Disciple

The young man watched as Hades called out the words. 

"Rise and Serve!"

And then he watched as darkness rose up and the Adjucas stood before him as ... a shadow. It was truly frightening for the young man. But then, the Hollow vanished again.

"You seem confused. Why is that?", Hades asked the young Shinigami.

"I ... what was that?"

"Well, that was me killing the Hollow and then making sure that he doesn't upset the balance of souls in the world. You see this Hollow has consumed A LOT of Hollows and if we purify it now, then that would create an imbalance, and we don't want that."

"I-I understand."

"My you are quite the fighter, aren't you? What is your name?", Hades asked the young Shinigami.

"Yamamoto. Shigekuni Yamamoto."

"Ahhh, a strong name. So then Yamamoto Shigekuni... do you want to become my disciple?"

"Huh?"

.

"You want to take me as your disciple? What could you teach then?", Yamamoto asked. 

"Hehe, that is an interesting question for someone who just saw me completely dominate that Adjucas.", Hades said with a smile.

"W-well ... I-I need to know what you can do. *Cough*", Yamamoto understood his error but tried to justify his question.

"Haha. Well alright. I can teach you all sorts of things. Your talent for fighting armed and unarmed is very high and your Reiatsu is also strong. I believe that you will greatly benefit from my teachings ... if you have the willpower to persevere."

"I NEVER give up!", Yamamoto said with a serious expression. It was apparent that his Zanpakuto was very well suited for his explosive temper and his pride. 

"Well, we shall see. Come then, my home is this way.", Hades told him.

"Wait. That's the direction of the Rukongai. Seireitei is that way."

"I know. I don't live in the Seireitei. There is more space in the Rukongai and those pesky nobles don't bother you that much."

"I see. Well then lead the way."

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They made their way through the Soul Society and across the Rukongai. There was a total of 320 Districts of the Rukongai, so that was quite a long walk. 

"What is your name anyway?", Yamamoto asked.

"My name is Eimin. Gojo Eimin. Should you decide to become my disciple you will call me Gojo-sensei or simply sensei ... eh, you know what ... never mind that. Call me whatever you want."

"Gojo Eimin. How long is this going to take then? We have been walking for an entire day and I am still wounded.", Yamamoto started to complain.

"Wounded you say? ... where?", Hades asked him.

"What do you mean? Her- Uh? What is this? Where are my wounds? What happened?"

"I already healed you. You are no longer wounded. Now stop whining and walk. If you were faster, we could get there faster as well, but you haven't learned any movement technique so we must do it the old-fashioned way."

"Movement technique?"

"Yes. Shinigami have a movement technique, called Shunpo. I don't like it too much, but it helps you get to places faster."

"Why don't you like it then?", Yamamoto asked.

"Because it is very linear."

"And why is that bad?"

"Use your head Shigekuni, why do you think linear movement might be bad?", Hades wanted to know how smart Yamamto was. It was important to see his intelligence and fighting instincts. Those were two different things.

"Hmmm ... well if a movement is too linear then ... you can only go in a straight line!"

"And what does that mean in a fight?"

"It would mean ... that you can predict the enemy's movement!"

"Very good. That is exactly right.", Hades praised Yamamoto. He was still young but he was quite the smart guy. He was the perfect Shinigami and future Head Captain of the Court Guard Squads.

"But can this be changed then? Is there a way to work around that?"

"There are some things you can do, yes."

"Like what?", Yamamoto asked excitedly. It seems like he was very passionate about fighting and therefore this topic interested him a lot. 

"Well, it depends on the enemy or enemies you are fighting. If you are fighting only one enemy, then there are several things you can do. One would be to use Shunpo as bait for your opponent and know how he will respond to your movement. And by knowing how he or she will respond, you are one step ahead and can counter.

Another way would be to increase your defence that it wouldn't matter. But that is more something for Hollows. 

The simplest and also the hardest solution to this problem would be to just get stronger."

"Get stronger?"

"Yes. If you are strong enough, it doesn't matter that Shunpo is linear. You are too fast to track so it would not be used against you. More power is something that is quite frequently the answer if you can't do something. 

That is of course only with the proper control. Control is very important but we'll see that later."

"And I can learn all of this with you?", Yamamoto asked excitedly. 

"Yes. All of that and more. I will make a proper powerhouse out of you.", Hades smiled.

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On the second day, the two finally reached Hades' house or 'mansion'. Hades took Yamamoto down to the training facilities. 

He first showed him around and told him what he could teach him if he should accept. Yamamoto accepted to be his disciple.

"Do you have family that you wish to see or take here? There are guest rooms that could be used.", Hades told him.

"No, I don't have any. I also don't have any friends as my temper usually pushes everyone away. But it's not my fault for them being weak."

"You're right. But having your emotions under control is an important part of training your powers. If you are too emotional you will make mistakes during a fight. 

Alright then. Since we are here already, we shall start."

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This marked the beginning of Shigekuni Yamamoto's training. And for the first time since Hades had created his training facilities, someone had the willpower to persevere.

The trick was that only those with the will and right mindset to get through the hellish training could make it past the first week. What you don't realise until much later, is that the different training grounds sharpen your will and make it stronger. 

The longer you stay there the more powerful you become, that is also why Hades doesn't just let anyone in. He chooses those who have the talent, will and the right character. 

Yamamoto was very hotheaded but that would mellow out in the future. For now, in times like these, it was important to be a bit bloodthirsty and violent. Otherwise, you won't survive these unruly times in Soul Society. 

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Yamamoto was coming along nicely. His martial prowess had risen tremendously. Hades was sure that he would be even stronger than in the story. There was no way that he would lose the same way he did to Aizen as he did in the story. 

It was a sign of great power that both Aizen and Juha Bach needed to have a special 'gadget' to win against Yamamoto. But Yamamoto should not have lost as badly as he did now. 

He was trained in armed and unarmed combat by Hades and the mannequins and he was making great progress. Zanpakuto had still not invented yet, but if his last talk with Oetsu was any indication, they would soon come. 

Hades was making Yamamoto into a sharp sword. He made him a powerful warrior and Shinigami. He was now after nearly 50 years of training about as strong as he was in the story. 

While Yamamoto was old and weaker than his prime in the story, now, he was not in his prime either. And he still didn't have his Zanpakuto. So his Reiatsu would increase even further. 

Hades was not sure what would happen when he unleashed Zanka no Tachi now. He might truly burn Soul Society to the ground just by activating it. 

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-Time passed-

(Hades POV)

I watched as Yamamoto fought against the level 7 mannequin. He had been stuck on this one for years now. The reason was that I made the mannequins able to grow stronger during a fight as well. So they could grow to some extent and would stop growing stronger, just before they reached the strength and power of the level 8 mannequin. 

This allowed them to not have a huge power gap. I liked it very much. Genryusai has made tremendous progress. He can endure the high Reishi concentration without a problem now. I could still increase it, but I don't think that is necessary. 

A level 7 mannequin is already stronger than a Shinigami Captain. And there were three more than that. So he was already more skilled in Zanjutsu and unarmed combat than a future Captain.

His position as the Head Captain was now more than certain. Today marked an important day as well. It was finally time for Genryusai to get his own Asauchi.

He had waited for this for years now after I told him about Oetsu Nimaiya. He was excited to grow stronger and get a custom Katana. I didn't want to spoil it for him, so I let it be for now. 

But today, I told him that if he managed to defeat the level 7 mannequin, we would go and get an Asauchi for him. 

I would have to get mine from Oetsu as well. Maybe I could visit the Royal Palace then ... food for thought.

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I watched as Genryusai managed to bait the mannequin and then used his full power to behead it. 

"Well done Shigekuni. You have gotten stronger again."

"Thank you sensei. I don't feel stronger though. I know that I finally defeated the 7th mannequin, but I still feel the same physically."

"Haha, that's because the Reishi concentration increases as you grow stronger. That holds you back. but you will notice the differences when we go to the Seireitei now."

"So I got stronger?"

"A lot stronger. It is not my fault that you never left the mansion and only trained like a lunatic. Now come on, you do want your own Asauchi, don't you?"

"Yes!"

.

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We made our way towards the Seireitei. Shigekuni was jumping up and down in delight. He was like a small child. So happy about the changes he experiences. His strength has truly shot through the roof in the last couple of years. 

And now we are on our way to get an Asauchi for him, so he will grow even more. 

As we walked through the Seireitei, we reached the place where Asauchi were handed out to those who had enough Spirit energy. A small crystal orb was used to measure Reiatsu. 

"Do you think I'll have to do some sort of test?"

"No. You should get one as long as you have enough Reiatsu. They want to strengthen the Shinigami and not keep them weak."

"You are the only one I know that would call all the Shinigami weak, sensei."

"Well, they are. But let us not linger here. Look it's your turn."

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Yamamoto put his hand on the orb and injected a bit of his Reiatsu. I drilled control into him the hard way. He was not truly one for holding back or controlling his power. He rather enjoyed letting it out freely. 

The crystal shined brightly and Shigekuni took his hand from the orb. The Shinigami that took the test looked at him with wide eyes. 

"Have I passed?", Shigekuni asked with his brash voice that he used with everyone but me. He was still the same stoic and proud Yamamoto.

"Y-yes. Please take one."

Yamamoto went to the stands and picked an Asauchi. He swung it for a moment and then nodded his head. He walked back to me and nodded his head again.

"I have one sensei. Are you also going to get one?"

"I will, but not from here. I will visit Oetsu today. It's better if you go back yourself. And make sure not to destroy anything outside. Better you use the training room for that."

"Yes."

Finally ... finally I would also get my own Zanpakuto. I was looking forward to it. I would make it truly powerful. There were no limits to mine, as I will remove the limits and barriers it has.