Seireitei, First Division Barracks.
A middle-aged man with slicked-back silver hair, dressed in a modern-day gentleman's suit, was leisurely humming a tune while gracefully watering his tea plants. He rubbed the little black mustache that framed either side of his nose, then turned toward the entrance of the barracks.
'Vice-Captain Inoue, what's the rush?'
Watching the slightly out-of-breath Inoue Toshiki, Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe lifted an eyebrow and stepped into the inner chamber. Moments later, Inoue heard Sasakibe's voice—'Please come in.' He slipped off his wooden sandals, stepped onto the veranda, slid the door open, and entered.
'Captain Commander, Teacher Inoue Toshiki of the Shino Academy has an urgent report.'
He bowed deeply to Yamamoto Genryūsai, who sat at the head of the room with eyes closed in meditation, and then recounted every detail of Jie Chengxian's performance in class that day. When he finished, he lowered his head and waited for the Captain Commander's instructions.
'You say the boy shows talent in swordsmanship?'
A gentle voice drifted in from the left. A female Shinigami with center-parted black hair and a perpetual smile sipped her tea and regarded Inoue with interest. Anyone who didn't know her true nature would likely be fooled by that gentle facade.
'Captain Unohana, I wouldn't dare make that judgment myself; I can only infer from the student's performance that Jie Chengxian might possess such potential.'
Inoue happened to know that the woman before him—Retsu Unohana, or Yachiru Unohana of a thousand years ago—had once been a merciless killer. Had she not been defeated by Captain Commander Yamamoto and later joined the Gotei 13, he might not even be able to stand straight in her presence.
'Captain Commander, I'll take my leave.'
Setting her emptied teacup on the low table, Unohana rose, bowed gracefully, and departed. Captain Commander Yamamoto opened his eyes a slit and murmured, 'Mind your measure,' before returning to his tea as if nothing had happened.
'Captain Commander, then I, too, will withdraw.'
Inoue hurriedly bowed and exited, anxious to get back to the academy. What Unohana was off to do, he could guess with his eyes closed. If he didn't hurry back, who knew what might happen to Jie Chengxian.
But… even if he went back, could he stop Unohana?
'Captain, letting Captain Unohana go… is that really all right?'
'No matter. She knows her limits.'
Yamamoto Genryūsai stared at the ripples in his teacup, his mind far from calm. The Gotei 13's captain ranks were thinning, rebellions stirred in Rukongai, and Central 46 interfered at every turn. If a clean-backgrounded, exceptionally gifted youngster appeared now, it would be a blessing to Soul Society.
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'Jie, someone important might come looking for you this afternoon.'
Jie Chengxian shot Aizen an odd look and pressed a hand to his forehead.
'No fever, so why the nonsense? Sure, I'm handsome and at least as smart as you—but why would they bother with me?'
Aizen had nothing left to say to this overconfident classmate. Who gave him the courage to claim he possessed "intelligence"? Whatever—if anyone did come, the headache would be Jie's. He sighed and sat back on his bed to refine his reiatsu. Jie, bored, lay down for a nap. With his reiatsu already at the fourth seat level, all he needed now was to master Shikai and Bankai; otherwise, no matter how high his reiatsu, he'd still be a nobody.
'Sōusuke, your mouth must be blessed by the gods…'
That afternoon, the moment Jie stepped onto the training ground he spotted the familiar figure at the front of the crowd. He itched to strangle the Aizen beside him—or rat him out to Sis. Too bad Sis would never believe it.
'I am Retsu Unohana, Captain of the Fourth Division. This afternoon I will be substituting for your regular instructors.'
Unohana's gaze swept over the seated students and, as if guided by instinct, landed on Jie Chengxian.
'Jie Chengxian, would you come up and assist me with a demonstration?'
The other students turned to Jie with "told-you-so" looks. Clearly the captain had heard about his performance from Teacher Inoue and come specially. Jie felt as if he were sitting on needles—he had zero desire to cross swords with a battle maniac like Unohana, especially when she was a bona-fide captain who could swat him like a fly.
'Ma'am, I'm feeling a bit unwell… may I go to the infirmary?'
'No worries; the Fourth Division excels at healing Kidō. I can treat you right now.'
Her smile stayed gentle, but Jie felt a chill spread through him.
'Sōusuke, say something!'
He hissed at Aizen for help, but Aizen remained impassive. Giving up, Jie flashed Aizen a friendly gesture and headed toward Unohana with a stiff scalp.
Once in position, he drew his bamboo practice sword, but Unohana shook her head and produced an asauchi from nowhere, tossing it to him.
'Today we'll use real blades. Don't worry about injuries, Jie— I'm quite good at… saving lives.'
Before the words finished, she exploded forward like a freed beast. Thick killing intent wrapped around Jie; instinct screamed at him to swing. Claiming mastery of every sword school, Unohana attacked like a torrential storm, her angles strange and deadly. At first Jie could only parry with textbook forms, but like a sponge he absorbed her techniques, steadied his footing, and even began to reverse the rhythm.
The other students had long retreated— the clash was terrifying. Sparks flew, steel rang, and the combatants blurred together.
Aizen watched Jie gradually gain the upper hand, a fiery glint in his eyes, fists clenched unconsciously.
Boom—!
Unohana suddenly released Captain-level reiatsu, crushing down like a toppled mountain, and slashed at Jie's neck. It was the simplest test of a Shinigami's reiatsu—only by raising his own could he survive. Of course she wasn't serious; if he couldn't withstand third-seat reiatsu, she would pull back.
Jie, unaware, thought she'd gone berserk and released his fourth-seat reiatsu to blunt the pressure, raising his blade to block and riposting toward her chest. Unohana seemed startled by his level; her movement faltered, and the edge sliced a thin line below her collarbone.
She shunpoed back dozens of steps, touched the wound, saw the blood on her fingers, and looked up with blazing eyes.
'Heh… Jie, you're the first student to ever draw my blood.'
'Um… Captain Unohana, shouldn't you treat that first?'
Her laugh made his scalp tingle; he stared at the bleeding cut and reminded her in a small voice.
'Heh, sorry, everyone. Class is dismissed for today.'
She gave the students a gentle smile, then vanished with Shunpo, leaving them dumbfounded. Jie walked back to Aizen, feeling the mix of awe and fear around him, and suddenly found it all rather dull.
'Didn't expect you'd already reached Lieutenant level, Jie.'
Aizen's tone was as calm as ever.
Jie clapped Aizen's shoulder, nose in the air:
'Heh, without this much talent, how could I be your classmate?'