back.
"Noticed already? "
Urahara chuckled softly as the spot Yūshirō had just vacated turned from solid earth into a viscous swamp.
"The ground turned into a bog? "
Yūshirō narrowed his brow.
"Exactly. That's my ability—I can restructure anything within my reach… and that includes people, Yūshirō."
Urahara spread his hands with a smug smile.
"The swamp was just a warning. Next, it's your turn. Try not to go down too quickly."
"Is that so? "
In a blur, Yūshirō appeared behind Urahara, his voice cool and mocking as he rested an arm on Urahara's shoulder.
"Too bad for you—telling me your Bankai's ability is what sealed your loss. If I stay behind you, it's useless, isn't it? "
"Sorry, Yūshirō, but I lied again. My Bankai, Kanonbiraki Benihime Aratame, can alter anything—not what's in my line of sight, but everything within a set radius centered on me. Meaning…"
Urahara smirked without turning his head.
"You're already caught in it. Give up, Yūshirō."
"Haha, that's what you think? I knew that."
Yūshirō's grin only widened as his grip on Urahara's shoulder tightened.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/Shinazuki