Chapter 28: What Was the Captain Commander Like When He Was Young?
Click.
The sound of the tsuba meeting the mouth of the scabbard rang out, proof that the blade had already returned to its sheath.
Yet no one present had even seen the moment the sword was drawn.
They had not reacted.
The attack was already over.
As an iaido technique, it should have been that way.
It should have been so… yes.
But could this really be called iaido?
What kind of iaido could wound an opponent standing more than ten meters away, drawing blood without any visible sword pressure or surge of spiritual pressure?
"…"
Retsu Unohana's gaze dropped to her wrist.
Her current posture was completely different from before. Ichigo and the others had not even noticed when she had shifted into a defensive stance, blade held horizontally before her.
It was as if, in the instant Takeru drew his sword, time itself had been sliced apart for a heartbeat, and within that one second, both sides had completed attack and defense.
The result was this:
Takeru had calmly sheathed his sword.
And a thin red line had appeared on Unohana's white wrist, from which blood now slowly welled up.
"Captain?!"
Isane snapped back to her senses at the sight of blood.
Just as she was about to step forward, Unohana raised that same hand slightly to stop her.
"Kurosaki kun."
"Ah? Yes!" Ichigo answered on reflex, startled.
"Watch closely," Unohana said. "When something like this happens, do not immediately flood the wound with spiritual pressure. First, stabilize your Reiatsu and… your mind. Absolutely do not let your thoughts waver because of the injury. Remain calm and detached, as if you were an outsider. That state is what promotes regeneration. This is the only lesson I can give you at your current level."
"I… I understand."
Without changing her expression, Unohana turned her wrist, and before their eyes the wound began to knit itself shut.
Ichigo felt an indescribable shock.
Not only at the unfathomable depth of her Bakudo, but also at the gap in mental composure between them.
"As for Takeru kun," Unohana continued, "I must take back what I said before. Your foundation in swordsmanship may still be very shallow… but that will not be an obstacle for you."
Her thoughts were churning, yet what showed on her face was only a helpless smile.
"No, Captain Unohana was right," Takeru said as he let his stance relax and stood upright again.
There was no pride on his face. On the contrary, he looked like he agreed with her evaluation.
"Leaving Seven Flash aside, Only Flash puts a heavy burden on the body. Physical strength alone is not enough. Even if I use Kido to forge an unbreakable blade, without excellent technique, I still would not be able to hit anyone."
That was right.
What he had used just now was not Seven Flash, but Only Flash.
A genuine iaido technique.
He had no longer used drawing the sword as a medium for casting a spell.
Unohana had been able to respond correctly precisely because she had sensed the difference between the two.
Takeru's recent surge in Kido proficiency had all been for the sake of mastering this move as soon as possible.
"Using Kido to forge an unbreakable sword…" Unohana repeated softly. "That is a very accurate description. It is indeed not as simple as combining Kido and swordsmanship."
Her mind wandered for a moment, recalling that indescribable flash.
For one brief instant, it had vanished completely from the eye, existing only as a faint disturbance in spiritual pressure.
"Only Flash, hm?"
If one simply coated a blade with Kido to support swordsmanship, it would not be fundamentally different from a Zanpakuto's Shikai.
But Takeru's Only Flash was something else entirely.
From the preparatory movement to the cut itself, every step was swordsmanship, and at the same time every step was a protocol in a Kido ritual.
Through a complete ritual, an unbreakable strike was released.
It was Kido.
It was swordsmanship.
The stronger the Kido, the greater the power of the slash.
The stronger the swordsmanship, the more precise that slash became.
It shattered the boundary between Kido and swordplay, bearing two natures at once yet existing as a single, integrated technique.
This was a territory that no one in Soul Society had ever truly paid attention to, let alone entered, in all these long ages.
It was still immature, still in its infancy, yet already dazzling.
So long as that edge continued to be honed, one day it would surely slice through things that pure swordsmanship could not cut, and overcome obstacles that pure Kido could not breach, forcing every onlooker to turn and feel their hearts tremble.
An absurd thought even flashed through Unohana's mind.
If swordsmanship had an ultimate form, it might look something like that stance.
"This visit has been truly rewarding," she said at last. "And it is all thanks to you, Takeru kun."
Of course, Unohana did not let it end with just words.
Once she composed herself, she sincerely taught him the iaido training methods she had promised.
These were secrets you would never find passed down in Human World dojos.
But to Retsu Unohana, they cost her nothing.
Takeru absorbed the accumulated experience of a predecessor like a sponge, engraving every detail into his memory even where he did not yet fully grasp the intent, intending to slowly digest it over time.
Time slipped by like water.
In the blink of an eye, more than two hours had passed, and the sky was growing dim.
Unohana was also ready to head back.
Takeru and Ichigo personally walked the Captain and Vice Captain of the Fourth Division to the Spirit Arts Academy gates.
"If you both have time in the future," Unohana said, "Takeru kun, Kurosaki kun, you are welcome to visit the Fourth Division. We will take our leave for today."
"Please wait a moment, Captain Unohana," Takeru called.
"Is there something else, Takeru kun?" she asked, turning back in mild surprise.
Ichigo and Isane also looked over.
"I owe you an apology," Takeru said, completely unexpectedly.
"As far as I know, you are the most senior of the Captains after the Captain Commander, and you are very well informed. So it was impossible for you to have such a shallow understanding of the Eleventh Division, like I implied before."
Unohana smiled faintly.
"Of course I knew you were trying to provoke me," she said. "But that is a normal tactic in negotiation. There is no need to apologize. I truly did not take offense. If I had, I would have used Kurosaki kun as an outlet long ago instead of letting you call him here to learn."
"???"
Ichigo's eyes shot wide open.
Even though his knees were fully healed now, he suddenly felt phantom pain.
"It is good enough that you do not mind," Takeru said, ignoring Ichigo's stare and letting out a quiet breath of relief.
"It would not be accurate to say I do not mind at all," Unohana added suddenly.
"I still remember every word you said. I was not angry. On the contrary, I was happy. Happy for the Eleventh Division, that there is someone who can understand their feelings."
"Captain Unohana really is understanding. Now if you look at a certain someone," Ichigo said, unable to hold back a jab.
Takeru's expression did not move an inch.
As they separated, Isane glanced back at the two of them bickering and could not help but chuckle.
"They are really interesting. And incredibly exceptional. They are very similar to Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake back in their Spirit Arts Academy days."
"That is only on the surface," Unohana replied.
"Eh?"
"Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake are the Captain Commander's direct disciples, the most brilliant pair in the very first graduating class. Their situations are similar to Takeru kun's, yes, but in essence they are different."
She paused for a moment, then continued in a calm tone.
"If I had to put it another way, Kurosaki kun is more like the two of them combined. As for Takeru kun… he is more similar to the Captain Commander in his youth."
Isane froze.
She could somewhat understand the first half, but the second…
What had the Captain Commander been like when he was young?
She stole a look at her own Captain's youthful, beautiful profile and quietly swallowed her questions back down.
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