Ten Unohana's Influence

Soul Society

Yoruichi stared blankly at the information before her, recalling the question she had just asked Retsu Unohana. So this was the reason behind Big Brother Ten's actions.

But why didn't you tell me? Was it just because you were going to Hueco Mundo? Just because you had some Hollow traits?

Yoruichi wasn't afraid!

Yoruichi wept as she thought of every moment she had spent with Ten Unohana, from the first time she saw him, to the last time, when she had called him a bastard in anger, to the heart-wrenching longing she felt now.

"Big Brother Ten!" Yoruichi cried.

The Shiba Clan

Kūkaku Shiba and Kaien Shiba stared blankly at Isshin Shiba, unable to speak for a long time. At last, Kūkaku stammered, "Then you're saying Ten Unohana was the next captain?"

Isshin Shiba nodded. "It was already settled. He was to be the next captain of the 11th Division. Even his Captain's Haori was ready. But who could have imagined..."

The reactions elsewhere were much the same...

Aizen: "He killed six captains and still managed to escape??"

Nanao Ise, Mashiro Kuna, Lisa Yadōmaru, Hiyori Sarugaki and the other students at Shin'ō Academy each had thoughts of their own.

Isane Kotetsu had watched Rangiku cry for days, until her eyes were swollen. Retsu Unohana, meanwhile, had shut herself in her room and hadn't come out.

In short, the news seemed to have left all of Soul Society somewhat shaken. An eerie atmosphere hung everywhere.

Compared with Soul Society, things were simple for Ten Unohana after he reached Hueco Mundo: kill, kill, kill. Ten felt as though Shasha had devoured his will, but the seal preserved a last shred of clarity, and he used that last shred to sustain his slaughter.

At some unknown point,

The markings on the Hollow mask on Ten Unohana's face began to multiply, and the shape of the mask slowly began to change as well.

Time flew. Caught up in slaughter, Ten Unohana paid no attention to the changes in the Hollow mask on his face.

"Roar—"

After killing an unknown number of Gillians, Ten Unohana let out a long roar. His mask fully took shape: a white demon face with red markings and fangs. More importantly, his Hollowfication began spreading downward. In other words, besides his Hollow mask, a Hollow shell was gradually beginning to appear on his body, though it had only appeared on his upper body...

Just then...

"Die!"

Suddenly, a woman's sharp cry came from behind Ten Unohana. At the same time, a Zanpakuto stabbed straight through his back and chest, its blood-soaked tip emerging in front of him. Ten slashed backward, but the blade was swiftly withdrawn, and the person behind him dodged his strike.

Ten Unohana looked down at the wound in his chest. White substance rapidly welled out of it, and before long, the injury healed. High-Speed Regeneration.

Ten Unohana looked at his attacker. She wore a dress, a short suspender skirt and black boots, with a bone-needle ornament-shaped mask on the left side of her head.

"Cirucci Sanderwicci?!" Ten Unohana said in a hostile tone.

Cirucci ignored Ten Unohana's hostile tone and said proudly, "That's right, it's me. Didn't expect a Vasto Lorde like me to come and kill a little small fry like you personally, did you?"

"Roar—" Ten Unohana roared impatiently and rushed forward, his Zanpakuto aimed at Cirucci.

"Lacerate, Golondrina!"

Ten Unohana held his Zanpakuto upright, facing Golondrina head-on, and then—

Ten Unohana passed straight through Cirucci's Golondrina without hindrance, and then...

"Aah—"

Ten Unohana chewed the mask in his mouth and looked at the piece he had bitten out of Cirucci's mask. "A bit player should know her place," he said coldly. "If you weren't a woman, you wouldn't even qualify to be my Fracción. With your strength? Far too weak. You should feel honored to be my first. You'll be glad of it someday."

"Aah—" Cirucci screamed, but it was too late. Ten Unohana had already swallowed the piece of her mask, and the Fracción contract was formed!

What Cirucci didn't know was that, in the future, she really would be grateful for her luck that day, for meeting Ten Unohana and becoming his Fracción. But right now she hated him to death. Even so, she didn't dare make a move against him anymore. After all, her future advancement depended on him, distant as that advancement might be.

"Hmph. Follow me from now on, and you'll have reason to be happy."

Hearing Ten Unohana's words, Cirucci said tearfully, "I'll be happy?! A Vasto Lorde ranked higher than me will soon come to take care of you. Your wholesale slaughter of Gillians has already alerted Las Noches. Emperor Baraggan sent me to deal with it."

Ten Unohana said in surprise, "Wholesale slaughter? Does what I'm doing even count? Adjuchas drop back to Gillian level if they don't slaughter, you know. Don't they slaughter more than I do?"

"It's different. You're not an Adjuchas, after all, and Vasto Lorde aren't allowed to slaughter Gillians in the Forest of Menos. But you're not a Vasto Lorde either, so... Though now you look a bit like an Adjuchas..."

Cirucci looked at Ten Unohana's body. His upper body was now covered in a Hollow shell. Though it covered only his upper body, it was still there, so he didn't match the characteristics of a Vasto Lorde. He did look a little like an Adjuchas, though.

Ten Unohana looked at the Hollow shell on his body and asked Cirucci, "Then can you still tell the difference between me and other Adjuchas?"

Cirucci shook her head. Ten Unohana said, "So they won't be able to find me?"

Cirucci nodded excitedly. "Yes! Doesn't that mean we're saved?"

But...

"Go lure the Hollows ranked above you who want to kill me here. Once I kill them, I can advance."

Ten Unohana's icy voice sent Cirucci's heart plummeting. But as his Fracción, she had no other choice. She would lure them over and see how things went. If things really went badly, she would join in too. Otherwise, if Ten died, Cirucci's rank would fall rapidly.

With no other choice, Cirucci did as Ten Unohana said and went to bring over Hollows ranked higher than herself for him to use in his advancement. She comforted herself: It'll be fine. The two of us will definitely be fine. We're both so strong. Cirucci only thought this way because she didn't know just how strong Ten really was.

Bringing over a Hollow ranked higher than Cirucci was simple. Arrogante Baraggan had already ordered the destruction of Ten Unohana, that strange fake "Vasto Lorde." He wasn't as strong as a Vasto Lorde, yet he had strangely become an Arrancar, something only a Vasto Lorde could do. So Arrogante had given the order to kill this "Vasto Lorde," Ten Unohana. Of course, the Skull Emperor didn't know his name and had only described his appearance. But Ten's appearance had changed by now, so as long as Cirucci spoke up, a Hollow ranked higher than her would come quickly.

And then...

Cirucci stared blankly as Ten Unohana killed his opponent in a single blow. She had prepared for a long fight, but she had only just attacked when Ten killed both the Hollow ranked above her and her own attack in a single strike.

Ten Unohana shook the blood from his blade. "A Vasto Lorde that hasn't become an Arrancar isn't very strong, after all."

What Ten Unohana didn't know was that it was very difficult for a Hollow to become an Arrancar. In the world of Bleach, before Aizen used the Hōgyoku, only two Hollows, the Skull Emperor Baraggan and Starrk, had become complete Arrancar.

Ten Unohana's waist bent slightly of its own accord. He looked back, feeling that the tail on his Hollow shell should be about to emerge, and said to Cirucci, "Go again!"

But Cirucci said, "I can't this time. If I go again, they'll get suspicious. How about I take you to find Vasto Lorde and Adjuchas instead?"

"Mm, let's go!" Ten Unohana said impatiently, his body leaning forward. He wasn't quite used to it.

"Yes," Cirucci said, hurrying after him.

And so the two began a journey of slaughter through Hueco Mundo.

"Spare her. Let's find another," Ten Unohana told Cirucci, sparing a female Adjuchas after killing more than ten Adjuchas and one Vasto Lorde.

Cirucci looked at Ten Unohana in surprise. Was it because the Hollow was female? She thought so, but showed nothing on her face and answered, "Understood."

As the slaughter continued, time slowly passed.

"Rrraaugh—" A Hollow stood atop another, grievously wounded Vasto Lorde. It was very strange,

Because, judging by its appearance, that Hollow wasn't even an Adjuchas. Its entire body was covered in a thick Hollow shell, marked all over with fearsome blood-red patterns. A pair of razor-sharp wings spread from its back, and its hands and feet had long since turned into scaled claws. A long tail swayed powerfully behind it. Its Hollow mask had a demon's face, fangs and blood-red markings, while a pair of imposing, powerful dragon horns stood tall on its head. Ink-black Reiatsu surrounded its entire body.

It held a scythe in one hand and a Zanpakuto like a work of art in the other.

A closer look revealed them to be none other than the Poppy Scythe and the Blade of Slaughter.

That Hollow was Ten Unohana, now completely covered by a Hollow shell. He had also successfully evolved into a Hollow in its complete form.

"Roar!"

Ten Unohana roared involuntarily and plunged the Blade of Slaughter in his hand into the Vasto Lorde beneath his feet, absorbing it.

Even now, Cirucci lowered her head in fear at the sight. Though she had seen Ten Unohana devour others many times, she still trembled with fear every time. A Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande was devoured completely and reduced to nothing in the blink of an eye. It was enough to leave even Cirucci, his Fracción, in constant dread.

"Roar, what's going on? Why isn't my strength increasing? Why won't the mask break?" Ten Unohana's words were already somewhat slurred. The prolonged slaughter had left him surrounded by Hollow energy for a long time. Although his sealed Soul Reaper powers kept him lucid, the prolonged exposure to Hollow energy still had a great effect on him.

Cirucci listened as Ten Unohana pondered...