Rukongai seemed the most suitable place. Far from Seireitei, Nobu could freely head there at will. If anything were to happen, by the time the Gotei 13 found out, it would already be too late.
Yet after careful consideration, Nobu ultimately chose not to go.
He couldn't simply disregard everything; he had to think carefully about the consequences.
The Gotei 13 would never permit it—the Head-Captain had already made that explicitly clear.
By the time evening fell, Unohana Retsu returned, crossing paths with Nobu as he stepped out from his office.
"Taichō."
Nobu bowed slightly, greeting her politely.
By now, most of the 4th Division members had already left for the day—even Isane had gone home.
Unohana's gaze lingered on Nobu for a long moment before suddenly speaking: "It seems I was right about you."
"What do you mean by that, Taichō?" Nobu's expression remained calm.
"Nothing."
Unohana had known from the start that Nobu wouldn't come. Like she'd said earlier, Nobu wasn't a pure person at all.
If it had been Zaraki—if he had understood her hidden meaning—he would never have chosen Nobu's path.
But then, why did I go myself…?
Unohana felt her own heart wasn't as tranquil as she believed. Perhaps it had never been. That gentle and graceful captain of the 4th Division had never truly been her.
Then just how much did this boy know about her real self…?
"Taichō," Nobu called again.
Unohana's eyes, clear as water, quietly looked at him.
Normally, Nobu was the first to leave when the day's work was done. Today, he'd stayed behind deliberately, waiting for Unohana's return. Only after sensing her reiatsu had he stepped out of his office.
"What you seek isn't the same as what I desire," Nobu said softly.
Unohana's gaze shifted faintly. "Is that so."
"I've told you about myself before, Taichō. Please don't assume I'm the same kind of person as you."
"…"
Unohana didn't respond, only staring at Nobu silently for a long while. Eventually, she softly sighed. "I see. That's truly a pity."
Nobu laughed quietly. "Do you find it disappointing that I didn't act as you'd hoped?"
Again, Unohana did not answer.
"It's not solely because of Sōtaichō-sama's orders," Nobu continued. "Even if you were seeking death at my hands, Taichō, I would not agree to fight you."
"…"
Unohana withdrew her gaze, turning to walk back towards her office.
Nobu watched her retreating figure until the door slowly closed behind her, then left the barracks himself.
The following week passed without any official announcement from the 1st Division about Nobu's appointment to captaincy. Apparently, something else had come up, delaying his promotion to the 10th Division.
Nobu wasn't particularly anxious. At this point, waiting another week, month, or even a year hardly made any difference.
...
When Shiba Kaien found free time, he invited Nobu out for drinks again. They sat chatting casually in a quiet izakaya.
Suddenly, Kaien brought up the question of why Nobu hadn't competed for the captaincy earlier.
"Haven't I told you the reason already?" Nobu smiled lightly, holding his sake cup.
"I always get the feeling you weren't telling me the truth," Kaien remarked.
"What kind of truth do you want to hear?"
Kaien shrugged casually. "If you really had other reasons and feel like sharing, I wouldn't mind hearing."
Nobu observed him quietly for a moment, then shook his head.
"What's the point of always worrying about what others think?"
"You brat," Kaien laughed, cursing him good-naturedly. "If you'd competed against me for the 3rd Division captaincy, honestly, I'm not sure I could've beaten you."
"The two of us," Nobu replied calmly, "would never become opponents."
Kaien clinked his cup against Nobu's, then asked curiously, "You really haven't achieved Bankai yet?"
"No."
Though Zanpakutō unlock progress had exceeded fifty percent, Nobu still hadn't even touched the threshold of Bankai.
Typically, barring extremely rare cases, a shinigami at Third-Class Reiatsu Authority should've naturally achieved Bankai by now.
But Nobu wasn't typical. Unlike Ichigo in the original story, he hadn't even seen his Zanpakutō's personification. It seemed his Zanpakutō was simply two swords, granting only power.
"Honestly, I'm curious about what your Bankai's abilities would be," Kaien mused.
"What else could they be?" Nobu chuckled lightly. "Mine is a healing-type Zanpakutō. Naturally, my Bankai would also revolve around healing."
Kaien considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Pity, though."
"Pity what?"
"If your Zanpakutō weren't healing-type, you'd probably be even stronger."
Nobu stared at him, smiling gently. "Am I not strong enough already?"
"…"
Kaien twitched his mouth slightly.
Three rounds of drinks later, Nobu suddenly drew out the asauchi at his waist. Looking at the plain, unadorned blade, he exhaled inexplicably deeply.
"What are you doing?" Kaien asked, startled by Nobu's sudden move.
"It's nothing," Nobu replied with a faint smile. "I suddenly feel I don't resemble a swordsman at all anymore. It's been a long time since my sword has advanced."
Kaien stared at him strangely.
"I've lost my purity," Nobu murmured.
"…"
"You drunk and hallucinating now?" Kaien mocked coldly.
Ignoring the jab, Nobu suddenly asked him, "Have you never wondered why my swordsmanship is so strong?"
"Nope," Kaien replied flatly, convinced Nobu was merely bragging.
But Nobu seemed not to hear him and began talking as if to himself. "Actually, I once had a very long dream. In that dream, I was a great swordsman—unmatched, unstoppable. Countless opponents fell beneath my blade."
"Oh yeah?" Kaien responded half-heartedly.
"In that dream, I was completely obsessed with the sword. My only desire was to grow stronger. I continually honed myself. My talent was unparalleled, and all my effort went purely into advancing my swordsmanship."
Kaien could barely listen any further. "You brat…"
Nobu grinned widely. "I know you don't believe me. You think I'm just spouting nonsense."
"…"
"Sometimes I suspect I've truly lost my mind. Even now, I'm constantly training, always honing myself. Yet my swordsmanship hasn't improved in a long time."
Kaien had intended another sharp retort, but upon seeing Nobu's faintly melancholic expression, he held back his words.
Nobu returned the sword to its sheath, quietly lifting his sake cup.
"At least I'm already strong enough as I am. If I grew any stronger, finding opponents might truly become difficult."
"…"
Kaien's mouth twitched again, fighting back the urge to throw his sake in Nobu's smug face.
Nobu drained his cup, staring quietly at its emptiness, growing silent.
Unohana Retsu had been the first Kenpachi—one of the greatest swordmasters in Soul Society. Yet, a few days ago, upon learning she'd gone to Rukongai, Nobu had felt no impulse at all to fight her.
His only thoughts had been about the system's rewards and the various real-world consequences.
He wasn't pure at all.
And Nobu no longer knew when he had become this way.