After listening to Sasuke's account, Urahara rested his fan against his chin and fell into thought.
After a moment, he offered a half-truthful explanation, "Hmm, this situation is indeed rare, but not impossible."
"Some people's bloodlines harbor special, innate powers. Perhaps Kurosaki Ichigo is such a case."
"After all, for Kuchiki-san to choose him and entrust her Shinigami powers to him, he must have his own exceptional qualities."
Sasuke let out a very soft snort, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with this ambiguous explanation, but he didn't press further.
He knew he couldn't easily get the whole truth from this old fox.
However, everything that had happened recently had also soberly made him realize something else.
Whether it was the demon fox inside Naruto or the black power within Ichigo...
They were both very strong.
'My current strength was far from sufficient.'
'Not enough to handle these situations, let alone to take revenge on that man.'
'I needed to become stronger.'
"Shopkeeper Urahara."
Sasuke looked up, "How about we make a deal?"
"A deal?" Urahara's interest was piqued.
"Correct. Regarding that world's power system, I can demonstrate it for you without reservation, allowing you to study it."
Sasuke paused, then stated his condition.
"In exchange, I want you to help me find a stable method to travel to that world and provide training guidance to make me stronger."
Urahara looked at the sharp-eyed young man before him, the curve of his mouth widening into a grin.
"Ara ara, what a straightforward request."
He shook his head with a laugh, "However, I'm just a down-on-his-luck merchant running a grocery store. I have nothing to teach a genius like you, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke's eyes turned cold.
"Urahara Kisuke."
He directly called out the other party's name. "You are the former Captain of the 12th Division, the founder of the Technology Development Bureau. There's no need to continue this boring probing."
The smile on Urahara's face stiffened for a moment before turning into a helpless wry smile.
Sasuke continued: "I need your guidance. About everything concerning Shinigami, higher-level Kido, Zanjutsu, and even..."
"Bankai!"
The air fell into a brief silence.
After a long while, Urahara finally let out a long sigh and adopted a serious expression.
"Alright, alright, I can't help it."
He reopened his fan, covering half his face.
"Since Sasuke-kun has said so much, it would be too unkind to refuse further."
He snapped his fan shut and pointed towards the floor.
"Coincidentally, beneath this humble shop of mine, there's a reasonably spacious training ground."
Sasuke followed Urahara through a hidden door into the basement of the shop.
Underground was an unimaginably vast space, a stark contrast to the cramped grocery store above.
Underfoot was solid rock ground, and overhead, there's a simulated blue sky.
The sheer expanse of this space was almost comparable to an entire training forest outside Konoha.
"Ah, the place is a bit shabby, please don't mind."
Urahara fanned himself and said with a smile, "It's usually just used to research some interesting little things, so I made it a bit larger."
Sasuke wasn't surprised. For a former Captain, having such resources seemed only natural.
"Then, as agreed."
Sasuke walked to the center of the open area and looked directly at Urahara, "As the first step of our deal, let me show you the power of that world."
He quickly formed hand seals in front of his chest.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Several ferocious dragon heads composed of flames roared from his mouth, carrying waves of scorching heat as they blasted towards the distant rock wall. The violent explosion echoed throughout the underground space.
"I see, so this is the power you call 'Chakra'?"
Urahara paced around Sasuke, instruments in his hand constantly recording data, "A completely new energy, achieving various effects by altering its 'nature' and 'form'..."
"It's almost like another manifestation of Kido, but the underlying principles are entirely different."
He stopped and raised the most crucial question, "Then, Sasuke-kun, where does this energy called 'Chakra' come from? Is it like Reishi, permeating the air?"
Sasuke replied flatly, "No, it originates from within."
"Originates from within?"
"Correct."
Sasuke began to explain, "Every living being possesses Physical Energy, which can be enhanced through training and exercise. They also possess Spiritual Energy, which is strengthened through the tempering of will."
"Extracting these two energies from every cell in the body, then fusing them within the body… what ultimately forms is Chakra."
Sasuke glanced at Urahara, who was listening intently, and said, "In theory, any life form with a soul and a body can refine this energy."
"Extracting and fusing from every cell?" Urahara's breathing became somewhat rapid.
Eagerly, he closed his eyes and tried to sense the energy within his body using the method Sasuke provided.
As a top-tier Shinigami, he quickly sensed those two distinctly different energies.
Then, he attempted to extract them.
However, the next second, Urahara's brows furrowed tightly.
He snapped his eyes open, an unprecedented look of confusion on his face.
"It's not working."
He looked at his hands, muttering to himself, "Why? I can clearly feel the presence of these two energies, but I can't effectively extract them?"
Seeing Urahara's puzzled expression, a flicker of confusion also passed through Sasuke's mind.
'I had disclosed the method of extracting Chakra without reservation. In the Shinobi World, this was almost a mandatory course for every child in the Academy, with no difficulty whatsoever.'
'Why did it fail when it came to Urahara Kisuke?'
"Perhaps..."
Urahara suddenly seemed to understand something. He smiled wryly and resumed fanning himself.
"There must be something special influencing it in that world. Maybe an unknown component in the air, or perhaps the world's rules themselves are different."
He consoled himself, "It seems that to fully understand, I'll have to wait until we find a way to go there and experience it myself. Ara ara, it's getting more and more exciting."
Sasuke snorted coldly but didn't respond, tacitly accepting this explanation.
Urahara circled Sasuke once more, the smile on his face turning a bit more serious.
"Since Sasuke-kun has fulfilled the first step of our deal, it's my turn now."
"However, to provide you with the most suitable training, I first need a comprehensive understanding of your strength as a Shinigami."
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