Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Third Power
Chapter 29: The Third Power
Yato had always fantasized about what his first meeting with Sosuke Aizen would be like.
Perhaps it would be during a mission after officially joining the Gotei 13. Perhaps it would be during a Captain’s lecture at the Shin’o Academy. Or perhaps it would simply be crossing paths on a street in the Seireitei lined with officers’ estates, exchanging a brief, acknowledging nod...
But no matter what, it absolutely shouldn’t have been like today.
The scent of blood, the stench of death, wafted into Yato Uchiha’s nose. He could feel his pupils constricting involuntarily.
Did this guy see the entire process of me helping Harribel?
Did Hideki Watanabe and his group really just happen to be here?
And he mentioned ’Horiuchi’ just now... Does that mean he noticed me a year ago?
Calm down. Calm down...
Yato pressed his hand against Akame’s tsuba, the tip of his blade aimed straight at the man opposite him.
"Lieutenant of the 5th Division, Sosuke Aizen?"
"Oh?" The man’s expression remained perfectly gentle.
"I am truly flattered, Yato-kun, that you actually know my name."
"Identifying every Captain-class individual in the Gotei 13 is part of the general education at the Shin’o Academy," the boy paused, his voice laced with a cold edge.
"Lieutenant Aizen, murdering academy students without cause is a heinous crime. According to the laws of the Seireitei, you should be executed!"
"How truly loyal you are, Yato-kun."
Sosuke Aizen gently stroked the Zanpakuto in his hand before sheathing it, his tone remaining incredibly patient and warm.
"Loyal enough to fight bloody battles for a Vasto Lorde, and loyal enough to want to slaughter the academy students who witnessed the entire process."
"Furthermore, Yato-kun, who do you think Central 46 would believe? A Lieutenant like myself, or a Shin’o Academy student hailing from the Rukongai?"
"They would believe me," Yato Uchiha’s shoulders dropped imperceptibly.
"Because you won’t get the chance to return to the Seireitei!"
His feet gouged deep craters into the ground where he stood before his body shot forward like a javelin. His blade struck with vicious intent, roaring with the fury of thunder!
—No matter what, he had to exchange blows with Sosuke Aizen. It was the only solution Yato could think of when trapped in this deadly predicament.
Aside from knowing the plot, the greatest advantage of a reincarnated person was their grasp of the original characters’ personalities.
Sosuke Aizen. This was a man who essentially drove the main plot of the Bleach universe, the undisputed, most popular antagonist of the series.
A terrifyingly immense Spiritual Pressure; combat capabilities that had reached the absolute zenith in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido; the bizarre and unfathomable Complete Hypnosis; a calm, meticulous, and mature mind...
He was practically flawless, perfect in every conceivable way.
But even a man like this still had a flaw in his personality.
And that was... Sosuke Aizen was far too arrogant.
He was powerful, yet profoundly lonely. On the surface, he was gentle and polite, yet beneath it all, he looked down on absolutely everyone.
If you complied with his every whim, Aizen would consider it only natural. But if you displayed a strong, distinct personality and extraordinary traits, Aizen wouldn’t be stingy with his praise either.
Furthermore, Yato Uchiha was keenly aware that the current gap in strength between him and Aizen was simply astronomical.
If Aizen truly wanted to kill him, there was absolutely no way he could survive.
Moreover, this guy had been observing him for an entire year. He had specifically come all the way to Hueco Mundo, set up various schemes, and gone through so much trouble... It couldn’t possibly be just to stab him in the back, right?
So, screw it. Attack first, ask questions later!
In a flash of lightning, Yato had closed the distance to stand directly in front of Aizen. Unleashing a master-level Zanjutsu technique, he thrust upward with savage force.
The ferocity of the speed and the brutality of the thrust had already surpassed the level of an ordinary Seated Officer!
A fleeting glint of appreciation rippled through the depths of Sosuke Aizen’s gentle eyes.
Then, the man extended two fingers and, as if caressing a lover, caught the lightning-fast Zanpakuto between them.
The movement was soft, yet it carried the weight of a mountain.
The muscles in Yato’s arms bulged, and he released his Spiritual Pressure wildly in an attempt to pull his Zanpakuto free, but it didn’t budge an inch.
"Young people are truly impulsive," Aizen shook his head with a sigh.
"Attacking a Lieutenant is also a capital offense, you know."
He abruptly released his two fingers and lightly flicked his arm, tapping Yato squarely on the chest.
"Urgh!"
Yato Uchiha felt as though several of his ribs had snapped. The sheer force of the impact rattled his heart. Agony flared as he coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent hurtling backward at an even greater speed!
Yet, even as he plummeted backward at terminal velocity, entirely unable to control his own body, the six-pointed Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes continued to blaze with a brilliant light.
His left eye was thoroughly bloodshot, and crimson fluid streamed down his cheek.
"Amaterasu!"
Accompanying Yato’s low shout, black flames materialized precisely where his gaze was focused.
However, these inextinguishable flames abruptly came to a dead halt a mere two meters away from Sosuke Aizen, unable to advance any further, as if they were burning against an invisible pane of glass.
"Danku."
Only then did the word Aizen uttered reach Yato’s ears.
Yet, this casually cast Hado #81, executed without an incantation, perfectly blocked the flames of Amaterasu.
"The release of these peculiar flames is certainly rapid. It is a pity, however, that they lack directional variation." Aizen’s words drifted from behind the Danku barrier.
"How will you overcome this weakness, Yato-kun?"
The boy didn’t reply. He merely half-kneeled on the ground and exhaled a heavy breath of foul air.
In the next moment, he opened his right eye.
The black flames, which previously had no distinct form, suddenly underwent a transformation.
They were no longer just blindly burning. Instead, they morphed into a colossal, menacing claw that violently stretched forward. The exact instant it sensed the boundary of the Danku barrier, it underwent a secondary transformation, shaping itself into a spear that shot straight toward Aizen!
"I see. You were indeed prepared for this."
Sosuke Aizen nodded in satisfaction. His tone was so gentle it didn’t even sound like he was in a life-or-death struggle; instead, he sounded like a schoolteacher praising a bright student.
Accompanying his praise, he finally drew his Zanpakuto.
The blade named Kyoka Suigetsu revealed a fraction of its sharp edge.
An immense Spiritual Pressure erupted in an instant, only to vanish just as quickly, so fleeting it almost felt like an illusion.
The flames of Amaterasu were effortlessly snuffed out by a Spiritual Pressure as oppressive as the abyss.
Massive, crisscrossing scars appeared on the earth, as if punished by the gods themselves.
"A battle between Soul Reapers is, fundamentally, a clash of Spiritual Pressure."
Holding his Zanpakuto, Aizen slowly walked toward Yato Uchiha.
"Yato-kun, could you perhaps entertain me a little more? Please."
The boy remained silent for a moment. He stared intensely at the man opposite him, sighing inwardly.
As expected of Sosuke Aizen. Even as a Lieutenant, his Spiritual Pressure is already this tyrannical. Class 3 Rei-i? No, it has to be even higher...
With a sigh, Yato Uchiha squeezed out every last drop of his remaining strength. Facing a powerhouse of Aizen’s caliber, he offered his utmost respect.
His eyes widened, and the six-pointed Mangekyo spun once more.
This time, however, no black flames appeared.
After achieving his Stage Two Shikai, Yato gained access to two Mangekyo ocular jutsu.
His left eye housed Amaterasu, and his right eye housed Kagutsuchi!
One released inextinguishable black flames, while the other freely manipulated them. They complemented each other perfectly.
But the true might of the Uchiha Mangekyo was absolutely not limited to just two extra ocular jutsu.
When both eyes were awakened, a third power was born.
And that was...
Susanoo!
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