Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Missing Half
Dean Hakou nodded, "Of course, we're heading to 4th Division. Captain Hirako, let's go together."
"My colleagues and I are injured."
Each squad in the Gotei 13 has its own responsibilities.
The 4th Division is responsible for medical treatment.
2nd Squad handles prison interrogations, which is not a pleasant place to go.
"Sōsuke, take this kid's sword," Shinji Hirako said, grabbing Naruto by the back of his collar like a fox cub.
Sosuke Aizen, unbothered by the unceremonious command from his captain, walked over. He paused when he saw something half-buried under the rubble. He turned his head, "Excuse me, Dean Hakou, which one of you was disarmed by Uzumaki Naruto?"
Dean Hakou shook his head, "No one. Why do you ask, Lieutenant Aizen?"
Sosuke Aizen bent down and picked up the objects from the ground. "There are two swords here."
One was dark red, and the other was a basic training sword.
He reached out his left hand, grabbing the dark red one, "Is this his sword? It's beautiful."
"And this one?" He shook the one in his right hand, "Isn't this one of yours?"
Dean Hakou tilted his head.
The least injured Shinigami responded, "I'll investigate right away to see if any trainee's sword is missing."
Dean Hakou nodded, walked over, and took the training sword. He also picked up the "Nine-Tailed Demon Fox" sword, "Lieutenant Aizen, I'll take care of the swords. Since we're all heading to 4th Division, I'll keep them for now."
Sosuke Aizen smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Dean Hakou."
The 4th Division barracks were in a more remote and quiet part of Seireitei.
Naruto's condition seemed somewhat unusual.
Initially, it was Lieutenant Yamada Seinosuke who was in charge, but he soon called for the 4th Division Captain, Unohana Retsu.
Outside the treatment room, more people gradually arrived.
Shinigami from the Shin'ō Academy came and went, reporting the results of their investigation on the missing training sword.
8th Division Captain Kyōraku Shunsui, a man dressed in a cherry blossom pink haori and wearing a straw hat, looked even more carefree than Shinji Hirako.
First Division Lieutenant Sasakibe Chōjirō, a white-haired man with a mustache, dressed in the most formal Shinigami attire.
"Is the treatment still ongoing?" Kyōraku Shunsui asked softly, his eyes resting on the sword in Dean Hakou's hand, "Does that sword put such a burden on its wielder?"
Shinji Hirako shook his head, "It's not treatment."
"Captain Unohana said there's something unusual about that kid's body, and she's still investigating."
Kyōraku Shunsui was puzzled, "Unusual?"
Shinji Hirako clicked his tongue, "How should I know? I'm terrible at Kidō."
As they spoke, the door opened.
Yamada Seinosuke came out, respectfully facing the captains, "Please, captains, come in."
"Captain Unohana has some things to say."
They stepped inside.
Just as Sosuke Aizen was about to follow, Shinji Hirako stopped him, "Sōsuke, you stay outside. We don't want anyone unauthorized entering."
Sosuke Aizen stopped, not the least bit upset, his face still wearing a gentle smile, "Yes, Captain Hirako."
He had no complaints about the fact that the other two lieutenants could go in while he couldn't.
At least not outwardly.
Everyone entered.
With a bang, Shinji Hirako shut the door heavily.
Sosuke Aizen smiled, the light reflecting off his glasses obscuring his eyes.
Inside the room, Naruto had already woken up.
He lay on the bed, head lowered, looking dejected.
"Lieutenant Sasakibe is here too?"
Unohana was surprised by his presence.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto is also concerned about this matter," Sasakibe Chōjirō replied frankly.
Unohana nodded.
Dean Hakou, the most impatient among them and closest to Naruto, was also the most concerned, "What condition does Naruto's body have that requires Captain Unohana to investigate for so long? Will his release affect his body..."
Unohana shook her head gently, her tone soft, "Uzumaki's body is undamaged, just a bit unusual."
She paused, her gaze falling on Naruto's abdomen.
"Although Uzumaki has told me a lot."
"But to make it easier to understand, I'll explain from my perspective."
"His body seals an extremely powerful spiritual pressure, far greater than that of an ordinary captain, at least of Second Class Spiritual Pressure level."
Second Class Spiritual Pressure?
And "at least."
"Is it a Hollow?" Shinji Hirako recalled his initial impression of Naruto and his Hollow-like techniques, speaking up immediately.
Unohana shook her head again, "It's not a Hollow."
"Seinosuke and I have discussed Captain Hirako's and Dean Hakou's impressions, although I haven't seen it myself."
"But that feeling is likely just an emotional influence."
As she spoke, she remained calm and composed, her gaze briefly passing over her sword.
"The power within the vortex is not insubstantial."
"Nor is it as evil as he describes."
"On the contrary, it is very pure, very..." She hesitated, pondering the most precise description, "a very life-affirming force, very suitable for healing arts. Even without performing spells, this spiritual power itself has a healing effect."
"He seem to have some misunderstandings about it."
Dean Hakou was relieved and exhaled deeply.
That's great.
The person is fine, and the power is not a problem either.
Shinji Hirako raised his eyebrow and looked back at the door.
"Is that... that thing?" Shunsui Kyōraku furrowed his brows and spoke seriously, "Like Jūshirō?"
He didn't make it too clear, but those who should understand could grasp his meaning.
The "Jūshirō" he referred to was his friend and fellow captain, the current Captain of the 13th Division, Ukitake Jushiro.
He is the least healthy among all the captains, being chronically ill.
He almost died when he was young and was only saved by being parasitized by a "Fragment of the Soul King."
"No, it's not." Unohana, one of the oldest Shinigami, understood and shook her head in denial. "Although their nature of existence is somewhat similar, they are different."
"The entity within the vortex is merely a being constructed purely of spiritual power."
Dean Hakou frowned: "It sounds like a good thing, but why does Naruto lose his sanity when it's released?"
"Because the sword hasn't fully accepted him yet," Unohana said softly.
Dean Hakou didn't understand and held up the two swords in his arms: "But Naruto already knows its name, doesn't he?"
"This rarely happens," Unohana said gently. "The few cases are usually during Bankai. It's unprecedented to happen at Shikai."
"The name... can also be wrong."
"When a Shinigami can hear the voice of their Zanpakutō, if the Zanpakutō doesn't recognize the person or their power, it might not tell the user its real name."
"This way, although it can be released, only part of the Zanpakutō's power or the wrong power can be used."
"Naruto's case is probably like this. His spiritual pressure is strong enough to wield the Zanpakutō, but for some reason, the Zanpakutō told him a wrong name."
"It could also be that the sword is too powerful, and even with Fifth rank spiritual power, it's not enough to fully utilize it."
Naruto listened intently. Many of these details were not mentioned to him by Captain Unohana earlier.
"Nine-Tails"...
Is it the wrong name?
"The wrong name?" Dean Hakou looked bitter.
Unohana continued: "I think it might be related to another strange matter about the vortex."
"The power within him is both complete and incomplete."
Even Shunsui Kyōraku was puzzled by this.
What does it mean... complete yet incomplete?
Such a contradiction?
"This power should have another matching half," Unohana said softly. "Like a pair of objects missing its other half."
Matching...
The other half...
Dean Hakou thought of something, glanced at Shunsui Kyōraku, and raised the sword in his hand: "Captain Unohana, the investigation has just been completed, and no one is missing an Asauchi."
"This sword appeared beside Naruto along with Nine-Tails."
"Could it be..."
"Naruto actually possesses a pair of Zanpakutō."
"The third one in the Soul Society."
"He has only awakened Nine-Tails, and the other one has yet to awaken."
Most Shinigami have only a "single sword," but there are exceptions.
Captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Captain of the 13th Division, Ukitake Jushiro, these fellow captains are very rare "dual sword" holders.
Unohana nodded hesitantly: "For now, that seems to be the explanation."
She looked at the disappointed blond boy on the bed.
Vaguely, she felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint it.
"Dual swords" was the best and only explanation.
"For some very special reason, Naruto has only released one of the dual swords, and the other remains sealed or hasn't been released for some other reason..."
"What does Captain Kyōraku think?"
Shunsui Kyōraku shook his head: "Both Jūshirō and I released our dual swords simultaneously, and there are no other examples to refer to."
"I see," Unohana smiled. "Naruto will stay in the 4th Division for the time being."
"I'll monitor his physical condition closely."
Saying this, she picked up a piece of paper from the bedside table, folded it, and handed it to Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe: "Please hand this to the Captain-Commander."
"It records the seal on Naruto's body."
"It's a very peculiar spell."
"Unlike 'any' spells we've seen before."
"According to Naruto, it seems to be a form of spiritual power manipulation by humans in the living world, not of the Quincy type."
She emphasized the word "any."
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