Chapter 261 Bees and Snakes

Chapter 261: Bee and Snake

This point was clearer to none of the captains present than to Retsu Unohana!

Over fifty years of uninterrupted swordplay with the Soul Society's first Kenpachi had practically ingrained certain things into Senju Makoto's instincts.

The way of the sword... is instinct!

Thus, Senju Makoto understood why Unohana rarely drew her sword, and why, when she did, her urge and instinct to kill would erupt almost uncontrollably.

Even the current Senju Makoto wouldn't dare to casually draw his sword and adopt a sword-fighting stance.

It was precisely for this reason that Senju Makoto was finding it quite difficult to watch Suì-Fēng and Gin Ichimaru, who were now fully engaged in combat.

In just these brief moments of exchange, both Suì-Fēng and Gin Ichimaru had gathered the necessary information from their initial probing, and then, without hesitation, released their Zanpakutō.

"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!"

"Shoot to kill, Shinso!"

A flash of white light grazed past Suì-Fēng's ear, almost imperceptibly, and in the next instant, Suì-Fēng's figure flickered, appearing behind Gin Ichimaru.

A slight stinging sensation, like a bee sting, reached Gin Ichimaru's nerves for a moment, and Gin Ichimaru shifted his body, his Zanpakutō, Shinso, once again concealed in his sleeve, thrusting towards Suì-Fēng behind him.

For a moment, the opening that Suì-Fēng seemed to have seized was more like a trap set by a venomous snake.

'To help Lord Senju ascend, I have no choice but to ask you to step down!'

Gin Ichimaru's usually squinted eyes opened slightly, revealing a resolute and sharp determination.

In that instant, Suì-Fēng's Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, which had pierced towards Gin Ichimaru, hadn't had time to retract, and her body was still in an attacking posture.

The Secret Mobile Unit naturally kept records of the information of the Gotei 13's Shinigami, and Gin Ichimaru's Zanpakutō abilities were among them.

However, Suì-Fēng hadn't expected the extension and retraction speed of Shinso to be so terrifying. Even though she had launched her attack the moment Shinso extended, in just a fraction of a second, Shinso had already retracted and launched a precise second strike.

It wasn't just the Zanpakutō's ability; more importantly, Gin Ichimaru's precise attack, like a venomous snake's fangs, amplified the offensive power of Shinso!

At this moment, as Shinso approached Suì-Fēng at a terrifying speed, about to pierce her from behind Gin Ichimaru...

"Secret Step, Shifō's Third, Utsusemi!"

"Puchi!"

The sound of clothing being pierced was clearly audible!

However, Gin Ichimaru's eyes first glanced at the slowly blooming "Hōmonka" pattern on his back, and then shifted to Suì-Fēng, who had retreated a hundred meters away, unharmed.

Only the black Secret Mobile Unit uniform that Suì-Fēng had been wearing had vanished, as if it were a cicada's discarded shell that had absorbed the attack, revealing her battle attire with her back and shoulders exposed.

The killing intent... gradually intensified between the two.

Especially Suì-Fēng, whose face clearly showed resentment, said with her still somewhat youthful face.

"Forced to use that annoying woman's technique, how unpleasant, Gin Ichimaru."

"Oh? Annoying woman?"

Gin Ichimaru's expression remained unfathomable. "Could it be the rumored Shunshin Yoruichi, who abandoned you and betrayed Seireitei?"

However, Suì-Fēng's reaction was unusually calm, as she slowly said. "Trying to provoke me with such clumsy methods? How naive..."

"Hate is just hate. Abandoning her own glory, forsaking countless subordinates who sacrificed their lives for her, betraying the beliefs of the Secret Mobile Unit, she is nothing but a disgrace to the Secret Mobile Unit and the Second Division."

Gin Ichimaru squinted his eyes, mockingly as if in admiration. "I see, so you've reached the point where you can completely discard the person you once admired?"

Being repeatedly whipped over her psychological wounds by Gin Ichimaru only made the look of disgust on Suì-Fēng's face deepen.

"What an unpleasant fellow..."

"My Bankai isn't suitable for frontal combat, nor is it suitable for release within the First Division, so I might as well let you witness that power!"

Then, Suì-Fēng raised her head slightly, looking at Senju Makoto, who appeared somewhat worried and conflicted on the other side.

'Don't worry, Makoto-kun, I won't lose...'

'What I possess now is the power I've mastered under Makoto-kun's guidance, and what I hold onto is the bond between us. Today... will be the day Makoto-kun and I ascend to captain together!'

In the next moment, under Senju Makoto's gaze, who couldn't help but rub his forehead, Suì-Fēng suddenly erupted a large amount of high-density white Kidō from her back and shoulders, enveloping her entire body in a layer of white light.

"Shunko!"

In that instant, not only did Gin Ichimaru's squinted eyes open a little, but the expressions of the surrounding captains also showed a hint of astonishment.

'What is this?!'

Obviously, after Yoruichi Shihōin had initially perfected Shunko, she had never used it in front of outsiders.

And now, as Shunko made its first official appearance in public, it undoubtedly astonished the captains.

"What kind of form is this?"

"Special Kidō? No, it's not just Kidō, it seems to be a combination of Kidō and something else!"

"This isn't a Zanpakutō ability, is it a special combat technique she developed herself? Genius! Suì-Fēng is definitely a genius!"

...

For a moment, many captains, witnessing Shunko for the first time, couldn't help but give it high praise.

The aftershocks alone were enough to prove that it undoubtedly possessed destructive power comparable to many Zanpakutō's Bankai.

Only Senju Makoto's expression remained unchanged. How much she had trained, did Senju Makoto not know?

In these fifty years, although Senju Makoto had been forced to bleed in the hot springs countless times, he had never forgotten to occasionally make up for his shortcomings in Hakuda, and by the way, guide Suì-Fēng's training in Shunko based on the booklet left by Yoruichi Shihōin.

Of course, Senju Makoto explained Shunko to Suì-Fēng by saying: he had such an idea...

Thankfully, Suì-Fēng's trust in Senju Makoto was maxed out, and she had been training in Shunko according to Senju Makoto's advice.

Coupled with Senju Makoto's understanding of spiritual bodies, it undoubtedly allowed Suì-Fēng to avoid countless detours in completely mastering Shunko.

Thus, Suì-Fēng mastered Shunko almost fifty years earlier than in the original timeline.

(End of chapter)