"...Damn it."
Sasuke forced himself to endure the intense pain in his right eye and slowly opened them.
His eyes were bloodshot, and bloodstains trailed down his cheek, adding a fierce edge to his demeanor.
He stared fixedly at the bewildered Ichigo, his inner calm ignited by an inexplicable emotion.
Jealousy, and the humiliation of being counterattacked.
'First, that idiot Naruto had a demon fox sealed inside him, which is comparable to a captain-level Shinigami. Now, this orange-headed guy before me also harbored a pure, fearsome unknown power within his body.'
'Unforgivable.'
This power he couldn't comprehend filled him with an instinctive irritation.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Ichigo started to step forward with concern but was halted by the undisguised hostility in Sasuke's eyes.
"You..."
Sasuke's voice was low and hoarse. He slowly raised his Zanpakuto, pointing it directly at the confused Ichigo.
"What was that just now?"
"What was what?" Ichigo was completely baffled.
"Stop playing dumb."
A cold smirk appeared at Sasuke's lips, "Fine. Since you won't tell me, I'll beat it out of you myself."
He took a step forward, an imposing, sharp pressure radiating from him.
"Let me see what 'Capacity' a half-baked amateur who just learned to hold a sword possesses."
Before the words had fully faded, and without giving Ichigo any time to react, Sasuke's figure vanished from his original spot!
Shunpo!
"What?!"
Ichigo's pupils constricted sharply. He only felt a gust of wind assaulting him from the side.
Purely by instinct, he swung his massive Zanpakuto to block his flank.
Ding!
The sound of metal clashing, sparks flying.
Sasuke's blade struck the massive blade precisely. The tremendous force sent Ichigo stumbling backward.
"Your reaction isn't bad." Sasuke commented flatly, but his offensive didn't pause for a moment.
His form was like a ghost, moving at high speed around Ichigo. The Takemikazuchi in his hand became deadly flashes of cold light, slashing at Ichigo's openings from every angle.
"Damn it! What the hell are you trying to do?!" Ichigo was thrown into disarray by the storm-like assault, only able to clumsily wave his giant blade.
He couldn't see Sasuke's movements at all, only defending by feel.
"Just giving some guidance to the Substitute Shinigami." Sasuke's voice came from all around.
"I never said I wanted to be a Shinigami!" Ichigo roared during a gap in his blocking, completely unable to understand why the other had changed so suddenly.
"Shut up!"
Sasuke's attacks grew even fiercer, his voice filled with impatience, "I'm just confirming one thing. What gives someone like you the right to possess such power?!"
Another heavy slash. The ground beneath Ichigo's feet split open with a deep crack. He could no longer hold on, falling to one knee.
Sasuke stopped his assault, looking down at him coldly.
"Too weak. Only swinging your sword around by instinct."
He pointed the tip of his blade at Ichigo's throat, his tone full of acerbic provocation, "Is this all you've got? You probably can't even protect your family like this."
"You bastard, what did you say?!"
These words were like poison needles, viciously stabbing into Ichigo's heart.
Not being able to protect his family was his deepest, most painful fear.
Anger, and the fear that his family might be harmed again… all sorts of emotions surged into Ichigo's heart in an instant.
Bang!
A massive Reiatsu erupted from within Kurosaki Ichigo!
This Reiatsu wasn't that calm black power but pure Shinigami power. However, it now felt completely out of control.
"Hmm?"
Sasuke noticed this change, his eyes narrowing.
'Not that black power? Instead, the Shinigami power is going out of control?'
He saw Ichigo's eyes beginning to lose focus, the Reiatsu around him growing more and more violent, vaguely trending towards the berserk state the demon fox had entered that day.
"Tch, troublesome guy."
Sasuke's brows furrowed tightly. If he continued to provoke him, he might repeat past mistakes and make the situation even more unmanageable.
This wasn't the result he wanted.
His goal was to force out that mysterious black power, not to witness another out-of-control Kyubi.
"Let's end this here."
Sasuke instantly sheathed his sword and withdrew.
As he retreated, he used the hilt of his sword to deliver a measured tap to the back of Ichigo's neck.
"Ugh..."
Ichigo's eyes rolled back. The Reiatsu on the verge of rampage instantly subsided, and his entire body went limp, collapsing to the ground unconscious.
"Sasuke! You..." Rukia watched everything, still shaken, and was about to step forward to question him.
But Sasuke had already fully sheathed his sword. He cast a final glance at the unconscious Ichigo, his face once again adopting that arrogant expression.
"As expected, just a half-baked amateur."
With these words, his figure swayed slightly, and he vanished completely from the spot using Shunpo.
Leaving only a dumbfounded Rukia behind.
"What a detestable little brat..."
…
Meanwhile, in the underground training ground of the Urahara Shop.
Urahara Kisuke, holding his fan, had watched the entire 'guidance match' with great interest on a massive screen.
"Ara, ara..."
He rested his fan against his chin and let out a meaningful sigh, "Such a simple and brutal stimulation therapy. However, the effect seems quite good."
He could clearly sense that after Sasuke's provocation, the Shinigami's Reiatsu that had just been activated within Ichigo had become much more active.
"Although it didn't draw out that Quincy power, getting his Reiatsu to this level of activation is a pleasant surprise." Urahara chuckled to himself.
This 'teaching assistant' he'd picked up, though with a foul personality, was unexpectedly useful.
Elsewhere, Sasuke had already silently returned to the Urahara Shop.
The stinging pain in his right eye had subsided.
Without a moment's pause, he leaped directly down from the roof and walked straight towards Urahara's room.
The door was pushed open.
Urahara was leisurely sipping tea. Seeing Sasuke return, he immediately put on his signature smile.
"Oh my, Sasuke-kun, you're back. Did you handle everything? You've worked hard."
Sasuke ignored his pleasantries, walked directly to sit him, cross-legged, and looked straight at Urahara.
"That Substitute Shinigami has another power inside him."
He cut straight to the chase.
"A power completely different from Shinigami power, yet carrying an astonishing sense of pressure."
Sasuke deliberately omitted the part about being counterattacked.
Urahara's fanning motion paused slightly, a flash of imperceptible approval in his eyes.
'Such keen perception.'
'To have probed Ichigo's background to this extent in such a short time?'
"Another power?"
Urahara's face showed a curious expression, "Could you elaborate, Sasuke-kun? What did it feel like?"
Sasuke succinctly described his perception but didn't mention the blurred afterimage of the man in sunglasses.
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