Chapter 68
On the back of the haori, the number "eleven" was faintly visible, as black as ink.
That was Sister Hana's haori, or more precisely, that was Yachiru Unohana's haori.
Upon seeing this haori, the life-or-death battle in the center of the desert a few days ago instantly flooded Xuanxin's mind.
My own stunning slash at the end, and Sister Hana's relieved and gentle smile before she fell—all of it is still vivid in my mind.
This old haori, washed and folded, was undoubtedly a "trophy" left to him by the First Kenpachi, or a token representing recognition and inheritance.
"It seems we really won." Nobunaga sigh of relief, his nerves, which had been tense for so long, finally relaxed completely.
"Creak--"
Just then, the door to the ward was gently pushed open.
Yoruichi Shihōin entered quietly, carrying a bamboo basket full of fresh fruit.
When she looked up and met Xuanxin's open, dark eyes, Yoruichi was slightly taken aback at first, then a look of relief and joy instantly bloomed on her face as she quickly walked to the bedside.
Yoruichi casually placed the bamboo basket on the cabinet, her golden eyes scanning Xuanxin up and down, her tone filled with undisguised worry and tension:
"You idiot, you're finally awake! You almost scared me to death, you know! How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you? Is your Reiatsu flowing smoothly?"
Seeing Yoruichi's concerned expression, Xuanxin. He reached out and gently grasped Yoruichi's wrist, smiling reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Don't you know the Fourth Division's medical capabilities? Apart from being a little stiff, I'm completely healed."
Mentioning the Fourth Division, Xuanxin paused, glanced at the yellowed haori beside him, and asked softly:
"By the way, how is Sister Hana doing now?"
Upon hearing the words "Sister Hana," Yoruichi, whose face had been full of concern just a moment ago, instantly froze.
Immediately afterward, an undisguised, intense jealousy crept onto her brow. Yoruichi irritably shook off Xuanxin's hand, crossed her arms, gave a cold snort, and said sarcastically:
"Oh, you're already worried about another woman as soon as you woke up? Don't worry, she's perfectly fine! She was fine after lying in the hospital room for a day!"
Seeing Yoruichi's flustered appearance, Xuanxin awkwardly touched his nose, knowing that Sister Hana was dancing on a landmine at this moment, so he wisely chose to keep quiet.
"Alright, seeing how energetic you are, I'm too lazy to bother with you anymore."
Yoruichi rolled her eyes at him, then reached into the bamboo basket, picked out the biggest and reddest apple, and tossed it into Xuanxin's arms, her tone softening slightly:
"You don't need to worry about the 11th Division's affairs for now; the old man has approved a long leave for you. Just rest well during this time! I still have a ton of mess to clean up, I'll come see you again tomorrow. Bye-bye~"
After saying that, Yoruichi didn't even give Xuanxin a chance to refute her. She turned around in a hurry, leaving behind a gust of wind, and left the ward directly.
Looking at the closed door, Xuanxin smiled and shook his head. Just as he picked up the apple in his arms to take a bite, the door to the ward was gently pushed open again.
"Looks like I've arrived at just the right time. I imagine Captain Yoruichi must have just left as well."
Accompanied by a voice as gentle as a spring breeze, Retsu Unohana carried a medical tray and slowly walked into the ward.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Xuanxin was slightly taken aback. At this moment, Retsu Unohana had already changed back into her pure white Fourth Division Captain's haori, and her signature braid had been neatly re-braided, hanging quietly in front of her chest.
The First Kenpachi, who was as bloodthirsty as a demon in the desert a few days ago, seemed to be just a dream.
The woman before him, Sister Hana, had not only fully regained her usual gentle and dignified appearance, but Xuanxin could also keenly sense an unprecedented change in her eyes and brows.
It was a true sense of freedom and lightness that emanated from within, after shedding the heavy shackles that had bound them for thousands of years.
Yachiru Unohana, who carried the fate of "Kenpachi", was completely redeemed the moment she fell. The one standing here now is Retsu Unohana from the Fourth Division.
"Sister Hana, your body..." Xuanxin put down the apple and asked softly.
"Thanks to someone's mercy, I am perfectly fine now."
Retsu Unohana Xuanxin walked to the bedside, changed Genshin's bottle of special recovery medicine, and did not stay in the ward for long. She carefully tucked the blanket around Xuanxin, then picked up the tray and prepared to leave.
"Enjoy your long vacation, Xuanxin."
Retsu Unohana turned around, winked at Xuanxin, and her gentle tone carried a rare hint of playfulness:
"The 11th Division's pile of duties will now be handled by me and Captain Yoruichi. So you can rest easy."
Just as Retsu Unohana turned around, preparing to leave the ward...
Xuanxin against the headboard, watching the carefree figure who had been reborn, and suddenly said, "Actually... you look better with your hair down."
Upon hearing this, Retsu Unohana paused slightly in her steps as she walked away.
She didn't turn around, but the braid hanging down her chest seemed to be gently swayed by the breeze in the corridor.
Then, without saying a word, she walked gracefully out of the ward, leaving only a faint fragrance lingering in the room.
Staring at the door closing again, Xuanxin stood there stunned for a long while. Remembering Yoruichi's words earlier, "Someone's helping you with team affairs," he suddenly realized what was happening and couldn't help but smile wryly.
It turns out that the two people Yoruichi who helped with the 11th Division's affairs were actually them!
In fact, to some extent, the fact that these two could reach such a wonderful "tacit understanding" to take care of him was something that Shihoin Genshin had never done before.
"There are long holidays, and people even help cover shifts... Actually, being hospitalized isn't so bad."
Xuanxin muttered something to himself, then sat cross-legged on the hospital bed, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate, carefully examining the condition of his body.
Upon seeing this, even though he was mentally prepared, Xuanxin still couldn't help but gasp inwardly!
Sure enough, after that extreme pressure that teetered on the brink of life and death, the Reiatsu within his body underwent a tremendous qualitative change!
Before encountering the bottleneck, although his Reiatsu was enormous, it was like water mist filling his body—impressive in appearance but lacking in substance.
Now, the water mist has completely disappeared! In its place is a long river of Reishi that has truly transformed into a "liquid" state!
These liquid Reiatsu flowed slowly through Xuanxin's limbs and bones, and their density and purity reached an astonishing level.
"Breaking through that hard shell, compressing power to its limit... is this the view after overcoming the bottleneck?"
Seeing this, Xuanxin nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that this near-death battle in the desert was definitely a profitable deal.
After confirming his physical condition, Xuanxin leaned back and began to enjoy his rare vacation time with a clear conscience.
However, Xuanxin, lying in his hospital bed, was unaware that the impact of his earth-shattering battle in the desert went far beyond the improvement of his personal strength.
For the other two people who witnessed the entire battle from the shadows and in the distance, Xuanxin's breakthrough was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for their respective theoretical research.
The Twelfth Division, the deepest laboratory in the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
Kisuke Urahara lowered the brim of his hat, looking at a set of encrypted observation data in his hand, his mind replaying the moment when Xuanxin broke free of his Reiatsu and transformed into a butterfly.
That power that transcended boundaries gave Kisuke Urahara an unprecedentedly firm belief in the theory he was researching.
Meanwhile, in another hidden basement, unknown to most people.
Sōsuke Aizen stood in the darkness, slowly removing his black-rimmed glasses. His deep eyes, too, couldn't conceal his curiosity and excitement about higher-dimensional power.
At this moment, both Kisuke Urahara and Sōsuke Aizen, having witnessed Xuanxin's breakthrough firsthand, became even more convinced of the significance of their respective research.
Inspired by the powerful flapping of the butterfly's wings, both of them strode confidently toward their research goals.
A few days later, Xuanxin was successfully discharged from the hospital.
Instead of going directly back to the Shihoin Clan, he put on his slightly yellowed haori and went to the First Division, located in the center of Seireitei, to report the good news to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
Inside the quiet room, the fragrance of sandalwood wafted gently.
Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai sat cross-legged at the head of the table, slightly opening his aged eyes to carefully examine the disciple who was bowing respectfully before him.
Under the old man's sharp gaze, he could clearly sense that Xuanxin, standing before him, although outwardly unchanged, possessed a sharpness that was completely different from before.
Seeing this, Captain-Commander Yamamoto stroked his long beard with satisfaction. Although he had always felt that Xuanxin was a bit of a womanizer in his private life, this disciple was indeed the most talented one in the entire Gotei 13.
Then the old man spoke up, "Indeed, it seems that after this battle, it's only a matter of time before you completely catch up with me."
"It's all thanks to Master's excellent teaching." Xuanxin bowed slightly, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto nodded, and after a moment of silence, suddenly changed the subject, posing a question that seemed to have nothing to do with training:
"Now that you've reached this level, Xuanxin, let me ask you: in your understanding, what is a truly peerless sword made of?"
Upon hearing this question, Xuanxin paused slightly, thought for a moment, and then answered seriously:
"Teacher, a peerless sword should consist of a sturdy and stable hilt and a sharp blade."
After hearing this answer, Captain-Commander Yamamoto slowly shook his head.
"You're right, but you're only right in part; you've forgotten the most important thing."
Upon hearing this, Xuanxin asked curiously, "Something important? What is it?"
Captain-Commander Yamamoto picked up the cane beside him and gently stroked it, his voice deep and resonant.
"A true fine sword, as you said, consists of a sturdy hilt and a sharp blade."
"However, it also needs a more discreet scabbard! You know, a blade without the protection of a scabbard, no matter how sharp, will eventually chip."
Upon hearing these words of instruction, Xuanxin's mind jolted, and he instantly understood the old man's good intentions.
"Does the teacher mean that I need to tone down my sharpness?" Xuanxin asked solemnly.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto then nodded and said, "That's right. Concealing your strength and playing it safe will be your new challenge. You must understand that only by learning to hide your edge can you unleash a more lethal strike when the time truly comes."
"I understand. Then, teacher, what should I do?"
Captain-Commander Yamamoto didn't say much, but slowly turned around, took out a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the bookcase behind him, placed them heavily in front of Xuanxin, and uttered two words:
Practice your calligraphy!
"..."
After a long silence, he picked up the heavy stack of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, obediently left the First Division, and returned home.
In the days that followed, Xuanxin, just as Yoruichi and Sister Hana had told him, began to comfortably enjoy his vacation.
There were no more mountains of documents from the 11th Division, and no more endless raiding missions.
Every morning, Xuanxin patiently practices calligraphy on Xuan paper, honing his invisible "scabbard" with each stroke.
On sunny afternoons, he would transform into a slender white cat and find the most comfortable spot on the grass in the courtyard to bask in the sun.
Furthermore, sometimes Yoruichi would use the excuse of "taking care of the sick at any time" to forcibly carry Xuanxin, who had transformed into a white cat, to the Second Division's barracks for "work."
At first, when the members of the Second Division saw their Commander-in-Chief sitting obediently at his desk with a cat, they thought their captain had finally changed his ways.
But soon, everyone realized with despair that their captain was still the same unreliable captain.
Now, every time Yoruichi manages to finish processing a document, she immediately uses her transformation technique to become a black cat and pounces on the lazy white cat to play around for a while.
Two cats, one black and one white, were jumping and chasing each other among the piles of documents, having a great time.
This resulted in the vice-captain Marechiyo Ōmaeda overtime every Yoruichi, not only failing to improve despite Yoruichi's claim of "starting to personally handle team affairs," but instead working even longer hours each day.
The official documents and files scattered throughout the room were often sent flying everywhere as the two cats chased and played, resembling a fierce blizzard.
Looking at the mess on the floor and the two cats running around the room, Marechiyo Ōmaeda dared not utter a single complaint, and could only let out endless howls in his heart.
And so, accompanied by the tragic background noise of Ōmaeda, and the carefree playful sounds of two cats, one black and one white, Xuanxin spent what could be described as the most pleasant month in his centuries-long life.