Speaking of Ichigo — after undergoing the miraculous hot spring therapy that Urahara Kisuke had taught Yoruichi, the pain inside his body seemed to fade at an unbelievable speed, as if it was healed by some kind of magic.
Before long, he had completely recovered, almost like he'd been reborn.
During that recovery, he even got to witness Yoruichi bathing!
The scene unfolded before his eyes like a breathtaking painting — her graceful figure, her wheat-colored skin.
All of it hit the innocent, inexperienced boy so hard that his face flushed bright red like a ripe apple.
His embarrassment was written all over him.
After that, Yoruichi brought out Urahara Kisuke's new invention, the Tenshintai, and told Ichigo to grasp Bankai as quickly as possible.
After his fight with Sasakibe Chōjirō, Ichigo's reiatsu had already reached the third tier.
He now possessed the qualifications needed to learn Bankai.
"What is this thing?"
Ichigo stared at the life-sized paper figure Yoruichi had pulled out from who knew where, his mind a little blank.
Out of curiosity, he reached out and touched it.
"This is a tool that can help you learn Bankai quickly. It can force your Zanpakutō to materialize…"
Yoruichi explained at length, and Ichigo only half-understood most of it. Still, he grasped the important part.
This thing could make him stronger.
After running into Zaraki Kenpachi and Sasakibe Chōjirō one after another, Ichigo had finally understood that his current strength was nowhere near enough.
If he wanted to save Rukia, he had to become stronger.
Under Yoruichi's guidance, he poured his reiatsu into the Tenshintai.
As it flowed in, the paper figure transformed into the appearance of Old Man Zangetsu.
"Zangetsu! I want you to give me the power of Bankai!"
Ichigo went straight to the point, drawing his Zanpakutō and taking a fighting stance.
But Zangetsu seemed to have his own rhythm and thoughts. He didn't rush to attack the way Yoruichi had expected.
His test for Ichigo was not simply a battle of force — instead, he wanted Ichigo to deeply understand the true heart hidden within himself.
"Ichigo, do you truly desire the power of Bankai? If so, then find the true Zangetsu in this strange land, and defeat me."
Zangetsu lightly waved his hand.
In an instant, the once-flat ground changed as if by some unseen power.
Countless Zangetsu blades appeared, densely packed and impossible to count, standing quietly in the earth like silent guards.
Yet among all those blades, only one was the true Zangetsu — the one that possessed soul and power.
The scene looked almost like something out of an old legend: a lone swordsman searching, blade after blade, for the one true and peerless sword.
Any one of those plain-looking blades might be the legendary one.
What mattered was whether the sword would acknowledge him.
"Then let's do this!"
Although Ichigo was still confused, he shouted without hesitation.
Before he fully understood the reason behind the test, he casually pulled one of the Zangetsu blades from the ground, swung with a courage he couldn't explain, and charged straight at Zangetsu.
Zangetsu merely waved the long blade in his hand.
In that instant, the Zangetsu Ichigo held shattered like fragile glass, breaking apart with a crisp ring and scattering across the ground in countless fragments.
"So this one really was fake. Fine, I'll keep looking!"
Ichigo didn't lose heart.
He crouched down again, pulled out another Zangetsu, and attacked once more.
But the result was the same. The blade he'd chosen shattered under one light swing, as if trying to tell him something.
After going through that seemingly endless scene again and again, Ichigo's usually thick head — dense as a block of wood — suddenly felt as though it had been struck by some unseen force.
It was as if a lamp of understanding, long dormant, had finally flickered to life.
All at once, something clicked.
That feeling of sudden clarity was like a lighthouse appearing in the darkness, lighting the road ahead.
Or perhaps it was more like he'd stumbled onto some hidden cheat, instantly gaining insight far beyond what he'd had before.
"None of these Zangetsu are the real Zangetsu! But at the same time, every single one of them is the real Zangetsu!"
Ichigo's words rang across the battlefield like a clap of thunder.
...
Yoruichi who was watching from the side was completely stunned.
Even her usually sharp mind fell into confusion.
What was this real-and-fake business supposed to mean?
Had the kid gone crazy while searching for the true Zangetsu?
...
Across from him, the calm line of Zangetsu's mouth slowly curved into a mysterious smile.
That smile seemed to hold some deeper meaning, as if he had already foreseen the change Ichigo was about to undergo — as if he knew Ichigo was finally beginning to grasp the crucial lesson he'd wanted to teach.
"Every one of them is Zangetsu. That's right, isn't it, Old Man Zangetsu?"
A strange excitement surged in Ichigo's chest.
He slowly gripped the Zangetsu he'd pulled out at random, feeling its weight and texture.
The blade seemed to have a life of its own. It trembled faintly in his hand, as if trying to say something.
Then Ichigo did something unexpected.
He didn't swing the blade at Old Man Zangetsu the way he had before. Instead, he took a deep breath and erupted with reiatsu.
His spiritual pressure swept outward like a roaring wave, instantly covering everything around him.
With a low roar, the blade in his hand began to vibrate violently, as though struck by some powerful force.
Fine cracks spread across it, faster and faster, until with a sharp crack the entire blade shattered under the force of his reiatsu, scattering across the ground in countless fragments.
And just like that, Kurosaki Ichigo clearly heard the silent words Old Man Zangetsu had been speaking to him all along.
Tensa Zangetsu.
That was Zangetsu's true name.
Unfortunately, the Old Man Zangetsu standing in front of him was actually a fake — the manifestation of Ichigo's Quincy power, a younger version of Yhwach.
The real Zangetsu was the White Ichigo he had always hated.
But Ichigo didn't care about any of that.
At this stage, as long as someone could give him power, he'd recognize that person as the real Zangetsu.
After learning Bankai, Ichigo also picked up the one skill he'd end up using everywhere: Getsuga Tenshō.
That move would stay with him from that day on, his faithful go-to in every fight.
"Bankai. Tensa Zangetsu."
Ichigo spoke in a low voice, and the Zanpakutō in his hand quietly changed shape.
It transformed from its original butcher-knife look into a slender black katana.
The shihakushō on his body shifted too, becoming a fitted black outfit that made him look far cooler than before.
"So this is the kid's Bankai? Why does it look so small and short?"
Yoruichi's attention had landed somewhere very strange.
Did Bankai have to be big and long?
Had she been influenced by Suì-Fēng?
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