"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
In the Fourth Division, the sound of swords clashing echoed through the air.
Kotetsu Isane heard the noise, opened the door stiffly, and peeked outside.
She thought it was just two people sparring in the yard again.
But when she saw what was really happening, she gasped and rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
"Captain… what's with that expression!?"
"Yes!! That's it, Nanaya-kun! That's exactly the feeling! Not enough!! Hit me harder! Cut me deeper!!"
Unohana Retsu's face was flushed red. She swung her Zanpakutō at Nanaya again and again, her strikes exploding with powerful spiritual pressure.
As she attacked, her voice became more and more excited.
"Wait… Captain Sui-Feng!?"
Isane blinked and looked again carefully.
"No… it really is Captain Unohana Retsu."
For a moment, she thought she had seen Sui-Feng. After all, whenever Shihouin Yoruichi was mentioned, Sui-Feng would get that crazy love-hate look.
If it hadn't been for the unmistakable Reiatsu of Unohana Retsu, Isane might've believed Sui-Feng was pretending to be her.
The two fighters clashed again.
"BOOM!!!"
A massive shockwave erupted from the impact. Red and blue spiritual energy burst from their swords, slicing the tiled ground with a sharp "swish".
"CRASH!"
Two large cracks split the nearby wall, running through the entire Fourth Division building. Dust flew everywhere.
The nearby Soul Reapers who saw the scene were completely stunned.
Isane stood frozen. That blue sword energy had hit the wall just inches from her shoulder.
The door beside her was blown apart.
"S-Stop! Stop! Sister Unohana, I think I've got the last sword technique down! Let me rest a bit!"
Nanaya frantically waved his hand to signal a break.
Unohana hesitated for a second, then finally pulled back her sword. With a slightly twisted smile, she spoke gently:
"Alright, take your time. There are more than 8,000 sword styles to learn. Do you want me to help massage your muscles?"
"No! No thanks!" Nanaya quickly shook his head. "I'm just a little thirsty. Could you maybe make some tea?"
"Okay. Take your time practicing then."
With that, Unohana reluctantly left the yard.
As soon as she was gone, Nanaya let out a breath of relief and dashed over to Kotetsu Isane at full speed.
He grabbed her shoulders and cried out:
"Vice-Captain! What the hell is going on!?"
Still dazed, Isane replied automatically:
"What do you mean?"
"Her expression! Her whole personality!!" Nanaya exclaimed, scalp tingling. "Sister Unohana's been acting really strange these last couple days."
"At first, she kept swallowing nervously and blushing for no reason. Then her eyes started looking at me like… like I was dinner!"
"I thought maybe she had a crush on me…"
"…But now, the training is getting more and more intense. Today she even released captain-level Reiatsu!"
Nanaya shuddered. That once-gentle woman now looked like she wanted to devour him—literally.
"..."
Isane shook her head in disbelief.
"I've followed Captain Unohana for hundreds of years… I've never seen her look like this."
Something definitely changed after she met Nanaya.
Nanaya gave a dry laugh, patted her shoulder, and said:
"Yeah, something's not right. I'm out of here. Good luck, take care of yourself."
He couldn't stay in this "gentle" hellhole any longer. It was time to escape.
Isane's eyes widened.
"You're just going to leave me here!?"
Based on how Unohana had been acting lately, if Nanaya left, she might go after him—or worse, take it out on Isane.
"No! You're not leaving me!"
Isane grabbed at Nanaya's clothes, but he simply lifted her up.
"Fine! I'll save you too. You're coming with me!"
Without waiting for her to agree, he stepped forward, used Shunpo, and disappeared from the Fourth Division like a gust of wind.
At the same time...
Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō had just arrived at the Fourth Division.
"Huh!? They're gone!?"
When Unohana returned with a cup of tea, she found the yard completely empty.
Her soft smile slowly twisted into something darker.
"That won't do, Nanaya-kun. You've only learned 8,000 sword techniques… and you haven't had enough real combat experience yet. You can't just run away."
"Ukitake… did I just see what I think I saw?"
Kyoraku rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Ukitake coughed and replied:
"No, you saw it right. That was Nanaya. He… kind of kidnapped the vice-captain of the Fourth Division."
Not far away…
Nanaya was sprinting with Kotetsu Isane slung over his shoulder, who was struggling and shouting in protest.
"Put me down! I'm the vice-captain of the Fourth Division! I can't just run off like this. If Unohana wants someone, she should go after you!"
"You idiot! Be quiet—I'm saving you!" Nanaya huffed, sweating. "I've got a bad feeling. Something's seriously wrong with your captain today."
As Unohana's behavior flashed through his mind again, Nanaya wished he had an extra leg to run even faster.
Was there even one normal captain left in the Soul Society?
Aside from the traitors and the sword-happy lunatics, Komamura Sajin might be the only genuinely decent captain in Soul Society.
"That's far enough, kid."
Kyoraku Shunsui and Jūshirō Ukitake suddenly appeared in front of Nanaya, both pointing their swords at him.
"Put down the vice-captain!"
Seeing them block his path, Nanaya's eyes turned sharp and cold. Without hesitation, he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"I don't have time for this!"
"Susanoo!"
A massive, dark red Susanoo arm materialized out of nowhere and smashed down against their blades.
"You dare to attack us?!"
Kyoraku sighed and raised his sword to counter the attack.
"CLANG!"
Their weapons clashed with a thunderous impact.
Cracks appeared in the Susanoo, but Nanaya stood his ground, not backing away for even a step.
He had to leave the Fourth Division—he felt it in his bones.
Kyoraku frowned.
"Jūshirō, doesn't this feel off? It's like he's trying to escape..."
Ukitake was about to respond when his expression suddenly changed.
"This is bad!"
A wave of terrifying blue sword energy came slicing through the air, tearing up the ground as it raced toward them.
Without a second thought, Nanaya activated Kamui, warping into another dimension just long enough for the attack to pass through his body harmlessly.
"What!?" Kyoraku's eyes widened. "ABU—"
The blue sword energy flashed past.
"BAMA—!"
Blood sprayed from Kyoraku's shoulder, soaking his captain's coat in red.
He glanced back at the Fourth Division, twitching with irritation.
All he did was drop by to check on things—and now he was bleeding.
"Nanaya, how could you just leave like this?"
Unohana Retsu stepped forward, a twisted smile on her face, her blade gleaming in her hand.
"That's not okay. I spent two weeks teaching you over 8,000 sword techniques. How can you run off before I get to enjoy it?"
"Wait… 8,000 sword styles in just two weeks!?"
Kyoraku forgot his pain and turned to Nanaya with disbelief written all over his face.
Ukitake looked just as stunned.
Two weeks… fourteen days… that meant Nanaya had learned over 500 techniques a day.
Was he even human anymore!?
Unohana's eyes burned with excitement as she looked at Nanaya.
"But that's alright. Now that you've learned the techniques, it's time to use them in real combat..."
As she spoke, her spiritual pressure rose sharply. The once-blue Reiatsu around her flickered and started turning red, warping the space around them.
Kyoraku broke into a sweat. He recognized this sensation—something incredibly dangerous was about to happen.
The most terrifying person in Soul Society's history…
She was baring her fangs again.
Kyoraku quickly stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation.
"Captain Unohana, please—calm down. Think about who you were before this. He's just a human visitor caught up in a disaster. There's no reason to—"
Before he could finish, a blade filled with killing intent came flying toward him.
Kyoraku's expression shifted instantly as he shouted:
"The flower wind swirls, the flower god weeps! The sky wind shifts, the sky demon laughs! The flower sky—"
"BOOM!!!"
He never got to finish his incantation. Unohana's sword struck hard, clashing against his Zanpakutō and blasting him backward with terrifying force.
For Advanced chapters Visit :: patreon.com/Kaguyahime20