Araki's Zanpakuto

As for why Araki immediately thought of Unohana Retsu?

Did he even need to ask? Of course it was because Sister Hana had the finest figure in the world!

Araki's charming ancestor once said, "When a woman lowered her head and could not see her toes, she was an unparalleled beauty!"

Araki decided to respect his XP system and follow his ancestors' teachings!

Ahem...

Of course, it was because Unohana Retsu was incredibly powerful and lived long enough, perfectly meeting the conditions of Araki's contract!

Sister Hana was one of only two known captains from the First Generation Gotei 13 who still held a captain's position in the Gotei 13 a thousand years later!

At the same time, Sister Hana was also the first Kenpachi of the Gotei 13! In terms of combat power, it would not be an exaggeration to call her the ceiling among all female Soul Reapers in the Soul Society!

First, the effect of Araki's Fullbring was determined by the strength of the first person bound to it. Second, it was proportional to the strength of that first person's Spiritual Pressure! On top of that, Araki himself was a Strength-focused Player. He had a particular fondness for "big" things—no, for strong things!

Taking all those conditions into account, in Araki's eyes, the only ideal first binding target for his Fullbring, Ever-Blooming Flower, was Unohana Retsu!

Of course, although that was what Araki thought, reality was still cruel and harsh.

In truth, quite a few difficulties lay before him...

For instance, Araki had arrived too early. The First Generation Gotei 13 had not even been fully formed yet, and a certain future Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, who would dominate the entire Soul Society and stand unrivaled for a thousand years, was currently still serving as the head instructor at his private swordsmanship school, tirelessly "teaching and nurturing students" and "educating others without fatigue"~

That was right! The future Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who would rely on Ryujin Jakka, the "oldest" and "strongest" Zanpakuto, to reign over the Soul Society for a thousand years and be hailed as the strongest Soul Reaper of the past millennium! He was the very man whom Araki had left with a slash-shaped scar on his forehead during his "graduation ceremony"~ As for the Genji School founded by Genryūsai, it was the predecessor of the future Shino Academy...

As for the first Kenpachi, Lady Unohana Yachiru, who would one day sweep aside every swordsmanship school in the Soul Society with the Zanpakuto in her hand! She was still growing and had yet to reach the peak of her strength~

Even if Araki signed the Ever-Blooming pact with Lady Unohana now, he would not receive the greatest possible feedback~

Thus, Araki decided to wait and observe for a while...

And so, after Araki had taught an unknown number of students as an instructor at the Genji School for who knew how many years...

His old master, who had earned yet another scar on his already receding hairline during a duel with one of his admirers, forcing him to change his name from Slash-zai to Jūjizai, invited him to move into the Seireitei and establish the Gotei 13 together!

Araki decisively rejected his master's invitation to establish the Gotei 13. After having a huge argument with his hot-tempered master known as Jūjizai, he took the opportunity to leave the Genji School and settle in Rukongai!

Ever since Araki arrived in Rukongai District, he had experienced "many, many" things and sampled the local customs of Rukongai's various numbered districts. By now, several hundred years had passed!

During those centuries, Araki's master, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, had been forced to lie low for a while longer because of someone's departure!

But the final result did not change. Yamamoto still established the Gotei 13 and still led his subordinates to sweep aside every force in the Soul Society outside the Genji School!

And Araki had not been idle during those centuries either. He had continuously "accumulated experience" and increased his strength...

That accumulation of experience meant exactly what it sounded like: continuously completing missions and watching the values in his experience bar rise and jump.

In fact, during those centuries, Araki had considered adding the experience in his experience bar to other skills. But after much deliberation, he ultimately gave up...

After all, a certain man who did not wish to reveal his name and liked smearing hair gel on his hands once said, "A Soul Reaper's battle is a battle of Spiritual Pressure!"

At the same time, if Araki wanted to fulfill his long-cherished wish of marrying the first Kenpachi, Unohana Yachiru—or rather, obtaining Sister Hana's "love" and completely linking with her through his Fullbring ability—the prerequisite was that he had to defeat Sister Hana head-on! Without enough power, that would be absolutely impossible~

As for Saito Furofushi, Araki met her after settling in Junrinan, the first district of Rukongai...

Come to think of it, Araki had always felt that the meddling, balding, hot-tempered old man had something to do with his meeting with Saito Furofushi.

After all, Saito Furofushi had gone blind. Why did she not go to the medical clinic to get medicine and treat her illness? Why did she have nothing better to do than come hovering around him?!

Was it not because some scheming old man whose hair was nearly gone knew that Araki had always been kindhearted and could not bear to see people injured?

Especially when he could not bear to see petite, adorable, well-endowed lolis get hurt...

Ahem...

What Araki had not expected was that his "daily good deed" had created a tsundere girl who, like a yandere, kept bothering him day after day for decades~

A yandere loli was truly a fantastic trait for a two-dimensional wife.

But once the dream came true, it might not remain a beautiful dream.

It might be a nightmare.

"Phew..."

His thoughts returning to the present, Araki slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and picked up the rolling pin he normally used to make noodles.

"Room~"

With Araki's soft shout, a transparent domain burst forth from his body. Without any of the souls noticing, it enveloped half a street in Junrinan, the first district of Rukongai.

"Bzz~"

Then, with a faint hum, a Zanpakuto with a gorgeous wooden scabbard appeared in Araki's hand.

"It has been a long time, Yakushi Rurikō~"

As Araki looked at the Zanpakuto in his hand, a ripple finally appeared on his face, which had been as calm as an ancient well. The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

The katana in Araki's hand was none other than his own Zanpakuto!

Its name was Yakushi Rurikō! A name with deep ties to "Buddha"!

Yet Araki's Zanpakuto having ties to "Buddha" was not an exception in the vast Soul Society.

It seemed that all Soul Reapers' Zanpakuto had countless connections to Buddhism from Araki's previous life.

For example, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, known as the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto in the Soul Society!

The "Daiguren" in its name might have originated from Mahāpadma, the eighth and coldest layer of the Eight Cold Hells in Buddhism...

Mahāpadma: Those who entered had their bones broken, like great lotuses or white lotuses.

Thinking about it that way, it seemed perfectly reasonable that Shiro-chan's Daiguren Hyōrinmaru was called the number one ice-element Zanpakuto in the Soul Society.

Aside from Shiro-chan, Komamura Sajin of the wolfman clan, the future captain of the Gotei 13's 7th Division, wielded the Bankai Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō. The Black Rope in its name came from Black Rope Hell among the Eight Hot Hells, while the term "Myō'ō" also had deep ties to Buddhism...

Beyond that, Urahara Kisuke's Zanpakuto, Benihime, and Mugen, the prison in the Seireitei used to incarcerate powerful criminals, among other things, all had close ties to "Buddhism."

Therefore, Araki had once concluded that perhaps in the religiously themed manga Bleach, the profession of Soul Reaper represented the religion of "Buddhism"~

As for the Yakushi Rurikō in Araki's hand...

Just from the name of his Zanpakuto, Araki knew that it had countless ties to the Buddhist Medicine Buddha...

As for its healing capabilities, in Araki's view, even if every healing-type Zanpakuto in the Soul Society and every expert proficient in Kaido among the arts of Kido were included, none could rival it in healing ability~

And this was merely Rurikō's Shikai state~

As for what its Bankai could do, Araki was both curious and immensely eager to find out.

"Three days is enough for me to learn Bankai~"

After Araki's Spiritual Pressure reached the level of a future veteran captain—the average level of the First Generation Gotei 13, second-class Spiritual Might—he made up his mind. First, he would learn his Zanpakuto's Bankai. Then he would enter the Seireitei, "beat down" Unohana Yachiru's arrogance, and link up with his Fullbring's "ability"~

As for how he would defeat Unohana Yachiru, Araki had his own plan~

Although Araki's plan was somewhat underhanded, it could indeed bring him a glimmer of hope for victory~

After finalizing his plan to face Unohana Retsu, Araki swaggered out of his ramen shop and headed toward the later-numbered districts of Rukongai.

Since he was training his Zanpakuto's Bankai, Araki was not sure whether he would cause a huge commotion. What he needed now was a sufficiently spacious place where no one would disturb him...

And Junrinan, the first district of Rukongai, clearly could not provide the place Araki needed.

Just as Araki left the ramen shop, he happened to run into several regular customers.

"Brother Araki, are you heading out to buy ingredients so early?"

"Business must be good today, huh?"

"When you get back, you have to make me a bowl of fresh Tonkotsu Chashu Ramen!"

"Looking across all of Junrinan, your noodles are still the best."

The customers looked at Araki in surprise at first, then greeted him with smiles.

"Haha, I may have to disappoint you. This shop of mine is about to close down~"

Hearing that, Araki turned sideways and replied.

"Close down? Then when will it reopen?"

One customer froze for a moment, then pressed on.

"It will never reopen!"

"There are still ingredients left in the shop. If you have time, make yourself a bowl!"

Araki smiled faintly, casually tossed the shop key in his hand to the customer, and departed in dashing fashion.

Thus, the ramen shop Araki had operated in Rukongai for over a hundred years—a true century-old establishment—finally welcomed its first closure in a hundred years~