Chapter Eighty-Three: Stepping Forward

Boom!

Everyone looked up in astonishment. From the once-clear night sky came the sound of thunder.

But as they listened more closely, they realized that the thunder did not come from above, but from the sword held aloft by the man standing before them.

From that slender blade—

Boom!

Lightning flashed along the edge, and once again, a thunderous roar shook their ears.

“You must be joking… Something like that…”

Kira, who had stood beside Hinamori with bold resolve, now wore an expression of utter shock and disbelief.

“Is he… a monster…?”

Simply raising his sword summoned such overwhelming force. The spiritual pressure radiating from that weapon was no mere jest.

In Kira’s eyes, the look of fear was slowly spreading.

This was the power of a true Captain—

No, it was already beyond that…

As the thunder resounded once more, Kira’s thoughts shifted again.

This was already beyond the realm of Captains, wasn’t it?

“Oh?”

Chojirou’s gaze caught Kira’s ashen face, and a faint smile curled at his lips.

“If you can’t handle it, you’d best get out of the way. Stay any longer and you’ll die.”

“You—”

“Step back, Izuru.”

The white haori fluttered before him; Gin had appeared in front of Kira, shielding him from the pressure radiating from Chojirou.

“Captain… Gin…”

“This isn’t a situation you can meddle in right now…”

Though still smiling, the curve of Gin’s mouth was noticeably smaller. A solemn air hung about him.

“You too, Rangiku. Take Hinamori with you.”

“Captain…”

“Shirou…”

“Whatever it is, save it for later!” Hitsugaya shouted at the two still hesitating, then turned his full focus to the man before them, exuding that overwhelming spiritual pressure.

“Right now… we don’t have time…”

Unbelievable…

Truly unbelievable…

Did this man before them possess such power?

Cold sweat beaded on Hitsugaya’s face. This power—even his own Bankai might fall short. And for him—

His jade-green eyes stared at the Western sword Chojirou had raised.

Was this only its Shikai state?

“I’m truly surprised. I thought I’d judged him fairly well, but I see I underestimated him after all.”

At his side, Gin seemed to regain his usual composure, smiling as he spoke: “Well then, Captain of the Tenth, shall we join forces for now?”

“Gin…”

Hitsugaya cast a somewhat sullen glance at the fox-faced man beside him, distrust clear in his voice.

“How tiresome, to still be doubting at a time like this…”

Gin waved a hand, revealing the short blade hidden in his sleeve. “If you try to fight alone, you won’t stand a chance. The two of us…”

Because before them stood that monster…

“Two people? Don’t make me laugh…”

Chojirou, who had been silently watching, finally spoke, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

“Come at me all five at once. If it’s just two, I can’t even get motivated.”

“You—”

“Two people are enough? Enough to defeat the man before us?”

Ignoring whatever Hitsugaya was about to say, Chojirou interrupted coldly.

“I thought I’d made myself clear…”

“I want you all to experience the terror of ‘naivety’!”

Boom!

The thunder roared once more.

“It’s coming. Looks like there’s no time to hesitate, Captain of the Tenth.”

“Tch…”

Gin and Hitsugaya quickly took their stances. Judging by the aura before them, Masato was not joking. He was going to go all out.

“Bankai—”

“Wait.”

A sudden voice cut in, startling all five in their tension. At their level, none had noticed another person’s arrival…

“…Why are you here?”

Seeing who it was, Chojirou lowered his sword. The overwhelming spiritual pressure suddenly vanished, and the Bankai was, of course, left unfulfilled.

“Captain Unohana.”

The serene Unohana, accompanied by her lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, had stepped into the fray.

Of course, in front of others, Chojirou would never address her intimately as Retsu. That would surely cause quite a stir. Headlines and such—how annoying.

“Were you planning to fight here? As a Captain and Lieutenant of the Gotei 13?”

The air grew strangely still.

No one dared provoke the Captain of the Healing Squad. Though she appeared gentle and beautiful as a Yamato Nadeshiko, once her darker side surfaced, she was easily the most terrifying presence of all.

“If you must fight, at least remove your uniforms first. Or…”

Unohana’s eyes opened with eerie clarity, her dark side fully awakened.

“Shall I help you undress?”

A chilling silence fell.

And so, in such a bizarre fashion, the battle among the six simply dissipated.

Exhausted, Hinamori fainted on the spot and was carried back to Squad Four by Isane to rest. Hitsugaya also left with Rangiku for Squad Four. Before leaving, Rangiku seemed to want to speak with Gin, but after a few glances, she said nothing.

“Oh my, is there something you wish to say, Captain Gin?”

Seeing Gin still standing there with Kira, Unohana smiled gently.

“Ah, well, even if I wanted to leave…”

Gin, for once, scratched his cheek awkwardly. “This is, after all, the Squad Three barracks.”

So Chojirou left with Unohana.

“Was it my spiritual pressure that drew you here?”

Sipping the tea Unohana had brewed herself, Chojirou took a light sip.

Mm… as expected, Retsu’s tea was the best…

“Otherwise, what did you think? That I was here all along?”

“I suppose that’s true…”

A strange silence settled between them.

“Chojirou…”

In the end, it was Unohana who broke the silence first.

“Hmm?”

He didn’t even lift his eyelids; after a thousand years together, Chojirou knew what she was going to ask.

“You were about to use your true Bankai, weren’t you?”

He swirled the tea in his cup slightly, his own reflection shattering and then returning to form.

“Were you planning to destroy all of Soul Society?”

“Or…”

“Do you want me to become what I once was?”

He said nothing, listening in silence as Unohana’s words, not quite a scolding, settled over him.

“We made a promise, didn’t we?”

That promise—from a thousand years ago—