Showdown / Sister Hana Gets Straight to Work

But as the saying went, "If you often walk by the river, your shoes are bound to get wet." Yoruichi was finally caught by a teacher who had staked out Xuanxin's dorm room.

"Miss Shihōin! Even if you're from one of the Four Great Noble Clans, you can't sneak into the boys' dormitory in the middle of the night, and you certainly can't stay in a boy's single room and refuse to leave! This is completely improper..."

But warnings like that meant nothing to Yoruichi. In just one week, the dean of students and the dorm supervisor had caught her red-handed five times during their nightly patrols.

After her fifth "public execution," even the thick-skinned Yoruichi was starting to crack.

So, to avoid those annoying teachers, Yoruichi began working day and night on the secret family art she had always considered too much trouble: the Cat Transformation Technique.

For quite a long time afterward, Xuanxin rarely saw the figure who used to pop up outside his door from time to time.

"Where has Yoruichi been lately?" Xuanxin asked Kisuke Urahara one weekend in the underground base, wrapping himself in bandages as Urahara brewed a strange concoction.

"Oh, Yoruichi? She's probably researching some secret family technique. Besides, if you don't know, how would I? What, haven't seen her for a few days and you miss her? I can pass a message along for you."

"No, that's all right. I'm going to the hospital. You should get some rest early too." With that, Xuanxin left the secret base and headed for the hospital.

"Hmph~ Two people who won't admit what they mean. I wonder if those two will ever get together. Oh well, I'd better get back to my research."

Xuanxin's life then returned to its routine of classroom, dormitory, and hospital. Of course, he hadn't forgotten his landing plan either. He still made time to explore the land on foot and meet all sorts of people.

However, the peaceful days didn't last long.

Just under a month later, during the first-year Class One's Zanjutsu lesson.

The entire class had lined up neatly in the dojo, waiting for their strict Zanjutsu teacher to arrive. Yet even after the bell rang, the meticulous, old-fashioned middle-aged man was nowhere to be seen.

As everyone whispered among themselves, the dojo's heavy wooden sliding door was slowly pulled open from outside.

Under the stunned gazes of the new students, a woman wearing a white haori and a gentle-looking braid walked in. She then smiled and said:

"Good morning, everyone. Unfortunately, your Zanjutsu teacher was attacked by an unknown assailant. So today, I, Retsu Unohana, captain of the Fourth Division, will be teaching your Zanjutsu class in his place."

With that, she fixed her gaze precisely on the white-haired boy at the very front of the line. Beneath her gentle smile, a trace of inexplicable fervor showed through.

Hearing that gentle voice, Xuanxin, standing among the students, felt a chill shoot from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

Chapter 11: Showdown

The dojo was so silent that a pin could be heard dropping.

All the new students froze upon hearing the news. The white haori Retsu Unohana wore was proof enough of her identity.

Even though most of Class One's students were noble children, a Captain-level figure like Retsu Unohana wasn't someone these fledglings could meet whenever they pleased before they had even graduated.

Faced with this flock of quail-like freshmen, Retsu Unohana showed them the Fourth Division Captain's gentleness.

During the lesson at Senhantō, Retsu Unohana behaved like a competent teacher, personally correcting everything from the most basic grip to how they put force behind their slashes. The initially tense atmosphere in the class gradually eased.

After correcting every student except Xuanxin, Retsu Unohana clapped her hands and smiled gently.

"All right, that's enough review of the basic theory. Next, it's time for practical combat. Pair up and let me see how well you fight."

She then produced a box and had everyone come forward to draw lots for their pairings.

However, thanks to Retsu Unohana's secret interference, Xuanxin duly ended up without a partner.

Once everyone had found an opponent, Xuanxin was left standing alone in the center of the training ground.

"Oh dear, it seems we're one person short."

The smile on Retsu Unohana's lips deepened. She casually picked up a wooden practice sword and walked slowly over to Xuanxin.

"Since you've been left without a partner, Fujiwara, I'll be your sparring partner as your substitute teacher."

The corner of Xuanxin's eye twitched, but faced with a captain's challenge, he had no reason to back down. He tightened his grip on his wooden sword and bowed respectfully.

"Please instruct me, Captain Unohana."

Whoosh!

Xuanxin struck first. Using the standard Zanjutsu taught at Shin'ō Academy, he brought his sword down in a perfectly orthodox, heavy overhead slash!

If you're not skilled enough, strike first. That was the lesson his sword spirit had taught him over the past few days.

Yet Retsu Unohana merely raised her wooden sword with an effortless motion, responding to every change with the same movement. With a sharp crack, she deflected the force completely.

In the exchange that followed, Xuanxin took academy-style Zanjutsu to its limits. Horizontal slashes, thrusts, upward cuts—every move was precise and orthodox, as if taken straight from a textbook.

Yet Retsu Unohana's brow furrowed slightly.

Xuanxin's swordsmanship was clean and efficient, but... it wasn't the swordsmanship she wanted to see.

She had personally sensed the sword intent lingering in Xuanxin's wounds before, and he had said his own sword spirit had inflicted them. But what was a sword spirit? It was a manifestation of a Zanpakuto, and a Zanpakuto revealed the fundamental nature of a Shinigami's soul.

So deep within his soul, a beast born solely for slaughter had to be lurking.

And now, the boy before her clearly possessed such astonishing combat instincts, yet he was desperately using these rigid "rules" to suppress and restrain them!

What an utter waste of a gift!!

"How dull..."

Retsu Unohana murmured softly. Then, the wooden sword she had been using to defend suddenly pressed forward.

It was only a simple movement, but it drastically changed how Retsu Unohana appeared to Xuanxin. In his eyes, her gentle bearing vanished completely.

In Xuanxin's suddenly constricted pupils, what came slashing toward him was no wooden sword, but a butcher's blade reeking of blood.

Bang!

Xuanxin and his sword were sent flying, crashing straight into the dojo wall.

The loud commotion also made the students still sparring stop and look toward the pair.

But when they saw their class representative splattered against the wall and glanced at Retsu Unohana standing where she was, they all swallowed.

At first, they had been a little jealous that Xuanxin could spar with Retsu Unohana. Now, they were all glad it wasn't them.

At that moment, Retsu Unohana, who was in a poor mood, turned to look at the students.

Although Retsu Unohana still wore her gentle smile, everyone sensed danger this time. They quickly snapped out of it and resumed sparring, no longer daring to slack off in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Retsu Unohana dragged her wooden sword as she walked toward him, one step at a time. The braid over her chest had also come slightly loose.

"Fujiwara, what are you suppressing? Using these ridiculous rules you've learned to restrain your instincts is the greatest insult to the sword. Come, show me the fighting instinct in your soul. Otherwise... the next strike really will kill you."

As the word "kill" fell, a terrifying killing intent locked directly onto Xuanxin!

Xuanxin jerked his head up, and the threat of death, like a lit fuse, ignited the flames deep within his soul!

He tugged at the folds of his clothes that were getting in his way, slowly walked over to the weapon rack, and picked up another wooden sword.

The moment Xuanxin held two wooden swords, his bearing abruptly changed. He then returned to Retsu Unohana and gave a brief bow.

Before he had even fully straightened up, he attacked Retsu Unohana with both swords.

This time, all rules and established forms were cast aside. All that remained were Xuanxin's combat instincts and the few pages of sword techniques he had learned.

The rapid clatter of wooden swords colliding erupted through the dojo like a raging storm.

Spurred by the threat of death, Xuanxin completely threw open the gates of reason, and instinct took over his body. Every swing aimed for a vital point, and every block came with a counterattack.

Faced with Xuanxin's wild, unorthodox assault, every strike lethal, the flames that had long been extinguished within Retsu Unohana burned once more.

Yes! This is it! A blade swung without hesitation, purely for the sake of killing!

The longer Retsu Unohana fought, the more excited she became, an unnatural flush rising on her face.

For a time, wood chips flew and waves of air surged.

The freshmen of Class One had long since stopped practicing in fright, watching the two in the center of the training ground with their mouths agape.

"Holy #, I knew our class rep was a beast, but isn't this a bit much? Is the gap between people really that big?!"

Just as Xuanxin became fully immersed in the fight and prepared to abandon defense, trading injury for a life—

Bang!

Retsu Unohana's wooden sword came in at an unbelievable angle, its hilt slamming into Xuanxin's abdomen. The immense force sent him flying once again.

Retsu Unohana stood where she was, her chest heaving, the braid over it having loosened a little more.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the nearly boiling desire to kill in her heart.

When she opened her eyes again, the oppressive aura of mountains of corpses and seas of blood had vanished, and she had returned to being the gentle captain.

"Splendid swordsmanship, Fujiwara. I hope we have another chance to meet."

With that, she casually returned the wooden sword to the weapon rack, turned, and slid open the door. She left the dojo under the awed gazes of the freshmen.

As for Xuanxin, the mad showdown had firmly established his reputation as "the genius of the Shihoin Clan."

That evening, in Xuanxin's dorm room.

Although today's showdown had ended in defeat, Xuanxin had to admit he had gained a great deal from it.

But while he had gained much, it had also taken a considerable toll on his body and mind.

Just as Xuanxin finished washing up and was about to go to bed—

"Meow~"

A cat suddenly meowed outside his dorm room.

Xuanxin followed the sound and saw a completely black cat sitting primly at the door.

Perhaps because Yoruichi was always so catlike, Xuanxin had always been highly tolerant of cats.

Besides, this black cat had a pair of golden slit pupils just like Yoruichi's.

"Come in. It's windy outside." Xuanxin chuckled and let the black cat into the room.

Meanwhile, Yoruichi Shihōin, who had transformed into the black cat, was excitedly giving herself a frantic thumbs-up in her heart!

Hahahaha! I knew I was a genius! Let's see how those damn dorm supervisors catch me now! I'm definitely climbing into Xuanxin's bed tonight!

Chapter 12: Sister Hana Gets Straight to Work

Meanwhile, at the Fourth Division Barracks.

Retsu Unohana sat quietly beside the tea table, replaying every moment of her fight with Xuanxin earlier that day.

For once, a hint of nostalgia appeared on her face.

Sure enough, those pure instincts had satisfied her. The only flaw in this feast of slaughter was that he was too weak, far too weak to satisfy the ravenous beast within her.

Her last truly exhilarating battle had been a long time ago, though it remained clear in her memory.

Gradually, she began to recall the only two defeats of her long life.

Once, she had lost to Shigekuni Yamamoto, whose strength and skill had both been at their peak. The other time, she had lost to the boy from Zaraki District who possessed pure instinct.

Suddenly, a wild idea came to her!

What if... Fujiwara Genshin possessed both Shigekuni Yamamoto's skill and strength, combined with combat instincts no less formidable than that boy's?!

If both were brought together in one person, what a perfect monster it would create! And what a magnificent, exhilarating ultimate battle she would have?!