Byakuya Kuchiki's words drained the color from Rukia's face.

During the time she spent learning Kidō from Teacher Ailin, Rukia had regained her confidence.

Rukia's thought process was typical of "logical thinking."

Learning Kidō followed patterns.

The arrangement of reishi, the chanting of incantations, the variations in speech speed, the fluctuations of reiatsu and reishi…

Rukia excelled at summarizing these patterns and applying them to her Kidō training.

In combat using Kidō, Rukia was adept at exploiting her opponents' weaknesses, analyzing the distance between herself and her adversaries, and unleashing Kidō spells at the opportune moment to deliver a decisive blow.

Her smooth progress in Kidō had dispelled the shadow cast by the setbacks she had experienced during her first year at the Shin'ō Academy.

Swordsmanship, however, was different.

Rukia could still apply her pattern recognition skills to swordsmanship, achieving more efficient improvement compared to others who trained blindly.

However, during sparring sessions, her "logical thinking" became her greatest weakness.

When facing attacks, Rukia would always rationally analyze her opponent's attack speed, range, and determine the appropriate method to block, dodge, or counter.

But the most significant difference between close-quarters combat and Kidō duels was distance.

In Kidō duels, both parties were typically at least ten meters apart, providing Rukia with ample time to think and strategize.

In close-quarters combat, however, opponents were practically face-to-face. Before Rukia could fully formulate a plan, her adversary's attack would already be upon her.

In such situations, Rukia could only react hastily, unable to fully utilize her strength.

As for Byakuya…

The guilt he carried over Hisana’s death unconsciously raised his expectations for Rukia.

Unlike Hisana, who had always stayed at the Kuchiki Manor, Rukia would eventually become a Shinigami.

As a Shinigami, combat was inevitable.

To prevent Rukia from suffering a fate similar to Hisana's, Byakuya desperately wished she could acquire strength surpassing his own within a day.

However, to Byakuya's disappointment, although Rukia was meticulous in her training, she could barely display half of her true strength during actual combat.

Simply put, Rukia was a practice player, not a competitor.

But in a Shinigami’s battles, weren’t they always teetering on the brink of life and death?

Even Byakuya couldn’t guarantee victory in every fight.

After witnessing his Uncle Ailin's strength, Byakuya felt he didn't even deserve the title of "captain."

Would he have no choice but to assign Rukia to a division with less intense combat in a few years?

Which division would be suitable?

At this moment, Rukia had no idea that Byakuya was already considering which division to assign her to.

She only knew that she had disappointed Captain Byakuya during their training.

“I apologize, Captain Byakuya.”

“I…”

Faced with his questioning, even though Rukia had never slacked off in her training, she couldn’t utter a single word in her defense.

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It couldn’t be helped. With her way of thinking, it wasn’t so obvious when fighting opponents of similar strength. But against a master swordsman like Byakuya, Rukia had never managed to withstand his second attack.

The difference in perception, experience, and most importantly, swordsmanship skills… Even when Byakuya suppressed his strength and speed to match Rukia's level, she didn’t stand a chance.

“Continue.”

Seeing Rukia’s reaction, Byakuya realized his words had been a bit harsh.

Compared to Ailin, Byakuya paid far more attention to Rukia.

No one knew better than him how diligently she trained.

But why was her performance in actual combat so poor?

A more tactful way to put it was that Rukia hadn't even displayed half of her true strength.

A less tactful way to put it was that Rukia simply lacked any talent for combat.

Byakuya couldn't do anything about this. He could only increase Rukia’s combat experience through more and more intense battles.

...

After settling the matter with Tōshirō's grandmother, Ailin led the young boy, who barely reached his waist, towards Seireitei.

The district in Rukongai where Tōshirō resided was District 34. Its public order was far better than District 67, the Inuzuri district where Rukia and Renji Abarai had lived.

At Tōshirō's current pace, the journey to Seireitei would take at least six months.

However, Ailin didn't intend to let Tōshirō walk for so long.

But in Tōshirō's current state, taking him back to the Kuchiki Manor would be unbearable for Haruko due to the chilling aura he emitted.

Although Ailin had implanted "Avalon" into Haruko's body, it hadn't increased her reiatsu.

"Avalon" had only granted Haruko "immortality." With her current reiatsu level, she couldn't activate Avalon's defenses.

However, Ailin wasn't worried about this.

Besides the implanted Avalon, Haruko also had Alice with her.

Alice could handle ordinary dangers.

If they encountered a threat at the level of a hundred-year captain, Alice could temporarily transfer her own reiatsu to Haruko, allowing her to activate Avalon.

Both Alice and Avalon were Ailin's Zanpakutō. Whenever they were used, Ailin would naturally sense it.

He would rush to their aid immediately, resolving any crisis they faced.

Currently, Ailin was providing Tōshirō with basic instruction.

Once Tōshirō had mastered control over his reiatsu, Ailin would take him back to Seireitei using Shunpo.

The length of their stay in Rukongai depended on how long it took Tōshirō to perfectly control his reiatsu.

“Tōshirō, ordinary Shinigami gradually cultivate their reiatsu through time and practice.”

“But you are different. Your reiatsu is already comparable to some elite Shinigami. Therefore, what you need to do now is to control it.”

Under Ailin's guidance, Tōshirō lived up to his "genius" reputation, mastering control over his reiatsu in less than half an hour.

However, he could only achieve this with conscious effort.

Once Tōshirō became distracted or focused his attention elsewhere, his reiatsu, no longer under his control, would leak out, releasing a surge of cold air.

This meant that in terms of reiatsu control, Tōshirō still had a long way to go.

Of course, part of the reason was his young age. His physical and mental strength was simply too insignificant compared to his immense reiatsu.

After all, Tōshirō’s reiatsu originated from Hyōrinmaru, the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō.

If Tōshirō's reiatsu were strong enough, he could potentially reach the level of Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

However, if a peak Tōshirō were to battle a peak Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the latter would undoubtedly crush him.

After all, Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Bankai, with its 15 million degree Celsius heat, could evaporate all the moisture in Soul Society.

And ironically, Hyōrinmaru's ability was to gather moisture from the air and condense it into ice.

With all the moisture gone, Hyōrinmaru might not even be able to activate Bankai.

His ability would be completely countered. Unless Tōshirō's reiatsu surpassed Captain-Commander Yamamoto's, he wouldn't be able to suppress Ryūjin Jakka's heat with his own reiatsu and forcefully condense moisture into ice.

Teaching Tōshirō reiatsu control might hinder his reiatsu growth in the short term.

However, it would allow him to better utilize his abilities.

The reason the future Tōshirō Hitsugaya couldn’t properly use his Bankai was because he lacked sufficient control over his reiatsu. Recklessly using a stronger ability would harm him.

It was similar to Ikkaku Madarame's Bankai, Ryūmon Hōzukimaru.

Ikkaku Madarame's Bankai needed to "warm up" to reach its full power.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya’s true Bankai also required his body to endure until all four ice petals behind him shattered, allowing him to adapt to Hyōrinmaru's power and fully release its potential.

Furthermore, Tōshirō Hitsugaya also possessed a talent for Kidō. His Kidō training couldn't be neglected.

Ailin didn't want Tōshirō to end up like Ichigo Kurosaki, who possessed immense reiatsu but controlled it crudely.

In such a situation, Ichigo Kurosaki could only learn Zanjutsu and Shunpo.

If he practiced Kidō, he would probably end up blowing himself up with his own spells.

After all, even someone with Renji Abarai’s level of reiatsu had been blasted black and blue while practicing Kidō. If it were Ichigo Kurosaki, he might even demolish the Shin'ō Academy.

…

“This is Seireitei?”

After entering Seireitei through the White Road Gate with Ailin, the usually calm and composed boy finally revealed a look of astonishment.

Ailin and Tōshirō Hitsugaya arrived in Seireitei later than Ailin had expected.

Initially, he had planned to wait until Tōshirō had fully mastered reiatsu control, making it instinctive, before taking him back to Seireitei using Shunpo.

However, Ailin had underestimated the power of Hyōrinmaru, the "strongest" ice-type Zanpakutō.

After Tōshirō achieved complete control over his reiatsu, Hyōrinmaru's power surged dramatically.

Just like Ichigo Kurosaki, who had his Shinigami powers awakened by Kisuke Urahara and learned the true name of "Zangetsu," Tōshirō Hitsugaya, even without completing his Zanzen training, was pulled into his inner world by Hyōrinmaru. He learned its true name and drew his Zanpakutō.

This caused Tōshirō’s reiatsu to skyrocket, disrupting his reiatsu control and forcing him to undergo further training.