"Toshiro! What's wrong with Toshiro?!"
Upon hearing Hyorinmaru's words, Unohana immediately lifted the injured and unconscious Toshiro from beneath Hyorinmaru and began to examine his wounds.
"Whew..."
After checking Toshiro's injuries, Unohana couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Hyorinmaru beside her asked hurriedly, "How are Toshiro's injuries?"
"Fortunately, the wound is still a few centimeters away from the vital area of the heart. So, although Toshiro's injuries are serious, it's only a penetrating wound. With my treatment, Toshiro will definitely be fine."
Unohana explained.
"That's good..."
Hyorinmaru said with a look of relief.
In that final blow just now, although Hyorinmaru, like Toshiro, couldn't completely change the direction of his attack, he did manage to deviate it slightly. So ultimately, he still missed Toshiro's heart.
Then Unohana placed her hand over Toshiro's wound and began to perform Kaido on him to treat his injuries.
"Speaking of which, what exactly happened between you two? Judging from the scene, it looks like you two must have fought a life-or-death battle before, right? Even Toshiro's injuries seem to be your doing. But now, why are you so worried about Toshiro, even using your own body to block the attack of Bakudo #99, shielding him beneath you?"
Unohana asked Hyorinmaru while continuing to heal Toshiro.
"Hmph, Unohana Retsu, what happens between me and Toshiro is none of your business, an outsider!"
Hyorinmaru snorted coldly.
Unohana said nonchalantly, "An outsider? Perhaps. However, I need to know whose side you are on. Based on your answer, I can decide what to do next, whether to choose hostility or cooperation."
"Hmph, I am neither on the side of the Shinigami nor on the side of the Zanpakuto. The one I will always follow is only Toshiro."
Hyorinmaru stated coldly.
"It seems you and Toshiro have reconciled. That's good too. Although I have no interest in the love and hate between you two, since you are on Toshiro's side, it also means choosing to stand with the Shinigami. That is, we are comrades now, Hyorinmaru-sama."
Unohana smiled.
"Say what you will."
Hyorinmaru said indifferently.
Unohana chuckled softly and continued focusing on treating Toshiro's injuries.
Although Yamamoto and Ryujin Jakka were sealed, as long as Toshiro and Hyorinmaru were still around, the Soul Society wouldn't descend into chaos.
After a while, Unohana finished using Kaido on Toshiro and then took out the bandages she carried with her to dress Toshiro's wounds.
Then, wiping the sweat from her brow, Unohana said to Hyorinmaru, "Toshiro's condition has temporarily stabilized. Next, if we go back and use the 4th Division's medical facilities for further treatment, he should be out of danger."
Then, placing Toshiro on the ground, Unohana walked over to Hyorinmaru and said, "Your injuries don't look light either... in fact, they seem even more severe than Toshiro's. Since Toshiro's treatment is finished, it's your turn next."
"No need."
Hyorinmaru refused decisively.
"Why not? I've never treated a Zanpakuto before, so I don't know if my methods will work. But with injuries this serious, wouldn't it be worth a try?"
Unohana asked, puzzled.
"I don't like being touched by anyone other than Toshiro."
Hyorinmaru frowned.
Unohana was troubled: "Although Kaido can work without direct contact, cleaning and bandaging the wound..."
"Don't worry about my injuries. I am Toshiro's Zanpakuto. As long as I draw on Toshiro's power, I can recover quickly."
Hyorinmaru interrupted Unohana.
"Although the power frozen by the [Zero-Degree Blade] hasn't fully recovered yet, I should be able to use some of my abilities now..."
Hyorinmaru murmured.
Then, Hyorinmaru's figure transformed into a stream of light, merged into Toshiro's Zanpakuto, and vanished.
"Oh my, how regrettable. I was hoping to do a little experiment on a Zanpakuto to see how effective the Kaido are."
Looking at Hyorinmaru returning to Toshiro's Zanpakuto, Unohana squinted her eyes with a scheming expression.
"Time to go back."
Then, Unohana drew her Zanpakuto, her eyes seeming to quietly comprehend something.
After a long moment, Unohana suddenly opened her eyes... a flash of understanding passed through them, and she unleashed her Shikai.
Her Zanpakuto, Minazuki, transformed into a large, fish-like, flat creature and swallowed the unconscious Toshiro lying on the ground in one gulp.
"Just as I thought, as long as I can feel the residual power of the Zanpakuto, I can still use Shikai..."
Then Unohana leaped lightly onto Minazuki's back.
"Let's go, Minazuki. Back to the 4th Division."
Unohana said.
Then Minazuki, carrying Unohana, flew steadily towards the direction of the Gotei 13.
Minazuki's flight speed, while not slow, couldn't compare to Unohana using Shunpo at full power. That's why when she came earlier, trying to catch up to Toshiro, she didn't use Minazuki for flight.
Most importantly, when she arrived earlier, she hadn't yet grasped the residual power of her Zanpakuto and couldn't use Shikai.
But going back now, there was no such rush. So, to avoid jostling Toshiro and worsening his injuries on the way back, Unohana decided to master her Shikai before returning.
Because Minazuki can swallow people into its stomach to treat injuries, and its flight is incredibly stable, without the slightest bump.
Therefore, Unohana ultimately chose to ride Minazuki back. This way, she could treat Toshiro's injuries and also conserve her Reiatsu.
As Unohana rode Minazuki steadily through the air back towards the Gotei 13, she happened to spot Sode no Shirayuki on the ground below again.
"Minazuki, descend."
Unlike when she had ignored her on the way there, this time Unohana directly controlled Minazuki to fly down towards Sode no Shirayuki below.
"Captain Unohana."
Seeing Unohana appear before her, Sode no Shirayuki hesitated for a moment, then respectfully greeted her.
Although, due to the influence of Muramasa's power, Sode no Shirayuki harbored no goodwill towards Shinigami, out of respect for Unohana's strength, she dared not act disrespectfully in front of her.
Even though Unohana's Zanpakuto had rebelled, preventing her from using Bankai, even so, it wasn't something Sode no Shirayuki could contend with.
"Sode no Shirayuki, come back to the Gotei 13 with me."
Unohana invited.
"No need, Captain Unohana. I must wait here for Hyorinmaru-sama. I dare not leave without permission."
Sode no Shirayuki tactfully refused.
"Oh? Don't worry about that. Hyorinmaru has been defeated by Toshiro and has become a Zanpakuto again, returning to Toshiro's side. So, shouldn't you, as Hyorinmaru's 'attendant', also come back with us?"
Unohana asked.
"Impossible! Hyorinmaru-sama cannot be defeated!!"
Sode no Shirayuki exclaimed loudly.
"Well, Hyorinmaru can't exactly be said to have lost. Hmm, perhaps 'mutual defeat' would be more accurate. But regardless, Hyorinmaru has decided to return to Toshiro's side once more."
Unohana said.
"I don't believe it! Where is Hyorinmaru-sama? Unless I see Hyorinmaru-sama with my own eyes, I won't believe it!"
Sode no Shirayuki still refused to believe Hyorinmaru had been defeated.
"Sode no Shirayuki, Hyorinmaru has become a Zanpakuto again and returned to Toshiro's side. And Toshiro, due to his injuries, is temporarily resting inside Minazuki's stomach..."
Saying this, Unohana gently patted Minazuki's stomach, and Minazuki opened its mouth to spit out a Zanpakuto.
"This is Toshiro's Zanpakuto. You can sense for yourself whether Hyorinmaru is inside."
Unohana made a gesture inviting her to proceed.
"This…!"
Sode no Shirayuki stepped forward, picked up the Zanpakuto, and sensed the power within it. She found that it was indeed filled with Hyorinmaru's power... Hyorinmaru had truly returned to the Zanpakuto.
If Hyorinmaru hadn't returned to the Zanpakuto, the blade would feel like an empty shell, not giving you a sensation of being filled with power.
"Impossible... impossible... The [King of the Ice-type] actually lost..."
Sode no Shirayuki murmured to herself, as if struck by a heavy blow.
Although the [King of the Ice-type] losing to his own master might sound like a normal occurrence, that wasn't actually the case.
Because Toshiro's power wasn't at its peak, while Hyorinmaru's power was even stronger than Toshiro at his peak.
Now, fighting with superior strength against weaker, he still ended up losing to Toshiro.
"Could it be... could it be that Zanpakuto ultimately cannot defeat Shinigami after all...?"
Sode no Shirayuki muttered.
What struck Sode no Shirayuki wasn't so much that Hyorinmaru 'lost to Toshiro', but rather the issue of a Zanpakuto losing to a Shinigami.
"Alright, Sode no Shirayuki. Will you come back with me now?"
Unohana retrieved Toshiro's Zanpakuto from Sode no Shirayuki's hands and tossed it back into Minazuki's stomach.
"I..."
Sode no Shirayuki didn't want to go back to the Shinigami.
"Oh my, how troublesome. If you disagree, I'll have to resort to force and take you with me anyway. But please forgive me if I happen to accidentally kill you."
Unohana squinted her eyes and said with a smile.
"I... alright, I'll go back with you."
Sode no Shirayuki ultimately succumbed to Unohana's 'tyranny'.
Then, Unohana and Sode no Shirayuki rode Minazuki back together.