I will traverse countless worlds and become a god entirely on my own!

"Indeed, but his ability seems to be quite troublesome."

Gin Ichimaru felt that Byakuya's combat power was only at the vice-captain level.

But the legend of Baiye had been around since the time I enrolled in school.

That was a genius hailed as one in a century.

But my strength has already far surpassed his.

"Who knows?"

Aizen smiled and glanced in the direction Byakuya had left, a few calculations forming in his mind.

"So, Lord Aizen, you think he's hiding his true strength?"

But we shouldn't have been exposed just now.

Is there no need for Byakuya to hide his strength, or is he trying to keep it from Unohana Retsu?

"We'll find out by testing him. After all, it's normal for him not to reveal his full strength unless he's faced with a life-or-death situation. Besides, who told you that what you see and hear is necessarily true?"

Your five senses can deceive you!

Aizen didn't believe that Byakuya was as he was acting now; the spiritual pressure Byakuya had unleashed back then was something that even he, a captain-level individual, found astonishing.

How come his skills have not only not improved over the years, but have actually regressed?

So he decided to continue the previous test. If Bai Ye knew this, he would definitely curse. No wonder he's a LYB (a derogatory term for someone who is overly cautious and manipulative), they're thinking the same thing!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 167 Sister Hua: Come find me if you're lonely!

"Byakuya, why did you join the Fourth Division?"

Retsu Unohana walked ahead. She had always been curious about Byakuya's purpose in joining the Fourth Division, though she had never asked before.

This battle with Byakuya also made Retsu Unohana realize that Byakuya actually longed for battle deep down.

However, he restrained his inner desire to fight.

Joining the Fourth Division meant completely abandoning any possibility of fighting.

She used to think that Bai Ye didn't really like fighting, but now it seems that Bai Ye is the same kind of person as herself, both of them forcibly suppressing their desire to fight.

This also made Retsu Unohana a little curious about Byakuya's decision to join the Fourth Division.

"The reason for joining the Fourth Division."

He joined the Fourth Division to avoid the attention of others. He originally thought he was just an ordinary graduate, so his first choice was naturally the Fourth Division.

Then he started to slack off in the Fourth Division.

After all, if he went to another squad, his life would be in real danger.

Putting aside the Hollows and various missions, just considering Aizen, who knows, he might become the target of an experiment one day.

Moreover, even at this point, Aizen couldn't guarantee that Byakuya wouldn't be affected by Kyoka Suigetsu. If even the omniscient and omnipotent could be deceived by its abilities, then he himself was even less likely to be.

"It can't be because of me, can it?"

"Sister Hua, you're really joking."

Who in Soul Society would join a squad because of Retsu Unohana?

Those who know Retsu Unohana know that although she appears gentle, this is not her true nature.

Moreover, Retsu Unohana's tone just now was completely joking, as if she was giving herself a way out, and it seemed that she could tell that I didn't know how to answer?

She's as gentle as ever.

However, he still dared not accept this offer of leniency, for what might be a convenient way out now could become his death knell in the future.

"Even you're using it? That's quite rare."

Unohana Retsu's voice gradually calmed down. She paused, stopped, turned around, and looked at Byakuya, who was half her height below her, and asked, "So you've been suppressing your fighting spirit all this time, haven't you? If you feel lonely and want to fight, come find me."

A boy who looks a lot like me.

At this moment, Hana seemed not to care about Byakuya's reasons for joining the Fourth Division. Everyone has their own little secrets, and she was no exception.

So, while Bai Ye hesitated about whether to speak, Sister Hua decided that Bai Ye didn't need to say anything.

However, there's something ambiguous about what I'm saying.

Bai Ye felt a strange sensation in his heart. What did it mean to go to her when he was lonely?

Is the feeling of loneliness the time when you want to fight?

Someone saw right through my thoughts. No wonder she's called Sister Hua.

"Sister Hua, the way you put it makes me feel like I'd feel bad if I didn't say something."

Bai Ye scratched his hair, looking at Unohana Retsu's face, and suddenly felt a little emotional. Indeed, gentle women are really hard for men to resist.

Not only did she not pursue the issue with me, but she also saw that I actually longed for battle and said that I could come to her for help if I had any problems in the future. It's really hard to refuse someone who is so understanding.

"If you feel bad about it, then I'll leave the recent treatment tasks to you."

"Sister Hua, I feel like I've moved on."

Isn't this tantamount to risking your life?

The Fourth Division is very busy every day. If he were to be given all the missions, he would probably die in the medical room.

Thinking about it that way, it doesn't seem so bad after all.

“Sometimes it’s not a good thing for Bai Ye to suppress his inner feelings. The demons in his heart will grow stronger with suppression until one day they can no longer be suppressed.”

"Isn't Sister Hua the same?"

"Looks like you know quite a lot."

Her personality changed after her experiences a thousand years ago, with the establishment of the Gotei 13. At the same time, not many people actually know about her dark past.

They were assassins back then, ruthless executioners who killed countless people. The Gotei 13 was more like an assassin organization.

Now, in Retsu Unohana's eyes, it's just child's play. Even the old man Yamamoto, who used to do anything to win, now seems to have a weakness called kindness because he has something to protect.

"Well, it's not exactly a taboo, so what's wrong with not understanding it?"

Unohana Retsu changed the subject, then looked at Byakuya and asked, "So what kind of person do you think I am?"

The executioner from a thousand years ago has now saved many lives.

Speaking of which, what does someone like me think?

"A gentle executioner."

Gentleness is gentleness, and an executioner is an executioner; in Bai Ye's view, the two are not contradictory at all.

In fact, many characters in Bleach have their own complexities.

It's like Aizen, it's like Yhwach.

Aizen is easy to understand. He was born a genius, and after becoming a Shinigami, he was constantly being chased. Perhaps there was a moment when he longed to be just an ordinary Shinigami.

Yhwach was even more adept at manipulating people's hearts. Everything he had should have been attributed to others, but through his words and actions, it became his own gift.

"I'm not gentle at all."

I, who was once called the biggest villain, would one day be called gentle.

"Gentleness is for one's own people, while an executioner is for one's enemies."

"Little White Night is getting better and better at talking. Maybe when I retire, I can hand over the captaincy of the Fourth Division to you with peace of mind!"

"I think we should just give up, otherwise people will think I got this position by sucking up to others."

He didn't want to be the captain. There were too many things to do every day. Unless he dumped all the work on the vice-captain or someone else, being a shameless captain would be much easier.

But if I become the team leader, I will definitely attract a lot of attention, which is not in line with my style of doing things. It is better to have a tall person to support me.

"That's true. Xiaobaiye is indeed very good at flattery. He seems to be in a much better mood today."

Hey!

Sister, is there something wrong with what you're focusing on?

I was just making up an excuse, how did I become a sycophant?

Moreover, I always feel that Retsu Unohana seems to enjoy teasing me more and more.

Are these all the quirks of those older women?

"The person chosen to carry out this mission is Rukia Kuchiki. I had originally thought that if you weren't strong enough, I would have Isane go with you before testing your abilities, but now it seems that it's not necessary."

"Hey, hey, hey, aren't you Hollow? Aren't you really afraid I'll die over there?"

Are you really comfortable with this thing?

Upon hearing the name Rukia Kuchiki, Byakuya instinctively assumed that Aizen had sent the two of them together, but upon further reflection, that seemed unlikely.

Perhaps Aizen was just testing his abilities this time, and Rukia was probably just an extra.

After all, Rukia doesn't have the Hogyoku in her body right now. If she were just someone from the Kuchiki family, Aizen wouldn't bother to take action.

The Hogyoku was given to Rukia along with a Ghoul provided by Kisuke Urahara after she lost her Shinigami powers. The intention was that Rukia's spiritual power would gradually disappear after using the Ghoul, turning her into an ordinary person who would eventually be unable to leave it, allowing the Hogyoku to be hidden away.

After figuring this out, Bai Ye was speechless.

You say you're testing strength, but why arrange all this stuff? Are you trying to kill yourself in front of me?

"Your strength is enough to deal with Hollows; they're just some Gillians."

Even Adjuchas seems to be someone he can handle. If it were Vastod, then naturally Bai Ye wouldn't be the one to deal with him.

But there are only a handful of these virtual beings in the entire Hueco Mundo, let alone in the real world.

"Alright, I'll just have Rukia Kuchiki protect me then. My strength is still too weak!"

Do we have to be so cautious?

Rukia Hitoshi might not be as strong as you, right?

Unohana Retsu thought to herself, "Am I being too cautious, as the vice-captain?"