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Even so, Ikki knew this would be a rather tricky problem. Even if Gion agreed, Tsuru might not, and that was made all the trickier by his relationship with Gion.
He shouldn't take advantage of Kujaku over it, especially since it might leave Gion feeling awkward in front of Tsuru. Ikki had no interest in embarrassing a woman who liked him on his account.
"By the way, what brings you two here? Also, would you like to come in and talk?"
Ikki said, after giving them both a once-over, making room for Hina and Kujaku to enter.
"No, that won't be necessary. We've come to let you know it's time to assemble at the Marine Headquarters plaza."
Kujaku said, shaking her head.
"Assembling at the plaza means the war's about to start."
Ikki said, raising an eyebrow at the news.
"That's right. Gion should have been the one to tell you herself, given how close you two are, but since she isn't here, it fell to the two of us instead."
Kujaku said. She glanced at Hina before continuing.
"To be precise, it was Hina who actually came to deliver the message. I just wanted to see the man who's got Gion-nee so smitten, so I tagged along."
Kujaku finished, giving Ikki a meaningful smile.
"Well, now you've gotten a good look at me. So, what do you think?"
Ikki said with a laugh.
"You're good-looking, all right. No wonder you managed to win Gion-nee over so completely. If she hadn't already staked her claim, I might have fallen for you myself."
Kujaku said with a laugh.
"Hehe, that's truly an honor."
Ikki said, shrugging as he turned to look at Nami and Nojiko.
"Nami, Nojiko, since they've already come to fetch us, let's get moving. No sense keeping Sengoku waiting any longer."
Ikki said.
"Yes, Captain Ikki."
Nojiko said.
"Is it finally starting? Everyone's getting restless."
Nami said with a shrug.
The two of them tucked their Zanpakuto into their waistbands and walked over to join the others.
Kujaku glanced at the Zanpakuto at Nami and Nojiko's waists, a glint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.
"So these are the Zanpakuto that can do such strange things. I'm honestly curious, Ikki, how exactly did you manage to turn a famous sword into a Zanpakuto, or maybe even a Noble Phantasm?"
Kujaku asked.
"What, does that depend on how interested you are?"
Ikki said with a laugh.
"I think when it comes to your abilities, there isn't a person in this world who wouldn't be interested, is there?"
Kujaku said. As she spoke, she led Ikki, Nami, and Nojiko forward, with Hina following close behind.
"Haven't I already explained this? It's my special Devil Fruit ability. There's nothing more to worry about than that."
Ikki said.
"That's true, but I don't think anyone could stay indifferent to something like that."
Kujaku said, drawing her gaze back from the Zanpakuto to Ikki's face.
"Speaking of which, Ikki, you've already sharpened Gion-nee's kenjutsu considerably, and that's one thing. But you also got Hina, who'd never held a sword before, using one, and a remarkably powerful style at that."
"Your gift for guiding someone's swordsmanship is honestly a little absurd. Would it be possible for me to train under you a while, so I could pick up swordsmanship quickly too?"
Kujaku asked, curiosity plain on her face.
"Of course, as long as you study and train diligently while I'm teaching you. I think you'd be able to pick up some form of swordsmanship from me easily enough."
Ikki said with a laugh.
Learning kenjutsu from him did require a certain natural affinity for the particular style in question, and without that talent, there was no way to learn it at all.
But Ikki believed that someone like Kujaku, the sort of character who mattered to the story, would surely be capable of picking up some form of Breathing Style swordsmanship under him.
Once he'd said his piece, his gaze drifted down to the whip tucked into Kujaku's waist.
"Really? Then what kind of swordsmanship do you think I could learn from you?"
She asked, curious.
"I can't say for certain. We'll only know for sure once we've tried everything. I think Hina can vouch for that."
Ikki said.
Hina, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
"Ikki's right. Hina remembers it well. He has to use his energy to test the body first, and only then can he tell which style actually suits a person."
"That said, Hina has sometimes wondered about something. Ikki, when you were testing Hina's body to see which style she was suited for, did you deliberately use Flame Breathing to burn her clothes off, just so you could get a good look at her?"
Hina said, eyeing him with suspicion.
"Oh my, now that's something. Should I go tell Gion-nee about this?"
Kujaku said, covering her mouth with a laugh.
"It's fine. Gion's already familiar with my methods. Go ahead and tell her, it won't matter."
Ikki said to Kujaku, then turned to look at Hina.
"Hina, how could you accuse me of something like that? Back then, I was being completely serious about helping you figure out what kind of swordsmanship suited you."
"And as for the burned clothes, isn't that just normal? Cloth catches fire easily enough."
"You simply don't have the same strong affinity for Water Breathing that Tashigi does. If your body had been better suited to that, there wouldn't have been any burning at all, just your clothes getting soaked through instead."
Ikki said.
"So you'll be teaching Hina and Kujaku the way of the sword, then. Whatever you say goes."
Hina said with a shrug.
"Let's see what kind of kenjutsu might suit me."
Kujaku said.
"As for you, I haven't tested you yet, so I can't say for certain what would suit you. But if I had to guess, I'd expect you to take to the swordsmanship of Love Breathing."
Ikki said.
"Love Breathing? Is that the kenjutsu little Sadi-chan learned?"
Kujaku asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"So that's what Sadi-chan was learning all along, the Breath of Love. Ikki, if I let you test whether I can learn Love Breathing, what if my clothes get burned off by accident too?"
Kujaku asked.
"I don't think so."
Ikki said with a laugh.
"In that case, could you test me? I want to see if I can learn Love Breathing."
Kujaku said, giving him a big smile.
"You really want to learn my swordsmanship?"
Ikki said, looking her up and down.
"You should know that earning my guidance isn't easy. At the very least, you'd need to bring me a famous sword."
Ikki said.
"Don't be like that. Gion-nee and I are practically family. Surely a little pointer wouldn't hurt, would it?"
Kujaku said.
"You're dreaming."
Ikki said.
"So does that mean you agree?"
Kujaku said.
"I can help test you, but as for actually teaching you swordsmanship, we'll discuss that later."
Ikki said.
"How could you do this to me!"
Kujaku said.