"Damn it!"
Kurosaki Ichigo kicked the pebble at his feet. The stone flew more than ten meters before landing on the ground.
At this moment, his normally refined face was filled with anger.
He had always thought Kurosaki Masaki's death was nothing more than an accident, but he never expected there to be so much behind it.
"Mister Aizen, that means my dad has known about this all along, right?", Kurosaki Ichigo suddenly asked.
"That's correct. From what you added just now, he should have maintained contact with Soul Society all these years," Aizen nodded lightly.
Hearing Aizen's reply, Kurosaki Ichigo's right fist slowly clenched.
He couldn't really blame Kurosaki Isshin for anything. From being a powerful Shinigami to losing his strength, there wasn't much Isshin could do.
Maybe, in his heart, he felt even worse than Ichigo did.
What Ichigo was angry at was fate. He was angry at Hueco Mundo. Angry at why they had targeted his family.
Just because they were special by coincidence?
Or was his very birth a complete conspiracy?
Kurosaki Ichigo wasn't someone who liked thinking too much, but at this moment, it was as if he had suddenly matured, his thoughts racing one after another.
"Mister Aizen, do you think I have a chance to defeat Hueco Mundo?", Kurosaki Ichigo took a deep breath and asked.
His thinking right now was very simple.
No matter what Kurosaki Masaki had become, he would fight his way into Hueco Mundo and bring her back.
Until he achieved that goal, he would never give up.
"It will be very difficult. For a thousand years, Head Captain Yamamoto of Soul Society has been called the strongest Shinigami, yet he was defeated by Hueco Mundo. And the Hollow King didn't even act personally. He's still in a deep sleep to this day," Aizen shook his head slightly.
He needed to give Kurosaki Ichigo enough pressure so that he could intervene more effectively.
If his perception wasn't wrong, the spiritual pressure within Kurosaki Ichigo had already reached captain level. He just didn't know how to control it yet.
A Shinigami's battle was a battle of spiritual pressure. Kurosaki Ichigo was like someone being spoon-fed by the Soul King, with a future brighter than anyone else's.
It was just a pity that from the moment he was born, he was destined to be targeted by everyone coveting the Soul King.
"Hah! If it's very difficult, that means there's still hope. Since even the strongest Shinigami can be defeated, then I'll just become even stronger."
Kurosaki Ichigo clenched his fist. There wasn't the slightest hint of discouragement on his face. Instead, there was an eager, fearless spark of youthful bravado.
He didn't know how strong the so-called strongest Shinigami really was, but since that person could be defeated, it meant that 'strongest' didn't equal invincible.
As long as it wasn't invincible, he could definitely win.
"Mister Aizen, please teach me how to become stronger!"
Kurosaki Ichigo stopped, stood straight, and bowed ninety degrees, sincerely begging Aizen.
He had no intention of going to his father to verify anything.
Based on the few scattered clues alone, he already completely believed what Aizen had said.
Normally, he was a perceptive person. He had noticed many of his father's oddities before, but he just hadn't understood them.
Now that he thought about it, his dad had probably been protecting him in his own way all along.
That was enough.
Hearing this, Aizen slowly stopped as well and looked at Kurosaki Ichigo.
"Are you sure? If you accept my guidance, you'll deviate from the path your father planned for you. You might even end up walking a road directly opposed to your father," Aizen asked calmly.
"Mister Aizen, you know my dad, right?", Kurosaki Ichigo grinned.
"I know him, but not very well. In Soul Society, we could be considered colleagues," Aizen nodded lightly.
"Haha! Then Mister Aizen, would you harm me?",.Kurosaki Ichigo asked with a bright smile.
"There's no conflict between us. Why would I harm you? Unless one day you change, change into someone I can no longer understand."
Aizen's tone was calm, but even Kurosaki Ichigo could feel the sincerity in his words.
"Mister Aizen, don't worry. I definitely won't change into someone even you can't understand," With a sunny smile on his face, Kurosaki Ichigo made his promise.
As long as Aizen didn't harm him, he would absolutely treat him as one of the most important people in his life.
Because when even his dad was hiding the truth from him, Aizen was the only one who had told him the truth.
"Very good. Your spirit is excellent. From now on, just call me sensei."
Aizen revealed a gentle smile and took the lead, walking ahead.
"Huh? Aizen-sensei, are we starting training right now?"
Seeing Aizen pick up his pace, Kurosaki Ichigo was clearly a bit excited.
"Of course not. Haste makes waste. To celebrate taking in an outstanding student, dinner's on me tonight. Ichigo, what do you want to eat?", Aizen replied with a smile.
It was the small details that deepened emotional bonds.
Give him half a year, and he was confident he could turn Kurosaki Ichigo into someone completely on his side.
"Huh? Really? Can we have yakiniku?"
"Of course. Then let's go. There should be a good yakiniku place nearby."
"Wait, Aizen-sensei, aren't you in a soul state right now? Wouldn't it be weird for you to eat with me?"
"Ichigo, this is your first lesson from me. Learn to think more. Have you ever thought about why your father can live in the human world?"
"Huh! Right. According to what you said, Aizen-sensei, my dad should be a soul too."
"There's a very useful thing called a gigai. You can understand it as a body without a soul. The principle behind its creation is—"
"Ah! Sensei, Stop! Stop! Let's just go eat yakiniku first. You don't need to explain the manufacturing principles or anything. It's enough to know it lets Shinigami move around in the human world."
"Could it be that Ichigo is a student who doesn't study?"
"That's impossible. Sensei, my grades are really good, okay? But no matter how good they are, I'm still a high schooler. Can you not start right off with such deep stuff?"
"Then it seems that was my mistake. I'll adjust the difficulty of my teaching."
"Haha! Sensei, I'll be counting on you from here on out."
For Kurosaki Ichigo, the entire day had been spent in a state of excitement.
He not only learned the truth of this world, but also learned the truth behind his mother's accident.
He even learned that his mother might not be dead at all, but had been forced to join Hueco Mundo.
At this moment, he felt a motivation he had never felt before.
Follow sensei Aizen, become a Shinigami even stronger than the strongest Shinigami, then charge into Hueco Mundo and rescue his mother.
After eating yakiniku with Aizen, Kurosaki Ichigo returned home, reeking of barbecue smoke.
"Ichigo!"
The moment Kurosaki Ichigo opened the door, the wildly over-the-top Kurosaki Isshin rushed over, trying to give him a loving hug.
Kurosaki Ichigo's mouth twitched. Without hesitation, he kicked out, his foot planting squarely on Kurosaki Isshin's face.
BANG!
Kurosaki Isshin was sent flying, crashing into the innermost wall of the clinic.
That was way too damn exaggerated... this acting was seriously over the top.
Kurosaki Ichigo hadn't thought so before, but after encountering Aizen and the world of Shinigami today, his dad's acting now felt more absurd than ever.
What normal person could get kicked more than ten meters away and still hang on the wall for a bit?
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