Chapter 33: Undercurrent

Chapter 33 - 33: Undercurrent Night, Fourth Division barracks courtyard. Moonlight poured down like water, casting a pale glow over the courtyard. The bedroom door beside the yard was half open, and under the moonlight, Unohana Retsu lay on the bed, her face pale and bloodless—it seemed the Hollow Poison from earlier hadn't fully healed yet. A shadow stepped forth from the darkness of the yard, slowly approaching Unohana's room. But just as she moved forward, the figure froze. A sudden, bone-chilling cold pierced her skin, forcing her to halt. A flash of silver light shot from within the bedroom. A blade surged out, wrapped in a violent gust of wind. The shadow instantly drew her Zanpakutō, blocking in front of herself. Clang! Two Zanpakutō clashed. Unohana Retsu, with blades locked, had her attacker pinned underneath. The Hollow Poison she used earlier when lecturing the Kaido Advanced Class—that poison had been prepared by Unohana herself. Yet that unexpected incident occurred. She suspected someone had tampered with the Hollow Poison... and that someone had been targeting her directly. Unohana had a gut feeling: the person who swapped the Hollow Poison was still hiding within the Fourth Division. That particular bottle of Hollow Poison was stored in the Fourth Division's supply room. Normally, only members of the Fourth Division could enter. So she faked not having fully recovered, to lure the culprit out and see if they would make a move. The strategy proved effective. Just like a criminal returning to the scene of the crime, the one who had swapped the Hollow Poison had come back to claim the results. Bathed in moonlight, Unohana got a clear look at her attacker—and her pupils shrank in shock. "A Reishi Shell..." Unohana's expression turned icy. "Wasn't the 'Captain Completion Plan' shut down long ago?" The Shinigami pinned beneath her Zanpakutō... had her exact face! Unohana immediately realized someone had been collecting her scattered Reishi and used it to create a Reishi Shell1. Centuries ago, the Quincy War had devastated the original Gotei 13. After the war, the Seireitei no longer had enough Captains to fill all thirteen squads. To compensate, the Seireitei launched the Captain Completion Plan to produce Captain-class combatants. But Unohana remembered that the plan had been abandoned. Due to technological limitations, the Reishi Shells produced were too weak—unable to even release their Zanpakutō. With the rise of a new generation of Shinigami, the Gotei 13 had filled its ranks. The Seireitei no longer wished to invest resources into the Captain Completion Plan, and the development of Reishi Shells had been shelved. "You used this appearance... to trick Fourth Division members and walk into the supply room without suspicion, didn't you?" Unohana pieced it together. But more questions arose. "Were you created by Shutara Senjumaru's lab?" "...Looks like that bottle of Hollow Poison didn't cripple you after all. I failed," the Reishi Shell said coldly, ignoring her question. "Why are you doing this?" Unohana pressed further. "Why?" "To have a real spirit body, of course! You have so much Reiatsu—why can't you share some with me?!" the Reishi Shell's expression twisted in rage as she shoved Unohana off and slashed toward her neck. "Emotionally unstable... That makes you a first-generation model." Unohana furrowed her brow and easily blocked the attack. Though the Reishi Shell program had been halted, a few prototypes were made before then. Early models were unstable—not only weak in Reiatsu and incapable of Shikai, but also prone to emotional collapse. "I'm not a product!!!" the Reishi Shell shrieked. Her fury reached its peak, and she began slashing madly at Unohana. But despite being made from Unohana's Reishi, she hadn't inherited her abilities. Her chaotic swings posed no threat at all. Moreover, once an early-generation Reishi Shell's emotions destabilized, its Reishi body would soon collapse. So Unohana saw no point in continuing the conversation. "Pointless." A flash of silver. The Reishi Shell felt a chill at her waist—then her body split in two. Her bisected body fell to the ground... and began to slowly dissipate. Unohana looked up at the night sky, silent. The Reishi Shell had been weak. A Vasto Lorde-class Hollow clearly wasn't something she could handle. Which meant... the source of that bottle of Hollow Poison was still very suspicious. The next day, Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy. Today was the first-year Autumn Exam. The exam was divided across several days, each day testing a different subject. Today's focus: swordsmanship. The teachers' office was unusually lively. All the instructors were gathered, chatting about the upcoming tests. "Katori-sensei, do you have faith in your students? Tsunayashiro-sensei's class seems quite strong—they're mostly from Seireitei, right?" asked Kobayashi-sensei with a sigh. She taught the same class as Nanatsuki, though her subject was Kaido. "The students' basic swordsmanship has progressed fairly well, but compared to Tsunayashiro-sensei's class, they're still behind. After all, our kids haven't been training that long," Nanatsuki said with a wry smile. Most of his students were from Rukongai. Many of them had never practiced Zanjutsu before coming here—they had to start from scratch. Of course, when he said "students," he wasn't including his disciples. Geniuses grow differently. Even with less time, Nanatsuki was confident they'd earn top ranks. "Yeah, same for my Kaido class. Most of them don't pay attention at all..." Kobayashi-sensei said, clearly troubled. "That's understandable. Kaido's entry barrier is high. It requires a solid grasp of medical knowledge—students not liking it is normal," Nanatsuki consoled. "That's always how first-years are. We shouldn't expect too much from them this year," said Sakai-sensei lightheartedly. She taught the same class as Kobayashi and Nanatsuki—her subject was Kidō. Still, most students from Seireitei already knew a bit of Kidō before enrolling. Meanwhile, her class had only learned one Hadō and one Bakudō—not enough to keep up. "Tsunayashiro-sensei didn't even show up for today's exam..." Kobayashi glanced at an empty chair, clicking her tongue in disbelief. Everyone knew the weight the Tsunayashiro name carried—one of the Five Great Noble Houses. It was clear he was here just to build qualifications. But still, this level of disinterest was something new. "Anyway, today's the swordsmanship exam. Katori-sensei, which of our students do you have high hopes for? Your disciples seem quite talented in Zanjutsu, no?" Sakai changed the subject—talking about the Tsunayashiro family was sensitive. Word had spread among the more familiar instructors that Katori Nanatsuki had taken on disciples. After all, they went to the Katori-ryu Dojo together every day—it was hard not to notice.