Chapter 120: Your Weapon
Bankai.
As a Shinigami's ultimate technique, its existence alone carried an extraordinary weight.
The final expression of one's true self, the endpoint of everything, Bankai was the complete distillation of a person's effort, their history, and the full arc of their life.
Those capable of reaching it were already rare. Even someone like Kijishi could step into the company of the truly powerful once he had Bankai behind him.
And now...
The young man standing in front of Unohana Retsu was about to step into that same domain under his own power.
Blood.
Was boiling.
Eyes that had been slightly narrowed flew open, and Unohana's mouth curved upward into something that looked close to delighted surprise.
This was it.
Her long-sought wish was still unfulfilled. But even so: having a small taste beforehand, enjoying dessert a little early, was entirely acceptable.
"Come on then. Let me see what you've got."
Her power rose steadily. The blade in her hand swung light and easy, tracing two clean crescent arcs through the air, and the smile on her face carried something written in pure exhilaration.
BOOM!
The reiatsu coiled around Unohana surged and became visible.
Two streaming columns of light rolled upward toward the sky, like pillars reaching into the clouds, carrying an extraordinary presence in the dead of night.
The location was remote.
But still within the Seireitei.
So within moments, several monitoring personnel inside the Research and Development Bureau all set off alarms at roughly the same time.
"Urgent! This is urgent! Someone is using Bankai inside the Seireitei! Report to leadership, send word to Squad 1, deal with this now!"
The principle that Bankai releases within the Seireitei were prohibited applied here the same as anywhere else. With the event detected and on record, accountability afterward was unavoidable.
Just before several researchers hurriedly organized the information and made to rush it out for official reporting, though, a cheerful figure materialized in the doorway and casually intercepted the paperwork.
Urahara Kisuke, looking deeply satisfied with himself.
"Now now. I'll handle this one. Let's just say it never happened. Everyone, don't stress about it."
"But the Captain-Commander will..."
"What if I buy everyone a round of drinks?"
"Long live the Captain!"
Having dealt with his subordinates, Urahara let them disperse and stole a glance in the direction of the distant commotion.
Soul Society was large. But within the Seireitei, almost anyone at captain level could feel reiatsu at this scale. It moved like a wave, and the direction it was coming from was unmistakable.
Things had started over there, no question about it.
For certain things that operated on unspoken understanding, even the rule-strict Seireitei quietly made room. The current fight was exactly that kind of thing.
Still.
Sip. Sip.
Sasakibe Chojiro took small, unhurried sips of his coffee and wore a thoroughly serene expression.
Soul Society is peaceful today. So please.
Over there, wrap it up before anything messier develops.
Even with the unofficial green light, there were limits.
Across the Seireitei, various figures all shifted their attention in the same direction.
"Go a little easy on the newcomer. Don't hit too hard."
"That level of reiatsu. Has Captain Unohana actually gotten serious?"
"Not quite. Maybe just a bit interested? Hard to say from here."
"Well. Something worth watching."
Inside the fight, Matsushita Yusuke had no attention to spare for any of that.
Because right now, simply maintaining the Bankai was demanding everything he had.
The pressure was greater than he'd anticipated.
Feeling this power crash and surge through him, the furrow in Yusuke's brow didn't ease once.
Physical-type Zanpakuto proficiency sat at 70. By the System's progression logic up to now, that was true: he had technically crossed the Bankai threshold.
But only just crossed it.
Yusuke felt like a five-year-old trying to use a competition barbell.
Heavy. Sluggish. Every movement awkward in a way that showed through clearly.
All of it together made the gap called "proficiency" feel very specific and very real.
Repeated practice could close that gap, no question. But going back to the barbell comparison...
Having a five-year-old try to lift it in the first place wasn't particularly realistic.
So what was the actual solution?
Build the strength, grow into the body. Get a thirty-year-old in here, and they can do whatever they want with it.
So 70 points alone is clearly not enough. Looks like fluent use is going to need more stacking.
These thoughts moved through him quickly and he composed his expression just as fast.
Difficult. But push through it.
And in the current situation, specifically, what was the right move?
Yusuke worked through the options and found his answer.
He took a slow breath, settled into his stance, and spoke in a calm, even voice.
"Captain Unohana, to be straight with you: my control over this power is not where it needs to be yet."
Unohana's expression registered no surprise at all. She raised her chin slightly, something that looked like agreement crossing her face.
"Understandable."
The moment Yusuke had chosen to take the captaincy, Unohana had already done a basic review of his background.
"From the first time you held a blade to right now, you have at most one year and two months."
Having expectations of talent was reasonable enough. But it was also worth looking at the actual numbers. Not everyone was Ichigo Kurosaki, walking into things with three fully maxed-out accounts already loaded.
"I won't ask too much of you. Just as I said: come at me as much as you can. Let me see where your limit is."
At that, Yusuke's first small tactic had essentially worked.
He didn't want an extended fight.
Because Kongokai's nature meant he couldn't afford attrition.
"I'm glad you understand."
He exhaled.
He began deliberately tensing his body, and at the same time...
Yusuke's hands came down and made an empty gripping gesture in front of him.
From the outside this looked like nothing. There was nothing visible to grip.
But Unohana raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting into something genuinely curious.
Because very quickly...
Reishi began to gather, pulling in from the surrounding air, and condensing in Yusuke's hands.
"Your weapon. Is this it?"
***
70+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces