Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began When I Became Yoriichi's Sister

Chapter 683 Bankai Special Training

"I...I...I didn't!" Ichigo cried out in terror, waving his hands and backing away, nearly slapping Ikuko in the face. His face was deathly pale as he explained, "Uncle is talking nonsense! How could I possibly want to hit you, Auntie! I respect you more than anything!"

Renji's lips twitched as he turned to look at him, embarrassed, and said, "Hey, is it really that exaggerated?"

Ichigo, his face covered in cold sweat and filled with despair, said, "You have no idea what kind of inhuman treatment I suffered in the past."

This can't be described as just a rejection; it's a complete psychological trauma!

Renji was so frightened by Ichigo's display that cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.

"Hmph, this is a rare opportunity, Renji." Hebi sneered. "If you want our approval and to make us submit, then defeat this foul-mouthed woman."

The ape concurred in a deep voice: "That's right, this is much simpler than the trials we face."

"What kind of 'easy' is this?" Ichigo was the first to break down, clutching his head and wailing before pointing at Zabimaru and looking at Zangetsu, "Hey, old man, can we change it to beating up these two guys instead?"

This further angered Renji and Zabimaru.

Snake Tail said indignantly, "Huh? You mean we're easier to bully?"

Monkey: "I can't pretend I didn't hear that."

Renji: "What are you doing, Kurosaki Ichigo? Is that all the courage you have?"

Just as the situation was becoming increasingly chaotic and the dispute was escalating.

boom! ! !

A sudden loud bang interrupted the commotion.

Both of them, along with their respective Zanpakuto, looked toward the source of the sound.

Yuko rubbed her temples with one hand, while holding a dark purple Zanpakuto in the other, her body radiating terrifying spiritual pressure.

The blade was still shrouded in a cloud of dust, and a large crack had appeared in the ground beside it, clearly the work of the recent attack.

Yu Zi muttered, "This noise is so annoying."

Everyone looked unhappy.

You're the culprit! You were the one laughing the loudest just now!

Uncle Zangetsu remained indifferent as he watched the scene unfold, and said calmly, "Ichigo, go for it. If you can hurt this woman, it will prove that you have the strength to stand on the stage."

"The essence of the trial isn't necessarily about defeating anyone." Uncle Zangetsu's eyes flickered as he glanced at Ichigo. "You should understand that, right?"

Ichigo's expression shifted slightly as he calmed his inner fear and his face turned serious: "Ah, I understand, Uncle."

The ape nodded steadily: "That's right, exactly."

Snake Tail's expression also turned serious: "Just by feeling it, I know this woman..."

"Terrifyingly strong."

"If I could defeat... no, if I could reach that level, I suppose..."

Zabimaru slowly walked to Renji's side and whispered, "Renji, are you ready?"

Renji's lips curled up: "That's natural."

Compared to the high morale of the crowd, Yu Zi remained calm: "Judging from your expressions, you must have already discussed it."

"However, let me make this clear from the start: even I wouldn't go easy on you in this situation."

"Who asked you to go easy on me!" Renji was already in high spirits and wouldn't listen to anything else. He pushed off with his foot and shot out like an arrow.

"Roar, Zabimaru!"

The uniquely shaped Zanpakuto instantly stretched out, tearing through the air with a whistling sound, and coiled towards Yuuko from all directions.

"Oh, that's quite impressive." Yu Zi smiled.

"I don't care what happens to me." Yoruichi rolled her eyes and began to give up on herself.

Why did the Bankai training, which was supposed to be a special training session, suddenly turn into this chaotic brawl?

"Die!" Renji roared, manipulating the snake tail to complete the encirclement. The bone blade tightened suddenly, like a python constricting its prey, about to crush Yuko.

Faced with this receding attack, Yuko even had the leisure to talk to Yoruichi: "Don't worry, I just activated my domain. Even if we make a fuss twice as much, the people outside won't notice anything."

Renji hadn't expected to be able to defeat the other party so easily, but Ikuko's reaction was completely different from what he had anticipated.

Renji's pupils contracted sharply. After the blade touched a certain area, it seemed to hit an invisible wall... making it impossible to move forward an inch.

A moment later, Renji realized what was happening.

Yuko was enveloped in a dark purple spiritual pressure that materialized on her surface.

Is it spiritual pressure?

The release of spiritual pressure alone was enough to block Zabimaru's attack?

He knew that Yuko was very strong, after all, she was the captain's teacher, and he also heard a rumor from somewhere that the white-haired witch had the power to destroy the Soul Society.

However, the stark contrast in their abilities almost caused Renji to lose his fighting spirit.

"drink!"

Just as Renji was caught in self-doubt, a sharp shout burst in. Kurosaki Ichigo, wielding Zangetsu, with an aura of cutting through everything, tore through the spiritual pressure defenses surrounding Ikuko and entered her domain.

Yuko raised her sword to block, glanced at the Zanpakuto in his hand, and looked at Zangetsu on the rock behind her: "Aren't you going to continue playing the spot-the-difference game?"

"There's no need." Uncle Zhan Yue was just a cool guy, standing coldly on the rock, maintaining his cool persona.

For Ichigo, facing such a formidable enemy was beyond the trials he had set for himself.

Just as Yuuko said, whether it is Shikai or Bankai, Zanpakuto will not set up a trial that is bound to be lost.

The Zanpakuto is half of the Shinigami, a fact that was predetermined after Asauchi's evolution. Even the Bankai, which is hailed as an autonomous evolution, cannot completely escape the influence of the Shinigami.

Whether to yield or to conform is not a step that can be distinguished in detail.

The only certainty is that if one cannot obtain a Zanpakuto and gain one's own approval, then one cannot learn Bankai.

Having been defeated by Ikuko, Ichigo had no time to be discouraged and quickly shouted, "Renji! Help me distract Auntie!"

After saying that, he rushed forward again.

“…Okay!” Renji was momentarily dazed before catching up with Ichigo.

This guy... although he's quite infuriating, he's surprisingly reliable after becoming a teammate.

If it were these people, they might actually be able to save them...

"Wow~"

Ichigo flew backward past Renji at a speed even faster than a sprint, crashing violently into the boulder behind him.

"Please, you've already had someone cover for you, can't you use your brain before you act?" Yuko's spiritual pressure grew heavier and heavier, so heavy that Renji even felt oppressed. "What's the point of you coming here to deliver him before he even gets close?"

Renji: "..."

If it were this woman, she might actually be able to save Rukia.

"Why did you stop?" Yuko's voice arrived in an instant, close to Renji's ear.

"I...I'll wait for him to recover..."

Before Renji could finish his cautiously uttered sentence, he found himself next to Ichigo, their two bodies embedded in the stone, one on each side.

My vision blurred for a moment.

"Damn it..." Renji struggled to fall off the rock, wiped the dust off his face, and gritted his teeth.

Ichigo also fell to the ground, spitting out several mouthfuls of sand.

That's way too exaggerated. It's not even a question of whether they can win or not.

It's like a child threatening an adult with a weapon.

It was not as simple as the original trial.

“There are a lot of problems.” Yu Zi shook her head slightly, rubbing her forehead. “Putting aside the trial or not, your teamwork is problematic.”

"First, one of them escorted the enemy to his death, and Renji followed closely behind, afraid that his teammate would be alone. This spirit of selflessness is certainly commendable, but as a witness, I really wanted to laugh."

"I feel like it would be better if you guys just played by yourselves. After all, your Zanpakuto would definitely not be able to bear seeing you so distraught, so they would intentionally hold back."

Ichigo and Renji blushed, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

On the other side, Uncle Zangetsu, who maintained a cool and aloof posture on the rock, seemed to twitch at the corner of his mouth.

And Zabimaru...

"It's all your fault! What a terrible idea you came up with!" Snake Tail scolded angrily.

"Huh? You were the one who agreed first," the ape retorted, not to be outdone. "Besides, didn't you say she had a foul mouth?"

"I thought she had a foul mouth, but I never imagined she was this strong! You stupid monkey!"

"Who are you calling a stupid monkey! You stinking worm!"

Seeing the Zanpakuto that were clearly one body but were almost locked in combat, Yoruichi completely gave up thinking. She felt that there might not be a single normal creature in this underground cave, including herself.

Yuko suddenly asked, "I'm asking you, what do you think Bankai is?"

Ye opened her mouth as if to speak, but Yuko stopped her with a raised hand.

"You don't even have a Zanpakuto, so don't interrupt. I suspect you have a big misunderstanding about Bankai."

Yoruichi withdrew her hand, her face darkening.

Fine, she'll see what kind of profound truths you can spout.

"The Grim Reaper's special technique?" Ichigo quickly recalled the argument between Ikuko and Yoruichi earlier.

Yuko slowly approached: "Then, as a Zanpakuto, or rather, as a continuation of a Shinigami's soul, why would a Zanpakuto be unwilling to reveal its true name to a Shinigami?"

What exactly do "communication" and "yielding" mean?

"Zanpakuto are all bad-tempered, like children. Do they need their masters to pat their heads?"

“I have a very interesting hypothesis.” Although it was a question, it sounded more like Yuuko talking to herself. “Shinigami fight using their spiritual pressure, while Quincy expand outwards.”

"Compared to our own existence, the personality of our Zanpakuto may actually be our true inner self."

"Communicating with Zanpakuto is not about getting to know them, but about getting to know yourself."

"No Zanpakuto would maliciously impose an impossible trial on its master."

Zangetsu and Zabimaru, who stood atop the rock, silently watched the crowd.

Yoruichi also began to feel dazed. Could it be that all her experience had been wrong all along?

The relationship between a Zanpakuto and its master is not one of master and servant in the literal sense, but rather one of trustworthy companionship.

"That's why I've never agreed with the idea that Bankai requires the Zanpakuto to submit."

"That's me, an extension of my inner self. Even if it's a loser uncle and a circus performance, it's still real..."

Snake Tail, who was listening intently, suddenly snapped: "Take back that last sentence, you bastard!"

Yuko glanced at it and ignored it: "Your battle is not to prove anything to me, nor to complete the trial of the Zanpakuto. It is to prove to yourselves whether you are qualified to use this power."

"Your spiritual pressure has fully met the requirements for Bankai. Now tell me, what do you intend to do with this power?"

Yuko suddenly launched an attack, and Ichigo hurriedly raised his sword to parry, replying without hesitation, "Of course, it's to save Rukia!"

Ichigo was caught off guard and was about to be injured when Zabimaru suddenly appeared beside him.

"That's a nice way to put it." Renji grinned. "That's exactly it!"

"Zabimaru!"

Snake Tail Maru's blade rubbed against Ikuko's Zanpakuto, sparking a burst of sparks. Then, he turned the blade around and launched an attack on Ikuko while she was pinned in the middle.

Renji roared, "What are you waiting for, Ichigo?!"

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo, having withdrawn his hand, gathered his spiritual pressure and attached it all to the blade.

A blue crescent moon tore through the air.

Clang——! ! !

A deafening clang of metal resounded throughout the cave.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Then, Ichigo and Renji were both thrown backward and crashed heavily to the ground, losing consciousness.

Meanwhile, Yuko slowly sheathed her sword.

A faint bloodstain appeared on her left cheek, and a strand of snow-white hair fell down with it.

"Is this alright, you two?"

Yuko tilted her head slightly, looking at the Zanpakuto whose figure was gradually fading.

Yoruichi couldn't help but sit up. Just like that?

"Test... passed." Uncle Zangetsu and Zabimaru exchanged a glance, left these words, and then disappeared.

Yoruichi approached Ikuko in shock: "Hey, hey, hey, it passed just like that?"

She didn't understand it at all.

Why did suddenly talking about friendship help me pass the test?

Why did the Zanpakuto also acknowledge it?

Didn't we do nothing?

Yuko sheathed her Zanpakuto and said coldly, "This is the right way to present a classic, action-packed story."

Yoruichi pursed her lips, clicked her tongue, and looked at the bloodstains on Yuuko's face that had disappeared: "Oh dear, she actually got hurt. What a rare sight."

"After all... we should always reward hard-working kids."

Yoruichi was both amused and exasperated: "Is that the point? But..."

She looked at the two boys, who, though disheveled, were undergoing a subtle but significant change in their spiritual pressure while unconscious. "They have indeed grasped the key to Bankai."

"I strongly suspect that you brainwashed those two Zanpakuto."

Yuko knew she was teasing her, and glanced at her sideways: "Isn't that even better? Anyone who wants Bankai, let me give them a mental pep talk."

"At this rate, I think you have a good chance of becoming the next Dean of the Shinigami Academy. Maybe we'll even start our own organization and form a Gotei 100 or 100," Yoruichi joked, then scratched her head.

"Okay, I'm starting to find your theory interesting."

"Is it not submission, but a deeper understanding?"