First changes

Seireitei, Soul Society.

Months Before the Ryoka Invasion.

4:30 PM.

What did I do to end up in this situation?

I pondered while cleaning this sewer, which had a horrendous smell. When I first came here, I almost vomited, but after some time, I got used to the stench. Normally, other division members would clean the sewer, but due to some unfortunate circumstances, the members responsible for this part of the sewer got sick, and I had to take over their duties along with other members. Well, it didn't make much difference since I spend most of my time wandering around Seireitei anyway.

This has nothing to do with me being lazy or anything. It's just that those of us in the medical division of the Fourth Division don't have much to do. We aren't in times of war or invasion to keep us occupied, so we mostly spend our time strolling through Seireitei or Rukongai. It's rare for us to be called for an emergency, like when a Shinigami gets injured while fighting a Hollow in the human world, or internal brawls in Seireitei, like those from the Eleventh Division.

We aren't even allowed to go on missions to the human world unless our captain orders it, or the order comes from the captain-commander himself.

I put these thoughts aside and continued cleaning the sewer with the squeegee. I spent about ten minutes cleaning the same area, doing it three times, but the damned smell wouldn't go away. It was like it was embedded in this part of the sewer. Losing my patience, I threw the squeegee to the ground and sat down in a rather undignified manner.

"Ahhh..."

I sighed as I thought about this whole situation, which boiled down to one thing: strength. I need to get stronger to face the dangers ahead. The worst part is that my knowledge of future events is limited since I didn't finish reading the manga or watching the anime. I can't simply tell everyone that Aizen is a traitor because they probably wouldn't believe me. Worse, they might ignore me, thinking I'm just crazy. Moreover, Captain Aizen has a good reputation throughout Seireitei, and people trust him.

He would undoubtedly eliminate me at the first opportunity or, worse, turn me into one of his experiments. So, all I can do is get stronger, strong enough to overcome anyone in my way.

I laughed at this thought. The way I thought about it made it seem like I had a goal, but in reality, I didn't. I spent some time thinking and concluded that it didn't matter if I didn't have a clear goal. I couldn't just let these things happen when I had knowledge about them. Now, I just needed the strength to prevent them, and if I survived all this, maybe I'd try to start a family. In my past life, I never really had a family to live with.

I set these thoughts aside and focused entirely on Hanataro's memories, trying to find anything useful, but the more I looked, the more disappointed I became. Firstly, his Zanjutsu was not even mediocre but a disaster. He only mastered a few basic techniques, and apart from that, he was a complete mess. This was one of my biggest worries since it is the most basic form of combat for a Shinigami. It's shameful for a Shinigami not to master this form of combat. I need to find a competent teacher if I really want to master it.

Hakuda, even at a mediocre level, is completely useless for the current state of this body. The body is too fragile to handle heavy and fast blows. Additionally, it is totally skinny, without a single muscle. I literally look like a stick walking among tree trunks. This situation can be resolved with proper training, which can do wonders for this body.

What left me speechless was the Hohō, which is the skill of speed and agility. The famous Shunpo is the highest expression of Hohō, something he didn't learn, meaning I can't use it and will have to learn it. Even so, I don't understand why he didn't learn Shunpo. He's part of the Fourth Division and a healer, so it makes perfect sense that one of the most important priorities would be to learn Shunpo. With it, he could reach places faster, thus saving more lives and helping his allies.

I can understand his poor Zanjutsu since he never prioritized it, being a healer, but Shunpo is indispensable.

Even feeling incredulous about this, I can't blame him much since he was a victim of bullying at the Spiritual Arts Academy, which left him very insecure, severely impacting his performance in the four Shinigami combat areas.

Finally, his most notable skill, Kido, where he was the best in his class, considering only Kido, with healing Kido, Kaidō, being his specialty. I feel he never really reached his full potential in Kaidō, which can be very helpful in the future.

I will have to focus on certain things first. I have plenty of time, a few months actually, before Ichigo and his friends' invasion. By then, I need to reach at least lieutenant level if I want to be truly useful and maybe change some things that could give us an advantage against Aizen.

I think I'll focus primarily on Zanjutsu since I at least need to learn how to fight with a sword before attempting to learn Shunpo. Speaking of which, it reminded me of something I ignored for quite some time.

Carefully drawing it from the obi sash of my black Shinigami kimono, there was a standard-sized katana with a blue hilt and a circular guard, my Zanpakuto, the most famous weapon of the Shinigami. I drew its blade from the sheath and stared at it.

"Would you tell me your name?" I said, staring at it intently.

I remained silent for a few minutes, waiting for any response or even a sign, but it was useless. I knew this would happen, but it didn't hurt to try. I had indeed forgotten that I had a Zanpakuto, even though it wasn't originally mine, and it was undoubtedly the most important step to becoming stronger. To do that, I need to discover its name, something I had no idea how to find out. Even rummaging through the original body's memories, there was nothing about how to go deeper into one's Zanpakuto. It was as if these memories had simply been erased and deleted.

I sheathed my sword and placed it back in its proper place in my obi sash. I stood up in one leap and stretched my arms back strongly. I need to find a way to get rid of this sewer stench and then find a decent teacher to teach me Zanjutsu.

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I never cleaned that damned sewer again. I spent the entire afternoon getting rid of that stench and cleaning it completely. By the time I was done, it was almost evening, and since I didn't know Shunpo, I had to walk back to my division. I could run, but that would only delay me further since my stamina was not great, so I would get exhausted halfway there.

I thought a lot about how to find a teacher. At first, I considered asking a member of the Eleventh Division, the division specialized in sword fighting, renouncing the other Shinigami arts, but I abandoned that idea quickly. The Eleventh Division despises my division because they believe my division is just a weak medical team, even though most members of the Eleventh Division fear our captain, Retsu Unohana.

Well, I can't blame them. I shudder with fear when I'm in front of her. The aura she emits when she's really serious is unprecedented, and that posture she maintains most of the time, as if she's always ready for battle.

Anyway, after several futile ideas, I decided that the only way was to return to the Spiritual Arts Academy and ask to be taught again by my former teacher. That was the only solution I found.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice someone turning the corner, and the result was nothing less than a collision between us.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you..." I couldn't finish my sentence because I was distracted by a light coming from his head, resembling a moon, even though the sun was still setting, making way for the night.

"What is the moon doing here?" I said aloud.

"What did you say?" said a not-so-happy voice.

Somehow, the light from his head started to fade, and I could see the man fully. He was tall and thin, wearing the standard kimono. Each of his eyes had a small red mark at the outer corner, and of course, the most distinctive feature, he was bald.

Ah, crap.

I recognized him easily from my memories, and I realized I had made a big mistake by irritating him, a huge mistake.

"Hey, kid, I asked what you said!" said the bald man with his sword pointed at me.

What should I do now?

I can't lie since he clearly heard what I said, and I can't run because he's much faster than me. Obviously, I can't fight him directly either. Would he really start a fight with another division member? Absolutely yes.

"Are you deaf by any chance?" the bald man said again.

I tried to push my brain to its maximum potential, trying to find a solution to the mess I was in, but it seemed like the bald man lost all his patience.

Without any warning, he attacked me with his sword still in its sheath, aiming at my spine. My senses exploded like never before, and I managed to dodge by doing a backflip. I wasn't sure if I should be grateful for this body's flexibility, but a drop of sweat fell from my face. If I had been a bit slower, that blow would have hit me.

"How interesting, even though you're part of the medical team, you managed to dodge my attack. Impressive!" he says with a smile.

"That was just pure luck," I say.

"What a surprise, it seems I was wrong in thinking you were deaf," says the bald man, preparing for his next strike.

Normally, I would consider my defeat inevitable, but I see a chance to win or at least escape, since he's underestimating me. That previous blow he gave me, he didn't even use half of his real strength. I'll take advantage of that, and this will be the perfect moment to test something I've always wanted to try. But I can only use it once against him, so it has to be the final blow.

"Where are my manners? My name is Ikkaku Madarame, I'm the third seat of the eleventh division. Now, enough talk!" says Ikkaku, quickly advancing towards Hanataro.

"Thud!"

I twist my body to the left, throwing myself to the ground, avoiding Ikkaku's sword. With one knee on the ground, I aim my other leg at Ikkaku's legs, trying to trip him, but he crouches and defends with his katana. I leap to the left again, dodging his katana coming my way, stopping in a grassy area that gives me an idea. I grab a small handful of dirt with my right hand, hiding it in my closed fist.

"Thud!"

Ikkaku lands in front of me, kicking with his foot, which I block with my shoulder. He was strong, very strong. The force made me fly several meters before crashing into a tree. It hurt a lot, but I managed to ignore the pain.

"This is getting very boring. You better draw your Zanpakuto if you don't want to die!" says Ikkaku, coming at Hanataro again.

I throw myself to the right, barely dodging his katana, which, even while still in its sheath, could still hurt me. I can't draw my Zanpakuto because I would be destroyed by his swordsmanship, so all I can do is dodge and try to land a few blows, waiting for the perfect moment for my plan.

I did two backflips, getting away from Ikkaku. I took a deep breath to regain my stamina. I'm reaching my limit; I have to finish this quickly. I keep dodging his attacks, but even so, some blows still hit me. I don't know how I haven't fainted from the pain yet.

Ikkaku approaches me, trying to cut off my head. I take a big step back, barely dodging at the last second. Finally, I find the opening I've been waiting for. I open my right hand, which had been closed until now, throwing dirt into his eyes, blinding him for about twenty seconds at most. Just enough time for what I need to do. I jump towards him, and even though he's blind, he still has his senses, so he defends with both arms, which is exactly what I wanted. I use his arms as leverage to throw myself away, and in the air, I prepare for my victory move.

"Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, fluttering wings, you who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march to the south..."

Still in the air, I point the palm of my left hand while holding my left arm with my right hand, channeling all my Reiryoku into the palm of my hand, forming a crimson red orb of energy the size of a basketball.

"Hadō 31: Shakkaho!" I shout, completing the Hadō incantation.

"BOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

The crimson red energy orb shot towards Ikkaku, and when it reached its target, the ground, grass, and everything within its blast radius erupted upwards as if a bomb had dropped. I fell inelegantly to the ground and looked at the explosion site, which created a crater five meters deep and six meters wide. In the center of the crater was Ikkaku, with the upper part of his kimono destroyed, showing his body covered in wounds and burns.

"Cough! Cough!" Ikkaku coughed up blood.

"You bastard! Do you think you defeated me with that?" he says with a tired voice.

Actually, I never thought I could launch that Hadō, but I also never thought it would hurt him this much.

"You're not in the best shape to say that. I can heal you if you leave me alone and don't attack me anymore."

This is a lie. I used all my Reiryoku in that strike. I'm completely drained. I just said that to calm this mess down, but it seems Ikkaku isn't very keen on that. Even in his state, he manages to draw his katana and strikes the hilt on the sheath, a big smile appearing on his face.

"Grow! Hoozuk..."

Before he could finish speaking, a shinigami appeared between me and him. He was also wearing the standard shinigami outfit with some customizations, an orange piece of cloth over his neck covering most of his chest. He had colorful feathers on his eyelashes and eyebrows, extremely shiny skin, purple eyes, and black hair at jaw length.

"Ikkaku, this has gone too far. I can't believe you got so hurt by someone as ugly as him."

I ignore that completely to avoid attacking him.

"Yumichika..." says Ikkaku, surprised.

"Hey, ugly guy, what's your name?" says Yumichika.

"My name is Hanataro Yamada, I'm the seventh seat of the fourth division," I say, controlling myself as much as possible to avoid punching him.

"Hanataro, as the fifth seat of the eleventh division, I apologize for what happened today, and we will accept any request you make to compensate for this whole fight."

This brings many possibilities to mind, but it wasn't hard to think of what I would ask for.

"I want Ikkaku Madarame to teach me Zanjutsu!" I say with a smile.

And that's how I got my Zanjutsu teacher.