Saitō stared at Araki before her, her wide eyes brimming with endless confusion.
From the very beginning of their duel, Araki hadn't moved a single step. He stood motionless in his place, yet somehow she was the only one experiencing pain. Why?
"If you won't make a move, then I will!"
He declared, drawing the Zanpakutō at his waist.
"He's about to attack."
Her eyes widened even further. Faced with his impending move, she dared not show the slightest carelessness.
And then she watched in utter bewilderment as Araki raised his Zanpakutō… and stabbed it directly into his own thigh.
"Splurt~"
A burst of blood sprayed from Araki's leg.
"AH! IT HURTS!"
In an instant, the dojo echoed with Saitō's agonizing screams of pain.
At that moment, the phrase "injured on Araki's body but felt in Saitō's soul" was vividly brought to life.
"Ha… haha…"
Seeing this, Araki seemed to find something amusing. Gripping the Zanpakutō embedded in his thigh, he twisted it hard, carving a circle into his own flesh.
"Ugh…"
Saitō, who now seemed to share an unbreakable link with Araki, rolled her eyes in pain. She was one step away from fainting entirely.
Seeing that Saitō was on the verge of losing consciousness, Araki swiftly pulled the Zanpakutō out of his leg, deactivated the active ability of his Fullbring, Eternal Blooming Flower, and used the power of his Zanpakutō, Luminous Radiance, to heal his wound.
"Haha, hahahaha…"
"I get it! I finally understand!"
On the other side, as the pain subsided with Araki's withdrawal of his Fullbring ability, Saitō furrowed her brows and broke into a maniacal grin that was equal parts unsettling and unhinged.
Even though Saitō wasn't particularly clever, she finally grasped the mechanism behind Araki's bizarre ability.
"You understand?"
Araki's brow twitched slightly in surprise.
Even he had only recently figured out the mechanics of his Fullbring. And now Saitō understood it too?
Could she have been feigning incompetence all along, with intelligence rivaling a certain gel-haired genius?
"Your ability exchanges pain between us, doesn't it?"
"In other words, any injury you sustain, the pain is transferred to me!"
"And conversely, any injury I sustain, you must feel the pain instead. Am I right?!"
At that moment, Saitō's eyes gleamed with what could only be described as a spark of brilliance.
She picked up her Zanpakutō, aiming it at her own petite foot.
"No, wait—"
He instinctively tried to stop her upon realizing what she intended to do.
"Hahaha…"
"Too late, much too late!"
With a wicked grin, Saitō plunged her Zanpakutō into her own foot and, mimicking Araki's earlier technique, twisted the blade firmly.
"Splurt…"
Blood poured out from Saitō's foot as if it cost nothing. A searing pain followed—though it seemed the one in agony was, once again, Saitō herself.
"You liar, you big liar."
Saitō couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears welled up and streamed down her face like pearls, falling one after another with audible "plops."
"Uh…"
He watched as Saitō, who had inadvertently defeated herself, broke down. For a moment, he was speechless.
Still, he couldn't deny that he had momentarily suspected Saitō of pretending to be less intelligent than she actually was.
No, that was his mistake.
Thinking Saitō was clever had clearly been an error.
This girl wasn't smart—she was downright foolish, to the point of being endearingly silly.
"Damn it!"
Saitō Furōfushi glared at her bleeding foot, her heart consumed by frustration.
She had come to put Araki in his place and assert her dominance within their household dynamic. Yet somehow, it was she who ended up injured and subdued.
Unacceptable! As the dignified captain of the 6th Division, she couldn't take this lying down!
"Araki, let me slash you just once. Just one slash, okay?"
She grinned menacingly, stepping closer to him.
"From the beginning, I've allowed you to attack me freely."
Araki's expression remained calm as he replied to her.
"This time, I mean without you using your weird ability. Let me slash you properly—just once. After this, we'll be even."
"I swear, after this one slash, I won't be mad at you anymore—not even for making your first act in Seireitei 'not coming to find me.'"
Clutching her Zanpakutō, Saitō spoke with sincere determination.
"Well… fine."
Araki agreed without much hesitation.
After all, he'd already tested the limits of his Fullbring's healing capabilities. Next, it was time to evaluate his durability.
"Great!"
Hearing Araki's prompt agreement, Saitō felt a warmth in her chest. This was the Araki she knew.
Smiling to herself, she raised her Zanpakutō and aimed for his right shoulder.
Saitō knew that his Zanpakutō had potent healing abilities. This slash wouldn't cause him too much harm.
"Swish!"
A flash of light gleamed as Saitō's blade sliced through Araki's shoulder—or so it seemed. To her surprise, her sword passed clean through his body without encountering any resistance.
Though it looked like her strike had landed, the part of Araki's shoulder her blade touched transformed into a strange, misty fog.
"Are you satisfied now? I didn't use that ability earlier, as promised."
As she stood stunned, staring at her ineffective strike, Araki reformed his body from the mist and materialized behind her.
"Damn it!"
Saitō turned on her heel and swung her blade at Araki's shoulder again.
In an instant, the searing pain returned, overwhelming her senses.
"I thought you weren't going to use your ability."
She gritted her teeth, her face twisting in frustration as she glared at him.
"I said I wouldn't use it for that slash, not this one."
Araki calmly explained, his tone utterly unbothered.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
She let out an exasperated scream before stomping her foot hard against the ground.
A sharp jolt of pain coursed through her once more—she had completely forgotten about the injury on her foot.
"This is bullying! I'm not playing anymore."
Her eyes reddened with fury. Saitō stormed out of the 11th Division barracks, limping as she went.
"Wait, your foot's still injured! Let me heal it for you."
Realizing he might've gone too far, Araki called after her.
"No need!"
Without turning back, Saitō hobbled out of sight.
"Phew… looks like I overdid it this time."
He scratched his head awkwardly, his temples throbbing slightly.
-------------
"Did you all see that?"
"Of course we did."
"Wow. Captain Araki is just... so cool!"
"He's practically our role model!"
"He even managed to handle the infamous tyrant, Saitō, without breaking a sweat!"
"I'm convinced now. Captain Araki is the rightful leader of Squad 11!"
As Saitō disappeared into the distance, the 11th Division members, many of whom she had previously bullied, looked upon Araki with newfound admiration.
In their eyes, Araki had effortlessly earned their respect and become their true captain.
This day, the Gotei 13 had finally found a way to collectively vent their frustrations with Saitō—thanks to Araki.
Little did he know, he had unintentionally won over the hearts of Squad 11 in record time.
—
Elsewhere, after leaving the 11th Division, Saitō stared at her now-healed foot, knowing deep down that Araki had stepped in to treat her injury.
She realized that despite holding back and giving her plenty of leeway, she had still lost utterly to him.
The gap between their abilities was staggering.
"I have to become stronger... stronger than that wretched woman Unohana, at least! Otherwise, I'll never be able to stand by Araki's side."
"Wait for me, Araki. I'll be back."
She muttered to herself.
==============
Enjoying the story? Support my work and get early access to advanced chapters on my Patreon! Your support means the world and helps keep the translations coming.
Many translations are being taken down from this site, I fear that mine will be removed as well. so please join my patreon as a free member, and you will be able to read regular updates of the fanfic just like in this platform. You do not have to pay anything at all to do so, this is just a backup plan.
Check it out at: patreon.com/Reborn_noob