She recalled the epic battle with Kenpachi Zaraki a thousand years ago.
Who would have thought that the first generation Kenpachi, so notorious throughout Soul Society, couldn't even kill a child? Who would believe it? Yet it was the undeniable truth.
The tragic defeat from a millennium ago remained vivid in her mind. The wound on her chest from Kenpachi Zaraki's blade often reminded her of that humiliation.
This moment felt exactly like that one—no, this was even more outrageous and incredible than her battle with Kenpachi Zaraki. This time, she was defeated faster and more thoroughly.
Back then, she'd believed no one could beat her in kendo. No matter how cruel the villain or how powerful the opponent, she could strike with one sword without exerting any force, and her enemy would fall by themselves. Battles had become boring and dull—if they could even be called battles at all.
But facing Uehara Shiroha was different. She struck with all her strength, and yet it was she who ended up bleeding. She'd done everything right, used her strongest force, and still couldn't cut through.
It was divine strength! Incredible!
Under normal circumstances, even the current Kenpachi Zaraki couldn't withstand her wave of attacks. But Uehara Shiroha was not Kenpachi Zaraki. Her opponent's slashing technique was even more powerful and deadly than Kenpachi Zaraki's had been a thousand years ago.
How long had it been since such a thing happened? Or rather, had she ever encountered such a powerful opponent?
Faced with this unexpectedly tragic defeat, Unohana Retsu did not flinch, did not retreat, and did not lose heart. Her eyes grew cold as her dormant heart became active again.
Unohana Retsu, determined to kill, opened her Bankai: "Minazuki: Jinshimatsu!"
She was now very different from her usual gentle and dignified appearance—the contrast was stark. She revealed a cold smile, and her Reiatsu became oppressive. Affected by her momentum, the surrounding space seemed to transform into a cruel primitive jungle.
The strong survive, and the weak are eliminated! Grinding teeth and sucking blood, hunting prey! The rule here was simple: kill or be killed. The weak could only be eaten and had no right to survive.
Her strong will and Reiatsu attached to her Zanpakutō, Minazuki. Her sword was a true reflection of her mind manifesting in reality.
The abilities of a Shinigami's Zanpakutō were not static. Different owners using the same Asauchi or Zanpakutō would reflect different minds and awaken different Shikai and Bankai. This was the case with Tosen Kaname's Zanpakutō. Although the blade might be physically similar, their abilities could be vastly different.
Even for the same person, a significant change in personality or inner wishes could alter the Zanpakutō's abilities accordingly. This was the case with Unohana Retsu.
Because of her personality shift, Minazuki had become like her—able to both kill and save, contradictory yet powerful. And the Bankai, Jinshimatsu, sealed for a thousand years, now revealed its terrifying dual nature of healing and lethality.
Blood slowly oozed from the golden handle. Dazzling crimson flowed along the slightly curved blade, finally gathering into a gorgeous pool of blood. Horrible, gloomy, cold, and bloodthirsty Reiatsu erupted from the blood pool, shaking the world, making the "cruel forest" more hideous and more real.
A stream of blood surrounded Unohana Retsu, greatly increasing her strength and turning her into a gorgeous blood-soaked Asura. Under Jinshimatsu's treatment, her injuries recovered rapidly.
She hadn't initially intended to use Jinshimatsu this way—it was typically a gift for the weak. To a certain extent, Unohana Retsu's Bankai and Zaraki Kenpachi's self-imposed limiters served the same purpose: both prolonged battle time to enjoy the thrill of killing to its fullest extent.
However, while Zaraki Kenpachi's seals weakened himself, Unohana Retsu preferred to heal her opponents when facing strong enemies. This made the killing more enjoyable, more fun.
But this time, Jinshimatsu was being used to heal herself. If she hadn't activated Bankai, she definitely wouldn't have been able to hold on. After all, she was injured in their first exchange—injured without even noticing it.
With such horrific killing power, even a beast like Kenpachi Zaraki couldn't withstand it, let alone her. As Uehara Shiroha had said, if she continued like this, her blood would soon run dry. So she had no choice but to activate Bankai. Even if it seemed undignified, she didn't hesitate. With Jinshimatsu's blessing, the battle could finally continue.
For Unohana Retsu, this was the most important thing. Dignity was meaningless.
"Jinshimatsu? Interesting!" Uehara Shiroha looked at the enchanting beauty in the blood pool with great interest.
Unohana Retsu now exuded a different charm—deadly yet alluring, just like her Zanpakutō.
Uehara Shiroha activated his ability to see through everything. With the blessing of perfect observation Haki, he saw through everything and perceived the laws governing all things. He instantly understood the mystery of Jinshimatsu.
The ability could be simply summarized as over-treatment, somewhat similar to Giorno Giovanna's "Gold Experience"—both injected a large amount of vitality into their target. This injection of life energy could help the target recover from injuries and enhance vitality and combat effectiveness.
But everything had limits. Things turned around when pushed to extremes. Too much vitality caused organs and cells to overgrow, directly reaching the end of life. This was Jinshimatsu's ability—it could both kill and save.
Such a Zanpakutō ability aligned perfectly with the identity of a healer. When Unohana Retsu had sacrificed herself fighting Kenpachi Zaraki in the canon, she had used Jinshimatsu to strengthen him, as Kenpachi was too weak then and hadn't even fully mastered his Shikai.
But now, Unohana Retsu was obviously using Jinshimatsu to strengthen herself. Uehara Shiroha appreciated this tactical shift—it showed wise judgment, both calm and passionate.
Had she not used Jinshimatsu to strengthen herself, Uehara Shiroha would have been ready to kill her in the next second. Not everyone was qualified to fight him.
"Next, I will attack with all my strength," Unohana said, her eyes full of desire and expectation as she held her sword's hilt upside down. "I hope you can withstand it. I'm enjoying this moment very much."
But beneath her enthusiasm lurked a cold murderous aura. The charm of ice and fire was perfectly integrated in this Shinigami.
As soon as her words faded, Unohana Retsu made her move. It was still a slash—it could only be a slash! The ordinary swing of her sword carried unimaginable power and murderous intent.
Unparalleled blood-red light and Reiatsu suddenly erupted, covering the world and everything in it, locking onto Uehara Shiroha's vital points and the space around him.
The terrifying slash was like an ocean that swept through everything, destroying all in its path.
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