Inner World
"Given up?"
Ikkaku says arrogantly, his sword at my throat. I nod, and he removes the blade. I relax my muscles, which were tense from training. Three times. I lost three times to him. In this last round, I landed some good hits, thinking they would be enough to defeat him. How foolish. With just one swift move, he broke my posture and balance, making me lose instantly. It was like taking candy from a baby for him.
"One day, I will defeat you in a sword duel," I say confidently.
"That day will only come when I'm rusted, which will be in about five hundred years!" Ikkaku taunts.
A small smile appears on my face, imagining his reaction if he found out he lost to a young man with orange hair who doesn't even have half his experience in Zanjutsu. He'd probably be in disbelief all day.
"Hanataro, tell me something, do you know shunpo?" Ikkaku asks seriously.
"No, why do you ask?"
"I figured," Ikkaku says, putting the wooden sword back on the wall mount.
He approaches me again, then sits on the floor of the 11th Division dojo in a leap, breathing deeply. He repeats over the last two minutes:
"Your body, while very flexible, lacks strength, which is essential for Zanjutsu. However, this can be easily solved with some training. The bigger issue is your inability to use shunpo, the most crucial aspect of sword fights. What determines the winner in Zanjutsu isn't strength but speed and skill. Do you understand?"
"Yes, what's limiting me is my body and shunpo," I reply.
"Even if I wanted to teach you shunpo, it wouldn't be very productive as it would cut our training time in half. Unless I find a teacher for you," he says.
"Do you think it'll take long to find one?"
"Actually, I already have someone in mind," Ikkaku says with a smile.
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As Hanataro exits the dojo, Ikkaku heads to the corner of the room, pulling an invisible space with his arm.
"Enough with the tricks, Yumichika," Ikkaku says, dispelling the invisible space hiding the Shinigami.
"Oh, I'm surprised you sensed me even using Kyokkō," Yumichika replies, a bit surprised.
"As if those Kidous mean anything to me."
Ikkaku, being who he is, despises everything related to kidou. For him, hand-to-hand combat is the most fun, but he isn't blind to the usefulness of kidou when necessary, even though he can't use it like his friend.
"So, what brings you here?" Ikkaku asks suspiciously, heading towards a shelf with his Zanpakutō on top.
"I came to see how your training with your pupil is going."
Yumichika moves to the center of the dojo, drawing his Zanpakutō and making a few air strikes.
"He isn't my pupil," Ikkaku responds, approaching Yumichika.
Taking six steps back, Ikkaku stands in front of Yumichika, drawing his Zanpakutō, but instead of leaving the sheath at his kimono's belt, he holds it in his left hand, with the sword in his right.
"That's not what the rumors around the division say."
Almost everyone in the 11th Division was surprised when Ikkaku suddenly started training a 4th Division Shinigami. Many tried to watch the training but were expelled by Ikkaku. They were even more surprised to learn he almost lost to this 4th Division member, unimaginable since they consider that division weak.
"Screw those rumors," Ikkaku says harshly, releasing his red reiatsu that fills the dojo.
Feeling his longtime friend's reiatsu and not wanting to be outdone, Yumichika releases his green reiatsu, causing the dojo to tremble with their collision, equally matched.
"Are you sure you want to fight me? That burn scar on your belly caused by that unattractive boy hasn't healed yet," Yumichika says.
"Since when do I care about that?" Ikkaku replies with a wide grin.
"That wasn't very beautiful to say," Yumichika responds, taking a fighting stance.
They stare at each other intensely, one step, two steps, on the third step, they raise their Zanpakutōs towards each other, cutting the small space between them.
"Clang!"
The dojo door opens quickly, and a reiatsu rushes towards them, stopping their blades just short of touching.
"Lieutenant Yachiru?" they both say simultaneously.
Unlike other division lieutenants, Lieutenant Yachiru was small, almost childlike, with pink hair and a perpetual blush on her cheeks. She wore the standard Shinigami attire with a lieutenant's insignia on her arm.
"White ball, long time no see!" she says cheerfully to Ikkaku.
"How many times have I told you not to call me that?!" Ikkaku says irritably, a vein almost popping on his bald head.
"I think more than ten times, White ball!" she responds nonchalantly.
Yachiru looks around the dojo twice, trying to find the person she came to see but is disappointed not to see them.
"Where's that Shinigami you were training, White ball?"
"Are you talking about Hanataro? He already left," Ikkaku replies.
"I see, that's a shame. I wanted to see how strong he was, it's really a shame," Yachiru says disappointedly.
"What can I tell you, Lieutenant Yachiru, he's quite weak and not beautiful at all," Yumichika says, also disappointed.
She sighs, knowing it was a waste of time to come and that it would have been better to stay with her captain. But before she could leave the dojo, Ikkaku speaks up.
"But that doesn't mean he lacks potential," Ikkaku says, knowing this would catch his lieutenant's attention.
"Really? Tell me everything, White ball," Yachiru says, her eyes sparkling with joy.
"But before that, I've told you to stop calling me that!" Ikkaku yells, almost jumping on Yachiru but restrains himself, mentally accepting it's impossible to change her.
"Well, since he started training with me in swordsmanship, in just a few weeks, he evolved at an astonishing rate, even surprising me," Ikkaku says.
"Something I also witnessed. Throughout his fight with Ikkaku, he not only improved his kendo quickly but also combined it with his flexibility and instincts. If not for Ikkaku's superiority and experience, I would have bet he would lose," Yumichika says.
"In fact, in context, he could defeat some members of our division despite having almost no experience."
"Incredible!" Yachiru exclaims in ecstasy.
"But what confirmed his talent for me was his reiatsu."
"What about his reiatsu?" Yachiru asks.
"Even without proper training, his reiatsu compares to mine," Ikkaku says seriously.
The two in the room look surprised, Yumichika the most, knowing how strong his friend is.
"How? It's impossible for someone without training to have reiatsu comparable to yours, being one of the strongest in our division," Yumichika says incredulously.
"And even if you almost lost to him because you weren't serious, that means nothing," he continues.
"Yumichika, when did you see his reiatsu at its maximum?" Ikkaku asks, checkmating his friend.
Every time Yumichika saw Hanataro, he was in his worst state, and consequently, his reiatsu wasn't at its maximum. Seeing his friend's realization, he remained silent.
"So in the end, this Hanataro is strong!" Yachiru concludes.
"I give him a month, and he'll surpass me in strength. In a few months, he could reach lieutenant level or maybe even higher. Who would've thought I'd be training a monster!" Ikkaku laughs, sitting on the floor.
"Isn't this exciting, Ken-chan?" Yachiru says, raising her head to the man who wasn't there a second ago.
The man was tall and muscular, exuding savagery and aggression. His face was long with hairless eyebrows, black hair styled in stiff locks, and a long thin scar running down the left side of his face and across his left eye. Over his right eye, he wore a black eyepatch with a golden lining and a chain strap, along with a black choker. His attire was the standard black kimono with white bandages on his abdomen and a white haori with irregular sleeve and hem edges.
"Yes, very," the man says with a big smile.
"Captain Zaraki?!" the two Shinigami say in unison.
"Why all the commotion? I just came looking for Yachiru, but it seems I arrived at an interesting moment."
"Ken-chan! Do you think he can give a fun fight?" Yachiru asks.
"Do I think?"
"At this moment, he's just a mere loser, but when he reaches his peak..." Zaraki continues, smiling even wider, showing his canines.
That was enough for Yachiru. With a million thoughts per second, she concluded Hanataro needs training quickly to please her Ken-chan and create an extremely fun fight.
"As your lieutenant, I want you, shiny ball, to help White ball train Hanataro," Yachiru says to Yumichika.
"Wha..."
Yumichika tries to protest but is quickly silenced by Zaraki's gaze, nodding in affirmation instead.
"Well, now I don't need to tell you to teach him Shunpo," Ikkaku said, laughing.
"I want you to train him very well, enough to please Ken-chan, or you'll feel my wrath!" Yachiru said, releasing her pink reiatsu in the form of a large, angry cat face.
"Yes!" the two said.
"Hey, Ikkaku, what was his name again?" Zaraki asked his third-in-command.
"Ken-chan, I told you his name twice."
"I wasn't paying attention," Zaraki responded.
"But you should have!"
"His name is Hanataro Yamada, Captain."
"Hanataro Yamada? What a confusing name to remember, whatever, I'll be eagerly waiting for him," Zaraki said, leaving the dojo with Yachiru clinging to his left shoulder. The dojo was silent for a moment, which was broken by Yumichika.
"He's going to die."
"You think I don't know that?" Ikkaku replied.
"The only thing you and I can do is train him to become strong, strong enough to survive a fight against Zaraki Kenpachi."
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Finally, I'm home.
I won't lie, when I first saw it, I was shocked by what I saw. It's no surprise, since my house is a mansion. Yes, a mansion. Normally, I would stay in the Fourth Division quarters, but when I discovered that I had a brother, I investigated him more deeply. From the documents I found at the headquarters, I have to say I didn't discover much, as most of the documents were illegible. But what I did find out from the readable documents was that he had a mansion in the high-ranking officers' district in Seireitei, and it was still in the Yamada family name, even though he had never used it.
The mansion was a typical feudal Japanese mansion, surrounded by wooden walls with sloped roofs, and a blue gate as the entrance. I passed through the gate, entering the mansion. To my left was a huge garden that imitated natural landscapes, and in front of me was the main house, made of white stone with sloped blue roofs similar to the walls. Inside the main house, the floors were covered with tatami and sliding doors. There were also covered verandas around the house.
The house had a main hall, a large kitchen, several bathrooms, and five bedrooms, a library, and an office. A very large house for just one person, but I'm getting used to it. I went to my room, which had nothing special by my choice: a futon in the corner, built-in wardrobes with sliding doors in the other corner, and in the middle, a low table with a legless chair, a white cushion next to it, and a mirror glued to the wall.
I went to the front of the mirror beside the wardrobe and looked at myself. I was short, standing at 1.53 meters, with black hair at chin length, with bangs framing the sides of my face. I could also see how thin this body was; it literally had no muscles.
I sighed. Even though I accepted this new life, when I look in the mirror and see my new appearance, I feel strange and different, as if something is out of place. This also applies to my personality; I'm not very angry or daring, but sometimes these aspects appear in me, as if something deep in my soul has changed or is still in the process.
I ignored these thoughts, took off my clothes, and went to take a bath. After that, I returned to my room and put on a blue kimono and sandals with socks of the same color. I went to the kitchen and made some gyokuro tea, which I had developed a taste for. After making it, I went to the library, picked up a book with information about Hollows, souls, and other important aspects of the spiritual world, and went to the second floor where the office was. I entered the office, which only had an empty desk and a chair. Behind it was a window with a view of the garden.
I sat down, placed the tea on one side and the book on the other, drank the tea, and enjoyed the sweet and smooth flavor that trickled down my throat.
I opened the book and ran my fingers over the pages, reading every word and looking at the illustrations about Hollows and their weaknesses. The only way to kill a Hollow with one blow is to cut off its head.
There was also information about their biology, their physical characteristics, which could vary from furry to lizard-like or completely demonic, with their main characteristic being the masks on their faces, formed when they lose their human hearts.
I continued reading the book for a long time. When I finally finished, I took another sip of tea while setting the book aside, and I looked at the garden view through the window.
After finishing the tea, I relaxed my body in the chair, feeling weak, and then once again, I fell into the world of dreams.
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Where am I?
I remember I was reading a book before I fell asleep. I'm no longer in Seireitei or even in the Soul Society.
I don't know exactly what's happening, but one thing I'm sure of is that this place is beautiful.
I woke up on a solitary hill with a solitary four-meter-tall tree. Below the hill, there was just a flat field of grass that stretched as far as my vision could see.
The temperature was perfect, as was the gentle breeze blowing, and the smell was of grass right after the rain.
I took a few minutes to look at the view, leaning against the tree. It was such a beautiful landscape that it would be a sin to miss the opportunity to try to see all its details.
Then I finally noticed him, walking along the dirt road. He came up to me with gentle steps, stood in front of me, and extended his hand. For some reason, I accepted his invitation. We left the hill and walked through the tall grass, enjoying its smell. During this time, I took a good look at him. His hair was as white as snow, if not whiter. His bright purple eyes were fixed on me, like an eagle looking at its prey. In his right hand, he carried an open wagasa of the same color as his hair. His clothing was elegant, a white hanfu with blue details all over it.
"Who are you?" I finally said.
"I am ******."
His voice was powerful, but for some reason, I couldn't hear his name, something he also noticed.
"You still can't hear my name..."
"Why? And where am I?"
"I thought you already knew the answer, my master."
Wait, master? He said I couldn't hear his name yet, and this place didn't appear with him at first. There's only one thing left to explain this.
"I am inside my mind's world, and you are the spirit of my Zanpakuto?" I said, a bit unsure.
His smile disappeared like the wind, answering my question.
"You are still as intelligent as my former master."
"What do you mean, my former master?"
"I'm talking about the original owner of this body."
"How do you know that?" This is a secret I keep under lock and key. I can't imagine the disaster it would cause if anyone knew.
"Master, have you forgotten what I am? I am the manifestation of your soul, which means I can see even the deepest secrets hidden in your soul. Besides, there are some fragments of the original owner's soul in the depths of your soul that are still being absorbed. But these small fragments were enough for me to remember my past existence."
If I had to guess, these small fragments in my soul must be the reason for my strange personality changes. I just hope this doesn't escalate to an absurd level.
"Past existence?" I asked.
"Yes, in such a life, I was called Hisagomaru, but those are just memories of a past that no longer exists."
I felt a tremor in my inner world. Everything around me began to disappear slowly, and before I knew it, I was floating in a void.
"What's happening?"
"Our time is up. It was already a great challenge to bring you here, but I never thought it would be so quick."
Before I could say goodbye, I was pulled by an invisible force, and when I realized it, I was awake.
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
Ymir67
Ymir67 Hope you like it.
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