Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō-Chapter 245: Vanished

Masatsuki Aozaki returned to the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.

About an hour later...

Jūshirō Ukitake, his complexion pale, slowly regained consciousness, though his mind still seemed somewhat hazy.

"Captain Ukitake, how do you feel?"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi, tossing a pile of organs into the incinerator, walked up to Ukitake with a twisted grin.

"Well... does it count if my butt still hurts a little?"

Ukitake, still a bit dazed, instinctively reached back to touch the sore spot.

"Yes, of course it counts."

Mayuri's grin widened.

"That's completely normal. When I gave you the injection earlier, I may have pressed a little too hard and, well... the needle broke off inside."

"What!?"

Even the battle-hardened captain of the Thirteenth Division jolted in shock, his mind instantly snapping into clarity.

Revenge.

This was definitely revenge!

Countless countermeasures flashed through his mind in an instant.

"Heh, just kidding, Captain Ukitake."

Mayuri shrugged.

"Your body is in perfect condition, not a single scratch."

"As for the pain... probably just psychological."

"But more importantly, what do you think of my new invention?"

"Of course, it still needs more testing and refinement, but I believe it has enormous potential!"

"Perhaps the Gotei 13 should consider funding it. What do you think, Captain Ukitake?"

Mayuri's eyes gleamed with excitement as he spoke, completely immersed in his own enthusiasm.

Ukitake listened to Mayuri's relentless pitch and couldn't help but sigh internally.

This guy was always like this—completely obsessed with his own inventions and utterly confident in their value. And this? This was clearly an attempt to squeeze some funding out of the Gotei 13.

That said, Ukitake had to admit that Mayuri truly was a genius scientist. His inventions often brought great advancements to Soul Society.

"Well... it's an interesting idea..."

Ukitake answered vaguely, doing his best to ignore the lingering soreness.

"Knew it! I just knew you'd agree, Captain Ukitake!"

Mayuri grinned triumphantly.

"So, for the sake of the countless young lives in the Gotei 13, how much are you willing to invest in my research?"

"Uh... you should probably ask Master about that."

Ukitake hesitated.

"You two seem to be having fun."

Masatsuki Aozaki leaned against the side, looking at the pair with a helpless expression.

"Senpai, how are you feeling now?"

Hearing the voice, Ukitake turned his head. Seeing his junior, he couldn't help but smile.

He slowly propped himself up, shaking his head slightly as dizziness set in, and spoke in a soft voice,

"Compared to before, my body feels much lighter."

"In the past, even breathing brought endless pain, but now... I only feel a sense of relief."

"The dull ache I always had inside is gone. I don't even feel the urge to cough up blood anymore."

As he spoke, Ukitake gently clenched his fist, testing the changes in his body.

"I still don't have much strength, but I can at least control my Reiatsu."

He moved his arm slightly. His already pale face seemed even more bloodless now, the word "weak" practically written across it.

Masatsuki handed him the prepared Shihakushō and Haori, watching as he dressed. Only then did he feel a little relieved.

At this moment, Ukitake was truly happy.

This lightness—something he had never experienced before—filled him with hope for the future.

"You're definitely going to feel weak,"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi explained seriously.

"After all, once that thing left your body, you lost a lung."

"And that's not all. Your other organs had already sustained severe damage long ago and were only functioning because 'that thing' was keeping you alive."

"So, when it left, I figured I might as well replace all your internal organs at once."

"I see... so that pile of organs just now—those were my originals?"

Jūshirō Ukitake was stunned.

"Yep! What, Captain Ukitake, were you hoping to keep them as a souvenir? If I'd known, I wouldn't have destroyed them."

Mayuri stroked his chin, feigning a look of regret.

Noticing the increasingly strange looks from the two in front of him, Ukitake quickly waved his hands.

"No, no, no, don't get the wrong idea! I was just surprised. You can do whatever you want with them."

Seeing this, Masatsuki Aozaki and Mayuri both nodded with amused smiles.

Ukitake looked at them, his eyes gradually growing misty. His voice trembled slightly as he bowed deeply.

"Masatsuki... Deputy Director Mayuri Kurotsuchi... I truly can't thank you enough!"

Ukitake had been sickly since childhood, even coming close to death on more than one occasion.

He had always longed for a healthy body.

That desire only intensified after becoming Master Yamamoto's disciple and assuming the role of Captain of the Thirteenth Division.

He wanted to shoulder his responsibilities as a captain—not lie bedridden, leaving all the work to his subordinates.

Masatsuki waved his hand with a chuckle.

"Senpai, there's no need to be so formal with us! If anything goes wrong with your body again, just go straight to Mayuri!"

Mayuri's mouth twitched. He grumbled internally,

"How generous of you..."

Despite his silent complaints, he sighed and gave a reluctant nod.

"By the way,"

Ukitake suddenly clapped his hands together and pulled Masatsuki aside, lowering his voice.

"Where did 'that being' go?"

"'That being'?"

Masatsuki looked genuinely confused, as if he had no idea what Ukitake was referring to. freēnovelkiss.com

Seeing this, Ukitake quickly clarified.

"I mean the One-Eyed Great God—Mimihagi!"

"Oh, you mean that giant eyeball-hand thing?"

Masatsuki shook his head and answered calmly,

"It disappeared after leaving your body."

He wasn't lying.

The Soul King's right arm had indeed vanished after separating from Ukitake.

Completely. Without a trace.

As if it had never existed in this world to begin with.

Ukitake fell silent for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

After all, that was the right arm of the Soul King—a force beyond mortal comprehension.

If it wanted to leave, nothing could stop it.

He could never have imagined that the revered arm had already been devoured by the seemingly harmless junior standing before him—absorbed as fuel for his own evolution.

"Since everything's fine now, get some rest. Once you're ready, we'll head to the First Division. The old man and Shunsui-senpai are probably getting impatient."

Masatsuki smiled.