A few days later, at the Squad 4 barracks.
Representatives from the Mao Shiyoin arrived.
They were few in number, but they carried significant clout. Leading the group was a middle-aged man dressed in the official uniform of the Mao Shiyoin. His name was Soya—the current acting director of the Shiyoin and a prominent retainer of the Tsunayashiro clan.
Following close behind him were several young doctors. All born of aristocratic descent, their eyes dripped with unearned arrogance. As they swept into the Squad 4 relief station, their gazes drifted over every squad member present as if evaluating a pile of worthless junk.
The Squad 4 members stood off to the side, their expressions carefully deferential. They knew these visitors spelled trouble, but none dared to offend anyone associated with the Mao Shiyoin. This was noble territory; crossing them meant your days in the Seireitei were effectively numbered. Conversely, if they played their cards right and caught a noble's eye, they might just elevate their social status overnight.
Yamada Seinosuke stood at the front of the crowd, hands tucked inside his sleeves, his expression perfectly placid. He merely watched the pompous aristocratic doctors without giving anything away. After all, these men might very well be his future colleagues.
Soya marched to the center of the room and came to a halt. "Everyone of Squad 4, I have long awaited this pleasure."
His voice was mild, yet it carried an unmistakable, patronizing undertone.
"We are here today to exchange medical expertise with your squad. The Mao Shiyoin is undergoing an expansion and will require more talent. We heard that Squad 4 is teeming with hidden gems, so we came specifically to seek your guidance."
The young doctors behind him let out low, snickering chuckles. Their laughter was thick with contempt.
The Squad 4 members exchanged uneasy glances but carefully masked their features. They claimed to seek guidance, but anyone with eyes could see they were just looking for a fight.
Ignoring their reactions, Soya took a medical dossier from one of his subordinates. "We have a case here that we'd love for Squad 4 to weigh in on." He flipped the file open, his tone nonchalant. "The patient's Reiatsu is scattering, and his spiritual body is on the verge of collapse. Our Shiyoin has tried numerous methods to no avail."
He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the gathered Soul Reapers. "I wonder if anyone in Squad 4—aside from your Captain and Lieutenant, of course—can offer any insight?"
Silence fell over the room as the squad members looked at one another in dismay. A soul laceration of this severity was a death sentence; those capable of treating it in all of Squad 4 could be counted on one hand.
Soya smirked, thoroughly enjoying their helplessness. His eyes scanned the crowd before finally locking onto Hasumi Ren. He had seen the photographs; this man was their primary target today.
Though... why did the boy look so sickly and frail?
"Are you the Fourth Seat?" Soya asked.
Ren nodded. "Yes."
Soya sized him up from head to toe. "I hear Captain Unohana personally appointed you to the position. Your mastery of Kaido must be quite formidable then. Would you mind giving us a little demonstration today?"
He tossed the dossier onto the table. The air in the room instantly turned to ice.
The Squad 4 members kept exchanging tense glances, but no one dared utter a word. Yamada Seinosuke's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't intervene, keeping his eyes fixed on Ren.
Ren remained silent. He walked to the table, picked up the dossier, and flipped it open for a brief glance. "I've reviewed the file. Where is the patient?"
Soya hadn't expected Ren to be so blunt—to ask for the patient without even thoroughly reading through the history. His lips curved upward. "Right outside the door. Bring him in."
Soya waved his hand, and two young doctors wheeled in a gurney. Lying on the bed was a middle-aged man. His face was deathly pale, his lips a deep shade of purple, and his breathing incredibly shallow. His Reiatsu was practically undetectable, as if it might vanish entirely at any second.
Ren walked to the bedside and pressed his palm against the patient's forehead. A faint green Kaido energy seeped into the man's body. After a brief moment, Ren withdrew his hand.
"It's a soul laceration." Ren turned around to face Soya. "What treatment did your Shiyoin administer?"
"We utilized the standard Reiatsu stabilization procedure alongside Reishi supplement solutions. However, the efficacy was poor, and the patient's spiritual energy has continued to dissipate."
Ren nodded. Walking back to the bed, he took a deep breath and raised both hands.
The explanation sounded perfectly fine, but Ren knew it was a complete fabrication. They hadn't treated this man at all. The hidden trauma buried deep within his soul put him on a literal knife-edge between life and death. The patient could easily expire at any moment during active treatment.
So that was their game. They wanted the patient to die under his care so he would take the blame.
Unfortunately for them, they had picked the wrong target.
Faint green Kaido Reiatsu emanated from his fingertips, splitting into two distinct streams. Dual-cast Kaido—his absolute specialty.
The entire room fell dead silent. Every eye was glued to Ren's hands, watching the microscopic threads of spiritual energy weave expertly through the patient's body. His movements were deliberate and slow, yet executed with terrifying precision.
Standing nearby, Soya's amused, detached expression gradually hardened into a solemn scowl. He had never seen Ren's methodology before. It wasn't a standard incantation, nor was it any known advanced technique; it was an approach to healing that completely defied his understanding.
How could this guy's Kaido be this powerful? Soya could follow the basic logic of what was happening, but actually executing it to this level was something he could never achieve.
Soya was utterly transfixed until he noticed the patient's condition actually beginning to stabilize. Panic flared as he suddenly remembered his objective. A wave of anxiety washed over him; he wanted to speak up and put a stop to it, but the words caught in his throat.
A moment later, Ren withdrew his hands and exhaled softly. The color had returned to the patient's face. His breathing was smooth, and his Reiatsu had completely leveled out.
"He's stabilized." Ren turned around to face Soya. "The patient is out of immediate danger. As for the follow-up treatment, a proper long-term plan will need to be drawn up."
The room remained absolutely graveyard silent. The representatives from the Shiyoin stared at Ren, their eyes wide with profound shock. They knew Ren was skilled in Kaido, but they never dreamed he possessed this level of mastery.
Yamada Seinosuke stood in the corner, his hands still tucked into his sleeves, his face a mask of calm. Yet, the corner of his mouth twitched upward into a subtle smirk.
Soya's face flushed a kaleidoscope of pale and furious red. He glanced between the stabilized patient and Ren, his lips trembling, unable to form a single syllable.
"This... this is impossible," he muttered. "How could an injury of that scale be stabilized so quickly..."
Ren looked at him with an unbothered, steady gaze. "Lord Soya, the patient's condition is stable. If you harbor any doubts, you are welcome to examine him yourself."
Soya said nothing. The young doctors behind him looked at one another, none of them daring to step forward. They all knew Ren was telling the truth. The man's spiritual pressure was completely steady.
"Is there anything else you require our guidance on?" Ren asked.
Soya's face burned bright red. He had been dispatched by the Tsunayashiro family specifically to suppress and humiliate this brat named Hasumi Ren in front of Squad 4. He never anticipated the boy's medical prowess would actually allow him to effortlessly fix a fatal soul laceration.
"You..." He pointed a trembling finger at Ren.
Ren merely watched him, offering no response. The silence in the room grew so profound that one could hear a heartbeat.
Then, a voice drifted in from the doorway. "Lord Soya, it has been some time. I trust you have been in good health?"
Soya's entire body froze.
Unohana Retsu stood at the entrance holding a stack of documents, her expression serene. Her gaze settled on Soya, sending a violent shiver straight down his spine.
"My apologies. A few urgent matters required my attention, causing me to arrive a bit late." Unohana observed him in silence for a brief moment before averting her eyes. "The Mao Shiyoin's inspection involves several other itinerary items. Please follow me."
Soya was entirely speechless, his face turning an ashen shade of gray as he stood rooted to the spot. Glaring deeply at Ren one final time, he ground his teeth and ordered his entourage to follow Unohana out of the room.
A few days later, at the Tsunayashiro estate.
Tokinada sat before a tea table, listening intently to Soya's report.
"...That Hasumi Ren actually managed to cure the injury. His proficiency in Kaido far exceeds our initial estimates. Furthermore, Unohana intervened incredibly fast, leaving us no window to press the issue. The operation... was a failure."
Tokinada said nothing. He merely set his teacup down with a gentle touch.
Then, he hurled it directly into Soya's face.
"Useless trash."
Soya didn't dare draw a breath, keeping his head bowed low as he endured the blow in absolute silence.
Slowly, Tokinada let out a frigid exhale. "No matter. If we failed this time, there is always the next. In fact, a rather fascinating new idea just came to mind..."