Tenjirō Kirinji gave him a strange look, not understanding why the kid's pupils suddenly quaked as if experiencing an earthquake the moment he mentioned a "healthy Ukitake."
It was as if he had just heard something completely unbelievable.
"Hey, listen here. Don't celebrate too early."
"As the genius medical practitioner who developed the White Bone Hell and the Blood Pond Hell, my mastery of Kaidō surpasses that of all other Soul Reapers."
"Even Unohana Retsu's Kaidō was personally taught by yours truly."
"Before I was promoted to the Zero Division, Soul Society's medical standards were nowhere near the level of organ replacement. As for technologies like artificial organs, that was pure fantasy."
"I'm merely proposing a treatment plan. If Kaidō techniques still haven't made any significant progress, then let Captain Ukitake stay in the Soul King Palace for now."
Tenjirō Kirinji raised his hand, letting the hot spring water, thick and mellow like bone broth, slip through his fingers.
"By alternating between the two hot springs, we can maintain his vital signs at a stable level."
"Whenever the technology for artificial organs is developed, we can just send him back to Soul Society."
Naraku Sora waved his hand, looking completely unbothered.
"Kaidō really hasn't progressed much. After all, it's not very useful, so not many Soul Reapers are willing to delve deeply into that field."
*If it was a technique that even Urahara Kisuke looked down upon, what development potential could it possibly have?*
*Rather than practicing Kaidō, it would be better to develop some black technology.*
As far as Naraku Sora knew, Kurotsuchi Mayuri had already successfully developed the flesh-regenerating serum.
Although it was only tailored for Mayuri's experimentally modified body, since the concept existed, digging a little deeper to refine it shouldn't be too difficult.
Perhaps its effectiveness would diminish slightly, but it would be more than enough for emergency use during wartime.
As for the research plan for artificial organs, Mayuri had completed that decades ago.
As the only researcher in the Shutara Research Group to modify his own physical body, Mayuri had a lot of authority in this field.
Let alone internal organs, he could even pull out a backup brain for a replacement.
"However, technological development is progressing at a rapid pace. We've already transitioned from the Shutara Research Group to the Naraku Department of Research and Development, growing from our initial two members to four."
"Under the brilliant leadership of this Prison Warden, countless technological inventions capable of altering the course of Soul Society have been created. In the near future, we will step into the sea of stars."
Tenjirō Kirinji: "..."
He seriously suspected that during the battle with Ichibē Hyōsube just now, this kid had been hit in the head by that fat monk, leaving him delirious and spouting absolute nonsense.
"Others might not know, but I can still tell—"
"Your foundational knowledge is extremely poor, and you have absolutely no spirit for research. Even if technology is developing rapidly, it has absolutely nothing to do with you."
"Heh, superficial." Naraku Sora shook his head disdainfully.
Veins bulged on Tenjirō Kirinji's forehead. Being called superficial by this brute was the ultimate insult.
"Then tell me, what exactly are you responsible for researching in the Department of Research and Development?"
"Being researched, of course!!"
Tenjirō Kirinji: "?"
*No, what's with this kid's expression?*
*What exactly is there to be proud of?*
As if seeing through Tenjirō Kirinji's thoughts, the disdainful expression on Naraku Sora's face deepened.
"I told you that you were superficial, but you just refuse to admit it."
"Look, how many Soul Reapers can master Hollowfication?"
"How many possess such a naturally gifted physical body?"
"Looking across the three realms, I am the only one. Isn't such an outstanding experimental subject enough to drive the rapid development of technology?"
Tenjirō Kirinji fell silent.
The composition of this Naraku Department of Research and Development was a bit too complex; it was hard for him to evaluate.
But going by his description, there really wasn't a single flaw in what the kid said.
*Tempting.*
Let alone the Soul Reapers of Soul Society, even a worldly member of the Zero Division like himself couldn't help but feel a bit tempted upon realizing Naraku Sora's research value.
*Crack.*
At the sound of fracturing bones, Tenjirō Kirinji's pupils shrank as he abruptly sat up straight.
He watched as Naraku Sora, without changing his expression, snapped his mostly recovered arm, forcefully realigning it before letting the hot springs of the White Bone Hell flush out the congested blood and waste Reiatsu once again.
*Squelch—*
Amidst a writhing sound like a living creature, Naraku Sora's fractured bones reset themselves. Muscle fibers intertwined and wove together, and the scars left by the ink burns healed at a visible rate.
When Sora first came to soak in the hot springs, Tenjirō Kirinji hadn't paid much attention, but after their recent conversation...
He finally realized that the reason Naraku Sora's injury recovery rate was so astonishing wasn't just due to the White Bone Hell, but mostly because of his own terrifying self-healing capabilities.
A High-Speed Regeneration even more powerful than that of a Vasto Lorde.
But the most terrifying aspect wasn't his recovery ability; it was his formidable willpower that treated agony as if it were nothing.
"Kid, I'm actually more curious about how you manage to ignore this level of pain?"
Naraku Sora grinned, saying nonchalantly,
"You just get used to it."
As early as his academy days, his intense, hyper-competitive training kept his body in a constant state of high overload, making severe pain a daily routine.
After joining the squads, he was tricked into the laboratory by that wicked woman, Senjumaru, and frequently participated in high-risk experiments.
Later, he joined the Genryū school and was beaten up by Yamamoto every few days.
On top of all that, he also had to go to Squad 4 for Zanjutsu exchanges.
It was only because his physical body was resilient and his spiritual body was robust. Had it been any other Soul Reaper, they would have died countless times over in any of those scenarios.
Although it was just a casual remark, it made Tenjirō Kirinji feel an inexplicable sense of heaviness.
Sometimes, he actually envied Yamamoto Shigekuni for being able to take in such a worry-free disciple.
Tenjirō Kirinji suddenly felt a bit emotional.
No one knew exactly what Ichibē Hyōsube did after forcibly taking away the Spirit King's right hand.
Naraku Sora wanted to ask, but the bald monk simply refused to show his face.
He had originally planned to visit the Greater Palace of the Spirit King again after his injuries healed.
But before he could even head over, he was stopped by several stern-faced individuals.
The promised audience with the Spirit King never materialized in the end.
This made Naraku Sora suspect for a moment whether the Spirit King had already been offed by the three members of the Zero Division, and they were now using the Spirit King's name to hold Soul Society hostage.
Of course, the wicked woman was definitely innocent.
She had stayed in Soul Society the whole time and barely had any opportunities to go up to the Soul King Palace.
Therefore, the main culprit had to be that thick-eyebrowed, big-eyed guy!
Ichibē Hyōsube was avoiding him, Nimaiya Ōetsu's forging techniques had all been memorized, and Tenjirō Kirinji had handed over the hot spring formula.
There was nothing left to squeeze out of the Zero Division.
It wasn't that they had become paupers, but rather that he couldn't squeeze anything more out of them.
They were all strangers who had just met; it was unrealistic to expect them to bare their hearts and souls right away. Only that wicked woman, Senjumaru, was willing to bring out her entire fortune to support him.
The other two still needed some time to warm up.
Naraku Sora believed that the next time they met, they would already be close friends who could talk about anything. It wouldn't be too late to bleed the Zero Division dry then.
Harboring these grand ideals, he was the last to step into the Tenchūren.
Watching his departing figure, the expressions of Nimaiya Ōetsu and the others were somewhat complicated.
Over the years, Naraku Sora wasn't the first outsider to visit the Soul King Palace, but he was certainly the one who left the deepest impression on them.
They just didn't know what kind of trouble he would stir up the next time they met.
But their intuition told them that things would absolutely not end this simply.
The Tenchūren descended from the sky, landing heavily in the open courtyard of the Squad 1 barracks.
Hearing the commotion outside, Yamamoto immediately rushed to the dust-filled area. As the hatch opened, the first thing that caught his eye was a figure that made his blood pressure spike:
"Teacher, your most beloved disciple has made his grand return!"
"On this trip to the Soul King Palace, I plundered several good items for the Gotei 13! We shall store up provisions and bide our time. Once we develop for a while, we can definitely launch a counterattack on the Soul King Palace and seize that bastard Spirit King's throne!"
Yamamoto: "?"
*Did this damn brat get his brain beaten out?*
"Wait, first tell me, what is Jūshirō's situation?"
When he saw the figure on Naraku Sora's back, Yamamoto couldn't help but widen his eyes, a furious expression appearing on his face.
Both of his disciples were perfectly fine when they went up. How come after returning, one had a broken brain and the other a broken body?
*Just what exactly did they experience in the Soul King Palace?*
With no time to explain further, Naraku Sora vanished from the courtyard with a Flash Step, sprinting in the direction of the Shino Prison.
Tenjirō Kirinji had said that upon returning to Soul Society, the optimal window for transplantation was only three hours. They couldn't afford any delays.
Yamamoto reached out to grab him, but caught off guard, he didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
He furrowed his brows tightly, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.
*This kid's Flash Step speed seems to be a bit faster than before?*
Having failed to catch him, he had no choice but to turn his gaze to the last person in the Tenchūren.
Looking at the displeased Yamamoto in front of him, Aizen sighed helplessly, only able to jot down a few more notes in his dedicated Naraku Sora notebook.
"Head Captain, the situation is like this."
The gentle politeness of the young man in front of him quelled some of the anger in Yamamoto's heart.
He had some impression of Aizen. He was the 3rd Seat of Squad 5, usually kind and humble to others, extremely skilled at paperwork, and had an excellent reputation within his squad.
He also had a close relationship with his rebellious disciple.
Such an all-around talent was far more reliable than that damn brat.
On the other side, Naraku Sora burst into the barracks, kicked open the laboratory door, and restrained the two people who were currently arguing over a certain parameter.
Immediately after, he described Ukitake Jūshirō's current condition in a few short words.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri turned around and brought out a set of backup internal organs.
These were what he used to modify his own body. Although they were injected with enough lethal poison to easily kill someone, with a little optimization, they could meet Ukitake Jūshirō's needs.
Without a word, Urahara Kisuke directly activated his Bankai. The massive phantom of Benihime appeared behind him, and puppet strings filled the air, permeating it with viscous Reiatsu.
Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame!
The subsequent surgical process went exceptionally smoothly. Kurotsuchi Mayuri had rich experience in cutting bodies open, and Urahara Kisuke's Benihime could easily modify the internal organs and complete the installation surgery.
Although the two of them didn't exchange a single word throughout the entire process, their mutual tacit understanding made the whole procedure look incredibly seamless, almost like an artistic performance.
When Ukitake Jūshirō woke up from his coma and slowly opened his eyes, a familiar face came into view. Naraku Sora grinned:
"You're awake! The surgery was a great success. You're already a cute girl now, Senior Sister Ukitake."
Ukitake Jūshirō: "?"
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