Chapter 41: Chapter 41: A Powerhouse from Nine Hundred Years Ago
Chapter 41: A Powerhouse from Nine Hundred Years Ago
The contents of the Shin’o Academy’s textbooks weren’t actually that extensive.
However, from the initial drafting to the final proofreading, every single step was strictly overseen by experienced Zanjutsu masters. They weeded out the superfluous and retained only the essence, adhering strictly to a philosophy of quality over quantity.
Even if the textbooks were to leak to the outside world, without the secret, hands-on instruction from the academy, anyone attempting to use the techniques would merely capture the outward form, completely lacking the core essence.
Furthermore, it made no sense for dropouts or those unable to graduate to become Ryoka. If they simply became guards for noble families, they could easily secure a comfortable life without having to worry about basic necessities.
"There’s something wrong with this guy..."
Yato Uchiha snorted coldly. The tomoe in his eyes split into three, and his speed instantly spiked.
The young Ryoka dropped low and rolled, but failed to completely dodge Yato’s attack. Having no other choice, he spun around and braced his stolen blade to block the incoming cleave.
"Ugh!"
The Ryoka grunted as both he and his blade were ruthlessly pinned down. Under the oppressive weight of the immense force, his entire body sank into the ground.
His bones groaned under the strain, and he could hear the agonizing protest of his wrists as blood gushed from the webbing between his thumbs and forefingers. The Ryoka knew perfectly well that at any moment, his weapon could be knocked away and he would be cleaved cleanly in two!
Yet, despite this, he gritted his teeth and held on, desperately searching for an opening.
But Yato wouldn’t give him any. With a cold sneer, he savagely raised his knee and stomped down viciously!
Rumble...
With the explosive power of a Class 5 Rei-i, he stomped a deep crater into the ground. The resulting shockwave kicked up a storm of dust and debris, blowing the surrounding Zaraki residents far away.
Taking the full brunt of the strike, the young Ryoka was in a thoroughly miserable state.
His lower body was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, his bones shattered to pieces. Overwhelmed by the excruciating pain, he lost consciousness and slumped limply to the ground.
—In the end, it was a stolen Zanpakuto. Unable to achieve Shikai, his combat prowess was vastly inferior to even an ordinary Seated Officer.
"Bakudo #4: Hainawa."
Yato Uchiha spoke flatly. A rope formed of concentrated light materialized and securely bound the unconscious Ryoka’s wrists.
He hoisted the severely injured, unconscious man onto his shoulder, preparing to leave the area and rendezvous with Kaien Shiba.
However, after taking only two steps, Yato Uchiha froze in his tracks.
—A powerful, unfamiliar entity had just entered the range of his Spiritual Pressure perception.
Ahead, from within the slowly settling dust, a middle-aged man walked out at a leisurely pace.
His features were relatively handsome, and combined with his graying temples, he exuded the aura of a weather-beaten ronin.
Unfortunately, a horrifying scar stretched from his right temple all the way down to his jaw, cutting straight across his face. The scar tissue was raised and twisted, looking exactly like a grotesque centipede.
Just looking at that scar, Yato could easily imagine the kind of vicious, life-or-death battles the man had survived.
"You there... Soul Reaper," the middle-aged man spoke, unexpectedly polite:
"Could you return my comrade to me?"
Yato Uchiha tilted his head and smirked coldly, the implication self-evident.
"Ryoka, you’ve come to the wrong place."
Knowing the man was highly likely the leader of the intruders, Yato held his ground, intending to stall for time and wait for Kaien Shiba’s backup:
"This is the Soul Society, the jurisdiction of the Seireitei. Intruders have only one path before them: death."
The middle-aged man suddenly let out a soft chuckle:
"Tell me then, Soul Reaper, what is my designation?"
"...What?"
"My designation. Knowing Captain-Commander Yamamoto’s temperament, he absolutely must have given our group of Ryoka a name. What are we called?"
"...Villains."
"I like that name." The Ryoka leader rolled his neck, his tone turning serious:
"Won’t you consider my suggestion?"
Yato licked the corner of his mouth, and his eyes morphed into the six-pointed Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Very well then," the middle-aged man sighed and stated his name:
"Hanzo Mochizuki."
"3rd Seat of the 12th Division, Yato Uchiha." The boy tossed the Ryoka on his shoulder aside. As his Spiritual Pressure boiled, Akame slowly slid out of its scabbard.
"Oh? You’re only a 3rd Seat? Judging by your Spiritual Pressure, I thought you’d be a Lieutenant... Hmm?!!!"
The middle-aged man’s voice abruptly cut off.
The air tore apart. Moving at an absurd, incomprehensible speed, his face stretched into a blur, contorting into something sharp and bizarre.
By the time Yato’s Mangekyo managed to track the man’s figure again, he was already standing mere inches away.
Those hands, which had clearly weathered countless battles, gently rested upon the blade of Yato’s Zanpakuto.
—He had actually closed the distance to Yato with unimaginable, blistering speed and grasped the sharp edge of the blade barehanded!
However, Hanzo Mochizuki didn’t follow up with any attack. Instead, he seemed completely crushed by a profound sorrow, staring despairingly at Yato’s Zanpakuto:
"Captain Saito, so it turns out... you truly are already..."
"Akame!" Yato Uchiha’s voice was freezing cold as he muttered the name of his Zanpakuto.
To any Soul Reaper, having an enemy grab hold of their Zanpakuto was the ultimate provocation and a display of utter contempt. Having lived in the Seireitei for nearly three years, Yato Uchiha had inevitably been influenced by this mindset.
More importantly, the enemy’s speed far exceeded his expectations. Amidst his shock and horror, Yato knew he had to unleash his full power.
A massive Susanoo abruptly enveloped Yato Uchiha.
Fueled by his Class 5 Rei-i, Susanoo grew flesh and skin, and formidable armor draped over its body, making it look like a wrathful deity.
Hanzo Mochizuki was blasted away by Susanoo’s emergence, but even as he smashed through several buildings, his eyes remained dead fixed on the Zanpakuto in Yato’s hand.
No matter how powerful a Soul Reaper was, when their mind wavered, their combat prowess would plummet instantly.
Yato’s Mangekyo spun furiously. Susanoo roared at the heavens, slightly lowered its head, and raised both of its massive arms.
A longbow, blazing with a purple aura, materialized in Susanoo’s hands.
It raised the bow and drew the string back until it formed a perfect full moon.
A black arrow, over ten meters long, rested against the bowstring.
This was the Arrow of Amaterasu. Galvanized by Kagutsuchi, it had been concentrated to its absolute limit.
"Kill!"
Yato shouted in a low voice. Susanoo released the bowstring, and the Arrow of Amaterasu roared as it shot forward.
It crossed the distance of nearly a hundred meters in a flash.
Even with the Mangekyo’s dynamic vision, Yato Uchiha could only perceive a blurry black streak.
In the next moment, a pillar of black fire erupted into the sky!
The searing heat, combined with Susanoo’s majestic, overwhelming physical force, caused this strike to tear the earth asunder, resembling a natural disaster.
A light drizzle began to fall. The extreme heat on the ground vaporized moisture into the sky, forming rain that washed away the swirling dust and debris.
Yato panted heavily, his Mangekyo reverting to the three-tomoe state.
The situation just now had been far too terrifying. He hadn’t held back, going all out. That single Arrow of Amaterasu had drained fully half of his Spiritual Pressure.
Yet, the result was far from satisfactory.
"...Just what kind of monster are you, Hanzo Mochizuki?"
Yato sighed under his breath.
Watching the Ryoka leader slowly pick himself up from the rubble, Yato finally understood why Captain-Commander Yamamoto had issued the order "authorizing the Captain-class to release their Zanpakuto."
With powerhouses of this caliber among the enemy, they absolutely needed to be treated with the utmost caution.
However, as Hanzo Mochizuki walked out of the ruins, he was in no rush to counterattack. He wiped the blood from his forehead, his tone returning to a state of calm:
"In every generation of Soul Reapers, there is only one Kenpachi."
"Likewise, in every generation of Zanpakuto, there will only ever be one ’Multi-Stage Release’ type in existence."
"When I saw your blade earlier... Akame, you called it? I immediately knew that the rumor was true. Captain Saito is indeed dead."
Hanzo Mochizuki’s voice radiated a bitter, profound sorrow:
"It seems I won’t need to go to Muken to rescue you after all, Captain... Hah."
Yato Uchiha closed his eyes briefly, seizing the opportunity to adjust his breathing and physical condition.
The boy naturally knew who the "Captain Saito" the Ryoka leader spoke of was.
Before his own meteoric rise, she was the previous Soul Reaper to possess a "Multi-Stage Release" type Zanpakuto.
—The founding Captain of the 6th Division in the original Gotei 13, Furofushi Saito!
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