"Huh, why do you think I would agree to this? Who do you think you are Old Man?
He leaned closer, his Reiatsu flickering—a pulse of raw, ancient power that made Akio's skin prickle. "They called me the 2nd Kenpachi, long ago. And I'm offering to teach you."
Akio's breath caught, his sharp blue eyes widening. 'The 2nd Kenpachi? Here?How?' His mind raced, the weight of the offer sinking in as the librarian's gaze burned with a warrior's fire. "You called yourself the 2nd Kenpachi, but how is that possible weren't you killed by 3rd?"
"Nah kid, the rule of killing the Kenpachi to become the next came after I stepped down from my position. The 3rd Kenpachi, my student made that rule. So will you train under me?"
"Why me?" Akio asked, his voice steady but edged with suspicion. "Why does a forgotten Kenpachi want to train a third-year runt?"
The old man—Kenpachi Ryūgō—leaned back, his amber eyes sharpening. He chuckled, a low rumble that echoed like distant thunder. "Kid, it's been centuries since I felt this... excited. Watching you swing that Asauchi in the dead of night, alone, pushing till your hands bled. No genius flair, no bloodlust roar—just raw grit. I ain't no sword prodigy myself. Took me years of gettin' broken to learn a damn thing."
Ryūgō's gaze drifted, as if seeing ghosts. "I've watched you. You have neither got that blad head friend of yours, Kenpachi attitude—that fire to crush everything in sight nor the geniusness, that elegant touch of your peacock head brat. But you? You've got something even greater than that, a tenacity that won't quit, a will to never back down, and a hunger to be the strongest. That's special, boy. I can shatter you a thousand times, but you'll piece yourself back together stronger. Excites me, like nothin' has in ages."
He paused, his smile widening into something predatory. "They called me the Training Monster back then. Broke countless Shinigami, forged many of them into weapons, like the 3rd, 4th and the 5th Kenpachi. But, You, Kurozume Akio—you'll be my finest product. "
Akio's mind raced, he unconsciously swallowed his saliva. 'This guy's a legend. But he wouldn't be dumb to get give me training for free.' "So, what do you want in return?"
"You are a smart one aren't you. Defeat Zaraki Kenpachi," he said, voice firm. "Not now. But when he unlocks his true potential. That will be your repayment to me."
Akio thought for a second and said, "Okay. I agree."
With a flicker of ancient Reiatsu, Ryūgō grabbed Akio's arm, the world blurring in a surge of power. They vanished from the library, reappearing in a hidden training ground—a vast, barren crater deep in Rukongai's wastelands, walls scarred from forgotten battles, the air heavy with dust and blood's faint echo. "One year," Ryūgō said, drawing his massive nodachi, Tetsuryū, its blade etched with dragon scales. "We fight to the death. Every day. I match your power, go for the kill—plain blade only. No Shikai, Bankai, Kidō, or Hakuda from me. You? Use everything. Break, rebuild, or die. If you die you die but if you somehow survive the till the day's end I will get you fixed up at Squad 4."
Akio unsheathed his Asauchi, shadows coiling. 'This is insane. But... this is how I get ahead.' "Bring it, old man."
The year became a blur of blood and steel.
Ryūgō was a monster. His blade swung with brutal precision, matching Akio's strength exactly—no more, no less. Each clash was raw, deadly. Ryūgō's strikes went for the throat, the heart, the kill. No mercy. Akio countered with everything: Toryū punches laced with shadows, Sōryū combos blurring into Hohō dashes, Gekiryū grapples binding with black threads, Hiryū counters leaving illusory decoys. He wove Kidō—Sai bindings, Shō blasts—into Zanjutsu slashes, Hohō keeping him alive by inches.
But death came close, over and over. Ryūgō's blade grazed Akio's neck, drawing blood. A thrust pierced his shoulder, shadows flaring to numb the pain. Akio collapsed countless times, vision blurring, body broken—ribs cracked, limbs numb. Each time, Akio somehow surviving the day, and then being fixed up to get beated again. Ryūgō growling, "Rebuild, kid." Akio did, dragging himself up, will unyielding.
Months in, Akio changed. Death's door sharpened his senses—he felt danger before it struck, shadows whispering warnings. A blade's arc, a shift in Reiatsu—he dodged instinctively, countering with a Sōryū flurry that nearly grazed Ryūgō for the first time. The old man laughed, eyes blazing. "There it is! That's the fire!"
By year's end, Akio stood taller, scars mapping his body like Ryūgō's own. His reiryoku surged darker, controlled. 'I can feel it—death's edge made me sharper. Zaraki... one day.'
Far from the wasteland, in Seireitei's 1st Division headquarters, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni sat in his chamber, his gnarled hands resting on his cane. The room was stark, lit by flickering candles. He summoned three captains: Shunsui Kyōraku, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Isshin Shiba.
They arrived swiftly—Shunsui with his sake gourd, Byakuya immaculate, Isshin scratching his head with a grin.
Yamamoto's voice rumbled like thunder. "Kurozume Akio. Report on him." He said looking at Isshin and Byakuya.
Isshin bowed slightly, voice firm. "Captain-Commander, I found Kurozume in Rukongai, where he survived a Gillian encounter somehow. I was on a mission in Rukongai at that time and brought him to the Shino Academy."
Byakuya's expression remained cold. "I gave him the Hoho training on the recommendation of Captain Kyoraku. His Hohō progressed adequately. His shunpo is precise, though his reiryoku's darkness is... unsettling. He shows discipline and is a very hardworking kid."
Yamamoto nodded. "Captain Shiba, Captain Kuchiki. You are dismissed."
They bowed and left. Yamamoto turned to Shunsui, eyes sharp. "What about you Shunsui? Why did you take him as your student, asked Captain Kuchiki to train him and not only that you also taught him Ryuken?"
Kyoraku smiled, " That kid is special Old Man Yama. He is unlike any I have seen. He is not a genius
but he has the will to be the strongest and not just that but he also has the mind to get what he wanted. Kid's a handful. Bold as hell. That kid's got me played so many times that I have lost count. Mark my word Old Man that kids gonna be someone big."
Yamamoto made a amused face hearing Shunsui and said,"Kyōraku, there's more. The 2nd Kenpachi—Ryūgō—has taken Akio as a student."
Shunsui's gourd paused mid-sip. "Ryūgō? If he's training the kid... Akio's in for hell, but he'll come out a monster."
Yamamoto's cane tapped. "Indeed. Watch closely. That boy may reshape the Gotei."
In a dimly lit room within Squad 5's barracks, three figures sat in shadows. Kaname Tōsen, blind eyes turned toward the table. Gin Ichimaru, fox-faced grin wide. Sōsuke Aizen, glasses glinting, a faint smile curling his lips.
Gin leaned back, drawling, "Aizen-sama, should we bump up Kurozume's threat level? Kid's snagging mentors left and right—Shunsui, Byakuya, now some ghost Kenpachi. Worth keeping an eye on?"
Aizen adjusted his glasses, voice smooth. "Leave him for now, Gin. Their are too many eyes on him—captains, the Commander. Showing interest would draw suspicion. We will wait."
Tōsen's brow furrowed. "Aizen-sama, won't he become dangerous if left unchecked?"
Aizen's smile widened, eyes gleaming. "Dangerous? Why assume that, Tōsen? We don't know his goals yet. Perhaps they align with ours. For now, no involvement. Let the pieces fall."
The room fell silent, shadows deepening.
[End of Chapter]