4th Division, General Relief Station.
"Alright! That's all clean!"
Yamada Hanataro wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking with satisfaction at the hallway he had just scrubbed clean.
The sun was high, making the wooden floors gleam.
After a hard job, looking out the window gave him a unique sense of fulfillment.
"Yamada."
Startled, Hanataro turned to see a serious, yellow-haired man in glasses walking toward him.
It was the 4th Division 3rd Seat, Iemura Yasochika.
"Good work. Making a 7th Seat do this kind of chore..."
"It's my duty, sir! A clean environment is good for the patients' recovery. Besides, the Relief Station is so large, and we're short-staffed. I had the time, and I can't stand to watch everyone else work so hard. It's better to help with the chores."
Looking at the small, smiling officer, Iemura felt a deep sense of pride.
This was 4th Division talent.
He was a bit cowardly, but he was worlds better than that 8th Seat, Ogidō Harunobu, who was always ruining Iemura's reputation.
Plus, Hanataro was the one who could handle the task of treating those barbarians from the 11th Division.
"Oh, right."
Iemura suddenly remembered something.
"7th Seat Yamada."
"Sir!"
The formal address made Hanataro snap to attention.
"Recently... have the men from the 11th Division been coming here less often?"
"Ah? Um, yes, that's right."
After all, of all the Gotei 13, the 11th Division was the most trouble.
They were either fighting or on their way to a fight.
They'd finish a battle on the front lines, then go right back to their barracks to spar.
It was common for them to get new wounds before the old ones even healed.
There were a lot of them, their injuries were severe, and their attitudes were terrible. The workload was intense. Dumping all of them on Hanataro alone, even with his medical skill, was overwhelming.
It was almost impossible for him to find a whole day to just... clean.
Therefore, this situation could only mean one thing—
The 11th Division's patient-visit frequency had plummeted.
While that was a good thing in one sense, it was also... very wrong.
"Um... is something wrong, 3rd Seat Iemura?"
Hanataro, seeing his superior's dark expression, cautiously asked.
"There is definitely something wrong," Iemura's brow furrowed.
"Any other division, fine. But the 11th Division's patient numbers are down. This must be the result of some... unknown 'incident'."
"An 'incident'... It's probably not that serious, is it?" Hanataro scratched his cheek.
The next second, Iemura was in his face, looming over him like a mountain.
"7th Seat Yamada, you fail to grasp the severity of the situation!"
"This is the 11th Division we're talking about! Can you imagine them settling down? Can you imagine them not getting themselves covered in wounds!?"
"Well... that is a little hard to imagine," Hanataro said, holding his hands up in surrender, sweating and smiling nervously.
"Exactly! There's something fishy going on. I will get to the bottom of this. I swear on the pride of the 4th Division! I will not allow anyone to say the 4th Division has a 'problem,' and that's why no one is coming here!"
Iemura regained his composure, adjusting his glasses, his voice low and firm.
Just then, a nurse came running down the hall.
"—7th Seat Yamada! Oh, 3rd Seat Iemura, you're here too! Sorry to interrupt, but the 11th Division just brought in a patient!"
Hanataro and Iemura instinctively looked at each other.
"Let's go! This is our chance to get some answers!"
"Eh! Eh!"
Before Hanataro could even accept the task, Iemura grabbed him and sprinted aggressively toward the medical bay.
They'd just reached the door when they heard a loud commotion inside.
And the things being said were infuriating.
"What?! Three hours of rest before my arm works? Can't you do something?! I've got a man's duel tomorrow! Are you trying to make me miss it!"
"Hey! [Tsk] Why can't I get it wet?! So what if the cut on my chest is a little big? It's a sword wound! It proves how brave I was to beat my opponent! It's a badge of honor! And you're telling me, after I worked so hard to win, I can't even take a bath?! Is this how you treat a warrior?! When is the 4th Division's healing standard going to get better!?"
"Man, if I hadn't lost my 'supply' in a bet, who would want to come to the 4th Division? You're just a bunch of cowards hiding in the back. Our division has guys who know battlefield first-aid, and they can still pick up a sword and fight! Look at you! If the enemy was at the gates, you'd just keep being ostriches!"
"Forget it. Just give me something to stop the bleeding and wrap it up. I'm not wasting any more time on you."
Outside the door, Hanataro was trembling. Not from anger, but from the dark aura rolling off Iemura and his face, which was as black as charcoal.
BANG!
Iemura slammed the door open, his icy gaze falling on the burly men harassing the nurses.
"You..."
"WE'RE SORRY!"
The five huge, menacing 11th Division brutes instantly dropped into a deep dogeza bow.
Iemura's white-hot rage was stuck in his throat. He froze, unsure what to say.
Are these... really 11th Division guys?
The thought had just crossed his mind when a slender hand gently rested on his shoulder.
A soft, orchid-scented voice sounded by his ear.
"3rd Seat Iemura. You were a bit loud with the door. Please be gentler next time."
"?!"
Iemura's body went rigid. A fine layer of cold sweat covered his brow. He looked at the row of kneeling brutes and finally understood.
"Yes, Captain Unohana. I will."
"Very good."
Iemura respectfully stepped aside. The gentle woman, who had appeared behind him at some unknown point, smiled, her eyes closed, and turned her attention to the 11th Division men.
"Everyone, if you have a complaint about the 4th Division, perhaps you should tell me directly. Why trouble my subordinates?"
The brutes' faces went deathly pale, as if all the blood—and courage—had been drained from their bodies.
"No complaints! None at all! We were just... uh... acting!"
"Right! Acting!"
"To fool the enemy! Pretending to be in conflict, to lower their guard!"
"Oh my, is that so?"
Unohana Retsu's smile was radiant.
"Well, since you have no complaints to make, allow me to make one."
"Please, go ahead!" The brutes' smiles were uglier than tears.
"To my knowledge, the 11th Division's operational frequency has not decreased. Yet, your patient visits have. If I'm not mistaken, you've found... another means of treatment. Correct?"
Unohana's words were a bomb.
Iemura couldn't help but look at her. 'Captain Unohana already knew?'
"This..."
The brutes looked at each other, cursing their luck.
They regretted coming here.
This was bad.
Seeing them hesitate, trading glances, Unohana's smile remained, but her voice was laced with deep meaning.
"Allow me to remind you of one thing. I am a Captain. I am not quite the same as the subordinates you spoke of... the ones who 'can only stay in the back.' I am one who can pick up a sword and fight."
"?!?!"
...
The next day, Medical Analysis Lab.
"As expected of Captain Unohana. You uncovered the truth so quickly."
"We must also thank the 11th Division members for their... unconditional cooperation."
Hearing Unohana's modest words, Iemura and Vice-Captain Isane Kotetsu's mouths twitched. 'With you "asking," did they have a choice?'
The sheer authority to make the entire 11th Division bow their heads was something only two or three people in the Soul Society possessed. If anyone else had tried this, it would have been a disaster.
"By the way... this is the medicine that's been keeping the 11th Division away?"
Isane looked curiously at the small vial on the test bench.
The bottle itself was nothing special, just a cheap, common vial.
The liquid inside, however... was murky. A pale yellow, almost like sake.
When they uncorked it, there was no smell.
But according to the 11th Division members, you drink it, go to the bathroom... and all your wounds disappear.
Of course, it didn't work on severe injuries.
Things like missing-limbs or destroyed-organs.
But... short of that, even a deep sword wound, from the shoulder blade to the abdomen, clear down to the bone... it could heal it.
That... was incredible.
When the 4th Division handled such cases, it required an entire treatment team—a dozen people—working for an or two just to stabilize the patient, followed by days of careful recovery.
And those barbarians from the 11th Division... just chugged one 100ml vial, used the toilet, and were back to new.
When they first heard it, Isane and Iemura found it impossible to believe.
But the proof was right in front of them.
Thankfully, Unohana's "personal charm" had convinced a few of the men to part with their "supply" for research.
She needed to determine if it was harmful.
As for the rest... they'd wait for the analysis.
After several hours, Isane and Iemura were sweating.
"I can't identify the components at all."
"It's... 90% mineral water? That's impossible! What kind of water has this kind of effect?"
"It's hot spring water."
"?"
The two instinctively looked at Unohana.
"Captain? What did you say?"
"It's hot spring water," Unohana repeated softly.
But they still didn't understand.
They were even more confused than when they thought it was just "water."
Hot... spring... water?
-------
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