In the end, battles between Shinigami are battles of reiatsu. No matter how powerful the rule or ability, it still needs to be backed by spiritual pressure.
The thing before him now might be the Soul King's right hand, but it had lived inside Ukitake for so long that it had become a symbiotic existence with him. Earlier, Nobu had made Ukitake disperse most of his reiatsu precisely to weaken the right hand's power.
Without that, there was no way Nobu could have so easily used his Zanpakutō to restrain it.
Once the right hand realized it had been caught inside Nobu's rules, it grew violently agitated, black tendrils shooting out from its form, lashing toward both the reishi barrier around them and toward Nobu himself.
But the result was the same as before — no matter what it did, it was bound to its starting point, every action dragged back again and again.
This went on for quite some time. With only a small trace of reiatsu left to it, the Soul King's right hand gradually began to weaken.
At that moment, the reishi barrier abruptly contracted, the single large sphere splitting into two, separating Nobu and the black hand into their own spaces.
Nobu manipulated the reishi, drawing the black hand slowly down to the ground.
The enormous eye on its back still fixed him in its gaze. By now, it no longer had any strength left for meaningful resistance.
Nobu considered how best to deal with it.
The safest way would be to keep it trapped here and hand it over to the Thirteenth Division, then wash his hands of the matter.
But if he did that… wouldn't all his effort have been for nothing?
He stepped forward slowly, studying the black hand for a moment, then suddenly reached out his own hand, extending it into the reishi barrier.
The black hand seized the opening at once, surging wildly toward his arm.
A rush of vertigo hit him. When his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a space suffused with white light, the ground beneath him a shallow pool of water.
Not far ahead, a creature shaped like an arm "stood" there. It was much like the black hand from before, but this one had flesh and blood, more like an actual human arm — though the clenched fingers and the enormous eye opening on its back still gave it an uncanny, unsettling air.
It wore white robes wrapped with drifting white ribbons, giving it, strangely, a faint air of divinity.
Unlike outside, the "eye" now showed no hostility, only endless indifference.
Nobu glanced at his own arm, then lowered it again without a change in expression.
Suddenly, black matter welled up from the pool at his feet, flowing from beneath the great hand toward him, climbing over his body, swallowing him bit by bit.
When it had completely engulfed him — taking on the shape of the black hand around him — it suddenly peeled away, falling back into the pool and returning to the hand's side.
Nobu said quietly, "It's useless. In your current state, you can only be bound by me."
Outside.
Clarity flashed back into Nobu's eyes. He slid the white blade back into its sheath, then drew the asauchi he had worn at his waist all along and thrust it into the reishi barrier.
At once, the black matter surged toward the asauchi, covering the blade entirely and writhing over it.
Moments later, a sudden gleam flashed across the black surface — and the matter was gone, as if dissolved into pure reishi and drawn into the asauchi.
With a soft clack, the asauchi fell to the floor. Outwardly, it looked perfectly ordinary.
Nobu first shrouded the blade in Higan's power before stepping forward to pick it up again. Once he was sure nothing was amiss, he slid it back into its sheath.
As for Unohana Retsu — thanks to the barrier's separation, all she could see was the reishi mimicry. She had seen the black hand appear, but the moment Nobu dispelled the barrier, it had simply vanished. She had no way of knowing what had truly happened.
She had stabilized Ukitake's body for the moment. Just as expected, his lungs were like those of a three-year-old child — and badly diseased.
Still, for her, this was all entirely treatable.
"Captain."
"Is it over?" Unohana asked, looking toward him.
"More or less." Nobu nodded. "From here on, Captain Ukitake's body can be healed. If I'm not mistaken, the first step should be for you to completely remove the lung disease. Then, Twelfth Division can inject him with drugs to accelerate organ growth."
Ukitake's illness was serious, but for Fourth Division, not an intractable case. In his childhood, the reason it had gone untreated was simply because he was born in Rukongai and couldn't access proper medical care — which was why his parents had placed their hopes in the 'gods.'
Unohana had seen the black hand with her own eyes and confirmed her long-standing suspicion that something strange had been inside Ukitake.
Now, it seemed, that thing had been purified by Nobu.
When they stepped out of the medical room, the people waiting outside immediately crowded forward. None spoke at once — they only watched him with intent eyes.
Nobu stayed silent for a moment, letting unease ripple through them — then broke into a grin.
"All done!"
Shiba Kaien scowled, thumping Nobu in the chest. "You bastard — why'd you have to wear that expression?!"
But when he glanced into the room, his voice grew awkward. "Nobu, I don't mean anything by it… but thank you."
Kyōraku Shunsui also let out a breath, patting Nobu lightly on the shoulder.
Nobu went on, "That said, Captain Ukitake's body isn't fully recovered yet. He'll need a period of treatment before he's completely cured. For now, let him stay here in Fourth Division to recuperate."
"Of course, we'll follow your lead!" Kaien said immediately.
Kotetsu Isane and Ise Nanao looked at Nobu with clear astonishment — Captain Ukitake…
The group entered the medical room to find Ukitake lying on an ice bed, Unohana standing beside him.
No one dared to raise their voice. In the end, it was Kyōraku who spoke first: "How is he?"
It wasn't clear whether he was asking Unohana or Ukitake himself.
Ukitake opened his eyes weakly. Seeing them, he managed a faint smile. "I'm alright."
He could feel that the burden his lungs placed on his body was greater than before — a completely different sensation. In truth, he had never been able to sense the Mimihagi within him directly; only from the unchanging illness could he be sure it was there.
Now the disease felt heavier than it ever had.
Did that mean… Mimihagi was truly—?
Unohana spoke then: "His condition has been temporarily stabilized. Next is to revise the treatment plan for his lungs. Isane, come with me."
With that, she turned and left. Isane hurried to follow.
Ise Nanao, sensing her own captain wanted to speak privately, stepped out as well.
Kaien, before leaving, said to Ukitake, "As long as you're alright, Captain. Just focus on treatment for now — the Thirteenth Division has me."
Then he, too, was gone.
When the door closed, Kyōraku stood in thought for a moment, then looked to Nobu. "Tachikawa — I'm grateful you were able to treat Ukitake. For Seireitei, for the Thirteenth Division, this is a great service. And for me personally… I'll remember what you've done."
Nobu didn't rush to be modest. He only met Kyōraku's gaze calmly.
Kyōraku did indeed have more to say. His eyes stayed fixed on Nobu. "If Ukitake's lung disease can be cured, it means that power has been neutralized. I didn't see the treatment myself, but I can guess a few things… Tachikawa, you saw it, didn't you? Can you tell me what's become of it?"
The Soul King's right hand.
Its significance to all of Soul Society was immense.
Nobu wasn't surprised by Kyōraku's reaction. He drew the asauchi from his waist and held it out.
"It's in here."
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