After reviewing the medical storage records, Unohana brought Katori Nanatsuki to the forested outskirts of Seireitei.
The sky was thick with dark clouds, and rain could fall at any moment, but that didn't stop the two from engaging in a swordsmanship exchange.
"Show me how much you've grown. I've been looking forward to this moment for a long time, Katori-kun."
Unohana slowly drew her Zanpakutō. Her expression was gentle, soft as water—yet the aura she emitted was terrifying.
Nanatsuki pulled off the upper half of his uniform, and wild surges of Reiatsu burst from his shoulders and back.
He immediately activated Shunkō.
"Oh~?" Unohana sensed the violent fluctuations in his Reiatsu. Her lips curled slightly. "Looks like today will be even more fun."
She suppressed her Reiatsu to match Nanatsuki's level.
The moment she finished speaking, Nanatsuki vanished.
Clang!
Unohana swung her blade horizontally to block Nanatsuki head-on. The distance between them was so close that she could feel his breath on her forehead.
"Your speed has increased a lot—but it's still not enough," she said with a light smile.
Last time, she had underestimated his level of Shunpo Iaido and hadn't been able to react in time. But this time, she was ready and parried his ambush cleanly.
Nanatsuki raised his left hand and pointed it at her.
The motion made Unohana frown, displeased. "Still using Hadō, are we?"
But then, he suddenly raised two fingers. Arcs of lightning coiled around them.
Sparks burst from the electric arcs and instantly transformed into crimson flame.
Unohana's eyes narrowed. The moment she noticed the change at his fingertips, she twisted her blade and forced him back. She then spun rapidly, her sword whirling as she struck the golden thunderflame erupting from his fingers.
The Reiatsu Blade wreathed in golden thunderflame clashed with her blade, producing an explosive shockwave.
CLANG!!!
The golden flame fractured into shards that scattered in all directions. Towering trees were cleaved in its wake.
BOOM—more than ten massive trees crashed to the ground, sending flocks of birds fleeing the forest.
"Condensing a Reiatsu Blade at the fingertips, then enhancing it with Kidō... I've never seen that move before. You really are delightful, Katori-kun..." Unohana's eyes changed slightly. Her eyelids lowered a touch, and her pupils gleamed with barely contained fervor.
Her sword dipped slightly, and a few drops of blood trickled from her palm, sliding down the blade to the ground.
Seeing the blood, Nanatsuki grew more excited.
That was the main reason he preferred sparring with Captain Unohana over Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Unohana genuinely enjoyed the exchange of swordsmanship. She would seriously suppress her Reiatsu, even if it meant getting injured. She never strayed from that.
Yamamoto, on the other hand, was entirely different. That old man was obsessed with saving face—he might say he was holding back his Reiatsu, but the moment things got dangerous, he'd strike harder than anyone.
"I've got more I'd like you to see, Captain Unohana." Nanatsuki smiled slightly, lightning arcs blooming around him,
intertwining with the Shunkō-generated Reiatsu turbulence.
Shunkō: Raikiri Form!
His speed jumped yet again. Four afterimages surrounded Unohana, each thrusting forward at once.
Unohana spun her blade in a wide arc, instantly deflecting three of the illusions. Her sword then slashed toward the fourth and struck Nanatsuki's shoulder.
Splurt—blood sprayed from his shoulder, but at the same time, his sword thrust toward her.
Unohana reached out and slapped the flat of the blade, redirecting it.
The blade passed under her arm, tearing only her haori and Shihakushō sleeve—failing to touch her flesh.
Both retreated a step, widening the distance.
"Even faster now..." Unohana chuckled softly.
She reached up and ripped off the shredded sleeve, revealing her fair arm.
"There's more where that came from." Nanatsuki ignored the wound on his shoulder. He raised his Zanpakutō and pinched the blade between two fingers.
The move heightened Unohana's excitement. Her voice even changed pitch slightly. "Blade Sealing, hmm? Haven't seen that in years!"
In the next instant, a strike imbued with thunder came flashing in!
CLANG!!!
Unohana was ready. She gripped her sword with both hands and blocked the slash head-on.
A tremendous force surged down the blade, shaking her palm violently. Though her wound had been healed with Kaido, it split open again from the impact. Her legs were forced into the dirt, carving twin trenches through the soil.
She raised her blade and flung the thunderous strike skyward.
The bolt arced into the sky, slicing a gash through the dark clouds.
Sunlight pierced through the rift and bathed the forest floor.
Nanatsuki focused his gaze—Unohana was no longer where she had been.
In the next breath, her soul-piercing eyes were right in front of his.
His sword vanished—replaced by a crashing wave of water.
The tidal wave collided with Unohana's strike.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The sound of clashing blades echoed endlessly.
Splurt—a cut opened on Unohana's abdomen, while Nanatsuki was covered in a dozen slashes.
Feeling her blade kiss flesh, her smile grew unnervingly radiant.
She lifted her leg and kicked Nanatsuki away. The tip of her white tabi brushed the air as she leapt, spun midair, and brought her blade crashing down.
CRASH—the blades met, and Nanatsuki was slammed into the ground.
Unohana pinned his lower body with her knee, then reversed her grip and drove her blade toward his abdomen.
But in that moment, Nanatsuki's Reiatsu surged, his body temperature spiking. Flame erupted from his body and blade.
His body water evaporated instantly. His skin began to crack from the heat.
Lightning arcs and crimson flames intertwined around him, the flames turning golden under the electric light!
The high-temperature heatwave distorted the air itself.
Thunderfire Wild Blaze!
He couldn't yet enter this state while using Shunkō, but the explosive power of Thunderfire Wild Blaze far surpassed that of Shunkō: Raikiri.
Now that he'd mastered it, he could activate it briefly without harming himself—making it viable for real combat.
Unohana's expression shifted. She swiftly leapt away.
The leg that had pinned Nanatsuki was already engulfed in golden flame.
Even after snuffing the blaze with Reiatsu, her Shihakushō was half incinerated, looking more like a dress.
Nanatsuki struck again. Boiling blood and crackling lightning surged around him, his speed climbing to yet another level.
His form flickered like a shadow, and in a blink, he was right in front of Unohana.