Hearing Soifon's taunt, Zaraki Kenpachi did not get angry; instead, he laughed.
He raised a hand to gently stroke the sealing eyepatch over his right eye, then reluctantly lowered it.
—If I release it now, it'll be boring. The fight would end too quickly.
That was what Zaraki Kenpachi thought.
A ferocious grin split his face once more. Zaraki Kenpachi stomped violently on the ground, dragging his chipped Zanpakutō behind him. It ploughed a deep gouge into the earth as he shot forward like an arrow leaving the string.
Arriving before Soifon, he raised his blade and thrust straight at her.
This move was unadorned and simple, full of openings; all it possessed was pure stats.
[Ah, too slow...]
Soifon didn't know how many times Zaraki Kenpachi had sealed himself by now. In short, using Aizen's words: it was full of openings.
The sharp tip of the blade was about to pierce Soifon's Captain's Haori. She turned her body slightly sideways; the blade edge grazed the fabric, the resulting wind pressure fluttering the black hair on Soifon's forehead.
At the same time, she lifted her left foot. In the instant Zaraki Kenpachi's center of gravity shifted forward due to the thrust—
Seen through!
Soifon's sole stepped precisely onto the middle of the spine of Zaraki Kenpachi's blade.
Zaraki Kenpachi only felt a strange sinking sensation from the sword in his hand. The blade was suddenly pinned into the ground, and he actually couldn't pull it out!
Immediately following that, a cold blade pressed against his neck, a few drops of warm liquid sliding down the steel.
—Just half a bu deeper, and it would cut Zaraki Kenpachi's windpipe.
"Is this it? Is this what you call a battle?"
Staring at him for a moment, Soifon withdrew her left foot, walked past Zaraki Kenpachi's side, and drifted further away.
"Compared to the you from back then, you are worse by more than just a single tier."
"If you are just looking for a playmate to play house with, I suggest you go take advanced courses in the Shin'ō Academy's Kendo class. I will not keep you company."
In the end, Soifon still disliked Zaraki Kenpachi's slow-heating battle mode. It was better to tell him now, while there was still time, to stop continuing to seal his own power.
"..."
Playing house, huh...
Zaraki Kenpachi hung his head, maintaining his posture, the sword in his hand still stuck in the dirt, unretracted.
Having completed tasks quite frequently recently, Soifon had barely taken two steps when the panel before her eyes popped up on its own.
[Task Triggered: The Repressed Beast]
[Task Completed]
[Reward Obtained: Yachiru Style Kendo]
In an instant, countless memory fragments flooded into Soifon's mind. Her body felt as if it had undergone thousands of years of Kendo training; any variation of a move could be performed effortlessly.
From this moment on, Soifon's Zanjutsu was no longer "blind hacking."
Instinctively performing a beautiful chiburi, Soifon sheathed her sword and walked toward the Captains.
Having watched most of the scene, Unohana Retsu's face still wore a gentle smile, but the fingertips of her hands, clasped in front of her, were trembling uncontrollably.
—Reason and desire were locked in a fierce battle.
That movement when Soifon sheathed her sword just now...
She couldn't be mistaken. It was the Kendo literacy Soifon had inadvertently revealed.
But clearly, when she fought Zaraki Kenpachi earlier, there was no trace of it...
[Ah, I understand... Is it because that brute Zaraki Kenpachi isn't worthy of you using such techniques?]
The corners of Unohana Retsu's mouth couldn't help but curve upward. Although she looked as gentle as always, it made those around her smell the scent of blood.
Right now, as Soifon's figure gradually approached and she sensed the aura radiating from the other party, Unohana's breathing also grew increasingly ragged.
Then, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled; the trembling in her fingertips stopped.
Looking at Soifon standing before her, Unohana Retsu spoke softly: "It seems... the battle is over."
"Yes, sorry to worry everyone." Soifon nodded slightly to the surrounding Captains. "Captain Zaraki and I just acted on a whim, I truly apologize."
Since no major commotion was caused this time, and Zaraki Kenpachi only suffered superficial wounds, the spectating Captains all dispersed.
His Excellency the Captain-Commander stroked his long beard and tapped the ground lightly with his cane: "Do not let this happen again."
It wasn't until Soifon's figure gradually turned into a black dot that the Captain-Commander asked his three disciples: "What do you think of Captain Soifon's strength?"
"Teacher Soifon... cough, regarding Captain Soifon..."
"Her strength is greater; she seemed to be suppressing Captain Zaraki the entire time."
Tōshirō almost failed to correct his slip of the tongue, only reacting after the Captain-Commander shot him a glance.
"She is practically approaching the 2nd Spiritual Rank. Judging from the fluctuations of the battle just now, Captain Soifon should be able to break through after enduring another few decades."
A 2nd Spiritual Rank at over a hundred years old; she was a rare genius, truly someone with a promising future.
"Mm, her speed is also very fast. If Captain Zaraki didn't release his seal quickly, he might have capsized in the gutter."
As veteran Captains, Shunsui Kyōraku and Ukitake still had sharper eyes than Tōshirō, and their assessment was about the same as His Excellency the Captain-Commander's estimation.
...
Late at night, the gate to the Second Division Captain's courtyard was gently knocked upon.
Unohana Retsu stood in the shadows of the corridor where the moonlight didn't reach, her face still wearing that usual gentle smile.
"Captain Unohana, are you here to see Teacher Soifon?"
Rukia and Momo Hinamori, who had mooched off Soifon until evening and hadn't left yet, asked.
"I have some urgent matters with Captain Soifon. Could I trouble you to announce me?"
Unohana's voice was soft as usual.
Without asking much, the two trotted toward Soifon's office.
After all, a mature big sister like Captain Unohana always interacted with Teacher Soifon with great propriety. Coming to find Teacher late at night must mean there was serious business to attend to!
A moment later, Soifon pushed the door open, saw Unohana standing in the corridor, paused slightly, and then followed her.
[I feel like she's a bit different from the usual Captain Unohana...]
The two walked silently along the empty streets of the Seireitei at night, slowly arriving at a remote forest outside Rukongai.
Soifon keenly perceived that beside her, Unohana's breathing was more rapid than usual, and her cheeks flushed with a strange redness under the moonlight.
"Captain Unohana." Soifon slowed her pace slightly. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Is her chopping addiction acting up again?
Unohana Retsu also stopped. She didn't answer immediately but slowly turned around to face Soifon.
"Captain Soifon..." Unohana's voice carried a clear tremor. "Could I ask you to help me?"
Before Soifon could answer, Unohana instantly drew the Zanpakutō at her waist and slashed a blade of pressure to her side.
Boom—
The dense forest was cut in half at the waist. The moonlight hanging high in the sky poured down, illuminating both of their faces.
Having done all this, Unohana's breathing became even more rapid, her chest heaving slightly with each breath.
"Captain Soifon, let us begin our Kendo spar."
After saying this sentence, the fighting intent in Unohana's eyes was about to overflow.
Soifon understood.
The other party meant that she wouldn't release any Reiatsu that could be detected by the Seireitei; purely, her addiction to slashing had flared up.
Thus, she raised her right hand and placed it on the hilt of the sword at her waist.
"Thank you, Captain Soifon."
Unohana Retsu also slowly raised her left hand, gripping the hilt with both hands and holding the blade horizontally in front of her.
Ding—
Sparks flew in all directions; their first clash began with a contest of strength.
Separated only by two Zanpakutō, Soifon and Unohana's faces were very close, able to feel the hot breath exhaled by one another.
The two pushed simultaneously in tacit understanding, leaping back to open up the distance, and in the next instant, they were tangled in combat again.
The sound of metal colliding exploded in the silent forest, dense as rain.
Soifon's blade seemed to possess a life of its own; every variation was as fluid as breathing.
After separating from yet another collision, the two panted in place in tacit understanding.
"Ah..." Unohana Retsu let out a soft sigh, her voice husky. "Truly... wonderful."
____
New Story: Danmachi: But I am a God, time to make a family!
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