“Alright, Rin, that’s enough.”
“From this point onward, simply assist me.”
“As for the Gentian flowers, maintaining their current level of activity will be sufficient.”
As soon as he finished speaking, soft green Kaidō light began gathering within Lieutenant Yamada Seinosuke’s hands.
Only then did Rin finally have the opportunity to carefully observe the young lady of the Kuchiki Clan.
Previously, he had been too focused on preparing the Healing Space to pay much attention.
Now, however…
Using his perception of life force, he immediately noticed something unusual.
As a direct descendant of one of Soul Society’s Four Great Noble Clans, Kuchiki Junko’s Spiritual Pressure was astonishingly weak.
It barely reached the minimum level required to live safely within Seireitei.
The reason was simple.
Seireitei possessed an extremely high concentration of Reishi.
If an ordinary soul without sufficient Spiritual Pressure entered such an environment, a reverse flow of Reishi would occur.
Their own Spiritual Power would continuously leak outward together with their life force until they eventually died.
The same principle also applied to those living for long periods beside individuals possessing overwhelming Spiritual Pressure.
That was one of the fundamental reasons Shin’ō Academy recruited souls with relatively high Spiritual Pressure to become Shinigami.
Only by continuously strengthening themselves could they survive within Seireitei.
Naturally…
Such a problem was insignificant to the Kuchiki Clan.
As one of the Four Great Noble Clans, they possessed countless methods capable of slowly increasing a person’s Spiritual Pressure.
If necessary…
They could even prepare a residence with a deliberately reduced Reishi density.
However…
That wasn’t Kuchiki Junko’s greatest problem.
What truly concerned Rin was something much deeper.
The Reishi pathways throughout her Spiritual Body were inherently incomplete.
It resembled a congenital defect caused from birth.
Within Rin’s perception, her life force flowed sluggishly through countless blocked passages.
It repeatedly encountered invisible obstructions before barely continuing onward.
Only then did Rin completely understand why Lieutenant Yamada had brought him here.
Regardless of how those congenital defects had formed…
Yamada intended to remove them completely through an intricate Kaidō operation.
Originally…
His plan had been much more conservative.
Using pharmacology, he intended to prepare medicines capable of gradually strengthening Junko’s life force while slowly treating each damaged area one after another.
The advantage of that method lay in its safety.
The disadvantages…
Were equally obvious.
The treatment would require an extremely long time.
Furthermore…
Residual side effects would almost certainly remain.
Everything changed after Chigusa Rin appeared.
His Shikai continuously replenished life force in the most natural manner possible.
Even while the patient remained unconscious, the Healing Space could maintain complete vitality throughout the operation.
More importantly…
The Healing Space also solved another difficult problem.
Captain Kuchiki Ginrei had firmly opposed moving his daughter into the Fourth Division for treatment.
Now…
The Healing Space allowed the operating environment itself to be recreated inside the Kuchiki residence.
For that reason, when Junko’s illness relapsed once again, Yamada decided to bring Rin along.
Unexpectedly…
Captain Ginrei readily agreed. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
The operation immediately began.
The two divided their responsibilities.
Unlike Rin, Lieutenant Yamada couldn’t directly perceive fluctuations in life force or identify every obstructed pathway through instinct alone.
However…
He had studied Junko’s illness countless times.
Together with Captain Unohana, he had repeatedly simulated the operation until every step had become second nature.
Consequently…
His movements were astonishingly smooth.
Rin’s own role was primarily observational.
Although he had learned a tremendous amount during the past two years, opportunities to perform actual surgery remained extremely limited.
The reason was understandable.
No matter how perfect one’s theoretical knowledge appeared…
Practical surgery was an entirely different matter.
For any healer…
Simply keeping one’s hands steady during their first operation already deserved praise.
Until now…
The most significant treatment Rin had personally performed remained the emergency suturing of Kotarō during the Konsō mission.
Furthermore…
Treating ordinary souls with extremely low Spiritual Pressure demanded far greater precision than treating experienced Shinigami.
Watching Lieutenant Yamada operate became the finest lesson imaginable.
Within the Fourth Division…
Nearly everyone regarded Lieutenant Yamada as a stern, cold, and highly responsible superior.
Many newly recruited members became nervous simply passing by him.
Whenever he corrected someone’s mistakes…
Those unfortunate members often ended up secretly crying afterward.
Captain Unohana was the complete opposite.
She resembled a gentle flower.
Every member of the Fourth Division deeply admired her.
Even when she became displeased…
She never raised her voice.
Her quiet kindness only made everyone’s respect for her grow even stronger.
Returning to Kaidō itself…
Within the Fourth Division, everyone acknowledged that Captain Unohana’s mastery of healing techniques had long surpassed ordinary understanding.
As for Lieutenant Yamada…
He was better known for his incredible knowledge of pharmacology.
Whenever someone encountered an unfamiliar medicinal herb or an unusual prescription…
They instinctively sought his guidance.
Over time…
Many people gradually overlooked another fact.
Lieutenant Yamada’s Kaidō was equally extraordinary.
Having personally studied under both Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Yamada, Rin naturally understood this.
However…
All of those lessons had taken place privately.
Witnessing Yamada perform genuine surgery before his eyes was an entirely different experience.
Every movement flowed effortlessly.
He accurately located each lesion before carefully guiding Kaidō through it little by little.
The diseased tissue gradually disintegrated under precise spiritual control.
The instant the obstruction disappeared…
He immediately withdrew his Spiritual Power without damaging the surrounding tissue.
The entire operation resembled a work of art.
The patient’s injuries were minimized.
The therapeutic effect reached its greatest possible extent.
Rin watched every movement with insatiable concentration. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Everything he witnessed was rapidly transformed into his own understanding.
Inside the Healing Space…
Countless particles of emerald light drifted rhythmically among the blooming Gentian flowers.
Some quietly entered Kuchiki Junko’s body, continuously restoring her vitality.
Others flowed toward Lieutenant Yamada himself, replenishing the Spiritual Power consumed during the lengthy operation.
Outside the sea of flowers…
Captain Kuchiki Ginrei silently watched everything unfold.
Sensing his daughter’s gradually stabilizing Spiritual Pressure…
His usually calm expression became slightly absent-minded.
Junko’s illness had existed since birth.
It originated from an unforeseen accident during her infancy.
That congenital defect had completely destroyed her chance of ever becoming a Shinigami.
Fortunately…
Junko herself had never openly complained.
When her illness first manifested years ago…
Ginrei immediately sought Captain Unohana’s help.
After carefully examining the young woman…
Unohana proposed her first treatment plan.
Completely remove a portion of Junko’s Spirit Core.
Then…
Have her leave Seireitei forever.
Outside the high-density Reishi environment, she could live a peaceful and healthy life.
Unfortunately…
Junko rejected that proposal without hesitation.
“Father…”
“I refuse to become the disgrace of the Kuchiki Clan.”
“Failing to become a Shinigami has already brought enough shame upon our family.”
“If I abandon Seireitei as well…”
“I would rather die.”
The determination within his daughter’s eyes deeply pierced Ginrei’s heart.
Even so…
Given the circumstances at that time…
Her decision couldn’t truly be called wrong.
The only person destined to suffer…
Was Junko herself.
Later…
Lieutenant Yamada gradually took over her treatment.
After repeatedly studying her condition together with Captain Unohana, he eventually proposed a second treatment plan.
Although that method would still leave behind some lasting side effects…
It represented the very best solution they could devise.
After all…
Junko’s condition could no longer be delayed indefinitely.
Now…
As her illness erupted once again…
Ginrei had never expected to receive such an unexpected surprise.
This time…
It truly seemed possible to cure her completely.
For the first time in many years…
A faint anticipation quietly arose within his heart.
Inside the Healing Space…
The long operation was finally approaching its conclusion.