“It’s just a lousy piece of paper, isn’t it?” Hiyori Sarugaki said with a dismissive pout.
“Shadow wouldn’t give Yoruichi something useless!” Kūkaku Shiba nodded, looking interested.
“Why don’t we just test it?” Lisa Yadōmaru pushed up her glasses and spoke calmly.
“But who should we test it on?
Kensei?” Mashiro Kuna puffed out her cheeks adorably.
“What does this have to do with me?!” Kensei Muguruma shouted angrily.
At that moment, an irritating, raspy voice suddenly sounded beside them.
“Morning, everyone!” Long blond hair, a pure white captain’s haori, Captain of the Fifth Division, Shinji Hirako.
“Oh!
Baldy Hirako!” Hiyori shouted first.
Her eyes darted around before she snatched an Explosive Tag from Yoruichi’s hand, injected Reiatsu into it, and quickly threw it toward Shinji.
“Hiss…
hiss…
hiss…” “What’s this?
It’s burning!” Shinji looked at the burning Explosive Tag near his feet, then raised his head with a strange grin.
“Hey, Shorty Hiyori, what are you trying to do with these little sparks?
Are you trying to…
Wait.
This fluctuation is…
Run!” Halfway through speaking, Shinji suddenly sensed an intense fluctuation coming from that tiny piece of paper.
His pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately tried to get away.
But…
“BOOOOOOM!” A violent explosion erupted, shaking the entire Shin’ō Academy.
When the smoke cleared, the area where Shinji had been standing was completely wrecked, with shattered stone scattered everywhere.
A circular, yellow-glowing barrier slowly faded away, revealing Shinji’s somewhat disheveled figure.
“Th-That’s incredible…” Kensei’s eye twitched violently.
Mashiro, Lisa, and Kisuke Urahara were completely speechless.
Kūkaku didn’t even notice when the pipe at the corner of her mouth fell to the ground.
She simply stared with her mouth hanging open in shock.
Hiyori pointed at Shinji, utterly dumbfounded, looking as though she couldn’t believe what she had just seen.
As for the students around them, they all looked completely bewildered, having no idea what had just happened.
Yoruichi was the first to recover.
She cheered excitedly, her face lighting up.
She had always been energetic by nature, and there was nothing she enjoyed more than having fun.
“Shadow, do you have any more?” Yoruichi asked excitedly, blinking her golden eyes.
“I’m sorry, Yoruichi-sama.” Shadow shook his head.
“There wasn’t enough time, and my mental energy hasn’t fully recovered yet, so that’s all I was able to make.” “I see!” Yoruichi smiled.
“This is already plenty.
Thanks, Shadow!” “Yoruichi-sama, I don’t deserve your thanks.
This is simply my duty.” Shadow dropped to one knee and spoke respectfully.
“Please don’t say such things again.” “…” …
Under normal circumstances, every Dummy Hollow Combat Exercise lasted three days.
During those three days, Shadow’s only task was to recover from his injuries and return to peak condition.
Even if he couldn’t fully recover, he needed to regain at least half of his strength.
Yoruichi had barely entered the Senkaimon before Shadow left the Fourth Division.
He understood his own injuries better than anyone else.
By the afternoon of the second day, Shadow had recovered roughly half of his strength and was walking through the streets of Seireitei.
“Have you heard?
The students from Shin’ō Academy who went to the Human World for the Dummy Hollow Combat Exercise were attacked by Menos!” “Seriously?” “Don’t doubt it.
I heard there were quite a few Gillians!
Supposedly, even an Adjuchas-class Menos appeared!” “I heard that too!” another person joined in.
“Apparently, the casualties were terrible.
If Captain Hirako of the Fifth Division hadn’t arrived in time, they might have been completely wiped out.” “That serious?
What’s happening now?” “The survivors are apparently being treated in the Fourth Division.
As for the dead…
I don’t know.” “…” Similar conversations continued drifting through the streets.
Although the details differed slightly, the general story was always the same.
Shadow’s expression immediately darkened.
His figure suddenly vanished from the street.
Shunshin no Jutsu.
…
Soul Society, Seireitei, Fourth Division barracks.
“I really didn’t expect this,” Kensei said through clenched teeth while lying in bed.
“It was supposed to be an ordinary combat exercise, but Menos actually showed up.” “But Kensei, you seemed pretty excited while you were fighting them!” Mashiro immediately shot back.
“Shut up!” Kensei roared in embarrassment.
Unfortunately, the shout pulled at his wounds, sending him into a fit of coughing.
“Idiot!” Hiyori scoffed.
“You’re that badly hurt and you’re still moving around!” “Well, either way, we’re lucky we had Shadow’s Explosive Tags to buy us some time,” Kūkaku said, shaking her head.
“Otherwise, we might not have made it back alive.” “That’s true.” Urahara sounded genuinely regretful.
“It’s just a shame we used all the Explosive Tags.
If we’d had even one left, I could’ve studied it.” “…” Everyone stared at him speechlessly.
Apparently realizing how ridiculous that sounded, Urahara scratched his head awkwardly.
“Anyway, why hasn’t anyone come to treat us yet?” “They’re probably trying to save the people who are close to dying,” Lisa said softly.
“Nearly three thousand students from ten classes across the entire year participated in this exercise, but only a little over a thousand came back.
And that number includes the critically wounded.
If you calculate the casualty rate…” “Damn it!
What was the Gotei 13 doing?!” Kūkaku snapped angrily.
“If they’d discovered what was happening sooner, things wouldn’t have ended like this!” The mood in the room instantly became heavy.
“There was nothing they could do.
Everything happened too suddenly.” Kensei sighed.
“Come on, everyone, don’t dwell on it too much.” Urahara tried to lighten the atmosphere.
“Isn’t this just what being a Shinigami is like?
No one can guarantee whether they’ll still be alive the next moment.” “What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Baldy Urahara?” Hiyori yelled, glaring at him sideways.
“Hiyori, seriously…” Urahara sighed helplessly before turning his head.
“Yoruichi, you’ve been awfully quiet.
That’s not like you.
Are you still worried about Shadow?” “Yeah…” Yoruichi lowered her head.
“Captain Unohana said Shadow went out yesterday and still hasn’t come back.” “Why worry about him?” Hiyori scoffed.
“He’s ridiculously strong.
What could possibly happen to him?
Maybe he’ll just do what he always does and suddenly appear with a whoosh…” “Yoruichi-sama!” “Ah!” Hiyori shouted, her eyebrow twitching.
“There he is!
See?
I was right!” “Hiyori really is amazing,” Urahara said with a smile.
“Nobody asked you, Baldy Urahara!” “…” “Yoruichi-sama, you’re injured!” Shadow dropped to one knee, his usual cold expression carrying a trace of urgency.
“Shadow, you bastard!” Yoruichi roared.
“Didn’t I tell you to stay put and behave yourself?!
Why are you running around?
What if something happens to you?!” “Yes, yes, Yoruichi-sama!” Shadow felt both moved and pained.
Seeing Yoruichi’s body covered in wounds, he extended one hand.
A faint green glow appeared around his palm and spread over Yoruichi’s body.
Iryō Ninjutsu.
“I never knew Shadow could heal people too!” Kūkaku said in surprise.
“Looks like I’m not needed here anymore.” Retsu Unohana walked in through the doorway, with Shinji following behind her.
Once the treatment was finished, Shadow helped Yoruichi up and asked softly, “Yoruichi-sama, how do you feel?
Is there anywhere else that hurts?” “I’m fine now, Shadow.” Yoruichi nodded.
“Then let’s go back.
Yoruichi-sama needs proper rest.” “But Kūkaku and the others…” “There’s someone here for them, isn’t there?” Shadow tilted his chin toward Unohana.
“It’s fine, Yoruichi.
You should head back first,” Kūkaku said with a smile.
Urahara and the others nodded as well.
“All right, then.
I’ll come see you again tomorrow.” Yoruichi didn’t insist.
“Captain Unohana, I’m leaving them to you!” “Don’t worry, Yoruichi.” Unohana smiled gently.
“This is the Fourth Division’s responsibility.” Shadow crouched down and carried Yoruichi on his back.
Shunshin no Jutsu.
His figure disappeared in a flash.
Unohana smiled.
“What a mysterious Shunpo.
Every time I see it, I’m surprised.” “Why doesn’t it surprise me at all?” Shinji tilted his head.
“Because you’re an idiot, Baldy Hirako!” Hiyori immediately fired back.
“What does that have to do with me, Shorty Hiyori?” Shinji complained.