Bleach: The Path to Transcendence

Months passed in the blink of an eye. Masaki Kurosaki, having already graduated from high school, had moved out of the Ishida family's estate.

In the Karakura Town's Mitsume district, a brand new Kurosaki Clinic quietly opened.

In the Soul Society, within the courtyard pavilion of the Spirit Arts Academy.

The Second Generation Captain-Commander, Shunsui Kyoraku, was currently looking at the indolent young man in the dark blue robe opposite him with a helpless expression.

"Ito-kun, I went through a lot of trouble to persuade the Central 46. They have already approved your return to the Gotei 13. I have come here this time to sincerely invite you to take up the position of Captain of the Tenth Division!"

Prior to this, Kyoraku Shunsui had often heard reports from his subordinates that Ito Makoto, who was teaching at the Spirit Arts Academy, harbored deep resentment towards the Central 46's decision to expel him that year, and often complained about it in private.

Kyoraku Shunsui knew Ito Makoto's strength well, and coinciding with the situation of the former Tenth Division Captain, Isshin Shiba, going missing, he came up with the idea of bringing Ito Makoto back into the Gotei 13. In this way, he could both recruit a strong individual and eliminate a potential hidden danger for the Soul Society, which could be described as killing two birds with one stone.

However, to Kyoraku Shunsui's surprise, when he really came to invite Ito Makoto back to the Gotei 13, Ito Makoto seemed unwilling.

"Ito, I understand that you have resentment in your heart, and I completely understand. But now is the critical period for the Soul Society to employ people, and I hope that you can put aside your past grievances, return to the Gotei 13, and serve the Soul Society."

Kyoraku Shunsui's words were earnest and sincere, and even Ito Makoto couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, muttering to himself:

"Good heavens, you actually took it seriously!"

In fact, his various expressions of resentment about being expelled from the Gotei 13 were just a performance in front of Aizen, trying to test Aizen's reaction. As a result, Aizen remained unmoved, but Kyoraku Shunsui believed it to be true and even took the initiative to ask him to be the Captain of the Tenth Division.

"Captain-Commander, it's not that I'm unwilling to take up the position of Captain of the Tenth Division, it's just that I don't know anything about the daily work of the Tenth Division. Moreover, I don't have the heart for it. Rest assured, no matter what, I and the Captain-Commander will not be enemies!"

Obviously, Kyoraku Shunsui came here this time, on the one hand, to recruit Ito Makoto to serve as the Captain of the Tenth Division, and on the other hand, to test his position. Even if he couldn't successfully recruit him, he had to ensure that Ito Makoto was not an enemy of the Soul Society. After receiving a satisfactory answer, he immediately withdrew without dwelling on it.

Time flies, and several months passed. The Gotei 13 officially announced the news that the former Tenth Division Captain, Isshin Shiba, was missing. The position of Captain of the Tenth Division was then taken over by Toshiro Hitsugaya, the former Third Seat of the Tenth Division.

Toshiro Hitsugaya became the youngest Captain since the establishment of the Gotei 13. For a time, the name of the prodigy resounded throughout the Soul Society, and he was unparalleled in the limelight.

......

In the Human World, inside a warehouse in Karakura Town.

The walls of the warehouse were surrounded by a faint green glow, obviously a Fullbring barrier had been applied.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

Shukuro Tsukishima, whose body was just ten years old, was fiercely exchanging blows with Kugo Ginjo.

So many years have passed, and the spiritual pressure that Kugo Ginjo had been drained of by the fake Soul King concocted by Tsunayashiro Tokinada had long since recovered.

Therefore, even in his normal state, Kugo Ginjo possessed a spiritual pressure of the Third Seat level.

On the other hand, Shukuro Tsukishima's current body is only ten years old, and his spiritual pressure level is still the initial spiritual pressure given by the main body, at the level of the Fifth Seat.

However, relying on his superb swordsmanship and superb combat skills, Shukuro Tsukishima was able to fight Kugo Ginjo's peak Third Seat spiritual pressure to a stalemate with his Fifth Seat spiritual power.

Faced with Kugo Ginjo's Cross of Scaffold, Shukuro Tsukishima could always skillfully deflect it with minimal force, perfectly resolving Kugo Ginjo's fierce attacks one after another.

Rather than saying that the two were sparring, it was more like Shukuro Tsukishima was giving Kugo Ginjo a crash course in combat skills.

After all, Kugo Ginjo was not a Shinigami from a formal background. The only formal instruction he received was a month of special training from the Shinigami doppelganger, and the rest was all self-taught.

Moreover, when Ito Makoto taught Kugo Ginjo, Ito Makoto's own swordsmanship and combat skills were only at the level of a Vice-Captain. This led to Kugo Ginjo's single-handedness when fighting against others, often relying on three-axe tactics, either directly crushing his opponents with his powerful spiritual pressure.

This kind of fighting style is acceptable when encountering opponents whose spiritual pressure is far weaker than his, but once encountering a real master, it will expose great shortcomings. Right now, this is a good opportunity to improve Kugo Ginjo's combat skills.

"Cross Cut!"

Seeing that he had failed to take down his opponent for a long time, Kugo Ginjo immediately used his signature skill, Cross Cut. A light green slash in the shape of a cross rushed towards Shukuro Tsukishima.

In response, Shukuro Tsukishima's expression was calm, he simply drew the long sword transformed from the Book of the End on the ground, and the Fullbring barrier attached to the ground instantly transformed into a shield, blocking this strike that was enough to split mountains and crack rocks. Obviously, he used the Book of the End's ability to modify the barrier and transform it into a shield.

"That's too cheating!"

Seeing that his Cross Cut was blocked by the barrier he had previously set up, Kugo Ginjo couldn't help but curl his lips.

Seeing this, the veins on Shukuro Tsukishima's forehead bulged, and he said:

"Alright, alright, I'm teaching you swordsmanship, and you're trying to overwhelm me with spiritual pressure, aren't you!"