Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 175 - Methods of Growing Stronger

"So, Hinamori, you hope that when squad-based combat operations are conducted in the future, each squad can be assigned a dedicated medic?"

A few days later, in the 4th Division Captain's office, Captain Unohana stood with Vice-Captain Isane Kotetsu at her side, both of them surprised by Wayne's proposal. Nearby, Yui Mizusue pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head, she had failed to hold back Wayne's impulsiveness, and he had gone directly to Captain Unohana.

"Yes, Captain." Wayne's expression was calm, as if he were simply discussing what to have for dinner that evening. "These past few days, I have been in the Gotei 13's records room reviewing information. I looked through materials from recent years concerning Hollow incursions into Soul Society and combat in the living world, and I found that our members prefer to fight individually. Even when a group is engaging Hollows together, they will very politely each find their own target and fight one-on-one, rather than fighting as a unit. When facing powerful Hollows, they can find themselves in situations where calling for support is nearly impossible, and by the time the 12th Division receives the report, our members may already be beyond saving. A Hollow only needs ten or so seconds to devour one of our members. We simply cannot respond in time — we can only arrive to collect the remains, or sometimes only recover the Zanpakuto."

"But if we operate in squads with effective mutual support, distress calls, and on-site treatment, every member would have some measure of protection, rather than the current arrangement where each division handles its own specific duties in isolation. For one, it would reduce casualty rates. For another, it would develop combat synergy between members."

"Of course, given that every Shinigami's Zanpakuto ability is different, the composition of each squad can be matched according to individual capabilities. However, considering that this approach turns a deployment that once required one Shinigami into one requiring several, manpower could become strained. So my personal suggestion is to first establish a special operations unit, with expeditions into Hueco Mundo as the training objective. A main group leader commanding four squads — fifteen to twenty members in total, give or take. That way, it serves both as field training and as a test of the squad-based model's effectiveness. The risks are not zero, of course — since they will be fighting Hollows, casualties would be unavoidable if anything goes wrong. But it would still significantly reduce the overall risk."

The unbroken string of points made Unohana's beautiful eyes widen slightly. The young man who had just joined the Shinigami ranks clearly had not been thinking about these things for just a day or two. He had come thoroughly prepared.

"It is true that in our routine missions, we have never operated in a squad format — and even when we have, it is still one group that then disperses to fight individually. After all, Zanpakuto abilities vary in strength, so everyone naturally tends to fight on their own. This has already become a combat tradition of the Gotei 13, and it is very difficult to change." Captain Unohana was patiently explaining this to Wayne.

"As for assigning a medic to every squad — that is also something that would be very difficult to fulfill broadly. Hinamori, you must understand that not all 4th Division members possess your level of combat ability. We are a medical division. Members who are skilled in Kaido, or whose Zanpakuto has awakened a healing ability, all focus primarily on medicine and Kaido. That naturally creates a gap in fighting capacity. This is also why the Captain-Commander has always emphasized that our 4th Division must always be the last to take the field in any battle — because we are the final safeguard on the battlefield. Once we suffer heavy losses, those critically wounded members can no longer be treated. The losses would be even greater as a result."

"Is that so?" The eyes beneath Wayne's dark glasses narrowed slightly. But he let go of his argument all the same. "I was being short-sighted, Captain. I apologize for disturbing you." Wayne gave a slight bow and prepared to leave. He knew there was no point in pressing the matter further. It seemed that if he wanted to get into Hueco Mundo, he would need to find another way.

"That said, your proposal does have some merit. For instance, when conducting expeditions, bringing one medic along is genuinely a good choice, such as a punitive raid into Hueco Mundo, or going to the living world to deal with Hollows. But as you yourself said, that only suits a smaller unit. So we can only select a portion of members with solid combat ability to participate in such a plan."

"Hm?" Wayne turned back, and hearing that there was some possibility in Unohana's words, he felt a subtle stir in his chest.

There's a chance?

"Let's do this, I will report this matter to the Captain-Commander. As for your reason, I imagine you want to avenge that young girl from the Yagami family?" Captain Unohana smiled warmly, which left Wayne momentarily stunned.

Huh? Is that really what I want? Well... okay, fine. Yes, that is what I want.

Wayne took advantage of the opening and said nothing more. Sometimes silence speaks louder than words.

"You want to go to Hueco Mundo and join a punitive force?" Unohana continued.

"Yes." Wayne gave a small nod. "If it is possible."

"To go on a punitive expedition into Hueco Mundo, Hinamori, your strength is not yet sufficient. You still need considerably more tempering and experience."

"Yes, Captain." Wayne did not argue. It was true, he was not yet strong enough to walk freely through Hueco Mundo. He would need to grow stronger first. At minimum, he needed to reach a level where he could overwhelm mid-to-lower-tier Adjuchas-class Hollows before he could venture in. All these years had passed, and he had no idea what the current state of Hueco Mundo was. Aizen must have already come knocking on Old Bai's door by now. He had no idea whether Old Bai had submitted. Whether Nel and the others were alive or dead was still unknown. But before he could act, he had to have sufficient strength.

"I will train hard."

"Mm. You may go. In the future, if there is anything you don't understand in swordsmanship, you are welcome to come and ask me." With that single sentence from Unohana, the nearby Isane Kotetsu broke out in goosebumps, and a chill ran through Wayne as well.

Damn. Flower Sister wants to personally teach me? The original Kenpachi of Soul Society? The woman with the highest swordsmanship in history? Could it be that the performance from a while back got her excited? No way, no way. Wayne's head was now full of little question marks.

"Yes, Captain." Wayne forced himself to stay composed and slowly backed out of Unohana's office.

"C-Captain, are you serious?" Once Wayne and Mizusue had left, Isane Kotetsu asked the question with a slight tremble in her voice.

"Mm." Unohana smiled and returned to the flower arrangement on her desk. "That child is very gifted. With proper cultivation, he may be able to help me greatly in the future."

"You... you really don't mean that you want to personally..."

"Isane."

"Ah — yes!" Isane Kotetsu straightened up with a fright. "C-Captain, your orders."

"If I had to use an analogy, I am a failsafe. But if there can be one more failsafe beneath me, then the security that failsafe provides is no longer as simple as one plus one equaling two. It would make Soul Society considerably safer in the days to come."

"Yes, yes!" Isane naturally understood what Unohana meant by "the final failsafe." "Only, Captain, Hinamori is still a newcomer. Nurturing him like this, wouldn't it..."

"A person willing to travel to a dangerous place without hesitation for the sake of avenging a departed dear friend, who spares no effort to grow stronger and find every possible means to do so. A person who repays even the smallest drop of kindness with a rushing spring in return. Add that to his strength and talent. I believe he is worth my giving it a try."

"This... yes..."

On the other side, Wayne left the division quarters and headed straight for a sake house. He had made plans today to drink with Ikkaku, Iba, and the others. Wayne had been promoted to the 4th Division, and Iba had gotten his wish by entering the 7th Division and becoming Vice-Captain, so today was a celebration for both of them. Rangiku Matsumoto also joined as a drinking companion. Mizusue had originally planned to come as well, but the incident with Wayne that morning had given her a splitting headache, so she decided to rest at the division quarters instead of joining the drinking party. She was planning to give Wayne a proper "candlelit dinner" that evening as payback for not listening to her advice during the day.

Arriving at the sake house, Wayne had expected to find only Ikkaku and a few others, but he was surprised to see a middle-aged man in a floral haori, accompanied by a young woman in glasses, already seated among the group.

"K-Kyōraku Captain? Vice-Captain Ise?" Wayne was taken aback. Just how much face did he have, that a Captain would actually show up at his celebration party?

"Hey there, Hinamori." Shunsui Kyōraku raised a hand in greeting, knowing that Wayne no longer relied on his eyes and could sense his gesture through his own perception alone. "You don't mind me crashing for a drink, do you?"

Beside him, Nanao Ise pushed her glasses up, at a loss for words over her Captain's behavior.

"Not at all, it's an honor." Wayne took his seat with a smile. Kyōraku had probably been passing by and stopped in on a whim. After all, sitting alone in the division quarters drinking quietly amid the cherry blossoms is a different experience from drinking with a lively crowd. And Kyōraku had always been drinking companions with Ikkaku and the others, it was simply that the gap in rank and division had rarely given them an opportunity to gather together like this.

"Mm, how wonderful, Hinamori's character is truly something. Well then..." Shunsui Kyōraku raised his cup first. "Let us welcome Hinamori to his new post, and congratulations to Iba on his promotion to Vice-Captain, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Wayne had expected that with a Captain in attendance, the gathering would feel formal and stiff. It turned out to be the opposite, the party was unusually relaxed and lively, especially with Rangiku playing the role of the group's wild card and Nanao Ise playing the role of the stern one. The contrast between the two had everyone drinking with great pleasure.

After a few rounds, the conversation gradually shifted from idle joking to talk about division matters, with particular focus on Wayne and Rangiku's trip into Hueco Mundo, which drew some deeper discussion.

"Honestly, after joining the 4th Division, I spent a great deal of time in the Thirteen Squads' archive searching through information on Hollow abilities. But not a single case resembling this incident appeared in the records." Wayne swirled his cup gently and began dropping a few hints to those present about Hollowfication. "Hollows' abilities are similar to Shinigami Zanpakuto abilities, they too possess all manner of forms and powers. But more often than not, it is still the relative strength of Reiatsu that determines the outcome of a fight. As for this ability that can cause Shinigami to undergo Hollowfication, I have never encountered it before."

"Something about it doesn't add up." Nanao Ise pushed her glasses up gently. Even after being forcibly refilled by her Captain a few times, a faint flush coloring her cheeks, it was not enough to diminish this woman's composure.

"Ah, indeed." Shunsui Kyōraku picked up the thread. "This ability to induce Hollowfication in a Shinigami seems to be something that only manifests when directed specifically at Shinigami. After all, we have no way of knowing what form this ability would take when used on Hollows in Hueco Mundo."

"Yes, Captain Kyōraku." Wayne nodded. "I have had a theory, if this Hollowfication ability were applied to a Hollow using the same Hollowfication standard, then aside from the supplementary effect of boosting a Hollow's Reiatsu, I cannot think of any other meaningful interpretation. It's not as though implanting two different Hollow forces could cause the target to self-destruct, could it?" At that, Wayne gave a small shrug, and then his expression grew solemn again.

"However, when this Hollowfication ability is implanted into a Shinigami's body, it is fatal. It triggers a clash between the Shinigami's Reiatsu and the Hollow's Reiatsu, destroying the Shinigami's physical structure from within. What puzzles me is that it did not simply kill the Shinigami, instead, it assimilated them into a Hollow. This virus-like parasitic ability is what concerns me.

According to the report from my senior Kitagawa Sawa, the students and instructors in the unit began undergoing Hollowfication after they encountered a group of Hollows, and there were no preceding symptoms whatsoever. This is very similar to how a virus operates. If this virus-like ability were ever to spread to Soul Society... though of course, this is only a hypothesis on my part."

"Ah... that ability really is a headache. And it is far too specifically targeted at Shinigami. Let's hope that Captain Shiba's unit managed to eliminate whatever Hollow was lurking in the shadows at the time." Kyōraku tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. "Still, when it comes to this hypothesis about a virus-like ability, you could go and discuss it with Captain Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division, he is the expert in that field."

"Ah... I wouldn't dare." Wayne waved his hands urgently. "Captain Kyōraku, you know my constitution is somewhat special, I can absorb and digest Hollow Reiatsu. As things stand, Captain Kurotsuchi is practically waiting for me to walk through his door. If I go to him now, wouldn't I just end up getting sliced and dissected for research? On top of that, I'm genuinely afraid Captain Kurotsuchi would look at me and say, 'If you can absorb Hollow Reiatsu for your own use, then wouldn't this Hollowfication virus be nothing short of a great tonic for you?', and then start force-feeding me Hollows nonstop."

"Hahahahaha!"

Everyone burst out laughing at Wayne's joke, and the atmosphere, which had grown heavy, lightened considerably once again.

"Still, that theory is quite plausible. Which is exactly why I feel you should go and help Old Kurotsuchi crack this problem, after all, including myself, none of us can digest Hollow Reiatsu. We can only suppress and destroy it by force with our own Reiatsu." Shunsui Kyōraku scratched the stubble on his face. "Who knows, maybe Old Kurotsuchi can discover the secret to breaking Hollowfication from your body."

"Well..." Wayne's expression grew awkward.

"You mentioned you've been running to the records room lately to look through materials on Hollow abilities?" Shunsui Kyōraku suddenly changed the subject.

"Mm. Yes." Wayne nodded.

"My personal guess is that you want to go to Hueco Mundo and avenge that girl from the Yagami family?"

Wayne went silent again.

Hm? Why did I think "again"?

"In that case, beyond improving your own strength, I could have a word with Old Kurotsuchi on your behalf. For one, it would prevent him from actually dissecting you. For another, the two of you could also research how to break that Hollowfication virus. And for a third, this also lays a step of groundwork toward your goal of going on a punitive expedition to Hueco Mundo."

"Mm..." Wayne was quiet for a moment. "That... seems like too much trouble for you, Captain Kyōraku."

"What does it matter?" Kyōraku narrowed his eyes and took a small sip from his cup. "Even if your hypothesis has only a very small chance of being correct, we must do everything we can to prevent it. Although your motivation is personal revenge, from a broader standpoint, this is also helping Soul Society guard against a potential threat before it materializes. As the Captain of the 8th Division's intelligence corps, the hypothesis you have provided is also quite valuable. I believe it warrants my serious attention."

"In that case... thank you, Captain Kyōraku." Wayne lowered his head in grateful acknowledgment, and as he did, the corners of his mouth quietly curved upward.

The plan to get close to Mayuri Kurotsuchi, a success.

➤ Next: Two Years