In no time, Fujimiya Makoto had led Kakutori Batsuunsai to the bamboo forest where he usually trained.
Miss Kakutori looked up at the killing-energy stone towering over ten meters, inadvertently opening her small mouth, showing a somewhat bewildered expression.
She turned her head to look at Fujimiya Makoto, then at the stone in front, and after a long while, painfully uttered:
"Yours is a bit too big..."
Although when he saw her expression, Fujimiya Makoto had somewhat anticipated this response, after hearing her say it out loud, he still felt quite dejected.
"As expected!"
"Even Batsuunsai can't do it."
Fujimiya Makoto prostrated himself on the ground.
Seeing his withered appearance, Kakutori Batsuunsai immediately became somewhat flustered, waving her hands and explaining hurriedly:
"No, no, no, I don't mean I can't do it."
"It's just..."
Halfway through her sentence, Miss Kakutori cautiously looked at Fujimiya Makoto, immediately seeing through his "weak" total spiritual power. Her gaze was very tactful and subtle, trying to express her helplessness.
However, although Miss Kakutori's emotional intelligence wasn't very high, she also knew that saying "you're too weak, definitely can't do it" was a completely tone-deaf thing to say.
Finally, she could only twist and fidget while saying:
"...Fujimiya needs to work harder for a few more years...right?"
"I see."
Fujimiya Makoto hadn't been unprepared for this result. After all, even Old Man Yamamoto said it was a matter of gradual training, so where would Kakutori Batsuunsai find a ready-made answer for him?
Helplessly, he could only let out a long sigh.
"Then, I'll start training now."
"Please step aside."
"W-wait!!!"
Seeing that Fujimiya Makoto was about to drive her away, Kakutori Batsuunsai immediately racked her brains for a suitable reason, hurriedly saying:
"That! Right!"
"I know what the old man wants to teach you!"
"It's a technique called 'Bone Strike,' very powerful! And I know it too."
"I-I'll demonstrate it for you, okay?"
Fujimiya Makoto stopped putting on his handcuffs, turning his head to look at Kakutori Batsuunsai in confusion:
"Bone Strike?"
"Isn't it to temper willpower?"
"That's right!" Kakutori Batsuunsai, seeing he was finally willing to listen, couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief, immediately seizing the opportunity. "This is a Hakuda secret technique created by the old man."
"And the key lies in the fusion of spiritual body and willpower!"
"So it also has the effect of tempering willpower."
"Even ordinary Soul Reapers, once they grasp this point, can unleash a strike stronger than a zanpakutō through a well-tempered spiritual body."
"Old Man Yamamoto must have wanted to teach you this move, so he had you practice hitting the killing-energy stone!"
Fujimiya Makoto's eyes brightened:
"I see."
He knew about this technique called "Bone Strike."
In the original story, Captain-Commander Yamamoto used this move to physically destroy a special Arrancar called the "Fire-Extinguishing Prince," who was comparable to the Espada, with his bare hands.
Thinking about it this way, it was no wonder he couldn't learn this move after so long.
Even though Fujimiya Makoto's current spiritual power level was equivalent to a high-seated officer in the future Thirteen Court Guard Squads, a secret technique like "Bone Strike" wasn't something someone at his level had the qualifications to access.
"So, what do you think?"
Kakutori Batsuunsai, seeing there might be a chance, immediately stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve, looking up at him with her small head, almost pleading: "Although I might not be able to teach you properly, but... that should be worth a few chapters, right?"
Only in matters related to books would Miss Kakutori be so proactive and brave.
And bold enough to set conditions and bargain.
"Good!"
"Five chapters it is!"
"If you can teach me, I'll give you three chapters every day!"
Fujimiya Makoto didn't think much about it—what if he could learn it?
"Really!" Miss Kakutori's eyes widened with excitement, firmly gripping his sleeve. "Fujimiya! You must work hard!"
"Hey! Hey! The sleeve, the sleeve is going to tear."
"This is my only set of clothes!"
"Ah! Sorry, sorry."
Miss Kakutori smiled so wide her mouth almost reached her ears, and even though she kept apologizing, she wasn't as timid and fearful as usual.
Then, she took up a Hakuda stance in the field.
Although at first glance, the girl standing in place with her eyes closed, coupled with those dangerous curves that even loose clothing couldn't conceal, made one unconsciously think of martial arts styles like Butt-Slant Fist or Ancestor-Jump Eighteen Styles and other extraordinarily effective ancient martial arts.
But after Kakutori Batsuunsai reopened her eyes, the sharp aura emanating from her body suddenly cleared Fujimiya Makoto's mind of all miscellaneous thoughts.
Kakutori Batsuunsai's gaze was serious and focused.
At the same time, the vigorous spiritual power constantly generated from the girl's body, her entire skeleton, muscles, and tendons appeared to Fujimiya Makoto like a loaded crossbow ready to fire.
And in the process of slowly withdrawing her fist,
It was drawn tighter and tighter.
Until finally, at the moment when the girl's internal spiritual pressure was raised to its peak...
"Ichi-Kōtsu!"
With the clear shout by his ear, the seemingly delicate white fist suddenly launched. Power rose from the ground, passed through her waist and legs, and a massive amount of spiritual power followed her spine, pushing node by node toward her shoulders and elbows, until the final unstoppable state. The loose clothing in front of her shook violently, and the braids behind her flew up as well.
In an instant, the process from "stance" to "punch" seemed like a film with several frames cut out, abruptly completed before Fujimiya Makoto's eyes.
The next moment.
"Boom!"
Extremely violent spiritual power suddenly exploded from the tip of Kakutori Batsuunsai's fist. A white circular shockwave, like a sonic boom cloud, expanded in all directions. The intense sound made one feel as if they were listening to a grenade exploding at extremely close range, or as if a supersonic giant aircraft had brushed by.
The terrifying wind pressure swept away all obstacles in the surroundings, forming a hurricane of more than ten levels in the blink of an eye. The huge force that formed all this followed the vacuum channel pierced straight ahead by the girl, forcibly plowing a deep furrow dozens of meters long.
Thousands upon thousands of kilograms of soil vanished in the blink of an eye, turning into a large cloud of dust rising into the air, flying boundlessly.
Whatever stood in the way of this punch—rocks, trees, soil, green bamboo, ponds—was completely crushed, becoming a bare piece of land.
Fujimiya Makoto stared at this scene in shock.
Not only was he shocked by the power of this punch, but also because...
[Bond Event · I Must Have a Teacher]
[Your bond level with Kakutori Batsuunsai has increased↑]
[Reward: Spiritual Power Level +2]
[Acquired Bond Trait: I Must Have a Teacher]
[Spiritual Power: Level Six (Middle) → Level Five (Lower)]
[Bond Trait · I Must Have a Teacher: With mutual consent, you have a certain probability of learning knowledge, techniques, and information you need from Kakutori Batsuunsai in exchange for certain information requested by her.]
[Note: Since you agreed to be a copyist, don't you dare miss an update. —Kakutori Batsuunsai's note (fake)]
The moment Fujimiya Makoto saw this message, the spiritual power within his body suddenly felt an extremely intense compression.
As if in the blink of an eye, it formed some kind of transition from one level to another.
His whole body had an indescribable feeling of emptiness, yet abnormally seemed filled with power, as if his skin, muscles, and bones had all become more solid.
But this wasn't over yet.
[Prompt: Bond Trait · I Must Have a Teacher - Activated]
[Detected Martial Art Trait: Bone Strike]
[Learning...]
[Learning Failed]
[Use 1 Talent Point to forcibly acquire?]
[Yes/No]
Fujimiya Makoto saw the first line of the prompt and unconsciously grinned, but when he saw "Learning Failed," his smile involuntarily drooped.
Until he saw the last line, he suddenly perked up.
Wait!
So talent points can be used like this too?!
He looked at the only talent point he had saved until now on his panel, almost without thinking.
Fuck it!
What daily effort journal? Not writing it anymore!
I, Fujimiya Makoto, have achieved what I have today entirely because I was born with talent!
System! Add points for me!
[Used 1 Talent Point]
[Forcibly acquired Hakuda Trait: Bone Strike]
[Fist: Level Five (31/100)]]·[Bone Strike]↑