Sister Hua was mighty, Sister Hua was wise!

Ichigo Kurosaki opened his mouth, but finally admitted honestly, "I... I couldn't sit up back then, and I still can't sit still now."

Yoruichi nodded. "If you can recognize the facts and admit that you are not as strong as the enemy, there is still hope."

Could Ichigo Kurosaki really be unaware that he won by sheer luck?

Moreover, the premise of defeating Kenpachi by luck was that he relied on Zangetsu's approval and fought alongside his Zanpakuto in Muken, which temporarily gave him the same level of Spiritual Pressure Kenpachi Zaraki.

He won not just with a bit of Luck, but with two strokes of Luck; it was truly a stroke of luck to a certain extent.

But Ichigo Kurosaki still asked, "But my comrades have all been captured, how can I just watch them suffer? And Rukia, what will happen to her?"

"What do we do?" Yoruichi scoffed, "There's no way!"

"You almost lost your life fighting Kenpachi Zaraki. The current Gotei 13 has a full complement of 13 captains and 13 lieutenants."

"With your current strength, no method is a solution; it's just suicide!"

Ichigo Kurosaki lowered his head. Yes, he had fought tooth and nail to defeat only one captain, and there were a total of 13 such enemies.

No matter how hard you try, you can't beat them all.

"Also, don't overlook the vice-captains. Any one of them is second only to the captain in strength," Yoruichi added. "They're all much stronger than you anyway."

Ichigo Kurosaki was completely dumbfounded. It turned out there weren't 13 enemies, but 26!

He sat blankly on the ground, his back soaked with cold sweat. The unreasonable strength of the Gotei 13 made him waver in his decision to save Rukia.

"Furthermore, Kenpachi Zaraki isn't exactly the strongest captain. The reason I saved you back then was because I discovered an extremely troublesome captain was approaching."

Ye Isshin, said thankfully, "If this senior captain had seen us, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"Miss Yoruichi, who is the senior captain you mentioned? Is he the strongest?"

Yoruichi Shihōin said very seriously, "It's not him, it's her."

"Retsu Unohana- senpai, she's a very senior member, the captain of the Fourth Division."

Ichigo Kurosaki paused, recalling the Eleventh Division's Death God of the Fourth Division, and the cuddly Hanatarō, and couldn't help but say, "The Fourth Division, that's the medical team that's always been ignored."

Yoruichi couldn't help but laugh as she recalled the Fourth Division's performance in battle, "The Fourth Division was responsible for medical care, and even the responsibility of battlefield first aid was taken over by the Fifth Division. Their combat strength was indeed a bit lacking."

"However, this does not mean that Unohana- senpai is weak."

"Many people are misled by Captain Unohana's gentle and quiet appearance, and of course, I'm one of them, because she really is gentle!"

After snapping out of her infatuation, Yoruichi Shihōin said, "Okay, I admit it, Captain Unohana might not be pretending; she really is kind."

"However, I learned from the ancient records passed down through the Shihoin family that she was one of the First Death God to join the Soul Society, and a powerful figure who followed Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto."

Ichigo Kurosaki asked, "Excuse me, I don't know much about the history of Soul Society. Are beings like this very powerful?"

Yoruichi thought for a moment and said, "Imagine someone who, starting from the early Sengoku in Japan, fought his way from the east to the west, defeating the Tiger of Kai, the Dragon of Echigo, the Great Demon King Oda, and the Regent Monkey with his own strength, and then unified all of Japan."

Ichigo Kurosaki stared in disbelief. "Huh?"

Yoruichi suddenly smiled, "This is Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, and his top Admiral is Unohana- senpai."

Ichigo Kurosaki: "----"

Yoruichi chuckled and said, "Anyway, in front of this senior, a Death God like you can be taken down with a single strike, no need for a second!"

Ichigo Kurosaki was deeply shocked and involuntarily fell into a state of profound despair!

Yoruichi Shihōin slapped the back of the Ichigo with a loud "smack," causing him excruciating pain and a scream.

Yoruichi encouraged Ichigo, saying, "Don't be so discouraged, kid!"

"Kisuke Urahara on you and are willing to do everything we can to help you. Of course, we believe you can win."

"Your Talent surpasses that of any of the 13 captains, including Unohana, and you will surpass them in the near future."

"But if you want to become a true powerhouse, you need to master the Bankai that the captains must master!"

Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes lit up, and he murmured, "Bankai —what is that?"

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes. "Seriously, we have to start from the basics? How annoying!"

"To describe Bankai in one sentence, it would be: the second stage of release after the Zanpakuto's Shikai, which is also the final form of the Zanpakuto."

"Hehe, here's some information to make you happy. After Bankai Death God, their Spiritual Pressure and combat power undergo a qualitative leap. As far as I know, depending on each Death God's individual circumstances, their combat power in Bankai state is generally 5 to 10 times that of their Shikai state."

Without hesitation, Ichigo Kurosaki said, "Please teach me Miss Yoruichi Bankai!"

Yoruichi said seriously, "Now you know how powerful Bankai is, but out of tens of thousands Death God Bankai in the Soul Society, fewer than 20 have mastered it. It's truly one in a thousand."

"The Gotei 13 suffered heavy losses recently, reducing the number of Death God who have mastered Bankai to less than 10."

"Except for the Eleventh Division, the captains of the other 12 divisions are required to master Bankai, so many division captain positions have been vacant for many years."

Ichigo Kurosaki exhaled and said firmly, "I will definitely master Bankai. Please teach me!"

Yoruichi Shihōin nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. To learn Bankai, one must first materialize the Zanpakuto itself and achieve its surrendered state. Therefore, we will start by communicating with the Zanpakuto— "

Ichigo listened attentively, nodding occasionally to show that he understood.

Shazo and Retsu Unohana walked side by side, listening to Unohana recount her Dream Dimension as they strolled from Central 46 to the battlefield where the fighting was most intense.

That is, the battlefields of Kenpachi Zaraki versus Shunsui Kyōraku Yachiru versus Jūshirō Ukitake.

At this point, all the other battlefields had calmed down, leaving only this one, so all the Death God were converging on that spot.

--

"Finally, in my own Minazuki, I repeatedly brought Kenpachi Zaraki to the brink of death, then healed him and we continued to fight, unleashing his potential."

"Time and time again, until he finally snapped and killed himself by slitting his own throat—"

"This feels strange. How could I do something so irrational?"

"Kenpachi Zaraki is certainly far superior to Kenpachi Kiganjō, but the gap between him and me is too great. Even if I helped him master Bankai and grasp the true essence of Swordsmanship —it would take him a thousand years to surpass me."

Why should I trade my own 100 combat power for Kenpachi's promotion from level 7 to 10?

"This is such a bad deal!"

Shazo raised an eyebrow. "Who would know?"

"We are completely different today than we were yesterday, let alone who knows how many years from now we will be."

Or perhaps it's what's called a "plot-driven death."

Retsu Unohana asked curiously, "What is a plot-driven death?"

Shazo replied, "It's like a story where an exceptionally powerful force appears, enough to end the story."

"In order to keep the story going, the author has no choice but to kill off this exceptionally powerful force in a very illogical but plausible way."

"In short, it was a death arranged by the plot."

Retsu Unohana smiled and said, "Your idea is interesting."

For a long time afterward, the two remained silent and stopped speaking.

After sharing the secret she had been keeping hidden in her heart, Retsu Unohana felt her pressure lessen by half, and she began to enjoy a sense of relief.

Meanwhile, Shazo Zuo is processing the astonishing information that Retsu Unohana been reborn or has obtained future memories.

My goodness! Sister Hua was the First Kenpachi, the strongest, the bloodiest Kenpachi, a powerful character who was killed off by the plot.

In some ways, Sister Hua's combat power is stronger than that of the aging Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, and her intelligence is also well concealed, making her almost impossible to target.

Retsu Unohana's rebirth is a major change that could rewrite the course of the Soul Society war.

After a long while, Shazo suddenly called out to Retsu Unohana, "Sister Hua."

"Hmm?" The older sister turned her head gently, smiling as she looked at Shazo, gesturing for him to continue.

Shazo took a deep breath and asked, "Tell me about this dream, instead of Captain-Commander Yamamoto?"

Without hesitation, Retsu Unohana replied, "Because you're not in my dreams."

"My dreams were fragmented; I only knew that two large-scale wars had been fought, but I didn't even know who the enemy was, who died, or who survived to the end—"

"But I can confirm that the Fourth Seat of the Eleventh Division are vacant, and you are the only Death God who is certain you are not in my dreams."

"If I want to change my fate of inexplicably sacrificing my life, of course I need to find a variable that didn't exist in the first place."

"Shazo, you can help me, right?"

Shazo nodded and promised, "I will do my best, Sister Hua."

Retsu Unohana looked at Shazo with surprise. "Oh my, judging from your tone, you agree that my dream is real, a premonition that will happen in the future."

So, you know more, and more accurately?

Shazo clicked his tongue in shock. "Sister Hua, you're so smart, you'll never find a boyfriend."

Retsu Unohana laughed, her laughter shaking with mirth. "Hahahaha, a boyfriend? Hahaha, so I'm thousands of years old, and I still need to find a boyfriend?!"

"Sigh, I'm a woman soaked in blood and sweat, I've lived for thousands of years, and I still haven't found a man I'm attracted to. Why would I need a boyfriend?"

Now it was Shazo's turn to be embarrassed. He was considered long-lived among Shazo, with a combined age of over 300 years across his two lifetimes, but he was no match for the "big sister" in front of him. He wasn't even a fraction of her age.

Retsu Unohana suddenly said, as if possessed, "Hmm, you seem to like me quite a bit. If I still can't find a man in 20 years, I'll just use you as a substitute."

Shazo Zuo chuckled, "A beauty like Sister Hua, with a personality just like Yamato Nadeshiko, I would never refuse her."

Retsu Unohana's smile faded, and she asked, "Let's get down to business. In the future you know, who was responsible for the incident involving the Central 46?"

"Aizen." Shazo Zuo looked around to make sure no one was there before continuing, "The Fifth Division Captain, Aizen Sousuke."

Retsu Unohana's eyes widened slightly. "Aizen? It's him?"

"His strength is just so-so. His Zanpakuto is merely water-based—water—water mirror, a world within a mirror, Genjutsu!"

Retsu Unohana suddenly swayed, pressing her left hand to her head, which was throbbing with pain. "Aizen! It really is Genjutsu- type Zanpakuto, with perfect hypnotic abilities!"

"Yes, it can only be him. Only absolute Genjutsu power could break through all the defenses, target the Central 46, and even manipulate them like puppets."

"This kid's got some nerve, actually trying to hypnotize me too, and even amplifying it to a level that gives me a headache."

Shazo swallowed hard; this was terrifying.

Retsu Unohana actually broke free from the hypnosis of [Illusion] because she believed what she said was true. What kind of powerful ability does that take?

As expected, even with the powerful abilities of someone like Sister Hua, the hypnosis from [Illusion] could only suspend part of her cognition in a balancing manner.

It's not that I don't want to completely control her like I do with Momo Hinamori, it's just that I can't.

Not only is it impossible, but there's also the risk of being directly stimulated and breaking free with a single shake.

No wonder they didn't target Old Man Yamamoto; it wasn't out of disdain, but simply because they couldn't bring themselves to do it.

"Aizen —Hmph!" Retsu Unohana snorted coldly, looking at the increasingly violent battlefield. "Once I've dealt with the chaos here, I'll go and chop him down."

Shazo gave a thumbs up. "Sister Hua is awesome! Sister Hua is brilliant!"

As the First Kenpachi, even if he was tired of killing and bloodshed, the habits of a swordsman were definitely ingrained in Retsu Unohana's very bones.

Now that we know the enemy is Aizen, we should just go and kill him whenever we have the chance; there's absolutely no need for all this fuss.

She, Retsu Unohana, was a founding member of the Gotei 13 and a meritorious Death God in the Soul Society. Even without evidence, she could kill a Death God she suspected.

Even the captain of the Fifth Division was killed without hesitation!

Retsu Unohana's suspicions are more convincing than any evidence!

If Aizen were to accidentally reveal even the slightest weakness during his battle with Retsu Unohana, such as by using the hypnotic and Genjutsu abilities of [Illusion], he would essentially be sealing his own fate.

This is the terrifying reputation that Retsu Unohana has built up over thousands of years.

At that time, Old Man Yamamoto will personally wield his sword and strike Aizen to eliminate this deeply hidden scourge.