Chapter 238: Sparring
The next day, as planned, the full captain roster was assembled.
Yamamoto's injury drew every eye in the room the moment he walked in.
Something new: the Captain-Commander had taken up scarves, apparently.
Reactions varied across the room. Yamamoto himself didn't bother explaining the commentary away. He laid out what had happened the previous evening in plain, direct terms.
"The enemy's strength has grown considerably since our last encounter. Given the threat these individuals represent, both in intent and in capability, the Gotei 13 needs to take active steps to counter them."
Specifically.
The old man delivered the conclusion he and Matsushita Yusuke had worked out the night before.
"Effective immediately, all captain-level personnel conducting operations outside are to move in pairs."
The logic was simple enough.
Taking down a single captain was one thing. Handling two at once was considerably harder. That spread of coverage also meant that Yamamoto, wherever he was, could get to a stalemate faster once he had both hands free.
A blunt approach. But given the current situation, it was a workable one.
Which brought to mind the recurring theme running through Bleach's entire villain roster.
Whether it was Aizen or Yhwach, both of them had fundamentally won their advantages through catching people off guard. Aizen exploited the information gap with Yamamoto. Yhwach went further and studied everything until he could steal released Zanpakuto power directly. In a certain sense, the Gotei 13's entire history was a long list of extremely capable people finding extremely creative ways to blindside them.
Matsushita Yusuke sat with that observation while Yamamoto continued.
"Furthermore, to ensure every captain has the ability to respond effectively to what we may be facing, I recommend making use of Captain Matsushita's willingness to engage in training sparring."
Not a spontaneous decision. This was the second item from last night's conversation.
Yamamoto had experienced Kongozō's reishi dismantling twice now, which gave him considerable standing to speak on the subject.
"Captain Matsushita's Zanpakuto ability allows us to train against unusual conditions in advance. Until every captain has some familiarity with reishi dismantling, we will remain functionally at a disadvantage against an enemy who can use it without warning."
Build your own strength. Reduce the opponent's advantage.
For the Gotei 13, operating in the open as they did, this was the only realistic path forward.
The captains exchanged looks. Responses ran the full range.
Kyoraku Shunsui pressed his lips together with an expression of resigned suffering, already dreading what was coming.
Kuchiki Byakuya looked toward the target of the announcement with an expression that communicated absolutely nothing.
Isshin Shiba yawned openly, giving the impression he found the entire affair only marginally relevant to his immediate concerns.
Quite a group. Every one of them their own particular variety of problem.
When Yamamoto finished, Matsushita Yusuke stepped up and offered his own brief remarks.
"Personally, I prefer to avoid anything that sounds like extra work. But given the current situation, and given that I'm part of this organization, stepping up is what I should do."
A small cough.
"Everything for the safety of Soul Society. That's all."
Applause broke out from the floor below.
Everyone had their own thoughts about it. But faced with a speech that generous, most of them managed to look appropriately impressed.
Somewhere in the middle of the room, Aizen and Tosen were maintaining expressions that were technically neutral but carried a very specific quality: the controlled composure of people who knew exactly what was happening and found it genuinely funny.
Even without looking directly at them, Matsushita Yusuke could feel it. The privately-delighted faces of people watching a plan come together.
"That's everything. Dismissed."
The captains filtered back to their respective duties. Isshin Shiba happened to be heading in the same direction as Matsushita Yusuke, and the two fell into step together.
"Didn't expect the enemy to be capable of actually injuring the Captain-Commander. These aren't small-time threats."
Isshin said it with genuine feeling, then glanced sideways with a grin.
"You're going to be pretty busy from here on out, Captain Matsushita."
A fair prediction. Any number of captains were going to be coming to him for training sessions in the near future, and that was visible to everyone in the room. By everything Isshin knew about Matsushita Yusuke, this was probably worse than asking him to take a physical. The man ran on leisure and found inconvenience fundamentally offensive.
Which was why Isshin was caught off guard by what came next.
"Honestly, I don't mind. More than that, I'd actually welcome it. A chance to spar with everyone is good training for me too."
He was not being sarcastic.
Because how often, in the normal course of things, did you get to fight other captains? Opportunities like this didn't come along every day.
Two consecutive Yamamoto boss fights had adjusted his standards somewhat. The other captains weren't quite at that level of nutritional value. But Matsushita Yusuke was not picky.
If it had any chance of contributing to his growth, he would take it. No conditions attached.
Isshin's eyes lit up slightly at the response.
"Then how about trying it with me? Honestly, I'm pretty curious about this reishi dismantling thing the Captain-Commander described."
Oh. Isshin Shiba wants to spar?
Matsushita Yusuke glanced sideways, his expression giving nothing away.
But inside, he was already running the calculation.
Captain-level fighters had their own internal rankings, loose and unofficial: standard, upper, top-tier. Where did Isshin Shiba land in that breakdown?
In the original story, his first appearance had him teaming up with Yoruichi and Urahara to bring down a version of Aizen who had broken past his limits entirely and was operating above the Shinigami ceiling.
That was meaningful information.
Standing level in a fight against someone in that state, performing well enough to matter, said something real about where your baseline sat. Upper-tier captain at minimum. Possibly higher.
He was young right now. But the potential was clearly there.
He was, after all, the man who would eventually produce Ichigo Kurosaki. A future heavyweight in the making. Someone who would one day grow into exactly the kind of fighter the word "formidable" was invented for.
So.
If he put Isshin through his paces, the reward on the back end probably wasn't going to be small.
Matsushita Yusuke's eyes sharpened.