Soul Society, moonlit night.
Within the 5th Division barracks, at a certain dojo.
At this moment, two figures, one large and one small, were facing each other in combat.
"Aizen Sakuya."
"Yes!"
"The monthly practical training session - I presume I don't need to remind you of the specific rules and regulations?"
"Yes!"
"Good response. Maintain that spirit."
The speaker's voice was steady and low.
Moonlight slanted through the window, clearly illuminating his features.
Light brown, slightly curled short hair, and behind wide, square-framed glasses, his calm eyes held a hint of encouraging warmth.
"Then... please assume your stance."
Aizen Sosuke.
As the vice-captain of the 5th Division, rather than resting at this hour, he was here giving "special training" to a half-grown child.
No matter how you looked at it, this scene seemed quite different from the original story...
However, compared to that, the child named Sakuya appeared even more nervous.
Was there such a person in the original story?
Of course not, brother!
As the person in question, Sakuya had no idea why he had come to this world called Bleach.
Even before he realized what had happened, he had been sitting in his rental apartment's gaming chair, playing Street Fighter and drinking discounted Pepsi.
I finally managed to pull off a super combo reversal with Jimmy, perfect CA finish, giving Mai Shiranui a full combo...
How did I end up in this world in the blink of an eye?
Where am I supposed to get my daily dose of happiness now!
Although there were many things to complain about, since things had come to this point, he might as well accept the situation.
—Or so he thought.
Unexpectedly, Sosuke had become his adoptive father.
This man who played such a significant role in the Bleach worldview, whose very existence permeated the main storyline - he never expected to have any connection with him.
Even more so...
The other party seemed to have placed "high expectations" on him?
Otherwise, it would be really hard to explain why this guy would do such "brutal" things to a four-year-old kid.
"Focus, Sakuya."
Seemingly noticing his distraction, Sosuke gave a low reminder while turning his body sideways, slightly raising the wooden training sword in his right hand.
"Then... today's lesson is swordsmanship."
"The main content being tested concerns the three core principles of facing enemies."
"Sakuya, can you try to summarize these aspects?"
Sosuke moved his feet lightly, his figure emerging from the shadows, intersecting with the moonlight, then disappearing back into the gray darkness as he moved.
The two figures moved within the dojo, forming a subtle state of balance.
"I should have explained these things to you two months ago, so today it's time for the routine progress check."
"Yes!"
The small figure standing opposite him took a deep breath.
As if to calm the excitement and nervousness in his heart, his shoulders drew together, his back slightly curved, lips pressed tight.
Calm down, think carefully.
"Swordsmanship... focuses on offensive aspects, specifically slashing and thrusting movements."
"Next is emergency blocking and angle adjustments."
"Finally... finally, it's about coordinating footwork with one's intentions!"
His voice wasn't quite decisive enough - you could hear plenty of hesitation in it.
This was obviously another form of "inadequate skill."
But Sosuke had no intention of blaming him; instead, he showed a rather generous smile.
"Barely passing level, Sakuya. There should be more in-depth content to explore, shouldn't there?"
His encouraging tone indeed gave one a sense of security.
But Sakuya only became more tense.
Because after four years of living together...
He knew his adoptive father's temperament all too well.
"Yes, there is!"
"Then why don't you continue explaining?"
"I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Sosuke's figure flashed forward like a ghost.
The wooden sword in his hand came down from above, aimed straight at his face!
Every hair on Sakuya's body seemed to stand on end. He gritted his teeth and raised his wooden sword horizontally, blocking head-on!
BANG!!!
Another sneak attack?!
His hands shook violently, his knees ached.
The height difference alone was already visible to the naked eye.
Sosuke looked down at Sakuya from above, his eyes calm as still water.
"Starting fights without warning is also quite common. Always maintaining vigilance and never giving 100% trust to anyone - this was also part of my previous teaching."
So then.
"It seems you're maintaining that well, Sakuya."
Verbal praise.
Didn't affect his actions.
Sosuke's wooden sword pressed down slightly, and as the force increased, Sakuya's expression began to distort.
It hurts so much!
It felt like a normal person facing an African elephant - one wrong move and he'd end up trampled...
Sakuya's whole body bent backward like a bow.
But even forced to this extent, he still didn't give up or say anything pleading for mercy.
Not because he was strong.
But simply because through years of interaction, he knew the other's temperament.
Giving up at this point wouldn't help - the prison warden wouldn't hold back, and might even give you two extra sets of "Aizen-style massage" for showing weakness.
The kind that would leave you with back pain for three days...
It was precisely because of this targeted training over the years that Sakuya had developed the mindset of "better to fight to the death than live pathetically."
While the person in question wasn't a battle maniac, it had to be said that this cultivation over the years had indeed been quite effective.
"Ugh..."
With a low groan, Sakuya opened his left hand, using his palm to support the sword blade, resisting the prison warden's attack with all his might.
Though he was putting in his utmost effort.
But this level of resistance obviously didn't count as much of a threat in the other's eyes.
The prison warden continued his leisurely commentary.
"The blocking technique is very good, highly accomplished. It looks like you've indeed put in effort afterward... This homework assignment gets 70 points."
By usual standards, Sakuya was definitely performing beyond his normal level right now.
Logically, he should be happy about this.
But...
Not now!
Because when the prison warden started giving commentary, it usually meant he was running out of patience.
"Wait, I..."
Before he could finish.
Sosuke lightly flicked his right hand, adjusting the sword edge in his palm and slashing toward Sakuya's fingers.
"But if you only excel at blocking, the enemy won't retreat. This is just the final measure to bottom out... being good at defense won't bring you victory."
Sakuya couldn't dodge in time.
SMACK!
Like a whip cracking against his fingers, the pain feedback was enough to make anyone's expression twist, causing Sakuya's face to contort.
Though it wasn't a real sword, who could withstand such a heavy blow?
Sakuya couldn't help but cry out "Ah!" - his defense line had collapsed.
But the prison warden didn't let him off.
He grabbed Sakuya's collar and swept his right leg toward the side of his thigh.
"Withdrawal and fear after injury are human nature, but this is precisely the best moment for counterattack."
"Because at such times, opponents are focused on pursuing their advantage and won't think too much."
"If you can seize this fleeting opportunity and turn defeat into victory, it's not difficult at all."
The theory was sound.
But Sakuya's body was obviously more honest.
His right hand had just been whipped into a claw shape - at a time like this, you still wanted him to jump up and counterattack without making a sound?
Too Spartan, prison warden...
Unsurprisingly, Sakuya couldn't say a word at this moment and was kicked with a dull thud.
His whole body spun like a top and flew out.
Finally crashing into the wall covered with straw mats, sticking there like flypaper for quite a while before falling down.
It was hard to imagine this was treatment for a four-year-old child, but this was what Sakuya regularly experienced after turning three.
Sosuke calmly finished his stance and stood still in place.
"Today's performance was quite remarkable... It seems that currently, Sakuya, you can already overcome instinct to a certain degree and be ready to face enemies at any time."
Sakuya fell like sticky candy, swaying as he got up.
"Thank you for the instruction..."
Getting beaten and still having to say thank you.
No choice - this kind of thing had already become routine.
But at this moment, Sakuya let out a low groan. He felt something on his face, and his head unconsciously drooped...
Nosebleed gurgled down.
Dripping onto the tatami, looking particularly conspicuous and glaring.
"Ah..."
Beaten until bleeding again.
Sosuke from afar walked forward slowly, seemingly wanting to help wipe it.
But Sakuya shook his head on his own, calmly rubbed his nose, then tilted his head back.
"No need, it's just a small injury. I can handle it myself..."
"I see."
This maturity far beyond his age that Sakuya displayed was also one of the reasons why Sosuke paid attention to him.
A thoughtful expression appeared on the face of this 5th Division vice-captain, and after a moment, he said softly.
"Sakuya, if you feel the intensity is too high, starting tomorrow we can appropriately..."
"No need. I think this is just right."
Are you kidding?
I've already endured a whole year of suffering - how could I give up now?
If you want to become strong, you have to eat the forbidden fruit! Ah no... you have to learn to take a beating first.
Since he was destined for this factional alignment, Sakuya had naturally prepared himself mentally.
Continue training me, prison warden!
In fact, Sakuya was aware of exactly what situation he was in.
After all, a simple analysis was enough.
—Kurosaki Ichigo hadn't been born yet. —Sosuke was still the 5th Division vice-captain. —This meant the current timeline was less than a hundred years before the entire Bleach story began.
Logically, he might be able to slack off a bit.
For instance, getting some idle position in the Gotei 13, just calculating the timing and staying away from combat zones during dangerous periods...
After surviving several obvious danger periods, with the special constitution of a Shinigami, living carefree for several hundred years shouldn't be a problem.
But things didn't go as hoped.
When he learned his name, he immediately understood his position clearly.
Sosuke's adopted son.
With such an identity, how could he possibly slack off?
After all, the prison warden was literally "full of rebellious intent."
If his level was too poor, the other party's "Standing in Heaven Club" probably wouldn't even consider saving him a spot...
Of course, Sakuya had also considered one possibility.
—The prison warden in this world was actually very good and kind, with only truth, goodness, and beauty in his heart, and all the conspiracies were just Sakuya's delusions about the original story!
Harboring such fantasies, Sakuya spent the most beautiful two years of his infant life.
Because strictly speaking, the current Sosuke was a "single-parent household."
The Seireitei under the Shinigami background was also a rather traditional organizational system, and everyone was quite sensitive to keywords like "single man raising a child"...
So Sakuya could be said to have grown up eating at a hundred different homes.
After all, the prison warden was quite popular in the 13 divisions at this stage, and many people were willing to lend him a helping hand.
It was like whichever division had time would help take care of him.
A happy childhood in a certain sense.
Until Sakuya, at age three, "coincidentally" saw the prison warden exchanging words with Tosen and pulling out his precious Hogyoku from his chest.
Only then did Sakuya completely give up struggling.
You've already killed people and created the Hogyoku - at this point, you still want people to believe you're innocent and sweet?
Impossible...
So this situation was basically that his identity had already been determined, with absolutely no room for maneuvering.
The prison warden was definitely going to "stand in heaven," so what about him?
Was he supposed to become a collaborator... reporting his adoptive father's treasonous intentions in advance for righteous family destruction?!
Wow wow wow, just thinking about it made him feel so virtuous!
He absolutely couldn't do such a thing. After all, from Sakuya's perspective... the other party was indeed a quite qualified adoptive father.
"Sakuya, let's end tonight's training here."
Sosuke's voice came, bringing him back to his senses slightly.
He wanted to nod in response.
But couldn't lower his head - the crown would fall.
"Okay..."
Even his speech carried a heavy nasal tone.
Sosuke, who had already reached the entrance, stopped. His lips moved for a moment, finally showing a rather helpless expression.
He turned back, stood in front of Sakuya, and crouched down.
Unable to dodge in time while tilting his head back, he directly bumped into the other's broad back.
"Ah, sorry..."
"Nothing to apologize for. Climb on - I'll carry you back to the barracks."
"No need, I can walk myself..."
"You can be more cautious during lessons, but normally, I shouldn't be such a frightening figure to you, should I, Sakuya?"
At this point.
What other choice did he have?
"Excuse me..."