Jun and Zaraki sat on the ground, with Yachiru leaning on Zaraki's shoulder.
"Zaraki, I heard you believe that as long as you're strong enough, the Shikai of a sword don't really matter, right?"
"Isn't that it?" Zaraki scratched his face, looking impatient. He didn't like long-winded conversations, especially listening to others, but he couldn't beat Jun, so he had to admit defeat.
"To be precise, there's nothing wrong with that, but if that's the case, your sword won't Shikai," Jun said with a slightly mocking smile. "You're such an insincere guy. For such a large size, this kind of personality is disgusting."
"Huh!?"
"It's true. Of course, I admit it's incredibly shameful for a grown man to open up to another man, but if you can't even open up to yourself, then it's really unacceptable, isn't it?"
Zaraki frowned, looking conflicted. "I didn't do that! I would never hide anything from myself!"
Is that so?
"Ah!"
What if you didn't realize it?
"Huh~?"
Chun got up and started walking around. Since asking Zaraki to come out wasn't a decision made long ago, it was a bit difficult for Chun to think and talk at the same time.
"To put it another way, this is an immature statement. These four attributes can actually reveal a person's personality. For example, a person with Reiatsu has a strong aura and a very strong presence."
"People with strong Spiritual Reach are more empathetic and willing to understand others, which makes them popular. People with strong Spiritual Flow are sensitive, especially in personality. Because of their strong perception, they think quickly and tend to overthink. In Zaraki, you are very sensitive, even in combat, right?"
"And what about Spiritual Sensitivity? People with high Spiritual Sensitivity are good at prudence and self-reflection. They are also more assertive in their self-awareness. In fact, people with high Spiritual Sensitivity are unlikely to be weak in the other three attributes, because people like me will consciously examine their own weaknesses and then work to make up for them."
"And you," Chun said, pointing directly at Kenpachi, "Your Spiritual Sensitivity is too low. You're the kind of person who's bad at self-examination, but your Spiritual Flow is very strong. You have this powerful sensitivity to many things, so your biggest problem isn't how you deal with others, it's that you can't find your own problems."
Zaraki looked at Jun, then around, clicked his tongue, and scratched the back of his neck. "Tsk~ Ah~, even if it's the same as you said, what should I do?"
With a confident smile, he said, "So the question now is, your sensitivity, your thoughts, are you willing to believe me? Believe that I want to cultivate you to a level you can't even imagine! Hmm~?"
"Huh~?", Zaraki looked completely bewildered.
"You've sought help from others before," Jun said frankly, sitting down. "You had the Captain-Commander teach you, right? But you found Zanjutsu and such tiring and troublesome, didn't you? Or was there another reason?"
"Tsk~, that's because of the old man's Zanjutsu. So-called solemnity and reverence, it's boring and doesn't even make sense. The Zanjutsu of the Reihei is much better."
"That's it! It's not that you don't want to become stronger. Now that you've joined the Gotei 13, you know where your problem lies. You're still weak compared to the other captains, right?"
Zaraki nodded reluctantly, then smiled happily. "But your problem is different from others! They have a certain self-awareness, but you don't. Actually, you're just a pretty carefree and clueless person, you know?"
"For example, you like fighting. Have you ever thought about why you like fighting?"
Zaraki looked completely bewildered. "Does this kind of thing even need to be thought about? It's innate!"
"No, no, no," Chun mysteriously shook his finger. "Nothing in this world happens without a reason. Even your nature must be caused by some trait of yours. You and that Ikkaku Madarame both love to fight. Your Spiritual Flow is very strong, but your Spiritual Sensitivity is also very low. Other Soul Reaper like this also love to fight. Why is that?"
Zaraki reflection, Yachiru, "Why, Jun-chan?"
"Because your Spiritual Sensitivity is too low, you can't feel yourself! But in the heat of battle, in the extreme situation of life and death, your powerful ability to perceive others allows you to sense your opponent's feelings towards you, all sorts of feelings."
"Why do you all love fighting?!" Chun asked, her voice filled with fervor and inflammatory rhetoric, before adding, "It's because only in the midst of battle can you experience that sense of self! That release of all your emotions! It's something you don't possess yourself; you can only feel it from your enemies!"
Zaraki was stunned, then a wide grin spread across his face. "That's it! That's why I love fighting! Hehehe~ The feeling of fighting is the best!! They'll be afraid! They'll be confused! And there are people as excited as I am! That's it!!"
"That's true! But here's the problem," Chun's words calmed Zaraki down a bit, "What you experience in the fighting isn't truly yours, and in the midst of fighting, it's rare for anyone to break through their own limits, and you're unlikely to experience that kind of breakthrough yourself. Besides, what's someone else's breakthrough might not be the breakthrough you need."
"For example, if I were fighting and I broke through to a higher level, I would definitely choose to break through to the Kidō. You can sense this feeling, but you can't understand it because you don't understand the Kidō at all. Do you understand? Think about all the battles you've fought, think about your battle with Ikkaku Madarame! His breakthrough!"
Zaraki pondered carefully, and then he seemed to have an epiphany. "I think I've found the feeling of breaking through to the Ikkaku. Could it be that the breakthrough of the Ikkaku is different from mine?"
"Of course it's different! Zaraki! You are unique! You are the most special! Only I can help you! There might be one or two people in the Zero Division who can help you, but you're not worth the Captain-Commander asking the Zero Division for help."
Zaraki scratched his chest helplessly, "Then what should I do?"
So here's the question: do you believe me?
Zaraki continued scratching his chest, smacking his lips, "Uh..."
Zaraki was conflicted. Jun, seeing this, knew things weren't going to work, so he said, "Let's have a fight, come on!"
Jun beckoned with his hand, Zaraki grinned, "Are you serious!?"
Chun didn't answer, but continued to beckon. Gengmu laughed Zaraki, got up and moved away. Then he saw Chun still sitting there. "What are you doing?"
Chun's lips curled into a dangerous smile as she beckoned again, "Come on! If you can help me stand up, I'll naturally stand up."
In an instant, an immense Reiatsu descended from Zaraki. He immediately removed his eyepatch, because Jun was a veteran captain, a hero of Soul Society, and one of the recognized strongest warriors in Soul Society.
Zaraki leaned forward, his long sword resting on his shoulder, and activated Shunpo.
This is Zaraki's most frequently used starting stance. He is tall, has long arms and a long sword, and possesses immense strength and Reiatsu, giving him a huge inherent advantage in this type of frontal slash. However...
"Clear vision and clear mind, like my own form and the form of others, let your light shine! Understand! The Pure Heart Bodhi Light!"
Jun merely raised his sword an inch from its sheath, and the intense light blocked Zaraki's incoming strike. A strong, soft, materialized light emanated from the blade extending outwards from the sheath around Zaraki. However, to Zaraki, who was coated in this light, it was like a gel, and he couldn't penetrate it no matter what he did.
"Ah~!" Zaraki his body, and the blood vessels on his head were clearly visible. His Reiatsu increased again and again.
However, Chun's sword began to be pulled out again. Three inches, half a foot, three feet long—only a third of the sword had been drawn out—and the size of the aura suddenly doubled, forcefully pushing Zaraki away.
This action forced Zaraki to use his ultimate technique, Zanjutsu, the only thing he had learned from Yamamoto. The Reiatsu increased again the moment Zaraki gripped his swords, actually managing to suppress the aura somewhat.
Jun, unhurriedly, drew his sword two feet from its sheath, and the aura suddenly shot out again, plowing two deep furrows in the ground beneath Zaraki's feet. With a flick of his wrist and a shake of his shoulder, Jun twisted his left hand, which was gripping the sheath, outward, drawing the entire sword. The powerful aura instantly expanded violently, Zaraki flying.
Zaraki got up and saw Jun completely enveloped in a halo five or six meters in diameter, pure and inviolable. Then Jun sheathed his sword, and the halo dissipated.
Zaraki returned, his face grim. Jun smiled faintly. "Is this what you call a fight? What can you possibly sense from me?"
When asked about the question, Zaraki lowered his head and chose the samurai stance, the kind of kneeling position with knees spread apart. He placed his hands on his knees and lowered his body as much as possible, his forehead almost touching the ground.
Please teach me!
Get up~
After Jun waited for Zaraki to get up, he beckoned to Yachiru. Yachiru ran over and was picked up by Jun. Jun teased little Yachiru and asked Zaraki with a smile.
"Hey~ Zaraki, why do you only allow this child to be close to you? Why do you only let this child climb on you? Why, having seen so many babies, did you only pick up Yachiru?"
"Uh," Zaraki scratched his head, "Because I felt she was special, like we had a special connection."
"Then why did you pick up that knife back then? You had nothing to do with that incident, so why did you try to steal it?"
It was a long time ago, Zaraki racked his brains, looking at the long sword placed on his lap, gently stroking the blade, "Because I felt I needed this sword."
"In the midst of your long battles, you must have had occasional moments of enlightenment. You were reflecting on yourself, on the sword, and that's when you met this child," Jun revealed the truth. Suddenly, Zaraki's head throbbed with pain. Jun pushed Yachiru forward and continued, "Why is this child named Yachiru? It's your own wish, your own aspiration. Why would you entrust your hopes to a child you don't even know?"
"I... I... ah~!" Zaraki clutched his head, his eyes blazing with fury as he watched Yachiru approach.
Yachiru smiled and held out her small hand to Zaraki, "Ken-chan~, Yachiru will always be Ken-chan's Yachiru ~, hehehe, so~, Ken-chan~ remember my real name too!"
Then the little girl transformed into a phantom and entered Zaraki's sword. Zaraki's veins bulged all over his body, and he gripped his head so hard that it bled. His Reiatsu began to become unstable.
Pure whispered in this state
"Think back to how you felt back then, that afternoon, that wilderness. Why did you search for your knife? Why did you seize your sword? Because it was yours! It was you! It represented your destiny!"
"You were born on the battlefield, and you died on the battlefield! That sword! Remained on the battlefield! Exposed to wind and rain! Exposed to sun and night! Day after day, year after year! She waits for you, and you wait for her too!"
"Ahhh!" Zaraki roared, leaning back in his arms.
"Wandering souls on the battlefield! Devouring demons of life! Devour! Nozarashi!"
The mottled Nodachi had transformed into a massive, deadly axe blade, standing silently on the ground. The blade alone was about 1.3 to 1.4 meters long, roughly the same length as Zaraki's previous blade. The base of the blade extended about 20 centimeters beyond the axe spine (the wider side), which connected to a more than one-meter-long, bandaged handle. The entire axe blade was taller than a person.
"Nozarashi suits your name very well," Chun said with a smile.
Zaraki gripped the handle, looked at his Shikai, and remained silent.
"Now it depends on whether you can become your dream, your Yachiru," Jun said, touching the blade. "By the way, with your Reiatsu, an ordinary blade would definitely be Shikai immediately upon reaching your hands. But this sword can maintain a semi -Shikai state for a long time, which means your Reiatsu is nothing special to her. Right now, don't try to communicate with her easily, don't try to release it easily. You're not qualified yet."
Zaraki suddenly revealed a broken smile, "Just how strong is she!?"
Jun is also somewhat broken, "Stronger than you can imagine!"