Chapter 16: The Tsunayashiro Clan
The idea of surpassing opponents far above his level—a trope seen in countless novels—wasn't something Masatsuki Aozaki was focusing on for now.
In the world of Bleach, fighting above one's rank was incredibly difficult.
A Shinigami's combat strength was fundamentally tied to Reiatsu. No matter how refined one's techniques were, without sufficient Reiatsu, they were meaningless.
Of course, there were exceptions—special cases like Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, whose Zanpakutō was simply too overpowered.
Even at the time of his death, his Reiatsu had never exceeded the boundaries of what a Shinigami could achieve, yet the sheer destructive power of his Zanpakutō was enough to reduce everything to ash.
Masatsuki didn't know how his own talent compared to Sōsuke Aizen's.
But he believed that with a talent acknowledged by both Retsu Unohana and Yamamoto, coupled with their personal guidance, he would one day reach the pinnacle of what a Shinigami could be.
...
Knock, knock, knock!
A sudden knocking pulled Masatsuki from his thoughts.
He casually threw on a yukata and walked over to open the door.