Just as Muguruma was debating whether to register at the Fourth Division, worried about running into Unohana Retsu, Makoto showed up. Muguruma let out a sigh of relief, agreeing on Makoto's suggestion.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"It's no trouble. This is the duty of a doctor," Makoto said as he gently pushed aside the hand Muguruma was using to cover his wound, preparing to examine it.
Hiss~
In an instant, blood spurted almost directly onto Makoto's face.
Such heavy bleeding...
Makoto's expression changed, his eyes narrowing as he swiftly slapped the wound, pressing down to stop the flow.
Noticing the change in Makoto's demeanor, the Ninth Division's vice-captain, Mashiro Kuna, who had been crouching nearby, panicked and asked, "Is Muguruma going to die? Wahh, Muguruma, you're going to die so tragically. Even if I change captains, I'll always remember you."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the surrounding Ninth Division members burst into tears.
"Wuwuwu, Captain Muguruma, may you rest in peace..."
"We... we won't forget you!"
"Revenge! We have to avenge you! We must get back at Zaraki Kenpachi. How could we repay Captain Muguruma's kindness if we don't?"
"No way, even Captain Muguruma wasn't a match for Zaraki Kenpachi. We... we should cut ties with his past and start fresh, so at least the debt and grudge are settled."
"By the way... who will be the next captain?"
...
Seeing how the Ninth Division members were increasingly spiraling into absurd, mourning chatter, even Muguruma, let alone Makoto, was left utterly confused.
"Shut up!!!"
Finally, unable to hold back his frustration, Muguruma bellowed, "I'm not dead yet! Stop crying too early..."
However, perhaps due to his excitement, more blood trickled from the gap between Makoto's palm and Muguruma's wound, further draining his color.
With a look of hope, Muguruma turned to Makoto and asked, "You agree, right, Doctor Senju?"
In response to Muguruma's question, and the rest of the Ninth Division members' anxious gazes, Makoto remained silent, his face solemn.
"Wahh, Muguruma's really going to die! Are we having a banquet? I don't want braised fish..." Mashiro wailed, her tone full of despair.
As she finished speaking, Muguruma clearly saw a drop of clear liquid drip from Mashiro's mouth before she quickly slurped it back in.
However, the sorrowful atmosphere was starting to make even Muguruma uneasy. He turned back to Makoto and pressed, "Doctor Senju, my injuries... surely they're not that serious?"
"Unfortunately..."
Makoto shook his head before answering, "The aorta has been torn."
The moment those words left his lips, the entire scene fell silent. The Ninth Division members, who had been causing a ruckus just moments ago, now looked at each other in disbelief.
They... had no idea the injuries of their beloved Captain Muguruma were that serious. The previous chaos had merely been a light-hearted jest to lift his spirits after his defeat.
"Quick, quick, get him to the Fourth Division barracks!"
"Vice-Captain, quickly contact Captain Unohana!"
"Captain, please hold on!"
...
Amidst the frantic voices, Makoto's gentle voice cut through the noise as he commanded, "It's too late. We need to treat him immediately. Everyone, step aside."
With that, Makoto swiftly released his zanpakutō, and tendrils of green grass wrapped around Muguruma's body, trying to stabilize his condition as best as possible.
However, unlike the spiritual bodies of ordinary Shinigami or seated officers, the bodies of Captain-level Shinigami were a completely different concept.
The spiritual bodies of Captain-level Shinigami were unable to return to the Soul Society after death because the spiritual particles constituting their bodies had undergone a qualitative change.
Therefore, it was not possible to heal them with simple spiritual energy, as one would do with lower-ranking Shinigamis. Healing a Captain's spiritual body required much more complex methods.
This was akin to trying to patch a hole in a massive water tank. Completely challenging to fix.
Makoto understood this well.
The "Perfect Spirit Body" transformation was a process that resulted in a quantum leap in spiritual particles, even surpassing those of a Captain's spiritual body.
While Captains passively experience changes in their spiritual bodies over time, Makoto, on the other hand, actively sacrifices his spiritual pressure to induce this change in his own reishi.
Makoto's healing abilities, while effective for Captain-level Shinigamis, still required him to precisely locate the wound and perform meticulous repairs, since a slight error in healing could lead to severe consequences, such as blood clots, heart attacks, or other fatal conditions.
"Don't worry, Captain Muguruma, I'm confident."
In Makoto's calm, confident voice, a flicker of hope stirred in the heart of Muguruma, who lay cold and motionless on the ground.
"However, I don't have the proper medical tools with me, so my methods might be a bit rough. Please don't be alarmed."
As he spoke, Makoto maneuvered a tendril-like green grass into the wound.
Immediately, Muguruma's eyes widened in shock as he felt a strange, unsettling sensation course through his body.
It felt like... something slippery had slid into his body through the moist blood...
Ugh...
But Makoto was too focused on his work to notice the change in Muguruma's expression.
This wasn't the Fourth Division, and there were no medical tools at his disposal. The blood pouring from Muguruma's wound made it impossible to clearly see the damage or assess the wound's depth.
Makoto could only rely on his experience and the faint feedback from the green grass to guide him.
To the onlookers in the Ninth Division, however, the scene was nothing short of bizarre.
Muguruma, the burly giant, lay helpless on the ground, while the slender, seemingly delicate young man manipulated tendrils of green grass that surrounded the captain, even probing into his wound.
???
The Ninth Division members, among them the blind Seventh Seat, Tōsen Kaname, couldn't see, but they could certainly feel the odd atmosphere in the air. It had shifted from grief to something... strange.
Mashiro swallowed nervously, her throat tightening as she awkwardly asked, "Doctor Senju, if you don't mind me asking... what seat are you in at the Fourth Division?"
=================
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