"Captain Zaraki is the captain of the 11th Division, right? And Nan Yecheng is just a recent graduate from the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy. With such a difference in status, wouldn't a fight between you two be against regulations?
If this were training within the same squad, a captain guiding a subordinate, then that would be normal practice. But as I recall, Nan Yecheng isn't part of your squad, is he, Captain Zaraki?"
As Unohana Retsu smiled before him with the grace of a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko, Zaraki Kenpachi showed a look of genuine disgust.
It wasn't that Zaraki hated Unohana as a person—far from it. What he hated was the current Unohana.
Many in the Seireitei may not know, but Zaraki and Unohana have known each other for a long time.
Zaraki Kenpachi was born in the most chaotic, desolate area of North Rukongai—District 80, Zaraki. Originally nameless, he eventually took "Zaraki" as his own surname.
When Unohana, then the original captain of the 11th Division, traveled with her subordinates to the outskirts of Rukongai in search of a worthy warrior, she was met with a mountain of corpses—civilians from Rukongai, all slain by Zaraki's blade.
She moved forward to inspect the scene, only to be suddenly stabbed near her collarbone by the boy himself. A fierce battle broke out on the spot. Zaraki ended up with a scar on the left side of his face, while Unohana received the scar on her collarbone—that was their first encounter.
That battle was the first time Zaraki ever felt fear and joy from fighting. He feared losing such a "worthy enemy" and with it, the thrill of battle.
To match her strength, he subconsciously began suppressing his own power to fight on an equal footing.
No one knows the true outcome of that fight, but judging from the aftermath, Unohana technically lost—because Zaraki had been holding back his true strength.
Of course, back then, Unohana hadn't released her Zanpakutō and had fought using only her sealed blade.
Even so, she was the woman once known as the strongest "First Kenpachi," a swordmaster whose style was said to have 8,000 techniques. And yet, in the end, she had to face a young boy holding back just to remain evenly matched.
After that, Unohana voluntarily stepped down as captain of the 11th Division, feeling she was unworthy of the title of "Kenpachi." She drastically changed her personality and went on to lead the 4th Division, where she remains to this day.
Zaraki never hated Unohana—on the contrary, he respected her deeply. In fact, one of the biggest reasons he became a Shinigami and came to the Seireitei at all was because of her.
But he hated the present Unohana because he knew she was pretending. Just like him, a beast lived within her. Yet she had caged it away and showed only a "false" face to the world.
"Tch, what a pain. Hey, that guy Nan Yecheng—you haven't officially joined the 4th Division yet, right? Why not just join the 11th Division instead?
I heard from Ikkaku that you're from North Rukongai too, and that you're pretty strong.
You've got two options. One, join the 11th Division and fight me fair and square. That way, we can avoid all this hassle, and I won't have to listen to the old man nag.
Option two: you join the 4th Division anyway, and I still come looking to fight you. As long as I don't kill you, I'm fine with getting punished by the old man. I don't give a damn."
Faced with Zaraki's words—borderline threats—Yecheng's expression froze, and he shot a glance at a certain bald man across the way.
Said bald man, likely feeling guilty, couldn't meet Yecheng's eyes. He simply lowered his shiny head in response.
"Captain Zaraki, this Shinigami named Nan Yecheng has already decided to join the 4th Division. Your actions now are clearly crossing the line.
Can I interpret your behavior as the 11th Division attempting to provoke the 4th Division?"
Despite her gentle and elegant appearance, Captain Unohana was never one to be trifled with. The beast inside her surfaced more often than not.
She had tried to reason with him, but he ignored her. Now he was even threatening a recruit in front of her. If Unohana didn't respond, then she wouldn't be the First Kenpachi.
"How interesting. If you're willing to be my opponent, that's even better!
This pressure… I haven't felt this in a long time. I didn't come to the Seireitei just to be a Shinigami anyway—finally, something worthwhile!"
"Jingle—jingle—jingle—jingle!"
As Unohana's spiritual pressure surged, the bells tied to Zaraki's hair began to shake violently.
Because of his unique physical traits, Zaraki couldn't sense spiritual pressure normally. That's why he styled his hair in those spiked bundles and tied bells at the ends.
The purpose? To measure the strength of an opponent's spiritual pressure by how much the bells moved—so he could match his strength accordingly for an enjoyable fight.
Now, seeing the bells swing wildly like they were caught in a storm, Zaraki's face lit up with genuine excitement and intense battle spirit.
Clearly, Unohana's spiritual pressure was strong enough to thrill him—something he hadn't felt in ages.
Without a second thought, Zaraki reached up and tore off the eyepatch that sealed his spiritual pressure.
The moment the eyepatch came off, his energy surged like a tidal wave. The immense pressure condensed into a golden pillar that shot up into the sky from the 4th Division recruitment area.
Unohana hadn't intended to clash with Zaraki, but the overwhelming pressure he released awakened her own long-buried battle spirit. Before she knew it, her own spiritual pressure had erupted in response, forming a pillar to match his.
The two titanic forces clashed in midair, the collision sending waves of pressure outward. Yecheng and the others were like tiny boats caught in a storm, ready to capsize at any moment.
Yecheng and Yachiru fared slightly better. Though they were caught in the crossfire, their own spiritual pressure was strong enough to keep them steady.
Ikkaku and Yumichika were also decently strong, but they had never witnessed pressure at this level. Their backs were bent, their faces flushed red as they struggled to remain upright.
As for Isane Kotetsu… she had already given up entirely and lay flat on the ground, unable to resist.