"Senior Hasumi!" His loud voice drew curious glances from everyone around them. "It's been a long time!"
Ren smiled. "Long time no see, Kaien."
Kaien walked over and sized him up. "I heard you transferred to Squad Four?"
Ren nodded. "Yeah, a few months ago."
"Squad Four, huh..." A look of contemplation crossed Shiba Kaien's face. "With your kind of strength, why would you leave Squad Two instead of building a career there? Why transfer to a medical squad?"
Ren chuckled. "Captain Unohana requested me personally. Besides, the medical squad isn't bad. You can heal people, and you can still fight."
Kaien looked at Ren in surprise, then nodded. Standing beside Ren, he watched the students sweating out their training on the field.
"Senior, I'm going to apply for early graduation this year," Kaien suddenly said.
Ren looked at him. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah." Kaien nodded. "I want to join the Gotei Thirteen. Squad Thirteen would be best. Captain Ukitake is someone I deeply admire, and I hope to serve under him."
Ren observed him, a flicker of approval in his eyes. "You'll make it."
Kaien smiled. "How about you? Have you adjusted to Squad Four?"
"It's pretty good. Captain Unohana treats me well."
Kaien nodded, falling silent for a moment before suddenly speaking up. "Speaking of which, you must have gotten even stronger by now, right? How about a sparring match?"
Ren looked at him. "A sparring match?"
"Yeah." Kaien gripped his Zanpakuto, a spark of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes. "I've made a lot of progress, and I've already achieved Shikai. I wonder if you've gone soft after spending time in the medical squad, Senior?"
Ren stared at him for a moment, then laughed. "Sure. I could use a little warm-up."
The two of them walked to the center of the training grounds. Noticing this, the surrounding students halted their drills and gathered around.
Kaien was the strongest among the second-year students, boasting top-tier swordsmanship and spiritual pressure. Rumor had it he was about to apply for early graduation. As for Ren, some recognized him as the senior who had graduated early and was currently serving in the Gotei 13. No one wanted to miss this match.
Kaien stood opposite Ren, tightening his grip on his Zanpakuto. "Watch yourself, Senior."
Ren nodded but didn't draw his sword. He just stood there calmly, holding his sheathed Zanpakuto with total composure.
Kaien's brow furrowed slightly. "You're not drawing your sword?"
Ren smiled. "Let me see your progress first."
Kaien didn't reply. His expression turned serious as his figure instantly vanished from sight. His Shunpo was much faster than it had been a few months ago.
Yet, in Ren's eyes, Kaien's movements were riddled with flaws.
A flash of steel slashed in from the side, carrying a sharp surge of spiritual pressure. Ren merely tilted his body slightly, letting the blade graze past the edge of his uniform.
Surprise flared in Kaien's eyes. In the next instant, his second strike arrived—a downward cleave from the front. Ren stepped aside again, effortlessly dodging the blow.
Kaien realized Ren hadn't even moved from his spot. His expression remained tranquil, as if he were performing the most ordinary task.
'How is this possible...'
With no time to overthink, Kaien gritted his teeth and poured more power into a fierce offensive. His attacks grew faster and faster, sweat beading on his forehead. Yet, no matter how much effort Shiba Kaien exerted, he couldn't even touch the hem of Ren's clothes.
The man before him seemed to exist in an entirely different dimension, reading right through every single attack. It made all his efforts look utterly futile and ridiculous.
A gap—a chasm-like, insurmountable gap.
The moment he realized this, Kaien's movements abruptly ground to a halt. He froze in place, panting heavily, looking at Ren in absolute shock. Ren, however, had dissolved the entire onslaught with effortless evasion, moving as casually as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through an empty field.
The onlookers were stunned. They knew Ren was strong, but they hadn't expected him to be this terrifying. Shiba Kaien was the strongest among them, yet in front of Ren, he looked like a toddler learning to walk.
Beads of sweat drenched Kaien's forehead, his pupils trembling slightly. He looked up at Ren, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How can this be..."
'How can the gap be this massive...'
Ren said nothing, merely standing there and observing Kaien.
Kaien fell silent for a long time. Then, steadying his resolve, he gripped his Zanpakuto tightly. "Senior Hasumi, I didn't expect you to make such massive leaps since we last met... But do I really lack even the qualification to make you draw your sword?"
Shiba Kaien raised his gaze, looking directly into Ren's eyes. "Draw your sword, Senior. Let me see the true extent of the gap between us."
Ren looked at the stubborn determination in Kaien's eyes and paused for a brief moment. Then, he nodded.
Reaching for his waist, Ren drew his Zanpakuto. The moment the blade cleared the scabbard, a fierce torrent of spiritual pressure erupted from it, rolling outward in all directions. The onlookers instinctively took a step back, finding it difficult to even breathe.
In the next instant, Ren's figure gradually faded from where he stood.
Kaien's pupils dilated. 'An afterimage.' Ren's Shunpo was so blindingly fast that it left an afterimage behind. Kaien hadn't even perceived when Ren had initiated the technique.
The sound of rushing air whipped up from behind, prompting Kaien to whip his head around. By the time he turned, a blade was already hovering right before his face.
The strike seemed incredibly slow—so slow that Kaien could trace the trajectory of the blade and clearly see the spiritual pressure swirling along its edge. Yet, he couldn't dodge. The sheer momentum of the strike locked down all avenues of escape. He felt like prey pinned under the gaze of an apex predator, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
As the blade descended, accompanied by a chilling aura of killing intent, Kaien felt as though he were being split clean in two. In the split second the edge dropped, he stared directly into the abyss of life and death—an endless, freezing void of absolute nothingness.
Kaien's body froze solid. His mind went entirely blank, and he even forgot to breathe.
An indeterminate amount of time passed before he felt a gentle pat on his shoulder. Kaien snapped out of his trance, gasping violently for air like a fish out of water. Sweat poured down his cheeks, soaking his collar. His hands were trembling; his legs shook uncontrollably.
By the time he recovered enough to look around, Ren was already far away. The white-haired youth sheathed his sword, his back turned as he walked away from the training grounds. His steps were measured, his posture completely relaxed, as though he were merely taking a casual stroll after lunch.
Then, Ren's voice drifted back from the distance. "I'll be waiting for you in the Gotei Thirteen."
Kaien stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the receding back for a long, quiet moment.
The onlookers fell silent too, gazing in the direction Ren had vanished, completely speechless. Even though they hadn't faced that strike directly and didn't know what Kaien had just experienced, they had felt it all the same. That spiritual pressure, that overwhelming oppression, that suffocating power—it was unlike anything they had ever encountered.
After a long while, Kaien lowered his head and stared at the Zanpakuto in his hand. Then, tightening his grip on the hilt, he looked up at the horizon where Ren had disappeared, unable to tear his gaze away for a long time.