At the moment when Araki and Unohana Yachiru stood facing each other across the gathering crowd, the elite Shinigami of the 11th Division emerged from the dojo, surrounding Araki with caution and growing hostility.
"Send the wounded to the Fourth Division."
A senior officer barked the order as several squad members rushed to carry off the injured patrol troops sprawled across the grounds.
"What the hell happened here?!"
"He's alone! How could he have taken down so many of us?!"
"We're the strongest combat squad in the entire Gotei 13! If word of this spreads… we'll be a laughingstock!"
These weren't the same guards who initially confronted Araki — the ones who'd protected the gate and barracks. No, these were the true fighters of the Eleventh Division, the ones who lived by the sword and died by it. And even they were at a loss.
They hadn't even seen how Araki moved.
"Hey! You don't look like much — what kind of dirty tricks did you pull to drop our squad?!"
Still rattled, the seated officers surrounded Araki, suspicious and on edge.
Araki's gaze swept across their faces with an unreadable calm.
"If you can't even perceive the blade I hold… why step forward at all? Return."
He shook his head gently. In the faces of these warriors, he saw confusion, hesitation — weakness. For the famed Eleventh Division, this was a disgrace.
This was not the Eleventh Division from legend, not the unit led by blood-soaked titans of old. The first generation of the 11th — the one founded by Kenpachi Unohana — would never have flinched like this.
Perhaps it was time to clear out the rust. Those who couldn't adapt had no place here. And those who couldn't survive… would simply be eliminated.
"What did you just say?!"
One of them snapped, hand going straight to the hilt of his Zanpakutō.
"Heh…"
Araki only smiled, eyes calmly skipping over them — until they fixed on her. The woman behind the men. Cold. Serene. Dangerous.
"I am Araki, holder of Genryū Menkyo Kaiden. I've come to cross blades… with Unohana."
His voice was low and resolute as he issued the challenge — not to the crowd, but to the Kenpachi standing at the rear.
"'Genryū Menkyo Kaiden'? Ah, so you're the disobedient student Captain-Commander Yamamoto spoke of."
Unohana's voice was soft, but in it was a deadly joy.
As the first Kenpachi, Unohana Yachiru had long transcended fear. The moment she recognized Araki's name, her eyes lit up.
"Hoh? I didn't think my name would reach someone like you. I'm flattered… truly."
Araki bowed slightly, the curve of his lips betraying mock humility.
"Anyone who earned full transmission from the Chief Instructor of the Shinō Academy is no ordinary swordsman,"
Unohana said, her smile deepening. "Heh."
Behind them, the officers stiffened.
"Wait… 'Genryū'… as in Captain-Commander Yamamoto's sword style?!"
"Is he saying he mastered that style? I thought no one besides the old man could even claim to fully wield Genryūsai's techniques!"
"And he was granted Menkyo Kaiden…?!"
The gathered soldiers stared, jaws slack and hands trembling. Their assumptions had been wrong. This wasn't just some fool from Rukongai. Araki wasn't merely dangerous — he was recognized by Yamamoto himself.
He was a storm. And now, he had come knocking on the Eleventh Division's door.
Then, all the members of the 11th Division exchanged bitter looks. One of them finally spoke up to Araki:
"With a background like yours, why didn't you just say so when you walked into the squad room earlier? Did you really think we'd dare to stop you?"
Of course, even if Araki had claimed such things at the time, none of them would have believed him. But leaving "facts" aside—
Was Araki completely in the right?
Why did he look so ordinary compared to the other bloodthirsty assassins of the Gotei 13?
In Araki's eyes, it actually took a certain skill to look as twisted and savage as the killers of the Gotei 13.
As for whether what Araki and Unohana Yachiryu said was accurate—
Not a single member of the 11th Division dared to question it. After all, the words came from the mouth of none other than Unohana, the captain they revered.
They might not trust Araki,
but they would never doubt the first Kenpachi,
the one who had forged the very spirit of the 11th Division—Unohana Yachiryu.
"I hope you, who bear the 'Genryu' name, can satisfy my craving for battle~"
With Araki's identity confirmed, Unohana Yachiryu no longer held back the murderous longing that had been stirring within her.
She slowly drew the Zanpakutō from her waist and assumed a combat stance.
"Satisfy your desire for fighting?"
Araki's expression remained calm, but in his heart, he smiled faintly.
"Unohana... You underestimate me.
I can satisfy more than just your craving for battle."
Ahem...
Silence.
The moment Unohana drew her Zanpakutō, the entire 11th Division barracks fell into an eerie stillness.
Whether they had just surrounded Araki, or stood frozen between the two titans, every soldier instinctively held their breath.
The bloodlust in the air was overwhelming.
"What a terrifying aura...!"
"Both of them—whether it's the so-called 'Genryu Menkyo Kaiden' or Captain Unohana—
they're monsters!
Bloodthirsty beasts!
If we move carelessly, we'll be swallowed whole!"
At that moment, the warriors of the 11th Division—the Gotei's most battle-hardened squad—were struck with fear.
They stood between two overwhelming forces, unable to step forward or retreat, crushed by the oppressive weight of spiritual pressure.
Every officer, every soldier, could feel it—
a suffocating pressure that crawled into their bones.
Even their own heartbeats became unbearable.
"Tick~"
Suddenly, a single drop of dew fell from the leaf of a plant near the stone pond,
landing with a soft tap on the ground.
It was a small sound—
but it shattered the silence that had gripped the 11th Division's courtyard.
"It's coming…"
That thought echoed through every soldier's mind.
The stillness before the storm had ended.
"BOOM!"
In the very next instant, two overwhelming spiritual pressures erupted from Araki and Unohana.
Their reiatsu flared like twin pillars shooting into the sky, shaking the entirety of Soul Society.
As their immense powers collided, a shockwave blasted through the 11th Division barracks like a violent hurricane.
Araki's eyes flashed with black lightning—
and in the next second, every soldier present was thrown to the ground by the sheer force of his spiritual pressure.
"Ding~"
A clear, subtle sound of crossing blades rang through the chaos.
It was the signal.
The battle between Araki and Unohana Yachiryu had officially begun.