Perhaps some Lieutenants could withstand the aftermath of Captain-level battles.
But that Lieutenant definitely wouldn't be Momo!
Unohana had a deep understanding of this point.
Putting aside other aspects, Momo's mentality, in Unohana's view, was simply too immature.
Without a doubt, Momo was unsuited for combat.
She seemed more like a vase kept by Aizen's side rather than truly possessing the qualities a Lieutenant should have.
However, no matter what, Momo was still the Lieutenant chosen by Aizen.
Now that Aizen was dead, Unohana couldn't bring herself to ignore Momo and immediately release her Reiatsu to fight Hitsugaya here.
Reminded by Unohana, Momo realized now wasn't the time for grief.
Aizen's body still needed her to retrieve it.
As for Hitsugaya...
The Toshiro who killed Captain Aizen was no longer her Toshiro...
"I leave it to you, Captain Unohana."
After speaking, under Unohana's astonished gaze, Momo flew to the high wall, retrieved Aizen's body, and then hurried towards the 4th Division.
And that Revolutionary Army's youth whom Unohana was wary of didn't take the opportunity to attack Momo.
Moreover, for some reason, Unohana faintly sensed a hint of dissonance.
But this dissonance was quickly pushed aside by Unohana.
For now, she should first capture this Revolutionary Army's Army Commander who killed Captain Aizen.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain to Yamamoto when he asked.
"Bakudo #63, Sajo Sabaku!"
With Unohana's soft chant, four golden chains appeared and assaulted Hitsugaya in mid-air.
After learning that Hitsugaya possessed a defensive technique comparable to Danku, Unohana naturally wouldn't use purely Hado to fight Hitsugaya.
To break Hitsugaya's Shinku Taso Hyoheki, Unohana judged that at least a Hado above #90 would be required.
However, even for Unohana, using Kido above #90 wasn't that easy.
At the very least, she didn't think Kido without incantation could break Hitsugaya's defense.
Therefore, it was better to first use Bakudo to restrain Hitsugaya, buying time to chant Kido incantations and secure victory in one move.
'Aizen, you bastard...'
Hitsugaya watched as Momo, ignoring his words, took away Aizen's Zanpakuto, and as the female Captain emitting powerful Reiatsu attacked him...
If he still couldn't guess this was related to Aizen's Zanpakuto ability at this point, he would be truly foolish.
"Army Commander Hitsugaya, my apologies."
"For the upcoming battle, Captain Unohana will temporarily take my place."
Aizen shattered the ice freezing him, smiled at Hitsugaya, then turned and left without hesitation.
"Wait, Aizen!"
Hitsugaya wanted to rush forward and ask Aizen what exactly he intended to do.
But unfortunately, the Bakudo released by Unohana had already arrived!
'What does that guy actually want to do?'
By now, Hitsugaya could clearly sense that Aizen wasn't an ordinary Captain.
However, no matter what he said to Unohana, she seemed not to hear him at all, only assaulting Hitsugaya with her Kido like a rainstorm.
…
"Whoosh!"
Golden light condensed in the underground training ground. The figures of Kyoya and Ichigo appeared within the light.
"Huh, Toshiro seems to be in quite some trouble..."
Throwing Ichigo into the training ground's hot spring, Kyoya tilted his head slightly.
Unohana, among the many Captains of the Gotei 13, was almost as troublesome as Yamamoto and Kyoraku.
Yamamoto's strength came from his Reiatsu, which had reached the peak of what a Shinigami could achieve, and his Zanpakuto Ryujin Jakka, the oldest and strongest fire-type Zanpakuto.
Kyoraku's difficulty lay in his Zanpakuto, which could turn games into reality, and his own combat wisdom.
As for Unohana, even if not in her 'Unohana Yachiru' state, her maxed-out Kido mastery was no less than that of the Great Kido Chief of the Seireitei's Kido Corps.
In terms of methods to deal with enemies, Kido offered far more variety than pure swordsmanship or Hakuda.
However, Kyoya still had some confidence in Hitsugaya.
Although he was still far from reaching Unohana's level, if Unohana only used Kido to deal with Hitsugaya, even if he couldn't win, escaping would be quite simple for him.
After checking on the several battlefields within the Seireitei and seeing they were still entangled with their respective opponents, Kyoya didn't pay them further attention.
Right now, Kyoya was more concerned about Ichigo's condition.
This underground training ground wasn't created by Kyoya but was the one from when Kyoya first sought out Kisuke.
The hot spring Ichigo was soaking in was also something Kisuke researched based on data about the [Blood Pool] left by the Zero Division's [Hot Spring Demon], Kirinji Tenjiro, used for recovering from injuries.
Of course, compared to Kirinji's Blood Pool, the hot spring created by Urahara Kisuke was still far inferior.
However, it was sufficient for healing Ichigo's injuries.
Looking closely at this protagonist from the Big Three Shonen Manga he liked most, the corners of Kyoya's mouth unconsciously lifted slightly.
In Japanese Anime, even if the protagonist starts as a commoner, they later give the protagonist a very notable background.
In Naruto, the protagonist Uzumaki Naruto's father was initially the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, his mother was the second Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, and later he was directly revealed to be the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths' youngest son.
One Piece was similar… Luffy's father was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, his grandfather was a Marine Hero, his mentor was an Emperor of the Sea, and later even his Devil Fruit changed from an ordinary Paramecia Gomu Gomu no Mi to the Mythical Zoan-type, Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
Similarly, as one of the Big Three, Ichigo naturally couldn't escape such origins.
From an ordinary boy, to the son of a former 10th Division's Captain and a pure-blooded Quincy, to being called the son of the Quincy Progenitor by Yhwach himself...
What Kyoya liked about Ichigo was that, compared to the other two, Ichigo seemed more like an 'ordinary person'.
He had the ability to become the [Soul King], but not the heart to become the Soul King.
All his battles were for 'protecting' the people he cared about, and he never concerned himself with how the world would change because of it.
Breaking into the Seireitei was to save Rukia, who saved him and gave him power.
Invading Hueco Mundo was to save Orihime.
Entering Hell was to save his sister.
Fighting Yhwach was to understand what Uryu was thinking.
To those who tried to preach grand philosophies to him, Ichigo would retort with 'What are you talking about?' to mock them.
Well, of course, it wasn't that Ichigo was truly mocking them, but rather that those people who had lived for hundreds or thousands of years, trying to make a teenager understand them, was simply asking too much of Ichigo.
He only did what he believed was right.
Such was the spirit of youth.
"Hmm, where is this?"
An unfamiliar voice reached Kyoya's ears, pulling him out of his reminiscence.
Looking up, he saw Ichigo, whose injuries had mostly healed, had awakened from his coma and was looking around in the hot spring.
"This is a training ground privately built by the former 12th Division's Captain, Urahara."
"You were severely injured in your battle with the 7th Division's Captain. Seeing no one was taking care of you, I brought you here for temporary shelter."
"Captain Urahara?"
Ichigo was stunned, "The Urahara Captain this person mentioned... is that Urahara Kisuke?"
Looking at the familiar surroundings, Ichigo confirmed his guess in his heart.
"Thank you for saving my life, Senpai."
Ichigo glanced at the healed wound on his chest and thanked Kyoya.
He was well aware of how severe his injuries were before.
If no one had treated him, he would undoubtedly have died.
Although among their group, Orihime's ability was incredibly powerful, enough to fully heal him in a short time, but where was Inoue at that time?
How could she have treated him?
"By the way, Senpai, how long was I unconscious?"
Ichigo stepped out of the hot spring, put on his Shihakusho, and quickly asked Kyoya.
Their main purpose for breaking into the Seireitei was to rescue Miyako.
If he had been unconscious for too long and missed the chance to save Miyako, then...
Seeing Ichigo's concern, Kyoya smiled and reassured him, "You were only unconscious for less than an hour."
"I know what you want to do. Don't worry."
"The Central 46 just passed the judgment. 13th Division's Third Seat, Shiba Miyako, for transferring Shinigami power to a human without authorization, will be executed in three days."
"So, young man, you still have three days."
"Thank you, Senpai."
Ichigo nodded to Kyoya in thanks, slung his Zanpakuto over his back, and prepared to leave.
"You're just going to leave like that?"
Hearing Kyoya's question, Ichigo placed his hand on his Zanpakuto's hilt.
Although this person had saved him, if they tried to stop him, Ichigo wouldn't just let himself be controlled.
As for the debt of saving his life, he could repay it after rescuing Miyako!
"Ah, Miyako-nee is waiting for me."
'Also, Uryu, Inoue, and Sado were waiting for me too!'
'If they couldn't sense my Reiatsu, they would probably be worried, right?'
"Then have you considered whether, with your current strength, you can actually rescue Third Seat Shiba?"
Kyoya got up from the rock he was sitting on and jumped down, walking towards Ichigo.
"The one you fought earlier was the 7th Division's Captain of the Gotei 13, Komamura Sajin."
"Your battle with him was essentially a draw where both sides were severely injured."
"But did you know that Komamura Sajin's strength is considered among the lowest among the Gotei 13 Captains?"
"If you struggled so much against Komamura Sajin, how will you handle the Captains who are stronger than him?"
Ichigo's hand gripping Zangetsu's hilt tightened abruptly.
'Yeah, if the Gotei 13's Captains were all stronger than that Captain Komamura, could we really rescue Miyako-nee?'
'No!'
This thought only flashed through Ichigo's mind before he suppressed it.
'No matter how strong the enemies were, I would defeat them all and rescue Miyako-nee!'
"There's nothing to handle."
"I'll just use the sword in my hand to defeat every single one of them!"
"Such determination!"
Kyoya took a step forward and instantly appeared in front of Ichigo, one hand pressing down on Ichigo's shoulder.
"When did he...?"
Ichigo's pupils contracted sharply.
He hadn't even seen when Kyoya moved to his side.
"And..."
The pressure from the hand on his shoulder made Ichigo feel as if he were carrying a mountain, rendering him unable to move.
"But, young man, this world is very pragmatic."
"If you don't have sufficient strength, then no matter how strong your will is, you'll only be able to endure more pain than ordinary people."
"If you don't want to have regrets, what you should do is seize every opportunity to become stronger, learn from your enemies' combat experience, break through your own limits, and make yourself stronger than everyone else!"
"Then, your will, backed by your power, will be taken seriously by everyone."
"Those who go against your wishes will have to consider whether they can withstand your wrath."
"Conversely, if you're just an ant that can be crushed easily, no matter how loudly you scream, who would listen to your cries?"
"Some might even find your screams annoying and crush you outright, just to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet..."
"Now, do you still think you can protect your friends and rescue Third Seat Shiba?"
'This guy is incredibly strong!'
Ichigo was inwardly shocked.
Even when facing Komamura, Ichigo could still muster the will to resist.
But with this Shinigami who saved him pressing on his shoulder, Ichigo felt that if he even thought about resisting, his entire body would cry out in refusal.
That was his survival instinct!
This feeling made Ichigo realize just how feeble he was before this strange Shinigami!
However, from Kyoya's words, Ichigo could understand one thing.
That is, this strange Shinigami appeared to want to teach him something.
"Teach me, I beg you!"
Although Ichigo guessed Kyoya's intention, he didn't wait for Kyoya to speak first. Instead, he actively requested it from Kyoya.
He had to admit that Kyoya's words had gotten through to him.
Whether it was protecting Uryu, Sado, and Inoue, or rescuing Miyako, he needed more powerful strength!