I Suspect I'm an Undercover Agent

Kyōsuke Kuchiki made a mental note of it. It might come in handy someday.

As he pondered this, Kyōsuke Kuchiki swung his right hand, and Dijiang instantly slashed into the Adjuchas's corpse. "Let me purify your sins."

A Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto could purify sins, but only those committed after death, without conscious awareness.

Sins committed knowingly while alive could not be purified.

Thus, those who had committed heinous crimes in life would not return to Soul Society after being purified. Instead, they would be dragged into Hell to suffer eternal torment.

As powerful Reiatsu poured into the Adjuchas's corpse, it rapidly turned into Reishi. Its body disintegrated, no longer able to maintain its original form.

Now that Aizen had seen the corpse, Kyōsuke Kuchiki had accomplished his objective.

If the people from Soul Society took the Adjuchas's corpse back, Aizen would surely use it as a research sample.

It was better to destroy it on the spot.

"Beautiful purification!" Retsu Unohana's eyes lit up.

The boy's Reiatsu was so pure. He seemed stronger than last time.

What terrifying talent.

As she thought this, Retsu Unohana, her hair in a braid, bowed to the group. "Sorry, we're late!"

"This was a failure on our Fifth Division's part. It had nothing to do with your Fourth Division."

Aizen bowed even deeper in apology. "Sōsuke was careless. I'm sorry, everyone!"

Watching this, Kyōsuke Kuchiki's gaze flickered, and he sighed inwardly. He knows when to yield and when to stand tall, and his acting is superb. As expected of the future archvillain.

"So Kyōsuke Kuchiki dealt with this Adjuchas all by himself!"

After hearing their reports, Retsu Unohana reacted strongly. She suddenly stopped and looked at Kyōsuke Kuchiki in a daze.

Seeming to sense Retsu Unohana's fighting spirit, Kyōsuke Kuchiki smiled faintly and released a little killing intent to oppose it, unwilling to back down.

Seeing this, Kiyōnosuke Yamada, who was following behind her, couldn't help asking,

"Captain Unohana? What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"...No, it's nothing."

Retsu Unohana slowly shook her head, her gaze growing very complicated as she looked at Kyōsuke Kuchiki.

In the instant their eyes had met, she had actually sensed a hint of danger.

Her slumbering battle instincts had also awakened in an instant!

If she were the same demon she had been a thousand years ago!

She would probably have drawn her Zanpakuto and attacked by now!

Retsu Unohana knew better than anyone what that meant.

The boy before her was already far stronger than an ordinary captain!

The aura of Reiatsu he had released when activating his Shikai alone had made her feel that her life was in danger!

That was why her battle instincts had kicked in immediately, making her want to resist without even thinking...

Realizing this, Retsu Unohana couldn't help swallowing.

If she weren't in the Fourth Division, she would have loved to have a proper match with him.

Unfortunately, she couldn't act rashly now.

When a better opportunity came...

Perhaps she could become a fine whetstone.

Or perhaps... the one to deliver the boy's deathblow!

"Hm?"

Noticing that Retsu Unohana's gaze was growing more intense,

Kyōsuke Kuchiki found it a little hard to bear.

Her gaze was now blazing, like burning blood.

The Fourth Division Captain, usually as poised and calm as a Yamato nadeshiko, even licked her lips, whether deliberately or not, looking excited.

"..."

His heart skipped a beat.

No way!

But as someone who knew the original story, Kyōsuke Kuchiki naturally knew she had taken a liking to him.

Not that kind of liking, of course. She had taken a liking to his fighting ability.

??

She wanted a fight to the death with him, one that would "decide both the victor and who lived or died."

To be honest, Kyōsuke Kuchiki had a very good impression of Retsu Unohana.

After all, she was a flower of slaughter blooming on the battlefield, and she was quite charming.

It was just that her peculiar, self-sacrificing nature was a major problem.

If he couldn't truly win this beauty over, it was best not to approach her rashly, or he would only end up hurting her.

Fortunately, Retsu Unohana returned to her usual self the next second and smiled gently.

Aizen's eyes flickered at the sight, and he seemed to have thought of something, but he merely praised Kyōsuke Kuchiki's strength:

"Young Master Kuchiki, your talent is truly extraordinary. It puts someone like me, who has no talent for fighting, to shame."

"Student Kuchiki, Student Ichimaru."

At that moment, Retsu Unohana spread out her spiritual senses to examine where they stood and asked in a gentle voice,

"Neither of you is hurt, I hope?"

"Thank you for your concern. I'm perfectly unharmed."

Kyōsuke Kuchiki's tone was very polite.

Gin Ichimaru, standing beside him, nodded with a smile.

"Thanks to Young Master Kuchiki stepping in, I'm completely fine."

"Ah, but a few people were struck by the Adjuchas's Reiatsu. They're unconscious."

"Could I trouble you to take me to them, Student Ichimaru?"

Hearing that, Retsu Unohana spoke up immediately.

"Certainly. Please follow me."

Gin Ichimaru turned and left. As Retsu Unohana followed, she spoke to Aizen.

"Lieutenant Aizen, we'll be going on ahead. I'll leave the situation here to you."

Chapter 29: I Suspect I'm an Undercover Agent

Retsu Unohana soon led her squad members in a search for the remaining Soul Reaper trainees.

The group that had stayed with the stationed Soul Reapers was doing relatively well; they had only been struck by the powerful Reiatsu.

The experience was both a trial and an opportunity for them.

What they had witnessed in that single hour was more than Soul Reapers who had served for a century had even heard of.

Having survived this ordeal, they had strengthened their resolve and broadened their horizons, making it easier for them to rise to the rank of Seated Officer than ordinary Soul Reapers.

After some brief treatment, the Soul Reaper trainees resting in the houses were largely fine.

The Soul Reaper trainees who had run too far away when the fighting first began would require a careful search.

The group headed toward the center of the battlefield to make sure no wounded were left behind.

Retsu Unohana remained relatively composed as she looked at the traces the fighting had left along the way.

After all, she had already sensed how dangerous Kyōsuke Kuchiki was at close range.

Everything before her merely confirmed her suspicions.

The Fourth Division members who had come along were not nearly as calm.

When they stepped onto the black dust covering the ground, snowlike yet not snow, some of them immediately looked disgusted.

"What exactly is this powder?"

"Why does it feel so unpleasant?"

Hearing them, Retsu Unohana answered calmly without looking back.

"Hollow dust."

Retsu Unohana had been a Soul Reaper for a thousand years and had seen a great deal.

She knew not only that this dust was what remained when Hollows died.

Retsu Unohana also knew that the sands of Hueco Mundo's desert were all made of spiritual power like this.

And the original Hollow desert had been created by the Soul King alone.

The Soul King had slain far more than a million Menos Grande!

"You have keen senses, Captain Unohana."

Gin Ichimaru smiled and glanced back at her.

"Not at all. I've simply seen a lot."

As Retsu Unohana finished speaking, the squad members behind her froze.

"...Huh?"

"Captain, are you sure?"

Even Lieutenant Kiyōnosuke Yamada was taken aback.

The drifting black snow had blanketed almost the entire expanse of ground in sight!

It was at least three or four centimeters deep!

"Captain, if this is Hollow dust, how many Hollows had to be killed to make it?"

Even Kiyōnosuke Yamada, who usually cared only about his patients, couldn't help growing curious.

"...I can't say for sure."

Retsu Unohana paused briefly, then shook her head.

"At least a double-digit number."

"A dozen or so Gillians at the very least wouldn't leave a layer of dust this thick."

"Am I right, Student Ichimaru?"

"You are, but not quite."

Gin Ichimaru raised an eyebrow.

"It wasn't at least a dozen or so. It was at least several dozen."

The squad members froze the moment he said it.

"Student Ichimaru... you're joking, right?"

"No matter how strong that kid is, he couldn't have wiped out dozens of Gillians in the few minutes it took us to come and support him!"

"That would make him about as strong as Captain Genryūsai, wouldn't it?"

Even Kiyōnosuke Yamada, who had always held Retsu Unohana in the highest regard and trusted her completely, looked doubtful.

"What do you think, Captain Unohana?"

"That boy's aura didn't feel all that powerful."

"Several dozen Gillians... Isn't that a bit too much?"

"Heh heh."