Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 123 - I'm Going to Show Off

Granny's words stirred a trace of caution in Wayne. He had nearly forgotten, this was the Rukongai, Aizen's territory, and the Hōgyoku experiments, after those on the various captains, were still ongoing. The best way to escape the fate of having his soul absorbed by Aizen's Hōgyoku was to become a Soul Reaper and have his name recorded in the registry. Every Soul Reaper's death would have a corresponding record; there would be no situation where someone suddenly vanished without a thorough investigation.

"If souls start disappearing, the higher-ups will launch an investigation. But by then, Aizen has probably already seized control of all the members of Central 46. What to do and what not to do — it's all decided by him alone." Wayne brooded inwardly.

Before the main storyline began, it would be very difficult for him to shake Aizen through the path of authority. The man essentially had veto power now.

"Alright, Granny, I'll be careful." Wayne nodded in acknowledgment.

Fortunately, the Soul Reaper souls Aizen was targeting were all from districts beyond the 60th. He was still relatively safe. After all, the 1st District where he lived was right at the foot of the imperial city, unless Aizen used Kyōka Suigetsu to control the entire Soul Society.

But if he could control the entire Soul Society, why bother putting on an act? He could just hypnotize them all, have them line up, and let the Hōgyoku absorb them one by one. Done.

Considering that he was still safe for now, Wayne decided he should continue hunting and increase his Reiatsu as much as possible. Only by first climbing to the appropriate heights within the Seireitei could Wayne have any chance of getting close to Aizen and, before the main storyline, come into contact with the Hōgyoku.

"Looks like I need to hurry up and freeload... ahem... mentor Izuru Kira. This little god of wealth can't be allowed to slip away." The corner of Wayne's mouth twitched.

At dinner, the family of four was as warm and harmonious as ever, chatting about everyday life. Ever since Wayne arrived, the meals at home had suddenly become much more plentiful. Whether it was Momo or Shiro-chan, the rate at which their spiritual power grew had accelerated.

"Come to think of it... last night I had a very strange dream," Shiro-chan said while eating salmon.

"Last night, I dreamed I was suddenly in a land of extreme cold. It seemed like something there was calling out to me. But the fog on the other side was too thick — I couldn't make out who it was at all."

"Did you eat too much chilled watermelon during the day and feel cold at night?" Momo asked reflexively.

"Definitely not!" Shiro-chan denied vehemently. "I could feel the other party calling me, but I couldn't hear clearly and couldn't see anything. I only vaguely made out a huge shadowy figure. It definitely wasn't human-shaped, yet it could speak human words — though I couldn't hear what it was saying at all."

"Hm?" Wayne was surprised. Shiro-chan had already awakened Hyōrinmaru this early? Way too soon. There were still six years before Shiro-chan would enter Shin'ō Academy.

Could it be that the earlier contact with the Hollow, combined with the improved diet recently, had caused Shiro-chan to advance by leaps and bounds?

It had to be understood: when Soul Reapers faced death directly, they always had astonishing potential that would erupt, a kind of stimulation from the soul itself. It was commonly referred to as... awakening.

"So, Shiro-chan, did you try to make contact with that voice?"

"Call me Toshiro!" Shiro-chan huffed. "No. When I wanted to step forward, the scene vanished instantly. Then I woke up."

"Hm... I see." Wayne was lost in thought.

"Meh... don't worry too much about it." It was just a strange dream, after all. Shiro-chan waved his hand and let the subject drop.

"Anyway, just eat more. When you're full and satisfied, you fall into a deeper sleep and won't have nightmares," Momo suggested.

"Mm..." Shiro-chan thought for a moment, then finally nodded without saying much more.

He knew that the delicious meals he could now enjoy were largely thanks to Big Brother Tsukishiro's hunting. He and Granny could survive on watermelon alone, but there was absolutely no way they could have a full meal every day like this, with meat and proper dishes, no less.

"Big Brother Tsukishiro... I want to..."

"Alright, I'm full!" Wayne cut Shiro-chan off. How could Wayne not see through such a transparent thought?

"Granny, recently I've been doing new soil cultivation and planting in my fields. I might be unusually busy day and night. Can I have Shiro-chan come over and help me out?"

"Mm, that's fine, little Tsukishiro." Granny understood Wayne's intention as well. She nodded and agreed without hesitation.

"Shiro-chan, then tonight I'll have you sleep at my place. After all, we'll need to get busy first thing tomorrow morning."

"Mm, okay." Determination shone in Shiro-chan's eyes. As repayment for Wayne's hunting, Shiro-chan would work hard too.

"And Big Brother Tsukishiro — call me Toshiro!"

Amid Shiro-chan's protests, dinner soon came to an end. After Momo helped Granny clear the dishes, she followed Wayne and Shiro-chan back home. The three of them started dividing up the work the moment they arrived. Wayne pushed a handcart out of the house toward the forest, while Shiro-chan and Momo set to digging the well together.

This was the work Wayne had arranged during the day. Tonight they only needed to dig out a rough outline according to Wayne's markings, after all, they still had to help Wayne process the prey early the next morning, and neither of them could stay up too late.

Everything at home was left to Shiro-chan and Momo. Wayne pushed the cart and headed into the forest.

Night had just fallen, and the forest animals had not yet returned to their dens. After walking deep into the forest, Wayne used his Reiatsu perception to scout out quite a few creatures. What pleased him most was spotting a wild boar. Standing on all four hooves, it reached up to Wayne's waist. Its body was round and plump, clearly it had been living well in the forest. It seemed to have just eaten its fill, snorting and grunting at Wayne, pawing the ground and trumpeting through its nose. Its battle-ready, post-meal-exercise air nearly made Wayne laugh out loud.

"Nice. Momo and Shiro-chan are in for a treat." As his words fell, Wayne drew his watermelon knife. He pushed the blade horizontally toward the boar, bent his body forward, spread his legs into a horse stance, and shifted his center of gravity back. Then Reiatsu erupted beneath his feet, kicking up a cloud of sand and dirt, and his entire body shot forward at extreme speed. In the instant he crossed paths with the boar, the watermelon knife pierced accurately into its forehead.

CRACK!

The tough skull shattered instantly. The blade plunged into the boar's brain without resistance, spiritual power flooding in and pulverizing everything in a split second. The boar's vision went black, and it collapsed to the ground.

"Mm. Feels decent, but still a bit slow." After the single strike, Wayne let out a long breath and slowly circulated the spiritual power within his body to recover his Reiatsu.

That strike had been a combat technique modified from the Shadow Step of his previous life as a Hollow. It already carried seventy percent of Shadow Step's essence. The speed still couldn't compare to his previous life, but at least it was now a life-saving trump card he could actually use at his current stage.

Wayne could use this skill at all only because the quality of his Reiatsu was far higher than that of ordinary people. And after that one strike, his Reiatsu had dropped from ten down to three. He absolutely could not use it again any time soon.

"Still not enough Reiatsu. Gotta keep eating." Wayne smiled wryly. Still, today's haul alone was already enough to feed his household for three or four days.

He sat to the side, recovering his Reiatsu while waiting for the prey in his traps to take the bait. About three hours passed. The night deepened. Occasionally, a few small beasts' growls drifted through the forest, but Wayne had no intention of going after them.

Young ones. Not worth it. Let them keep growing in the forest.

"I wonder if Izuru Kira will come again today," Wayne muttered to himself. After what he had told Izuru Kira yesterday, the boy should have started training at home on his own, no need to make another trip to the forest. Wayne figured he probably wouldn't cross paths with Izuru Kira for the next half month.

He had underestimated Izuru Kira's persistence. He had been resting in the forest for less than half a watch when Izuru Kira's figure appeared in that forest clearing.

"You really came!" Izuru Kira was overjoyed to see Wayne resting beside a tree and ran over in quick strides. When he spotted the wild boar beside Wayne, its head still impaled by the watermelon knife, Kira's gaze instantly froze.

"Sugoi!" Izuru Kira exclaimed. To pierce through a wild boar's hard skull with a thin watermelon knife in a single thrust, what level of strength and technique did that take?

"As I thought, you are a master!"

"Who's there? Kira?" Wayne turned his head, keeping up the pretense of blindness.

"It's me. Hello." Kira gave Wayne a slight bow, seeming to forget for a moment that Wayne was blind.

"You're not at home practicing your basics. What are you doing here — bringing food to a blind man?" Wayne smiled faintly, already preparing to freeload.

"Ah, please wait a moment." Kira took the hint immediately and pulled out today's bento from his bundle.

Mm... rice, fried fish fillet, chicken leg. Looked pretty good.

"So, what brings you here today?" Wayne didn't stand on ceremony, smiling as he accepted the bento.

"I wish to seek your guidance in combat techniques." Kira knelt formally beside Wayne, his expression utterly serious.

"Yesterday, I went back and asked my swordsmanship teacher about your mnemonic. The teacher believes your words are profound, that the path of the sword should not focus solely on technique, but should place greater emphasis on building a solid foundation."

"Oh?" Wayne smiled. "In that case, why don't you go home and train your basics?"

In truth, everything Wayne had said came from books. Different countries held different understandings of martial skill and swordsmanship. Japanese swordsmanship, for instance, placed greater emphasis on technique itself, while what Wayne had described placed more weight on fundamentals, artistic conception, and coordination, hence the earlier discourse.

What Wayne intended to teach Kira now was the sword knowledge from two lifetimes ago. He had been a master swordsman during his days as a Hollow. Guiding Kira now was well within his ability.

"I came to tell you this news and to ask if you would teach me combat techniques. I am willing to pay with money, food, or whatever else you may need in return."

"Mm..." Wayne deliberated briefly. "That proposal is very tempting. In fact, I do very much need worldly things like money and food. But I must first tell you: the so-called basics are just the basics. You don't need my guidance to learn them. You'd be wasting food and money for nothing. Are you certain you want to do this?"

"Yes!" Izuru Kira's gaze was resolute. "Sir..."

"Call me Tsukishiro. You and I are about the same age, no need to be so formal." Wayne waved his hand.

"Alright, Big Brother Tsukishiro." Kira's tone was deeply respectful.

"Well then, since I've accepted your food, I shall begin your instruction. First..."

ROOAAARRR!

Before Wayne could finish, a surge of rampaging Reiatsu suddenly erupted in the forest, followed immediately by a roar.

The distinctive howl of a Hollow.

A Hollow had just been born.

"A Hollow?!" Kira's expression tightened. He had seen Hollows before in his life, but back then he'd always had family to protect him and never had cause to feel afraid. Today, he had come out alone. Hearing the roar from not far away, Kira was momentarily at a loss.

"Judging by its Reiatsu, it should be a low-level ordinary Hollow." Wayne sensed the agitation in the Reiatsu, identified the Hollow's rank, and pulled a look of irritation. "This bastard scared away all my prey for tonight."

"Big Brother Tsukishiro, let's leave too," Kira suggested. "This is the forest outside the Rukongai, and it's the middle of the night. The Gotei 13 won't come out here at this hour."

"Kira, are you afraid?" Wayne asked, glancing sideways.

"I..." Kira's expression was conflicted. Saying he wasn't afraid was out of the question, and even if he weren't afraid, winning wasn't guaranteed.

"Very well. Since I've already agreed to give you some guidance, I should show you something first." With that, Wayne reached out to pull the watermelon knife from the boar's skull, but his hand stopped the moment his fingers touched the hilt. He turned toward Kira.

"You brought a standard-issue blade, right?" Wayne had spotted it long ago but still had to play blind.

"Ah, yes." Kira hurriedly untied the tachi from his waist and handed it to Wayne.

"Is this a Zanpakutō?" Wayne's hands brushed along the blade and hilt as he asked.

"No, it's just a standard blade from the family's stock, given to me for practicing cutting techniques."

"Mm." Wayne was quietly ecstatic. This way, he could obtain another Hollow Mask. "Then follow me." Wayne drew the long blade. It was no match for his Sky-Rending Greatsword, but it was still better than a watermelon knife.

As they walked, Wayne explained to Kira. "I am blind, so my only means of judging the outside world is my Reiatsu perception. I cannot see people with my eyes, so I cannot give you any dynamic visual guidance. You need to know that going in."

"Yes, Big Brother Tsukishiro." Kira followed close behind, walking quickly. His heart was pounding, but he chose to trust Wayne for now. If Wayne turned out to be all talk, then Kira could only leave it to fate and see whether he could sprint all the way back to the Rukongai.

"What I can offer you is combat experience, technique, training in the fundamentals, and the tempering of courage and willpower. What can't be taught, you'll have to grasp on your own. Any problem with that?"

"Mm! To receive Big Brother Tsukishiro's guidance at all — I'm already immensely grateful."

"No need for thanks. I accepted your food. This is a fair transaction." As they spoke, Wayne and Kira had already arrived deep in the forest, right beside the Hollow that had just been born.

"SKREEEE!"

The Hollow had an oval-shaped body roughly 2 meters long. Beneath it were six spike-like appendages that served as legs. Its neck was extremely long and armored with hard bone. At the end of the neck sat a beast-head mask resembling a rooster's. Beneath its blood-red eyes, that sharp beak was likely its primary means of physical attack.

"Head's not too big. Perfect," Wayne muttered to himself. Just the right size to hide the entire Hollow Mask inside his clothes without Kira noticing.

Wayne set his stance and drew the long blade with his left hand. A slight flick of his wrist traced a clean sword flourish.

"Kira, watch closely. Time to show off!" As his words fell, Wayne's meager Reiatsu began to rise steadily, bearing down on the Hollow before him.

The battle was about to begin.

➤ Next: Taking a Master