The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

"Look at me, come on."

Then Kotetsu Isane led Ishihara Akane into the Fourth Division's barracks and headed straight for Kotetsu Isane's dormitory...

As soon as he entered the room, Ishihara Akira decisively slammed the dormitory door shut behind him, grabbed Kotetsu Isane, pushed her against the wall, and leaned in to kiss her lips.

According to the memories set by Ishihara Yuu, he and she are now in a proper boyfriend-girlfriend relationship!

Moreover, they had been together since their time studying at the Shinigami Academy.

As for why they didn't end up together...

This is because Ishihara Sho was assigned to an expeditionary force for some reason, which is the frontline force stationed in Hueco Mundo to prevent Hollows from breaking through the boundaries and invading Soul Society. He only managed to withdraw and return today. This is also why Kotetsu Isane asked him when he would return in the previous conversation.

Chapter 202 Unohana Retsu

"Wait, wait a minute! Don't think about doing this as soon as you get back!" Seeing that Ishihara was getting increasingly audacious and even wanted to have a duel in the valley, Kotetsu Isane quickly put his hand against Ishihara's chest and whispered with a slightly flustered expression.

"Now that things have come to this, how can I possibly stop?" Ishihara Akira said with a wry smile.

“Well… that can’t be done. We’ve only just met, and this is the barracks. What if someone breaks in? I don’t want my reputation to be ruined by something like that, with the rumors spreading everywhere,” Kotetsu Isane insisted.

"What do I do now?" Ishihara Akira asked, turning over and lying down.

"..." Kotetsu Isane remained silent for a long while before extending his helping hand...

"When you came back this time, were you assigned to any squad?" Kotetsu Isane asked, trying to suppress her embarrassment as she helped out.

"The captain planned to assign me to the Eleventh Division, since our situations are similar and I could easily integrate without needing to adapt. However, I didn't agree," Ishihara Akira replied with his eyes closed.

"Why?" Kotetsu Isane asked, puzzled.

"Of course, it's so I can be with you. That's why I specifically asked the captain to pull some strings and get me transferred to the Fourth Division. So I came back this time to become your teammate." Ishihara Akira opened his eyes and looked at the shy Kotetsu Isane and said.

"Really?" Kotetsu Isane asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Ishihara Akira affirmed.

As for transfer orders or anything like that, there's none of that, but it doesn't really matter. At worst, I'll just try to break through Unohana Retsu's defenses with the power of the Heavenly Demon. I wonder if I'll succeed...

After all, the reason he was able to so easily use the power of the Heavenly Demon to devour the two Shinigami of the Third Division, and even alter Kotetsu Isane's memories, was entirely because their hearts were incomplete—

The former refers to her experience at the Shinigami Academy, while the latter, Kotetsu Isane, is due to her inferiority complex about her own body, which creates a loophole that can be exploited. If handled properly, it is not very troublesome to operate.

But Unohana Retsu is different. As a Shinigami who has existed since the founding of the Seireitei, the original Kenpachi, Unohana Retsu is perfect in both combat power and mental aspects. She is like the flawless heart of the cultivators in those cultivation novels, which cannot be broken by ordinary means.

Similar examples include Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, Urahara Kisuke, and Yoruichi.

They were all either shrewd and experienced, or their lives were smooth sailing, free from inner demons.

This is also why Ishihara Akira never made a move against Yoru.

Because he really couldn't find any psychological flaws in Yoruichi.

However, this is not absolute. As the original Kenpachi, the woman who stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship in the Bleach world, the Berserker Retsu Unohana always regretted not having an opponent with whom she could fight to her heart's content and kill her!

This is why he was so excited and even looked forward to Kenpachi when he was still a child.

Unfortunately, Kenpachi did not respond to her expectations at all. Instead, after discovering that there were no real rivals in the world, he sealed away his own power, weakening himself so that he could continue to enjoy the thrill of battle. This made Retsu Unohana, who had always hoped that Kenpachi would grow stronger and even kill her, feel very depressed and dissatisfied.

So if we start from this angle, it's not impossible to open a hole in Unohana Retsu's heart.

However, the corresponding intention was to use this method to deplete Unohana Retsu's spiritual energy, weaken her, and force her mind to resemble his, demanding the qualities she possessed...

Ishihara Akira said that he didn't think he could do it.

Because his swordsmanship is only half-baked, and he can't compare to Unohana Retsu, who has already stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship in the Bleach world, if he really wanted to do that, then he would probably only be able to materialize characters like the weapon master from the Eight Blades of Judgment in the world of Kenichi, the strongest disciple in history, Hawkeye and Zoro from the One Piece world, or even Yasuo from the League of Legends world, to satisfy Unohana Retsu's fighting desire.

"Then I'll take you to see the captain later," Kotetsu Isane said happily.

After a pause, he said with a hint of helplessness, "Why aren't they coming out yet..."

"Perhaps the stimulation wasn't enough."

"What should I do?"

Ishihara Akira pointed to Kotetsu Isane's mouth.

……

In short, after a long while, a refreshed-looking Ishihara Akane and a blushing Kotetsu Isane left her barracks and walked together toward where their captain, Unohana Retsu, was...

"team leader?"

"Oh, it's Yongyin. Come in."

"Whoosh." Kotetsu Isane opened the paper sliding door to the room where Unohana Retsu was and led Ishihara Sho inside.

"Captain," Kotetsu Isane greeted Unohana Retsu.

"And this is..." Retsu Unohana smiled and looked at Akira Ishihara, who was standing next to Isane Kotetsu.

“I am…” Ishihara Akira began, simultaneously unleashing the full power of the Heavenly Demon, scanning Unohana Retsu's entire body, searching for any possible flaws in her mind—

Sure enough, a moment later, Ishihara Akira found an extremely faint mental loophole in Unohana Retsu's mind. His eyes lit up, and he concentrated all his power to blast it in.

"boom!"

After the deafening roar that reverberated through the spirit, Ishihara Akira arrived at a desolate wasteland filled with corpses. There he saw Unohana Retsu, her body stained with blood, her face cold and stern, like a demon incarnate, with no reverence for life in her eyes.

That is, Kenpachi version of Retsu Unohana.

Without hesitation, Ishihara Akane immediately activated the power of the Heavenly Demon, materializing the image of Unohana Retsu with her braided hair. Then, she transformed the environment, turning it into the look of her office within the Fourth Division. Only then did Ishihara Akane breathe a sigh of relief.

"Who are you?" Perhaps influenced by his future, gentler self, Unohana Retsu's expression softened as he looked at Ishihara Sho, who was standing behind his gentler self, and asked in a low voice.

“My name is Ishihara Sho, and like you, I am a Grim Reaper,” Ishihara Sho replied.

“The Grim Reaper doesn’t have the ability to influence minds like you,” Retsu Unohana retorted.

As the most senior Shinigami, when it comes to understanding Zanpakuto, she's no less knowledgeable than Oetsu Nimaiya, the one who forged them.

In fact, to some extent, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the two could be considered master and apprentice.

Because Unohana Retsu's reply was developed under the guidance of Nimaiya Oetsu.

“Okay, I’m not a proper Shinigami, but I am a Shinigami nonetheless, and my name is also Ishihara Akane. It’s just that my origins are a bit mysterious—have you ever heard of time loops?” Ishihara Akane sighed and said to Unohana Retsu, who was still in Kenpachi form in front of him.

Chapter 203 Confession

"How did I die?" Retsu Unohana asked after hearing Ishihara Akira's account.

Yes, in order to make Retsu Unohana more convinced of his words, Akira Ishihara not only talked about future events, but also pushed the timeline back quite a bit, going directly from Aizen's side to the Wandenreich, essentially revealing the entire plot of Bleach.

But to her surprise, Retsu Unohana didn't care about those events at all, and instead asked about the cause of her death.

That really fits her current image.

"In order to increase the chances of victory and combat power of the Shinigami side, you took the initiative to seek out the current captain of the Eleventh Division, Kenpachi Zaraki, to fight him, forcing him to abandon his self-sealing and release all his power. Then, you died by Captain Kenpachi Zaraki's sword with a satisfied heart," Ishihara Akira replied.

"It really was him." A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Unohana Retsu's cold expression.

After a brief pause, Retsu Unohana asked again, "Was the final battle very bad?"

"It was pretty bad. But thanks to the combined efforts and sacrifices of all the captains, Soul Society ultimately achieved victory, thwarting Yhwach's ambition to revive and rule the world, and protecting the world's safety."

"If that's the case, why did you come back?" Retsu Unohana pressed.

"Two reasons, I suppose. First, Kotetsu Isane was very sad after your death. Of course, I was quite sad too. Second, I personally felt it was too much of a waste to let you die like that, so I asked Captain Urahara Kisuke and Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri to develop a device that could send a person's thought patterns back to the past, to send me back, and try to stop you from sacrificing yourself so that Captain Kenpachi could break the seal," Ishihara Akira rambled on.

“Yune…” Unohana Retsu smiled, her figure seemingly merging with the gentler version of Unohana Retsu created by Ishihara Sho, and continued, “And what is our relationship?”

"Do I really have to say?" Ishihara Sho asked hesitantly.

"Speak," Unohana Retsu said calmly.

"I'm Captain Unohana's suitor," Ishihara Akira said shyly.

“You’re lying,” Retsu Unohana sneered.

"Why?" Ishihara Akira asked in surprise.

"Since you know I am the first Kenpachi, you should know that I am not the kind of person who can be moved by the sweet words or actions of ordinary people. In other words, I have long since erased my thoughts about romantic love and it is impossible for me to accept anyone as my man. Unless, you can be like Zaraki and have the strength to defeat me and please me," Retsu Unohana sneered.

"But I didn't sense that kind of aura from you, so trying to gain my favor through ordinary methods... even if you end up working for me, you'll only be a regular team member or an acquaintance at most, nothing more..."

"Yes, you're right. I'm sure I haven't succeeded in winning you over in the future, but it's not wrong that I'm pursuing you. After all, it's my business whether I pursue you or not, and it's your business whether you agree or not. There's no conflict between the two," Ishihara Akira said, shrugging.

"If that's what you're saying... then you're not wrong."

The next moment, both Kenpachi's version of Unohana Retsu and Ishihara Sho's gentle version of Unohana Retsu simultaneously emitted light, which then merged together to form a large, soft ball of light that enveloped both Unohana Retsu.

However, it didn't last long. Soon, as the ball of light exploded, Retsu Unohana's figure reappeared.

But at this moment, all that appeared before Ishihara Akira was the gentle version of Unohana Retsu that he had initially created.

Kenpachi's version of Retsu Unohana has disappeared. At the same time, the gentle version of Retsu Unohana is no longer like an inanimate object or a puppet, devoid of any life force, but is instead filled with a spiritual radiance that belongs to a human being.

Clearly, Kenpachi's version of Retsu Unohana forcibly transformed herself into the gentler version of Retsu Unohana that Ishihara was familiar with through fusion.

“But I think you used this power on me not just to say these things, right?” Unohana Retsu smiled more realistically.

In other words, with the fusion and the change in her appearance, Unohana Retsu also recalled things from the past, so there is no problem in saying that the Unohana Retsu in front of us is the real Unohana Retsu.

“Yes,” Ishihara Sho sighed.

The worst thing is encountering a target with high hard power and no flaws in their mind. If things go wrong, you might end up losing everything.

"Before meeting you, I projected my experiences from another timeline into Kotetsu Isane's mind in the same way, making her believe that we originally knew each other, were classmates and lovers at the Shinigami Academy, but later, for some reason, she joined the Fourth Division, while I went to the front-line guard. Now, I have been given the opportunity to transfer to an internal position due to my merits and have been assigned to the Fourth Division. Therefore, I hope that Captain Unohana can cooperate with me and recruit me into the Fourth Division." Ishihara Akira did not hide anything and explained what he had done and his thoughts.

"Didn't you say before that you were my suitor? How come you're now in a relationship with Yuune? Could it be that you were lying to me before?" Unohana Retsu narrowed her eyes upon hearing this. Although she was smiling, she exuded a terrifying aura of Kenpachi when she questioned him.

“That’s not contradictory. It’s precisely because I’ve spent so much time with Yuon and been in contact with you for so long that I developed feelings for you. Yes, I’m a womanizer, there’s no point in hiding that,” Ishihara Akira said, shrugging.

“You are honest,” Unohana Retsu said calmly.

“As an immortal, you should understand that when you face a person or thing for a long time, you will slowly lose your initial interest and ideas, and you will also feel bored with your current life. So you need to find something from time to time to keep your life fresh. Only in this way can we avoid wanting to end our lives because of the erosion of time. And the way I think of to relieve loneliness is to pursue the woman I like—like Captain Unohana, for example,” Ishihara Akira sighed.

"That only shows that your will is not strong enough and your spiritual cultivation is not yet up to par," Retsu Unohana replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Maybe," Ishihara Sho shrugged.