章節 14: Chapter 14: Of Man, Cat, and Fox
...
Sasakibe Chōjirō left.
He had already obtained the answers the Captain-Commander wanted.
"Don't blame yourself." Hogei Ichiji walked up to Naruto's bedside, placing the two swords down, comforting him gently, "and don't resist this power."
"Although it was a bit surprising, you did give us quite a thrashing."
"But I'm just a lowly seated officer, the Captains are far more powerful than me, they'll definitely be able to resolve your body's troubles."
Naruto lifted his head. Their gazes met.
Hogei Ichiji was taken aback, in those deep blue eyes, there was none of the shrinking, fear or terror he had imagined...
The expression was resolute, unwavering.
And a sense of "apology" towards himself, towards those teachers.
He... was much stronger than Hogei Ichiji had thought.
"I'm not resisting, it's just..." Naruto clenched his fists, "I wish I could be even better."
"You brat!" Hogei Ichiji chuckled without much enthusiasm, roughly ruffling his hair.
Unohana Retsu and Kyōraku Shunsui were also a bit surprised by his answer.
It wasn't the kind of thing a "living" or "dead" young man under twenty would say.
It was a good answer.
Mature, strong, reliable.
They had enough patience, and enough time, to accompany and guide a talented but immature youth to grow.
But if he could "mature" sooner, that would undoubtedly be better.
"That's a real man for you." Hirako Shinji spoke up, the words good, but with a hint of mockery in his mouth, "I thought you'd be crying in Headmaster Hogei's arms."
Naruto looked at him, rolled his eyes with a hint of disdain, then turned to Unohana Retsu, "Captain Unohana, what do I need to do to master the Nine Tails power without losing control?"
"You must continue practicing Sword Zen, meet your Zanpakutō spirit." Unohana Retsu smiled gently, "Don't be in a hurry, you're still young, we can solve this problem slowly."
Naruto's tone was calm as he replied, "I've already done that."
Unohana Retsu was surprised.
"I've already met it." Naruto raised his hand, pointing to his heart, "During the first Sword Zen session."
"How many did you see?" Kyōraku Shunsui inquired.
Naruto looked at him puzzledly, somewhat confused, "Of course, only one."
Kyōraku Shunsui contemplated, "We dual-wielding Shinigami are different from those with a single sword."
"The number of Zanpakutō spirits also matches the number of swords, which is two."
"You can see it in their names."
"Like my Katen Kyōkotsu, and Jūshirō's Sōgyo no Kotowari."
"Kyūbi may not be a false name, but rather an incomplete one, which is what Captain Unohana meant by a missing half."
Two?
Naruto tilted his head.
But in that underground waterway, there was only the Nine Tailed Fox.
"I think the reason you can only release one of your swords is perhaps because... the one you're currently releasing is too powerful." Kyōraku Shunsui continued.
He raised both hands, condensing spiritual energy.
A sphere of light appeared on both his left and right hands, identical in size and strength.
"Jūshirō and I are like this, the strength of our two swords is equal, so they can manifest at the same scale."
"Just now, Captain Unohana said the sealed power within you is at least at the level of an Espada."
"But you yourself are only at the level of a 4th or 5th Seat."
"It's like this..."
The light sphere on Kyōraku Shunsui's left hand grew immense, emanating scorching, dazzling radiance, while the one on the right remained unchanged, seemingly devoured by the left one's light, not requiring effort to discern.
"Do you see what I mean?"
Naruto was not stupid, he was quite intelligent, "The brilliance of the Kyūbi overshadows the light of the other Zanpakutō, to the point that I've overlooked it?"
"Correct." Kyōraku Shunsui dispersed the two spiritual energy spheres with a wave of his hand.
"So what you need to do now, Uzumaki, is still to continue practicing Sword Zen, find your other sword, perhaps that way you can complete the name, or balance the power of the Kyūbi."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully.
Finding the other "inner power..."
"We'll also quickly figure out the meaning of that peculiar seal on your body." Unohana smiled, "Don't be too anxious."
Naruto looked at them, then glanced at Hogei Ichiji.
He let out a long sigh, releasing the gloom that had been weighing on his heart.
After all, the Seireitei was more comfortable.
He stayed at the 4th Division for half a month, and after Unohana confirmed that his emotions would not cause any further problems, he was allowed to return to the Shin'ō Academy.
Naruto really wanted to help Unohana solve the "seal" issue, but he was clueless about sealing techniques.
The curriculum at the Shinobi Academy only covered the most basic knowledge, sealing techniques... that was a blind spot.
...
Back at the school.
The process of early graduation had also begun.
Naruto needed to complete the full six-year curriculum in less than a year.
In addition to the basic "Zanjutsu, Kidō, Hohō, and Hakuda." there were also some Shinigami-related studies, such as Covert Operations, Relief Medical Care, Intelligence Patrol, and Soul Burial...
This was the most troublesome part for students aiming for early graduation.
But for Naruto, these courses didn't cause that much difficulty.
Many of them were similar to what he had learned at the "Shinobi Academy."
Of course...
Naruto had more to learn than just that.
Captain Unohana had specially instructed to add a "Kidō" course for Naruto - the Shin'ō Academy usually only taught basic Kidō, and formal Kidō training would only begin after graduation and assignment to the 4th Division, upon confirmation of aptitude.
Naruto wanted to refuse.
But... the moment he thought of saying so, he was overcome by a sense of overwhelming danger.
Unohana Retsu, so gentle, so beautiful.
Naruto had also smoothly learned the "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique" from the Shinobi Academy. Although he didn't much like Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had to admit the old man's insight was indeed good, this technique was well-suited for him.
Everything was improving.
Except for the progress on the "other sword."
Each Sword Zen session, he could only hear the Nine Tails' voice.
Naruto had also tried asking the Nine Tails if it was hiding its true name, but the moment he brought up the topic, the Nine Tails became unstoppably irritated, driving him out.
After several attempts, the Nine Tails could finally patiently talk to Naruto.
"Kyūbi" was indeed not its true name, but it refused to tell Naruto.
Half a year passed this way.
The Shinigami Naruto saw the most was 5th Division Lieutenant Aizen Sōsuke, a very gentle person who would come by almost weekly to guide Naruto's Kidō training, allowing Naruto to make tremendous progress in this area.
It's just that... the encounters were not long, as whenever Aizen Sōsuke came, Captain Hirako Shinji would soon follow.
While Aizen Sōsuke was very gentle.
For some reason, Naruto liked the foul-mouthed, strangely-behaved Hirako Shinji more.
Next was 4th Division Captain Unohana Retsu, who cared for Naruto a lot.
...
One day.
Naruto was training alone in the gymnasium as usual.
Hogei Ichiji came to get him, "Naruto, a Captain is looking for you, come with me."
Naruto stopped his training, puzzled, "A Captain?"
If it was Unohana, Kyōraku Shunsui... Hogei Ichiji wouldn't use the specific title "Captain."
"It's the newly appointed 12th Division Captain, Urahara Kisuke." Hogei Ichiji said, "He seems to have researched something."
"I heard he's quite formidable, has good relations with the Shihōin Clan, perhaps he can solve your troubles."
They walked to the office.
As soon as they knocked and entered,
"Hey there, Uzumaki boy, I've heard about you many times, but this is the first time I'm seeing you in person."
The voice came before they saw him.
As Naruto looked, it was a man with short pale-yellow hair, wearing Captain's haori.
Unlike the previous captains he had seen - though they were oddly-shaped, each with their own distinctive traits, there was no doubt an aura of "Captain" about them.
But this one...
Had a weak-looking face.
A sense of "frail" and "easily bullied."
There was another captain in the room.
A carefree dark-skinned beauty lounging on the desk, yawning.
The pale-yellow haired man approached, "Let me introduce myself, I'm 12th Division Captain Urahara Kisuke, also in charge of the Research and Development Institute."
"And that one over there..."
"Well..."
His tone held a hint of disdain, "It's best to just pretend she doesn't exist."
"You bastard Urahara!" The dark-skinned beauty pounced, punching him hard, "Properly introduce me."
Urahara Kisuke covered his head, "This is 2nd Division Captain Shihōin Yoruichi."
"And we have some matters to trouble her with regarding you and your fox condition."
Pausing,
He seemed to be about to discuss his most confident area, his bearing becoming more substantial, "I've got some clues about your seal and troubles."
"But it's not good to talk about it here."
"Care to come with us?"
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