One month later.
4th Division's Training Grounds.
"Getsuga Tensho!"
"Licht Regen!"
A black crescent moon shot out in a ring, supplemented by countless arrows falling like rain.
Before them were countless winding and twisted, vine-like crimson blades, and a deep pool of blood!
In various forms, these blades slashed at Ichigo from all directions!
The Getsuga Tensho and Licht Regen had just erupted, destroying a large swath of the vine-like blood blades.
Immediately, even more blood blades replenished them!
As if each blood blade had its own controller, employing all sorts of sword techniques… treacherous, despicable, honorable, or winning with unexpected moves… these variously shaped blood blades also executed a variety of skills.
At this moment, Ichigo resembled Master Ye having to fight ten opponents at once. (T/N: Referring to Ip Man Movie.)
Holding a single Tensa Zangetsu, Ichigo continuously parried the surrounding blades!
Using the extreme speed of his Bankai, facing many simultaneously arriving blades, Ichigo spun himself into a top!
However, what he faced were not fists, nor were they the small fry and extras Master Ye confronted in the movie.
Ultimately, one-against-many scenarios in movies are specifically choreographed and arranged fight scenes!
Such scenarios are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to appear in reality!
As master in Zanjutsu, Unohana could make each blood blade equal to a master swordsman.
Within the massive blood blade sword formation, under the siege of countless master swordsmen, Ichigo lasted only three minutes before his body spurted blood from a hundred slashes, collapsing exhausted!
This was Unohana's Bankai: Minazuki! (T/N: The Minazuki here is written with different Kanji from the Shikai's Minazuki.)
Upon Bankai, Unohana's blade and the surrounding environment would spread a wide range of blood. The blade transformed into extendable and bendable blood blades.
Unlike the healing of her Shikai, Unohana's Bankai was the reverse of her Shikai.
If Minazuki's ability in Shikai is to heal life, then Minazuki in Bankai is to take life, to drain blood.
The drained blood could then be transformed into blood blades!
This is somewhat similar to Hidan's Death Controlling Possessed Blood.
But Minazuki is stronger than Death Controlling Possessed Blood, and it only needs to cut the enemy to drain their blood, then use the blood to create blood blades.
Because Unohana is a master in Zanjutsu, she can precisely control each blade to deliver exquisite slashes. This is a Bankai perfect for both single combat and group battles.
It can be said, this is a perfect person, controlling a perfect Bankai!
Of course, this was just training, so Unohana didn't activate the blood-draining ability.
Dispelling her Bankai, Unohana stepped forward, looking down at Ichigo lying on the ground with a teasing smile:
"Not bad, Ichigo. Your progress is significant, going from collapsing in three seconds to lasting three minutes so quickly."
"Very good, very good!"
Hearing Unohana's words, Ichigo rolled his eyes helplessly:
"Three seconds to three minutes..."
"Sister Hana, for a moment I don't know if you're praising me or mocking me!"
"Of course, I'm praising you!"
Smiling brightly, Unohana walked up to Ichigo. Not minding the blood all over the ground, she knelt down, placed Ichigo's head on her lap, and began healing.
Feeling the familiar, tingling sensation of recovery all over his body, and the fragrance of a beauty that even the smell of blood couldn't mask, Ichigo took a deep breath and relaxed.
The fatigue of battle gradually eased.
Looking up at the massive presence blocking his view of Unohana's face, Ichigo sighed with emotion:
"If Renji and the others knew that after being slashed, instead of being swallowed by Minazuki, they'd get Sister Hana's lap pillow treatment, I wonder if they'd grit their teeth and persist."
"If it were me, I'd definitely persist. After all, if I could enjoy Sister Hana's gentleness, then mere sword wounds... Ouch!"
Unohana, with a sly smile, inserted her finger into one of Ichigo's wounds.
"Ouch ouch ouch, I was wrong!" Ichigo begged for mercy.
"Hmph!" From an angle he couldn't see, she gently withdrew the finger she had inserted into Ichigo's wound. A faint smile curled at the corner of Unohana's mouth as she playfully scolded:
"See if you'll keep being glib."
"Clearly a young lad, but acts like an old slickster. I don't know how Rukia puts up with you."
Hearing this, Ichigo said cheekily:
"True, Rukia can't put up with me, so she faints every time. I don't know if Sister Hana has any medicine here that could help her."
"Hehe!" Listening to Ichigo, Unohana was successfully amused. "Medicine? So you're saying your body is very good, huh?!"
"Alright, alright, just average, I guess. Capable of nightly sessions, able to pull all-nighters, that level."
Ichigo boasted shamelessly.
Of course, 'nightly sessions' was an exaggeration, so Ichigo was actually referring to Rukia.
Ten outbursts in one night, even Sode no Shirayuki would melt. If her future Bankai, Hakka no Togame, were placed here, it could probably thaw without danger.
But who was Unohana? A big sister over a thousand years old. Ichigo's two lifetimes combined didn't even amount to a fraction of Unohana's years. Could Ichigo really tease her?
Moving Ichigo's head a bit outward so he could see her, Unohana looked down at Ichigo, her expression changing to dangerous and bloodthirsty:
"Then get up for another round? Let's see how much blood you have left to shed, if you can shed enough for ten nightly sessions? I'll calculate it as a thousand milliliters per session? How about it, want to try?"
Saying this, Unohana gripped Minazuki at her waist again.
"Uh... no, no, forget it." Ichigo's face paled.
An adult male's total blood volume is about 4500 to 5000 milliliters. A thousand milliliters of blood would cause him to faint on the spot!
Even though his blood production ability became strong after becoming a Shinigami, he couldn't withstand that kind of drain.
But Ichigo still refused to admit defeat verbally:
"Sister Hana, I don't think we need to use the conversion of one essence equals ten blood to prove it by bleeding. Change the battlefield, and I can definitely prove myself!"
"Hehe! Still thinking about changing battlefields? You can talk after you can defeat me!"
Unohana chuckled lightly, poking Ichigo's forehead, not taking his words seriously.
Because Unohana's training was excessively brutal, the other Lieutenants and seated officers, even those from the combat-focused 11th Division, gave up after just over ten days.
So, recently, only Ichigo had been persevering with Unohana's swordsmanship education.
Of course, he wasn't like Zaraki who fed on battle.
Unohana's blades truly cut into your body. Being slashed into critical condition daily, then recovering, then critical again, recovering again, fighting to the death until utterly exhausted.
Not many people could persist with such a routine without a bit of masochism or mental aberration.
Even Zaraki, who fed on battle in Muken, saw Unohana as a terrifying skeleton hallucination, didn't he?
Therefore, distraction was very important.
Unrestrained conversation, Unohana's solo benefit distributions, and occasional physical contact were also indispensable parts after becoming familiar.
And having been giving Ichigo personal treatment for so long, Unohana was very familiar with his body.
Simultaneously, the sword wounds she inflicted were specifically planned from the moment of the slash.
This is a medical student for you… slashing you forty-eight times, each slash non-lethal!