The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

"Damn, I almost became the target of everyone's attacks." Having escaped Renji Abarai's sight and the potential encirclement, Akira Ishihara stopped and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, the demonic energy remained in Renji Abarai. All we have to do now is wait for him to go to the space where Ichigo Kurosaki uses for training."

With this thought in mind, Ishihara Akira's spirits lifted, and he turned and hurried back towards the Shinigami Academy...

At this point, I have to say that, given the level of protection, it really doesn't live up to its reputation as a cradle of death.

However, it's also possible that this was done intentionally to train students in certain skills.

In any case, it made things convenient for Ishihara Akira, allowing him to wander around outside and then smoothly return to the academy to continue pretending to be a good student and studying in the dormitory.

Then time flowed by, and another day passed in the blink of an eye...

Under his watchful eye, they hadn't moved much, even though Abarai Renji, who was imprisoned, had escaped and was rushing at lightning speed towards somewhere outside the Seireitei...

Ishihara Akira understood that he must have gone to Kurosaki Ichigo's side, so without hesitation, he left a shadow clone in the academy to deal with any situation, and even to read Kido materials in the library when needed. He himself, like a thief, skillfully sneaked out of the Shinigami Academy, trailing far behind Abarai Renji, and together they ran towards that hidden space...

……

After a while, Renji Abarai and Shou Ishihara passed through a barrier and entered a huge space filled with strange rocks.

"Yo, training?" Renji Abarai greeted Ichigo Kurosaki with a hint of schadenfreude as he looked at the mangled Ichigo Kurosaki, who was being beaten to a pulp by the materialized Zangetsu.

"Renji, why are you here?" Kurosaki Ichigo looked up and asked Renji Abarai in surprise as he jumped down from the entrance.

“Like you, I’m here to train,” Renji Abarai said seriously.

“I think he’s asking why you know this place exists,” said Renji Abarai, who was standing on a strange rock watching Ichigo Kurosaki and Zangetsu fight, unaware of her presence.

"You mean this? It was all by chance. During one of my pranks with Rukia, I stumbled upon this place. After discovering its unique seclusion, I turned it into my secret base to cultivate things I didn't want anyone to know about. I never expected to see you here," Renji Abarai said, somewhat surprised.

"Oh, I see," Yoruichi said, suddenly realizing.

However, she didn't say much or drive away Renji Abarai. After all, the fact that Renji Abarai could find this place meant that he was destined to be here. In addition, she and the original owner of this space, Kisuke Urahara, had already escaped from Soul Society and no longer needed this place. Rather than letting him be wasted, it was better to give it to Renji Abarai, a junior Shinigami, to use.

Let's consider this as cultivating outstanding successors and combat power for the future decisive battle against Aizen.

Before she could finish her thought, another spiritual pressure aura suddenly intruded into the senses of both her and Renji Abarai.

Then Renji Abarai turned around and, together with Yoruichi who was turning her head to look at him, looked at the newcomer—

"It's you!?" Renji Abarai exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yo, we meet again, Vice Captain Abarai," Ishihara Akira greeted with a smile.

"Who is this again?" Kurosaki Ichigo asked in confusion.

"How do you know about this place?" Renji Abarai asked, frowning.

Unlike Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara, who were unable to use this place because they were no longer connected to Soul Society, it's understandable that he didn't know that others had discovered this place!

He has always paid attention to this place, whether he was just a regular Grim Reaper member or after he became the vice-captain...

Aside from using it less frequently, I've never forgotten this place.

He should have noticed that no one else here knew this except for him.

But now?

The fact that a new outsider had barged right in front of him made him start to doubt whether his previous confidence was reliable, and whether he and this strange Grim Reaper were inherently incompatible.

Otherwise, why would I encounter him whenever I want to do something?

"Look at what you're saying. If you could find this place by chance, why couldn't I also find it at some point? Alright, Vice-Captain Abarai, I still need to train, so I won't waste any more time with you. We can talk again another time." After saying that, Ishihara Akane decisively used Shunpo, rushing towards a spot at the far end of the space where he wouldn't interfere with the battle between Kurosaki Ichigo and Zangetsu.

Yoruichi followed the gaze for a while, and seeing that Ishihara Akane was indeed not abnormal and that his strength level was not enough to pose a threat, she stopped paying attention and turned her gaze back to the matter between Kurosaki Ichigo and Zangetsu.

Since Renji Abarai knew him, it meant that the other party should also be a Shinigami of the Seireitei. In addition, given his subpar strength, Yoruichi found it hard to associate him with Aizen, her great enemy, and therefore did not pay him excessive attention. She would not treat any unfamiliar Shinigami as a potential enemy.

Before she could fully relax, a terrifying spiritual storm suddenly began to brew in this space—

A terrifying vortex of spiritual particles appeared in the sky, falling like a funnel towards the place where Ishihara Sho had disappeared, causing Yoruichi and Abarai Renji, who had not yet begun his training, to look in that direction again.

As for Ichigo, he was naturally engaged in battle with Zangetsu and had no time to pay attention to what was happening there...

As soon as he paid attention, he was slashed by Zhan Yue.

"Such strong potential... If this continues, she might become another Captain-level Shinigami," Yoruichi remarked.

"This guy's potential is actually this strong?" Renji Abarai exclaimed in astonishment.

Regardless of what he and Yoruichi thought, Ishihara Sho was now completely unleashed, devouring the free spiritual particles in the main space with overwhelming force, transforming them into spiritual power and his own foundation.

At the same time, he rested his head on his lap, closed his eyes, and practiced sword meditation...

……

And they sat there for almost a whole day. While Ishihara Akira was still doing nothing, Yoruichi was scratching her head.

"No, we can't let this kid absorb any more, otherwise, not only will Ichigo not be able to complete his Bankai training, but this space itself will probably collapse." Yoruichi muttered to herself, somewhat speechless, as she sensed the changes in the distribution and stability of the spiritual particles within the space.

Without hesitation, he immediately moved and rushed towards the place where Ishihara Sho was training.

Chapter 180 Retreating to Advance

"Hey kid, wake up, kid." Yoruichi called out to Ishihara, who was surrounded by a strong spiritual energy barrier, as she approached him.

"Hmm?" Ishihara Sho, provoked, withdrew from his sword-chan state, opened his eyes, and a dark light flashed in his eyes as he looked up at Yoruichi Shihouin in front of him.

"It's Yoruichi-sama. Is there something you need?" Ishihara Akira asked in return.

"You know me?" Yoruichi asked in surprise.

However, it wasn't too surprising. After all, she was, after all, a Shinigami of Soul Society, the former captain of the Second Division, and the head of the noble Shihouin family. Although she had run away, it had only been a little over a hundred years. Considering that Shinigami have lifespans of thousands of years, a hundred years is not much different from ten years in the time of ordinary people.

If Ishihara Shou was a Shinigami who lived in Seireitei when she was still the captain of the 2nd Division, it wouldn't be too strange for him to recognize her.

"The famous Yoruichi the Flash has always been an idol for us weak Shinigami," Ishihara Akira said with a smile.

"Then, could you please stop your training for the sake of me being your idol?" Yoruichi asked with a smile.

"Why?" Ishihara Akira asked in surprise.

“Your aptitude is too strong. If you continue absorbing at the same rate as before, this place will completely collapse due to the lack of spiritual particles in half a day at most. You don’t want to destroy this place, do you?” Yoruichi explained to Ishihara Sho with a somewhat helpless expression.

"Is there no way to replenish it?" Ishihara Sho asked.

“Although this space does have its own energy replenishment function, the rate is very slow. After all, we originally built this place for secrecy, not to be discovered. Therefore, a replenishment method that would alert the entire Seireitei like you does simply not exist. In other words, even if this place could draw spiritual energy from the outside to fill the space through its own operation, it still wouldn't meet your cultivation needs. Therefore, in order to ensure the continued existence of this place, I have no choice but to ask you to stop your cultivation,” Yoruichi explained.

“I see…then it’s true that I can’t continue cultivating.” Ishihara Akira said in realization.

"It's good that you understand," Yoruichi said with a smile.

"However, I came out this time with the goal of filling my spiritual pressure and at least being able to unleash my Zanpakuto. I'm only just starting to get somewhere... How about this, Yoruichi-sama, could you please give me some pointers on my Shunpo and Hakka techniques in the remaining time?" Ishihara Sho muttered about his own affairs for a moment, and then made a somewhat presumptuous request.

"Flash Step and Hakuba, huh... You certainly know how to pick your approach. Alright, since we're fairly agreeable, I'll give you a few pointers." Yoruichi sized up Ishihara Akira for a moment, and with the idea of ​​building a good relationship in preparation for the final battle, she nodded in agreement.

"Thank you so much, Yoruichi-sama," Ishihara Akira said happily.

The two then left their initial training location and returned to Kurosaki Ichigo's vicinity, monitoring his training progress while answering Ishihara Sho's questions about Shunpo.

Of course, they also demonstrated and explained some of the hidden movement techniques, which are the secret techniques passed down within the Second Division.

As for more...

For example, the Shihouin family's Shunpo technique was not mentioned at all.

She was just investing, not teaching apprentices. Explaining some useful cultivation tips would be enough. There was no need to open her heart to a stranger. She would rather spend that time playing with Soi Fon, who was a true 'one of her own' and someone she could entrust everything to. So even if she were to teach, she would teach Soi Fon, not Ishihara Shou.

Nevertheless, this was enough to make Ishihara Sho's Shunpo a great improvement. While his speed might not be superhuman, it was certainly not comparable to that of ordinary Shinigami, or even some vice-captains.

Combined with some Body Flicker Techniques from the Naruto world, and the Flying Leap Technique he obtained from Uryu Ishida, in terms of Shunpo alone, Ishihara Akira is now definitely at the vice-captain level, close to captain level.

After digesting what he had learned from Shunpo and making it his own, Ishihara Sho once again sought advice from Yoruichi on the art of Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat)...

In short, the constant beatings allowed Ishihara Sho to significantly improve his physical skills, transforming him from a novice into a skilled practitioner of hand-to-hand combat.

Ishihara Akira continued his training in the hidden space, digesting the spiritual energy he had recently absorbed into his body. He watched as Ichigo improved under Zangetsu's attack, learning from Ichigo's experience in dealing with the transmutation of Zanpakuto spirits. He pondered how he could ask Urahara Kisuke to lend him the transmutation body to help him complete his Bankai training.

Although judging from his previous state of sword meditation, his sword spirit seemed to be a formidable opponent, it was still infinitely better than before when he knew nothing about his condition...

"If all else fails, I'll log off and log back in, then actively participate in the story, raise Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi's favorability, and use the time difference to achieve my goals." Ishihara Sho thought to himself, unable to think of a way to talk to Yoruichi.

Since the Bleach world is destined to be unconquerable anyway, instead of trying to do everything in one playthrough like in the Naruto world, it would be better to do what the A Certain Magical Index world does and utilize the information gap created by entering multiple times to achieve the desired goal.

"If that's the case, then some concerns can be eased a bit... Anyway, it'll all restart in the end..."

Just as Ishihara was pondering changing his plans, Abarai Renji finally completed his Bankai training as he had hoped, leaving the spirit space before him with a spirited and invigorated aura to rescue Rukia.

This wasn't much of a shock to Ishihara Sho, but it was a significant boost for Kurosaki Ichigo, who aspired to become Rukia's hero. His fighting strength immediately increased, and his battle with Zangetsu became even more exciting.

At this pace, it shouldn't be long before he masters the secrets of Bankai, just like in the original story, and begins his journey as the protagonist.

……

"Thank you for your guidance, Yoruichi. I have benefited greatly. If you have any instructions in the future, please feel free to give them to me. I will do my best to help you complete them." Ishihara Akira, having decided to start the loop, turned to Yoruichi beside him and said seriously.

"I appreciate your concern, but forget it. With your current strength, you can't really help me. So you should focus on your training. Maybe you can truly help me when you become a captain." Yoruichi waved her hand, speaking casually as if she didn't care.

"I understand. I will train hard and reach the captain level this morning." After saying that, Ishihara Akira bowed to Yoruichi again, and just like Abarai Renji before him, he left the spirit space and headed back to the Shinigami Academy.

After all, even if an outbreak occurs, shouldn't we choose a safe place to do it?

Chapter 181 Let's Eat

After that, Ishihara Akira indeed stopped paying attention to what was happening outside.

Ishihara Sho ignored everything, including the Battle of Shuangjigaoka, the annihilation of the Forty-Six Chambers, the Captain-level battles, and the most famous Aizen defection. He focused solely on hiding in the library of the Shinigami Academy, searching, researching, and recording all the Kido and Binding Path content outside of the books, specifically from number thirty to eighty, memorizing and learning it.

In order to increase his learning speed, he even used the Shadow Clone Technique from the Naruto world.

The result was obvious; the speed increased directly from six serial numbers per day to ten Ghost Paths per day!

As for why it can't go any higher...

The reason is that the spiritual pressure is limiting his learning speed, and the difficulty of learning advanced Kido and Binding Dao is also increasing. So, if he wants to learn faster, there is no other way but to lift the restrictions and increase his strength.

Therefore, after memorizing all the demonic arts and binding techniques he could find in the library, Ishihara Shou decisively returned to his dormitory, took a deep breath, and released all the restrictions on his body—

Instantly, like a tsunami, accompanied by a muffled sound that seemed to be audible only to Ishihara Sho himself, a large number of spiritual particles began to converge on the Shinigami Academy like a tide, colliding and churning, forming a visible spiritual particle storm that poured into Ishihara Sho's body.