"Shisui, are you alright?"
Seeing Shisui's face covered in blood, Kenma looked concerned.
Shisui shook his head, his state much better than during the battle just now.
"Thank you for your concern, my lord. They are just minor injuries and didn't harm any internal organs. I've already used healing Kidō to temporarily stop the bleeding."
His research into healing Kidō wasn't deep; he only knew small tricks like stopping bleeding and pain. He couldn't make the wounds heal.
"As long as you're okay."
Kenma's expression relaxed considerably.
Seeing Shisui was fine, Kenma looked to his side. Toji's current appearance was even more miserable; he only had one intact arm left.
"Toji, your arm was... completely cut off by Tōsen Kaname?"
"Yeah, that blind man is pretty skilled. He's got a few tricks."
Toji clutched his shoulder, his face pale and covered in cold sweat.
The wound looked burned, charred black, and faintly emitted a nauseating smell of cooked meat.
Such a massive wound, and with the opponent's Kidō spiritual pressure still lingering on it... Shisui's meager skill in healing Kidō was completely useless.
"Your opponent was indeed not weak." Kenma sighed.
Tōsen Kaname, no matter how you look at it, is a future captain-level powerhouse. And having been trained under Aizen for so long, his methods were naturally impressive.
Even if the current Tōsen Kaname wasn't as mature as he was at the start of the story, he couldn't be underestimated.
For Toji to be able to fight Tōsen Kaname to this extent just after arriving in Soul Society, it showed his strength.
Speaking of his opponent, Fushiguro Toji revealed a cold smile.
"That blind man burned off my arm, so I twisted his arm like a pretzel and shattered his chest. When you do the math, I came out ahead."
After speaking, Toji looked at Kenma, his expression that of a penny-pinching snob.
"BOSS, I paid an entire arm for this mission. Don't forget to give me a bonus when we get back."
"Don't worry, you'll get everything. I won't shortchange you," Kenma reassured him.
After all, Toji had ended up this way because of his orders, doing his bidding. This compensation was deserved.
"Next, I'll take you to the 12th Division and have Mayuri Kurotsuchi fix you a new arm."
Kenma glanced at his location, mentally estimating the distance.
"Toji, endure it for a little longer."
"At our current speed, we'll reach the 12th Division in ten-odd minutes at most. I'll notify Mayuri Kurotsuchi first, so he can use this time to prepare for the surgery."
As his voice fell, Kenma used the thread connection to communicate with Mayuri Kurotsuchi's mind.
Perhaps the sudden contact interrupted Mayuri Kurotsuchi's work; his mood was very bad.
After receiving Kenma's notice, he first cursed and complained for a while before finally agreeing.
Ending the call, Kenma nodded lightly to Toji.
"Go straight into surgery when we get there. With Mayuri Kurotsuchi's skills, you should be healed quickly."
Hearing the name Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Fushiguro Toji's face seemed to turn even paler.
"So that two-faced guy's full name is Mayuri Kurotsuchi. I'll remember him."
"I can't believe I just left his place, and now I'm going right back."
Seeing Toji gritting his teeth, Kenma asked curiously, "What, you have a bad impression of him?"
"Or... did he do something excessive to you while treating you before?"
Fushiguro Toji's expression darkened, looking miserable.
He admitted that Mayuri Kurotsuchi did have some skill, to be able to take his body—which Gojo Satoru had beaten to half a piece—and restore it to normal in just one night.
But he also had to say, that bastard Mayuri Kurotsuchi was an inhuman bastard.
An ordinary person simply couldn't imagine the torture he went through during the treatment.
Although he was given strong anesthesia and couldn't feel pain, his consciousness was clear.
He could only lie on the operating table and watch, wide-eyed, as Mayuri Kurotsuchi treated him like a toy, playing with him at will.
Kenma took one look at Toji's face and understood without asking.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi must have done something again.
He sighed and said softly, "That's Mayuri Kurotsuchi's only hobby. At worst, after he heals your arm, you can beat him up again to vent."
In any case, Mayuri Kurotsuchi had performed a series of modification surgeries on his own body; he was tough to kill.
Even if Toji blasted him to smithereens, he probably wouldn't die.
Fushiguro Toji snorted coldly, his expression slightly savage.
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
After traveling for a while, the 12th Division barracks came into view.
Just as they landed, they saw a pushcart at the entrance, with two people standing beside it.
One was an unremarkable-looking boy with short black hair, holding the cart's handle.
The other person... when Kenma saw her, his brow furrowed.
'It's actually her!'
This person had peach-colored curly hair draped over her shoulders. She had bright eyes, white teeth, a graceful temperament, a charming figure, and was... generously endowed.
More importantly, this person was wearing a captain's haori over her Shinigami uniform.
It was the current captain of the 12th Division, Hikifune Kirio.
Upon seeing Kenma, the 12th Division captain immediately waved.
"Little Kenma, Little Shisui, over here!"
'A captain, standing at the entrance waiting for him?' Kenma was puzzled, but he quickly went forward, bringing Shisui and Toji over.
"Captain Hikifune, why are you here?"
"That guy Mayuri Kurotsuchi is in the lab preparing for surgery, so I'm waiting here for you in his place."
When Hikifune Kirio saw the injured Shisui and Toji with his severed arm, her expression was one of great shock.
"What did you two get into? How did you get hurt so badly!"
"Quick, get on. I'll push you to the lab right now."
As she spoke, Hikifune Kirio patted the pushcart, signaling for the two to get on.
Kenma glanced at Shisui and Toji beside him.
Toji shook his head at Hikifune Kirio. "No need. It's not like I can't walk."
As his voice fell, his figure vanished from the spot.
Hikifune Kirio looked at the barracks. The main gate was already open; Fushiguro Toji had clearly gone inside.
Toji had just been here, so he remembered the route clearly and familiarly made his way to Mayuri Kurotsuchi's personal laboratory.
"What an impatient young man."
"It's understandable, given how badly he's injured."
Hikifune Kirio sighed, holding her cheek, then looked at Shisui, patted the cart, and urged, "Shisui, you hurry up and get on."
"Uh... I'm really not badly hurt."
Shisui scratched his face. Just as he was about to refuse, Hikifune Kirio pushed him onto the cart, and the boy pushed him inside.
Hikifune Kirio then looked at Kenma, her face brimming with a warm smile.
"Little Kenma, those two will be patched up soon. You come in for some tea and wait for them."
"Then, I'll take you up on that."
Kenma followed Hikifune Kirio into the 12th Division's reception room.
He watched her push over a large cart piled high with snacks, his expression showing a bit of astonishment.
"This is?"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]