Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Your Name
Chapter 8: Your Name
The Asauchi. This was a sword that no Soul Reaper could bypass.
From the mighty Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto to the weakest first-year student at the Shin’o Academy, even a self-taught rogue like Zaraki Kenpachi—everyone was bound by destiny to this blade.
It was a Zanpakuto as pure and blank as a sheet of white paper, the nascent form of every Zanpakuto.
Forged by Oetsu Nimaiya, the "God of the Sword" and master of the Phoenix Palace, they were bestowed upon young souls who possessed the aptitude to become Soul Reapers.
Over the long years that followed—decades, centuries, or even millennia—Soul Reapers would hone their skills and Spiritual Pressure, temper their will and minds, and forge a life-and-death bond with the blade in their hands through countless battles and periods of Jinzen (Blade Zen).
By learning its true name, they would achieve Shikai; by subjugating the Zanpakuto, they would attain Bankai.
The abilities and form of a Zanpakuto were intrinsically linked to the wielder’s experiences and willpower. It could practically be considered a "reflection of the Soul Reaper’s soul."
Under normal circumstances, aside from super-geniuses, most Soul Reapers needed a considerable amount of time to commune with their Asauchi before learning its true name, thereby unlocking the "power of the Zanpakuto"—the most crucial element of being a Soul Reaper!
But Uchiha Yato didn’t need that.
As a reincarnator, he had been accompanied by the girl day and night ever since he arrived in the Rukongai.
He knew exactly who he was, and he knew even better what the girl was.
Therefore, he crowned himself with the surname "Uchiha."
All Yato lacked was an Asauchi.
On this late night, in the dreary dungeon of the Horiuchi family, that Asauchi pierced through his chest.
Although the method was entirely unconventional, Yato’s soul and Spiritual Pressure genuinely made contact with the core of the Asauchi.
That was all he needed.
In an instant, he fused everything he was with this pure, blank Asauchi.
His Spiritual Pressure, his will, his soul, and most importantly... her.
...
Yato opened his eyes and gazed up at a boundless, pitch-black firmament.
Countless massive stone pillars, as towering as mountains, stood erected in the distance, resembling the tombstones of gods.
Aside from these, the only things in this endless expanse were Yato and the girl.
"This place of yours kinda feels like the Kamui dimension."
Yato rested his head on his arms and lay down at the girl’s feet.
"What’s wrong? Still mad?" Yato poked her calf gently, his tone soft.
"I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have put myself in danger, I..."
"I’m not mad at you." The girl in the Sengoku-era armor puffed her cheeks, her voice muffled.
"I just felt so useless back there. I couldn’t even die fighting alongside you; I could only stand by and watch."
"Hearing you say that, if something happened to us in the future, you wouldn’t even be sad?"
"Of course not," the girl replied with complete seriousness. "If you die, I break. That’s how it should be between a Soul Reaper and their Zanpakuto."
"Ehh? Is that really right? I thought you were gonna be like Zangetsu and treat my life as the utmost priority."
"In your dreams."
"You broke my heart, I’m so sad. I need a hug from a beautiful girl to get up."
"Get out of here, you idiot!"
"Hey, stop kicking! Don’t kick..." Yato pleaded with a cheeky grin, stretching his arms out lazily.
"Let me catch my breath first. I took some heavy damage tonight. I don’t even know how long it’ll take to fully recover."
"Hmph, moron."
The nameless girl cursed again, but she stopped kicking and laid down beside Yato, resting against him.
Yato stared blankly at the dark sky. It was a long while before he spoke again.
"Say... why did I inexplicably cross over into the world of Bleach? And with this Uchiha power, no less? Was it because of that ’Bleach vs. Naruto’ poster above my bed? Man, if I’d known, I would’ve played Dragon Ball."
The girl naturally couldn’t answer the question. She just played with Yato’s hair, occasionally giggling to herself.
Yato didn’t mind and continued muttering to himself.
"How do you think I should present myself to the people of the Bleach world?
"According to the intel I just got, Byakuya Kuchiki is enrolling this year. Doesn’t that mean he’s only two or three years older than Ichimaru Gin?
"If that’s the case, in less than five years, Kirio Hikifune will be heading to the Soul King Palace, and Kisuke Urahara will be taking over as Captain of Squad 12.
"I bet that guy Aizen is already making serious progress with his Hollowfication experiments.
"Sosuke Aizen... Tsk tsk. Even for a reincarnator, that name commands absolute caution.
"His Zanpakuto, [Kyoka Suigetsu], possesses a terrifying ability of Complete Hypnosis. It’s unquestionably the absolute pinnacle of Illusion-type Zanpakuto.
"I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. In a battle of illusions, I might actually have a way to counter that trick of his.
"However, a battle between Soul Reapers is a battle of Spiritual Pressure. If I want to resist Kyoka Suigetsu, I need to at least reach a Captain-level Class 3 Rei-i.
"Speaking of which, it’s a good thing I reincarnated with Uchiha-level looks. Otherwise, I’d be under so much pressure in a place swarming with pretty boys and beautiful women. Hahaha..."
He paused, his tone growing more solemn.
"Actually, I’d really love to visit the Soul King Palace. I want to ask that omnipotent Creator God... Is separating the world into the World of the Living, the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and Hell truly a good thing?
"He silently allowed the ancestors of the Five Great Noble Families to seal him away, and silently allowed Yhwach to attempt to replace him and create a new world. What kind of future does he envision for the world?
"More importantly...
"I kind of want to sit on the throne in the sky, too."
The youth reached out his hand, curling his five fingers into a grasping motion toward a giant tombstone in the distance before standing up.
"I have to go, partner." He closed his eyes, focusing a razor-sharp will between his brows.
"There are a lot of people outside who need killing."
The girl licked her lips and feigned a tone of caution:
"Yato, don’t forget you’re heavily injured."
"I know."
Yato turned his head, his expression infinitely tender.
"Then, let me properly introduce myself... Uchiha Yato."
Her answer was a passionate embrace.
And a name.
...
Soul Society, East Rukongai, District 62 "Hanagare", Horiuchi Family Basement.
Barely half a second after Yuma Horiuchi plunged the Asauchi into Uchiha Yato’s chest, he realized something was terribly wrong.
As a noble, he possessed a natural Class 20 Rei-i, giving him the ability to detect fluctuations in Spiritual Pressure.
To his senses, the Asauchi in his hand felt as if it had taken root deep within the earth. It had entirely slipped from his control and now belonged to someone else.
Simultaneously, a completely foreign Spiritual Pressure erupted outwards, with Uchiha Yato at its epicenter.
"What’s going on? A Kido?"
He jumped backward in a panic. In a mere fraction of a second, he was drenched in a cold sweat.
Given his limited experience, he couldn’t connect the scene unfolding before him with a "Shikai."
Beside him, Yosuke Horiuchi unsheathed his Zanpakuto and stepped forward, shielding his son.
This Spiritual Pressure... this sensation... birthed a terrifying, even absurd hypothesis in his mind.
Under the gazes of the father and son, who watched him as if he were a monster.
Yato slowly opened his eyes.
His pitch-black pupils had turned a vibrant, bleeding crimson.
The tomoe within them rotated lazily.
He spoke the girl’s name.
"Let’s go...
"[Akame]."
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