Squad 4 Dojo.
Upon seeing Naraku Sora standing straight and fully prepared opposite her, exuding a powerful aura from head to toe, the corners of Unohana Retsu's mouth curled up slightly.
Although she was quite displeased that this guy hadn't visited Squad 4 in a long time, seeing him appear in the stance of a powerful master swordsman changed her mood.
The complaints in her heart instantly dissipated, replaced by a trace of long-suppressed anticipation.
"Sora, here I come."
Unohana Retsu offered a soft warning before drawing her long sword with a *shing*, a chilling gleam flashing through the dojo.
Her originally gentle temperament vanished, replaced by an extremely sharp, bone-piercing edge.
In Naraku Sora's eyes, the supposedly silver-white blade had somehow become stained with mottled, viscous blood.
After he blinked, that terrifying sight disappeared, as if everything just now had merely been an illusion.
Unohana Retsu wore a smile on her lips, but it lacked her usual warmth.
Instead, it was replaced by a killing intent so thick it was almost tangible.
This was exactly why Naraku Sora was reluctant to interact and fight with this crazy woman. When fighting Yamamoto, although the old man struck ruthlessly, he at least knew when to hold back.
But once Unohana Retsu got caught up in the thrill of the slash, it was very difficult for her to suppress her true nature.
In short, it was very dangerous.
There was no time to hesitate. The moment Naraku Sora gripped his hilt, Unohana Retsu actually took the initiative to attack. Tapping her toes lightly, her graceful figure shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, heading straight for him.
The bloodstained blade whistled through the air.
The air let out an overwhelmed wail, splitting to both sides as if it had been sliced apart.
Without erupting with too much Reiatsu, relying solely on her ultimate understanding of Zanjutsu and rich combat experience, Unohana Retsu unleashed a scalp-tingling attack.
In the blink of an eye, the blade was right in front of him.
Naraku Sora took a deep breath, focusing entirely on countering. He swung his Zanpakutō diagonally upward, focusing his strike on a single point to break her guard, aiming for Unohana Retsu's weakest spot.
Although his past battles had been a little reckless.
Naraku Sora's mastery of Zanjutsu was incredibly strong.
Not to mention his self-created Ghost Sword Techniques that combined mechanics and raw power, just a single Secret Technique・Dragon Flash was already the pinnacle of Zanjutsu secrets.
Let alone Secret Swords, a Zanjutsu that exceeded all limits.
The blades clashed, metal ringing against metal as countless sparks flew.
The two figures crossed paths. Unohana Retsu's footsteps paused abruptly; her light toes pivoted on the floor, and the moment she turned around, she applied all her strength to the blade.
She followed through with a downward diagonal slash.
Crackling arcs of electricity flashed across the blade, and a silver-white glow suddenly bloomed, nearly blinding Naraku Sora.
*Wait, what the hell is this?!*
With no time to ask, an intense numbness traveled straight down the clashing blades and right into his elbow.
A sword pressure wrapped in twisting lightning cleaved outward, causing the air to emit a piercing shriek.
Ghost Sword Technique・White Lightning!
Constrained by the limits on releasing her Reiatsu, Unohana Retsu could only use this kind of Zanjutsu attack, which was unlikely to cause effective damage to Naraku Sora.
But even so, it still completely suppressed him when he was caught off guard.
However, Unohana Retsu still underestimated a certain someone's mechanics.
When raw stats were restricted to a specific range, flashy mechanics would guide Naraku Sora to victory.
In an instant, his powerful High-Speed Regeneration freed him from the paralysis of the White Lightning, and his previously slowed Zanjutsu became fierce once again.
Naraku Sora abandoned his two-handed grip, instead clutching the hilt tightly with his right hand. Leaning his body forward slightly, he dodged the white-glowing blade.
Staring at the twisting arcs of electricity right in front of him, his gaze became utterly calm.
The next moment, a roar erupted.
The counterattack began.
His blade swept through the gap, drawing an arc like a crescent moon. It tore through the White Lightning and once again clashed with the Zanpakutō in Unohana Retsu's hand.
Brilliant sparks flew.
A sharp pitch burst forth from the ringing metal. In an instant, the offensive poured down like a torrential rainstorm, raising an endless curtain of water that surged forward.
Unohana Retsu's expression grew increasingly delighted, a fanaticism welling up deep within her eyes. Her deep red Reiatsu clung to her body thickly, like blood plasma.
The cold killing intent was bone-piercing!
*Riiip—*
A barely audible sound of tearing fabric echoed from her Shihakushō. A red line appeared on her fair forearm, and glaring blood splattered outward.
Drops of blood landed on Unohana Retsu's cheek, the mottled bright red contrasting against her snow-white skin.
Looking at the wound on her forearm, her Reiatsu instinctively gathered over it, and a green light emerged.
The gash healed at a visible rate.
The battle came to an abrupt halt.
Unohana Retsu's face revealed undisguised regret. Still being unable to fight Naraku Sora to her heart's content was truly a frustrating matter.
With her Reiatsu restricted, there were many techniques she couldn't execute.
The same went for Naraku Sora.
But even so, it was temporarily satisfying.
"Captain Unohana, can you tell me now?"
Naraku Sora sheathed his sword and let out a long breath.
Fighting Unohana Retsu to the death was far more troublesome than any other battle.
This woman's Zanjutsu seemed to possess a unique magic, capable of quietly drawing someone deep into the rhythm of battle, only to then unleash all her power bit by bit.
It was as if she was born solely to enjoy the thrill of slaughter.
"Although I don't know where you got your information, I regret to inform you that I actually don't know that person's exact location either."
Unohana Retsu put her haori back on, once again returning to her usual gentle demeanor. Her elegant temperament made it impossible to associate her with the battle-crazed demon from just moments ago.
Naraku Sora: "?"
"Didn't you say you'd tell me after we fought?"
Unohana Retsu adjusted her slightly messy collar, revealing a satisfied smile, and said softly, "Yes, didn't I just tell you?"
Looking at the woman's smile in front of him, Naraku Sora realized it in hindsight.
It turned out the old wuxia adage was right all along: the prettier the woman, the more deceitful she is.
He had originally planned to pry Zaraki Kenpachi's whereabouts out of Unohana Retsu, but he never expected that she wouldn't know either. He had been thoroughly played for a fool.
"Farewell."
Naraku Sora took a deep breath, turned around, and left.
Watching his retreating back, the corners of Unohana Retsu's mouth curled up, and a barely audible voice murmured:
"Sora, I'm looking forward to you more and more..."
Although Plan A had failed, fortunately, Naraku Sora had prepared Plan B in advance.
After leaving Squad 4, he hurriedly rushed to Squad 2 and explained his intentions to Yoruichi.
"You want to borrow Soifon?"
"There's no reason why not. Speaking of which, she really is the best student in the tracking courses within the Onmitsukidō."
"Sora, you have a good eye."
Soon, the pretty young girl appeared in the room.
"Soifon, I have a mission for you."
Yoruichi put on a serious expression and said earnestly, "Follow Naraku Sora to the Rukongai to search for a person of unknown identity."
The girl didn't hesitate at all, accepting the mission immediately.
Speaking of which, after arduous and grueling training, coupled with guidance from Naraku Sora and Yoruichi, Soifon had successfully passed her grandmother's test and inherited the title of "Soifon".
She was gradually becoming the person Naraku Sora remembered.
The two left Squad 2 and headed straight for the Zaraki District in the North Rukongai.
Although he knew Zaraki Kenpachi wasn't the type to stay put in one place, given his terrible sense of direction—comparable to a certain moss-headed swordsman sailing the neighboring seas—
Even if he wandered off, he couldn't have gone too far.
It had taken him nearly a thousand years just to stumble his way from the Rukongai to the Seireitei, which was a testament to his navigational skills.
"As for his specific appearance, he should be around two meters tall, with messy hair like a wild man. He's extremely belligerent, and his Reiatsu is highly aggressive, pretty much like a wild beast."
After rushing for a while, the two finally arrived at the Zaraki District.
At Soifon's request, Naraku Sora gave a brief description of Zaraki Kenpachi's appearance.
After hearing the description, Soifon couldn't help but frown.
The description was a bit too vague; searching for him would likely be troublesome.
Moreover, because it was one of the outer districts, the Zaraki District was extremely vast and sparsely populated, making the task even more difficult.
"I'll give it a try."
Under Naraku Sora's watchful gaze, Soifon crouched down, took out a spiritual tool unique to the Onmitsukidō from her pocket, and injected her Reiatsu into it.
Threads made of Reishi spread out like a fishing net.
Seeming to notice Naraku Sora's confusion, Soifon explained:
"This is a Kidō variant of Kakushitsuijaku. It changes the function from directional Reiatsu tracking to area-of-effect target capturing. It's generally used for assassinations and locating targets."
"It was developed by our predecessors in the Onmitsukidō."
Just as she finished speaking, Soifon revealed a surprised expression and muttered:
"Lord Naraku, I think I found him."
Naraku Sora's eyes lit up. "Take me there!"
Soifon put away the spiritual tool and activated Flash Step, sprinting toward the west. Naraku Sora followed closely behind.
Before long, the two arrived at a town.
A ferocious Reiatsu blanketed an entire street overwhelmingly. A terrifying aura raged through the crowd, and from time to time, fierce-looking people were sent flying.
As the district with the most chaotic environment, almost everyone here was a villain. The slightest conflict would erupt into a fierce brawl.
Deaths were a common occurrence.
It was so bad that no Soul Reapers were even willing to come here for missions.
Right now, a fierce conflict had broken out.
Soifon immediately noticed the burly, towering figure in the crowd and quickly pointed at him:
"Two meters tall, messy appearance, and Reiatsu like a wild beast."
"Lord Naraku, I've found the person you're looking for."
Naraku Sora looked in that direction. It was indeed exactly as he had described, though there were a few slight deviations in the details.
The massive figure stood like a mountain of meat among the crowd, his Reiatsu bursting forth recklessly. With a casual wave of his hand, several figures were sent flying.
The giant hammer in his hand crashed down, instantly pasting minced meat onto the cracked ground.
His face was covered in fierce, fleshy folds and surrounded by a thick beard, making him look like a true demon.
When he finished off the people around him, he quickly noticed the two onlookers nearby. Taking a few strides, he instantly arrived in front of Naraku Sora and revealed a hideous smile:
"Soul Reapers?"