According to the Kaidō theory Unohana had explained earlier, Kaidō repaired spiritual bodies using Reishi. Since Kurosaki Rei wasn't a spiritual body, he had originally thought this technique would be useless to him once he understood the principle.
Yet Unohana had successfully healed his wound.
That forced him to rethink the matter: what was the real difference between a physical body and a high-density spiritual body?
If he tried to reason it out using the basic scientific knowledge from his previous life, could it be that so-called Reishi was simply another form of particles—molecules or atoms?
Of course, there was another possibility: that the Terminus Space's "disguise" was so sophisticated that it allowed him to temporarily exist in this world with the properties of a spiritual body.
For the remainder of the class, each student was given a white mouse to practice Kaidō on.
After all, not everyone could successfully cast Kaidō. If everyone practiced through self-harm, then in the end Unohana herself would probably have to step in to heal most of them.
Kurosaki Rei cut a small wound on his mouse, then recalled the sensation he'd felt when Unohana treated him and attempted to replicate it.
As expected, Kaidō was not easy to master. His first attempt failed.
He tried more than ten times before finally finding the right feeling, carefully controlling Reishi to repair the mouse's injury.
A short while later, the mouse's wound healed—but a clearly visible scar remained.
Obviously, his Kaidō skill was nowhere near Unohana's. Not only was the healing slow, the results were poor.
"You need to imagine what it looked like when it was whole,"
Unohana's voice sounded beside his ear.
"Guide the Reishi to restore it to that state."
At some point, she had already come to stand next to Kurosaki Rei during her inspection rounds.
Looking at the mouse on his desk, Unohana felt genuine surprise. She had taught many classes before, yet she had never seen anyone successfully use Kaidō in their very first lesson.
By the Shin'ō Academy's standards, Kurosaki Rei could already receive a passing grade in Kaidō. With more practice, he would qualify as a proper medic in the Fourth Division.
This child… did he really have no weaknesses?
She had heard that Kurosaki Rei had driven the instructors of Zanjutsu and Hakuda into despair. Privately, those two teachers had complained that they simply couldn't teach him—not because he was troublesome, but because they truly had nothing left to teach.
At this moment, Unohana could only be grateful that her Kaidō skill was exceptional. At least in this field, she could still instruct Kurosaki Rei.
Under Unohana's watchful gaze, Kurosaki Rei cut the mouse again and used Kaidō once more, following her guidance.
This time, the mouse's wound healed at a visible speed, and the scarring was far less noticeable.
Unohana's eyes lit up. She leaned in a little closer, staring directly into Kurosaki Rei's eyes.
"Let me ask you—why do you want to learn Kaidō?"
Kurosaki Rei, still immersed in reviewing the details of his previous Kaidō attempt, answered almost without thinking,
"Of course, it's so I can enjoy battle more."
The moment the words left his mouth, Kurosaki Rei felt a powerful aura envelop him. Unohana's eyes, right in front of him, were filled with excitement.
Kurosaki Rei immediately realized he might have said the wrong thing. He shouldn't have spoken his true thoughts so casually.
He had nearly forgotten—Unohana herself was a battle maniac. She had only stepped down as the Eleventh Division's captain and transferred to the Fourth Division after encountering Zaraki Kenpachi.
In truth, her thirst for slaughter had never diminished. She simply suppressed it exceptionally well.
Before joining the Gotei Thirteen, Unohana had been known as the most infamous criminal in Soul Society's history. Only after being taken under the Head Captain's wing had she reined herself in. The gentleness she displayed now was merely a mask.
"So that's how it is…"
Unohana's excitement was neatly hidden away once more. Her smile returned to its usual warmth, eyes narrowing gently.
"Stay after class."
"Since you like Kaidō so much, I'll give you some special guidance."
A chill ran down Kurosaki Rei's spine for no clear reason. Still, he knew that being taught Kaidō personally by Unohana was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There was no reason to refuse.
If you're so eager to find someone to fight to the death, surely you won't kill me while teaching Kaidō… right?
Thinking of Unohana's usual opponent, Kurosaki Rei also felt puzzled. Where exactly was Zaraki Kenpachi?
He had asked Aizen before. The current Eleventh Division captain was Kuryashiki Kenpachi, and there was no one named Zaraki at the Shin'ō Academy.
While he was thinking, the bell rang. Most of the students left the classroom with disappointed expressions, having failed to save their mice during the lesson.
Kurosaki Rei wasn't worried about the next class. That afternoon only had electives, and it was perfectly fine for him to attend just one.
After the last student left, a breeze stirred by spiritual pressure pushed the door shut.
What made Kurosaki Rei uneasy was that he seemed to hear the sound of it locking.
He looked up at Teacher Unohana. She was still wearing her haori lined with pale cherry-gray, smiling gently at him, one slender hand resting on the hilt of her Zanpakutō.
"Rei-kun… now it's just the two of us~"
Her fair hand gripped the hilt. Under Kurosaki Rei's confused gaze, she slowly drew her Zanpakutō, Minazuki, inch by inch.
"Teacher Unohana?"
Every danger alarm in Kurosaki Rei's mind was blaring.
"What… is this?"
Unohana's expression remained warm, like a kindly older sister next door.
"Of course," she said softly,
"I'm letting you experience a more advanced form of Kaidō."
Kurosaki Rei was just about to raise a hand and say wait, when—
In the next instant, a fountain of blood shot straight upward, splattering across the ceiling.
Reflected by the lights and the blood, a hint of red crept into Kurosaki Rei's dark eyes. The delayed pain finally informed his mind of what had just happened—and after the pain came an uncontrollable surge of excitement.
He wasn't some kind of masochist, but this was the first time he had ever seen a blade this fast. Even his dynamic vision hadn't captured a trace of it. The strike was so quick that his senses hadn't even had time to warn him.
The slash ran diagonally downward from his left shoulder, cleaving through flesh, bone, and heart.
His heart, like an old engine, continued to beat desperately, trying to save this ruined body. Yet no matter how hard it struggled, all it did was send the blood geyser even higher.
As his bodily functions rapidly failed, Kurosaki Rei slowly collapsed backward—only to be gently caught by a supporting hand before he hit the ground.
In his still-clear vision, he saw Unohana's gentle, neighborly smile.
"I'll use your body… to teach you."
Kurosaki Rei nodded faintly. Even on the brink of death, he felt no panic. He already understood what Unohana intended to do—to let him personally experience how advanced Kaidō healed catastrophic, near-fatal injuries.
Forcing his fading consciousness to remain alert, he prepared to carefully observe her technique.
A pale green light bloomed once more in Unohana's hands—far broader and far more brilliant than during her classroom demonstration.
Strangely, despite being at death's door, Kurosaki Rei found his mind clearer than ever. His perception even seemed sharper than before.
Even with his eyes closed, he could distinctly feel the details of Unohana's Kaidō—like countless soft threads brushing gently across his chest.
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