Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Temporary Release?
Kurotsuchi Mayuri demonstrated his recent accomplishments.
He summoned a rabbit and tossed it to Unohana Retsu.
"This is the rabbit after releasing its sealed power," he said, his tone cold and somewhat cruel. "Now that even Vice-Captain Kuchiki has reached this level, using a rabbit for experimentation seems inappropriate."
"If you ask me," he turned his head to look at Naruto, "let's use a soul for experimentation."
"How can such a weak and powerless creature be compared to a human?"
The reactions in the room varied.
Unohana Retsu's expression remained unchanged.
Kuchiki Byakuya frowned slightly.
Kyoraku Shunsui and Naruto's gazes sharpened immediately.
"If you dare do that, I'll cut you down," Naruto squinted at him. "Captain Kurotsuchi, don't say such dangerous things."
Mayuri clicked his tongue, turning his head away, no longer looking at Naruto.
He knew his suggestion would be rejected, but he couldn't help saying it out loud.
"Thank you for your concern, Captain Kurotsuchi," Kuchiki Soujun said warmly, "but I am not so precious that others need to sacrifice for me, and this doesn't affect my life."
Mayuri seemed to recall something. "Then what about the body?"
"Captain Uzumaki, please bring it out. After all, he's already dead and guilty, so using a worthless body shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Naruto extended his hand and summoned a scroll.
He had no psychological barrier.
Using the corpse of a dead person to heal the living—it wasn't something hard for him to accept.
Mayuri's eyes gleamed with greed as he reached out.
Naruto moved around him, handing the scroll to Unohana Retsu.
"Is this for me?" Unohana Retsu was somewhat surprised.
Mayuri exaggeratedly exclaimed, "Oh dear, oh dear, Captain Uzumaki, I am the researcher!"
"Such a precious item, and you don't let me study it?"
"Do you not trust me at all?"
Naruto glared at him coldly. "If it were on the battlefield, I'd trust you to guard my back."
"But when it comes to research, if not restrained, you're someone who doesn't know the meaning of self-control."
Mayuri was a very crazy person.
His passion and drive for research exceeded that of any "scientist" Naruto had ever seen, to the point where he had no boundaries. To achieve his goals, he would do anything.
Over the past two years, he had been constantly testing Naruto.
Every time he was warned, he would restrain himself for a while, but after a few days, his true nature would resurface.
The only difference was in how overt or covert his actions were.
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't defeat Naruto and that Captain-Commander Yamamoto kept him in check, he might have already tried to kidnap Naruto by now.
He then turned to Unohana Retsu, his tone gentle. "Captain Unohana, I entrust you with the body."
"If Captain Kurotsuchi wants to research it, please satisfy him when you have the time."
Unohana Retsu looked at Mayuri, then smiled slightly. "Naruto really trusts me."
"Don't worry, Captain Kurotsuchi will behave."
Mayuri was just about to speak, but hearing Unohana Retsu's words and sensing the sharpness beneath her gentle tone, he turned his head away again.
Fine.
Let it be for now.
Although restrained by others, being allowed by Naruto to research Tōsen's requested body was already quite a significant breakthrough.
They busied themselves.
Dissecting the Four Symbols Seal, studying the life form of a "Jinchuriki."
Naruto lent a hand.
Until the evening, when Naruto invited them for drinks, the Kuchiki Clan was represented by Byakuya, as Sojun had to step down early, and now, as the "grandson," Byakuya was to surpass his "father" and succeed his "grandfather" as the head of the Kuchiki Clan.
Now that Kuchiki Ginrei was already quite old, he could still serve as a captain for a few more decades, waiting for the day when Kuchiki Byakuya could fully master Bankai, after which he would also retire.
Mayuri didn't come.
He didn't like drinking with Naruto.
This blond kid would always inspect his cup after every sip.
If it happened too often, he would even hit him.
Although he was indeed trying to steal Captain Uzumaki's bodily data, could this person not trust him even a little more?
In the izakaya.
After a few drinks, Kyoraku Shunsui patted Kuchiki Byakuya on the shoulder. "Although you'll be the Vice-Captain from now on, don't always keep a stiff face and shoulder so many burdens."
"I am the heir of the Kuchiki Family," Kuchiki Byakuya shook his head, his tone firm. "I must set a proper example."
He couldn't be worse than his father.
Nor could he be like the natural counterexample—the people of the Shihōin family.
Kyoraku Shunsui sighed.
He could easily persuade Naruto, but he couldn't easily meddle in Kuchiki Byakuya's matters.
So he turned his head. "Naruto, I heard your Bankai training isn't going too well?"
Unohana Retsu also looked over.
"It's not going too well," Naruto nodded, his expression calm. "There are some minor issues."
"Need my help?" Kyoraku Shunsui offered.
Naruto was surprised. "Uncle Shunsui, aren't you the one who hates trouble the most?"
Kyoraku Shunsui put down his wine glass with a hint of irritation: "If a cute junior faces trouble they can't solve on their own, I'd be more than happy to lend a hand, alright?"
"Even though I'm just a boy," Naruto said with a smile.
Kyoraku Shunsui sighed, waved to the owner, and ordered two more bottles of good wine. Based on what Naruto had just said, he was going to drink a lot tonight.
Unohana Retsu spoke gently, "Naruto-kun's progress is indeed somewhat unusual."
Given Naruto's talent, it shouldn't have taken this long for even the first signs of manifestation to appear, even though the blade known as "Nine-Tails" isn't an intrinsic part of Naruto's own inner strength.
Naruto shook his head. "Thank you, Captain Unohana, and Uncle Shunsui, for your concern."
"But this is a problem that only I can solve, and I need a bit more time."
Kyoraku Shunsui's eyebrows relaxed. "As long as you're confident, that's good."
He was a little worried, wondering if something had changed again within Naruto's body. However, Naruto wasn't the type to keep things to himself and bear them alone. Since he hadn't asked for help even when prompted, it meant that this really wasn't a serious issue.
After finishing his words, he stood up and called over Matsumoto Rangiku and Shiba Isshin, who were nearby.
If there was no trouble, then it was time to relax and drink.
Sosuke Aizen was always a very cautious person. After meeting with Naruto, he hadn't slipped up once. There was no change in his behavior either; he was still the extremely gentle Captain of the 5th Division. He seemed to have laid low.
Since that day, ten years had passed, and there hadn't been any incidents of Shinigami or souls disappearing mysteriously in Rukongai. It seemed that the warning had taken effect.
But Naruto still felt that Sosuke Aizen was brewing something else. That guy had the deepest, most intense light in his eyes of anyone Naruto had ever met. There's no way he'd just become cautious because of a warning.
Naruto carefully observed him, but it didn't affect his own life.
The "Hollow" sealed within Kuchiki Sojun hadn't been extracted during this time, not because the "release technique" hadn't been developed.
Unohana Retsu and Kurotsuchi Mayuri had already confirmed that the Four Symbols Seal merged the "lifeforce" of the two powers. Separating them required considering many factors.
The time since sealing was one of these factors; the newer the seal, the less fully the two forces had merged, making it easier to separate them. The strength of the sealed power also needed to be considered.
If it was stronger than the Jinchuriki's own power, it would be harder to separate. Conversely, if it was weaker, it would be easier.
Rabbits weren't very good test subjects. When they switched to larger animals, like wild boars and black bears, these conditions were quickly tested.
The "Hollow" power within Kuchiki Sojun wasn't particularly strong, comparable to a Vice-Captain's level. But the problem was that Sojun was physically weak, and separating it would cause irreversible damage to his lifeforce.
The honor of the Kuchiki Clan was important, but so was a person's life.
Kuchiki Ginrei made the final decision not to require Kuchiki Sojun to have the "Hollow" within him separated. The research goal was changed to finding a way to coexist with the "Hollow's" power.
This was exactly what Naruto needed. The Nine-Tails had been sealed within his body for over forty years, and their lifeforces had long since fused, making separation difficult.
The feasibility of fully unsealing without harming either of them was now very low. Even if it could be done, who knew how long it would take?
So before that, finding a way to temporarily unseal the Nine-Tails, even for a short time, was urgent.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri was a very crazy person. He thought that if separation wasn't possible, then why not turn the "Hollow" power back into "Shinigami" power?
During these ten years, he developed a technique that could temporarily extract the internal power without affecting the Jinchuriki's lifeforce. Of course, his original intent was to extract and experiment on the "Hollow" power. But this technique was indeed very helpful to Naruto.
In his inner world, the Nine-Tails looked at the technique Naruto had listed out and nodded thoughtfully: "I don't understand it, but that guy is really something."
"To be able to do this."
Naruto, sitting astride, nodded and smiled. "Once we get back to the Ninja World, we can test what this technique can do."
"Don't rush; ten years will pass in no time."
The Nine-Tails bared its teeth. "That Aizen guy is really annoying."
Although as a pure "energy entity," its lifespan was nearly infinite. Waiting a few decades wasn't impossible. But still, that guy was really irritating.
Naruto was about to say something when his senses were suddenly triggered, and he withdrew from his inner world. Returning to reality, he opened his eyes.
Captain Ukitake Jushiro, led by Jin'emon, pushed open the door and entered, looking anxious.
~~~
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