BLEACH: Blade of Purification

"Ah, of course I've seen it."

Squad 4—the Medical and Relief Squad—Captain Retsu Unohana's master-level healing Kidō, known as Kaidō, was known to all Shinigami. If one were to rank proficiency in Kaidō, Unohana stood at the apex of the Seireitei.

But few people knew that the gloomy, unlikable, and unapproachable Lieutenant of Squad 4, Seinosuke Yamada, possessed healing skills that were not inferior to Unohana's. If one were to break it down further, in some areas, he even surpassed her.

Of course he could see what Unohana could see.

But at the same time, this was the reason for his insolence towards her.

"But that doesn't mean we just stand here and watch, does it? To do everything in our power to save the patient's life, that is what we are supposed to do!"

Seinosuke Yamada did not lack respect for Unohana. On the contrary, he was probably the most respectful of her in all of Squad 4. But on the other hand, their philosophies on treating patients were vastly different. Seinosuke could not comprehend bullshit principles like honor, dignity, or dying with grace. He had always followed only one belief: if a life is still living, then do whatever it takes to keep it living. Seinosuke would not allow any life to be extinguished before his eyes. Even if it meant using forbidden techniques banned by the Central 46, he would save the patient in front of him first and worry about the consequences later.

For Unohana to just stand there and watch without taking action was something he could never accept, and it was the reason he spoke to her in a near-scolding tone.

As he spoke, he also squatted down beside Ling Qing and began to organize the medicines he had brought.

"We can't complete the treatment with just the medicine we brought. First, we need to stabilize his condition, then transfer him to the barracks and figure out the next steps of the treatment plan."

Seinosuke's hands moved quickly. In the blink of an eye, he had prepared several different medicines on the spot.

Unohana just watched Seinosuke's actions, neither stopping him nor assisting.

Seinosuke didn't even glance at Unohana, no longer caring what she was thinking.

However, just as Seinosuke was about to apply the medicine he had prepared to Ling Qing, a voice suddenly sounded from behind him, a voice that made his hair stand on end and his whole body stiffen, unable to continue.

"My, my, what a wretched sight. For Yamamoto to get this serious in a mere spar. This has become quite troublesome, hasn't it?"

The voice was incredibly relaxed, as if they had just enjoyed a good show.

Seinosuke turned his stiff neck and slowly looked behind him.

Then he saw a burly figure with his hands tucked into the wide sleeves of his Shihakushō. To be precise, it was a rather rotund figure. The first impression one got was that of a Buddhist monk. He had a bald head and a broad nose, but also very thick eyebrows and a beard that reached his chest. Around his neck hung a large string of deep red prayer beads.

Over his Shihakushō, he wore the white haori that only a Captain could wear. But he was not the Captain of any of the current thirteen squads.

"...Royal... Guard?"

Seinosuke spoke the man's identity with some difficulty and confusion.

In this era, the Royal Guard had not yet completely disappeared from the sight of the Gotei 13's Shinigami. Shinigami who had served as Captains or Lieutenants for a long time would know something about them. They would occasionally appear in the Seireitei to contact certain Shinigami, supposedly to see if they were qualified to ascend to the Soul King's realm—the Soul King Palace. But very few, if any, had ever successfully become a member of the Royal Guard.

They would also occasionally appear on the front lines against the great Hollows. Some of the high-level Hollows, whose terrifying presence could be felt from just their aura, they would not let the Gotei 13 handle, instead killing them and driving them back to Hueco Mundo single-handedly. There were many other rumors about the Royal Guard, some true, some false.

According to the Captain of Squad 11, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, the frequency of the Royal Guard's appearances would likely decrease over the next few decades or centuries, eventually stopping altogether. In Kuruyashiki's view, it was because the current Gotei 13 still had its shortcomings that the Royal Guard needed to appear so frequently. But as time went on, the Gotei 13 would grow stronger and more self-sufficient. At that time, even high-level Hollows could be easily handled by the Captains, and there would be no need for the Royal Guard to intervene.

No one knew the reason for his statement, nor did anyone know whether to treat it as a prophecy, but it was true that the frequency of the Royal Guard's appearances had been gradually decreasing in recent years.

Why is the Royal Guard here? This was the question that popped into Seinosuke's mind the moment he identified the man.

The Royal Guard member, wearing wooden geta and carrying prayer beads like a monk, had what seemed to be a friendly smile on his face, but he completely ignored Seinosuke. He approached Ling Qing, his gaze shifting from the two-meter-long sword lying on the side to the unconscious Ling Qing. He kept making "tsk tsk" sounds, as if he had seen something interesting.

On the other side, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, who had been motionless, opened his eyes slightly upon seeing him and said in a deep voice, "You've been watching long enough. What are you planning?"

"Yamamoto, don't be such a stranger," the Royal Guard member said, still acting casually in front of the thousand-year Shinigami. He waved his hand at Yamamoto and said, it was hard to tell if he was serious or just joking, "I just happened to find something interesting, so I stopped to take a closer look. Isn't that normal?"

"You had better be." Yamamoto snorted coldly. He showed little respect for the Royal Guard, who theoretically served the Soul King and held a higher political status than him.

"If you're going to do something, you'd better do it now. If you have no business here, then leave and go back to the Soul King Palace. If you try any sneaky tricks behind my back, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Oh my, oh my. This is quite a dilemma," the Royal Guard member said, rubbing his bald head with a helpless look. Then, as if pushed to his limit, he sighed helplessly and turned to Unohana and Shihōin Sōichirō.

"It will be difficult to handle this boy if he stays here, right? In that case, how about I lend a hand?"

END

-------------

Epilogue

Soul King Palace.

This is the palace where the legendary Soul King and his royal family reside. The Soul King Palace is located in a special, enclosed space within the Soul Society, a space protected by the Royal Guard—the Zero Squad. The entire Soul King Palace is extremely vast and well-equipped.

In the center of the huge space of the Soul King Palace is a large, cocoon-like building, which is the main palace where the "Soul King" rests, the "Reiō Dairi". Surrounding the Reiō Dairi are several floating, basin-like platforms. These are the cities under the jurisdiction of the Zero Squad, the "Zeroban Riden".

At the entrance to the Soul King Palace, there is a straight path floating in the air, lined with multiple giant pillars. This path is called the Omotesandō of the Soul King Palace.

"Yo, Monk, you're back already."

On the huge, straight, and unobstructed Omotesandō, there was only one person. Thus, it was hard to ignore him.

He was a man with a slender face, a pompadour hairstyle with the end curled up, a cold expression, a straw hanging from his mouth, wearing a short-sleeved haori over his bare chest, and not wearing a standard Shihakushō.

"Ah, Kirinji. Are you wandering around here with nothing better to do?"

The one who responded to him was the bald, bearded man who gave the impression of a monk.

These two men were both members of the Zero Squad. The man with the straw in his mouth was named Tenjirō Kirinji, and the monk-like man who responded to him was named Ichibē Hyōsube.

"I sensed you were back, so I came over to have a look since I had nothing better to do."

"That's perfect, saves me the trouble of looking for you."

Tenjirō Kirinji was slightly impatient and arrogant, but Ichibē Hyōsube didn't seem to mind at all, responding with a cheerful laugh.

Hearing Ichibē's words, Tenjirō was taken aback for a moment, then his gaze fell on something Ichibē was carrying on his shoulder. Looking closely, he noticed it was a human-shaped object wrapped in a white cloth.

"Hmm?"

Tenjirō approached Ichibē's side, lifted the white cloth, and saw a young man with his eyes closed and a pale face. Even with just a small part of the cloth lifted, he could see that the man's body was covered in severe burns.

"These burns? Is this from Ryūjin Jakka? As far as I know, there's no other attack that can cause this level of damage, right?"

"Hmph, hmph, it is indeed Ryūjin Jakka."

Confirming Tenjirō's statement, Ichibē let out a helpless sigh.

"My, my, I was thinking of hiding and watching quietly, but I didn't expect that fellow Yamamoto to have discovered me long ago."

"Haha," Tenjirō let out a merciless laugh. "No wonder he struck so heavily. He was sure you would show up, right? Mm, mm, no wonder. These injuries are beyond what Retsu can heal. They've reached a level where only I, the 'Hot Spring Demon,' can cure them."

"That's why I said it saved me the trouble of looking for you."

Ichibē tossed the person he was carrying towards Tenjirō. Although Tenjirō was a bit arrogant, he wasn't one to act petty in such a situation. He reached out and caught the person Ichibē had thrown.

Probing the gradually weakening Reiatsu in the man's body, Tenjirō immediately knew his condition. In short, it was very bad. If left alone, he would probably die soon.

However, that was only for ordinary people. For Tenjirō Kirinji, this was not a problem. He was even in the mood to chat a little more with Ichibē.

The two of them walked along the Omotesandō towards the Reiō Dairi—but actually towards the rotating Zeroban Riden surrounding it. As Tenjirō spoke, the straw in his mouth bobbed up and down.

"In the end, it's because you weren't watching secretly at all! Staring at one person from start to finish, even an idiot would know you were interested in this kid, wouldn't they?! You moron!"

"Mm, mm, is there a possibility," Ichibē said, stroking his long, thick black beard, which was a completely different style from Yamamoto's, with a self-satisfied air, "that I never intended to hide in the first place?"

Ichibē's gaze fell on the pale face of the man being held by Tenjirō, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"This kid's luck is even better than I thought. Or perhaps this is also the will of the Soul King? In any case, once he got involved with the Five Great Noble Clans and became a member of one, even if I wanted to do something, I'd have to consider the position of the Five Great Noble Clans."

Although he said that, Ichibē's tone was exceptionally light, making one wonder if he really feared the so-called Five Great Noble Clans.

"Even without this reason, I would have found another reason to bring him to the Soul King Palace. In the end, it was just a matter of time."

In Ichibē's few short sentences, a great deal of information was nonchalantly revealed. However, the only other person present, Tenjirō Kirinji, couldn't be bothered to care about Ichibē's underlying meanings. He only focused on the topics that interested him.

"So, there's no mistake? The Soul King is really watching this kid?"

"He only got his Zanpakutō half a year ago, and has only truly possessed it for a few months, yet his Shikai is already comparable to and can contend with Yamamoto's Shikai. Do you think a person like that can just appear out of nowhere?" Ichibē said lightly.

Any Shinigami, no matter how talented, needs time to grow. A Shinigami needs time to mature, hundreds of years at most, decades at least. It is impossible to compress this process into just a few short months.

Or to put it another way, the so-called Shikai and Bankai don't really mean much. There are Shinigami who can achieve Bankai in a very short time, but how much of their Bankai's power can they actually wield? And how many years will it take for them to master their Bankai's power?

Although it's a bit one-sided, the extent to which one can wield their power is the true value of a Shinigami. It is when the two seemingly unrelated factors of a short time frame and high power are combined that one can perceive the anomaly.

Half a year ago, the Zero Squad suddenly noticed that the Soul King's gaze had fallen on a certain place in the Soul Society. So they immediately moved and have been observing and tracking until now. And in the end, they still chose to bring the being that the Soul King was watching to the Soul King Palace.

After a moment of silence, Tenjirō continued, "So, what is the Soul King thinking?"

"Only the Soul King himself knows that."

Ichibē looked up towards the Reiō Dairi.

"The thoughts of that great and benevolent being, even I can only try to guess. In the eyes of the Soul King, what kind of future did he see in this person?"

-------

Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!

Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA

I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (111 Chapter)

Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (220 Chapter)

Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (220 Chapter)

MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (90 Chapter)

BLEACH: Blade of Purification (100 Chapter)

Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (260 Chapter)

My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (98 Chapter)

The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (100 Chapter)

Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(57 Chapter)

Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (100 Chapter)

Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (100 Chapter)

Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (70 Chapter)

Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (40 Chapter)

Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (61 Chapter)

My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (60 Chapter)

Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (30 Chapter)

Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (32 Chapter)

If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.