The first generation Kenpachi, who had killed countless people, died a thousand years ago, but her spirit had never truly been buried.
His appearance—or perhaps the immense power he displayed—made her dead heart come alive again.
Uehara Shiroha knew her psychological changes very well.
Unohana Retsu's doubts and shock stemmed from the incredible speed at which he became stronger and his undeniable genius.
The Gotei 13 had never lacked geniuses, but what they truly lacked were geniuses at the level of monsters.
Souls with the qualifications to become Shinigami were already the elite among souls—in the modern world, they would be considered exceptional talents at minimum. However, such outstanding individuals, when placed within the ranks of the Gotei 13, were merely ordinary rank-and-file soldiers, no different from common workers in the modern world.
The seated officers and vice-captains were considered noteworthy figures. Only captains who could achieve Bankai were qualified to leave their names in history and earn the title of "genius."
Being able to become a senior captain meant being considered a strong captain. The thousand-year-old captains represented the pinnacle—the absolute top combat power in the Soul Society.
Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, Unohana Retsu, and Zaraki Kenpachi who had unleashed his true power all stood at this legendary level.
This was also the limit of what Shinigami could achieve.
No matter what kind of genius, no matter how exceptional their talent, none could surpass this ceiling.
It was like the physical limits of human beings in the real world.
The reason it was called a "limit" was precisely because it couldn't be broken.
If you run like Usain Bolt, you're a genius who can gain both fame and fortune. But if you run like Captain America? You're a monster who would be captured and experimented on.
After integrating many trump cards and developing them to a certain extent, Uehara Shiroha had shattered this limit.
His strength surpassed even the elite group of thousand-year captains.
He hadn't merely left his name in history—he had broken past records and created an entirely new history.
Uehara Shiroha had made just one sword strike, and suddenly all other captains became mere mortals by comparison.
In the eyes of others, he had attained such terrifying strength overnight.
This transformed him from a legend into a myth.
It was too incredible, like something from a dream.
It was indeed like ordinary people in the real world seeing Captain America or superheroes in action—like witnessing the impossible made flesh.
Therefore, even in the eyes of a thousand-year captain like Unohana Retsu, Uehara Shiroha was nothing short of a monster.
The more you understood the limits of Shinigami and the more knowledge you possessed, the greater the impact of witnessing such impossibility.
Yhwach and Hyōsube Ichibē still had a buzzing in their heads, struggling to recover from what they'd witnessed.
As for the murderous intent that Unohana Retsu tried her best to control and hide, the reason was very simple.
Because this female killer was really hungry.
Simply put, she was addicted to "slashing."
The captain Unohana from a thousand years ago was not known by this name.
Her name was Unohana Yachiru.
After founding the 11th Division, she lived a simple life of eating, sleeping, and slashing people every day.
Before joining the Gotei 13, she was an unprecedented villain in the history of the Soul Society.
She was bloodthirsty and couldn't sleep well at night unless she killed a few people every day.
This was Unohana Yachiru, and fighting was everything to her.
As the most infamous villain in Soul Society's history, as the Kenpachi who created the 11th Division and its fighting philosophy, she hadn't slashed people happily for a thousand years. Over the centuries, she had endured very, very hard.
The more masters she faced, the greater her addiction grew.
The slashing technique displayed by Uehara Shiroha was fatally attractive to her.
This was the hidden nature of Unohana Retsu.
"Why is that?" Even though she was rejected, Unohana Retsu still maintained her calm and gentle demeanor:
"Even if you hate the nobles of Soul Society, you have a good relationship with Captain Kyōraku and Vice-Captain Matsumoto.
Now they need your help.
And even if you lend a helping hand to them, you will not lose anything.
After all, for someone of your caliber, it is just a piece of cake.
You should have no reason to refuse."
To be honest, she had lived for so many years and had encountered all kinds of peculiar individuals.
After all, geniuses were always unique and different from others—it was normal for them to have weird temperaments.
But someone as strange as Uehara Shiroha? He was a first even for her.
His mind was as unfathomable and elusive as his strength.
What struck her as particularly strange was that Uehara Shiroha's strength and position had somehow allowed Aizen to retreat unscathed from their encounter.
Aizen and Uehara Shiroha were both tremendously proud individuals.
People like Aizen would not tolerate any variables and would resolutely eliminate all potential threats.
And Uehara Shiroha would not bow to anyone—he would definitely become a threat to Aizen.
But the two did not fight; they seemed to have reached some agreement, both stopping at the precise right moment...
She always felt that something was wrong.
So her call for help this time was also a test.
"Captain Unohana is really sharp. Your judgment of the situation is indeed very accurate," Uehara Shiroha shook his head:
"It's just that you misjudged me and yourself.
I am not the person you think I am, and you are not the person you think you are.
Since you have come to me, you will never be satisfied with just keeping things quiet. You are not such a person."
Unohana Retsu had treated him as a young man who was ignorant of the world's ways, wanting to pressure him with words and test his resolve.
However, this captain who appeared so gentle and dignified did not expect that in front of Uehara Shiroha, she was like an open book, unable to hide any secrets.
Therefore, before she could uncover any useful information, Uehara Shiroha saw through all her intentions.
Unohana Retsu, who had a braid hanging down the front, narrowed her eyes slightly:
"You know my story?
I came here today for no other reason than to ask for your help."
Her self from a thousand years ago had become history, and those who knew about her were basically all dead.
Compared with the past, she had undergone earth-shaking changes.
Very few people knew her true identity.
How did a young Shinigami like Uehara Shiroha know this?
If he could discover her secret, then did he also know the details of Zaraki Kenpachi?
After hearing Unohana Retsu's slightly guarded answer, Uehara Shiroha shook his head and said:
"However, human nature will not change.
It is nature precisely because it cannot be changed.
Deep in your heart, the blood of a killer flows, and this is your nature that cannot be altered.
Therefore, as long as you stand in front of me, your blood will boil and the killer instinct will be activated.
In fact, before coming here, you had expectations for this, which is also an important reason why you wanted to see me.
It has nothing to do with asking for help. You just want to fight."
Unohana Retsu herself had not realized this expectation hidden deep in her heart, but Uehara Shiroha had seen through it at a glance.
Unohana Retsu's breath became calmer: "I won't do anything."
She could not deny Uehara Shiroha's words.
This man had seen through her completely.
Before coming here, Unohana Retsu did have a vague expectation stirring in her heart.
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