Makoto Senju nodded seriously and replied with firm conviction, “Yes, Teacher.
I understand.
There are no truly weak abilities, only weak hearts.” Hearing this, Retsu Unohana’s eyes brightened slightly.
She felt a strangely warm and steadfast light radiating from the youth standing before her.
*Such a gentle yet resilient heart?
No wonder the ability of his Zanpakuto is a healing type…* Unohana thought to herself, and the look in her eyes as she watched Makoto Senju grew even gentler.
Though they had only interacted briefly, Makoto Senju gave Unohana a completely different impression than other Shinigami.
He was not obsessed with power and slaughter, nor was his heart shaken by the strength of his Zanpakuto.
He cherished life, was gentle yet firm, and lacked even a trace of the arrogant flaws typical of so-called “geniuses.” For a moment, Unohana found herself more and more pleased with this newly accepted disciple.
Prompted by a sudden thought, she asked, “Makoto, would you mind showing me your Zanpakuto’s ability?
A wood-element, healing-type Zanpakuto is a rarity even in the history of the Soul Society.” Makoto’s heart tightened slightly at her words, but on the surface, he forced himself to remain calm as he prepared to release his Zanpakuto.
“Endless vitality, Shinra Bansho!” As the release command echoed, blades of green grass sprouted around Makoto, centering on him.
They radiated a tenacious, unyielding life force and a vibrant green glow.
Unohana, whose eyes were usually narrowed into gentle crescents, opened them slightly.
She scrutinized every detail of Makoto’s Shikai, even bending down to pinch a blade of grass and pull on it with some force.
“Hmm?” Suddenly, Unohana let out a soft, puzzled hum.
Contrary to her expectation of fragile, ordinary grass, she found she could not pull the blade up with a gentle tug.
“It is remarkably resilient,” Unohana commented.
Makoto’s expression stiffened slightly.
He had not expected Unohana, whose standards should have been sky-high, to pay such close attention to the sheer physical resilience of these seemingly ordinary blades of grass.
However, even though Makoto was intentionally using a false release command to keep Shinra Bansho in a state of partial release, the grass was still fundamentally a part of Shinra Bansho.
He could not make it fragile even if he wanted to.
Meeting Unohana’s inquiring gaze, Makoto scratched his head with a touch of feigned embarrassment, as if reluctant to delve too deeply into the matter.
“Teacher, it is just grass after all.
Its only noteworthy qualities are its vitality and resilience.” “I see,” Unohana replied somewhat noncommittally.
She then asked, “Makoto, is your Zanpakuto’s ability simply to manipulate this green grass to heal others?” “Yes.” Makoto nodded, delivering his pre-prepared answer with natural ease.
“To be precise, I can expend my spiritual pressure to manipulate the growth and extension of this grass.
The grass then absorbs the Reishi in the air to deliver healing, spiritual energy, and vitality to others.” He paused, offering a slightly helpless smile.
“For now, it seems limited by my understanding of Kaido, medicine, and the structure of spiritual bodies.
Consequently, these Reishi can only heal relatively minor injuries.
For more severe wounds, they can probably only stabilize them temporarily.” Hearing this, Unohana stroked her smooth, porcelain chin, seemingly lost in thought.
After a moment, she spoke deliberately, weighing her words.
“Makoto, have you ever considered running Shinra Bansho in reverse to drain the Reishi and spiritual energy from your enemies?
Given the impressive resilience of this grass, wrapping a large amount of it around an enemy could easily serve as a powerful binding technique.
Even a Lieutenant-level Shinigami would find themselves in a bind, unable to break free quickly…” “Furthermore, if we take it a step further…” Unohana’s expression froze slightly.
A strange, inexplicable light flickered in her eyes as she stared intently at Makoto, murmuring, “If this ability could be applied entirely to yourself, you could absorb an infinite amount of Reishi from the air to replenish your own battle fatigue and injuries.
That way…
you could enjoy slaughter and combat forever…” By the end of her sentence, as if some primal instinct had been triggered, Unohana’s gentle features distorted into something terrifying.
She even unconsciously licked her red lips.
*Gulp~* However, in the next instant, the sound of Makoto swallowing hard shattered Unohana’s eerie state.
She blinked, looking down to see Makoto’s pale and thoroughly shocked face.
Startled, Unohana spoke with a trace of apology, “My apologies, Makoto.
I suddenly recalled some unpleasant memories.
I didn’t frighten you, did I?” “I-I’m fine, Teacher.” Makoto shook his head, but his pale face gave him away.
This filled Unohana with a touch of guilt, and she put aside her deductions regarding the Zanpakuto Shinra Bansho.
In truth, Makoto had been scared half to death!
In that fleeting moment, he had seemed to see a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood behind Unohana.
Endless blood seeped through the vision, and a terrifying, oppressive killing intent struck straight at his soul.
More importantly, the way Unohana had looked at him in that split second…
was like looking at an unbreakable toy.
Or perhaps an indestructible punching bag?
For a moment, Makoto began to doubt his choices.
Joining Squad 4, which was dedicated to healing, was supposed to be the safest option.
Why did his situation suddenly feel incredibly perilous?
Furthermore, what truly terrified Makoto was Unohana’s rapid deduction.
In just a few moments, she had practically mapped out most of Shinra Bansho’s actual Shikai abilities.
This woman was terrifying!
She truly deserved her reputation as a Shinigami who had stood at the peak for a thousand years, the first “Kenpachi,” and the woman whose Kaido and medical expertise sat at the absolute pinnacle of the Soul Society.
Although Kenpachi Zaraki was also a Captain-level Shinigami, his only thought had been to use Makoto as a mobile, area-of-effect healing fountain.
Unohana, on the other hand, had deduced the true depth of Shinra Bansho’s potential from a mere glance.
Soon, seeing that Makoto still looked shaken, Unohana considerately dropped the discussion of Shinra Bansho’s abilities.
Her original intention had been to guide him and boost his confidence, so she smiled and offered a lighthearted, almost teasing remark.
“Makoto, you have the potential to awaken Bankai.
If you truly do so one day, I shall hand the position of Squad 4 Captain over to you.
And…
I will personally teach you swordsmanship.
What do you say?”