"I can't understand it!"
Saito Furofushi stared at Araki before her, her large eyes filled with endless confusion.
Clearly, ever since Araki had begun sparring with her, he had stood still without moving. So why, in the end, was she the only one feeling pain?!
Unfortunately, just how many floors a bag of rice could be carried up was a philosophical question. Saito did not know the answer, and Araki could not provide a real one either...
"Since you won't make a move, then I will!"
As he spoke, Araki drew the Zanpakuto at his waist.
"It's coming!"
At the sight, Saito Furofushi's eyes widened. Facing Araki's attack, she did not dare lower her guard in the slightest.
Then Saito Furofushi watched as Araki raised the Zanpakuto in his hand and stabbed it into his own thigh.
"Pfft—"
As countless sprays of blood burst from Araki's leg—
"Ah!! It hurts like hell!"
A miserable, agonized howl from Saito Furofushi rang out across the Swordsmanship Dojo.
At that moment, the phrase "the wound was on Araki's body, but the pain was in Saito's heart" was vividly and perfectly embodied!
"Heh heh..."
Araki seemed to have discovered something interesting. Holding the Zanpakuto embedded in his thigh, he forcefully twisted it, viciously turning it in a circle inside his leg.
"Urgh..."
In an instant, Saito Furofushi, who was experiencing Shared Sensation with Araki, rolled her eyes from the pain.
Seeing that Saito Furofushi was about to pass out from the pain, Araki hurriedly pulled the Zanpakuto from his thigh, deactivated the active ability of his Fullbring, Ever-Blooming Flower, and used the power of his own Zanpakuto, Ruriko, to heal the wound on his leg.
"Ha ha, hahahaha..."
"I understand! I finally understand!"
On the other side, once Araki voluntarily deactivated his Fullbring's ability, Saito finally recovered from the pain. Her lovely face was now covered in a sickly, ferocious smile...
No matter how unintelligent Saito was, at that moment, she finally understood the mechanism behind Araki's strange ability.
"You understand?"
Araki was slightly startled upon hearing that.
Even he had only just understood the power of his Fullbring. Saito had figured it out so quickly? Could it be that Saito had been hiding her true abilities all along, and her intelligence actually rivaled that of some slick-haired bastard, or perhaps some black-hearted shopkeeper?!
"Your ability exchanges the pain between us, right?"
"In other words, all the damage you suffer is pain that I have to bear!"
"And conversely, the pain I should feel when I'm injured is borne by you, right?!"
At that moment, wisdom gleamed in Saito Furofushi's eyes.
She raised the Zanpakuto in her hand and aimed it at her delicate little feet.
"No, wait..."
Seeing this, Araki instinctively spoke up to stop her.
"Hahahaha..."
"Too late! It's all too late!!"
As Saito Furofushi spoke, she pierced the top of her own foot with her Zanpakuto. Then, copying Araki's method, she gripped the hilt and twisted it hard...
"Pfft..."
At that moment, blood gushed from the top of Saito Furofushi's foot as though it were free, followed closely by bone-piercing pain. Yes, after being injured, the one in pain was still Saito Furofushi...
"Liar, you big liar..."
"You tricked me again!"
Saito Furofushi finally could not hold herself together any longer. Tear after tear, like pearls, pattered down from her eyes.
"Uh..."
Araki looked at Saito Furofushi, whom he had made break down all by herself, and was at a loss for words.
Still, he had to admit that, for one brief moment, he had actually believed Saito Furofushi had been hiding her true abilities all along. That really was his mistake.
Leaving everything else aside, thinking Saito Furofushi was too smart was absolutely Araki's mistake.
Saito Furofushi truly was not very bright. In fact, she was so foolish that it was almost adorable.
"Damn it!"
Saito Furofushi looked at her bleeding foot, her heart filled with extreme unwillingness!
She, Saito Furofushi, had come to lay down rules for Araki and establish her place in the family. So why was she the one getting hurt and having rules laid down for her instead?!
She refused to accept this! Saito Furofushi absolutely could not go back like this. As the dignified captain of the Sixth Division, she could not swallow such a loss!
"Araki, let me cut you once! Just once, how about it?"
Saito Furofushi walked up to Araki with a vicious grin and asked him.
"From the very beginning, I've been letting you attack me."
After hearing Saito Furofushi's words, Araki answered without changing expression.
"I mean, this time, don't activate that strange ability of yours. Just let me cut you properly once! After this cut, the two of us will be even..."
"I mean, after this cut, I'll never be angry with you again. I won't even be angry that the first thing you did after coming to the Seireitei wasn't to come find me!"
Holding her Zanpakuto, Saito Furofushi spoke earnestly to Araki.
"Mm, all right~"
Araki did not hesitate for long before directly agreeing to Saito Furofushi's request.
Anyway, he had more or less tested his Fullbring's healing ability. Next, it was time to test his resistance to damage.
"Good!"
Seeing Araki agree without the slightest hesitation, Saito felt warmth in her heart. She knew Araki was still the Araki she knew so well!
With that thought, Saito drew her Zanpakuto and slashed at Araki's right shoulder...
Saito knew that Araki's Zanpakuto possessed powerful healing abilities. This strike would not cause Araki much harm.
"Whoosh!"
As a flash of cold light passed, Saito's blade did indeed cut through Araki's shoulder, and Saito did not feel any pain coming from her own shoulder...
But the problem was, she had not cut Araki at all!
Though it looked as though her blade had truly passed through Araki's shoulder, the instant his shoulder came into contact with her Zanpakuto, it turned into a mass of strange mist, allowing her blade to pass directly through.
"Are you satisfied now? See? I didn't activate that ability from before."
Just as Saito stared blankly at her strike, Araki, who had turned into thick mist, gathered back into human form behind her.
"Damn it!"
Upon hearing this, Saito instinctively turned around and slashed at Araki's shoulder once more.
"It hurts!"
In an instant, pain once again flooded Saito's mind.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't activate your ability?"
Saito's face twisted as she looked at Araki and asked.
"I said I wouldn't activate it for that strike. I never said I wouldn't activate it for this one!"
After hearing Saito's words, Araki calmly explained.
"Aaaaaah..."
Saito let out an enraged scream. Then, she instinctively lifted her foot and stomped hard on the ground.
The next second, a numb, stinging pain spread throughout Saito's entire body...
Yes, Saito had almost forgotten that the wound on her foot had not healed yet~
"You're bullying me! I'm not playing anymore!"
With that, Saito cursed furiously at Araki with bloodshot eyes, then limped out of the 11th Division.
"Your foot is still injured. Let me treat it!"
Seeing that he had angered Saito into leaving, Araki knew he had teased her too far and immediately tried to stop her.
"No need!"
Saito did not stay. Without looking back, she left the 11th Division Barracks.
"Tsk, I took that joke too far this time~"
Watching Saito leave, Araki could not help scratching his head as his temples began aching again.
"Did you all see that?"
"Of course we did..."
"I have to say, Captain Araki was simply... so cool!"
"He's simply a role model for us all!"
"Even Saito Furofushi, that so-called tyrant, couldn't do anything to Captain Araki!"
"I admit it. Captain Araki is the undisputed captain of our Gotei 13, 11th Division!"
As Saito Furofushi departed, the 11th Division members whom she had beaten up all looked at the frustrated Saito and the calm, composed Araki. One after another, they began worshipping Araki as though he were an idol. At that moment, Araki had become the captain the 11th Division members truly acknowledged in their hearts.
The world had suffered under Saito Furofushi for far too long!
Even Araki himself did not know that he had won over the hearts of these division members so easily~
"I'm far too weak..."
Elsewhere, after Saito Furofushi left the Gotei 13, 11th Division Barracks, she looked at the already healed wound on the top of her foot and understood perfectly well that, in the end, Araki had still helped her.
Saito Furofushi knew that Araki had held back during their exchange. It could even be said that he had gone easy on her, yet the one who lost in the end was still her...
You never knew how great the gap was until you compared yourselves. Her strength was truly far too inferior to Araki's!
"I need to become stronger. At the very least, I can't be weaker than that awful woman Unohana, or I won't be fit to stand by Araki's side!"
"Araki, just wait for me. I'll be back..."
With those words in her heart, Saito vanished from the street.
On that day, Saito Furofushi longed for strength! She wanted to become stronger! At the very least, stronger than Unohana, then take Araki back from that awful woman Unohana! She, Saito Furofushi, had been there first...
Perhaps even Araki did not realize that, on that day, the Seireitei had begun to grow fiercely competitive because of him!
But Araki had something even more important to do now. Just moments ago, Unohana had awakened.
Fourth update! So, brothers, was that enough? Also, please send some recommendation votes!
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