"Well then?"
"Am I qualified to be your Hakuda instructor now?"
"This is the secret footwork—Shihōin Clan Technique: Mirage, one of the Four Maple Steps. If you want to learn it, just call me sensei—and I'll teach you!"
A strange sight unfolded.
The four identical Shihōin Yoruichi all turned their heads in sync, speaking to Aiyan in unison.
This illusion-like technique, impossible to tell real from fake, was actually created through stealth and high-speed movement—pure Hakuda and Shunpo. No Kidō. No Zanpakutō. No spiritual pressure.
No wonder even the proud and aloof Kuchiki Byakuya couldn't resist learning Utsusemi, one of the Four Maple Steps, and used it multiple times as a lifesaving technique.
"You tell me—can you strike four targets at once?"
Aiyan didn't move. He simply smiled and raised his right leg gently off the ground. Like a spinning top, he rotated and swept through the air with his foot.
Whoosh!
A sharp slicing sound tore through the air.
A vacuum slash with zero Reiatsu flared out in an arc, shaped like a crescent moon, instantly cutting toward all four Yoruichis at once.
"What?!"
Yoruichi arched her back just in time, letting the slash skim past her head. Her feet stomped the ground and she sprang upward, using the momentum of her bend to leap into the air and create distance.
But mid-air—something unexpected happened.
A hand reached out from behind.
Five fingers, like steel claws, grabbed the back of her neck and lifted her up cleanly into the air.
"Wh-When?!"
Yoruichi was stunned.
She immediately twisted her body and flailed her limbs in resistance—but it was like a kitten caught by the scruff of her neck. Completely ineffective.
"Damn it!"
Realizing struggling was useless, she went still, annoyed, and turned her head to look behind her.
What she saw made her freeze.
Aiyan stood behind her in mid-air, holding her by the nape with one hand. His feet weren't even pressing against solid ground—but somehow, he stood as if walking on air.
"You... you're walking in the air without using Reiatsu?!"
"That's impossible! What kind of Shunpo is that?!"
"And that vacuum slash earlier... and the way you dodge with those twisting body movements... None of it uses spiritual pressure! Where did you learn that kind of Hakuda?!"
Yoruichi's expression showed disbelief.
Shinigami can't fly. But by controlling and releasing their Reiatsu, they can stay airborne.
However, from beginning to end, Aiyan hadn't used the slightest bit of Reiatsu. Every action—whether evading, attacking, or stepping through the air—was performed purely through the manipulation of his physical spirit body.
"The rookie Hakuda style," Aiyan said casually.
"It's called the Shinigami Six Styles."
"If you want to learn it, call me sensei. I'll teach you."
"You...!"
Even the usually carefree and confident Yoruichi was fuming.
She had just mocked him moments ago, offering herself as a tutor, and now the tables had completely turned. It was humiliating.
But deep down, she was also intrigued.
As the young head of the Shihōin Clan, Yoruichi had been training in elite-level Hakuda and Shunpo since childhood. She had never encountered anything as clean and revolutionary as this.
Aiyan's self-made White Hits style was different. It broke away from the rigid, formal methods taught in the Spiritual Arts Academy and noble households.
It was unlike anything the Soul Society had ever seen.
Still... she had just mocked him with such confidence.
And now?
Not only had she failed to teach him anything, she was tempted to ask him for lessons instead.
Aiyan released her neck and let her drop gently to the ground.
"Finger Gun, Shave, Moonwalk, Paper Art, Tempest Kick, and Iron Body."
"Six basic forms."
"That's the Shinigami Six Styles."
He recited them calmly, not hiding anything. His voice was relaxed, almost playful.
Yoruichi stood there, stunned.
All of that had been invented... after reading a few textbooks from the Academy?
He had no teacher. He wasn't born into a noble house. But he had created something completely new, completely practical—and even more efficient than what the noble clans had passed down for centuries.
Because of that, Aiyan had no hesitation. Since Yoruichi had treated him well, both in warmth and care these past days, he didn't mind offering her this in return.
Teaching her the Shinigami Six Styles was worth it.
After all, this was no ordinary person—it was the future Flash Goddess herself.
Having her by his side, loyal and bonded early on, was a priceless gain.
"Just reading a Hakuda textbook and you create this?"
"Are you even human?" Yoruichi muttered under her breath.
"Zanpakutō, Reiatsu, Hakuda, Kidō, Kendo, Shunpo—you're a genius in every single field."
"It's like the heavens are feeding you directly!"
Her thoughts swirled in chaos.
She had originally come to teach him—and instead, she had been taught.
And even more frustrating? She couldn't even pretend to be unimpressed.
The Shinigami Six Styles were so clean, so fluid, so effective—it shook her to the core.
Aiyan noticed her distracted expression and added playfully:
"That's not to say your Hakuda is completely useless."
Yoruichi's eyes lit up.
"Right?! You think so too!"
"Let me show you the real Shihoin techniques! These are all four forms of the Shihoin Secret Steps. Watch closely—this is a fair exchange, not a free handout."
Excited again, she dropped back into stance and ran through all the secret Shunpo forms passed down through her family.
Mirage. Utsusemi. Phantom Step. Shadow Divide.
From start to finish, no holding back.
If Aiyan had taught her the Six Styles, then she would share the entire Shihoin Four Maple technique set. That way, it wasn't charity—it was an exchange.
In her eyes, that made it fair.
Even.
Balanced.
The pride of the Shihōin Clan wouldn't allow her to take without giving.
Aiyan nodded with a slight smirk as she performed.
Mirage to Utsusemi—all four forms.
Even the Gotei 13 would be surprised to see this.
Now that both had shown their cards, only one question remained:
Who would master both styles first?
...
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