Ichimaru Gin remained silent for a moment, standing there completely motionless.
Moonlight cascaded over him as he slightly lowered his head, hiding half of his face in the shadows.
Hasumi Ren did not rush him.
He simply waited in silence.
"What's wrong? Do you not trust me?"
Ren asked.
"Did something happen in the past to make you so prejudiced against Shinigami?"
Gin did not speak.
Ren looked at him, glancing around to confirm no one else was present. After a brief moment of thought, he continued.
"It's true that not all Shinigami are good people. I won't deny that."
His tone was completely sincere.
"But I genuinely want to help you."
"If you don't need it, then I have nothing more to say."
Ren paused, his gaze shifting toward the small hut.
"However, without timely medical assistance, it might take a very long time for the soul inside to recover. She might not even survive this ordeal."
"Right now, time is the most precious thing."
Gin remained silent.
Under the moonlight, his youthful face revealed absolutely no emotion.
Yet, Ren could sense that something was struggling within the boy's heart.
After another long pause, Gin suddenly spoke.
"You said you're a doctor?"
Ren nodded.
"I am."
Gin slightly opened his eyes, staring quietly at Ren.
"Then prove it to me."
With that, Gin crouched down and picked up a small, sharp-edged stone from the ground.
Then, without a shred of hesitation, he slashed it hard across his own arm.
Blood instantly welled up, trailing down his arm and gleaming crimson in the moonlight.
His expression did not change in the slightest, as if it wasn't his own skin he had just cut open.
"Go ahead."
Watching this unfold, Ren felt a slight stir in his heart.
*This kid...*
*He's truly ruthless.*
Ren didn't waste any words. He stepped forward and raised his hand, pressing it against Gin's wound.
A pale green Kaido spiritual pressure spilled from his fingertips, seeping deep into the injury.
Gin only felt a warm sensation spread across his arm. He looked down.
The gruesome gash was healing at a visible rate.
Flesh and skin regenerated, the bleeding stopped, and ultimately, not even a scar remained.
The entire process took no more than a dozen seconds.
Gin's eyes widened slightly.
He stared down at his perfectly restored arm, a flash of unconcealable surprise crossing his eyes.
This was his first time experiencing the healing effects of Kaido.
Ren withdrew his hand and looked at him.
"Do you believe me now?"
Gin raised his head, looking at the white-haired young man before him.
Under the moonlight, the initial vigilance and scrutiny in his eyes were gradually fading.
They were replaced by a complex mix of emotions.
Surprise, hesitation, struggle...
And a faint, fragile glimmer of hope.
He just looked at Ren like that for a moment.
Then, as if he had made some sort of resolution.
"Follow me."
He turned around and walked toward the dilapidated hut.
Ren did not hesitate, following closely behind him.
The door to the hut was pushed open with a soft creak.
Moonlight spilled through the holes in the roof, casting several pillars of light onto the floor.
It was very dark inside, but by the moonlight, Ren could clearly see the scene within.
The room was practically bare, containing nothing but scattered dry grass on the floor and a pile of miscellaneous junk in the corner.
In the center of the room, lying on a tattered tatami mat, was a girl.
Her short orange hair was messily scattered, her face was as pale as paper, and her lips were completely devoid of color.
She was covered by an incredibly worn-out quilt, her breathing so faint it was barely perceptible.
Ren's pupils contracted slightly.
*It really is Matsumoto Rangiku.*
Ren walked over to the tatami mat, crouched down, and placed his hand on Rangiku's forehead.
Pale green Kaido spiritual pressure probed into her body.
Following that, his brows furrowed deeply.
*These injuries are severe.*
*A piece of her soul is missing, as if it was forcibly extracted by some special technique.*
*It seems this was caused by Aizen extracting the Soul King's fingertip.*
He had never seen the trauma left behind by partially stripping away a soul before.
But he did not show any of this on his face.
He simply continued to examine Rangiku's injuries, his frown deepening.
*The damage is even worse than I imagined.*
*This is a laceration on the soul itself; a piece of her spirit was forcefully torn away.*
*This has led to a subsequent loss of spiritual pressure, leaving her spiritual body on the verge of collapse.*
*It's only because this girl has a strong foundation and naturally possesses far more spiritual pressure than an ordinary person.*
*If it were anyone else, their soul would have shattered and dissipated on the spot.*
*I wonder how she managed to survive this in the original story.*
Ren withdrew his hand and let out a soft breath.
Gin was currently standing to the side, watching him quietly.
In those narrowed eyes, a heavy trace of worry was now clearly evident.
Ren could sense that he was waiting for an answer.
But Ren merely continued his examination while explaining his diagnosis.
"This girl's condition is extremely critical,"
Ren stated truthfully.
"A piece of her soul has been stripped away. This is trauma on a spiritual level. It's a miracle she's even alive right now."
Gin did not speak.
He just listened in silence.
Ren continued.
"With my current skill level, all I can do is alleviate her pain and temporarily stabilize the turbulence in her soul."
He paused.
"But if you want her to make a full recovery..."
A glimmer of hope flashed through Gin's eyes.
"What is it?"
Ren looked at him.
"It's a bit troublesome... However, my Captain, Unohana, might be able to do it."
Gin fell silent for a moment.
"Unohana?"
He softly repeated the name.
Ren nodded.
"The Captain of the Fourth Division, currently the best medical expert in the Seireitei."
What Ren didn't say, however, was that even if Captain Unohana intervened, Rangiku would still be left with lingering aftereffects.
After all, a piece of her soul had been torn away. Even if she recovered well, her future achievements as a Shinigami would likely be limited.
*She won't be able to reach higher heights.*
But Ren kept this to himself.
After all, there was no point in telling Gin this right now.
"I'll stabilize her condition first,"
Ren said, pale green Kaido spiritual pressure surging from his hands once more.
"We can figure out the rest once we return to the Seireitei."
This time, Ren's movements were slower and more meticulous.
He operated a dual Kaido simultaneously.
On one side, he used his spiritual pressure to stabilize Rangiku's crumbling soul, while on the other, he carefully repaired her damaged pathways.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
After an unknown amount of time, Ren withdrew his hands, fine beads of sweat already seeping from his forehead.
On the tatami mat, Rangiku's tightly knit brows finally relaxed.
Her breathing had steadied significantly, and her face was no longer as paper-white as before.
Although she was still unconscious, she was at least temporarily out of mortal danger.
Ren stood up and looked at Gin.
"She's stabilized for now."
"With this, she should be able to hold on for a while longer."
Gin walked over to the tatami mat and looked down at Rangiku.
Moonlight spilled across Gin's still-youthful face, illuminating his current expression.
Within those narrowed eyes, some suppressed emotion was faintly trembling.
His hand, hidden within his sleeve, gradually released the dagger he had been tightly gripping all along.
After a long time, Gin finally spoke in a soft voice.
"Thank you."