Since his battle with Unohana, Natsuro's life had returned to peace once more.
Only occasionally, when both had free time, would they engage in purely sword-based duels.
And each time, it was always Unohana who held the upper hand. After all, if you excluded all other conditions besides swordsmanship, Unohana's sword skill was arguably of the highest caliber.
Unohana herself had once said that she had mastered all sword techniques in the world over a thousand years ago, even naming her style "Yachiryu" after herself.
It wasn't until she met Zaraki Kenpachi that she realized everything she'd mastered had been meaningless.
As for Natsuro, while his swordsmanship wasn't weak, his past combat had relied much more on ninjutsu. Naturally, he couldn't reach the level of someone as single-mindedly devoted to the sword as Unohana.
Still, despite that, his swordsmanship was very high-level, clearly evidence of his natural talent.
Now, in his matches against Unohana, Natsuro often entered a state of absolute focus, "Clear Mirror, Still Water," carefully observing her sword.
His own swordsmanship rapidly improved as he absorbed the essence of Unohana's technique.
He could clearly feel his own progress, so much so that he had become a little addicted to it.
At this moment, Natsuro was looking at his Zanpakutō, Meikyō Shisui, which let out a light hum on its blade, as if complaining about how rarely it had been drawn lately. After all, Natsuro used to train with it every day.
He chuckled lightly and said, "You need to gain nourishment from combat too. Otherwise, if your swordsmanship falls too far behind mine, I won't bother practicing with you again."
Immediately, Meikyō Shisui trembled slightly before falling silent, probably off to train itself in frustration.
Just then, a figure suddenly burst through the gates of the 4th Division, ignoring all attempts to stop her and running straight into its interior. The figure was Rukia.
Panting heavily, Rukia looked around before her gaze landed on him. Her eyes lit up and she shouted: "Natsuro!"
"Hm?" Natsuro also noticed Rukia, along with the 4th Division members who had failed to stop her.
"She's a friend of mine. Let her through," Natsuro said.
"Yes, sir!" With that, the 4th Division Shinigami withdrew.
"What's going on? Why are you in such a hurry?" Natsuro looked at the gasping Rukia, who was struggling to catch her breath even while speaking.
"Natsuro, is Captain Unohana here right now?" Rukia asked anxiously.
"The captain seems to have gone up the mountain. She won't be back for a while," Natsuro replied. Unohana often went mountain climbing, though in truth, she simply rode her living Zanpakutō to collect medicinal herbs on mountaintops.
"How could that be…" Rukia froze for a moment, looking dejected.
"So, is it something that requires the captain's presence specifically?" Natsuro asked.
Rukia then explained the situation to Natsuro. Recently, several Shinigami had mysteriously gone missing within the Seireitei. The 13th Division had been assigned to investigate.
The mission was led by their lieutenant's wife, Miyako Shiba.
However, only Miyako returned, and she was now in a coma. The 4th Division had already examined her but found no clear cause.
So Rukia had rushed here, hoping to find him, now the 4th Division's lieutenant and perhaps persuade Captain Unohana to personally intervene.
But she hadn't expected the captain to be away…
"Miyako Shiba?" Natsuro raised an eyebrow. That name was quite familiar to him.
"Yes, do you know her?" Rukia nodded and asked.
"Of course. She's the one who performed my soul burial and brought me to the Soul Society," Natsuro said with a nod.
Rukia was also surprised. She hadn't expected such a connection.
"I'll go take a look," Natsuro said.
"Oh, okay." Rukia nodded, though she didn't hold much hope. In her eyes, he had probably become lieutenant due to his combat prowess, not healing ability.
That was why she'd originally come looking for Unohana, not Natsuro.
Still, since he offered, it was better than nothing, so Rukia didn't refuse.
Natsuro could guess what Rukia was thinking, but he didn't say anything. After all, her assumptions weren't wrong.
His healing skills were decent, but nowhere near Unohana's, and even inferior to the former 4th Division lieutenant, Seinosuke Yamada.
But below Unohana and Seinosuke, Natsuro probably ranked next. After him would be Isane Kotetsu.
Soon, the two arrived at the 13th Division.
"Lieutenant, this is Natsuro, the 4th Division's lieutenant," Rukia said, spotting the slumped, dejected figure of Kaien Shiba sitting outside. "You don't have to worry, Lieutenant. Natsuro will definitely heal Sister Miyako!"
"…Alright." Kaien looked at him. He was already familiar with the name, not only had Miyako mentioned him before, but Natsuro's rise to lieutenant so quickly after joining the Gotei 13 had caused a stir.
"Please help us," Kaien said, a flicker of hope appearing in his heart.
"I'll do my best," Natsuro replied cautiously.
Under Kaien's lead, he entered the room where Miyako lay. She was still unconscious, her face pale, looking even worse than when she'd once been attacked by a Hollow.
A 4th Division healer was beside her, frowning.
The healer turned when he heard the door open. His eyes lit up upon seeing Natsuro.
"Lieutenant!"
"Tell me what you've found so far," Natsuro said, already approaching Miyako. Her familiar face now seemed hollow and colorless.
The healer quickly explained his findings. From his examination, everything appeared normal, no injuries, no signs of illness. They had no idea why she wouldn't wake up.
Natsuro frowned as he listened and observed Miyako.
The room fell into a tense silence. No one dared even breathe loudly, afraid to disturb Natsuro.
Kaien wanted to say something, perhaps suggest that if nothing could be done… But how could he bring himself to say that? This was his wife lying there. How could he give up?
"She really isn't injured… nor sick," Natsuro finally sighed.
"Natsuro, did you find something? Can you treat it?" Rukia asked nervously, though she didn't fully understand the situation.
Natsuro shook his head. "Even if my captain were here, she might not be able to help."
"Mr. Natsuro, what exactly is going on? Can you tell me?" Kaien's voice trembled, it was hard to believe such a strong man was nearing a breakdown.
"Your wife, Miyako, has a Hollow inside her," Natsuro said flatly.
"What?! A Hollow?!" The three in the room all widened their eyes in shock.
"Yes. I'm not mistaken. In fact, her consciousness is on the verge of being completely devoured. When that happens, your wife will essentially become a puppet controlled by the Hollow." Natsuro sighed again. His healing training never taught him how to handle this kind of situation.
He hadn't even discovered it through healing techniques, but rather through his bug-like sensory ability.
"There's really… no way to save her?" Kaien asked, face pale.
Natsuro remained silent.
Rukia stood beside them, unsure what to say.
The nearby 4th Division medic also widened his eyes in shock, had he just been alone in a room with a Hollow?
Did that mean if Natsuro had arrived any later, and Miyako's consciousness had been completely devoured, he would've been the Hollow's first target?
Instantly, the medic felt like cursing, was healing work supposed to be this dangerous?
"Perhaps… there is one way," Natsuro suddenly said, as if recalling something.
"What method? Please tell me!" Kaien shouted urgently, while a glimmer of hope appeared in Rukia's eyes.
Natsuro looked at Kaien and said, "I can use my spiritual pressure to suppress the Hollow inside your wife, or even force it out."
Hearing this, hope lit up in Kaien's eyes.
"But I don't know if your wife will survive after the Hollow is forced out using that method," Natsuro said.
"So… it's a gamble?" Kaien's eyes showed hesitation.
"There's another way," Natsuro continued.
"Hm?" Kaien looked at him in surprise. He thought Natsuro had been quiet this whole time because there were no other options, he hadn't expected a second method.
"Do you mind if your wife is studied by others?" Natsuro asked suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Kaien looked confused.
"I recall the 12th Division is essentially the Research and Development Bureau. They work on new technologies and biological science... I suspect they'd be very interested in your wife's condition," Natsuro said. "It might be possible for them to find a way to save her."
Kaien fell silent at that. What he said made sense, this option was far more stable.
However… those mad scientists in the 12th Division, who knew what extreme things they might do in the name of research?
At this moment, Natsuro placed one hand gently on Miyako's forehead. His spiritual pressure began to flow out, and all three people around him could immediately feel an intense oppressive force.
Rukia stared at him in shock. Although she had heard rumors of Natsuro's strength, this spiritual pressure… she had never even felt it from Kaien before.
So, was Natsuro's spiritual pressure even stronger than the 13th Division's lieutenant?
"I suggest you choose the second option. The first has too high a chance of death. As for the second… if you're concerned, you could involve your captain. That might help keep things in check," Natsuro said, fully aware that in any world, the 'scientific community' often bordered on madness.
So Kaien's concern was completely understandable.
"Then let's go with the second option. I'll go find the captain now," Kaien said after taking a deep breath, then vanished on the spot using flash step.
"Thank you, Natsuro," Rukia said once Kaien had left.
"No need to thank me. I've met her before, I wouldn't want to see her die, either," Natsuro replied, then turned to the 4th Division medic and said:
"Go back to the 4th Division. If the captain returns, have her come here. Perhaps she knows something I don't that could help."
"Yes, sir!" the medic replied respectfully and quickly took his leave.
Before long, Kaien returned, bringing with him a pale, sickly man with long white hair. It was none other than the 13th Division's captain, Jūshirō Ukitake.
But the moment Natsuro laid eyes on him, he saw, just for an instant, a massive black right hand. It was incredibly strange…
What the hell was that?
Natsuro froze momentarily, then his vision returned to normal.
He heard Jūshirō Ukitake sigh and say, "To think something like this would happen… I'll speak with Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division and explain the situation."
"Thank you, Captain…" Kaien said gratefully.
"It's my duty as captain. Besides, because of my poor health, you've been handling the 13th Division's affairs all this time, I've felt guilty about that," Jūshirō Ukitake replied with a sigh.
At that moment, a massive creature descended into the courtyard, it was Unohana's Zanpakutō. Since it was here, that meant Unohana herself had returned from gathering herbs.
"Captain, come take a look," Natsuro called out.
"Captain Unohana, sorry to trouble you," Jūshirō Ukitake said sincerely.
"It's no trouble. If it's as Natsuro says and there really is a Hollow inside her, then this would be the first case of its kind in many years. I agree with his suggestion, to let the 12th Division study her and find a solution," Unohana replied.
She then approached Miyako and began examining her condition. After a short while, and under everyone's watchful eyes, she shook her head.
"This Hollow likely possesses a very unusual ability, to fuse with another person's body. I've never encountered such a power before," Unohana said.
Her experience far surpassed Natsuro's, but even she had never seen something like this before.
"In that case, I'll go speak with Mayuri Kurotsuchi," Jūshirō Ukitake said, clearly not thrilled at the thought of dealing with the eccentric 12th Division captain.
"Then I'll be leaving with Natsuro," Unohana added.
"Oh, and by the way, congratulations on finding such a capable lieutenant," Jūshirō Ukitake suddenly said with a smile.
"I think so too," Unohana replied, smiling as well. Then, she summoned Minazuki once again and left the 13th Division with Natsuro.
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Currently on Chapter 477 - Power Beyond Hollow and Shinigami