“I want to become stronger! I want to contribute to the Eighth Division!” Ise Nanao said with a determined expression, voicing her innermost thoughts.
Though Kyōraku Shunsui hadn't explicitly revealed their relationship, the blood connection was undeniable. Ise Nanao knew Kyōraku Shunsui was the only relative she had in this world, and she desperately wanted to repay him for all the years of care he'd given her.
At that moment, Uehara Byakuya received a system notification.
【Ding! Congratulations host on triggering a special task - Helping the Needy, Assisting the Maiden!】
…
【Helping the Needy, Assisting the Maiden (Special Task 8)】
【Considering the host cannot bear to see a beautiful maiden stranded on the streets, this special task is hereby issued - Help Ise Nanao master Vice-Captain level Kidō. Task duration: three months.】
【Reward: Random ability or item.】
Uehara Byakuya looked at Ise Nanao in surprise. This girl was a treasure.
In such a short time, he had already triggered two special tasks related to her.
Was this the legendary "lucky charm"?
If he wasn't afraid of getting punched, Uehara Byakuya would have asked his good friend, Kyōraku Shunsui, “How much for this bespectacled beauty?”
Noticing Uehara Byakuya's unmasked intense gaze, Ise Nanao shrank back a little, though she felt a small thrill of joy in her heart.
Uehara Byakuya knew he was getting a little carried away, so he smiled and nodded.
“Kyōraku-san and I are good friends.
You’re his niece, which makes you my sister!
So, what’s yours is mine!”
While she didn't understand how Uehara Byakuya had reached that conclusion, Ise Nanao still expressed her gratitude. "Thank you, Byakuya-kun!"
Although, she hadn't actually seen Uehara Byakuya fight.
However, she had long heard about his reputation as a genius.
Moreover, if her uncle held him in such high regard, how could this man be weak?
"Come with me!" This was a special task, and Uehara Byakuya wouldn't be careless.
The two walked side by side, quickly arriving at the Eighth Division's barracks.
Here, Uehara Byakuya indeed sensed a few subtle auras.
These individuals' concealment techniques were impressive, clearly veteran Shinigami. However, they couldn't hide from Uehara Byakuya.
However, teaching Ise Nanao was the most important matter at hand.
In the face of a special task, everything else could be pushed aside.
Arriving at the Eighth Division's Kidō training ground, Uehara Byakuya looked at Ise Nanao, who was full of anticipation, and said seriously,
“If you thought I would teach you advanced knowledge like the 90th Kidō, then you're in for a disappointment. I'll only teach you the most fundamental knowledge.”
The Ise Nanao before him was not the mature and composed Vice-Captain of the Eighth Division she would become in the future.
She was currently a young woman who was only slightly more mature than a "little lolita," bursting with youthful energy, fresh and delicate.
No matter how much Ise Nanao anticipated it, Uehara Byakuya wouldn't teach her high-level Kidō.
Because that would only harm her.
The 1st to 99th Kidō, Bakudō and Hadō, were just a tiny part of the vast and boundless Kidō heritage.
They were chosen as orthodox Kidō because they offered the best value for the effort, and they were the most stable.
The 90th Kidō and above were already as powerful as ordinary Bankai-level attacks.
However, they were much more dangerous to cast, placing a huge burden on the body and Reiatsu, and they had a very long incantation time.
They only had practical value in the hands of a Kidō master.
Therefore, Ise Nanao, in her current state, didn't possess the prerequisites to cast high-level Kidō. Learning it would only hinder her growth.
“I understand!” Ise Nanao's voice was slightly subdued.
For the sake of the special task, Uehara Byakuya patiently explained,
“It's not that higher-level Kidō is always better. It depends on the individual.
With enough skill, even a single 【Byakurai】 can kill.
If one's ability isn't strong enough, even the 99th Hadō is just a firework.
You must understand that the 1st to 99th Kidō are just the beginning, not the end.
The strongest Kidō are those tailored to specific enemies and one's own unique strengths. Develop specialized Kidō and barriers for yourself. That's the true power.
It's all about 'the skill lies in the application, not the tools,' and it's better to specialize in one thing and reach the peak than to be mediocre in all.
No matter what, he would lay out the big picture first.
In fact, this was the path Ise Nanao would take in the future, and it was the best path for her.
However, not everyone could take this path.
Knowledge like top-level Kidō and unorthodox Kidō was only available through the inheritance of great families. Ordinary Shinigami couldn't learn them.
As for the inner Kidō of the Zero Division and the taboo Kidō of space-time manipulation, even Captain-level Shinigami would find it incredibly difficult to learn them.
“‘The skill lies in the application, not the tools,’ ‘specialize in one thing and reach the peak!’” Ise Nanao muttered to herself, instantly gaining new insights, feeling as if her mind was expanding.
Just a simple phrase was enough to make Ise Nanao admire Uehara Byakuya and start to learn with a focused mind.
As the lesson began, the content Uehara Byakuya taught had nothing to do with advanced Kidō, not even intermediate level Kidō.
Hearing that Uehara Byakuya was only teaching basic concepts, Ise Nanao again wrote disappointment on her face.
However, soon, a shocked expression appeared on her face, and she exclaimed,
“This is basic Kidō?
How come I’ve never heard of this before, and I even find it a bit hard to understand?”
This was where Uehara Byakuya’s strong foundation came into play.
The reason why his Shunpo could be upgraded to Captain level after just a few battles with Yoruichi Shihōin.
One reason was that Yoruichi Shihōin was indeed a Shunpo master. He could learn a lot from her.
But another reason was the culmination of years of hard work.
Uehara Byakuya didn’t just practice Shadow Clone jutsu for nothing.
Other people's foundations were level with the ground or slightly above it.
His foundation was like a skyscraper, like the perfected “Baseball Bat Fist” and the instant draw of his sword.
The power system built on such a solid foundation was like a continuous mountain range, unbreakable.
Even a genius like Aizen would marvel at such a magnificent and solid foundation.
During the lesson, Uehara Byakuya brought out this powerful basic ability.
At first, Ise Nanao thought Uehara Byakuya’s Kidō was not strong. He was just pretending to be proficient in Kidō in front of her.
Because he was teaching things she had already learned.
She had already mastered those things.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have become an officer in the Eighth Division at such a young age.
But later, she realized she was completely wrong.
She hadn’t truly mastered those things. She merely thought she had. Even though she had learned them before, when Uehara Byakuya said them, it felt completely new.
Ise Nanao felt like she was seeing a new world, as if she had wasted the last few years. The Kidō she had learned was all wrong.
How could the gap be so large when it was the same Kidō, the same theory?
Of course, Ise Nanao was shocked.
The basic knowledge Uehara Byakuya taught seemed to be the same as that of the Seireitei Academy, but it actually mixed in some secret techniques passed down through noble families, as well as his unique insights.
As for how Uehara Byakuya obtained those noble secrets.
Well, ‘Can you call something stolen if you're a scholar?’
If Aizen could see it, why couldn't he?