Hearing Su Li's words, Kyoraku Shunsui almost couldn't help but lose it.
"Hey, you're way too arrogant!"
"Maybe that sound just now was just a regular bone crack, not a true bone rattle at all!"
Kyoraku Shunsui wasn't convinced. After all, he'd never learned One Bone. He only knew the legend of the rattling sound. So he convinced himself what they'd heard was just a normal bone pop.
He simply refused to believe anyone could grasp and even master One Bone to a profound level on the very first day of learning it.
Even if Su Li was the most terrifying genius he'd ever seen.
Jushiro and Sasakibe wore the same expression of disbelief, sharing Shunsui's doubt.
To fully learn One Bone in one day... even calling someone like that a "monster" would be a massive understatement.
"You're wrong..." Yamamoto suddenly spoke, voice quiet and deep with age.
"Hahaha, I knew it—this kid couldn't possibly be that terrifying. Tch... Scared me into a cold sweat..." Kyoraku Shunsui relaxed and gave a half-laugh, pretending to wipe his brow.
Jushiro and Sasakibe followed suit, sitting down as if finally at ease.
Su Li scratched his head, looking embarrassed. He had just acted on instinct, thinking he'd understood something after one punch.
Maybe he'd overestimated himself...
But Yamamoto slowly lifted his gaze, eyes filled with ancient weight, locking onto Su Li.
In that look—shock, confusion, reverence.
He stared like he was trying to understand something far beyond him.
Finally, Yamamoto's voice came like a whisper through a thousand years of time.
"...That was indeed a real One Bone."
The entire dojo fell into silence.
Kyoraku Shunsui's jaw dropped. Jushiro froze. Sasakibe blinked rapidly. Su Li himself looked surprised.
"The crisp bone rattle... with a slight tone echo at the end... You might not hear it, but I can't mistake it..."
Yamamoto looked at Su Li with a complex mix of awe and pride.
"I didn't expect it. I demonstrated it once... and you actually learned it."
"...One Bone."
His ancient voice carried through the dojo, thick with emotion.
A heavy silence followed.
The others were mentally shut down.
Su Li was stunned. He had no idea how earth-shattering his casual punch was to the others.
To him, he was just following Yamamoto's explanation and mimicking the technique.
He hadn't expected to succeed, much less master it instantly.
But what Su Li didn't know was that ever since unlocking Ultra Instinct and the Eight Inner Gates, his perception of martial arts had evolved far beyond normal.
Ultra Instinct is divine, the ultimate embodiment of instinctual combat.
The Eight Gates are physical arts that unlock limitless body potential.
Together, they raised his subconscious comprehension to supernatural heights.
And One Bone wasn't even a full technique—just a martial strike. With Su Li's level of understanding, grasping it was only natural.
Even if he didn't know why.
"Your talent in Hakuda has far surpassed my expectations," Yamamoto said, eyes unreadable. "Now I understand... why you scored a perfect 100 on the test."
"Because with your strength, 100 is the maximum score allowed..."
Kyoraku Shunsui and the others immediately nodded in agreement.
Others get 100 because it's the ceiling.
Su Li got 100 because that's all the scale could measure.
Different league entirely.
"And so..." Yamamoto continued, slowly taking off his Shinigami robe, revealing a body lined with muscle and crisscrossed scars, "...I won't hold back any longer."
"I originally planned to teach you the next move once you were fully familiar with One Bone... but clearly, I underestimated you."
"The next technique—Double Bone—is an advanced evolution of One Bone..."
"Its power is multiple times greater. This is the true trump card of my Hakuda style."
"In over a thousand years, no disciple has ever learned it."
"Watch closely."
Yamamoto's spiritual pressure surged as he stood tall, eyes blazing with absolute dominance.
"Double."
"Bone."
His fists blurred—one high, one low—striking simultaneously.
The sheer force shattered every window pane.
Even the dojo floor groaned beneath the power.
Kyoraku Shunsui's face changed.
That was just the wind pressure.
The actual fists—the true impact—was probably stronger than the finishing move of most captains' Bankai.
Unlike flashy Zanpakutō powers, Double Bone compressed its strength entirely into the user's own fists.
That blast of air? Just an aftershock.
Its real power was terrifying.
Even after seeing it countless times, Kyoraku and Jushiro still felt their hearts skip.
"Did you see clearly, boy?" Yamamoto asked indifferently.
Su Li nodded slowly, a smile spreading across his face.
"Yeah. Crystal clear."
Before Yamamoto could reply, Su Li raised his fists and mimicked the form.
Boom!
A tremendous gust blasted across the dojo again.
This time, every remaining window frame was ripped from the wall.
The wooden floorboards cracked and lifted.
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable.
It had taken him centuries to create this move...
This boy learned it at a glance?
Today's youth were terrifying.
Su Li, clearly excited, wanted to try again.
But Yamamoto raised a hand.
"Su Li. Attack me with everything I taught you today."
"Let me see how far you've come."
Su Li paused, then smiled and nodded.
He too wanted to test the power of One Bone and Double Bone—not just the air shockwaves, but actual contact.
And there was no better opponent than Yamamoto.
"You don't need to try One Bone. Go straight to Double Bone."
"Yes, teacher."
Su Li stepped forward, adjusted his stance, and channeled all his strength.
He launched forward and threw a double-fisted strike.
Boom!
The sheer speed of his fists blurred past Kyoraku Shunsui and the others—they couldn't even follow.
The punch hit Yamamoto with such force, it blew his beard up into his face.
Yamamoto calmly raised both hands.
They moved slowly, but struck like lightning.
Clap!
His palms caught Su Li's fists midair.
Boom!!
A massive shockwave erupted around them.
Poor Kyoraku and the others had spent the whole day in hurricane-force winds. They'd probably catch a cold later.
But right now, all eyes were locked on the old man and the young monster in front of them.
Yamamoto had stopped the blow dead.
Su Li frowned, a little helpless.
Even without Ultra Instinct, his strength and physique had been enhanced greatly.
Any captain would've needed to take that attack seriously.
But Yamamoto caught it like it was nothing. Didn't even flinch.
Su Li silently withdrew his fists, looking disappointed.
"Not bad. Your momentum and strength are solid," Yamamoto said calmly, a faint kindness in his tone.
"But don't get complacent. Go back and refine it."
"Yes, teacher," Su Li said respectfully.
"Heh, junior brother, you might be a genius, but it'll take more than that to rattle the old man!" Kyoraku laughed, clearly enjoying Su Li's minor defeat.
Jushiro and Sasakibe both chuckled.
"Well then, today's lesson ends here. This old man's tired."
Yamamoto waved a hand, dismissing them.
The dojo emptied.
Yamamoto stood quietly before the window, hands clasped behind his back, lost in thought.
"...Sasakibe. Bring me some ice."
"Yes, sir!"
Sasakibe quickly returned with a large basin of ice cubes.
Yamamoto turned, dipped his hands in the freezing water.
Only then did Sasakibe realize—the old man's palms were red and swollen.
He gasped, stunned.
This boy… just how much power does he carry in those fists...?
Yamamoto looked down at his trembling hands, a rare frown of disbelief forming.
"This kid... what in the world has he been eating…"