Having learned every school in this world and mastered all blade and sword arts, Unohana's strength could indeed be described as formidable.
Catching sight of that gentle-tempered, squint-eyed woman out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo also wanted to exchange blows with Unohana.
The original author of Bleach, Tite Kubo, writes a single line that defines a character at the beginning of each volume. The line given to Unohana was:
"Battle is everything."
This evaluation of Unohana was incredibly impressive, but as the story progressed, her abilities did not stand out as much later on.
But now, things were different.
After the battle with Aizen, or perhaps due to long-term accumulation-
Unohana had attained enlightenment, and her strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
All the techniques she had learned in the past bloomed into a brand-new flower, and her strength and Reiatsu both stepped into an entirely new level.
At this moment, in Ichigo's perception, Unohana showed absolutely no sense of danger at all.
That alone was proof of how terrifying she had become.
Unohana looked gentle and serene, with black hair parted down the middle, braided and draped forward. She wore a Shihakusho, with the inner lining of her Captain's Haori colored pale cherry gray.
A red cord secured her light-colored obi at the waist.
Don't be fooled by her current appearance… once a battle began, she would untie the braid bound at her chest, and her expression and aura would become completely different.
In Ichigo's view, Unohana's desire for battle was not one bit weaker than Zaraki's.
"Captain Unohana, how about we try fighting as well?"
Ichigo felt his fighting spirit rise… clashing with Unohana would definitely bring him a different experience.
"Ah, let's forget it. Aren't you having a great fight with Kenpachi already?"
Unohana smiled gently and waved her hand, seemingly unwilling to fight, yet Ichigo's body faintly produced a stinging sensation, as if being cut.
'This woman really was something.'
'She clearly wanted it badly, yet still spoke words of refusal.'
'You're already unable to hold back from drawing your blade, aren't you?'
Ichigo glanced at her restless hand, hovering around the hilt of her sword with nowhere to place it.
Ichigo continued persuading Unohana, while Zaraki stood nearby watching with a broad grin.
Zaraki, who had fought Unohana once as a child, naturally knew her true personality.
Under Ichigo's persistent urging, Unohana finally agreed, 'somewhat reluctantly'.
"Ara, I'm just a medical officer. I'm not very good at fighting," Unohana said as she drew her blade.
The moment Unohana's hand grasped the hilt, her entire presence instantly changed, erupting with a powerful aura.
Her waist did not sway, yet it gave the impression of twisting like a water snake.
A curved Zanpakuto was drawn from its sheath.
Putting aside the danger, fighting Unohana gave one the sensation of surveying the full breadth of blade arts.
Today, Ichigo truly witnessed a master.
Unohana's absolute strength was no longer overwhelming to Ichigo at his current level, but in terms of sword technique, she could still completely crush him.
"Hana-nee, your swordsmanship really is incredible."
Bloody wounds bloomed one after another across Ichigo's body.
Ichigo deliberately suppressed his strength, not using his full power, in order to hone his Zanjutsu.
Because of the Hogyoku, some intangible changes were silently taking place within his body.
Unohana held her sword in one hand and suddenly chopped down three times like slicing vegetables.
"Gakuwari!"
As expected of a master who embodied the culmination of sword arts, Ichigo could only repel her with a close-range, ultra-fast draw slash.
In a daze, he understood one thing: battling Unohana was a contest of pure technique.
Ichigo even felt as though he was constantly walking a tightrope over a cliff.
Orihime also watched Ichigo with concern.
Unohana did not hold back in battle… each slash truly and directly cut into Ichigo's flesh.
'In this kind of situation, the Hogyoku should be able to play a role as well.'
Ichigo could feel rapid changes occurring throughout his bones, muscles, and nerves.
In the midst of battle, his body became slightly more slender.
His physique also grew more coordinated, advancing toward ultimate perfection.
The power of the Hogyoku was fully revealed at this moment.
After several hours, Ichigo was already evenly matched with Unohana in this contest of technique.
Both Ichigo and Unohana possessed astonishing stamina, and even after fighting for a long time, neither showed any decline in combat power.
Two flashes of blade light crossed, and Unohana landed lightly on the tip of a stone with one foot, like a great butterfly.
Holding her curved Zanpakuto level, she gently spoke two words:
"Minazuki."
Unohana, this battle maniac, had become a bit carried away and unleashed the Bankai of her Zanpakuto, Minazuki.
Large amounts of blood flowed all around.
Ichigo's vision turned crimson, and Unohana stood at the center of this blood-red world.
Unohana stood within the flowing sea of blood, her expression devoid of ferocity, yet resembling a demon from the deepest hell.
"Ichigo!"
Orihime crossed her arms in front of her chest, worried as she saw Unohana's state.
Fortunately, a large hand rested on Orihime's shoulder, softly reassuring her.
"Don't worry. Unohana knows Kaido. If Ichigo is injured, he'll receive treatment immediately."
One must know that before the Thousand-Year Blood War, in order to draw out Zaraki's fighting power, or to free him from the shackles he placed on himself, Unohana fought Zaraki in repeated battles to the death.
In that battle, Zaraki once saw an illusion of Unohana turning into a skeleton. During their fight, Zaraki repeatedly stood on the brink of death, only to be continuously healed by Unohana.
"Fight as much as you want. I will heal you."
Minazuki extended and twisted.
"Then let's go." Ichigo also became excited.
Zangetsu and Ruyi were tightly gripped in his hands.
This kind of contest that leaned toward pure technique also excited him greatly.
He could increase his combat power with the help of the Hogyoku and also gain battle points.
Why not?
"At this point, watching action movies doesn't even require buying tickets anymore. Just watch Ichigo's livestream."
"These effects are insane. I really can't wait for these players to come back, so I can train too!"
"Same. These players would stay in the game for only two and a half years, right?"
"What? You still buy tickets to watch action movies? Don't you just secretly watch them yourself?"
"The one above had better be talking about something proper."
Ichigo's battle with Unohana left the vast Dongguo audience exhilarated, while also fantasizing about what it would be like once these players returned and they themselves gained such extraordinary abilities.
Caught up in the excitement, Ichigo fought Unohana for a full day and night.
During that time, he received countless treatments from her.
In terms of raw combat power, Lady Hana could not even defeat Zaraki, but in terms of combat technique, she was truly top-tier.
As expected of the Great Villain, Unohana Yachiru.
Minazuki in its Shikai form swallowed and released the two of them again and again, restoring Ichigo to perfect condition each time.
And with the help of the Hogyoku, Ichigo also grew even stronger.
Perhaps this was the unreasonable power of the Hogyoku.