Restricted Death

Chapter 154 They are all inferior to Tachikawa

Nobuhara had expected to be locked up for a few days, so he was somewhat surprised when he was summoned by the Captain-Commander.

I wonder how Retsu Unohana is doing now...

But he should be fine. If Retsu Unohana really died, then what he would have received would not have been just imprisonment.

"Tachikawa Shin, do you feel any remorse for the mistakes you have made?"

Faced with Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's direct questioning, Shin lowered his head and replied, "It was indeed my fault for not following your orders, Captain-Commander. However, I believe I did a good thing by sparring with our captain."

That's it again!

Yamamoto's eye twitched slightly, but this was within his expectations. After what had just happened, he was somewhat prepared and no longer felt the rage he had just felt.

"So, it seems I gave the wrong order, and you've actually done something right?"

Shin sensed the anger and sarcasm in those words, but continued, "The Captain-Commander knows our captain better than I do, and I am still alive and well. Isn't that a good thing?"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto stared at the letter expressionlessly. He understood the meaning behind the letter's words. When he first gave the letter the order not to fight Unohana Retsu, he said that it was to help Unohana Retsu, and that he had enough confidence.

The letter continued, “When a person’s heart is in a state of repression for a long time, it will inevitably become distorted. The Captain-Commander thinks this is control, but is this a good thing? When those distorted negative emotions finally erupt, that’s when we lose that person.”

Are you lecturing me?

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's voice was eerily calm. Although he didn't exude any spiritual pressure, Shin felt a more terrifying intimidation from it than the spiritual pressure he had experienced in the space below the Sogyoku.

His Zanpakuto couldn't withstand such an invisible aura.

His confidence was a beat slow to react, but at this moment, he was not going to back down.

"My understanding of right and wrong may seem too simplistic to the Captain-Commander, but that's just who I am. I don't have the same rich experience as the Captain-Commander. If I feel something is wrong, it's impossible for the Captain-Commander to change my mind with just a few words. It doesn't matter to the Captain-Commander if I'm inflexible or lack humility. My purpose in sparring with our Captain is to help our Captain have a better future. This is something that benefits the Gotei 13, the Seireitei, and the Soul Society!"

"The Captain-Commander placed our Captain in the position of Fourth Division Captain, yet she has no sense of belonging to the Gotei 13. Isn't that a tragic thing? If our Captain eventually can't bear it and does something to harm Soul Society, should we say it's all our Captain's fault? The Captain-Commander doesn't care what our Captain thinks; he truly treats our Captain as a tool..."

"shut up!"

A surge of furious spiritual pressure erupted with Yamamoto's roar, distorting the air as if it were being boiled.

boom!
The office door was suddenly opened, and Soi Fon, the captain of the Second Division, rushed in, looking as if she was about to capture Shin again.

Under the boiling spiritual pressure, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's voice was like a blade immersed in ice water. His next words were not addressed to Shin, but to Soi Fon.

"Who let you in?!"

Soi Fon's expression froze. She felt that Shin had said something disrespectful to the Captain-Commander and intended to stop him from continuing. However, she did not expect the Captain-Commander to treat her this way. The boiling spiritual pressure suddenly pressed down on her indiscriminately in the room, causing Soi Fon to break out in a cold sweat. She quickly knelt on one knee, bowed her head in a salute, and then barely managed to get up and leave the room.

Chojiro Sasakibe was also standing outside the door, his expression somewhat complicated.

When Soi Fon rushed in, he neither stopped her nor helped her.

As the person who had been by the Captain-Commander's side the longest, no one understood Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's personality better than him.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's anger began to erupt. He questioned the letter, "Did I cause her to have that kind of personality? Don't you know what she did a thousand years ago? Do you know how many people she killed? Do you know the sins she committed?!"

Shin said, "If the Captain-Commander still thinks our captain is an unforgivable villain, he can simply kill her. Doesn't Soul Society have laws? Why can it tolerate such a person serving as the captain of the Fourth Division for so long?"

Yamamoto suddenly felt a surge of anger rising in his chest.

The letter continued, “The Captain-Commander wants our Captain to atone for her sins and repent for the mistakes she has made, but he only puts her in an environment she hates. You are unwilling to guide her, and you blame her for not changing, for still being evil by nature. She is guilty of heinous crimes, yet you insist that she be grateful for your arrangements, and even use this to insult and despise her, Captain-Commander.”

Xin raised his head and met the other person's gaze without fear.

"You might as well just kill her!"

"..."

Compared to Yamamoto's earlier questioning, Shin's answer seemed even more aggressive.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered: "You say you are inflexible, but do the things you have said and done seem like the actions of someone who is inflexible? Tachikawa, you are very cunning. You have put justice and morality on your side. Do you think that will make me turn a blind eye to you?"

Xin suddenly replied, "Then what is the purpose of my doing this?"

Upon hearing this, the captain abruptly stopped speaking.

Xin said slowly, "If you, Captain-Commander, consider me a scheming and opportunistic person, do you not know what the consequences would be for disobeying you, Captain-Commander?"

But he did it anyway, choosing a course of action that would anger the captain.

Yamamoto wanted to find out the reason behind the matter, and it seemed there was only one reason, just as the letter said.

"I've only been a Shinigami for two years, and spent six years at the Spiritual Arts Academy. In total, I'm only in my early twenties. Twenty years—what a short time that is in your eyes! Perhaps it will vanish in some unnoticed moment. Is a thought that has only lasted for twenty years not worth caring about? In the human world, people can understand many things by the time they reach their sixties or seventies. But in the Soul Society, even 100 years old is not considered old. Can a long period of time dilute or extinguish some of humanity? To you, Captain-Commander, are we all a bunch of short-sighted, naive, and foolish people? Is our value simply to fulfill our duties as Shinigami until death?"

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni did not speak again; he stood there quietly for a long time.

Once the spiritual pressure in the room dissipated, Chojiro Sasakibe slowly walked in.

"Take him away and keep him locked up," Yamamoto said calmly.

Chojiro bowed his head in response, then gestured for Soi Fon to come in. Shin was then personally escorted by Soi Fon to the Second Division's prison.

After Soi Fon's footsteps faded into the distance, Yamamoto suddenly let out a long sigh.

"Even Chunshui doesn't have his courage."

Among the many captains of the Thirteenth Team, Kyoraku Haruhiko was the most casual with him on the day, but that casualness was just a matter of respect and closeness, and still carried the implication of not daring to offend him.

I believe that's not the kind of person he is.

I don't know whether to say that he's so fearless because he's young.

Yamamoto paused for a moment, then said, "He might be a good kid, or he might be a bad kid."

Chojiro Sasakibe said, "But they're just kids."

Yamamoto gently shook his head: "I'm afraid I've misjudged."

Knowing the Captain-Commander's concerns, Chojiro Sakura said slowly, "If you give him your trust and expectations, there are only two possibilities in the future: either he will live up to your expectations, or... But if you give up on him now, you will definitely regret it often in the future."

Yamamoto glanced at him sideways: "Have I seen few geniuses?"

He had been the Captain-Commander for a thousand years, and even geniuses like Gin Ichimaru and Kaien Shiba were not particularly impressive to him.

He had seen too much, and quite a few of these people eventually became captains. Chojiro knew he was being stubborn, and simply said, "But none of them can compare to Tachikawa."

"..."

Yamamoto fell silent again.

Yes, none of them can compare to Tachikawa.

In terms of talent, only Zaraki can rival Shin Tachikawa.

But neither of these two are exactly the kind of people you can trust. Is this a common problem for top geniuses like them?
No one is perfect.

Yamamoto opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then swallowed the words back down.

The so-called perfection is nothing more than a subjective judgment, he thought of what Xin had just said...

"What do you think we should do with him?" Yamamoto asked Chojiro Sasaki.

"I think the same way as you, Captain-Commander," said Chojiro Sasaki, bowing his head.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni scoffed lightly, then sighed.

#
The following day, at the Fourth Division barracks.

Chojiro Sasaki led several Shinigami soldiers to Retsu Unohana.

"The Captain-Commander hereby imposes the following punishment on the Fourth Division Captain, Retsu Unohana: He is prohibited from leaving the Seireitei for ten years without a valid reason. During this period, he must wear a Cursed Spirit Lock and be subject to supervision. If a patient requires the Fourth Division Captain's personal treatment, an application must be submitted for temporary removal of the Cursed Spirit Lock..."

When Chojiro Sasaki announced the punishment for Retsu Unohana, only Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu were present, apart from the Shinigami he brought with him.

The Cursed Spirit Lock is a torture device developed by the Technology Development Bureau. Wearing it can suppress 99% of one's spiritual pressure.

Similar to a limited spirit seal, but unlike a limited spirit seal, it is mandatory, while a limited spirit seal requires the cooperation of the person being cast on.

The limited spirit seal is not difficult to remove if the caster wants to, but the cursed spirit lock is different. As a torture device, once worn, one can only obediently submit to the other's control.

Of course, the specific effects vary from person to person. Given Unohana Retsu's spiritual pressure, it would be impossible for her to be suppressed by so much.

Unohana Retsu calmly allowed two Shinigami members to handcuff each of her limbs with a circular device, which was usually hidden under her Shinigami uniform and could not be seen.

Chojiro Sasakibe's purpose in coming here was only this one thing, and he left with his men after last night.

Kotetsu Isane chased after them.

"Vice Captain of the Sparrow Division, may I ask... how is Xin now?"

Chojiro looked at the girl in front of him, whose face showed worry and anxiety, and after a moment of contemplation, said only, "You don't need to know for now."

“I understand, Vice Captain of the Sparrow Division. I’m not asking what kind of punishment Shin will receive… I want to know how Shin is doing now, is he injured?” Kotetsu Isane changed the subject. From yesterday until now, no members of the Fourth Division have received any classified missions to go out.

Chojiro Suzaku hesitated for a moment, then said, "He's fine."

Kotetsu Isane stood at the corner of the corridor, clenching her sleeves as she watched Chojiro and the others leave. When she returned to the captain's room and saw Unohana sitting there calmly, her nails almost dug through her palms.

She finally couldn't resist and stepped forward.

"team leader!"

Her voice was somewhat high-pitched when she spoke, a tone she had never displayed when facing Retsu Unohana.

“Yune.” Retsu Unohana’s expression was as calm as a still pond.

"Captain, are you really not going to say anything to me?" Kotetsu Ikane questioned.

Unohana Retsu turned her head to look at her and said calmly, "You should have guessed, right? Some of my history isn't exactly classified in the Seireitei. Anyone who wants to find out can find out."

Yongyin couldn't help but say, "But so what? That's all in the past. My captain, the captain in my heart is a..."

“That’s just the image of me in your mind,” Retsu Unohana interrupted her. “What you yearn for is merely a flawless, fabricated illusion in your mind.”

Yongyin stood there blankly: "Then what about all these years of following you, Captain?"

“You should ask yourself that,” Retsu Unohana said calmly. “Izane, you’ve always viewed me through the lens of a false image in your mind. Now you’re questioning me because you’re upset that I’m not actually the person you imagine me to be. Are you trying to mold me into the image you envision and change the real me?”

Unohana Retsu's words made Isane panic again.

"Captain, that's not what I meant..."

She softened her tone and said in a trembling voice, "What I want to say is, Captain, you are so gentle, is all of this just a lie?"

Unohana Retsu remained completely unmoved.

"fake."

Yongyin suddenly collapsed weakly to the ground.

While she was lost in thought, Retsu Unohana began to speak again: "When we were fighting, he left a sliver of flesh in every strike."

“He had no intention of killing me. The knife that stabbed me in the heart could have shattered my heart completely.”

"Looking back now, he didn't want to fight me, but he forced himself to slash at me with his knife. That wasn't a real fight..."

"It's so boring."

Unohana Retsu gazed out the window, where cherry blossoms rustled, shedding pale pink petals that drifted across the windowsill, a few landing on Unohana Retsu's drooping sleeves.

Her pale fingers gently traced the scar on her collarbone.

She had just experienced a life-or-death battle that she had always longed for, and she did feel joy and exhilaration, but that only lasted until Xin finally stopped the bleeding from her heart wound.

What she was experiencing now was a feeling that was even more disgusting than those boring days before.

"So, I really shouldn't have survived..."

She murmured to herself in a voice only she could hear.

Unohana Retsu looked at Kotetsu Isane again.

"Tachikawa will be fine."

(End of this chapter)