User blog comment:Xilinoc/Ch. 569 (You've been hit by / You've been struck by / Senbonzakura~)/@comment-8669536-20140219184338/@comment-24153155-20140221163145

I absolutely agree with that the Royal Guard has aided Rukia in attaining her Bankai, but just Hyosube telling Rukia the true name of her Bankai, having special clothing or eating superfood ain't gonna enable her to use it straight off the batch. Rukia has always been (very) strong, both mentally and physically (+Kido). I personally feel that she is much stronger than Hinamori or Matsumoto (dunno what to say about Yachiru ;) and I always felt it would fit if she would attain Bankai at some point. Having said that; the only thing that made Rukia insecure about herself was that she kinda felt she was not worth being a Kuchiki. That's why this week's chapter is so important. Now she has nothing to hold her back anymore. And having a Bankai is not more than logic.

I never got the idea that Rukia was training to obtain her Bankai specifically (unlike Hisagi for example) and it was never shown/hinted on either (unlike with Ikkaku and Yumichika), despite that it is "known" one needs to train for at least 10 years. I think it goes to show how powerful the Royal Guard really is, but also that there is may be smtg more to the place than we know. I also feel there is more behind to why it was just Byakuya, Renji, Rukia and Ichigo that were to heal in the Soul Palace, but not others. I mean, if the Royal Guard is able to aid any power up, then why not sending all of the Lieutenants and Captains (except for Kenpachi maybe, since he really needed to fight Unohana) to the Palace, instead of allowing them to pretty much getting butchered? Or maybe, it's much simpler: as the Royal Palace is in a different dimension than is Soul Society, there might some sort of Dangai, enabling 10 years of training in a matter of hours ;)