"Hidden weapons?" Unohana sliced the two flying darts cleanly in half.
"You look down on people who use hidden weapons? That's dangerous!" Shijima Chiru sprang into the air and snapped his cloak. Silver flashed everywhere as countless concealed weapons flew out, all aimed at Unohana!
For an instant, their glint outshone even the sun!
Unohana unleashed her Reiatsu, blasting every weapon away!
But when she looked for Shijima Chiru, he had vanished.
A hill of corpses lay to her left, a clear stream murmured to her right. With Unohana between them, the scene looked both savage and surreal!
"Never mind. I'll meet a real opponent soon enough." Unohana looked toward the nearby Seireitei.
There had to be someone there worth fighting!
At the thought, a smile as warm as a spring breeze returned to her face.
After Unohana left, the mound of corpses shifted. Shijima Chiru struggled out of it. His luck was rotten—he couldn't even take a walk without running into a monster like that. He'd better stay home more often.
That crazy woman will never get married! Shijima Chiru cursed inwardly, then limped away from the corpses.
Yamamoto took Katoru Hatsunoya, Shunshun Shidō, Tsunayashiro Fūka, Zendouji Yuuhin, and the others to distant Rukongai to recruit fighters. Yamabuki Chidori stayed behind with Gen'en Kinra and Saitō Fubōfu to guard the place.
"Hmph. With the Captain Commander away, I'm in charge. A chance to slack off like this comes once in a lifetime. First, a good nap!" Yamabuki Chidori had even ordered a custom sleep mask to make the most of it.
Since completing his Perfect Sanctification, Yamabuki Chidori looked at everyone as someone he could cut down. He wanted to put his strength to the test!
By his reckoning, once the Old Man and the others returned, he absolutely had to visit Hueco Mundo again. Baraggan, don't run. Yes, I mean you. This time I'm cutting you down!
Baraggan would have sworn on the spot!
Come here again and I'll haul a train out of here overnight!
After their last fight, the King of Hueco Mundo had probably been left traumatized.
As Yamabuki Chidori napped without a care, he had no idea an unexpected opponent had arrived at Seireitei's main gate.
"Halt! Are you here to join the Gotei 13? Registration hasn't opened yet!" Two Shinigami blocked Unohana's path.
Unohana Yachiru
Unohana's smile was as gentle as a spring breeze. The two male Shinigami stared, their guard dropping despite themselves. How dangerous could such a beautiful young woman be?
"Excuse me, is there a place called Central 46 in Seireitei?" Unohana asked.
"Hm? Of course! It's Soul Society's highest governing body... Well, not quite anymore. The Gotei 13 makes its own decisions. What do you need Central 46 for? Have you been wronged? Tell us, and we'll do what we can to help," the two Shinigami said warmly.
"I'm afraid you can't help me with this." Still smiling, Unohana walked forward. The two Shinigami had no choice but to stop her. Letting someone stroll in would be a failure of duty, and they might even lose pay.
"The highest governing body? Then it must have the strongest guards," Unohana murmured. Her smile bloomed. "Which way is Central 46?"
"Well..." Both Shinigami looked uncomfortable.
"Which way... is Central 46?" Unohana asked again. Her tone and smile hadn't changed, but the aura around her had. Such sharp, terrifying killing intent—they had only ever felt it from Captain Commander Yamamoto!
"I-it's in the center... to the west..." Unable to bear it, one Shinigami pointed with a trembling hand.
"Thank you." Unohana walked on. This time, neither man dared stop her.
"Who... who is that woman?"
"What are you standing around for? Sound the alarm! Call the Captains!"
One Shinigami pulled a signal arrow from his robes and fired it. It burst overhead, warning everyone who saw it that Seireitei was under attack.
Saitō Fubōfu frowned. What's going on? The Old Man's only been gone half a day, and someone's already looking for trouble? Do they have no respect for me?
Gen'en Kinra saw the alarm too. Without a word, he led his squad to help.
Yamabuki Chidori was slacking off with a nap, unaware that chaos was about to erupt outside.
Unohana strolled along as though she were in her own garden, utterly unconcerned by the Shinigami surrounding her.
Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato arrived as well.
"The nobles' district is ahead. Commoners aren't allowed near it. Stop right there!" Hachisato barked.
Unohana walked on at the same leisurely pace, as though she hadn't heard him.
Hachisato released his Zanpakuto at once. "Poison her, Hundred-Sting Wasp!"
"Pierce, Genryūmaru!"
Young and fearless, the two rookies charged without hesitation.
Unohana didn't draw her sword. They were far too weak for that.
She shifted slightly and drove her sword's hilt into Chōjirō Sasakibe's stomach, dropping him in one blow.
Hachisato tried to avoid a frontal clash and attack from behind. Unohana didn't even turn. She flicked her sheathed sword backward, struck his neck, and knocked him unconscious!
The other squad members went pale. Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato were among their best, yet this woman had put them down effortlessly. Who was she?
"Don't be afraid! There's only one of her! Attack together!" a Shinigami shouted.
Remembering the duty they bore, the Shinigami drew their Zanpakuto and prepared to fight.
Just then, two figures flashed in front of them, stopping them from charging to their deaths.
"Captain Saitō! Captain Gen'en! You're here!" The squad members brightened at the sight of their Captains, relieved to have someone to rely on.
They failed to notice how grave both Captains looked.
"Take those two injured men away," Saitō Fubōfu said. "Everyone else, fall back five li! Now!"
The squad members didn't understand the order, but a Captain's command was absolute in the Gotei 13. They obeyed without question.
Unohana stopped too. The two people blocking her way were strong. This trip had been worth it.
"Who are you? Why did you force your way into Seireitei?" Saitō Fubōfu could feel the sharp edge of her opponent's Reiatsu.
Everyone's Reiatsu had its own character.
Yamamoto's was fierce and scorching!
Yamabuki Chidori's was elusive.
This woman's Reiatsu was like a sword drawn from its sheath, its edge undisguised.
Simply facing her put Saitō Fubōfu under immense pressure.
"Are you the strongest people in Seireitei?" Unohana asked.
"Of course not!"
"I see. Then please don't stand in my way." Unohana continued toward Central 46.
"Stop right there!" Furious at being ignored, Saitō drew her sword and charged, bringing it down toward the top of Unohana's head.
Unohana gave her sword a casual flick and turned Saitō's strike aside with ease.
This woman... Saitō spun and slashed again.
Saitō Fubōfu's swordsmanship relied on power, meeting force with force. She could tell Unohana was immensely strong, but she couldn't give an inch.
"Well, I did join this Gotei 13!" Gripping her sword with both hands, Saitō Fubōfu swung hard. The sharpness and force of the blow surprised Unohana. She hurriedly blocked with her Zanpakuto, and the impact pushed her back half a step.
Saitō Fubōfu felt no triumph. She had used both hands against one and had only pushed her opponent back half a step!
What kind of monster is she?
Saitō Fubōfu turned her hilt, aimed the point at Unohana's chest, and thrust!
Unohana vanished, reappearing several meters away.
Even so, the thrust had torn a small patch of cloth at her chest, exposing pale skin.
Unohana smiled with delight. The experts really were in Seireitei. She hadn't even reached Central 46 and had already found an opponent like this. There was no reason to hold back. She would enjoy this fight!
Unohana moved her left hand to the hilt. Two-handed swordsmanship? I can do that too. Young lady, don't die on me just yet!
Saitō vs. Unohana
Experts could recognize skill at a glance. Saitō Fubōfu kicked off the ground, cracking the earth beneath her feet, and shot forward. She gripped her sword with both hands and brought it down at Unohana's head. Saitō Fubōfu had the strength of a true Captain; fewer than ten people in all Soul Society could easily block that strike. Unohana was clearly one of them.
Unohana shifted her body the slightest bit, letting Saitō Fubōfu's blade pass by. It slammed into the ground, splitting earth and spraying dirt!
At the same time, Saitō Fubōfu scooped up a handful of sand and flung it at Unohana's eyes.
Unohana quickly raised her left sleeve to shield her face. Saitō Fubōfu laughed. "What kind of sheltered lady worries about getting dirty in a fight?"
For that instant, Unohana couldn't see Saitō Fubōfu's movements. A veteran of countless battles, Saitō seized the opening and slashed.
Blood sprayed. Unohana stood perfectly still, without so much as a flicker in her eyes.
Saitō Fubōfu backed away, her face dark as blood streamed down her left arm.
The moment she had attacked, Unohana's sword had pierced through her own sleeve and struck Saitō Fubōfu accurately through the cloth.
"You're strong and fast, but your swordsmanship has too many openings. Step aside. You're no match for me," Unohana said evenly. "Bring out the strongest person here."
Hot-tempered Saitō Fubōfu hated being lectured. Losing an exchange had already angered her, and now this woman wouldn't stop talking. With a roar, Saitō Fubōfu rushed in faster than before. Her blade flashed like lightning, striking again and again, but Unohana evaded every attack with ease.
"Your attacks are too direct. If you're stronger than your opponent, that may not matter. Against someone equal to or stronger than you, though, it puts you at a disadvantage." Unohana instructed Saitō Fubōfu with a teacher's patience.
"Will you shut up already?" Saitō grew angrier. Her sword grew faster, and the gaps in her technique grew wider.
Suddenly, Unohana's sword vanished. Saitō froze. At a moment when their lives hung in the balance, why had the woman's sword disappeared?
"Watch out!" Gen'en Kinra shouted.
Before Saitō Fubōfu could react, pain tore through her left side. She looked down. Her opponent's blade had pierced her ribs.
How...?
A strike from my blind spot? Saitō Fubōfu understood. The sword hadn't vanished. Unohana had attacked from outside her field of view. Human vision could span 180 degrees, but when someone focused on a single point, their effective field narrowed. Unohana had exploited that opening.
Saitō swung hard to drive her opponent back, then retreated with a Flash Step. As Unohana moved to pursue her, Gen'en Kinra stepped into her path.
"You've seen that hotheaded kid's swordsmanship. Care to see mine?" A chilling aura rolled off Gen'en Kinra.
"Oh? Another expert. Good." Unohana turned toward him.
Saitō Fubōfu hurriedly wrapped her wound with cloth. Luckily, the stab hadn't gone deep enough to damage her organs. Once she tended it, she could fight again. "Uncle, give her a proper beating! She's infuriating!"
"Before we fight, may I have your name?" Gen'en Kinra asked. "I'm Gen'en Kinra, a Reserve Captain of the Gotei 13."
A tender smile lit Unohana's face like sunlight. If he hadn't seen her fight, Gen'en Kinra would never have believed a woman who treated cutting people down like an everyday task could smile so sweetly. "You can call me Unohana."
Gen'en Kinra's expression changed sharply. "Are you the infamous Sword of Death, Unohana Yachiru?"
"Yachiru" was not Unohana's original name. It was a title she had given herself after claiming mastery of every school of swordsmanship under heaven.
"Yes, that's me!" Unohana's gentle smile slowly turned cold and murderous.
Does this woman have two personalities? Gen'en Kinra thought.
They watched each other carefully. The next second, it began to rain.
It wasn't water, but a rain of sword strikes. Gen'en Kinra's blade poured down like a storm, leaving no opening on any side. Even Unohana was briefly impressed by his swordsmanship.
"What a fast sword!" Unohana said in surprise. "But I know that style too!"
In an instant, her sword became a dense rain of strikes as well. Their blades met like colliding storms, scattering countless sparks through the air.
The clashing blades sounded like raindrops striking the ground. Within the packed flashes of steel, neither fighter could be seen.
Clang!
One tremendous clash broke through the rainlike din. Gen'en Kinra stumbled back. In the middle of their exchange, Unohana had suddenly changed styles, meeting skill with raw force. She put both hands into a strike that drove him away.
What strength! Gen'en Kinra's sword trembled in his hands. Before he could catch his breath, Unohana attacked again. He flipped his left hand, producing a fifty-centimeter iron spike, gathered his strength, and thrust it at her.
Unohana twisted aside from the sudden thrust and kicked Gen'en Kinra in the chest.
Bang!
Gen'en Kinra crashed through two walls. He wasn't injured, but every bone in his body creaked!
Unohana rushed him without mercy, her sword descending toward his head. Gen'en Kinra didn't know whether he could block it, but he raised his sword with all his strength.
Clang!
Before you continue