In the following days, Hasumi Ren shuttled back and forth between the Fourth Division's clinic and the training grounds.
Following by Unohana's side, he participated in all sorts of medical treatments, both major and minor.
From ordinary training injuries and spiritual pressure exhaustion that could be healed with a wave of a hand...
...to severe assault wounds, spiritual organ damage, and even highly difficult soul repairs.
The injuries he encountered became increasingly complex, the fragments he picked up grew in number, and his Kaido advanced at a visible, rapid pace.
Unohana's technique had always been exquisite. Every time she acted, it was textbook perfect; from the guidance of spiritual pressure to the construction of the spell formula, everything reached the pinnacle of mastery.
By simply watching quietly by her side, Ren could harvest an endless stream of fragments.
Yamada Seinosuke, who also accompanied them, displayed his years of medical experience and Kaido techniques to the fullest.
When it came to soul repair, his skills were not the least bit inferior to Unohana Retsu's.
However, severe injuries requiring soul repair were so critical that it was extremely rare for a patient to survive long enough for rescue.
Observing from the sidelines and witnessing Yamada Seinosuke's abilities, Ren finally understood.
He understood why Yamada would later be able to achieve the monumental feat of creating the artificial Soul King, Hikone Ubuginu.
This was an artificial soul technology on par with that of Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Division's Third Seat, Iemura, would occasionally discuss medical techniques with this young man who was nominally his subordinate. Hearing Ren's unique insights, Iemura couldn't help but marvel.
"The younger generation is truly formidable. Truly formidable," Iemura praised.
Iemura was also aware of the news regarding the expansion of the Shin'o Relief Clinic, and he understood that personnel would likely be transferred from the Fourth Division when the time came.
Yamada Seinosuke's recent behavior only confirmed this point.
However, Iemura knew that even if he had the seniority and the position became vacant, he wouldn't be able to take up the mantle of Lieutenant.
For no other reason than the fact that his abilities and talent fell far short of the outgoing Lieutenant, Yamada Seinosuke.
Captain Unohana simply didn't think highly enough of him.
Therefore, he also understood the significance of Unohana transferring Ren into the Fourth Division.
Because of this, he didn't put on the airs of a senior when dealing with Ren.
He also allowed Ren to freely head to the training grounds to practice Kido during his downtime.
After all, it was already quite obvious who would be closer to Unohana and who would call the shots within the Fourth Division in the future.
Days passed one by one.
One day, a Fifth Division member was attacked by a Menos Grande in the Rukongai.
His spiritual abdomen had been pierced by a Hollow's claws, severely damaging his spiritual liver. By the time he was brought to the Fourth Division, he was already on the verge of death.
Captain Unohana had gone up the mountain to gather herbs, and Lieutenant Yamada was out, leaving only Third Seat Iemura to handle the treatment.
He worked frantically for fifteen minutes, but he was completely unable to regenerate the damaged spiritual liver.
On the contrary, his unstable spiritual pressure output caused the injured man's spiritual pressure to drain even faster.
"It's no good. The damage to his spiritual liver is too severe, and his spiritual pressure is leaking too fast. If this keeps up, his spiritual body will dissipate!"
Iemura wiped the sweat from his brow, his expression incredibly grim.
The surrounding squad members also looked troubled. Organ regeneration was a Lieutenant-level emergency procedure to begin with, not to mention the sheer severity of the patient's wounds.
Even if Captain Unohana were to step in, it would require a significant amount of effort. For them, it was simply beyond saving.
"Where are Lieutenant Yamada and Captain Unohana?!"
"They're already hurrying back. Third Seat Iemura, what should we do?"
"It's no use, there's no time..."
Sweat covered his forehead. Watching the Soul Reaper's soul signs grow weaker and weaker, Iemura was filled with overwhelming anxiety.
Suddenly, Iemura thought of someone.
Perhaps he could stabilize this squad member's injuries.
Iemura immediately used Flash Step to rush to the training grounds, calling over Ren, who was still practicing Kido.
Upon seeing the injured squad member, Ren's expression turned serious.
"Let me handle this, Third Seat Iemura."
"I'm leaving it to you, Ren."
Iemura wiped the sweat from his forehead, a glimmer of hope shining through his grave eyes.
Ren walked up to the treatment bed and, without a moment's hesitation, pressed his hands against the injured man's abdomen.
A pale green spiritual pressure instantly spread out, attempting to stabilize the patient's dissipating spiritual body.
Then, he slightly raised his hands, and two entirely distinct streams of Kaido spiritual pressure seeped from his fingertips.
One stream gently nourished the injured man's damaged spiritual body, replenishing his spiritual pressure and stabilizing his soul's condition.
The other stream precisely condensed at the site of the ruptured liver, meticulously sculpting and regenerating the damaged organ bit by bit.
His movements were slow but incredibly precise. Every trace of spiritual pressure landed exactly where it was needed for the repair, without a single drop wasted.
The surrounding squad members held their breath, their eyes glued to Ren's hands, not even daring to blink.
They had never seen such an exquisite technique in their entire lives.
They could see the injured man's previously ruined spiritual body slowly recovering.
The dissipating spiritual pressure, guided by Ren, slowly stabilized and was gradually replenished.
Iemura stood to the side, staring blankly at Ren's operating technique.
The standard procedure was to first replenish the soul's spiritual pressure, and only after it was relatively stable would follow-up treatment begin.
But Ren's method of splitting his Kaido spiritual pressure in two, each performing its own function—this kind of multitasking—was something he had never seen before.
Ren steadily continued the procedure, while in his line of sight, the proficiency of his Double Incantation steadily increased.
That's right. Ren had accidentally discovered that the Double Incantation ability within his system could actually be applied to Kaido as well.
An hour later, Ren withdrew his hands. The injured man's spiritual liver had completely regenerated, and his spiritual pressure had stabilized.
Although he was still weak, he was no longer in critical condition.
A system prompt appeared once again.
After completing this procedure, his Double Incantation proficiency successfully leveled up once more.
Looking at the squad member whose soul condition was gradually stabilizing, Ren let out a long breath.
A Kaido treatment of this magnitude was indeed quite draining on his current spiritual pressure reserves.
Ren wiped a thin layer of sweat from his brow and instructed the squad members behind him.
"Transfer him to the intensive care ward. Keep him nourished continuously with a spiritual pressure nurturing array, and change his dressings three times a day. Do not slack off."
"Alright, the patient's condition is stable. I assume there shouldn't be anything else for me to do here."
Ren looked back, only to see Iemura and several seated officers standing frozen in place, completely unresponsive.
Ren: ?
"Third Seat Iemura?"
"Ah, ah! Right, right..."
"Then, I'll go get some rest."
Iemura hastily stepped aside. Under the still-dumbfounded gazes of the crowd, Ren slowly walked out of the clinic.
From that day forward, no one in the Fourth Division dared to question Ren anymore.
Not only did the younger members frequently gather around him to ask for medical advice, but even the senior seated officers would occasionally consult him on operating techniques.
Ren never turned anyone away. Whenever someone asked for guidance, he would patiently explain.
Occasionally, he would point out deviations in their techniques, enlightening them with just a few words and making everything suddenly click into place.
Kotetsu Isane practically became Ren's little shadow, following him around inseparably. She poured his tea, organized his medical logs, and studied with exceptional diligence.
Isane was already talented, but with Ren's pointers, her Kaido progressed at an astonishing speed, causing even Unohana to take notice.
*This girl really is a promising seedling.*
*If Ren weren't here, perhaps... letting her become the Lieutenant wouldn't be a bad idea.*
In the face of everyone's praise and admiration, Ren maintained a low profile.
He never showed off his medical skills, nor did he put on airs.
He still arrived early at the clinic every day, following Unohana to handle medical affairs. In his free time, he practiced Kido at the training grounds, and occasionally went to the Kido Corps to study.
Unohana heard that Ren had already begun dabbling in Incantation Abandonment, an extremely high-level Kido technique.
And Unohana grew increasingly satisfied with Ren's performance.
She had seen countless talented healers.
Yet she had never seen someone like Ren, who possessed both talent and comprehension, while remaining so steady and low-key.
In comparison, even Yamada Seinosuke, whom she had originally been quite satisfied with, seemed to have a few flaws worth nitpicking.
This was something Unohana truly...
...had not expected.
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