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"Hiss!" Su Li drew a sharp breath as his body flickered backward, retreating across the dojo in a long, smooth arc. "Hey, Sister Hua! Were you seriously aiming for my waist?!" His shout was edged with outrage, but Unohana Retsu only smiled in that serene, unfaltering way of hers.
"It doesn't matter," she replied lightly, as if discussing the weather. "If I wound you, I will simply heal you again."
The nonchalance left Su Li stunned. No wonder the rumor persistedāwomen who never opened their eyes were monsters in disguise. Who else could smile so gently while trying to cleave someone's waist without hesitation? Inhumane, conscience-less, monstrous. He straightened, indignation sparking. "Sister Hua, didn't we agree on wooden swords? What's the meaning of bringing out a dagger?"
Unohana's voice remained soft and velvety, her expression placid, her face betraying not even a flicker of guilt. "Forgive me. I couldn't restrain myself. But since you are so strong, surely you don't mind. And if you truly do, I will put it away."
Su Li scowled. Even her words were a weapon. That kind of tea talk was almost as dangerous as her blade. Against such manipulation, the only defense was blunt honesty. "I mind!" he barked, voice cracking with indignation.
Her answer was a simple, airy "Ohā¦" She retracted the dagger with an unhurried grace, bowing slightly. But before he could exhale in relief, her body blurred. With a single step, she vanished, reappearing instantly above him. Her smile had transformed into something unhinged, her eyes alive with feverish light as her lips split wide. "Then help me put it away!"
The blade came screaming down toward his skull.
Su Li's annoyance boiled over. Enough was enough. His fingers snapped upward, catching the descending edge between them with precise force. His palms clamped shut around her fist, halting the strike. The warmth of her skin lingered, but he betrayed no reaction, his wooden sword arcing sharply upward in a counter-slash. Unohana's eyes gleamed, her own blade intercepting with a crisp, explosive crack that sent a shudder through the dojo walls.
---
Meanwhile, outside the Fourth Division compound, a red-haired Shinigami strode with urgent purpose, a bulging basket of documents strapped to his back. His voice rang across the courtyard like a drawn blade. "Where is Captain Su Li?!" He seized passerby after passerby, his tone sharp with impatience. "Youāhave you seen him? Don't run! Tell me, where's Captain Su Li?!"
It was Abarai Renji, Vice-Captain of the Sixth Division.
Clusters of young women loitering nearby whispered nervously, their eyes darting toward him with open suspicion.
"That man looks terrifying. Look at the tattoos on his face."
"He doesn't seem like a good person at all."
"Keep it down! He's the Sixth Division's vice-captain. They say he's strongā¦"
"Strong or not, he can't compare to Captain Su Li."
"Of course not! Captain Su Li would crush him in seconds."
"And Captain Su Li is so refinedā¦ so handsomeā¦"
"Why is this thug even searching for Captain Su Li?"
"Who cares? No way I'd tell him. Rude men don't deserve answers."
Their eyes burned with scorn. Renji clenched his jaw, the heat of their contempt stinging worse than the gossip itself. He restrained his temperāhe could not lash out at civilians. Then his gaze caught on a lone boy lingering at the edge of the path. In a flash, his ZanpakutÅ was drawn, its blade pressing coldly against the youth's throat.
"Speak! Where is Captain Su Li? Answer me, or I'll cut you down!"
The boy's legs buckled beneath him, tears spilling down his face as the steel trembled against his skin. Around them, the girls shrieked in horror, scattering like startled birds.
"See?! I told you he's dangerous!"
"Looks like a domestic violence case waiting to happenāany woman near him is doomed!"
"Run, sisters! Don't let him near us!"
Their voices faded as the courtyard emptied, leaving only Renji and the trembling boy. Renji's voice lowered to a growl as he pressed harder. "Out with it." The boy broke, sobbing uncontrollably, a dark stain spreading down his legs.
---
Inside the dojo, strikes echoed like drumbeats. Unohana and Su Li moved in a blur, their bodies locked in flowing patterns of attack and defense, hands clenching, blades colliding, each impact ringing like thunder. Her expression glowed brighter with every exchange, her cheeks flushed, her eyes alive with exhilaration.
Su Li's brow creased. Her skill was beyond expectation. Unlike Zaraki Kenpachi, whose reckless style relied on brute force and the joy of trading injury for injury, Unohana's kendo was refined and merciless. Every angle was precise, every strike designed to kill.
Zaraki had not yet regained his full strength when Su Li defeated him during the Captain's test, but even so, Unohana's mastery was in another realm entirely. Su Li studied her swordplay even as he defended, dissecting every motion, absorbing every lesson. He had trained long in kendo, but rarely fought with it alone. This battle was opportunity. He would not waste it.
Unohana's fervor only deepened. Tremors of joy rippled through her body, memories flashing of the thrill she once knew when clashing with a young Kenpachi. That same ecstasy now returnedāalive in Su Li's blade. She cherished it. She wanted it to last. She wanted to kill him.
Her sword fell in a sudden vertical drop. Su Li intercepted, but she twisted at the last instant, angling for his arm. He released her hand rather than take the blow, retreating just as the blade hissed past. Both warriors reset, eyes locked.
"Brother Su Li," she said softly, smile curving again, "it isn't proper to seize a woman's hands so freely."
"And it isn't proper," he shot back, glaring at the dagger she had wielded earlier, "to fight dirty."
They stood poised, neither willing to yield.
"If we continue like this, no victor will emerge," Unohana mused, tilting her head in thought.
Su Li inclined his head slightly. "Agreed. Against your kendo alone, I cannot be certain of victory."
"Then let us settle it with true swordplay," she murmured, her voice still gentle though her eyes sharpened like drawn steel.
His lips curved faintly. That had been his thought as well.
"Soā¦"
Her smile faded. Her eyes opened, cold light gleaming in their depths. "Kendo."
Su Li raised his blade, steady and resolute. The air swelled, spiritual pressure crashing outward as their killing auras collided, tearing through the dusty hall.
Two voices rose, almost in unisonā
"Five Sections!"
"Lion's Song!"
And thenāsnap.
Both froze as their wooden blades shattered into splinters, leaving only bare hilts in their hands. The truth was simple: their weapons had already been worn thin by countless strikes, cracks spidering unseen through the grain. The instant their full power surged, the wood gave way like glass under boiling water.
Unohana discarded the useless hilt without pause, her hands slipping to her waist to draw her true ZanpakutÅ. She bent low, feet bracing, eyes burning with madness.
"Die!" she hissed, surging forward in a streak of light, her blade gleaming with murderous intent.
The dojo lit with the flare of white steelāonly to freeze again.
Unohana halted, eyes widening. At her throat, perfectly still and impossibly precise, rested a sealed blade. Straight, unwavering, its tip pressed against the scar revealed as her loosened hair spilled across her chest. The point touched the scar's center without deviation.
Su Li's gaze lifted, calm and resolute. "Stop, Sister Hua. You've already lost."
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