Chapter 378: Elementary School Battle!
"Hah!!"
Ichigo's small body dragged afterimages of black as he continuously attacked Satoru from all directions.
The latter stood in place, twisting back and forth like a soft-bodied creature to dodge his attacks while shouting words of encouragement:
"What kind of trash is this, so slow?"
"Can you do it or not, Ichigo? I'm about to fall asleep."
"Geez, do you usually walk at this speed too? When your classmates walk home with you, do they have to stop and wait for you every few steps?"
Listening to Satoru's remarks, Ichigo's blood pressure kept rising.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!"
Driven by immense fury, his speed continued to escalate.
If a Shinigami from the Soul Society had been observing their training the entire time, they would likely have been left utterly dumbfounded.
An eight-year-old child, starting from absolute scratch, had reached the Reiatsu level of a low-ranking seated officer in just over a week!
This rate of progress was simply earth-shattering, even by the standards of the entire history of the Soul Society.
In fact, even Satoru himself found it absurd, without needing anyone else to point it out.
Although he knew Ichigo Kurosaki was practically cheating, the extent of it was just too outrageous.
In the original story, was Ichigo this overpowered right after gaining Shinigami powers?
Well, upon reflection, it seemed about the same.
After receiving Rukia's Shinigami powers, Ichigo had been cutting down minor Hollows with a single strike each.
An ordinary Shinigami could hardly achieve such a feat—it required at least the level of a low-ranking seated officer.
Noticing Satoru's distraction, Ichigo's eyes lit up.
Opportunity!
He went all out, unleashing his full power, using Flash Step to dash forward and swing his blade at Satoru's chest!
Clang!!!
Under Ichigo's stunned gaze, Satoru suddenly crouched down, opened his mouth, and bit down on the incoming blade.
Ichigo tried pushing the blade forward and pulling it back, but it remained completely immobile.
Still biting the blade, Satoru grinned at Ichigo.
Ichigo showed a somewhat strained expression.
"Let go, that's disgusting!"
After desperately retrieving his sword, he held it up to inspect it and sighed in relief upon confirming Satoru hadn't damaged it with his bite.
Satoru chuckled:
"Don't worry, Zanpakutō are special entities, not ordinary metal. There's no blade oil on them, so they won't dirty my teeth."
Ichigo fell silent for two seconds.
He was worried about his sword getting dirty, not Satoru's teeth.
But saying that would likely earn him a harsh "lesson," so he kept it to himself.
Hearing the distant clock tower chime from the city, he hurriedly returned to his body and bid farewell to Satoru.
If he didn't head back now, he'd miss his family's curfew.
That damn old man—so irresponsible himself, yet so strict with rules for others.
If Ichigo disobeyed, the guy would tattle to their mom.
It was utterly unfair.
Running home, Ichigo couldn't suppress his rising spirits.
He was different from before.
Now, he could control his spiritual power well and wield his Zanpakutō skillfully.
Although Satoru never admitted it outright, his various expressions and tone made it clear he was quite satisfied with Ichigo's progress.
Thinking of Satoru's stubborn denials, Ichigo couldn't help but laugh.
This inexplicable guy who had suddenly barged into his life might be a bit unreliable, but Ichigo had to admit—spending time with him was genuinely enjoyable.
And so, Ichigo Kurosaki, a fifth-grade elementary student, stepped into the other side of the world.
By day, he attended school diligently.
After dinner, he went for lessons with Satoru.
Occasionally, he performed Konsō, slashed a few Hollows, and found endless joy in it.
Once, curious, Ichigo asked Satoru where he usually lived and what he did.
Hearing this, Satoru took on a somewhat sentimental expression.
He placed a hand on his waist, coughed lightly, and said:
"I am but a wandering soul—usually I find two trees, tie a rope between them, and sleep on it. It's no wonder you can't find me…"
Ichigo doubted this was true but had no proof.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
One evening, after dinner and informing his family, Ichigo headed as usual to the spot where he'd arranged to meet Satoru.
On the way, he encountered a Hollow attacking an innocent soul. Transforming into a Shinigami, he obliterated it with a single strike.
After casually performing Konsō on the spirit, he returned to his body and continued on.
Further along, he saw some delinquent middle schoolers bullying elementary students. Frowning, Ichigo stepped in and single-handedly took down all three middle schoolers.
Under the awestruck, grateful gazes of the young students, he pressed onward.
Checking the time, he realized he was running a bit late.
His training sessions with Satoru were moments Ichigo deeply cherished, and he didn't want to waste them without good reason.
Glancing around to ensure no one was watching, he activated his spiritual energy and began sprinting at superhuman speed.
Soon, he arrived at his destination.
From afar, Ichigo spotted Satoru sitting under a tree playing a handheld game console.
A smile spread across Ichigo's face as he prepared to call out a greeting.
But then he noticed someone standing beside Satoru.
The sight of this person surprised him.
It was a girl with exquisite features, more beautiful than any celebrity he'd seen on television.
She wore a white military-style uniform and a white peaked cap.
Her long black hair cascaded freely down her back.
She stood beside Satoru, smiling and speaking to him about something.
Satoru continued playing his game while occasionally nodding in response.
Looking at the two of them, Ichigo's first thought was that they must be a couple.
For some inexplicable reason, Ichigo felt a pang of discomfort in his heart.
It was like a child from a single-parent family suddenly discovering their father had brought home a stepmother.
Or like sincerely befriending someone, only to find they had many other life-and-death companions besides you.
As Ichigo stood there dazed, Satoru seemed to sense something and glanced in his direction.
From the distance, Satoru waved him over.
Ichigo nodded and jogged toward them.
Seeing Ichigo approach, the girl in military uniform looked at him with interest.
"Oh... so this is the kid you've been talking about, Satoru?"
"Yep, he's the chosen one of this world second only to me, the embodiment of destiny itself."
Satoru said cheerfully.
Sitting on the ground, he asked Ichigo:
"Hey Ichigo, what'd you have for dinner?"
"Cream stew..."
Ichigo answered reflexively.
Then he looked at Satoru and asked:
"Mr. Mikami, who is this?"
"Hm? Her?"
Satoru looked up at the girl standing beside him.
Bambietta had, for the first time in a while, put on her Quincy uniform.
She hadn't worn this outfit since completely betraying the Wandenreich.
She only wore it temporarily during certain activities with Satoru to spice things up.
Dressed in the German-style military uniform with her peaked cap and white cloak, she cut an imposing figure.
Who would have thought that this same girl would show a completely different side of herself at night?
Recalling the various seemingly endless activities he'd experienced while staying at Bambietta's place these past few days, Satoru couldn't help but feel a slight ache in his lower back.
He stood up:
"This is Bambietta. Starting today, she'll be your new trainer... ahem, your new teacher."
"New teacher?"
Ichigo frowned slightly.
"What about you, Mr. Mikami?"
"I'm still your teacher too... we just teach different subjects."
"I'll continue teaching you about Shinigami knowledge."
"And Bambietta will teach you about Quincy knowledge."
"Including how to use Quincy powers, and... how to fight against Quincy."
Ichigo looked confused:
"Quin... cy?"
"Yes, Quincy."
Satoru nodded and glanced at Bambietta.
Understanding his meaning, she smiled.
She looked at Ichigo:
"Kid, watch closely!"
As she spoke, Bambi spread her arms, and a blue spiritual bow materialized in her hands.
Under Ichigo's watchful gaze, a spiritual arrow whooshed through the air and landed in the distant mountains.
BOOM!!!
The spiritual arrow struck the mountain, exploding in a brilliant blue blaze!
Even from this distance, Ichigo could feel how terrifying the Reiatsu released by that arrow was!
On this day, he learned for the first time that besides Shinigami, there were other spiritual power users in the world.
Under Bambietta's guidance, he began training in the new power system.
Sitting on the ground, Ichigo furrowed his brows, trying to locate the power within his body.
He strictly followed Bambietta's instructions, using spiritual energy to stimulate several key points within his body, yet achieved nothing.
Back when Satoru taught him how to use Shinigami powers, he had quickly grasped the trick.
Indeed, he was still more suited to learning from Satoru. As for this new teacher...
No, he couldn't let his mind wander. He needed to find this new power quickly.
...The more he thought about not getting distracted, the more his mind drifted to those inexplicable things.
Suddenly, Ichigo showed a puzzled expression.
He seemed to sense a long-haired man with a stubbled beard and sunglasses blocking his path, preventing him from obtaining Quincy powers.
Who was this man?
Why was he stopping him?
Ichigo tried to communicate with the man, but the latter only shook his head lightly without saying a word.
Just then, Satoru suddenly stood up and walked over.
"Hey, it's just about finding the location of Quincy spiritual power. Let me guide you through it once. Remember it, and you'll naturally get it later."
As he spoke, he reached out his hand toward Ichigo's body.
In the illusion, Ichigo noticed that as Satoru approached, the sunglasses-wearing man suddenly showed a wary expression.
Just as Satoru's hand was about to make contact with his body, the man suddenly vanished.
With the disappearance of the sunglasses-wearing man, Ichigo's power instantly connected with the previously unreachable points.
BOOM!!!
Under Satoru's surprised gaze, blue Reiatsu suddenly erupted from Ichigo's body.
Unlike a Shinigami, this is entirely that of a Quincy!
Seeing this scene, he nodded in satisfaction.
As expected, being the son of Kurosaki Masaki, a pure-blooded Quincy, Ichigo also possessed Quincy talent.
In the original story, this kid had no Quincy abilities.
Thanks to his own brilliant guidance, this kid had gained such a useful ability!
Bambietta was somewhat surprised.
"He actually succeeded... Besides Satoru, there's actually someone else in this world who can master both Shinigami and Quincy powers..."
At first, she thought Mikami's evaluation of Kurosaki Ichigo was just casually said.
But now, it seemed there was some truth to it.
However, at this point, she no longer cared about things like faction struggles.
The only thing she wanted was Satoru.
Both body and soul, she had already taken the shape of the man beside her. Even if Yhwach himself were to appear, it wouldn't change her determination.
Flipping her cloak, Bambietta looked at him with eyes that regarded him as an insect:
"Prepare yourself for life-threatening training... Kurosaki Ichigo!"
Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from Bambietta, Ichigo felt fear for the first time in a long while...
...
...
As the school bell rang, Ichigo stretched and stood up.
He took out the lunch prepared by his mother from his desk and headed to the rooftop.
Training in both Shinigami and Quincy abilities was putting some pressure on him.
To avoid being mocked by Satoru's annoying face, he decided to practice Quincy Reishi manipulation techniques while eating.
Quietly opening the rooftop door, he went to the ventilation shaft area and put down the cloth bag containing his lunch box.
Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly sensed something and turned to look beside him.
There, he saw a boy about his age standing quietly on the railing at the edge of the rooftop.
The boy wore glasses, his youthful face carrying a seriousness and maturity that didn't match his age.
Judging by his uniform, he was from the private elementary school in the neighboring town.
Kids who attended that school all came from extremely wealthy families.
From the unfamiliar school uniform and the faint spiritual pressure fluctuations emanating from the other person, Ichigo instantly knew this guy was here for him.
"Looking for me?"
He raised an eyebrow and asked.
The boy adjusted his glasses.
"My name is Uryū Ishida, fourth grade at Naruki Elementary School."
"My name is—"
"I know your name, Kurosaki Ichigo. I confirmed your information before coming to find you."
"I came here today to ask you one thing."
Under Ichigo's gaze, he said solemnly:
"Are you a Shinigami?"
Although he had already sensed the spiritual pressure from Uryū Ishida, hearing the question still surprised Ichigo a little.
He nodded:
"Yes."
"I see, that's good."
Uryū Ishida lightly jumped down from the railing onto the rooftop.
He pointed at Ichigo:
"Shinigami, I challenge you!"
"Challenge?"
"That's right!"
Uryū Ishida adjusted his glasses again:
"My father always told me that if I ever encounter a Shinigami, I must never provoke them, even if I suffer losses, I must endure it."
"I can't understand why he would say that. Every time I ask him, he says he'll tell me in the future."
"Actually, I could guess even without his explanation."
"He must have developed such thoughts because he believes Shinigami are powerful and unbeatable."
"In that case, I'll prove to him through action... that I'm stronger than Shinigami!"
As he spoke, he swung his arm and assumed a combat stance.
Watching the boy who had already prepared for battle without waiting for his response, Ichigo tilted his head.
What's this all about?