Blood continued to drip from Unohana's Zanpakutō, falling heavily to the floor.
This pitch-black underground prison of Shin'ō Academy was now entirely consumed by a sea of blood.
In just a moment, the dungeon had transformed into another world, one where an endless ocean of crimson stirred instinctive terror in anyone who set foot in it.
Natsuro looked across the blood-drenched space at Unohana. The wounds she'd suffered from Zandanshi no Ame were already healing before his eyes—visibly, rapidly.
"Looks terrifying… but it's still a healing-type?" Natsuro was a little surprised. He sliced his own palm with spiritual energy and watched the wound quickly mend itself.
Not just Unohana, he was healing too?
Was this intentional? Or… was it something even Unohana herself couldn't control?
He pondered. If she couldn't control the effect, then this Bankai created a kind of endless battlefield, unless Unohana released it herself, they would keep fighting forever.
Minor injuries would heal instantly in this world.
Meaning to kill your opponent… you had to land a single, fatal blow.
"Honestly… this is a great battleground," Natsuro grinned. Sensing the joy in Unohana's smile, he realized she too was a warrior obsessed with combat.
So, possessing a Bankai like this, maybe it wasn't so strange after all.
Natsuro looked down at the blood sea. Whether or not the healing effects were just for show didn't matter.
As long as he didn't get hit, it changed nothing.
"This… is my Bankai," Unohana said calmly. "Vice-captain, shouldn't you show me your full power now?"
Natsuro didn't answer immediately. Using his full power?
Impossible... For now, he couldn't even access all of it.
Still, there was no longer any need to keep hiding things.
The next moment, he gently flicked Meikyō Shisui with a finger. A clear, ringing note echoed through the bloody domain.
"Bankai..."
The moment he spoke, Unohana's eyes narrowed.
...Bankai?!
Hadn't this man just graduated from the Academy?
But... she understood. The 10th Division also had a child prodigy who unlocked his ice-based Bankai shortly after joining the Gotei 13.
Compared to that genius, his talent might even be greater. So his Bankai, though surprising, wasn't unimaginable.
A beautiful, delighted smile spread across Unohana's face.
This made things better, she wouldn't have to rely on Bankai to overpower someone still using Shikai.
Until now, she'd assumed he could only use Shikai.
"Bankai: Jin Dan (Total Severance)!"
With those words, an explosion of spiritual pressure tore through the air.
He no longer restrained his power.
The sea of blood surged, repelled by the sheer force of his reiatsu. The pressure he emitted was monstrous, almost unbelievable.
Unohana stared at his silhouette through the blood mist, and for a moment… she saw someone else.That man, the only one who had ever defeated her. That old man's power and spiritual pressure were unrivaled in her memory.
Even Kenpachi Zaraki had fallen slightly short.
But now, Unohana sensed that same intensity from Natsuro.
"This level of spiritual pressure…" Unohana was at a loss.
How could he possess it? Still, she didn't ask. It was likely his secret.
And she didn't care. All she knew was, she was about to have the most exhilarating battle she'd ever known.
Soon, the storm-like spiritual pressure receded.
Unexpectedly, Natsuro's appearance hadn't changed. His Zanpakutō looked exactly the same.
Had the Bankai failed?
But the oppressive presence he exuded was undeniably real.
No, it hadn't failed.
This was just the form his Bankai took.
Natsuro stood atop blackened earth.
The sea of blood couldn't even approach him, forcibly held back by his sheer presence.
Inside, his mind was perfectly calm, like a mirror.
He gazed at this crimson world with clarity and focus.
Unohana met his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, the two collided once again in the center.
This time, after unleashing their Bankai, they returned to pure swordplay, but now, Natsuro held a commanding advantage.
Unohana was stunned.
After activating his Bankai, his swordsmanship had seemingly improved drastically. More importantly, no matter what angle her attacks came from, he deflected them all... effortlessly.
How? she wondered.
What's more, his strikes were so powerful now that she struggled just to defend.
But then she realized something... He was holding back. Natsuro was deliberately matching his strength to hers.
Unohana's eyes widened.
In that moment, she saw a ghost from her past, Kenpachi Zaraki, back when he was still a child.
When she had been slaughtering her way through Soul Society, she'd drawn in another of her kind, someone who like her longed for a worthy opponent.
But she had been too weak.
In order to extend the thrill of battle, young Zaraki had sealed his own power during their countless fights.
In the end, after suppressing himself to the extreme, Zaraki lost that duel.
But Unohana had never considered it her victory.
Because she was simply too weak to satisfy him.
He sealed himself away so deeply that he could no longer lift that seal on his own, and that regret haunted Unohana.
In fact, her Bankai had been created specifically to free Zaraki from his self-imposed seals.
And now, in this thrilling battle where she finally felt alive again…
The opponent before her, once again suppressed his power because she was too weak.
Her heart, cultivated over countless years of self-restraint, shattered in that instant.
Then came the onslaught.
A ruthless, all-offense style with no regard for defense.
Natsuro was briefly caught off guard by her sudden change, but he quickly adjusted, and began carving deep wounds into her body.
Yet, those horrifying, bone-deep wounds healed instantly.
This was the power of Unohana's Bankai.
As long as she survived a blow, she would instantly regenerate. Only a single, lethal strike could end her.
Natsuro frowned slightly, then smiled.
So be it.
He wouldn't hold back from wounding her anymore.
As for his strength, he still didn't increase it because this battle wasn't about victory or death.
He simply wanted to savor the fight against Unohana.
Now, Natsuro fluidly alternated between his First and Second Forms, evading Unohana's frenzied attacks with incredible speed, then retaliating with pinpoint strikes of unparalleled precision.
And Unohana, with her pseudo-immortality, held her ground under his relentless rhythm, sometimes even counterattacking.
Natsuro felt his entire body trembling with joy, this was the kind of uninhibited, unrestrained battle he longed for!
Come on! More fighting! Fiercer sword techniques!
His eyes widened, and his sword style grew increasingly aggressive.
Suddenly, the hairs stood on end, his instincts screamed danger!
In that moment, he abruptly twisted his body into an awkward stance and slashed out.
Bang!!
His sword clashed with a hidden dagger, then Unohana's figure lunged forward, her blade swinging down toward him.
But the next instant, a black symbol appeared beneath her feet. A pitch-black rectangular prism enveloped her form, its surface pierced by countless black blades.
"Hadō #90 – Kurohitsugi!"
It was Kurohitsugi, used without an incantation.
At only a third of its full power, it wasn't much of a threat to someone like Unohana.
But it was more than enough to interrupt her deadly strike.
Natsuro finally retreated, his gaze fixed on Unohana as she shattered the Kurohitsugi and stepped free.
"That was really close, Captain," Natsuro remarked. That dagger had come from a wickedly sharp angle, giving him almost no time to react, he hadn't even seen it visually.
If not for his battle instinct, he would've been hit. Even if it wasn't fatal, the injury would've been serious.
"In this place, you can't die… Vice-Captain," Unohana said softly. Seeing that even her final hidden strike had failed, she let out a sigh.
She couldn't understand how he had deflected her dagger without ever knowing of its existence.
The timing and angle had been perfect, at least, as perfect as she could manage against someone like him, who offered no real openings.
That moment just now had been her best chance.
"Shall we continue?" Natsuro asked. He could tell her tone had softened, as if her fighting spirit had faded and she'd returned to her usual self.
"I've already lost," Unohana admitted, sheathing her Zanpakutō. The blood-drenched space around them shattered, revealing the original prison beneath.
"..If I can't make you go all out, and can't hurt you, I've lost."
"No" Natsuro replied, also sealing his blade. His overwhelming spiritual pressure dissipated."...I actually had a great time."
Unohana's voice grew tense. "Vice-Captain… you can still access your full strength, right?"
She was afraid, afraid that yet another person had sealed away their power because of her weakness… and would never be able to unseal it again.
"Of course I can," Natsuro said, frowning. He found the question a bit strange. He had only matched her power level, not abandoned his own strength.
Who would be dumb enough to give up their power in the middle of a fight?
"Good," Unohana finally let out a long breath of relief.
Natsuro , curious, asked, "Captain… has someone actually given up their power during a fight?"
"Not given up. Sealed it," Unohana said after a pause. She looked at him, realizing she didn't need to keep secrets anymore, after all, he had defeated her.
Maybe… maybe he could even help Zaraki Kenpachi break his seal.
"Sealed? Then just undo it," Natsuro shrugged. He figured no one was that foolish.
"The problem is… it was an unconscious self-sealing. He can't undo it," Unohana answered with a bitter smile.
Natsuro fell silent.
He was a little stunned. Who the hell sealed their own power permanently?
At that moment, Unohana faced him openly, no longer holding anything back. She told him everything.
"That person you're talking about… is the current Captain of the 11th Division, right?" Natsuro recalled that demon-like figure, his massive frame and brutal aura. He had heard that among the captains of the Gotei 13, Zaraki was one of the strongest.
He also remembered hearing that Kenpachi had never even used a Bankai.
That, combined with what Unohana had just told him… He was intrigued. If Zaraki ever broke his seal, if he unlocked Bankai, just how powerful would he become?
But the problem was: how to unseal it?
Natsuro decided he'd keep an eye on Zaraki. If the man truly was a battle maniac like himself, maybe he could help him. And if that happened, they'd surely clash one day.
He looked toward Unohana and asked, "Captain… could we spar again sometime?"
"Hm? You shouldn't need to fight me again," Unohana replied with a puzzled look. She had lost completely, why would he still want to fight her?
"No. In terms of pure swordsmanship, I'm still far behind you. And I need that kind of training. I want to spar with you, not like this time not full power, just simple swordplay."
"…If it'll help you, then let's do as you say." Unohana gave him a gentle smile.
"Thanks…" Natsuro looked at her oddly. Ever since he'd defeated her, Unohana's demeanor seemed… different?
Soon, she rebraided her hair into the familiar braid across her chest, hiding the gruesome scar once more.
Then, the two of them left the underground prison.
When they had arrived, Unohana had led the way.
But when they left, it was Unohana who walked behind Natsuro.
As she followed him, she smiled to herself.
Maybe today was the happiest she'd felt since the day Zaraki Kenpachi sealed his own strength.
In her life, she had only lost to two people.
The first was the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, who had crushed her with overwhelming power, and recruited her into the Gotei when it was still just an assassination corps.
Now, the second… was her own Vice-Captain.
Victory and defeat mattered. But what Unohana wanted most of all… was a worthy opponent.
Zaraki's arrival hadn't brought her joy, because his strength came at the cost of sealing himself to match her.
But he was different. He had no such seal.
So now… she had a new reason to train, to refine her reiatsu and her sword.
And someday…
To face Natsuro again.
To push him hard enough that he'd finally fight her at full strength.
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Currently on Chapter 476 - The Mystery That Is Ichigo Kurosaki...