Naraku Sora suddenly remembered the matter concerning Baraggan.
Ever since this King of Hueco Mundo was beaten to his knees by him, the man seemed to have been possessed by a certain slacker named Kyōraku Shunsui.
He holed up in Las Noches all day without stepping outside, only occasionally attending the so-called Espada meetings.
He showed absolutely no interest in activities like ranking assignments.
Out of basic respect for this former King of Hueco Mundo, Naraku Sora kindly ranked him second.
Recently, he heard that Baraggan had become obsessed with reading novels, binge-reading all the serialized stories Aizen had brought over from the Soul Society.
Speaking of which, the other Arrancars all had their own hobbies.
They were either hopelessly addicted to fighting, sleeping on rooftops all day, or busy with various construction projects.
On the contrary, Baraggan, the former King of Hueco Mundo, had completely given up on himself after seeing Las Noches thrive under a certain someone's leadership.
He spent his days sulking on his throne, shutting himself off from the world.
He looked just like a lonely old man, completely devoid of his former domineering aura.
*Should I find something for him to do?*
Naraku Sora pondered for a moment.
Seeing his rebellious disciple zoning out again, Yamamoto snorted in dissatisfaction.
"Brat, you have nothing to say now that I've seen through your lies, do you?"
Naraku Sora sighed helplessly. "Why is it that no one ever believes me when I tell the truth?"
"Since that's the case, I'll put it another way."
Yamamoto stared at his rebellious disciple, waiting to see what kind of nonsense he would spout this time.
"The truth is, a few female Arrancars in Hueco Mundo took a liking to my perfect body, so they used Negación to forcefully take me away, planning to keep me in Hueco Mundo as their boy toy."
"..." Yamamoto remained utterly speechless.
Although this sounded even more fake, why did it inexplicably feel somewhat believable?
Given this brat's usually erratic behavior, it really wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, deciding not to dwell on the matter any further.
If the boy didn't want to tell the truth, so be it.
Considering his merits in protecting the Seireitei, his past transgressions would be overlooked.
Whether he was a genius scientist or the King of Hueco Mundo, at the end of the day, he was still Yamamoto Shigekuni's disciple.
Yamamoto lowered his gaze, picked up his steaming cup of tea, and downed it in one gulp.
"You have been staying in Hueco Mundo all this time. Have you been neglecting your daily training?"
Naraku Sora grinned, replying candidly, "Would you like to test me, Master?"
The old man and the young man exchanged a glance, both seeing the burning fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
Then, with perfect unspoken understanding, the two stood up and headed toward the mountain behind the barracks.
The barracks were currently undergoing reconstruction, so it was best not to cause any trouble for the squad members.
Deep in the barren mountains, the two figures stood a distance apart, locking eyes. Their powerful auras clashed and intertwined, kicking up countless visible currents of air.
Naraku Sora observed Yamamoto opposite him, noticing that the old man seemed no different from usual.
He hadn't fallen into a slump or developed any negative conditions due to the Hell invasion incident.
Despite his advanced age, apart from his appearance, there were absolutely no other signs of aging.
Even his Reiatsu was significantly stronger than when they first met.
*Wait!*
*Didn't he say he had already reached the limits of a Soul Reaper? How is this old man still getting stronger?*
Naraku Sora's eyes widened as he suddenly realized he had discovered a crucial detail.
Meanwhile, Yamamoto was also observing Naraku Sora. Confirming that his foolish disciple was the same as before, he felt relieved.
He had originally been worried that the boy might have suffered some irreversible, severe injuries from forcefully charging into Gagaku Kairyū.
Looking at it now, he had been overthinking things.
Naraku Sora's skin was much thicker than he had imagined.
When their auras peaked, the ground could no longer withstand the scorching heat. Along with the formation of a fissure, a barely audible sound echoed.
It was like a war horn.
The two figures vanished from their spots almost simultaneously. However, the difference was that Yamamoto's movement was noticeably silent, leaving only a striking scorch mark on the ground.
In contrast, a muffled boom resembling an exploding bomb erupted from Naraku Sora's previous position.
Yamamoto's eyes widened, and he nearly missed his punch.
If he wasn't mistaken, this bastard wasn't using Flash Step, but rather the Hollows' unique movement technique, Sonído!
*Is he not even trying to hide it anymore?!*
This time it was Sonído. Yamamoto didn't even dare to imagine what it would be next time.
But after experiencing the Hell invasion, he suddenly felt that this little matter was nothing to fuss over.
*No matter how serious it is, could it be worse than the destruction of the world?*
Their fists collided, sending out a deafening shockwave that was instantly suppressed and controlled by their respective Reiatsu.
This prevented the residual impact from destroying the surrounding area.
It was just a simple test; there was no need to plow the back mountain all over again.
Soon, the two figures, radiating intense energy, continuously clashed deep in the mountains. Scorching heat and booming explosions echoed through the barracks, while terrifying flames painted the sky.
The two gradually got carried away in the heat of battle.
From basic Hakuda to advanced Zanjutsu, brilliant sparks flew wildly.
The intersecting flashes of their blades gave Yamamoto an illusion.
It felt as if he wasn't testing his student's progress, but rather fighting a formidable opponent of equal strength.
In a daze, he seemed to return to thousands of years ago.
Having just become the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society, he faced a powerful enemy from Hueco Mundo. He exhausted all his methods but still failed to secure a victory.
Although the boy still lacked in technique, his terrifying physical strength was more than enough to make up for that insignificant gap.
The horrifying impact transmitted through the blade was so heavy that it gave the illusion of fighting against heaven and earth themselves.
*This brat really hasn't disappointed me!*
Yamamoto grinned. His bones cracked and popped as his muscles shifted. His sweat instantly evaporated under the rising heat waves, and a ferocious, demon-like smile surfaced on his face.
The upper half of his Shishakushō turned to ash in the blazing flames, revealing powerful, lean muscles. His scar-riddled torso delivered an intense visual impact.
Stepping forward, he executed a Karatake slash!
A tsunami-like wave of flames covered the sky. The rolling heat waves looked just like burning clouds.
Seeing this, Naraku Sora followed suit. He instantly unleashed his Shikai without any wind-up, causing his body to ignite. At the same time, he activated Shunkō, and golden-red patterns surfaced on his perfect physique.
He stretched his arms, adopting the exact same stance.
Clang!
Amidst the endless waves of fire, their blades clashed. A circular shockwave instantly exploded outward, peeling back the earth layer by layer. The rock strata shattered and were ground into dust. Even the distant trees suffered the same fate, directly swallowed up and reduced to countless ashes.
This long-lost clash of power made Yamamoto's blood boil with excitement.
It had been a very long time since he had fought a decent opponent.
During the previous Hell invasion, he had only dealt with the Will of Hell and Sinners. A single swing of his sword was enough to wipe them out in droves.
At best, it was a one-sided slaughter; it couldn't be called an evenly matched battle at all.
Looking at the entire Soul Society now, this was probably the only person who could allow him to fight to his heart's content without any reservations.
Flames ignited in Yamamoto's eyes, as if he had returned to that bloody war from a thousand years ago.
Unleashing terrifying power like a vast ocean, the two burning blades clashed once again.
A pillar of fire shot straight into the sky, painting a massive sea of flames that covered the entire barracks.
The busy squad members noticed this violent commotion. They stopped their work and looked toward the horizon.
Feeling the familiar heat waves brushing against them, the Soul Reapers showed no signs of panic. Instead, genuine smiles appeared on their faces.
If there was one thing that could soothe their hearts after the chaos of Hell, it was the fact that the pillar of the Seireitei still stood tall and unwavering.
Just looking at the spreading sea of flames brought a sense of peace to their hearts.
As the afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the earth, a spirited figure walked out of the Squad 1 barracks.
The sunlight fell on his shoulders, making him look like a free man.
Although he still hadn't managed to defeat Yamamoto, the injuries on his body were noticeably fewer than in their previous spars.
It was already an incredibly rare improvement.
Naraku Sora walked on his way home, recalling the battle that had just taken place.
He could only say that the Head Captain truly lived up to his title as the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society.
Even with the obvious disadvantage of stamina, he still displayed the terrifying combat prowess of the number one in the Soul Society.
Moreover, in terms of basic techniques alone, he still had a significant gap to close compared to Yamamoto.
Fortunately, as his strength increased, this gap was no longer a big deal. At most, he would take a slight beating, but it couldn't affect the overall direction of the battle.
Coupled with his thick skin, his unparalleled Hierro stats, and his powerful regeneration mechanism.
The injuries Yamamoto worked so hard to inflict would heal in the blink of an eye, placing him in an invincible position right from the start.
It could be considered clawing back a victory.
Regarding the miraculous abilities displayed by his disciple, although Yamamoto didn't say anything, the fleeting envy in his eyes couldn't deceive anyone.
Naraku Sora pondered. *If Old Man Yama doesn't mind, should I let him experience the wonders of Hollowfication too?*
At this thought, an image of a bald, white-bearded old man wearing a Hollow mask popped into his mind.
Although the aesthetic didn't even match a ten-thousandth of his own, it didn't seem to lose too much of its badass factor.
*It actually seems feasible.*
But then came the problem.
According to past Hollowfication experiments, any Soul Reaper who underwent Hollowfication would enter an unconscious, berserk state for a period of time.
They would directly exhibit combat power even more exaggerated than usual.
With his current strength, if he went all out, could he withstand a completely berserk Yamamoto?
Naraku Sora stroked his chin, feeling that it might be a bit difficult.
Despite their battle just now being evenly matched, that was because Yamamoto had intentionally held back, and he hadn't pulled out his final trump card from start to finish—his Bankai.
If he lost his self-awareness, who knew if this old man would instantly activate Zanka no Tachi.
*Tank Zanka no Tachi head-on?*
*That sounds very challenging!*
Naraku Sora narrowed his eyes, feeling that it was necessary to discuss this matter with his good brother.
Thinking as he walked, he soon returned to his loyal Shino Prison.
Surprisingly, there were no squad members guarding the main gate.
Moreover, intense fluctuations of Reiatsu were coming from inside the barracks, as if someone was fighting.
Filled with curiosity, Naraku Sora walked toward the direction of the surging Reiatsu.