Zanjutsu Cultivation

Natsuki had assumed that following Unohana Retsu to learn swordsmanship would involve sparring with her, gradually mastering various techniques of swordsmanship through the heat of battle.

But in reality, that was not the case.

Even if the Unohana Retsu of the past was a cold-blooded executioner, that was, after all, the past.

The woman she was now had sheathed her sharp edges, appearing to be an incredibly gentle person.

Her method of instruction, compared to those bygone days, had also changed to be extremely mild.

The first thing Natsuki had to do while learning swordsmanship under her was to read books.

A great many books.

According to Unohana Retsu, these books were secret manuals of various sword styles and blade techniques that had once circulated throughout the Soul Society, but as time passed, the vast majority had vanished into the annals of history.

Natsuki did not ask why these out-of-print ancient texts were in the possession of Unohana Retsu.

He simply flipped through these books in silence.

Assassination, stealth, the use of poison, Iaijutsu, Dual-Wielding Style, Nadeshigiri—all sorts of sword and blade techniques were perused by Natsuki one by one, then committed to memory; some techniques were truly difficult to associate with swordsmanship at all.

For instance, throwing lime powder in an opponent's face to confuse their vision before striking them down while they were caught off guard—could that even be considered swordsmanship?

However, there were simply too many of these techniques, and among them, there were bound to be many useful things.

If he could master all these techniques, it would certainly add quite a few methods for dealing with enemies.

According to Unohana Retsu, the essence of combat was to defeat the enemy, so the means used were not actually important.

What mattered was the result.

However, having said that, Unohana Retsu herself seemed to have changed long ago.

She enjoyed the process of the joy brought by battle more than the result itself.

Reading, and more reading.

Although Unohana Retsu still did not teach Natsuki through actual combat, Natsuki had already gained significant progress simply from the books.

Naturally, whenever there was a battle, he did not hesitate to apply the combat techniques he had learned from the books into real-life scenarios.

As Gosu became the new captain of the 11th Division and he was promoted to lieutenant, aside from assisting Gosu with divisional affairs as he had done before, the combat missions that fell upon him became heavier as well.

Because of the difference in status, the combat missions undertaken by a lieutenant and a Third Seat were different.

Yet, Natsuki had no complaints; on the contrary, he craved battles with stronger opponents. He had not even realized himself that after becoming a Shinigami and choosing to fight Hollows, he had gradually grown accustomed to this life of combat.

Battle had become a hobby of his.

Time was a truly insignificant thing for a Shinigami.

In the blink of an eye, several more years had passed.

Natsuki had completely adapted to the life of a lieutenant.

Within the 11th Division, some members died in battle, and new members joined; after the cycle of old and new, Natsuki had truly transformed from the novice who had just joined the 11th Division into a seasoned veteran.

Natsuki viewed the death of his comrades with indifference.

He had gradually grown accustomed to matters of life and death.

Everyone would die, including himself.

All he could do was make himself as strong as possible to avoid the arrival of death.

Inside the 4th Division.

Natsuki held his Asauchi, his figure crossing with that of Unohana Retsu.

As the Asauchi clashed, the two figures would suddenly close in, then suddenly pull apart.

After a long period of reading, Unohana Retsu's instruction in swordsmanship had finally reached the stage of actual combat.

The seemingly gentle Unohana Retsu was ruthless and sharp when she struck.

Even after years of fighting, Natsuki's practical experience was not poor.

But the Hollows he had faced in the past were all clumsy creatures who understood no combat techniques; as long as one was fast enough and struck hard enough, they could be easily cut down.

Unohana Retsu was different; she possessed superb combat techniques, and her movements were more agile than those of any Hollow.

Therefore, during their first bout of actual combat, Natsuki was completely suppressed by her.

But his growth was rapid.

Because he had previously read the many ancient texts provided by Unohana Retsu, he was well-versed in various combat techniques.

As Unohana Retsu continuously fed him moves, he gradually converted the theories in his mind into techniques he could substantively master.

By now, Natsuki was able to trade blows with Unohana Retsu for a long time.

"Lieutenant Natsuki's progress is truly fast!" Unohana Retsu withdrew her hand, sliding her Asauchi back into its sheath. Gone was the heroic and spirited demeanor she had during the fight, as she returned to her past gentle self, speaking softly to Natsuki.

"This is all thanks to Captain Unohana's guidance." Natsuki flattered Unohana Retsu.

Unohana Retsu smiled faintly, happily accepting Natsuki's compliment.

Then she added, "However, you will likely be busy for the next period of time. I hope you can be serious, do not die, and at the same time, take every opportunity in actual combat to hone your own swordsmanship."

Unohana Retsu's tone carried a hint of gravity.

"Does Captain Unohana know some inside information?" Natsuki raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, unable to help but ask.

Although he was indeed a lieutenant, within the Gotei 13, there were some matters that those below the rank of captain simply had no qualification to know.

Not every captain-level meeting allowed for the participation of lieutenants.

Some critical meetings were restricted solely to the captains.

Captains held knowledge of many secrets that remained hidden from their lieutenants.

This was evident in the original story from the moment Aizen first heard of the existence of the Royal Guard.

The existence of the Royal Guard was no secret to the various captains, who spoke casually about the promotion of Hikifune Kirio.

Yet for the lieutenants beneath them, suddenly learning of such a thing was still a great shock.

It was just hard to tell whether that look of shock on Aizen's face was feigned, or if he truly had been unaware of the Royal Guard's existence before then.

Natsuki leaned toward the former; after all, by that time, Aizen had already created the Hogyoku, and the incident involving the Hollowfication of the captains was only a few years away.

However, the ignorance he feigned revealed quite a lot in itself.

It proved that a lieutenant's right to know was far inferior to that of a captain.

"There is no harm in telling you this in advance, as it will not be long before you find out anyway."

Unohana Retsu's tone was gentle, with no intention of concealment. "The war between the Shinigamis and the Quincy is about to break out. Following a series of assessments regarding the threat posed by the Quincy, Central 46 has issued a declaration of war to the Gotei 13, deciding to annihilate all Quincy within the Human World. The existence of the Quincy has already severely disrupted the balance of souls."

"As a combat division, your 11th Division will serve as the main force in the battle against the Quincy when the time comes!"