CH 66: PAST

After haggling a little bit with Mayuri and getting him to keep the fact that the hollow was alive as a secret, Gojo left the territory of the 12th division quite happily.

He, of course, did not believe in Mayuri at all. But, he was overlooking the whole situation with the mindset of not really caring about the results.

If after a few years the soft method didn’t work, Gojo would simply use more forceful means and steal all the research he needed before leaving.

How could he lose when he could simply flip the board whenever he wished?

Since the mission had ended quite swiftly, it was still just the middle of the day. As such, Gojo decided to go work and heal some poor bastard to pass time.

After all, even though he wasn’t the leader of a healing squad, he was still the 3rd seat. He had to at least look like he was doing his job.

There was also the fact that passing time with a bunch of sexy nurses fawning over him was quite enjoyable, to say the least.

--

[4th division; Unohana's private quarter.]

Sitting peacefully in her backyard, with her knees gathered under her and a bottle of alcohol on her right, Unohana was gazing peacefully at the moon.

The garden in her backyard had nothing particularly special. A small lake filled with 3 koi fish of different colors, a hollowed bamboo cane that regularly hit against a rock and produced a gentle sound and beautiful vegetation.

All in all, it was the perfect place for her to relax a little.

Suddenly, in an incredible burst of speed, she took her sword that was laying on her left, unsheathing it, before raising herself on one knee and swinging it with all her might.

All these series of movements were done in such a graceful and beautiful way it seemed like a work of art.

*Clang*

The sound of swords clashing sounded in the peaceful night before being replaced by a voice speaking with a joking tone.

"Oh ho! It's me! Your cute and handsome student!"

Showing an unsurprised expression, Unohana sighed and lowered her sword.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's impolite to intrude unannounced in the house of a lady? I also remember telling you that you could never sneak up on me."

Putting back her Zanpakuto in its sheath, she placed her sword close to her futon and put her hand in her loose hair to sweep it.

"Heh, and I remember telling you I would prove you wrong one day. There is nothing I cannot do, only things I do not wish to do. Still, you really have the instincts of a beast."

When he previously tried to sneak up on her, not only was he coated in Reishi, making it impossible for any normal shinigami to feel him, but he also used all techniques possible to hide any sounds or scent he could emit.

‘Well, I guess comparing her to a normal shinigami is an insult.’

The fact that despite this, Unohana could always find him even when sleeping spoke of how keen her senses were. And yeah, he had once tried to sneak up on her while she was sleeping. Sadly, he failed and got punished by having to heal people non-stop for an entire week.

Thinking about this, he took another look at her and was unable to avert his gaze for a few seconds.

Currently, she was not wearing her usual captain cloak and shinigami uniform. Rather, she was only clad in a long white, and rather loose Kimono.

Despite what her usual uniform suggested, Unohana was quite well endowed, and her current attire accentuated her deep cleavage.

Since he was standing and looking down on her, he had the first seat for quite a show.

"Liking what you see?"

Taking his gaze away from her chest, Gojo saw her smile and immediately understood that he might receive another weird punishment at this rate. As such, he simply told the truth.

"Indeed, I do really like what I am seeing. You are very beautiful."

Gojo gave a theatrical bow as he complimented her wholeheartedly. He had long noticed it, but it seemed that Unohana was rather weak against straightforward people.

As expected, the tension from her shoulders loosened as she gave a wry smile, "Your tongue is as sweet as your tooth."

Shaking her head, she continued, “Well, now that you are here, you might as well sit down. At least I will have a partner to drink with.”

Gojo did not particularly enjoy alcohol. One of his greatest strengths was his brain and his ability to process information. So, drinking something that lowered his ability to think, even for a short while, was something he generally avoided.

Thankfully, Unohana thought the same way. He knew that what Unohana was drinking had an extremely low percentage and was more of a sweet wine than anything.

Sitting close to her, he began to chat a little with her, while taking a light sip of the drink he was offered.

“So, what brought you down like this?”

It was clear that Unohana was not in the greatest mood possible currently.

Pausing a little, Unohana seemed to deliberate whether she should explain or not, before nodding to herself

"I never told you how I became a criminal did I?"

"Well, you are rarely forthright with your past. Which is perfectly understandable, everyone has their own secrets."

Gojo shrugged as answered her.

He had never really been big on sharing secrets and the like.

The two of them fell in a strange silence.

Gojo could feel that she was thinking about how to retell her story and as such did not urge her.

"How long ago was it? yeah, I remember. It was about 2500 years ago. Back then, I was born as the result of the union between a servant and the lord of a minor noble family. A bastard child like many others."

Unohana let out a chuckle as she shook her head, "Back then, the Shiba family was still one of the great five families, and my family, while far weaker than the big five, was still quite renowned, mainly thanks to our sword art."

A look of reminiscence flashed in her eyes, "Those times were the most boring years of my life."

The disgust in her voice completely took Gojo aback.

"Every day was the same. I would be trained to be the perfect young lady. I would learn the seven arts and how to become the perfect vase for my future husband. I was neither despised nor respected. The other servants always kept a healthy distance from me. Of course, my mother died not long after my birth."

Unohana remembered those days with bitterness and boredom. Those days were quite painful for her.

"All that changed one day when I was proposed to in a marriage."

A laugh escaped her, "It was some crazy bastard. A man with disgusting hobbies. He had more than 25 concubines, but not one of them survived more than two years after marrying him. Having caught his interest was clearly a death sentence for me. Despite this, my father was so happy it seemed like he would burst. After all, an union with such a powerful family would elevate his standing.

I remember his words quite clearly. Dear daughter, we need to sacrifice you for the family."

"It was then I understood, or rather, I had always understood, but I was just refusing to see the truth. In the eyes of that father of mine, I was just the daughter of a maid. A sacrificial pawn ready to be discarded at any moment. That's why, on that day, I smiled and said –Of course father. I will not disappoint you–."

From that day on, she would follow her classes during the day, but during the night she would train as much as possible without getting caught.

Even back then, her talent for the sword had already begun to bloom.

At the same time, she began to read books about the outside, about survival, and basically other such books to increase her knowledge. She also began to hide money and food that could be conserved for a long time.

"One year later, on the night of my wedding, I used the short lapse when my so-called husband was taking off his clothes to consummate our marriage and I stabbed him in the neck. Again and again. Until I was sure he was dead.”

Despite his faults, the man had been quite the warrior. Unohana knew perfectly well that her chances in a direct clash were rather small, and as such, she went for a sneak attack.

After all, who would suspect the gentle and helpless young lady of a noble family to prepare an assassination?

They say that the first time someone is killed, they would feel an incredible discomfort at the fact. Some even vomited or got traumatized.

Unohana did not feel any of that. The only thing she thought at that time while feeling the warm blood splash on her face and watching the light slowly fade from the eyes of her dying husband was,

'How beautiful.'

"After this, using the cover of the night, I entered the guest room my father was using. He was completely drunk, clearly happy about selling his daughter even though it would mean her death. So–I killed him. Then, I fled to Rukongai and was then branded as a criminal."

"It must have been quite hard."

"Heh, what do you think? A pampered little princess who knew nothing of the world entering the Rukongai during the most chaotic era. Even though my head was filled with theoretical knowledge, the simple fact that I survived my earlier years was a miracle."

"Did you regret your choice?"

Gojo asked, genuinely curious.

"Never. I mean, don't you find it ridiculous? One man caused the death of twenty-five people and most likely much more, but he could strut around without any problems. Meanwhile, just because I fought back, I was branded as a criminal? So in their opinion, I should have simply let myself get killed? So, I have never regretted it, it was me or them. I choose to save myself."

A blush covered her face, clearly, even though the alcohol content was quite low, it was still getting to her head.

Despite this, she filled her glass and took another swing,

"Since that day, I have constantly been on the run. Chased by the two families and a few bounty hunters. I killed, again and again, day after day, year after year. Not only did I not die, but I slowly became stronger.

The previously tough fights became easier and easier until one day, I understood. Ah, I am strong. I decided I was done being chased around, and so, I came back and killed all the higher-ups of the two families."

She gave a faint smile, "On that day, I gave up my name and named myself Yachiru Unohana. It was also on that day that I became known as the most diabolical criminal to ever exist in the soul society."

From then on, people did not chase her, it was her chasing after people.

She stopped killing in self-defense, but simply enjoyed the thrill of fighting, the feelings of dancing at the precipice between life and death.

“It was during those days that Yamamoto invited me to become a founding member of the Gotei 13.”

Gojo looked at the side profile of Unohana. With her white clothes and pale complexion, she seemed to shine under the moonlight.

“How did one of the greatest criminals become a member of the army?”

“It was simple. He said, 'Follow me and you will fight against the strongest beings in the world.' How could I refuse such a proposal?”

Looking at the beautiful smile that lit up her face at the mention of fighting strong people, Gojo gave a faint smile while wondering how someone could look so hot while acting like a crazy psycho.