"Captain Kenpachi was the Captain of the Eleventh Division, while Yoru Machi was merely a student who had just graduated from Shino Academy. Given the difference in your statuses, wouldn't it be against the rules for you to fight?
If it were training within the division, with a captain instructing a member of his own division, that would count as normal training for a division member. But as I recall, Yoru Machi does not seem to be a member of Captain Kenpachi's division, does he?"
Seeing Unohana Retsu smiling before him like a Yamato Nadeshiko, Kenpachi Zaraki revealed an expression of heartfelt disgust.
It was not that Kenpachi Zaraki particularly hated Unohana Retsu as a person. Rather, he hated the Unohana Retsu she was now.
Many in Seireitei might not know it, but Kenpachi Zaraki and Unohana Retsu were old acquaintances.
Kenpachi Zaraki came from Zaraki District in Rukongai District 80, the most lawless and dreadful area of North Rukongai. Originally a commoner without a name or family name, he later took "Kenpachi" as his surname.
When Unohana Retsu, the first Captain of the Eleventh Division, had once traveled with her subordinates to the outskirts of Rukongai in search of a fierce warrior who suited her tastes, the sight that met her eyes was a mountain of Rukongai civilian corpses, all slain beneath Kenpachi's blade.
Unohana Retsu had intended to inspect the scene more closely, only for Kenpachi Zaraki to suddenly leap out and stab her beneath the collarbone. The two then engaged in a fierce battle on the spot. In the end, Kenpachi Zaraki was slashed across the left side of his face by her blade. That was the origin of Unohana Retsu's collarbone scar and Kenpachi Zaraki's facial scar.
During that battle, Kenpachi Zaraki experienced both the terror and joy of battle for the first time, fearing that if he lost such an "enemy," he would lose the joy of fighting.
Thus, in order to match Unohana Retsu's strength, he instinctively weakened himself to the same level as his "enemy."
No one knew the final outcome of that battle, but judging from the result, Unohana Retsu should have been the one who lost. At the time, Kenpachi Zaraki had been suppressing his own strength throughout the entire fight.
Of course, Unohana Retsu had not released her Zanpakuto then, fighting Kenpachi Zaraki with it in its Asauchi form.
But even so, Unohana Retsu had been known as the strongest "First Kenpachi," a woman whose swordsmanship was called "Yachiru." Yet in the end, a mere boy had to suppress his own strength for them to barely fight on equal terms!
And after that, Unohana Retsu returned from Rukongai and voluntarily resigned as Captain of the Eleventh Division, believing herself unworthy of the title "Kenpachi," bestowed upon the strongest swordsman. Her personality changed drastically, and she became Captain of the Fourth Division, a position she held to this day.
Kenpachi Zaraki did not hate Unohana Retsu. He even admired her greatly. In fact, one major reason he had become a Soul Reaper and come to Seireitei was Unohana Retsu's influence.
But Kenpachi Zaraki hated the Unohana Retsu she was now, because he knew she had always been pretending. They were clearly the same kind of people, each with a mad beast living inside them, yet Unohana Retsu had locked her beast in a cage and faced the world behind a "hypocritical" mask.
"Tch, what a pain. You, Yoru Machi, you haven't officially joined the Fourth Division yet, have you? Why not come straight to the Eleventh Division instead?
I heard from Ikkaku that you're from North Rukongai too, and that you're pretty strong.
You have two choices now. First, join the Eleventh Division and fight me openly. That will save us both a lot of trouble, and I won't have to listen to the old man nagging anymore.
The other choice is that even if you join the Fourth Division, I'll still come looking for you to fight. As long as I make sure you stay alive, the worst that can happen is the old man punishes me. I don't give a damn."
Hearing Kenpachi Zaraki's words, which were practically a threat, Yoru Machi's expression immediately froze. He also glanced from the corner of his eye at a certain bald man across from him.
That particular bald man among the group opposite him was probably feeling guilty as well. He did not dare meet Yoru Machi's eyes at all, merely lowering his head and responding with his gleaming bald scalp.
"Captain Kenpachi, this Soul Reaper named Yoru Machi has already decided to join our Fourth Division. Your actions have clearly crossed the line.
May I take your behavior as the Eleventh Division provoking our Fourth Division?"
Sister Hana looked gentle and elegant, but she had never been someone with a good temper. With a beast living in her heart, her dark side emerging from time to time was practically routine.
She had tried to reason with him, yet he had ignored her completely. Now he was even threatening a prospective member of her division right in front of her. If Unohana Retsu remained unmoved, then she would no longer be the Strongest Kenpachi she once was.
"Interesting. If you're willing to be my opponent, wouldn't that be even more exciting?
This powerful spiritual pressure... it's been far too long. I didn't come to Seireitei to become some Soul Reaper in the first place. Looks like my wish can finally come true!"
"Jingle—jingle—jingle—jingle!"
As the spiritual pressure radiating from Unohana Retsu's body surged forth, the bells tied to the ends of Kenpachi Zaraki's hair began to sway with a constant jingling.
Because of his unusual physical prowess, Kenpachi Zaraki possessed immensely powerful spiritual pressure but lacked the ability to sense spiritual pressure himself. That was why he styled his hair into spiked tufts and tied bells to their ends.
The purpose was to judge an opponent's spiritual pressure by how much the bells swayed, allowing him to determine how much strength he needed to use to enjoyably fight them.
Seeing the bells at the ends of his hair shaking madly as though caught in a violent gale, Kenpachi Zaraki's face filled with excitement and fighting spirit.
Clearly, the intensity of the spiritual pressure Unohana Retsu was releasing satisfied him immensely, even making his blood boil for the first time in far too long!
Without the slightest hesitation, Kenpachi Zaraki reached up and tore off the eyepatch over his right eye, which had been sealing his spiritual pressure.
The instant the eyepatch was removed, Kenpachi Zaraki's spiritual pressure erupted like a tidal wave. His powerful, almost tangible spiritual pressure directly formed a golden pillar that shot into the sky from the Fourth Division's recruitment area!
Unohana Retsu had not intended to clash with Kenpachi Zaraki and the others. Yet the powerful spiritual pressure he now unleashed ignited the fighting spirit she had buried for years. By the time she came to her senses, she discovered in astonishment that an opposing pillar of spiritual pressure had erupted from her body as well.
The two powerful captain-level spiritual pressures collided across the space between them, their immense force becoming like crashing waves. Yoru Machi and the others were like small boats within those waves, ready to be overturned at any moment.
Caught between those two immense spiritual pressures, Yoru Machi and Yachiru were doing relatively well. Though they were affected by the clash, it was not directed at them, and their own spiritual pressure was not weak, so they could still remain composed.
Ikkaku and Yumichika had strong spiritual pressure, but they were rookies fresh out of Shino Academy. How could they have ever witnessed a clash of such a high level? Both were bent over under the pressure, faces flushed red as they desperately tried to straighten up.
As for Kotetsu Isane... the young woman had completely given up resisting and was lying flat on the ground.
Before you continue