The only player in the world of Bleach

"Young man, how much do you know about the legacy of the Eleventh Division and the name Kenpachi?"

Is this considered a job entrance exam?

What's with this "founding members evaluating the next CEO" nonsense...

Yusuke Matsushita briefly explained his understanding of the Eleventh Division and related plot points.

"Ha, isn't everything already pretty clear?"

"Uh... well, it's alright."

"Since that's the case, I'll get straight to the point. This squad is in charge of something extremely special, which for ordinary people... is literally a 'burden'. To be honest, I didn't think you would take on this mess at first."

The two left the nearby area and strolled to a place closer to the wilderness.

Although this area is still within the Seireitei, it is basically close to the area where it borders Rukongai... Usually, very few people come to this area.

In a sense, it can also be considered an 'undeveloped' area of ​​Seireitei.

Unohana Retsu walked ahead with a flat, even voice, revealing no emotion.

"Young man, defeating Oni-no-Kage is your achievement. However... what exactly is your purpose in wanting to become the captain of the 11th Division?"

Yusuke Matsushita scratched the back of his head.

For the mission rewards?

Don't stop me from playing Stardew Valley!

"Perhaps...it's just to become stronger?"

They all ended up at the same destination, despite their different paths.

Unohana Retsu glanced at him without changing her expression, seemingly quite surprised by the answer.

"Is what you consider strength just fame and honor?"

Uh… she seems to have misunderstood something? Although, according to Matsushita Yusuke’s description, he is indeed easily seen as someone who values ​​reputation highly.

But that's not the case, you have to understand me, sister!

Yusuke Matsushita wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"I just feel that... simply working in isolation is useless. If I become a captain, I will have more opportunities to communicate with the experts in Soul Society... I think that's very important."

Just coming up with these words already shows how much effort they put into it.

Yusuke Matsushita glanced over nervously, but could only catch a glimpse of Retsu Unohana's expressionless face.

It's hard to say whether I'm happy or sad.

But in short... she was indeed silent for quite a while.

"It seems that young people today are indeed very different from those of our generation..."

It can't be that bad, can it?

It's simply because Matsushita Yusuke's reasons are somewhat unique.

Before the person involved could explain their ideas and thoughts on this matter, Retsu Unohana had already started talking on her own.

"Although the process was a little different, the result was always good... I was being a bit too harsh. But since you've already done it, I have to admire your courage and boldness... Young man, I misjudged you."

—Actually, I didn't want to take on this mess either; it's absolutely awful.

"It's a rare occasion today. If it weren't for my duty, I would like to share a cup of sake with you and learn about the new Kenpachi's philosophy."

Why do older generations like to drink alcohol? Why not lemon-flavored sparkling water?

"But after thinking it over, I still feel that such behavior is too pretentious... It goes against our principles and is not the style of the Eleventh Division."

—Not drinking again? What's going on...?

Suddenly, Retsu Unohana stopped in her tracks, turned halfway to the side, and looked at Yusuke Matsushita.

He deftly drew the sword from his waist.

"Using martial arts to build friendships is the right way."

So, in the end, we still have to fight a match first?!

Looking at the barren landscape around him, Yusuke Matsushita couldn't help but sigh.

So, my friend brought me here for a reason? It just goes to show that not being on the same wavelength as this crazy woman is a real problem.

"Do we really have to fight a match, Captain Unohana?"

I think we can have a talk?

The latter gave a soft "hmm," the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in a rather subtle arc.

"Don't worry, young man. I have no problem with your idea; I just want to see how good you are... It's like the thrill of seeing a prey, you should understand, right?"

No, I can't, I don't understand at all, don't lump me in with people like you!

Matsushita Yusuke screamed inwardly, but his hands didn't stop moving, and he quickly assumed a defensive stance.

"That's more like it."

Unohana Retsu gave a rather chilling smile.

"After all, it's just verbal communication, doesn't it feel a bit too 'bland'?"

As soon as he finished speaking...

The familiar prompt appeared before Matsushita Yusuke's eyes, and he raised an eyebrow, his heart stirring slightly.

This has actually come out... It seems this battle really is something special?

Let me see!

[A Battle with Retsu Unohana]

119: Swastika

[A Battle with Retsu Unohana]

[Synopsis: Retsu Unohana's dedication to the Eleventh Division far exceeds expectations. She has always believed that only the strongest deserve such a title... and whether you can reach that level is a crucial 'metric' for her. Regardless of victory or defeat in this battle, you will receive corresponding rewards, but... it's obvious...]

You can get more rewards if you win.

[Reward: If you win, you will receive (the designated Zanpakuto's Bankai); if you lose, you will receive (a biological Zanpakuto +10)]

Regardless of what the old woman's taste is like.

This task itself already has so many flaws!

'There's a difference between victory rewards and defeat rewards? Holy crap, that's seriously awesome, really cool!'

The two situations are different.

If you've already won... well, let's not talk about that, just specify Bankai.

And it's without any prefix! This means that if the conditions are met, Matsushita Yusuke can even directly designate a 'rule-based' Zanpakuto, allowing this little brother, who hasn't even achieved Shikai yet, to directly achieve a level of strength akin to 'ascending from the ground'.

That's incredible.

However, the basic situation is as described before...

The more extravagant the reward, the more unrealistic the difficulty becomes.

The fact that this reward has been "inflated" to such an extent must be an incredibly difficult feat for Yusuke Matsushita to achieve at present.

After a brief moment of thought and weighing the pros and cons, Matsushita Yusuke quickly made a decision.

'I think it will be very difficult for me to meet this condition for victory...'

While confidence is important, the opponent is a madwoman, so we must be prepared for the worst.

Fortunately, even if he was beaten to his knees, he still had a guaranteed 'Biological +10', so Matsushita Yusuke quickly adjusted his mindset and prepared to fight back.

I'll make a profit either way.

What are you afraid of?

"Then I'll have to offend you!"

Seeing that Matsushita Yusuke had switched to his new mode in an instant, Unohana Retsu's eyes also lit up noticeably.

Not bad.

"To be able to get into the zone so quickly... I'm sure you're no ordinary person!"

The tone of the last word rose more than three feet in the air, and Unohana Retsu's figure flashed, and in the blink of an eye, she had already pounced in front of him.

So fast!

This is not a description, but a statement.

Before Matsushita Yusuke could even draw his sword, Unohana Retsu was already in front of him.

Dive down, leap lightly, white light billows...

The series of movements was executed in one smooth motion. Unohana Retsu's figure flashed, and after a series of maneuvers, she swung her sword down!

Although there was still some distance between them, it now felt like a fleeting moment.

The movements were executed with a high degree of precision and were extremely aggressive.

There was no time to stop it!

Matsushita Yusuke felt the hairs on his body stand on end and subconsciously uttered three words.

"Mountain-top Crystal!"

Whoosh... Bang!

The Zanpakuto that came hurtling towards them did not drink blood, but instead struck the crystal that suddenly appeared.

A series of translucent crystalline objects appeared around Matsushita Yusuke, and it was these objects that were blocking Unohana Retsu's attack.

The latter raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone quite amused.

"The Way of the Ghosts?"

Binding Path No. 73: Mountain-Reversing Crystal.

In the original work, it was used by some vice-captains as a temporary medical room, which also served as an isolation and defense mechanism.

Logically speaking, it would be impossible to block an attack from a captain-level enemy, so Matsushita Yusuke himself took many measures... and carried out some minor, customized modifications.

Unohana Retsu let out a soft "whoosh," a hint of appreciation in her eyes.

"It's slightly different."

Unlike the cone-shaped object in the original work, Yusuke Matsushita simply constructed a transparent object similar to tempered glass.

However, this is only what appears to be 'fragile'.

Unohana Retsu turned around and slashed again, the blade momentarily halting, and smashed open the 'layer' once more.

Crystals are not a single structure.

Instead, it was the result of Yusuke Matsushita stacking them to make them thicker and stronger.

Breaking through is not an easy thing... but it's not difficult either.

Retsu Unohana leaped forward, her body swirling like a whirlwind. Her blade slammed into the crystal barrier, shattering it layer by layer!

Yusuke Matsushita felt a chill run down his spine.

Shouldn't a normal person avoid this angle and attack other parts of the body instead?

If you just crash into me head-on, how am I supposed to use the methods I prepared beforehand? This isn't how battles between Grim Reapers are supposed to go... I won't accept it!

Bang!!

The mountain crystal shattered completely. Matsushita Yusuke watched the blade flash as he stepped forward. At this moment, he could only grit his teeth, grip the blade tightly with both hands, and block it in front of him.

However, the expected blade did not fall.

Instead, a slender hand suddenly appeared from the left, squeezing into Matsushita Yusuke's defenses.

"I'm doomed"—the thought had barely crossed my mind when a hard slap landed on my face.

Snapped!

Yusuke Matsushita was thrown out like a kite with a broken string.