Urahara: So feelings can disappear, right?!

On the open ground outside the 11th Division's kendo dojo.

With a flash of brilliant silver, Chōjirō Sasakibe was once again cut down by Unohana Retsu and fell to the ground…

"Sigh…"

Araki, who spent his days shirking responsibilities and constantly finding new ways to be lazy, couldn't help but sigh.

"Seriously, can you even do this, Sasakibe?!"

At this moment, Araki, as usual, leaned against the window of the 11th Division Captain's Office, which was there for ventilation, looking out and shaking his head.

Chōjirō Sasakibe wasn't Ryu Terui; why did he always have to make Araki worry if he could actually handle it?!

Cough, cough…

There was no denying it; the sight of Araki's dear friend Sasakibe, cut down like that, was truly pitiful…

After a period of intense fighting between Sasakibe and Unohana Retsu!

Sasakibe's meticulously groomed gray pompadour, which he took time to perfect every morning no matter how busy he was, was now covered in disgusting bloodstains. His normally neat short gray hair was matted and curled from the blood, making him look incredibly disheveled!

Not only that, the haori shirt Sasakibe was so proud of, always keeping it clean and spotless, was now dyed black and red with blood…

Even Chōjirō Sasakibe himself wasn't sure if the blood staining his haori was his own or from Unohana Retsu's Zanpakuto.

As for whether any of the blood was Unohana Retsu's, Chōjirō Sasakibe never dared to imagine, because to this day, his blade had never even touched Unohana Retsu's body, not even once!

At this moment, Sasakibe looked nothing like his usual gentlemanly self; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he looked like a beggar who had come from who knows where.

"Though I don't want to admit it! The difference in power is truly immense!"

"So immense that even if I fought Unohana Retsu a hundred more times, I would still be the one to lose!"

"Heh, one can only say that Captain Unohana truly lives up to her reputation as the woman who founded the Gotei 13, 11th Division, and created the name Kenpachi! Her strength is truly unattainable, with no end in sight~"

"So, Araki, you who defeated such a terrifying existence as Unohana, just how high have you reached?!"

Lying in a pool of blood, Sasakibe looked at Unohana's figure, which resembled an asura Valkyrie, and let out a series of helpless sighs. Despite giving his all at this moment, he couldn't even touch the hem of Unohana Retsu's clothes! For Sasakibe, who had just stepped into the threshold of a Captain-class Soul Reaper, it was still an unreachable, overwhelming power…

And Sasakibe knew in his heart that if Unohana Retsu didn't possess this level of strength, she wouldn't have been able to found the Gotei 13, 11th Division, and create the name 'Kenpachi' all by herself! At the same time, Sasakibe was incredibly shocked by the true strength of Araki, who had defeated Unohana! Sasakibe knew in his heart that Araki, who had just fought him, had been holding back…

"Sasakibe, is this truly your limit?!"

Compared to Chōjirō Sasakibe, who was panting heavily while lying in a pool of blood, Unohana Retsu, holding her sword in one hand, looked much more relaxed. Yes, Unohana Retsu had effortlessly cut Sasakibe down to the ground.

It had to be said, the gap between Sasakibe and Unohana was truly enormous! So much so that Unohana Retsu hadn't even had a satisfying fight, or even completed her warm-up, before Sasakibe was already down…

"At least force out the hidden blade in my left hand before you lie down, alright?!"

Unohana Retsu looked at Sasakibe, who was still on the ground, with a hint of pity in her eyes.

Yes, Sasakibe's weakness was so profound that it made Unohana Retsu feel a slight touch of pity.

In reality, Unohana Retsu was not a swordsman who fought with only one hand. Hidden within her left sleeve was a hidden blade that could be used as a projectile weapon!

Unohana Retsu, you see, was not some 'pure' swordsman~

Unohana Retsu was a person born for battle, not for the sword. In Unohana Retsu's view: "'Swords' are not so inconvenient a thing?!"

As long as it could win against an opponent, be it a hidden blade or the sword in her hand, Unohana Retsu would use it without any hesitation…

And the reason why Unohana Retsu hadn't used her hidden blade when dealing with Araki and Sasakibe…

Was because when dealing with Araki, Unohana simply didn't have time to pull out the hidden blade from her left hand; any slight distraction would have been enough to cause her defeat.

And when Unohana Retsu was dealing with Sasakibe, she also didn't have time to pull out the hidden blade from her left hand!

However, unlike when Unohana dealt with Araki…

When Unohana dealt with Sasakibe, it wasn't because her battle with Sasakibe was so intense that she couldn't afford to be distracted to use the hidden blade. Rather, she hadn't even had time to use the hidden blade before Sasakibe was cut down by her attack.

The difference in this situation was like how, in the original story, Unohana Retsu dealt with Kenpachi Zaraki, who had sealed himself to the extreme, versus her first battle against a fully powered young Kenpachi Zaraki!

No, in fact, the current Sasakibe was performing even worse than the self-sealed Kenpachi Zaraki…

At least the self-sealed Kenpachi Zaraki had successfully forced out the hidden blade from Unohana's left hand.

"I absolutely cannot lie down like this!"

"I am a man who will follow Captain-Commander Yamamoto for a lifetime!"

"Take this! This will be my last…"

Just as Unohana was about to completely lose hope in Chōjirō Sasakibe, Sasakibe once again stood up from the pool of blood. He held his Zanpakuto, aimed it at Unohana Retsu, and his heart was filled with the desire to fight Unohana to the very end!

As a man who had sworn to follow Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto his entire life, how could he fall like this?! He! He was to become Captain-Commander Yamamoto's 'shadow,' and to follow Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was his life's creed, which he would uphold throughout his entire life!

"Heh heh~"

In response, Unohana simply smiled softly at Chōjirō Sasakibe, who had risen to his feet.

"Whoosh!"

With a whoosh, two hidden blades flew out from Unohana's left sleeve, shooting towards Chōjirō Sasakibe.

"Huh?!"

Before Chōjirō Sasakibe could even react, his abdomen was completely pierced by Unohana's hidden blades, and with the momentum of the blades, he was directly pinned to the wall of the 11th Division barracks' outer courtyard.

Chōjirō: "I got up! And then I was instantly defeated. There's nothing more to say about it..."

"Tsk~"

In the Captain's Office, by the window...

Araki watched the scene unfold before him, unable to stop himself from turning away. He truly couldn't bear to look.

No, I mean, seriously! You're not some 'Fairy Tail Mage,' Chōjirō, so why are you trying to power up when you've got nothing else to do? Is it useful? I'm just asking, is this power-up useful for you? See? You were instantly defeated again!

"It seems that's enough for today!"

Unohana looked at Chōjirō, who was lying on the ground, and retracted the blood river she had manifested. She then activated her Zanpakuto's Shikai to treat Chōjirō Sasakibe...

Chōjirō, at this moment, was gently clutching his abdomen with his left hand, still looking utterly incredulous. Wasn't he supposed to at least be allowed to finish his sentence?!

"Sigh, time to sleep, time to sleep..."

Araki drew the curtains of the Captain's Office window, curled up on the sofa, and closed his eyes for a nap.

From that day on, Araki never watched Unohana Retsu's special training with Chōjirō again!

Time flew by. As Araki grew older, he always felt that each day passed more quickly.

In the blink of an eye, two and a half months had passed since Chōjirō Sasakibe came to the 11th Division for special training...

It was time for Chōjirō Sasakibe to return to the 1st Division. After all, he wasn't just any ordinary Soul Reaper; he held an important position as the 1st Division's Lieutenant...

"Thank you, Captain Unohana, for your instruction during these past days!"

"I have truly gained so much..."

As the midday training concluded, Chōjirō Sasakibe bowed deeply to Unohana Retsu, his fundamental Soul Reaper teacher.

"No need to be so polite!"

"To be honest, you are the most challenging student I've ever had."

"Of course, I still think highly of you! But everyone has their own path to walk."

After retracting her Zanpakuto, Unohana Retsu reverted to her 'girl-next-door' persona. She first gazed at Chōjirō Sasakibe with a sigh of emotion, then didn't forget to praise him, so as to prevent his self-esteem from being completely crushed by her.

"I understand!"

"When the 1st Division's affairs are no longer so busy, I will come to you for further guidance! I hope Captain Unohana won't mind!"

Chōjirō Sasakibe nodded humbly to Unohana, also indicating that he wouldn't give up and would return.

"..."

Unohana Retsu was speechless upon hearing this.

"You are also the most 'persistent' person I have ever met!"

After a long moment, Unohana Retsu's lips moved slightly, acknowledging Chōjirō Sasakibe's formidable persistence.

"Then I shall take my leave! Oh, please inform Captain Araki of my departure. As for me, I won't disturb Captain Araki..."

Chōjirō Sasakibe said, turning around what he thought was a rather dashing exit, and walked out the 11th Division's main gate without looking back. It had to be said that Unohana Retsu's special training had been very effective on him; he had made tremendous progress in just two and a half months!

If the result of Chōjirō Sasakibe's encounter with Unohana Retsu before the training was a 1:9 split, then now, after the special training, he was confident he could achieve a 4:6 split with Unohana Retsu...

Ahem, from being cut into nine pieces by Unohana Retsu within one second at the beginning, he could now barely manage to be 'killed' only six times by Unohana Retsu within four seconds! This progress, one could say, was a leap forward!

Cough, cough...

Chōjirō Sasakibe swept away all the jumbled thoughts in his mind! He prepared to return to the 1st Division and diligently tackle all the work he had neglected for the sake of his training...

Just as Chōjirō reached the main gate of the 11th Division barracks, he suddenly saw Araki, who had been holed up in the Captain's Office ever since Chōjirō began his training at the 11th Division, seemingly chatting and laughing with someone.

"Hm? Is that... Araki? He came out of the Captain's Office?"

"And the person with him, could it be Captain Katori of the 8th Division?"

Chōjirō was first startled, then rubbed his eyes and looked carefully.

He saw Araki walking with a smile beside Katori Bakuunsai, the Captain of the 8th Division, and politely saying, "Captain Katori, please follow me this way. Do watch your step; the paths in our 11th Division aren't very even~"

"Mm~"

The person was indeed Katori Bakuunsai, the Captain of the Gotei 13's 8th Division.

She was petite and delicate...

With a chest that was the complete opposite of her fragile body, truly a naturally gifted abundance...

Perched on her small nose was a pair of round glasses, making her a charming individual whose 'art style' seemed completely different from the other Captains of the original Gotei 13~

When Katori Bakuunsai heard Araki's words, she gently nodded her small chin.

"No, Araki! Araki..."

"When I came to the 11th Division, I didn't see you come out to greet me! You scoundrel!!"

Chōjirō Sasakibe's eye twitched slightly as he watched Araki personally go out to welcome Captain Katori Bakuunsai of the 8th Division.

So, it turned out Araki could leave the Captain's Office...

So, the century-long, even millennium-long, bond of close friendship and brotherhood between him and Araki! It's going to disappear, isn't it?!