The night was deep, the world quiet.
The battle with Unohana Retsu ended with no dramatic reversal. Higashi Shuuichi's spiritual pressure had indeed doubled—but his original base was too low. Even doubled, it was still nowhere near enough to stand against her.
Yet for Unohana, this battle finally brought her sothing she hadn't felt in centuries—a flicker of enjoynt.
Question: What do you do if your opponent can't be killed no matter how many tis you cut them?
(Unohana Retsu's answer): You keep cutting—until they want to die.
It wasn't until Shuuichi felt the Soul King fragnt inside him giving off internal red-alert alarms from overheating that he finally managed to talk down the bloodthirsty Captain, who was clearly beginning to get high off the violence.
"This ability... not bad~"
Standing before his collapsed, sweat-drenched form, Unohana gave his regenerative gift a rare complint.
After all, it had finally made her break a sweat too.
(Though purely from the effort of cutting.)
So this is what it felt like—bullying a roach that won't die.
It had its own flavor of satisfaction.
But all Shuuichi could think was:
"I'm done. Just end . This woman actually managed to almost break my so-called 'infinite regeneration.'"
"If you vanish again like this next ti, I hope you'll at least show so noticeable improvent... otherwise—"
At that mont, she was like a smiling demon, sweet as poison.
Otherwise what?
Say it!
Have the guts to finish the sentence!
No need. Shuuichi could already imagine it—vividly.
But co on! Soul King fragnts didn't exactly grow on trees.
Maybe if he were in the Human World, he could track down a few Fullbringers and try his luck. But here in Soul Society?
Where the hell was he supposed to find more pieces of God?
Nope. He was not disappearing again. Shuuichi was officially spooked.
"Wait a sec... Is Unohana starting to get... interested in ?"
That thought alone sent chills crawling down his spine.
No, no, no!
He shook the idea away like it was cursed. That'd be far worse than her suspecting his secrets.
He got his head straight again.
Next morning before dawn, Shuuichi showed up at the First Division's barracks, eyes red from a sleepless night.
So ti ago, in order to lull the Kasadōji clan into complacency, Yamamoto Genryūsai had authorized Shuuichi to travel to the farthest corner of Northern Rukongai—Zaraki District—under the pretense of investigation.
Now, before entering the heavily monitored Kasaji ancestral estate, he had to report back.
"How are you going to explain it to them?"
But Yamamoto wasn't interested in hearing so hollow report. He already knew the truth about Zaraki and its forr resident.
There was nothing there to discover.
"I plan to tell them I found a terrifying force buried deep in Zaraki. And that this power is what granted Kenpachi his monstrous strength."
Shuuichi laid out the script he'd carefully prepared.
Keeping the story consistent between what he told Yamamoto and what he'd tell the Kasadōji clan was a calculated safeguard.
He couldn't guarantee soone on the inside wouldn't slip up later. At least this way, his own position was defensible.
Of course, if he had the clearance to openly talk about the Soul King, he wouldn't be dancing around it. He'd just say it outright—"That power is the Soul King's heart."
"You want to bait them out, then?"
The old fox smiled behind his beard. Of course he saw through it imdiately.
It was a solid plan. Though with how paranoid the Kasadōji were, it wouldn't be easy. Still, as a long-term play, it was good enough.
"I also wanted to ask, Commander... has Captain Hikifune finished analyzing the Makyou Blade?"
Shuuichi pressed on. He needed to retrieve Raika, the demonic weapon that had nearly exposed him.
Initially, he assud Yamamoto would keep it for a few days, do so testing, and then return it.
What he hadn't counted on was Hikifune Kirio's obsession.
The mont she got her hands on Raika, she'd refused to give it back. Her curiosity was fully ignited.
That was dangerous. Raika couldn't withstand deep analysis. If she uncovered its core function, there'd be no bringing it back into his hands.
Luckily, Yamamoto didn't care about the blade's intricacies.
It was just one weapon. If the Kasadōji truly were hiding sothing, one sword wouldn't make the difference.
Plus, the current analysis results were already enough.
He granted Shuuichi's request without issue.
As for Hikifune, thankfully the blade's synchronization requirent was so high that she still hadn't found a test subject able to trigger its full function.
So, with Raika retrieved and sealed away once again, Shuuichi rushed straight to the Kasaji estate.
There, two n had been waiting eagerly.
With the sa script he gave Yamamoto—plus a performance showcasing his newly gained strength—he invited Kasadōji Mayou to visit the Great Spirit Library to investigate.
Faced with undeniable results, even soone as paranoid as Yunoi Yōkaku had no choice but to admit...
He was tempted.
All you had to do was press this pseudo-heart to your chest, and it granted a massive boost in spiritual power.
That volatile, uncontrollable Hollow energy it unleashed?
It was the perfect match for their cursed blades, which required enormous, continuous reiryoku just to function.
The problem of energy supply—solved.
As for why Shuuichi hadn't Hollowfied himself?
He shrugged it off. He was Captain-level already. Probably an exception. Not worth digging into.
And really—what did it matter?
The results were undeniable. No one was in the mood to question what couldn't be disproved.
"Heaven blesses the Kasadōji clan!"
That day, Mayou was beaming with confidence.
"Heaven blesses !"
Likewise, Yunoi Yōkaku's pride was sky-high.
"The heavens of Soul Society... must be changed."
After months of being smothered by Central 46 and the Gotei 13, both n burned with the sa dangerous thought.
And yet—Shuuichi wasn't there to hear it.
He was already outside, abducting Shinigami for more Hollow experints...
...and preparing to test the true awakened power of his newly evolved Bankai.
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