After attending the Soul Society Association meeting, Ichigo was completely exhausted—both mentally and physically.
Especially the Q&A session after the explanation… Good lord, you could never predict what bizarre things those women might ask!
The most outrageous had to be Soi Fon. That girl had the audacity to ask whether Ichigo liked boys or girls.
Uh… let's just say, if looks could kill, Unohana Retsu would have sliced Soi Fon into dust right then and there!
After all, Unohana never expected Yoruichi to set Soi Fon up for something that ridiculous.
And Yoruichi? She just casually ran her mouth and threw Soi Fon under the bus!
Ichigo slumped to the floor in frustration and said helplessly to Unohana, "Retsu-neesan, can we please skip these events next time?"
Unohana was already annoyed. Some little brat who hasn't even grown in properly thinks she can steal my spot?
"Exactly. Instead of wasting time there, you'd be better off training in kenjutsu with me!" Unohana felt a stirring in her heart that she could no longer suppress.
But don't get the wrong idea—this wasn't love or anything romantic. It was pure, unfiltered battle lust.
Unohana could tell just how strong Aizen was, but even he had suffered defeat at Ichigo's hands. That meant only one thing:
For the first time in ages, the blade that Unohana had long kept sheathed itched to be drawn!
(Based on Kubo's artwork, Unohana is weaker than Kenpachi before releasing his sword, which also puts her below Blood War Byakuya and Hitsugaya.)
(In the triple-team battle against Gerard Valkyrie, Bankai Kenpachi, Bankai Hitsugaya, and Bankai Byakuya each played a third in wearing him down. Kenpachi and Byakuya held the early phase; Byakuya and Hitsugaya handled the latter.)
(Kenpachi killed Gerard once, Hitsugaya froze him once, and Byakuya struck the final blow—none of which were enough to finish him off permanently.)
(So in comparison, Unohana is far below those three at their peak—especially considering how much stronger Bankai makes someone.)
(Damn you, Kubo!)
Looking at Unohana's clearly eager expression, Ichigo had no idea what her true fighting self was like.
So, still naïve, he smiled and said, "Sure. I'm happy to oblige!"
Unohana gave him a deep, unreadable look. "If you can't block my sword, you'll die."
But Ichigo had absolute confidence in himself and didn't take her warning seriously.
"Fine. Follow me," Unohana said at last, unable to hold back any longer.
After hiding herself away in Squad 4 for centuries, the fire inside her had started to burn again.
Especially after meeting Kenpachi—though he was still too weak. If he'd been stronger, he should have been standing here now, not Ichigo!
Unohana led Ichigo to the underground kenjutsu training arena.
Without chanting, she cast a bakudō: "Bakudō No. 73: Tōzankyō!"
A massive blue inverted pyramid appeared, suspended above the dojo.
"To avoid damaging Seireitei, we'll fight inside here. In this space, you can release your Zanpakutō however you wish—no one will know," Unohana said confidently.
Clearly, she had been waiting a long time for a worthy opponent.
Ichigo nodded. The two exchanged glances and leapt into the Tōzankyō.
Inside was a vast empty space, the floor glowing with blue light. Ichigo stomped it lightly—solid, no give at all.
Unohana untied her hair, letting it fall freely behind her, and when she looked at Ichigo again—her gaze had changed.
That was no longer the gentle healer—it was the gaze of a beast.
Filled with bloodlust and desire.
She slowly drew her Zanpakutō, staring at Ichigo with a soft yet chilling voice. "Unohana Yachiryu, please give me the honor."
"Unohana Yachiryu?" Ichigo was a little surprised. Seeing her red spiritual pressure, the fighting spirit inside him surged.
"Roar, Zangetsu!"
Out of respect for Unohana, Ichigo immediately went into Shikai.
"Shikai?" Unohana frowned slightly but didn't comment further.
She used shunpo to close the distance, slashing mercilessly at Ichigo's head.
Of course, that wouldn't work.
Ichigo merely tilted his head, letting her blade pass right past the tip of his nose. But even a hair's breadth is still a miss.
Ichigo countered immediately—because in battle, respecting your opponent means going all out!
He reversed his grip and slashed at Unohana. As the blade swung upward, he gave a wicked grin and shouted, "Getsuga Tenshō!"
A blue crescent wave shot upward like a sneak attack toward Unohana!
But her combat experience was far too vast. She managed to block it just in time!
"Hadō No. 78: Zanka Rin!"
A red crescent burst from Unohana's Zanpakutō, nearly identical to Getsuga Tenshō!
The two waves collided midair, neutralizing each other after a brief struggle.
"Chantless high-level kidō, huh? That's amazing, Retsu—no, Yachiryu!" Ichigo praised.
Unohana shook her head slightly. "You're still stronger. I used more spiritual power than you did to cancel that out. What a terrifying Zanpakutō you have."
Then, she closed the distance again, slashing relentlessly. Even the hidden blade she'd kept in reserve was drawn immediately—against Ichigo, there was no point in holding anything back!
But Ichigo remained composed. The speed and intensity of her strikes didn't worry him at all.
After parrying one strike and forcing Unohana back, Ichigo hefted Zangetsu on his shoulder and said, "Yachiryu, let's stop playing around. You said you wanted a fight. Surely you didn't mean some child's game like this, right?"
Unohana smiled. "No need to be so hasty, Ichigo. Are you so eager to impress me? It's been a thousand years since I last used my Zanpakutō—I need time to adjust."
She didn't even try to hide it.
As she spoke, her reiatsu rose another level—this time, it was full-fledged First-Class Spiritual Power.
Even Ichigo had to admit—this level of reiatsu was impressive!
(End of Chapter)
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