"..."
"You, a group of Captains, were beaten to such a state by a few unidentified Arrancars. It's a good thing that brat Sora arrived in time to save your lives, isn't it?"
Yamamoto looked at the group of defeated soldiers before him, his face dark to the extreme.
Kyōraku Shunsui nodded somewhat ashamedly, not daring to look at his teacher's expression.
As the leader of this operation, he had to take primary responsibility for this failure.
"This is what happens when you always settle for 'good enough' during your daily training!"
Yamamoto snorted coldly, his expression displeased.
"When the critical moment comes, you always fall just a bit short."
"Go report to the comprehensive relief station."
Leaving those words behind, he prepared to turn and leave.
"Old Man Yama, what about Junior Martial Brother..."
Without looking back, Yamamoto said, "You don't need to worry about this matter. Focus on recovering from your injuries."
Watching the old man's departing back, the Captains were filled with guilt.
Despite being the top combatants of the Gotei 13, they had failed to be of use at the crucial moment. The massive disparity was hard for them to accept right now.
Seemingly sensing their current mindset, Yamamoto's mood improved significantly as he walked down the street.
Normally, these guys didn't take training seriously at all. Now that they had suffered two consecutive setbacks, it was about time they reined in their complacency and put in some real effort.
That bastard brat usually never acted properly, but he was quite useful at critical moments.
Despite having a brain full of muscles, he was surprisingly proficient in the art of leadership.
*I really underestimated him.*
Returning to the Squad 1 barracks, Yamamoto uncharacteristically called for Sasakibe Chōjirō, asking him to bring out the premium tea leaves previously gifted by Kuchiki Ginrei.
Seeing Yamamoto's calm expression, Sasakibe Chōjirō assumed the rescue mission had been completed successfully, and a heavy weight was finally lifted from his chest.
Soon, a fire was lit in the study.
Feeling the sweet, lingering fragrance brewing between his teeth, Yamamoto's aged face slowly broke into a smile.
Although Seireitei had suffered severe damage from the Hell invasion, fortunately, the Soul Reapers hadn't suffered major casualties, and the core strength of the Gotei 13 remained robust.
Moreover, the tragic war had made the squad members exceptionally united, with every Squad showing signs of thriving progress.
Every day, aside from their daily reconstruction tasks, almost all squad members would spend a few extra hours training on top of their usual routines.
The overall strength of the Gotei 13 was steadily rising.
However, the Shino Prison deserved some credit for this as well.
The overly outstanding performance of the Shino Prison squad members during the war had directly driven the enthusiasm of the other Squads and organizations.
Although they still couldn't compare to that group of guys for the time being, they were much better than before.
This also gave Yamamoto a bit more confidence in facing the impending Quincy threat.
Perhaps in the near future, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would surpass the original generation and become the true pillars protecting the Soul Society.
Thinking of this, Yamamoto's expression showed a hint of gratification.
He just didn't know when his foolish, rebellious disciple would return from Hueco Mundo.
Given his strength, he shouldn't be in any danger, right?
Yamamoto suddenly remembered Naraku Sora's performance during the Hell war, and a flash of irrepressible anger darted through his eyes.
He absolutely could not swallow this loss for nothing.
Once the Department of Research and Development finalized a plan to enter Hell, he would definitely make those ignorant dead fools pay the price!
Just as this thought appeared, a hearty laugh echoed from the corridor outside:
"It's been so long, Senior Sasakibe. Did you miss me?"
Sasakibe looked at the completely unharmed Naraku Sora and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the man was fine, that was enough. As for his crazy antics, he was already used to them.
"Lord Genryūsai is waiting for you in the study."
Sasakibe thought for a moment and added, "During your recent disappearance, Lord Naraku, Lord Genryūsai couldn't even stomach his favorite roasted sweet potatoes."
"Oh, really?" Naraku Sora grinned.
At that moment, a disdainful cold snort came from the study.
"I was just worrying about the reconstruction work of Seireitei."
*The old man is still acting tough.*
Naraku Sora shook his head, in a great mood, and directly slid open the wooden door of the study and walked in.
"Teacher, I'm back."
The old man raised his eyelids, quickly scanning a certain someone. After confirming he wasn't missing any arms or legs, he finally relaxed.
He then picked up the teapot from the stove and poured two cups of boiling hot tea.
Naraku Sora didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the teacup and downed it in a few gulps.
It seemed that after studying under Yamamoto for so long, he had also picked up this bad habit of drinking boiling tea.
Fortunately, this bit of temperature was nothing to his thick skin and tough flesh.
Yamamoto, on the other hand, took his time sipping it.
Premium tea leaves exclusively for the Kuchiki clan were not something ordinary Soul Reapers were qualified to enjoy. Only this brat would cast pearls before swine, unable to appreciate the good stuff.
The correct way to drink it was to savor it slowly.
After finishing a cup of tea, Yamamoto gathered his thoughts and looked at his rebellious disciple with a serious expression:
"Brat, give me an honest explanation."
"Why was there a Menos Grande's Negación there to receive you at that time?"
"What exactly did you do in Hueco Mundo?"
"Also, I don't remember there being so many Arrancars in Hueco Mundo."
Naraku Sora smiled, bringing out the draft he had prepared long ago, and said confidently:
"Teacher, do you still remember that question I asked you back then?"
"What?"
"If one day, your most beloved disciple turned into a Menos Grande, would you still share half of your roasted sweet potato with him?"
"?"
Yamamoto frowned deeply, countless thoughts instantly popping into his head.
For example, this brat in front of him was actually a Menos Grande in disguise, or this rebellious disciple had accidentally been infected with Hollow poison during a mission, or the Department of Research and Development had been conducting forbidden research behind his back...
"Heh heh, to tell you the truth."
Naraku Sora said with a smug face, "Actually, your disciple is a brilliant scientist!"
"The kind that is completely unmatched in the entire Soul Society."
"As early as when I first joined the squad, I inherited the legacy of that bad woman Senjumaru and fully unearthed my research talents."
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, looking left and right, confirming that this brat in front of him hadn't been possessed by some strange entity.
Finally, he concluded that this rebellious disciple was just spouting nonsense.
*After teaching you for so many years, do you think I don't know what level your research skills are at?*
*Putting everything else aside, if you can memorize more than three of those formula data sets, I'll twist my head off and let you kick it like a ball.*
Although he was extremely disdainful in his heart, Yamamoto didn't say it out loud, but instead waited quietly for a certain someone to continue.
"After my arduous research day and night, I finally relied on my world-shocking wisdom to develop a great achievement that breaks the soul boundaries of Menos Grande, allowing them to complete Arrancarification."
Naraku Sora stated the conclusion first, and then added a few formula data sets that no normal person could understand.
This was what Aizen had specially taught him when he left Hueco Mundo.
Although he didn't quite understand it, memorizing it was not a problem.
Having spent so much time with Senjumaru, even though he wasn't a proper researcher, he had picked up a slight understanding of the principles through constant exposure.
Yamamoto looked surprised. He carefully pondered the words just now, and after confirming that he couldn't understand them either, the surprise on his face grew even stronger.
*How is this possible?!*
*Could this brat really be some hidden genius scientist?*
However, after thinking seriously for a few seconds, Yamamoto suddenly let out a disdainful cold snort.
*What bullshit world-shocking wisdom. I refuse to believe this brat has anything in his head besides muscles.*
Although it was a bit of a stretch, he still managed to deduce the general idea based on his rich life experience and understanding of his rebellious disciple.
This matter definitely had something to do with Urahara Kisuke.
He figured it must be content memorized in advance. If he asked for details, the lie would definitely be exposed.
But it was better not to expose him at a time like this. If this bastard got angry out of embarrassment and refused to continue, that would be quite bad.
Yamamoto gave a few perfunctory responses.
Naraku Sora didn't mind. He poured himself a cup of tea, then refilled Yamamoto's cup before continuing:
"Later, to verify my research results, I went to Hueco Mundo alone to find materials."
"After some effort, I found a few Adjuchas and Vasto Lordes with great potential and applied the technology to them."
"The surgery was very successful."
"I successfully created the species of manually-altered Arrancars."
"To repay me, they willingly submitted. Finally, with their assistance, I successfully took down Las Noches and became the new King of Hueco Mundo."
"Now I have countless elite soldiers under my command, ready to sound the horn of war against the Soul Society at any time."
At first, Yamamoto's expression was normal.
But as the story progressed, his facial features became increasingly contorted, almost turning into a demon from hell by the end.
His eyes were wide and round, staring straight at his rebellious disciple.
"Bastard, do you know what you're saying?"
"I'm telling the truth, at most there's a little bit of artistic embellishment."
Naraku Sora looked completely candid, showing no signs of lying.
"Setting everything else aside for now, I absolutely do not believe that you took down Las Noches."
Yamamoto snorted coldly. "Thousands of years ago, I once saw a white Menos Grande that stood as an equal against the King of Hueco Mundo."
"Even though I was already the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society at the time, I still lost to it."
"Later, that Menos Grande ascended to the Soul King Palace, attempting to replace the Spirit King."
"As for the result, you should know."
"Ichibē Hyōsube personally took action and directly erased its name, making it disappear from this world forever."
Naraku Sora blinked, having some impression of the story Yamamoto was telling.
If he remembered correctly, it should have been forged into a Zanpakutō by Nimaiya Ōetsu, hidden in the cooling water ocean beneath his Phoenix Palace.
"From the performance of that white Menos Grande, one can completely judge the true strength of the King of Hueco Mundo. He was already that powerful back then."
Yamamoto frowned and said seriously:
"Now that thousands of years have passed, he must be even more terrifying."
"Even I cannot guarantee that I am his opponent, let alone a brat like you."
Naraku Sora listened with a blank look on his face.
*Is this King of Hueco Mundo you're talking about really the same deadbeat Baraggan that I know?*