165 CH 149: YOU ARE MINE

Unohana had a dream.

It was one of her greatest regrets in life.

The day she fought the young Zaraki Kenpachi and ended up stifling his potential because of her own weakness.

Even so, she was not worried. The thought of a cheeky silver-haired young man even more monstrously talented than Zaraki reassured her.

With such a target, Zaraki would surely be able to reach even greater heights.

She smiled inwardly as she felt her sense of self become weaker.

Faintly, she could feel her body being dragged down by a heavy chain toward a gate full of malevolence.

Even though she did know what it was, she could instinctively understand.

This place was hell. Once she entered that place, the person known as Yachiru or Retsu Unohana would vanish completely.

'How fitting.'

Surely, only a place like hell suited a criminal like her.

The fact that she ended up protecting the world for more than a thousand years would not magically make her crimes vanish. 

The gates slowly began to open, as if ready to welcome her in eternal torment. 

However, A ray of light filled the world unexpectedly and erased everything in its path before changing into white chains. The chains then wrapped around her tightly and slowly dragged her up.

Her mind which had grown blurry slowly began to wake up as warmth filled her heart and spirit.

Then…

—-

*Gasp*

Laying down on the ground in the cave, Unohana's eyes snapped open abruptly as she took a deep breath and air filled her lungs.

*Huff* *Huff* *Huff*

Her heart was beating wildly while she continued gulping air greedily like a fish out of water.

When she finally calmed herself, she looked curiously at her chest and traced her finger over the part where there should have been the scar given by Zaraki as well as a gaping hole after Gojo pierced her heart. It was gone.

"Awake?"

Turning her head, she could see Gojo smiling cheekily while sitting on a chair. 

Interpreting her curious gaze, Gojo shrugged.

"It was uncomfortable to stay standing up so I created a chair."

He spoke nonchalantly about a feat that was impossible to most.

In the end, Unohana simply sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the cave.

"How am I still alive?"

Unohana couldn't understand. She was one of the greatest doctors in all the history of the Soul Society and she was well aware of her state back then.

There should have been no way of saving her from the wound she had been inflicted.

More importantly.

"Why did you save me?"

She felt no elation about her situation and in fact felt like Gojo had robbed her of something important.

"Oh… You are misunderstanding something. I didn't stop you from dying. You truly died."

"!!!"

"Hahaha! You are looking at me with a 'what the hell is that bastard saying' face."

This was indeed the case. What Gojo said was something she could not comprehend. If what he said was true, then he didn't heal her to save her from death. He literally resurrected her.

The difference between those two realities was something that she couldn't make light of.

Seeing Unohana was still in disbelief, Gojo explained with a smile.

"Are you aware of what happens when a Shinigami dies?"

"I do. When one of us dies - the same way that humans decompose and become physical matter - we decompose and become spiritual matter, flying back in the atmosphere of the Soul Society."

"Buzz. Wrong!"

"...What?"

"It was something I found while searching in the great library. 

There is a completely different power system called Spirit Class. It seems like only high-class nobles used it to indicate the density of Reiatsu within the Reishi. 

A normal shinigami would be at 20th class, a vice-captain at 4th class, and a captain is between third class and first class. Pretty simple, right? 

When those with low Spirit-Class die, their body is indeed reclaimed by the Soul Society. However…It's different for those belonging to a high class, mainly people at the level of Captain."

Unohana frowned, "I am one of the oldest captains. You think I don't know this?"

For a captain, when they died, it was necessary that they had to go through a ceremony known as Konso Reisai because they were too 'dense' to simply be absorbed normally.

"Heh, Right. That is the common knowledge. But did you know…Reishi which is 3rd class and above can never return to the soil of Soul Society?"

"..."

"But then …What happens to the Reishi that stays? It would be detrimental for the Reishi that cannot be absorbed to stay in the atmosphere that's why…They are cast into hell."

Unohana shivered when she heard those words. The concept of hell was not foreign here. However, she felt immense disgust when she realized what had happened to the souls of all those who died before.

"Well, hell isn't really a problem now. Coming back to our situation. You died by my hands, but using the absolute control Kogo had over Time, Space, and Spiritual Matter, I brought you back from the dead."

Gojo was of course underplaying the whole matter. What he did was a feat he could only accomplish while in 'Transcendence' and in a place filled with Reishi like Soul Society.

Furthermore, there was a very short time limit to the action and if he missed it, all hope would be lost.

[That is because you still have not grasped control over time. If you did, we would be more complete]

{Oh well, not everything can be perfect, let's take our time.}

"Unohana, do you understand what this means?"

He did not wait for her to answer and continued as a white chain materialized from her chest and into his hand.

"I bestowed you a new life; therefore, from now on, your life is mine for all eternity."

His lips curved into a smile, completely in contrast with the eternal verdict. 

(AN: This is the last chapter of this volume. Hope you enjoyed it.)