Shinigami in the Ninja World

The Captain-Commander issued his orders.

Instinctively, Byakuya Kuchiki glanced toward Naruto.

This small action was immediately caught by the Captain-Commander, but instead of anger, it brought a slight smile to his face.

Realizing his reaction was somewhat inappropriate, Byakuya adjusted his posture, showing the composure expected of the head of the Kuchiki clan. He then spoke: "Captain-Commander should be aware that Muramasa's true target is most certainly that person."

He paused, speaking with careful and serious deliberation: "Kōga Kuchiki."

"That means his next target will be the World of the Living..."

"Karakura Town."

Hearing that name, Naruto felt a moment of disorientation.

That town again.

"It's just a coincidence," the Captain-Commander said calmly. "I only now realize that the place where the battle with Aizen took place is the same location where Kōga was sealed. It seems Muramasa was awakened during the transfer."

After all...

He wouldn't care about a mere location in the World of the Living.

"Father has already gone ahead," Byakuya continued after the Captain-Commander spoke, but he hesitated, unsure how to continue.

He could have expressed himself freely to Naruto, but now that the Captain-Commander was involved...

The Captain-Commander, sensing Byakuya's hesitation, waved his remaining hand dismissively: "Changing command mid-battle is never wise. Since Naruto has been handling this matter, it will remain under his purview."

As he spoke, that smile which had faded briefly returned.

"Being so harshly criticized by Ryūjin Jakka does cause me some heartache," he said, though his face carried no expression beyond the smile.

Naruto turned to Byakuya: "You, I, and the Captain-Commander will proceed to the World of the Living."

He understood Byakuya's concerns.

Sōjun Kuchiki had already gone ahead to the World of the Living...

Byakuya's expression softened a little, and he offered a rare smile: "Thank you, Naruto."

A few captains stayed behind to handle the remaining rebellious Zanpakutō, while the others returned to the Soul Society.

Naruto had Soi Fon go ahead to notify the Visored group since he could get along with them, but the Captain-Commander might not be so accommodating.

"You've handled things well," the Captain-Commander said as he walked beside Naruto. "I thought Shunsui might step in to assist you."

Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake had stayed behind in the cave to manage the situation with the Zanpakutō.

They had completely followed Naruto's lead without interference.

Naruto smiled slightly: "Maybe Uncle Shunsui no longer sees me as a child."

"You've certainly grown," the Captain-Commander nodded with a smile. "How was the experience of fighting Ryūjin Jakka?"

"It's a very powerful sword," Naruto replied softly.

He paused.

"But in the end, it's just a sword."

"I'd love the chance to spar with you someday, Captain-Commander."

Kurama, emerging from Naruto's body, frowned: "You want to fight this old man?"

The fox extended a paw, tapping Naruto's head.

"Naruto, have you been infected by Kenpachi's insanity?"

"Ryūjin Jakka alone was hard enough to deal with."

Naruto said nothing, only smiling slightly.

The Captain-Commander also remained silent.

In the World of the Living, near Karakura Town…

Deep in the hills, after obtaining the secret he sought from the Captain-Commander's mind, Muramasa arrived through a Garganta, his expression excited.

However...

The figure standing before the seal caused his excitement to freeze.

The man was not dressed as a Shinigami, wearing a simple kimono, but his face bore a striking resemblance to Byakuya Kuchiki. The silver "Confining Star" headpiece he wore identified him clearly.

"Sōjun Kuchiki," Muramasa spat the name, sneering with a cold, mocking laugh: "I thought you were dead."

"As good as dead," Sōjun smiled gently, his tone soft.

Muramasa gripped his sword: "What are you doing here?"

"To stop you," Sōjun said calmly. "Give it up. He shouldn't—"

"Shouldn't what?" Muramasa interrupted, sneering. "Do you think you can stop me, Sōjun Kuchiki?"

"You sickly fool..."

Sōjun paused briefly: "Whether I can or not, it's the responsibility of the Kuchiki family."

"And my responsibility."

"After all—"

He raised his hand, drawing his sword.

"Shinigami tricks won't work on me," Muramasa lifted his hand, ready to unleash his power.

But then...

Sōjun raised his other hand, covering his face: "You and Kōga... have been disconnected from this world for too long."

"The world is not stagnant."

"There are always more talented people who appear suddenly and turn the entire world upside down."

Muramasa's eyes widened: "You mean..."

"Naruto Uzumaki?"

Sōjun didn't respond, and white, writhing material began to spread from beneath his fingers: "Ever since I gained this power, I've never had to use it."

"This is undignified, but I have no other choice."

Muramasa's pupils dilated: "That's..."

In an instant, a Hollow mask spread over Sōjun's face. His feet moved in a flash step, and he swung his sword at Muramasa.

Muramasa moved to block.

With a clash of steel, sparks flew.

Muramasa's face twisted in surprise.

Sōjun… had grown stronger.

Although his talent had once rivaled that of Kōga, his body had been too frail. He hadn't possessed the kind of overwhelming potential like Jūshirō Ukitake, who could grow stronger despite his physical limitations.

When Kōga had been brought into the Kuchiki family, Sōjun had already been a lieutenant.

And even by the time Kōga was sealed away, Sōjun remained a lieutenant.

Otherwise, Sōjun Kuchiki wouldn't have worked so hard to select such an outstanding son-in-law.

But now, Sōjun's power was no longer limited by his body.

He possessed "captain-level" strength.

Was it because of the power of *Hollowfication*?

Moreover, Sōjun's newfound confidence wasn't unfounded—Muramasa's abilities weren't receiving feedback from Hollow reiatsu.

And, crucially, Muramasa was still injured—from the wounds left by Kurama.

Although the healing within Minazuki's body had allowed him to recover enough to move, it wasn't complete.

Sōjun, having undergone *Hollowfication*, no longer fought with the elegance and calmness of his former self—his fighting style was now tinged with violence and frenzy.

They clashed repeatedly, each wielding their sword with precision.

After dozens of exchanges, a portal opened in the sky above.

Three figures stepped through.

Muramasa immediately noticed the three spiritual pressures.

His face twisted in frustration.

So soon?

Even Ryūjin Jakka hadn't delayed them for long.

And it was all because of this damnable...

Sōjun Kuchiki!

Before Muramasa could continue his thoughts, Sōjun interrupted with a gruff, raspy voice, unlike his previous gentleness: "Do you still have the luxury of distraction?"

Muramasa turned back.

Sōjun, now fully masked, had a pink *Cero* charged at the jaws of his Hollow mask, which shot toward him at point-blank range.

Having just been distracted, Muramasa couldn't dodge in time.

The explosion scattered dust and smoke, filling the air. The undulating spiritual pressure was still present, though.

"You can even use a *Cero*—have you fully fallen into being a Hollow?" Muramasa clicked his tongue in frustration, half of his face blown away by the blast, revealing shattered cheekbones. "You've completely abandoned your Kuchiki heritage."

He extended his hand.

Thin threads of energy began to emanate from his fingertips.

As for the three figures in the sky...

Muramasa no longer cared. He had no strength left to worry about them.

Other than the young Kuchiki, he had no confidence in defeating the other two—especially since one of them wielded a Zanpakutō he couldn't control.

The three simply watched.

If that was the case...

The fight here couldn't stop.

"Father's health has always been poor," Byakuya said softly, still observing the battle. "He was limited by his body's weakness."

"The Kuchiki family needs a capable heir."

"While my father was excellent in many ways, his strength... never reached that level."

"That's why he chose an adopted son-in-law—Kōga Kuchiki."

Naruto listened quietly.

The customs and traditions of the Soul Society weren't all that different from those of the noble families in the World of the Living: In large families, if the direct heir or main branch was incapable of fulfilling their role, the son-in-law became crucial.

The head of the family would carefully select a man who was reliable in appearance, ability, and character to marry his daughter.

After a period of time—one or two years in the World of the Living, but longer in the Soul Society—if the son-in-law's character and ability were deemed consistent and trustworthy, the head of the family would recognize him as an adopted son.

When the family head grew old or passed away, this hand-picked son-in-law would become the new leader of the family.

"Kōga was indeed a remarkable person," the Captain-Commander interjected, adding to Byakuya's words. "He was a kind and gentle man, much like you, Naruto."

Byakuya glanced at the Captain-Commander, surprised.

But...

Being compared to Naruto—wasn't that too high of a compliment?

Seeing that the Captain-Commander had nothing further to say, Byakuya gathered his thoughts and continued: "However, within the Kuchiki family, there were those who opposed Kōga."

"At first, their dissent was quiet."

"But when Kōga was appointed as the Third Seat of the 6th Division, they grew uneasy, using whatever influence they had to convince the Captain-Commander to transfer him to the 1st Division."

Just as the Shihōin family was closely tied to the 2nd Division, the Kuchiki family was directly linked to the 6th Division. Each head of the family also held the position of Captain of the 6th Division.

Not placing Kōga in the 6th Division—the seat of future family heads—made the opposition abundantly clear.

No wonder the Captain-Commander had made such an assessment earlier...

As the Captain of the 1st Division, he would have had a clearer view of these dynamics.

"Naruto, you know as well as I do how greedy and insatiable some of the noble houses can be," Byakuya said coldly, without mincing words or using polite euphemisms. "They began to oppose Kōga in increasingly manipulative ways."

"Of course..."

"I can't deny—and even my grandfather acknowledges—that he shares some of the blame for what happened."

"My grandfather allowed the branch families too much freedom, thinking it would serve as a form of training for Kōga. The branch families, emboldened by this, pushed their agenda further."

"And it led to catastrophe."

"Kōga was framed, accused of killing his comrades."

Byakuya paused, his gaze returning to the battlefield.

Sōjun and Muramasa were locked in a desperate struggle. Their spiritual pressures had weakened significantly, their bodies exhausted as they fought to strike a decisive blow.

"Naruto, I don't like admitting this, but you and I both know that for a noble family, that sort of crime is not a death sentence. In fact, it's hardly even significant." Byakuya's voice was icy, acknowledging a truth he found difficult to accept.

But his statement wasn't wrong.

At least, in the era over a century ago, it wouldn't have been an issue.

The servant of the noble Tsunayashiro family, despite having murdered a Shinigami comrade and his own wife, had only had his Zanpakutō confiscated after Shunsui Kyōraku reported the incident—he wasn't even imprisoned.

And Kōga, as an adopted son-in-law of the Kuchiki family, certainly held a higher status than that.

"Kōga seems to still believe this to this day," Byakuya said coldly. "One day, he snapped, fled, and killed three guards in the process."

"And after that..."

"He began organizing activities aimed at overthrowing the Soul Society."

"My grandfather and father have both regretted how things turned out."

"My grandfather believes he was too harsh on Kōga and that if he hadn't allowed the branch families to exert such pressure, none of this would have happened."

"My father thinks…"

"That if he had taken on the responsibility himself, rather than passing it onto Kōga, things wouldn't have escalated to this point."

He stopped, turning to Naruto.

There was a hint of confusion in his gaze.

In his light purple eyes, there was a silent plea: "What should I do?"

On one hand, the Kuchiki family had wronged Kōga. But on the other hand, Kōga had become a threat—and had already posed a threat—to the Soul Society.

A dilemma with no clear answer.

On the battlefield, the outcome had already been decided.

Sōjun Kuchiki, despite his *Hollowfication*-enhanced strength, could only fight at "captain-level" for so long.

His mask cracked, fragments of bone scattering, as he fell to the ground.

Defeated, but not dead.

He lay there, gasping in pain, his body pushed to its limits.

Muramasa stood shakily, struggling to rise.

The night had turned to dawn.

The rising sun painted the clouds behind the hills a bright red.

The three figures above appeared to be standing on the red clouds, the sunlight giving them a faint golden glow, though not harsh, but a muted light.

They stood quietly, watching him in silence.

"Are you not going to act?" Byakuya asked.

Naruto shook his head: "Sōjun is in no immediate danger."

Muramasa didn't know what they were thinking or why they hadn't attacked him while he was so severely wounded and barely able to stand.

But it was a blessing for him.

Now, he was only one step away from what he had long desired.

Muramasa forced himself to his feet, moving toward the seal, gathering what little spiritual pressure he had left.

Flocks of black swallowtail butterflies fluttered in panic, scattering in all directions.

He began chanting an incantation.

Space began to warp and ripple, and with the final words of the chant...

There was a cracking sound—

A fissure appeared, and the barrier shattered.

The illusion of trees and hills dissolved like a fleeting dream.

Revealing what had been hidden beneath it.

A coffin, bound with several chains.

Muramasa tore away the chains, removing the last layer of the seal.

Purple liquid seeped out from the cracks, and spiritual pressure surged, having built up over centuries, now erupting all at once.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

This level of power...

Was stronger than that of an ordinary captain. Even new captains like Soi Fon or Sajin Komamura had less spiritual pressure.

The coffin shattered, revealing a figure inside.

A man with short black hair, his upper body bare, covered in scars and bulging, twisted muscles. His face was partially covered by a mask that almost obscured half of his nose, and in his hand, he held a short sword.

Muramasa reached out, his hand trembling as he extended it toward the man: "After all this time..."

"We've finally been reunited."

Kōga Kuchiki blinked, squinting at the world around him. Centuries of being sealed away had left him unaccustomed to this new reality.

"Kōga," Muramasa called out loudly, his voice trembling with emotion. "Let's continue what we started so long ago."

"Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?"

But the man's reaction was unexpected, even to the three observers above.

Kōga raised his sword without hesitation and stabbed Muramasa, who was already covered in wounds.

His eyes were cold—filled with disdain.

Muramasa's eyes widened in disbelief: "Why... why?"

The strength that had sustained him until now collapsed in an instant.

Leaving him powerless, as he fell to his knees.

The joy he should have felt at breaking the seal and reuniting with his master was gone.

"Kōga," Muramasa whispered, his voice laced with confusion. "Why?"

Kōga's voice was as cold as his gaze: "Because you betrayed me."

Muramasa's confusion deepened: "Betrayed?"

"When I was about to be sealed, I called for you, but you never answered," Kōga's eyes burned with anger, glaring at his Zanpakutō. "You refused my call."

Muramasa tried to deny it: "That's impossible. Whenever you called for me, I always responded, no matter what."

"I could hear your voice."

"Until recently, when the strange spiritual pressure in Karakura Town awakened me, I didn't even know you'd been sealed."

"And now I've finally freed you."

~~~

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