Chapter 22: Chapter 22: The "Opposing Force" of a Soul Reaper (Bouns Chapter)
Chapter 22: The "Opposing Force" of a Soul Reaper (Bouns Chaprter)
Residing in the Soul Society, yet being an Uchiha, naturally meant he would have some differences from the native inhabitants.
Yato was acutely aware that the power of the Uchiha had a profound impact on him.
First was his appearance.
His pure black eyes and hair, combined with an extremely handsome face, made him the most frequent topic of late-night discussions among the girls—even in the Seireitei, where the density of attractive men was notably high.
Second was his talent.
His physical capabilities were clearly vastly superior to an ordinary person’s. His aptitude for fire-based Kido was so glaringly obvious that a casually tossed Sokatsui could level a building, retaining considerable power even when cast without an incantation.
Thus, lately, Yato often found himself pondering: Perhaps the crazy things they pulled off in Naruto are things I can replicate here.
Madara Uchiha had bitten off a piece of Hashirama Senju’s flesh and spent decades eventually evolving the Rinnegan; Obito Uchiha had transplanted Hashirama cells, allowing him to use his Mangekyo Sharingan frequently.
To an Uchiha, this "Opposing Force" was essentially a miracle supplement. At the very least, it could enhance one’s abilities; at best, it could propel them toward higher realms of power.
But this was the world of Bleach.
Spiritual Pressure, Zanpakuto, Fullbring, Schrifts... these were the dominant forces here.
And even if Yato were to turn the World of the Living upside down, he’d never find the power of the Senju.
So, he shifted his perspective—
If I can’t find the Opposing Force of an Uchiha, then what about the Opposing Force of a Soul Reaper? There’s plenty of that around!
He was both a Soul Reaper and an Uchiha. He wasn’t split in two; theoretically, these two constitutions should be completely integrated.
As for the "Opposing Force" of a Soul Reaper...
Yato’s immediate thought was Hollows.
One wore the black Shihakusho; the other donned a white mask.
One shared their "heart" with their Zanpakuto; the other lost their "heart" and became a monster.
One became a Visored; the other an Arrancar.
In the original story, when Ichigo Kurosaki lost his Soul Reaper powers, Kisuke Urahara gave him two choices: either become a Soul Reaper again, or degenerate into a Hollow.
In subtle ways, Soul Reapers and Hollows seemed to represent the "two divergent paths" of evolution for an ordinary soul.
Therefore, the moment Yato Uchiha confirmed his participation in the live combat exercise, he had secretly formulated a plan: he would hunt down a few Hollows in Hueco Mundo and see if he could acquire their power.
The results were obvious; every attempt had ended in failure.
But Yato wasn’t disheartened. With a Soul Reaper’s body infused with the Uchiha bloodline, attempting to devour the Opposing Force was clearly an immensely difficult undertaking. He was fully mentally prepared to spend a century on it if necessary.
Through constant trial and error, he would eventually achieve his goal.
"Mimicking the method of Jinzen... still doesn’t work."
Somewhere in Hueco Mundo, Yato drew his Zanpakuto and purified a tiger-shaped Hollow, sending it to the afterlife. He turned to Akame beside him with a bitter smile.
"Since we both think this is a viable path, help me brainstorm."
"Huh? But all I’m good at is chopping people up."
"Two heads are better than one."
"Let me think..." Akame pressed her fingers to her temples, speaking hesitantly.
"Do you think it’s possible that the level of these Hollows is just too low?"
"Hmm?"
"Look, all the ones you’ve killed are mindless, basic foot soldiers. The cores of their souls are already full of holes. They’re just terrible material for experiments. I suggest you wander deeper into Hueco Mundo and catch a Menos Grande or something."
It was an incredibly suicidal suggestion, but Yato’s eyes lit up upon hearing it.
The boundaries for the Shin’o Academy’s live combat exercise had been clearly marked in advance. If a student approached the boundary, the Hell Butterfly attached to their collar would emit a faint Spiritual Pressure as a warning.
While this ensured the students’ safety, this designated area was located in a remote part of Hueco Mundo. Coupled with Yoruichi Shihoin’s earlier sweep, the chances of encountering a powerful Menos Grande here were abysmally low.
Wandering near the boundary and pushing perhaps a few dozen kilometers deeper wasn’t too difficult for Yato at his current level; at worst, it would just be slightly dangerous.
Compared to the potential rewards, this minor risk was nothing.
Furthermore, since he had set his sights on one day witnessing the Throne in the Heavens, he couldn’t just play it safe forever.
Otherwise, with his handsome face, he could just stroll into the red-light districts and have hordes of wealthy women fighting to throw money at him to support him. Wouldn’t that be an easy way to coast all the way until the end of the Thousand-Year Blood War?
Having made up his mind, Yato Uchiha praised the girl a bit, got his bearings, and sprinted toward the boundary of the exercise zone.
...
Two more days passed.
Boom!
Yato Uchiha plummeted from high in the sky, smashing a deep crater into the desert. The immense force rattled his bones, and a coppery, sweet taste instantly welled up in his throat.
In the distance, a monster roared wildly in his direction.
Its body was pitch-black and slender, resembling an eerie, towering building. It wore a white mask with a long, clown-like nose, and right in the center of its torso was a gaping hole larger than an ordinary human.
—This was a Gillian, the lowest class of Menos Grande!
Although they possessed low intelligence and slow movements, they were still terrifying monsters formed by the cannibalization of over a hundred Hollows. The Gotei 13 had even enacted a specific regulation: an ordinary, unranked squad member was permitted to flee upon encountering a Gillian alone.
"It certainly packs a punch..."
Yato Uchiha gripped his trembling left arm, stood up, and looked calmly at the Menos Grande in the distance.
By this point, the Menos had stopped roaring. It didn’t attack with its body; instead, it opened its maw, revealing a continuous row of razor-sharp teeth. Its lower jaw extended wider and wider until it practically reached its chest.
An intensely concentrated burst of Spiritual Pressure gathered at the Menos’ mouth, constantly compressing until it formed a crimson beam that shot toward Yato Uchiha with lightning speed.
Cero!
"Truly a creature of low intelligence. It didn’t even realize it was a trap."
Yato shook his head slightly and brought his Zanpakuto, now in the form of a gunbai, up to his chest.
"Uchiha Reflection!"
Rumble...
Having absorbed the power of the Cero, the resulting Wind-type Kido was far more devastating than Yato had anticipated.
An unstoppable hurricane shredded the Gillian’s body to pieces, instantly snuffing out its life.
The massive, clown-like nose went flying, landing on the ground and rolling unsteadily right to Yato Uchiha’s feet.
Without delay, the boy pressed a single hand against it.
A long while passed.
"Just as I thought. I didn’t feel a damn thing."
Yato cursed under his breath.
It seemed Akame’s theory was most likely wrong as well.
"Looks like I’ll need more materials and more experiments. Scientific research really is a pain in the ass. Tsk. Sosuke Aizen and Kisuke Urahara are the only ones in the entire Soul Society with the brains for this..."
He disposed of the corpse, casually applied some medicinal ointment to his injuries, and turned to leave the area.
He had been in Hueco Mundo for four days now. In three days, the academy students were required to gather at the Senkaimon.
Yato knew that, at least for now, there was no way to verify his theory. Having lost the desire to linger, he decided to head toward the Senkaimon early and wait to return to the Soul Society.
However, just after he had sprinted for a dozen kilometers or so, an anomalous Spiritual Pressure suddenly appeared within his perception range.
"This is... an Adjuchas?"
Yato’s gaze sharpened. He immediately dropped to the ground, taking cover behind a withered tree. Simultaneously, he activated his Stage One Shikai, utilizing the Sharingan to observe the distance.
A Menos Grande—distinctly of the Adjuchas class—was roaming the area over there.
It looked somewhat like a lion from the World of the Living, standing roughly three meters tall at the shoulder. Its skin was dark brown, and its build was incredibly muscular. Even when not engaged in combat, the Spiritual Pressure passively leaking from it was enough to make ordinary Hollows bow in submission.
Yet, as Yato Uchiha watched from behind the tree with his Sharingan, his expression grew increasingly peculiar.
This Adjuchas-class Menos wasn’t hunting, nor was it resting. Instead, it was continuously sniffing the ground, occasionally tearing up the sand with its claws in rough, frantic movements.
Judging by its body language, it seemed almost... anxious?
Yato Uchiha closed his eyes and quickly sifted through his memories.
And this appearance... Have I seen this thing somewhere before?
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