IW: Chapter 167 - Retsu: If you're lonely, come find me!
"Little Bai Ye, why did you join the Fourth Division?"
Unohana Retsu walked ahead. She had always been curious about Bai Ye's purpose in joining the Fourth Division, though she had never asked before.
This battle with Bai Ye also made Unohana Retsu realize that Bai Ye's heart might actually yearn for battle?
But he suppressed his inner desire to fight.
And after joining the Fourth Division, it meant completely abandoning the possibility of him fighting.
Previously, she would have only thought that Bai Ye didn't particularly like to fight, but now it seemed that Bai Ye was just like her, both forcibly suppressing their desire to fight.
Therefore, this also made Unohana Retsu a little curious about Bai Ye's decision to join the Fourth Division.
"The reason for joining the Fourth Division, huh."
He had joined the Fourth Division to avoid the attention of others. Originally, he thought he was just an ordinary graduate, and his first choice would naturally be the Fourth Division.
Then he would just coast along in the Fourth Division.
After all, if he went to other divisions, his life would truly be in danger.
Not to mention the Hollows and various missions, just Aizen alone, he might one day become a target for experiments.
Moreover, even at this point, Bai Ye couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be affected by Kyōka Suigetsu. If even the omniscient and omnipotent could be deceived by its ability, then he was even less likely to be immune.
"It's not because of me, is it?"
"Retsu, you're quite the joker."
Who in the Soul Society would join a division because of Unohana Retsu?
Those who knew Unohana Retsu knew that she appeared gentle, but that wasn't her true nature.
And Unohana Retsu's tone just now was completely playful, seemingly giving him a way out. Did she see that he didn't know how to answer?
As expected, she was as gentle as ever.
However, he still didn't dare to take that out. This matter might be a way out now, but it could be his death warrant later.
"You even used 'you'? That's quite rare."
Unohana Retsu's voice gradually flattened. She paused, stopped, and turned to look at Bai Ye, who was half a body behind her, and asked, "So, your desire to fight has always been suppressed by yourself, hasn't it? If you feel lonely and want to fight, come find me."
A young man so similar to her.
At this moment, Retsu seemed not to care about Bai Ye's reason for joining the Fourth Division. Everyone had their own little secrets deep down, even her.
So, when Bai Ye hesitated whether to speak, Retsu decided that she didn't need Bai Ye to say it.
But why did that sound a bit ambiguous?
Bai Ye felt a strange sensation in his heart. What did she mean by coming to find her when he was lonely?
Did 'lonely' mean when he wanted to fight?
His inner thoughts were seen through. As expected of Retsu.
"Retsu, you make me feel bad for not telling you."
Bai Ye scratched his hair, looking at Unohana Retsu's face, and suddenly felt a little emotional. Indeed, gentle women were truly hard for men to resist.
Not only did she not pursue the question, but she also saw that he actually longed for battle and even said that he could come to her with any problems in the future. Such understanding words were truly hard to refuse.
"If you feel bad, then the recent healing tasks will be handed over to you."
"Retsu, actually, I think I've gotten over it."
Isn't that asking for his life?
The Fourth Division was busy every day. If all the tasks were given to him, he was afraid he would die in the infirmary.
Thinking about it that way, it didn't seem so bad after all.
"Bai Ye, sometimes suppressing your inner self isn't a good thing. The demon in your heart will grow stronger with suppression until one day it can no longer be contained."
"Isn't that true for you too, Retsu?"
"It seems you know quite a lot."
A thousand years ago, with the establishment of the Gotei Thirteenth Division, her personality changed, and at the same time, not many people knew about that dark history.
Back then, they were assassins, executioners who killed without mercy. Countless people died at the hands of their group. The Gotei Thirteenth Division back then was more like an assassin organization.
And now, in Unohana Retsu's view, it was just child's play. Even Yamamoto, who used to resort to any means for victory, now seemed to have a weakness called kindness because he had something to protect.
"Well, after all, this isn't a taboo, so what's there not to know?"
Unohana Retsu's tone shifted, and then she looked at Bai Ye and asked, "So, what kind of person do you think I am?"
An executioner from a thousand years ago, yet now she had saved many Shinigami.
Speaking of which, what did he think of a person like her?
"A gentle executioner."
Gentle was gentle, and an executioner was an executioner. In Bai Ye's view, the two were not contradictory at all.
In fact, many people in the Shinigami had their own complex sides.
Like Aizen, like Yhwach.
Aizen was easy to understand. He was a genius from birth, and after becoming a Shinigami, he was constantly chased by others. Perhaps for a moment, he also wished he was just an ordinary Shinigami.
Yhwach was even more capable of manipulating people's hearts. Everything he had should have been attributed to others' bestowal, but in his words and actions, it became his own gift.
"I'm not gentle at all."
She, who was once called the greatest villain, would one day be given the title of gentle.
"Gentle to your own people, and an executioner to your enemies."
"Little Bai Ye is getting better at talking. Perhaps when I retire in the future, I can confidently hand over the captaincy of the Fourth Division to you!"
"I think I'll pass. Otherwise, people might think I got this position by flattering you."
He didn't want to be a captain. There were too many things to do every day. Unless he threw all the tasks to the Lieutenant or others, being a shameless captain would naturally be easy.
But if he became a captain, he would definitely attract a lot of attention, which didn't fit his style of doing things. At least having a tall person to take the lead was the way to go.
"That's true. Little Bai Ye is indeed very good at flattery. My mood seems to have improved quite a bit today."
Hey!
Sister, is your focus a bit off?
He was just looking for an excuse to shirk responsibility, how did he become a flatterer?
And he felt that Unohana Retsu seemed to be enjoying teasing him more and more.
Were these the eccentricities of those older sisters?
"The person chosen for this mission is Rukia Kuchiki. Originally, before I tested your abilities, I thought that if you weren't strong enough, I would have Isane go with you. Now, it seems it's not necessary."
"Hey, hey, hey, isn't it a Menos Grande? Are you really not afraid of me dying there?"
Speaking of which, are you really at ease with this thing?
Hearing the name Rukia Kuchiki, Bai Ye subconsciously thought that Aizen had sent the two of them together, but then he thought it was probably impossible.
Perhaps Aizen was just testing his abilities this time, and Rukia was probably just an extra.
After all, Rukia didn't have the Hōgyoku in her body right now. If it was just her identity as a Kuchiki, Aizen wouldn't bother to act.
The Hōgyoku was given to Rukia along with the Gigai provided by Kisuke Urahara after she lost her Shinigami powers. The original intention was for Rukia's spiritual power to gradually disappear and for her to become an ordinary person after using this Gigai, eventually being unable to leave the Gigai, so the Hōgyoku could be hidden.
After realizing this, Bai Ye was speechless.
You say you're testing his strength, but why arrange so many things? Do you want him to die for your entertainment?
"Your strength is enough to deal with Menos Grande. It's just some Gillians."
Even Adjuchas, he seemed capable of handling them. If there were Vasto Lorde, Bai Ye naturally wouldn't be sent to deal with them.
But there were only a few such Hollows in the entire Hueco Mundo, let alone the Human World?
"Alright, I'll just have Rukia Kuchiki protect me then. My strength is still too weak!"
Does he really need to be this cautious?
Rukia Kuchiki's strength probably isn't even as great as yours, right?
Unohana Retsu muttered to herself, wondering if her Lieutenant was being overly cautious.
"How about we let Isane go too? If the two of them go together, I think it'll be more secure. Of course, if you, Captain Retsu, want to go too, I think this mission will definitely be a sure thing. Hey, Captain Retsu! Don't walk so fast! Why are you even using Shunpo?!"
Bai Ye waved his hand, shouting towards the front. In just a few breaths, Unohana Retsu's back was already out of sight.
He just wanted to be more secure. With Unohana Retsu joining, it naturally wouldn't be his turn to act. Surely Aizen wouldn't have to make a move himself, right?
"Lieutenant Bai Ye, I heard that you and Captain Unohana strongly requested that I accompany you?"
On the day of the assembly, Kotetsu Isane's face was flushed with excitement as she looked at Bai Ye. She never expected Bai Ye to strongly request her to come along.
She felt as if this happiness had come somewhat suddenly.
This was Bai Ye's first mission! Although there was another Shinigami with them, it felt really good to be given such an important role!
"Yes, I originally wanted Captain Retsu to come along, but unfortunately, she absolutely refused!"
Bai Ye nodded, a hint of regret on his face. He felt like he had to talk himself hoarse to get Unohana Retsu to agree to let Kotetsu Isane come along.
But no matter what he said afterward, Unohana Retsu refused to go. Bai Ye had no choice but to give up, which was what he regretted the most.
Having Kotetsu Isane come along was also a consideration for Rukia Kuchiki.
Although adopted, she was indeed a member of the Kuchiki family. The Kuchiki family was one of the Four Great Noble Clans. She knew Bai Ye's personality; if he could avoid acting himself, he would definitely leave it to Rukia Kuchiki.
Despite being very strong, he was always worried about something. This also made Unohana Retsu a little concerned. So, after much thought, and with Bai Ye constantly insisting on more people, she felt that having Kotetsu Isane go might indeed be safer.
Ultimately, Kotetsu Isane was assigned by her.
"The Lieutenant also invited the Captain?"
Kotetsu Isane was startled. She had heard Unohana Retsu mention only a few Gillian before. Were there other Menos Grande, or even Vasto Lorde involved?
This actually required both the Lieutenant and the Captain to act together.
The Lieutenant was rumored to be a Shinigami seen only once in a thousand years!
In Kotetsu Isane's opinion, although Bai Ye had never made a move, his strength was definitely very, very strong, at least much stronger than her own. But such a strong Lieutenant actually needed to invite an even more powerful Captain to carry out the mission.
Could there really be a Vasto Lorde?
"I invited her, but the Captain seemed a bit unwilling, so I gave up."
"Lieutenant, is our mission target a Vasto Lorde?"
Kotetsu Isane felt it would be better to ask Bai Ye, after all, she was about to go on a mission and needed some idea, at least to know what killed her before she died.
"No."
She knew it!
Listening to Bai Ye's words, Kotetsu Isane patted her chest, looking relieved.
If it wasn't a Vasto Lorde, then it must be an Adjuchas, right?
"If it's an Adjuchas, it'll be difficult for the three of us to handle, but we should be able to try, right?"
After all, with Lieutenant Bai Ye here, she believed there shouldn't be any problem for the three of them to deal with an Adjuchas.
Although she still felt uncertain deep down, she at least felt it should be achievable, not as despair-inducing as a Vasto Lorde.
"No, we're dealing with a Gillian."
Although he didn't know what Aizen was trying to test him with yet.
It definitely wasn't as simple as a Gillian; there might be all sorts of messy things later, but on the surface, it was a Gillian right now. He couldn't possibly tell her all of that, could he?
"Huh?"
Kotetsu Isane's eyes widened, looking at Bai Ye in disbelief. She had just thought that Unohana Retsu had decided not to go because she wanted to temper them.
But now, it seemed she finally understood why Unohana Retsu had directly refused.
Having Unohana Retsu deal with a few Gillian?
She would probably be laughed at for the rest of her life!
Although their Fourth Division wasn't good at combat, they weren't so bad that they couldn't deal with a Gillian, right?
Was the Lieutenant also being overly cautious?
Did dealing with a Gillian really require Captain Unohana to step in?
"Isane, you mustn't underestimate a Gillian!"
Bai Ye looked at Kotetsu Isane with a serious expression, reminding her. When facing an enemy, either mislead them or go all out!
"Mm-hmm, the Lieutenant is right."
Although it was a bit exaggerated, Kotetsu Isane still felt that Bai Ye's words made a lot of sense.
What about a Gillian?
Was a Gillian not a Menos Grande?
Don't treat a Gillian as if it's not a Menos Grande!
"Isane, this is your first mission. Come, take all of these with you."
"Lieutenant, do we really need to bring all these medicines? Can we truly use all of them?"
Kotetsu Isane looked at Bai Ye, who was packing various medicines and items in large and small bags.
She suddenly fell into deep thought.
Her Lieutenant was overly cautious; she felt like he was aiming to be a 'blood tank,' right?
If you bring all these medicines, you could probably stand there and let a Gillian hit you for a long time, couldn't you?
"Isane, did you forget everything I just said?"
"No! I'll keep the Lieutenant's words in mind!"
"Good, once you've packed these, we'll go!"
Bai Ye took everything that should be taken, and also packed what shouldn't be, thinking he might need them later.
After the two left, looking at the empty infirmary, Kotetsu Isane wanted to say something, but in the end, she swallowed her words.
It seemed there was no need to say anything anymore.
To avoid being found out later, Kotetsu Isane quickly followed Bai Ye and ran. As she ran, she instinctively pulled at her Shinigami uniform, wanting to cover her face, feeling a bit embarrassed.
After the two left.
Inside the infirmary, Yamada Hanatarō's mournful voice echoed throughout the entire Fourth Division barracks: "Who the hell emptied all our Fourth Division's medicines?!"
Unohana Retsu, who arrived upon hearing the commotion, also froze for a moment as she looked at the empty infirmary. She unconsciously thought of Bai Ye. He couldn't have really taken everything, could he?
It seemed like something he would actually do, right?
Thinking this, Unohana Retsu forced a wry smile. Sure enough, this guy was just as cautious as she had thought!
"Was it stolen?"
"Captain Aizen?"
Unohana Retsu turned her head to look at the newcomers. Besides Aizen, Ichimaru Gin was also there. Following Unohana Retsu's gaze, Ichimaru Gin nodded as a greeting.
A trace of apology flashed across Unohana Retsu's face at their sudden arrival. She said, "I apologize, but there was no theft."
"Alright, since everything's fine, we'll be going now."
Aizen smiled gently, then pushed up his glasses and turned to leave.
As he left, he pondered to himself: Bai Ye took these medicines, and his personality is as cautious as I estimated. So, when he exposed his ability last time, was it intentional, or did he truly just expose his ability?
That doesn't seem to quite fit his personality.
However, the upcoming mission will be perfect to test whether he is truly cautious or merely has a false reputation.
Please don't disappoint me.
Aizen felt a touch more anticipation for Bai Ye in his heart. On this path to the top, if there were no enemies, how lonely would that be? He wanted to become the King of the Heavens, but he also needed one or two opponents along the way to entertain himself!
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