As for why Araki immediately thought of Unohana Retsu?
Needless to say—because Sister Hana had the best figure in the world! Araki's charming ancestor once said: "The most beautiful woman is one who bows her head and can't see her toes!"
Araki decided to respect his XP system and honor the teachings of his ancestor!
Ahem…
Of course, Unohana Retsu's incredible strength and extremely long lifespan also made her the perfect candidate for his contract.
Sister Hana isn't just anyone—she's the only one of the original captains of the Gotei 13 who continued to serve a thousand years later! In addition, she was the first Kenpachi, the deadliest title among Shinigami. In terms of raw combat power, Sister Hana is the ceiling of Soul Society's female Shinigami—and perhaps of all Shinigami.
Firstly, the effectiveness of Araki's Fullbring is judged based on the strength of the first person bound to it. Secondly, the effect is directly proportional to that person's spiritual pressure. And besides, Araki is a "power type"—he has a preference for strong things. Strong!
Given all of that, to Araki, the best candidate for the first bond of his Fullbring, The Flower That Never Fades, could only be Unohana Retsu!
However, while Araki had it all figured out in his head, reality was still mercilessly cold.
For one thing, he had crossed over far too early. The original Gotei 13 hadn't even been fully formed yet. That legendary captain who would one day dominate Soul Society for a millennium? Yeah—right now, he was just a sword instructor in a dojo, diligently teaching disciples day and night...
Yes, we're talking about Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto—the future wielder of Ryūjin Jakka, the oldest and most powerful Zanpakutō in existence! The man Araki left with a scar on his head at their "graduation duel."
That very same Yamamoto, who founded the swordsmanship school Yuanjijuku, which later evolved into the Shin'ō Academy (Maou Spiritual Academy), the core of Shinigami training.
And as for Unohana Yachiru, the future Kenpachi who would eventually defeat every sword school in Soul Society—she was still in the middle of her own growth. Far from her prime.
At this stage, even if Araki managed to bond with her through The Flower That Never Fades, the feedback he would receive would be minimal.
So, Araki chose to wait.
And so it was that Araki, having spent who-knows-how-many years teaching at Yuanjijuku, eventually left. After a duel with an admirer that left him with another scar (and further receding hairline), his teacher—Yamamoto, invited Araki to join the Gotei 13.
Araki refused outright. He clashed with his hot-tempered teacher, fought, and left the school, heading to Rukongai.
In Rukongai, Araki spent centuries, wandering from one numbered district to another, experiencing the customs and survival struggles of its people.
And during that time? Yamamoto, due to Araki's absence, was forced into dormancy for a while.
But fate was unchanged—Yamamoto still went on to establish the Gotei 13 and crushed all resistance… including the remains of Yuanjijuku.
Meanwhile, Araki wasn't idle. He kept gaining experience, completing system tasks, and watching his EXP bar fill.
Although he had considered allocating experience points to develop other abilities, in the end, he held back. After all, as a certain pompadour-wearing man once said: "The battle between Shinigami is a battle of spiritual pressure!" (This clearly nods to Aizen Sōsuke's philosophy.)
And if Araki was going to fulfill his long-cherished wish of defeating the original Kenpachi and winning Sister Hana's "love," then he'd need to overpower her in direct combat. Nothing less would suffice.
As for Saito Furuobushi, Araki met her after settling in Runlin'an, the First District of Rukongai.
To this day, Araki suspects that their encounter had something to do with a certain meddlesome bald-headed old man.
After all, who else would send a blind girl to him for treatment at the medicine garden? Especially a small and "plump" loli?
Ehem…
But what Araki never expected was that this single act of kindness would give rise to a tsundere yandere, who has pestered him for decades ever since.
A yandere loli might be perfect for a waifu on paper… but in reality, it might just be a nightmare.
"Phew…"
Back to the present.
Araki exhaled a breath of turbid air and picked up the rolling pin he normally used for kneading noodles.
"Room~"
As he softly muttered the word, a transparent field expanded from his body and enveloped half the street in Runlin'an, unnoticed by the wandering souls.
"Buzz~"
With a light hum, a Zanpakutō in an ornate wooden scabbard appeared in Araki's hand.
"Long time no see, Yakushi Ruriko~"
Looking at the Zanpakutō in his hand, a rare ripple of excitement passed through Araki's usually calm demeanor. He smiled.
This was his own Zanpakutō, named:
Yakushi Ruriko—a name deeply tied to Buddha.
Of course, in the vast world of Soul Society, having a Zanpakutō linked to Buddhism wasn't entirely unusual…
It seemed that the Zanpakutō of the Shinigami had countless ties to the Buddhism of Araki's previous life.
Take, for example, Hyourinmaru, hailed as the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō in the Soul Society.
The origin of the "Dai" in its full name, Daiguren Hyourinmaru (大紅蓮氷輪丸), might echo the coldest realm of the Eight Cold Hells in Buddhist cosmology—the Eighth Hell, Mahāpadma (Maha Botma).
Mahāpadma: A realm where those cast in suffer fractures as massive and fragile as lotus blossoms—either crimson or white.
Thinking along these lines, it becomes somewhat reasonable that Hitsugaya Tōshirō's Daiguren Hyourinmaru is considered the pinnacle of ice-type Zanpakutō.
Then there's Komamura Sajin, the wolf-man captain of the 7th Division. His Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō (黒縄天譴明王), clearly draws from Buddhist motifs. The "Black Rope" (黒縄, Kokujō) likely references the Black Rope Hell (Kokujō Jigoku), one of the Eight Hot Hells, while Myō'ō (明王) refers directly to the Wisdom Kings, wrathful deities who protect the Buddhist Law.
Another example is Urahara Kisuke and his Zanpakutō Benihime—while not explicitly Buddhist, its evolution in fan materials sometimes bears spiritual naming conventions. Beyond individuals, there's also the Muken (無間), the deepest level of the Central Underground Prison in the Soul Society, used to confine immensely powerful criminals. Muken translates directly to "Avīci"—the Buddhist hell of unceasing torment.
All of these examples point toward a plausible theory Araki once considered:
That in the religiously-coded world of "Bleach" (a manga heavily steeped in spiritual allegory), the Shinigami as a profession might be aligned most closely with the concepts of Buddhism rather than Western ideas of "death gods".
As for Araki's own Zanpakutō—Yakushi Ruriko—even the name makes its inspiration clear.
Yakushi refers to Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha of Mahayana Buddhism, revered for healing all suffering.
The healing power of Ruriko in its Shikai alone made Araki confident that, even when compared to all healing-type Zanpakutō and Kidō practitioners in the Soul Society, none could rival him in recovery capabilities.
And this was only Shikai.
His Bankai, still unrevealed, sparked Araki's deepest curiosity—and anticipation.
"Three days is enough for me to master Bankai~"
With his spiritual pressure already at the level of high-tier captains (the average level of the original Gotei 13, referred to as Second-Class Reiatsu), Araki made up his mind:
First, unlock Bankai.
Then, challenge Unohana Yachiru—the true Kenpachi and the most fearsome woman in Soul Society's history.
Only after fighting her could he bind her with his Fullbring ability.
As for how he intended to defeat Unohana... Araki had his own plan.
Though his method could be called underhanded—it might just offer him a chance at victory.
And in battle against the strongest, any sliver of dawn is worth chasing.
With his preparations made, Araki left his ramen shop behind and walked toward the deeper numbered districts of Rukongai.
After all, unlocking Bankai wasn't a subtle process. He needed a place that was vast, desolate, and uninhabited.
Such a location could not be found in Runrin'an, District 1 of Rukongai.
As he stepped out, he happened to run into several of his old regulars.
"Brother Araki! Out early buying ingredients again?"
"Business must be booming today!"
"When you're back, make me a bowl of your fresh pork bone chashu noodles!"
"Nowhere in Runrin'an beats your ramen!"
They greeted him warmly and with surprise, not expecting him to be out so soon.
Araki gave a light chuckle.
"Haha, I might disappoint you today. The shop's about to close~"
"Huh? When will it reopen?"
"Never again."
He tossed the shop key to the crowd.
"There's still some ingredients left. If you've got time, help yourself to a bowl."
With that, Araki turned and walked away.
The ramen shop in Runrin'an, a staple for over a century, finally closed its doors that day—perhaps for the last time.