Minazuki

The forbidden theories he had glimpsed in the laboratory began to merge in his mind with the Reiatsu he had spent years training.

The disguise was gone from Aizen's eyes, and a hint of uncertainty showed through. He took a step forward, his voice slightly hoarse:

"If strength and knowledge can be combined... then, teacher, where exactly do the limits of a Soul Reaper lie? Will anyone truly be able to break through those limits in the future?"

The night breeze was cool.

Xuanxin looked at the young man before him. Rather than rebuke him for his outrageously defiant words, he simply shook his head.

"I don't know."

Xuanxin's voice echoed along the path. "I don't know where a Soul Reaper's limits lie, because I haven't reached that point myself."

Just as disappointment flashed in Aizen's eyes, Xuanxin suddenly reached out and patted him on the shoulder, smiling with arrogance and confidence:

"But I firmly believe that, someday, a person of extraordinary brilliance will appear. He will use wisdom and strength to tear apart this false sky, break through the true limits of a Soul Reaper, and become... a pioneer who steps into the unknown. Perhaps that person will be you or me. Who can say?"

Aizen lowered his head. He stepped back and bowed deeply to Xuanxin.

"Thank you for clearing that up, teacher. I have learned much."

When Aizen raised his head again, the confusion in his eyes had vanished.

In the days that followed, Sōsuke Aizen maintained his usual manner as a refined, courteous top student, keeping to his quiet, regular life at the academy.

The only difference was that he sought Xuanxin out in private to ask about swordsmanship and Kidō theory noticeably more often.

Their frequent contact soon put Yoruichi Shihōin on guard.

Having Retsu Unohana always watching Xuanxin was enough already, though she could still handle that. But what the hell was with this Aizen who had suddenly appeared? How much time with Xuanxin had she lost because of him?

Xuanxin merely laughed it off and offered no further explanation.

He knew that, for an exceptional seed growing at a frantic pace, the desire to absorb nourishment was impossible to conceal. Besides, he also needed to crush this future danger in the cradle.

Then, one day several days later, Xuanxin and Yoruichi received a sudden summons to the First Division barracks.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto sat upright in the seat of honor in a quiet room. His timeworn, half-closed eyes slowly opened, and he gazed intently at Xuanxin standing before him.

After a brief silence, the supreme commander of the Gotei 13 suddenly spoke:

"Xuanxin, since the Tsunayashiro Clan was placed under restriction, the Great Spirit Book Gallery has been temporarily entrusted to the First Division. I ask you now... would you like to go and take a look?"

The old man's deep, commanding voice echoed through the quiet room, carrying a weight that made it impossible to refuse:

"That place holds... the whole truth, recorded from Soul Society's ancient past to the present, even the origins of the three worlds."

Chapter 53: Minazuki

The Great Spirit Book Gallery was a place that recorded all of Soul Society's major historical events, so in a sense, it also held all of Soul Society's knowledge.

For the past million years, this repository had been held firmly in the grip of the Tsunayashiro Clan, the foremost of the Five Great Noble Clans. It had given them the confidence to even conduct soul experiments in secret.

Xuanxin did not hesitate or decline. He immediately bowed slightly and answered firmly:

"Since you trust me, teacher, I am willing to go and see it. I will not disappoint your expectations."

"Mm, very good."

Captain-Commander Yamamoto gave Xuanxin an approving look. His aged eyes seemed to hold some profound, indescribable meaning. Then he turned around, leaning on his cane, and said calmly:

"This is a matter of great importance. Go back and make your preparations. I will send someone to notify you when it is time to open it."

"Yes, Captain-Commander." Xuanxin respectfully withdrew from the quiet room, then turned and left the First Division barracks.

As he walked along Seireitei's sunlit flagstone streets, Xuanxin knew this was a rare opportunity. His mind was already racing through the things he wanted to learn, such as "the origin of the three worlds" and "the limits of a Soul Reaper."

Yet while Xuanxin was still immersed in the grand political landscape and his plans for the future, he made a dismal discovery: compared to the distant Great Spirit Book Gallery, a "deadly ordeal" lay right before him, waiting for him to walk into its path.

That was—his weekend training.

With the Tsunayashiro Clan affair finally concluded, peace had returned to Seireitei. That also meant Xuanxin had no excuses left to put it off.

Now he had to face the Fourth Division Captain, Retsu Unohana, who was already on the verge of exploding because he had skipped her lessons without reason for a full month.

Saturday morning was bright and sunny, with a gentle breeze.

But inside the Shihoin Clan residence, the atmosphere was as bleak as the depths of winter.

Xuanxin changed into a neat swordsmanship uniform and stood at the entrance.

He gripped Yoruichi Shihōin's shoulders tightly with both hands, his eyes filled with the tragic resolve of a man setting out into the cold, never to return.

Xuanxin took a deep breath and spoke in a grave tone, as though giving his last instructions:

"Yoruichi, if... I mean if I haven't come out of the Fourth Division's underground dojo by sunset today, go to the Fourth Division hospital and fetch me! Remember, whatever you do, don't let Sister Hana bury me as medical waste..."

Yoruichi stared at him as though he had lost his mind. She blinked her golden eyes in confusion and retorted mercilessly:

"What's wrong with you? Aren't you just going to the Fourth Division for a little swordsmanship practice? Look how scared you are. You're acting like you're going to fight Old Man Yamamoto one-on-one. Captain Unohana is usually so gentle. What's she going to do, eat you?"

"No. You don't understand... you don't understand anything!" Xuanxin let go of her, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear. Leaving Yoruichi with a forlorn view of his back, he resolutely set out on the road of no return to the Fourth Division.

Meanwhile, in a quiet room filled with a delicate fragrance inside the Fourth Division's main barracks.

Retsu Unohana sat upright on the tatami, with several gorgeous fresh flowers and elegant vases arranged before her. Today, she was teaching the traditional art of flower arrangement to some of the Thirteenth Division's female members.

Her gentle smile and graceful movements made everyone present feel as though they were basking in a spring breeze, and they silently admired Captain Unohana's grace and gentleness.

However, the very moment Xuanxin stepped into Fourth Division territory.

Retsu Unohana's hand, which had been adjusting the angle of a flower's leaves, suddenly paused.

Immediately afterward.

"Snip! Snip!" Two crisp clicks of closing scissors rang out in the quiet room.

The squad members looked up in surprise, only to see the scissors in Retsu Unohana's hand cutting down without mercy.

The two most magnificent blooms, which should have been the centerpiece of the arrangement, were cut off at the base and rolled onto the table.

The temperature in the quiet room seemed to plunge by more than ten degrees in an instant. A faint, terrifying pressure emanated from the captain, who still wore her gentle smile.

"My apologies, everyone."

Retsu Unohana slowly put down her scissors. The smile on her face remained flawless, but her tone left no room for refusal.

"I just remembered that I have some important 'personal matters' to attend to immediately. We'll end today's flower-arranging lesson here. Please excuse me."

With that, she stood gracefully, slid open the paper door, and left the room without looking back.

Only when Retsu Unohana's footsteps had completely vanished at the end of the corridor did the suffocating pressure in the quiet room gradually dissipate.

Several squad members wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, their hearts still pounding. When they looked back at the table at the front of the room, everyone couldn't help drawing a sharp breath.

The flower arrangement that should have been full of life now had only two bare, lonely stems sticking out of it, like two sharp daggers.

The two mercilessly beheaded flowers lay pitifully on the table, as though foretelling someone's impending tragic fate.

In a private underground swordsmanship room deep within the Fourth Division.

Xuanxin sat perfectly upright, but his clothes were already soaked through with cold sweat. He eyed the tightly shut wooden door with a guilty conscience.

"Clack... clack..."

The measured, unhurried sound of wooden sandals came from the corridor.

But to Xuanxin, that crisp sound was like a heavy hammer, striking his heart with unerring precision again and again, making it pound uncontrollably.

"Rattle—"

The wooden door slid open, and Retsu Unohana's tall, graceful figure appeared in the doorway.

She wore her usual familiar outfit, and her distinctive thick braid still hung neatly down the front of her chest.

But as Xuanxin looked at the gentle smile on Sister Hana's face, he grew even more anxious. He would rather she had drawn her sword and attacked him outright than endure this chilling calm.

"My, what a rare guest."

Retsu Unohana slowly entered the dojo and shut the wooden door behind her. Her voice was so soft it could almost drip:

"It seems our Kenpachi Shihoin has been very busy lately, so busy that..."

She opened her slender eyes slightly, a dangerous glint flashing in them:

"So busy that you no longer need guidance from an old senior like me at all?"

"No... that's not it, Sister Hana. Please, let me explain!"

Xuanxin swallowed, cold sweat trickling down his temples as he hurried to find a respectable excuse for skipping her lessons.

"I've been so busy with the Tsunayashiro Clan affair this past month, I..."

But before Xuanxin could finish the explanation he had prepared, Retsu Unohana cut him off.

This time, her voice was no longer gentle. Instead, it took on a low, husky edge as she asked:

"Oh, right... Xuanxin, have you ever heard my other name?"

Xuanxin's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty. Those words instantly awakened a memory buried deep in his mind.

He recalled that long ago, at a drinking party, his senior Kyōraku had mentioned some secrets about the Fourth Division Captain.

But... I only skipped a few lessons. Why is she suddenly bringing this up? Could it be...

The alarm bells in Xuanxin's mind exploded at full volume. Every cell in his body screamed danger!

The next second, he heard Sister Hana's voice, as though it came from the depths of hell:

"Bankai: Minazuki."

BOOM—!!!

As those words were spoken softly, a vast, suffocating Reiatsu erupted inside the enclosed underground dojo!

Retsu Unohana reached up and pulled apart the thick braid tied in front of her chest.

Her ink-black hair instantly whipped about in the storm of Reiatsu, revealing the fearsome scar beneath her collarbone.

The Zanpakuto in her hand rapidly transformed into an endless flow of thick, dark crimson liquid.

As though it were alive, the liquid spread at a terrifying speed, covering the entire dojo in a sea of blood in the blink of an eye!

Retsu Unohana's dignified, gentle bearing had vanished without a trace. In its place was the bloodlust of the greatest villain in Soul Society's history, the original bearer of the name "Kenpachi"!

"Now then, let me personally see for myself..."

On Retsu Unohana's beautiful face, all that remained was an utterly frenzied desire for battle.

She licked her lips, her eyes fixed on Xuanxin as though he were the most delicious prey in the world. "Just how much you're really capable of, Kenpachi Shihoin!"

Feeling the Reiatsu around him, powerful enough to corrode even a soul, Xuanxin knew that he would never make it out of this room today unless he got serious.

"Bankai: Six Realms and Five Rings: Kurikara!"

Xuanxin held nothing back either, instantly releasing his Zanpakuto. The phantom image of a Wisdom King swiftly took shape behind him.

Yet in this seemingly boundless dark-red world, even the Wisdom King's phantom remained suppressed by the blood that filled every corner.