Chapter 63: Whispered Words

Chapter 63 - 63: Whispered Words Although it was Katori Nanatsuki's first time encountering Reishi carrying Hollow Reiatsu, based on the Quincy's conversation, he could guess it was something related to the so-called "bait" they mentioned. He recalled memories from his past life—this "bait" was indeed something used to lure Hollows. That meant this incident wasn't an accident, but a man-made disaster! Still, there was no time to dwell on it now. He used Shunpo and leapt off the rooftop, rushing toward where the students were. Shihōin-san and Hoshino Rie were severely injured and needed treatment. During his battle with the Menos Grande, he had been mindful of his positioning the entire time, deliberately keeping the fight from spilling over in their direction. As a result, none of the three students had sustained further injuries. "Four Menos Grandes couldn't even touch our teacher... Even a Vice-Captain couldn't do that... Sensei is just too powerful!" Despite her injuries, Shihōin-san seemed oddly exhilarated. "Battle isn't just a matter of raw strength," Nanatsuki said, letting the soft glow of Kaido shine in his hand. "When facing multiple strong opponents, the optimal strategy is to create temporary one-on-one situations. I first eliminated two isolated Menos before the others could converge. That's how I avoided being surrounded." He'd also chosen this direction to lead the students with that strategy in mind. At that time, the three remaining Menos were scattered. The path Nanatsuki chose led toward one of them, while the other two were farther away. That gave him the opportunity to fight with a time gap, taking one down first. A few minutes later, Nanatsuki sensed a shift in Reiatsu. He looked up and saw faint light forming in the sky. Within it, two doors began to materialize. The Senkaimon! At last, support from Seireitei had arrived. The two gates opened, and two figures wearing white haori stepped through, followed by more than ten Shinigami pouring out behind them. "What a mess. The World of the Living really can't handle this kind of chaos," Unohana Retsu muttered, frowning slightly at the half-destroyed Karakura Town. This era's Karakura Town wasn't large—just one Cero from a Menos had already destroyed a quarter of it. "Doesn't look like there are any strong enemies left... Just a few ordinary Hollows," said the man beside her as he raised his hand toward the rear. "You all, clean up the remaining Hollows." "Yes!" The man beside Unohana was none other than Kuyashiki Kenpachi, Captain of Squad 11. He had a wild appearance—sharp eyes, and black hair that looked like unruly weeds. Unohana scanned Karakura Town and its surroundings. Sensing many injured, she ordered Squad 4's Shinigami to provide treatment. Then she and Kuyashiki Kenpachi headed directly toward Nanatsuki. They had sensed that Nanatsuki had the most stable Reiatsu in the area and came to ask about the situation. "Katori-kun, your students seem pretty badly hurt," Unohana said softly. She had already been briefed before coming—she knew this was a Field Training for the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy students. "Captain Unohana, you came at the perfect time. Two students are critically wounded—I can't handle all of them on my own," Nanatsuki replied. "The report said there were Menos and Quincy involved here. You defeated all the enemies yourself?" Unohana asked, beginning to heal the students with Kaido. "I defeated the Menos, but not the Quincy. They withdrew voluntarily. I think they realized Kuratani-kun and I had reported the situation, so they left in a hurry," Nanatsuki explained. "Are the Academy teachers really held to such high standards now?" Kuyashiki Kenpachi scratched his chin, eyeing Katori Nanatsuki. "You actually took out multiple Menos Grandes on your own?" Menos Grandes weren't opponents regular Shinigami could handle. Even lower-seated officers might struggle against them—at minimum, one needed Vice-Captain level strength to subdue them steadily. "Looks like you've grown even stronger, Katori-kun." Unohana's gentle smile had the power to wash away all one's worries. But Nanatsuki felt an odd intensity in her gaze. Remembering the time she floored him with a single blow, he couldn't help but feel a phantom ache in his abdomen. "I encountered three Quincy," Nanatsuki quickly changed the subject. "Kuratani-kun and I ran into two of them on the way to Karakura Town." "Yamashita-kun, Kawada-san, and those Onmitsukidō members were probably killed by them. By the time we got there, we couldn't sense any of their Reiatsu." "Then Kuratani-kun held off the two Quincy so I could break away and support the students here." Unohana nodded. "Kuratani-kun is still alive. I sensed his Reiatsu earlier and have already sent someone to heal him." Nanatsuki continued, "Later, I encountered the third Quincy in Karakura Town. I didn't fight her, but I believe she's even stronger than the other two—probably Vice-Captain level at least." "What a shame. These Quincy might've been 'big fish.' If only we'd arrived a little earlier... I'd love to spar with a pureblood Quincy!" Kuyashiki Kenpachi said with regret. Among the Quincy, lineage was everything. Purebloods were generally far more powerful than mixed-blood Quincy. From Nanatsuki's description, Kuyashiki Kenpachi judged that the ones he met were likely purebloods. Nanatsuki retrieved a clump of Reishi. These were soul fragments containing "bait" he had extracted from the infant's corpse. If left untreated, these fragments would naturally dissipate. So Nanatsuki sealed them inside Reishi to preserve them. "Captain, I collected this from a baby's corpse. I believe it's the cause of this incident," he said, handing the clump to Unohana. "The scent of 'bait'..." Unohana immediately recognized what it was, and her face darkened. She, too, now believed this was no accident—it was orchestrated. "From what the Quincy said, it doesn't seem like they were the ones who did this," Nanatsuki added. Still, Seireitei would never accept the word of Quincy as credible evidence—especially since they had killed multiple Shinigami in this incident. "I'll report this to the Head Captain," Unohana said, pocketing the clump of Reishi. Once the Squad 11 members had cleared out the remaining Hollows drawn in by the bait, the group brought the wounded back to the Soul Society. Given what happened during this Field Training, the assessment criteria would have to be reviewed pending a full investigation. Meanwhile, back in Karakura Town— Three black-cloaked figures appeared amidst the ruins. They carried instruments to measure Reiatsu and scanned the area. Their mission had not gone as planned. Now, they needed to identify the problem. "Sixth-Class Spiritual Pressure?!" "What the hell? Last time in Soul Society, he only measured at Class Eleven!" "Why such a huge gap?!" "Could the device be malfunctioning?" "No wonder he could defeat the Menos!" The three cloaked figures stared at the readings in disbelief. "Release your Reiatsu for a moment. Let's test the device on ourselves," one of them said. After testing, they confirmed that the instrument was functioning normally. "He was suppressing his strength back in Soul Society?" "Was that necessary...? Dammit... We're going to get punished for this." "Forget it. Let's go report to the boss right away." The three Shinigami pulled their hoods back over their heads and vanished again. After they left, something stirred in a shadow on the ground. Looking closely, within that shadow, a pitch-black eye occasionally blinked, silently watching the spot where the three had just stood.