Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

Chapter 336 Shinobu Kocho's Choice of the Fourth Seat

"Captain, please have some tea."

Shinobu Kocho skillfully poured a cup of hot tea for Retsu Unohana and knelt respectfully to her left.

Unohana Retsu picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and nodded approvingly.

"To be able to enjoy such refined tea in this remote neighborhood, it seems that Butterfly Four Seats' life here is far more comfortable than I imagined."

"Captain, you flatter me. It's just some coarse tea." Shinobu Kocho lowered her head slightly.

After putting down her teacup, Retsu Unohana's expression gradually became serious.

She looked at Shinobu Kocho, her tone carrying a hint of elder's concern and sigh: "Shinobu, I won't beat around the bush. I'm here today mainly because of you and that child, Hinata."

Upon hearing this name, Shinobu's breathing became heavier, but she was no longer as gloomy as she had been a couple of days ago.

"I am fully aware of everything that happened at Shuangji Hill the day before yesterday."

"Not only that, Captain Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division also reported to me that before her defection, Nika infiltrated the Technology Development Bureau and stole classified documents."

Retsu Unohana looked at Shinobu Kocho's increasingly pale face, paused for a moment, and sighed softly: "I know this is a huge blow to you and to Hina."

"So, after taking care of the injured in the team, I made a special trip to come and see you all."

"Captain... I'm so sorry..." Shinobu Kocho buried her head deeply in the tatami mat. "It's my fault for not disciplining her properly and for betraying your trust, causing Hinata to commit such a terrible mistake..."

"Raise your head and endure."

Retsu Unohana's voice, though still gentle, was firm and powerful: "This is not your fault. Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto and I have been deceived by him for over a hundred years, let alone you and a naive child?"

She gently patted Shinobu Kocho's shoulder: "I promise you, no matter who the Captain-Commander is in the future, I will vouch for it."

"Nika's defection is her personal act and will absolutely not implicate you and Hinata. You are still indispensable and excellent members of the Fourth Division."

"Captain..." Shinobu Kocho looked up, her eyes glistening with tears of emotion.

In this sensitive and volatile period, the fact that Retsu Unohana personally visited and made such a firm promise is already a great favor.

However... Shinobu Kocho felt somewhat indebted to this kindness...

After comforting Shinobu, Retsu Unohana slowly turned her head and looked at Asuka sitting to the side again.

"Then..." Unohana Retsu's smile deepened, carrying an enigmatic meaning: "This must be the Mr. Asuka who got lost, whom the Fourth Seat of the Butterfly often mentions?"

Meeting Unohana Retsu's gaze, Asuka did not back down: "It is I. What brings you here?"

Unohana Retsu gently covered her lips with her sleeve and laughed out loud: "I'm just very curious about Mr. Asuka."

, 7

"Mr. Asuka made quite a commotion at Shuangji Hill."

"The ability to shatter the Hollow membrane that even we are helpless against with a single strike... such strength is extremely rare, even among the Gotei 13."

She narrowed her eyes, her tone seemingly casual, but a subtle killing intent, imperceptible to most, pierced Asuka's senses: "I'm truly curious, in which corner of Soul Society has a swordsman as powerful as Mr. Asuka remained unknown for the past hundred years?"

"Why have I never heard of you before? Maybe it would have been more interesting to have met you sooner."

Faced with this somewhat strange question, Asuka calmly replied, "I'm just a lonely ghost struggling to survive at the bottom of Rukongai."

"My knife is sharp only because I crave life more than anyone else."

"As long as you don't provoke me, I have no interest in getting involved in the mess that Seireitei is making."

"Mr. Asuka, you mustn't be rude to the captain," Shinobu Kocho quickly reminded him, glancing nervously at Retsu Unohana, afraid that she would get angry.

Surprisingly, Retsu Unohana didn't get angry.

Instead, she chuckled softly as if she had heard a funny joke.

"...An interesting man." Retsu Unohana stopped laughing. "I don't dislike your pure gaze. Only someone who has experienced true despair and found a way out of it can have such an indomitable look."

She looked at Asuka, then at the nervous Shinobu Kocho, and jokingly remarked, "What a reliable man."

"No wonder our Fourth Division's most beautiful and outstanding high-class flower has remained unmoved by the fierce pursuit of those talented young men in Seireitei all these years. It turns out that she has been harboring such a hero in her heart all along."

"Captain! What...what nonsense are you talking about?!"

Shinobu's fair face instantly flushed crimson, as if it could drip water. She nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

Asuka, with a serious expression, corrected him earnestly, "I'm not a hero. I just came to Soul Society to take her home."

This blunt and unadorned remark not only made Shinobu Kocho blush even more, but even the well-informed Retsu Tamagotana was momentarily stunned before bursting into an even more hearty laugh.

"Wow, young people these days are so straightforward, it's enviable."

After the laughter subsided, the atmosphere inside the room finally eased completely.

The blush on her face gradually faded, and taking this opportunity, Shinobu Kocho made up her mind and took a deep breath.

After straightening her clothes, she straightened her kneeling posture in front of Retsu Unohana.

He placed his hands flat on the tatami mat, bowed his head deeply, and performed a very formal bow.

"Captain Unohana".

Shinobu Kocho's voice was clear and firm, without the slightest hesitation: "Fourth Seat Shinobu Kocho has a request."

Seeing Shinobu's serious demeanor, Retsu Unohana's smile slowly faded.

She looked quietly at her capable subordinate, who seemed to already know what she was about to say.

"Please speak, Shinobu."

"Your subordinate... respectfully requests to resign from the positions of Fourth Seat of the Fourth Division and Squad Leader of the Fourteenth Senior Medical Team."

"And applied to leave the Gotei 13."

Upon hearing this, although she was mentally prepared, a hint of regret still flashed in Retsu Unohana's eyes.

"What's the reason?" Her voice lowered slightly. "Is it because of Rixiang's matter that you're having second thoughts at this crucial juncture?"

"That's not the case, Captain."

Shinobu Kocho slowly raised her head, her purple eyes gleaming with a calm and clear light.

"Captain, you know very well... why I worked so hard to get into the Shinigami Academy, why I studied so diligently to become a Shinigami..."

'

"It's not because I have any lofty ideals or want to maintain the so-called balance of the three realms."

Shinobu Kocho's voice was calm and drawn-out, recounting the past buried deep in her heart.

"Lost in this cruel Rukongai, facing those villains who could take our lives at any moment, I felt a deep fear and helplessness..."

'

"I must become stronger, I must find a stable source of support."

"At the same time, it's also to be able to utilize the vast resources of the Spirit Court to find that... lost idiot."

Shinobu's gaze unconsciously drifted to Asuka sitting beside her, and a relieved and happy smile appeared on her lips.

"And now, all my wishes have come true."

"The life of the Lord's family has stabilized, and Hinai has become a qualified Shinigami, possessing the ability to protect herself."

"And that idiot I was so worried about has finally returned to my side unharmed."

She turned her gaze back to Unohana Retsu, her eyes filled with sincerity and apology.

"Captain, I was originally just an ordinary person who didn't like fighting or being bound by rules and regulations."

"The towering white walls of Soul Reach were never my final resting place. I feel... my mission as the Grim Reaper has been completed."

Shinobu Kocho bowed deeply again, her attitude sincere: "I'm so sorry, Captain, I've let you down after all these years of careful guidance and trust."

"But... my only wish right now is to take off this heavy Shinigami uniform and stay by his side."

"Whether he goes to the mortal world, stays in a corner of Rukongai, or wanders to another land..."

"I just want to be Shinobu, nothing more."

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