Omniverse: The Martial Artist

First, his heart was "stitched" back together.

Then came the realignment of broken bones, followed by the fusing of torn flesh.

Whether it was because Hao's injuries were too severe, or because Unohana wanted him to fully appreciate the intricacies of Kaidō, the healing process this time was much longer.

About half an hour passed.

Under Hao's watchful gaze, Unohana's pale, elegant hand glided across his chest and abdomen, finally stopping at his waist—where the last trace of his injuries vanished without a mark.

"So… this is advanced Kaidō… It really is powerful."

Hao sighed in admiration.

"But somehow, I feel like… it's not fundamentally different from the Kaidō we learned in class. It's just that your techniques are more refined, and you use more spiritual pressure."

Unohana looked at him with both appreciation and a faint spark of expectation in her eyes.

"Your comprehension is impressive. You're right—there are no 'levels' in Kaidō. The strength of one's healing depends entirely on control. It's a process of practice and familiarity. Of course, talent helps a lot too."

"I think I'm starting to get it. Let me give it a try."

Hao stood up as he spoke, glancing down at his torn and blood-soaked academy uniform.

He muttered to himself, "I only have one of these… Guess I'll have to borrow a spare from Sōsuke tomorrow."

He walked over to his lab station and pulled out the terrified little white mouse, gripping it gently, then drew his knife quickly across its chest, opening the thoracic cavity.

A glow of Kaidō formed in his palm as he closed his eyes and began the healing.

Picture what it looked like before… and restore it to that state.

Control the reiryoku with more delicacy… like silk threads…

Five minutes later, Hao opened his eyes and stared thoughtfully at the now completely lifeless mouse.

"Your technique is roughly correct," Unohana said, calmly analyzing from the side, "but your efficiency is too low.

Lethal wounds won't give you that much time to heal them in battle."

After thinking for a moment, Hao took two steps back and looked at her.

"Unohana-sensei… one more time, please."

"Oh?"

Unohana was a bit surprised, but understood his intent.

"So, you really do want to master Kaidō that can be used in combat."

In the next instant, the familiar geyser of blood surged once more—and even though Hao had braced himself this time, he still couldn't catch any trace of Unohana's movement.

As Unohana gazed down at Hao lying beneath her, quietly absorbing and studying her every motion, she thought with some amusement:

Today truly wasn't a wasted trip.

This child she'd casually brought back from the outer districts of Rukongai had already surprised her far more than expected.

Back then, the reason she extended an invitation to Hao was simple—she had a gut feeling.

A sense that he was the same kind of person as her.

Like beasts meeting on the savannah—one glance, and they recognize each other's fierce nature.

But Hao had far exceeded even her expectations.

In swordsmanship, hand-to-hand, shunpo, and kidō, he displayed top-tier talent across the board.

And even more shockingly—his reason for learning Kaidō was exactly the same as hers.

So then… what reason did she have not to teach him?

The 80th district of North Rukongai, also known as Zaraki, really did produce its fair share of monsters.

Back in the day, she had encountered a child there who was so strong… he had driven her to despair.

And now, she had found Hao.

As for that other child—where he wandered now, she didn't know.

But Hao… he was also a promising seedling.

She looked down at the ruggedly handsome face beneath her, lips curving upward in a faint smile.

Let's see… just how much satisfaction you can bring me in the future.

The setting sun cast long shadows as the day came to an end at the Shin'ō Academy.

Most students wrapped up another productive day—spiritually enriched, perhaps, but physically drained.

And as for Hao inside the Kaidō classroom… well, he'd been enriched academically, but his body was about as empty as a drained sake bottle.

When a student tasked with cleaning duty unlocked the classroom door, the moment he stepped inside—

He froze.

It looked exactly like… a crime scene.

Blood still dripped from the crimson-stained ceiling.

Puddles of blood soaked the floor, and a pungent metallic stench hung heavy in the air.

And in the middle of all that gore stood two people.

One of them he recognized immediately—it was none other than the academy's most beloved healer, Captain Unohana, currently seen… gently caressing the abs of a shirtless male student.

Damn, that guy's got a nice body…

Wait, no, what the hell am I thinking?

More importantly—what the hell am I LOOKING AT?!

In a room that looked like a mass murder had just occurred… the number one most popular Kaidō instructor in the whole school was stroking the bare torso of some poor student?!

Slide—

He closed the door again.

Nope. Definitely must've opened that wrong.

He had to have misseen something.

Slide—

The door opened again.

This time, the two inside had clearly separated.

One was staring at him with a strange expression, while the other wore that signature gentle smile and narrowed eyes that made her so beloved.

"Um… Captain Unohana, I—I didn't see anything, I swear."

He stiffly turned around, trying to flee the scene of the crime.

Damn it, why did I have to be on duty today?

But he had just barely turned halfway when Unohana's voice called him back:

"You must be the student on cleaning duty, right? I apologize.

We made a bit of a mess just now while practicing Kaidō."

Practicing Kaidō?

He glanced suspiciously around the room—at the caged white mice, at the oceans of blood, and thought:

There's no way a mouse could bleed that much, right?

And then his eyes flicked to the male student beside Unohana.

The guy looked ghost-pale, like he was barely standing at all.

Was this really the result of practicing healing?

Wait… that blood… don't tell me it's HIS?

No, no, impossible. Captain Unohana is so gentle, there's no way she'd make a student practice healing by almost killing him… right?

Clutching a broom and mop in trembling hands, he tiptoed into the classroom.

"So… I'll just start cleaning now?"

"Thank you, senpai," Hao said with a slightly awkward smile.

He didn't think anything strange about the situation himself—though he did feel guilty about the cleanup.

Blood was hard to scrub, and this guy was in for a long one.

Hao would've helped, but honestly, his body felt way too weak.

After all, Kaido wasn't omnipotent—Unohana could heal injuries, yes, but she couldn't replace lost blood.

And after experiencing her "lessons" three times in a row, the massive blood loss had drained even Hao's normally resilient body to its limits.

He needed to replenish blood—and fast.

Destination: cafeteria.

"That'll be all for today," Unohana said sweetly, stepping gracefully through the blood-soaked floor.

"Let me see… your next Kaidō lesson is the day after tomorrow. Make sure to prepare well."

She turned with a soft smile, her eyes narrowing with mischief.

"Next time, I'll be even stricter, okay?"

Hao rubbed his chest, a chill running down his spine.

What if one day she accidentally kills me for real?

With that thought, he realized—his path to early graduation was going to be a hell of a grind.

At minimum, he needed to earn the full approval of every teacher for all core subjects and electives.

If even one of them didn't give the nod, there'd be no way to fast-track through.

And who knew if the Academy would create some kind of special exam just for geniuses like him trying to skip grades?

Hao brushed past the still-dazed janitor student, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

Right now, only one thing mattered:

Get to the cafeteria and eat.

He might look fine from the outside, but his life-force gauge was down to 40%.

Time to replenish.