"Weren't you supposed to be training your Bankai for the upcoming fight with Hirako Shinji?"
"I noticed you've been skipping classes for days—especially Hakuda class—so I came to check on you. Thought I'd help you catch up a little. A private lesson."
"But instead? You hit me with a whole wave of Six Rod Light Prisons. No—sixty! You hit your makeup tutor with sixty of them, Aiyan. Is this how you treat people coming to help?"
Shihōin Yoruichi crossed her arms, clearly annoyed, her pride taking a hit. Her words were sharp, but not angry—just incredulous, as if she were saying, "Are you for real?"
Compared to the aura of Unohana Yachiru, her Shinigami pancake form might be a bit less imposing, but she was no less fierce.
"I'm skipping Hakuda class for a reason," Aiyan replied calmly. "Missing one class won't slow down my progress."
"Teacher Isshin knows. He's the one who signed off on my leave."
Hearing that Yoruichi had shown up to help him catch up on Hakuda class made Aiyan look at the chocolate-skinned girl in front of him for a brief second, then he gently refused.
Let her teach him Hakuda?
If it was the future "Chocolate Lightning Goddess," maybe she'd be qualified. But now?
Even if she was decent, his Hakuda wouldn't accept her.
What if he agreed to practice, and Hakuda simply refused to cooperate?
Rather than deal with that kind of rebellion, it was better to keep training Hakuda himself—until it caught up with his Kidō, Kendo, Reiatsu, Shunpo, and his Zanpakutō mastery.
"What? You think I'm not good enough to teach you?" Yoruichi's golden eyes narrowed.
"I won't brag about other skills, but when it comes to Hakuda and Shunpo, there's no one in the entire Spiritual Arts Academy who can match me."
"Not even you."
"If you don't believe me, let's spar."
"No Zanpakutō, no Kido, no sword techniques. Just Hakuda and Shunpo. Let's see who wins."
Her lips curved into a challenging grin.
[Your Hakuda is very dissatisfied with Shihōin Yoruichi's provocation. It demands a duel to defend its name. Starting tonight, it will stay up late every day to master a new Shinigami body technique.]
Aiyan hadn't planned to take this seriously.
But Hakuda was too eager. Its determination was intense—and its offer tempting.
Stay up every night to master a new body technique?
That was an offer he couldn't ignore.
"Fine," Aiyan said. "Since you're so eager, let's do it."
"But don't say I bullied you if you lose. I'll let you make the first three moves."
That sentence instantly lit the fire in Yoruichi's blood.
"You're the one who's going to cry!"
"And I don't need you to go easy on me!"
She vanished from sight in a blur of black. Lightning-quick, she appeared in front of Aiyan with a fist aimed straight at his face.
Even though her hand looked delicate, her strike packed a punch that could split the air.
Aiyan didn't even stand.
He remained seated in a cross-legged posture and simply tilted his head—just enough to avoid the incoming jab.
"Snort!"
Yoruichi clicked her tongue and switched her attack.
Her extended fist suddenly became a claw aimed straight at Aiyan's face.
If it landed, it would have torn through stone like tofu.
Whoosh!
But Aiyan didn't block or dodge wildly. Still sitting, he just leaned his head backward ever so slightly, letting her claw miss him again with the smallest motion possible.
"Let's see you dodge this!"
Yoruichi's irritation was clear now.
She swept forward in a rising kick meant to slam into Aiyan's chest. The power behind it could've sent even an iron pillar flying.
But—
What she saw next stunned her.
Aiyan's upper body twisted like a snake, his spine bending and twisting in ways that didn't seem human.
Like a serpent slipping through a crack, he avoided the blow in a way that seemed more like water than man.
"Three moves."
Aiyan smirked and pointed his index finger at her like a dart released from a bowstring.
"So fast!"
Yoruichi had no time to admire Aiyan's freakishly flexible dodges.
She kicked off the ground in a flash, somersaulting away while planting her hands on the ground and twisting her waist with incredible control.
Her movements were clean, practiced—nearly acrobatic.
But—
"Trying to run?" Aiyan narrowed his eyes.
He stomped the ground a dozen times in a single moment and disappeared into a black blur, chasing after her like a phantom.
"What the hell is that footwork?!"
Yoruichi's mind reeled.
Only the Shihōin Clan's Shunpo technique could allow someone to move like this—without using any Reiatsu.
That's how she fought just now. To prove her Hakuda superiority, she used pure physical ability and didn't release a trace of Reiatsu.
But Aiyan?
He was doing the same.
And that terrified her more than anything.
In a panic, she activated her family's secret technique—passed down only through the Shihōin bloodline.
Still without using any Reiatsu, she used a special breathing rhythm and body control to stomp out a strange pattern, vanishing into four directions at once.
She split into four identical clones, each moving perfectly in sync.
But Aiyan didn't look surprised.
Of course, he knew the Shihōin Clan had secret footwork.
They were one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
They didn't rely on Zanpakutō. Their pride was built on Hakuda, Shunpo, and hand-to-hand mastery.
It made sense that they had unique techniques—like the Four Maples.
He only knew one of them from the original work: Utsusemi—Empty Cicada.
As for the other three, or even more hidden techniques? He didn't know.
But it didn't matter.
Because his Hakuda and Shunpo were now pushing past even those ancient secrets.
...
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