Bleach: Starting with Marrying Retsu Unohana

Araki looked at Tokina and Ukitake, whom he had knocked down, and spoke calmly.

"Araki-sensei, do you know why my Zanpakuto is called 'Wind Catcher'?"

Shi Tan then got up from the ruins and looked at Araki, asking him a question.

"Um?!"

Araki frowned upon hearing this.

"My Zanpakuto can transform captured wind into slashes, and it can also freely combine the shadows I capture with other shadows!" Before Araki could answer, Tokina continued to explain to him. While telling Araki about the abilities of his Zanpakuto, he asked Araki, "So here's the question: since Ukitake and I are here, where did that idiot Kyoraku go?!"

"Kyoto?"

Araki frowned slightly upon hearing this, but Kyoraku was nowhere to be seen in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Araki-sensei, you're just too amazing. I didn't really want to use this method..."

"However, I did succeed!"

Just as Araki was puzzled, a hoarse voice sounded from behind him...

The voice was unmistakably Kyoraku's. Upon closer inspection, the shadows of the ruins on the ground were linked with Araki's shadow at this moment, and Kyoraku was using—'Shadow Demon'!

"on!"

At this moment, Ukitake and Shitan also moved, and the three of them instantly surrounded Araki in a triangle.

"Ha ha……"

Araki finally smiled upon seeing this, and then he switched places with Tokina...

"Um?!"

When Kyoraku saw the person in front of him switch places, his pupils suddenly dilated. He immediately dropped the sword in his hand and shouted in Araki's direction, "Finger Strike!!"

This is an ability that Kyoraku unlocked based on Araki's finger gun, allowing him to gather spiritual particles at his fingertips and then flick them out...

"call out!"

The spiritual particles, faster than bullets, instantly attacked Araki.

"Ding!"

With a soft sound, it was instantly severed by Araki's sword.

"Teacher, you're too cunning! You promised not to activate your abilities!"

Kyoraku looked at Araki, who had severed the spirit particle that had flung his finger out, and spoke angrily.

"I was almost killed..."

"Was that really 'Slash Fist Ghost' that Araki-sensei just now?"

Shi Tan wiped the sweat from his forehead. Being a 'born bad seed' didn't mean he wasn't afraid of death.

"I almost killed Shi Tan..."

As he spoke, Ukitake sheathed his Zanpakuto.

“That’s…”

"...You guys win!"

Araki scratched his cheek. Even with his 'sensory' sealed off, his Zanpakuto abilities and 'Fullbring' unused, relying solely on swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, he was still going to get hit? These young people these days are monsters!

Araki suddenly felt that he was getting old.

The combo attack that Kyoraku, Ukitake, and Tokinada just used would have been chopped into mincemeat by a certain 'Rokusha' from later generations.

"So...we passed the test?!"

Kyoraku looked incredulous upon hearing this.

"Finally won..."

Shi Tan then plopped down on the dojo floor.

"We actually beat that Araki-sensei?! I can't believe it..."

"But this is probably what you meant by the results of cultivation, Teacher? I have learned a lot!"

Ukitake clenched his fists, an overwhelming joy welling up within him.

"Then let this be the last training exercise I'm giving you!"

"Go to the 'Spirit King Palace' and learn your respective Bankai!"

Just as the three were rejoicing, Araki's voice continued to ring out.

"To the Spirit King's Palace?!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Tan's expression changed drastically. He seemed to have thought of something bad. A hundred years had allowed him to learn many secrets.

"Zanpakuto's swastika?!"

Kyoraku and Ukitake, on the other hand, focused more on what came after.

13,000 words in the third update, and more to come! Also, please vote for me!

Chapter 90 Araki: It seems the only option is to take down the Spirit King's Palace!

"Lingwang Palace..."

Tsuna's face looked somewhat gloomy. His hand holding the Zanpakuto was trembling, and his eyes were darting around, as if he was pondering whether he should go to the 'Spirit King Palace'.

"What are you thinking?!"

Just as Shi Tan was pondering, a pair of large hands gripped his shoulders, and Araki's deep and magnetic voice slowly rang in his ears.

"Ha ha……"

Upon hearing this, Shi Tan gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Araki-sensei, you should know that I am a member of the 'evil' Tsunayoshiro family!"

"A wicked person like me would probably only think of things that are utterly disrespectful to His Majesty the Spirit King..."

This was the first time Tokina had ever referred to himself as a member of the 'born evil' Tsunayoshiro family. Hundreds of years of trials had matured Tokina considerably, and had also made him understand many things. He now finally understood why Araki had called him the 'born evil brat' when they first met...

If the secret texts in their family library are true, then not only the Tsunayo family, but also the other four of the five noble families—Shihouin, Kuchiki, Shiba, and the family that guards hell—are all implicated! Anyone who carries the blood of the five noble families is born guilty!

"If it's you, Araki-sensei, you should know very well what our ancestor, Tsunayoshiro, did to His Majesty the Spirit King, right? Do I really deserve to train at the Spirit King's Palace?"

Immediately afterwards, Shi Tan looked at Araki and asked.

"Crack~"

Just as Shi Tan's eyes were lifeless, and a gloomy aura emanated from him, making him seem as if he were living in a bottomless abyss, Araki's scabbard struck Shi Tan heavily on the head.

"it hurts……"

Shi Tan suddenly grimaced, and the gloomy aura that had surrounded him vanished the moment the scabbard struck his head.

"In this world, there is no such thing as 'qualified' or 'unqualified,' only 'to do' or 'not to do.'"

"Will the 'Three Realms' collapse just because you went to the Spirit King's Palace? Or will the 'Three Realms' return to their original state because of your disdain for what your ancestors did?"

"Whether it was the 'Spirit King' or the 'ancestors' of the five noble families, in that era when 'chaos had not yet been created,' 'the three realms had not yet been separated,' 'the concepts of life and death had not been completely separated,' and 'therefore, there would be no progress,' they all did what they could, and that was all they could do."

“Even if it’s not His Highness the Spirit King lying up there now, someone else will take his place! Even if it wasn’t the ancestors of your five families who chose the path of slaying gods back then, there will be others who, for ‘various’ and ‘different’ reasons, will walk this same path!”

"Rather than saying that the ancestors of the five noble families betrayed the Spirit King, it would be more accurate to say that the ancestors of the five noble families made the Spirit King's wish come true. This was not the choice of any one person, but the choice of the 'world'..."

Because Araki has reached his current 'level', his perspective on things is different from before. How could a 'god' not see his own fate of being betrayed? It's just that the 'god' chose this path of being 'betrayed' and bearing the burden of the 'Three Realms' alone...

"This……"

After hearing Araki's words, Shi Tan's eyes were filled with endless shock. It was the first time he had ever heard such a 'rebellious' theory. It was as if a new world had been opened for him.

"The reason I called you an 'evil by nature' when we first met was because of other issues, unrelated to your ancestors! In any era, any mere mortal who dares to wield a sword against a god is a person with boundless courage in their heart!"

"Even that monk admires those five people from the bottom of his heart. Even now, he still keeps his promise from back then and continues to protect his... 'Spirit King'!"

Araki emphasized the words "Spirit King," while the monk's thinking was even more advanced—he would kneel before whoever was the Spirit King, regardless of who the Spirit King actually was...

Then, Araki continued, "Tokita, think about it carefully. Have you ever heard me say that the Shihouin, Kuchiki, or Shiba families are inherently evil? No, right?! To be honest, of the five great noble families, the one I hate the most is the Tsunayoshiro family, not because of what your ancestors did, but because of what you have done! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that you have committed countless evil deeds..."

"I'll say it again: the path is under your own feet. What path you choose to take, what kind of person you want to be, is your own choice! No matter which path you choose, I will support you unconditionally. But remember, if you go astray, if you stray from the right path, then my scabbard will fall on your heads 'anytime, anywhere'..."

After Araki finished speaking, he patted Shi Tan's shoulder hard again: "Remember today's 'pain'! It can remind you at all times... Next time you want to do something bad, think carefully about whether you are capable of beating your teacher right now? If you can beat your teacher, all the bad things you do will be seen as righteous by others, because you are stronger than everyone else!"

"But if you can't... then today's pain will be enough to remind you for the rest of your life! Remember, if you make your teacher angry, you'll get a beating."

After speaking, Araki walked forward with his hands behind his back.

"..."

Shi Tan stared at Araki's retreating figure, speechless for a long time. What Araki had said today would accompany him for the rest of his life, always by his side, constantly echoing in his ears, reminding him of what he, as a member of the Tsunayoshiro family, should and should not do.

"Hehe, some idiot is getting lectured now~"

"As for who that idiot is, I'll give him some face and won't name names."

Kyoraku then moved closer to Shitan and said with a smug look on his face.

"Kyoraku, you'd better shut up!"

Upon hearing this, Ukitake couldn't help but remind Kyoraku.

"Tsk tsk tsk~"

Kyoraku simply smacked his lips and shook his head at Tokina before following Araki's retreating figure into the distance.

"Shi Tan, let's go too!"

Ukitake looked at Kyoraku's figure, sighed helplessly, and then called out to Tokina, who was standing motionless.

"As expected, I still hate Kyoraku Shunsui..."

Shi Tan watched Jing Le walk away and said through gritted teeth.

"..."

Araki walked in front of the group, seemingly lost in thought.

In fact, Araki had witnessed all the changes Toki had undergone in the past hundred years. What truly convinced Araki that his teaching of Toki had been effective was the Zanpakuto that Toki had awakened, named 'Catch the Wind and Shadow'...