Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Life at the Shin’o Academy
Chapter 15: Life at the Shin’o Academy
Life at the Shin’o Academy was far busier than Yato had anticipated.
This was especially true for someone like him—a student hailing from the Rukongai who had been "marked for special attention" due to already achieving Shikai. The academic pressure was immense.
He had to wake up at the crack of dawn to head to the training grounds on an empty stomach for rigorous physical and Spiritual Pressure conditioning.
After breakfast, capitalizing on the mind being at its sharpest in the morning, veteran Soul Reapers who had retired due to injuries from the Gotei 13 would instruct them in "Zanjutsu".
Approaching midday was dedicated to Kido practice, followed by Hakuda and Shunpo in the afternoon. Naturally, theoretical subjects—such as wilderness survival, the organizational structure and history of the Seireitei, and essential knowledge about Hueco Mundo—were interspersed among the four major disciplines of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido, ensuring a balanced rhythm of tension and relaxation.
When night fell, the students of the same year were gathered for combat sparring exercises.
Every night at bedtime, the students would drag their battered and exhausted bodies back to the dormitories. Fortunately, the meals provided by the Shin’o Academy were specially formulated to accelerate the recovery of Spiritual Pressure and physical stamina, allowing the students to barely pull through.
In such an environment, Yato felt as though the "try-hard" genes from his past life had been fully activated. He studied maniacally, absorbing knowledge like a sponge.
"The subtlety of Zanjutsu lies in the coordination between your footwork and your wrists. When you twist your waist and drive with your legs, you must maintain the balance of your spine..."
"The so-called Kido is not some mythical magic fabricated in folklore. Regardless of whether you abandon the incantation or not, we must engrave the sensation of Reishi reconstructing within our bodies..."
"The secret to Hakuda is transforming your entire body into a weapon. There are numerous schools in this discipline—the Poisonous Bee Style, the Orochi Bite Style, the Nine Mountains Style, too many to count. Today, we will begin with the Poisonous Bee Style, which places the utmost emphasis on finger strikes..."
"Shunpo, the technique of concentrating Spiritual Pressure in the legs and toes for an instantaneous burst of movement. The strong can use the air itself as a foothold, ignoring terrain entirely, but you must be acutely aware of your landing points..."
Knowledge was continuously crammed into Uchiha Yato’s brain. He was arguably the most hardworking student in his class, and he could palpably feel himself growing stronger with each passing day.
Such days flew by, and in a blink of an eye, six months had passed.
"Tonight, the final sparring group." In the training grounds, an instructor with arms as thick as a wild bear’s deliberately dragged out his words before roaring:
"Uchiha Yato and Byakuya Kuchiki!"
The gazes of all the students converged on the two of them.
This had practically become the fixed pairing for every evening spar.
The instructors at the Shin’o Academy intentionally paired students with similar combat capabilities to prevent one-sided beatdowns, which offered no effective training value.
Among this year’s batch, Uchiha Yato and Byakuya Kuchiki had already left the rest of their classmates far behind in the dust. Therefore, they had no choice but to spar with each other.
Yato and Byakuya stood up, exchanged a glance, and walked toward the center of the training grounds.
The students and instructors wordlessly backed away, expanding the perimeter.
—These two were incredibly ferocious. When the battle reached its climax, they often lost all restraint; a stray Kido they unleashed a month ago had accidentally injured a student who was standing too close.
"Yato." The noble youth wearing the Kenseikan offered a salute with his sword.
"Be careful."
Uchiha Yato smiled.
"Please instruct me, Byakuya."
CLANG!
Before the words even faded, both moved simultaneously. Swords drew, Shunpo engaged, horizontal slash!
A thunderous clash of metal reverberated throughout the training grounds. Many students couldn’t help but cover their ears, an irrepressible sense of absurdity rising in their hearts.
These two are even stronger than the last time they fought!
In the center of the arena, following a brief contest of raw strength, Byakuya leaned back slightly, allowing his Zanpakuto to sweep upward as the tip of his foot kicked against the spine of the blade.
This strike carried tremendous force and was highly creative. Caught off guard, Yato could only block horizontally, and the impact sent him launching into the air.
Simultaneously, Byakuya Kuchiki pinched his blade between his fingers, crossing his straightened arms over his chest, and began to chant at blistering speed:
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"
"Hado #31: Shakkaho!" (Red Fire Cannon)
A crimson orb of fire materialized abruptly, its searing heat distorting the air as it roared toward Yato.
Witnessing this scene, many students turned pale, offering bitter smiles.
It must be noted that one of the graduation requirements of the Shin’o Academy was the Kido exam. Generally speaking, as long as a student could cast Shakkaho with the incantation, they would pass the exam with flying colors!
To be able to cast this mid-level Kido so calmly in the heat of battle after only six months of enrollment was a testament to Byakuya Kuchiki’s terrifying talent.
However, Yato’s response left those very students without even the strength to muster a bitter smile.
Suspended mid-air, the black-eyed youth gathered Reishi beneath his feet to regain his balance.
Then, he looked at the incoming crimson fireball and calmly extended a single hand.
"Shakkaho."
Accompanying that casually spoken word, a Kido far more massive than the incoming Shakkaho materialized before Yato.
RUMBLE...
Shakkaho collided with Shakkaho. After a momentary stalemate too brief for the naked eye to catch, the Kido unleashed by Yato devoured its counterpart like a victor and roared toward Byakuya Kuchiki like a frenzied dragon.
Byakuya’s expression changed drastically as he dove to the side. The Kido practically grazed his clothes before smashing into the ground.
Dust and smoke billowed out. A crater over a dozen meters wide was blasted into the training grounds, raging flames burning within it like a scene from purgatory.
Even someone as proud as Byakuya couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the sight.
After six months of interacting, he knew that his own strength and that of his roommate were roughly on the same level.
But Yato’s Kido... it was simply too powerful.
To be precise, Yato’s "Fire-type Kido" had already far surpassed the level of an academy student, or even an ordinary Seated Officer!
To think that a mid-level Kido cast without an incantation could outright overpower his fully incanted version!
His comprehension and mastery over Fire-type Kido were nothing short of miraculous.
Standing in the air, Uchiha Yato dropped straight down. He cast a glance at the deep crater, quite satisfied with his handiwork.
Six months ago, upon his first exposure to Kido, he discovered his innate talent for "Fire-type Kido."
He understood it with a single glance, mastered it after a single attempt, his chanting rhythm was utterly flawless, and even without the incantation, its power far exceeded that of his peers.
Yato understood perfectly well that this talent originated from the power of the Uchiha.
In the ninja world, the Uchiha were the undisputed masters of Fire Style, unparalleled and unrivaled.
Transposed to the world of Bleach, it was only natural that Yato, possessing the power of the Uchiha, would be exceptionally gifted in Fire-type Kido.
Amidst the scorching heat, Yato and Byakuya locked eyes, both clearly seeing the burning fighting spirit in the other’s gaze.
Zanjutsu, Shunpo, Kido—these alone were not enough to definitively declare a victor.
For a Soul Reaper, the true eruption of a battle only began with the release of their Zanpakuto.
"Well then... Yato. Here I come."
"Bring it on. Don’t hold back, Byakuya."
Their Spiritual Pressure erupted almost simultaneously.
"Scatter! Senbonzakura."
"All creation returns to the void, the Six Paths reduce to ash..."
Yato ran a finger lightly along the edge of his blade, his touch as gentle as caressing a lover:
"Akame!"
☆☆☆
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