Morning mist still lingered over the training grounds on the mountain behind the Fourth Division barracks.
Hasumi Ren stood in the center of the field, gripping his Zanpakuto.
Unohana Retsu stood across from him, dressed in plain training robes.
The faint, cold gleam reflecting off her Zanpakuto kept Ren's nerves stretched to their absolute limit from the very beginning.
This was their weekly routine Kendo practice.
But today, Unohana was slightly different from usual.
"Your Spiritual Pressure has grown again."
Her voice remained as warm and calm as ever.
"Fourth-class spiritual power... You are progressing quickly."
"I've had some breakthroughs recently," Ren replied honestly.
He looked up at the woman across from him. The morning mist had settled on the tips of her hair, condensing into tiny droplets. Those eyes, which always held a gentle smile, now rested calmly upon him.
Unohana said nothing, merely watching him.
"Come."
She slowly raised her blade, holding it horizontally across her body.
Ren tightened his grip on his hilt and took a deep breath. The damp, cool mist filled his chest, but it couldn't suppress the battle intent surging from the depths of his heart.
In the next instant, his figure vanished.
The faint sound of tearing air lingered behind as a chilling flash of his blade cut through the morning mist, striking directly at Unohana's flank.
Unohana shifted her weight slightly, effortlessly evading the lethal strike. Simultaneously, she flicked her wrist, parrying with her Zanpakuto in a fluid, seamless motion.
The two Zanpakuto collided violently, the screech of grinding metal shattering the silence of the morning mist.
Sparks flew, sending a wave of numbness through Ren's hands. The packed earth beneath his feet instantly webbed with fine cracks.
Unohana's brow twitched imperceptibly.
"Not bad. Your strength has increased as well."
Her tone remained calm, but a microscopic ripple finally stirred in those eyes.
Ren stood his ground, his sword-hand slightly numb. Unohana hadn't used her full strength just now, but he could feel that her power was significantly greater than usual.
She was testing his limits.
Ren took a deep breath, tightened his grip, and unleashed a Flash Step.
His blade flashed like a ribbon of light, slashing toward Unohana's waist from the side.
Unohana didn't retreat. Her blade deflected Ren's slash, smoothly counter-slicing toward his wrist.
Ren stepped back, the blade grazing past his cuff. Without pausing, he spun on his heel, thrusting the tip of his blade toward Unohana's ribs from a different angle.
With a sharp clang, Unohana's blade steadily blocked his attack. Ren felt the force transmitting through the blade surge once more, pushing back against his body.
Gritting his teeth, Ren flared his Spiritual Pressure.
The spiritual energy on his blade erupted, forcing Unohana's sword back by an inch. He snapped a kick at her knee while bringing his blade down toward her shoulder.
Unohana pivoted to evade and casually swung her blade toward his neck.
Ren threw his head back. The blade grazed his chin, severing a few strands of hair. Before he could regain his footing, Unohana's second strike was already upon him.
This one carried Spiritual Pressure.
Ren's pupils dilated. Executing a full-power Flash Step, he threw himself backward.
The blade struck where he had stood a millisecond ago, carving a deep fissure into the ground. Debris sprayed outward as dust filled the air.
Ren glanced down at his chest. His Shihakusho had been sliced open by the wind of the blade, leaving a shallow, bloody scratch on his skin. If he had been a fraction of a second slower, this strike would have done far more than just graze him.
He looked up at Unohana. What tightened his chest even more was the sensation of an increasingly dense Spiritual Pressure slowly radiating from her.
This wasn't her usual gentle, healing aura. It was cold, reeking of blood—a bottomless, abyssal pressure belonging strictly to a killer.
Unohana remained silent. Something was swirling slowly deep within those eyes. Ren couldn't put it into words, but he knew this wasn't the usual Unohana.
This time, she didn't wait for him to attack.
She vanished, moving so fast that Ren barely registered an afterimage. He instinctively raised his blade to block, but a monumental force slammed into his sword, numbing his hands.
Strike after strike came, each faster and heavier than the last. Ren was driven back step by step, leaving deep footprints in the shattered ground. The web of his hand had torn open, blood dripping down the hilt, but he didn't dare loosen his grip.
What terrified him even more was the realization that Unohana was growing increasingly excited.
Unohana's next strike arrived. It was an exceptionally fierce blow, the blade shrouded in a dark crimson Spiritual Pressure.
Ren clenched his teeth, pushing his spiritual energy to its absolute limit. Gripping his sword with both hands, he met it head-on.
A deafening blast rang out.
The moment the two Zanpakuto collided, a shockwave erupted from the point of impact, blowing away all surrounding fallen leaves and loose stones. Ren felt as though his arms had been struck by a sledgehammer. He was sent flying backward, skidding dozens of feet across the dirt before finally stabilizing himself.
His hands shook violently as blood flowed uncontrollably from his torn palms. Supporting himself with his blade, he slowly lifted his head to look at Unohana.
A cold blade rested against his skin. The sharp edge had already sliced through the flesh of his neck, and a trickle of warm blood slid slowly down the steel. He could even feel her Spiritual Pressure emanating from the blade, carrying unadulterated killing intent that seeped into his neck and chilled him to the bone.
Ren's voice was hoarse, but he did his best to keep his tone even.
"Captain, if you keep releasing your Spiritual Pressure like this, you're going to draw attention."
Unohana's fingers twitched slightly. She looked down at her hand gripping the sword and fell silent for a moment. Then, she relaxed her grip, slowly pulling back her aura. The suffocating pressure vanished into thin air.
"Ah, quite true," she murmured, a faint trace of disappointment lingering in her voice.
Ren stood a short distance away, watching her. He could tell Unohana was repressing herself, suppressing the primordial urge to battle that welled up from the deepest recesses of her soul.
"Let's end today's practice here." Unohana turned around, her expression returning to its usual gentleness. "As it happens, there is something I need to tell you."
Ren sheathed his blade, finally breathing a sigh of relief. "What is it?"
"People from the Shin'o Healing Institute are coming to the Fourth Division for an inspection. Nominally, it's to exchange experience, but in reality..." She left the sentence unfinished, but Ren already understood.
"They're looking for trouble?"
Unohana glanced at him without denying it.
"When?"
"In a few days. They aren't bringing many people, but they carry significant weight. The representative from the Shin'o Healing Institute, along with several Sages from the Central 46."
Ren fell silent. He knew exactly whose hand was behind this.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
Kicking him out of the Kido Corps last time wasn't enough; now he was stretching his claws into the Fourth Division.
"I understand. I'll be ready," Ren said firmly.
Unohana nodded. She looked at Ren with a calm gaze, but he could detect the undercurrent of concern within it.
"Don't worry. Within the Fourth Division, they won't be making any waves."
Ren nodded. "I understand."