Helping Ōtoribashi, Aikawa, and Muguruma master Bankai was the most crucial first step. Yesterday, after dumping Kisuke Urahara into the research facility attached to the Twelfth Division, Captain Kirio Hikifune, with characteristic generosity, allocated a significant amount of funding. To repay her kindness, Kensei used all his skill to teach her several novel dishes.
Kensei's high sensitivity to reishi also gave Kirio Hikifune new inspiration, opening up fresh directions for her research into Soul Food cuisine. Having prepared many reishi-infused dishes, Kensei expended quite a bit of stamina and ended up resting for the night in Sister Hikifune's division quarters.
"Good morning, Sister Hikifune."
Kensei, who had prepared breakfast in advance, greeted a sleepy-eyed Kirio Hikifune with a smile, gesturing for her to sit and eat.
"My, the young man's thoughtfulness truly moves me. It almost makes me not want to take up my position in the Royal Guard."
Kirio Hikifune wore an expression of pure bliss. Each time she tasted Kensei's cooking, it gave her entirely new sensations. Going to the Royal Guard almost seemed optional.
"What are your plans for today, young man?"
The Bankai research device would still take a few days to complete. The graduation exam and the Captain proficiency test were on the same day. Kensei's options now were either to develop a new technique or go to the Fourth Division and ask Unohana for some floral tea to fulfill his filial duty to the Captain-Commander.
"Better go find Sister Unohana."
With no immediate inspiration for training, Kensei decided to give up the struggle and accept his fate of facing Sister Unohana once more.
At worst, I'll just spend another day practicing swordsmanship with her. I'll just have to endure a little hardship.
"Hehe, Captain Unohana is also very interested in Kaidō. If you could discuss Kaidō with her, things might go easier for you."
Kirio Hikifune's words made Kensei's eyes light up.
That's right. Regardless of Sister Unohana's original motives for learning Kaidō, after becoming Captain of the Fourth Division, she took her duties seriously. If I can present some Kaidō techniques that pique her interest, I might avoid sword practice.
But I currently know nothing about Kaidō. How can I engage in scholarly debate with her?
"Hehe, I don't have any Kaidō texts here. You'll have to go to the Fourth Division for those."
Seeing Kensei's expression instantly deflate, Kirio Hikifune couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. The motion caused the impressive curves before her to ripple magnificently, silencing any complaints Kensei was about to make.
You're the boss when you're that well-endowed.
Resigned to his fate, Kensei sighed heavily, quickly finished his breakfast, cleaned the dishes, and marched out of the Twelfth Division barracks with an air of tragic resolve.
"Take care on your way~"
Kirio Hikifune waved, watching Kensei leave with a smile.
As the saying goes, familiarity breeds ease. Arriving once more at the entrance to the Fourth Division, Kensei felt none of the heart-pounding fear from his first visit.
Hah! Unohana? No matter how strong, she's still just a woman! Would I, Kensei Kenzuru, be afraid of a woman?
Cautiously entering Sister Unohana's quarters, Kensei's heartbeat skipped several beats at the sight of Retsu Unohana, her beautiful hair cascading down her back, calmly practicing ikebana. Putting aside everything else, this serene version of Sister Unohana was undeniably captivating, striking a deep chord within the wide-ranging interests of Kensei Kenzuru.
"Ara, Kensei. Have you come today to continue our sword practice?"
"Sister Unohana, Old Man Yama is cruel and tyrannical, no true teacher. Today, I come to renounce the darkness for the light, hoping to study the healing arts under you."
After listening to Kensei's words, a rather vivid expression played across Unohana's face. Did the Captain-Commander hit him so hard he's started talking nonsense?
"The truth, please."
"Old Man Yama ordered me to get some floral tea from you to show my filial piety. I didn't want to practice swordsmanship with you, so I figured I'd use Kaidō to earn your favor instead."
Unohana nodded. Now I understand. This little schemer wouldn't come to me to learn Kaidō for no reason.
"A bit of floral tea is nothing. I could just give it to you."
There's such a good deal? Sister Unohana, you truly are a kind soul!
"However, since you wish to learn Kaidō, I cannot refuse to teach. I'll give you the tea leaves after you've learned." Unohana finished speaking, gently placing the flower in her hand into the vase. "One shouldn't receive rewards without labor."
The smile on Kensei's face instantly froze. As expected. Trying to get something for nothing from Sister Unohana is just a pipe dream.
"Well, actually, receiving without labor is also quite..." The word "good" died on Kensei's lips under Unohana's gaze. "...quite shameless. A young person like me should be down-to-earth. Where shall we begin?"
"From the very basics, of course." Unohana turned, retrieved several texts on Kaidō from a cabinet, and pointed to a spot beside her, indicating for Kensei to sit. "Don't worry. With my personal instruction, you're sure to grasp it in a short time."
"Ahem, Sister Unohana, as Captain of the Fourth Division, personally teaching a mere student like me seems a bit... improper."
Kensei made one last attempt to struggle, fearing that Sister Unohana might, mid-lesson, decide to give him a couple of slashes—the kind where if she couldn't heal them, she'd just keep cutting.
"Oh? Does Kensei think I'm not a good teacher?"
Unohana looked up at Kensei with a smiling gaze, an inexplicable pressure settling over him, compelling him to obediently take a seat beside her and accept instruction.
"Kaidō is essentially a branch of Kidō, one that can be performed without incantation."
"When using Kaidō, one first restores the patient's internal spiritual pressure, then combines it with the external spiritual pressure supplied by the caster, thereby achieving healing and spiritual pressure recovery."
Unohana, unsurprisingly the foremost expert in the healing arts in the Soul Society aside from Tenjirō Kirinji, explained concepts with profound simplicity. Even Kensei could easily understand.
Mastering basic Kaidō wasn't overly difficult; the Shin'ō Academy offered courses on it. But it could only treat minor scrapes and bruises. Soul Reapers capable of using Kaidō to stop bleeding from wounds sustained in fierce combat amounted to less than thirty percent of the entire Soul Society. Those capable of the more advanced tissue and internal organ regeneration were even fewer.
Furthermore, Kaidō was essentially a one-on-one healing art. Therefore, during large-scale battles, Soul Reapers capable of using Kaidō were always in short supply.
Enjoying the VIP service of one-on-one tutoring from a master like Unohana, Kensei watched as a disemboweled white mouse gradually recovered under his Kaidō treatment. He could only marvel at how miraculous Kaidō truly was.
This day wasn't wasted. At least I won't have to worry about bleeding out during fights anymore.
"Sister Unohana, isn't there any Kaidō that can heal multiple Soul Reapers' wounds simultaneously?"
Unohana shook her head regretfully. Aside from the Hell Spring developed by Kirinji, there truly was no large-scale healing Kaidō. And each use of the Spring consumed a significant amount of rare medicinal ingredients.
Kensei frowned in thought. Since there was currently no group-healing skill, perhaps he could create a pre-set, trigger-type Kaidō that would activate on the spot upon injury.
Spiritual pressure gathered at Kensei's fingertip as he attempted to condense Kaidō into a seal and imprint it onto the white mouse. However, pure Kaidō energy couldn't persist within a living body and simply dissipated.
Scratching his head, Kensei felt his idea should be feasible; it just lacked a method to preserve the Kaidō within the body.
"You could try incorporating Bakudō."
Kensei's eyes lit up. That's right! Bakudō is for capture and sealing. If I seal the Kaidō with Bakudō and implant it into the body, I could set it to release the Kaidō for healing under specific conditions.
Watching Kensei theorize for a while before two different lights—one for Kaidō, one for Bakudō—glowed anew in his hands, a look of anticipation appeared in Unohana's eyes.
***
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