Chapter 100: Substitute Shinigami

Kugō Ginjō was nervous.

This year, he was just a teenage boy who had only recently acquired the power of a Shinigami.

Naruto continued to smile as he spoke. "Ginjō, your situation is somewhat special."

"Before this, I had never heard of a human being able to obtain the power of a Shinigami."

Kugō Ginjō asked nervously, "What will you do with me?"

As he spoke, he clenched his fist and began to think: if he resisted, could he escape from this blond boy?

This person seemed very strong, and he was already injured.

The chances of escaping didn't seem great.

"I'm not sure, but you're not suspected of killing a Shinigami," Naruto pondered for a moment. "He willingly passed his power to you, so these aren't crimes."

Kugō Ginjō felt a warmth in his heart. "You trust what I say so easily?"

Naruto grinned and said, "You're telling the truth, so why wouldn't I trust you?"

He raised his hand, and a stream of spiritual energy surged out.

Like an arrow, it shot into Kugō Ginjō's body.

But it didn't hurt.

It transformed into a warm flow, surging through the wound, healing it.

It also rushed through his chest cavity.

Kugō Ginjō looked down and saw the tender skin reappear. He suddenly remembered how, in his previous conversations with that Shinigami, he often heard about how much the Shinigami admired his captain.

At the time, Ginjō had mocked him, thinking this attitude was somewhat mindless.

But now, seeing that the captain was such a figure, that kind of fanatical admiration didn't seem so unreasonable.

"What's the deal with your power?" Naruto raised his hand and pointed to Ginjō's necklace.

Kugō Ginjō reached out and grabbed it. "I call this power Fullbring."

"It was a power that suddenly awakened when I was attacked by Hollows in the past."

"If it weren't for this, I probably would've been killed by the Hollow long ago."

"As for how it came about…"

"I still don't know."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "It's a pretty good power."

He could sense a completely different aura on that sword compared to that of a "Shinigami."

It was the aura of a "Hollow."

And there was also a scent similar to that of Captain Ukitake.

However, the mix of "Shinigami and Hollow" inevitably gave him other thoughts.

"Did you awaken this power on your own?" Naruto asked.

Kugō Ginjō nodded. "Yes, about three years ago."

"Have you ever met a man with glasses who looks gentle?" Naruto asked again. "Or perhaps someone who gave you a similar feeling and provided you with a lot of help?"

Kugō Ginjō was startled, confused. "Why are you asking that?"

"If you're talking about someone who helped me a lot, that would be Uncle Taku."

The "Taku" he referred to was the member of 13th Division who gave him the power of a Shinigami before dying.

Mind's Eye of the Kagura intuition confirmed that these were all true statements.

So…

There was no trace of Sosuke Aizen in this matter?

But it couldn't be completely ruled out. This guy named Kugō Ginjō was still too weak. Even if Aizen did something right in front of him, he might not notice.

"I'm just gathering information," Naruto shook his head. "Do you have some time?"

"Would you mind coming with me to the Soul Society?"

"It might be better to discuss some things together."

Kugō Ginjō nodded. "How long will it take?"

"I have a part-time job coming up, so if it's going to take a while, I'll need to ask for time off."

Naruto thought for a moment. "Then go ask for time off. That might be safer."

Kugō Ginjō agreed and led the way.

Just as they stepped out of the alley.

A massive spiritual pressure suddenly attacked from behind.

Kugō Ginjō turned around sharply.

A snake-like Menos Grande emerged from the shadows of the alley, raising its crab-claw-like giant pincers, its aura ferocious, and forcefully slammed them toward Naruto.

"Watch out!" He widened his eyes, his pupils dilating, and shouted in warning, his hand nervously moving toward the hilt of his sword.

But before he could even get the words out of his mouth.

In the next moment, in his field of vision.

That fearsome creature, one that he might need to risk serious injury or even his life to deal with, was instantly torn apart and crushed into fragments by an invisible force.

"Just a small fry, no need to get so tense," Naruto smiled. "Your matter is more important."

Kugō Ginjō's mouth went dry, and he was a bit dazed.

How did he do that?

He hadn't even seen him make a move.

Or did he even move at all?

"I've been talking this whole time," Kugō Ginjō took a deep breath, stammering, "I forgot to ask, how should I address you?"

Naruto smiled, his expression unchanged from earlier. "Captain of 7th Division, Uzumaki Naruto."

Kugō Ginjō deeply engraved this name in his mind.

He truly was a strong yet gentle person.

After taking leave, Naruto drew his Zanpakuto and opened the Senkaimon.

To the Soul Society.

Only then did Kugō Ginjō truly realize just how popular Captain Uzumaki was.

Every Shinigami they encountered along the way would stop and greet him respectfully.

There were even Shinigami who, despite being far away and not needing to greet him, would willingly walk a few extra steps just to say hello to Captain Uzumaki.

At the barracks of 13th Division.

After listening to Naruto explain the situation, Ukitake Jūshirō frowned.

"A Shinigami infused their power into a human?" Shiba Kaien had the same expression. "I've never heard of such a thing before."

"It seems there's no regulation about this in the Soul Society either."

Kugō Ginjō sat there with his head down, his posture proper.

These were all people far stronger than him.

He was even more amazed in his heart.

This Captain Uzumaki, though small in stature, held such high authority. Whatever he said, the others didn't even question it, choosing to believe him unconditionally.

"If there's no regulation about it, then let's create one," Naruto said, looking at Kaien. "The problem is already in front of us; we must think about how to solve it."

Shiba Kaien suddenly had an idea: "Why not officially enlist him into the Gotei 13?"

Kugō Ginjō immediately spoke up: "I have no objections."

Naruto gave him a strange look. "Do you understand what Kaien means?"

Kugō Ginjō was taken aback.

Doesn't it just mean becoming an official Shinigami?

Or did I misunderstand something?

"Officially becoming a member of the Gotei 13," Naruto explained to him, "means you must stay in the Seireitei."

"And the Soul Society is a place that shelters the souls of the deceased."

"This means you have to give up everything in the human world, including your lifespan as a human."

"You need to die to enter the Soul Society and officially become a Shinigami."

"Can you accept such a price?"

Kugō Ginjō froze, instinctively shaking his head.

Die?

Give up everything in the human world?

That's impossible!

He turned to look at Shiba Kaien.

The black-haired man scratched his head and apologized. "Sorry, it seems my idea isn't very practical?"

"Of course not," Naruto shook his head. "He hasn't committed any crime; we can't just take his life."

Ukitake Jūshirō, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Naruto, what are you thinking?"

Naruto thought for a moment, then turned to Shiba Kaien. "Kaien, could you please show Ginjō around the barracks of 13th Division?"

"The scenery here is a rare sight in the human world."

Shiba Kaien immediately stood up and took the still-dazed Kugō Ginjō out.

Ukitake Jūshirō looked serious.

Naruto expanded his Mind's Eye of the Kagura domain, carefully scanning the surroundings, confirming that no one else was around. "Captain Ukitake, as I mentioned earlier, there's a power within him called 'Fullbring.'"

Ukitake Jūshirō nodded.

"I felt a hint of Hollow's presence in his power," Naruto said softly.

Ukitake Jūshirō was pensive.

Naruto paused, observing the expression on his face, and cautiously spoke: "And... a power similar to yours, but not belonging to a Shinigami."

Ukitake Jūshirō was stunned, a bit surprised. "Naruto, you can even sense that?"

Naruto nodded.

"A power similar to mine," Ukitake Jūshirō explained, "That must be from the Soul King."

Naruto squinted his eyes. "Soul King?"

It was the first time he had heard this term.

The king of the Soul Society?

But in the Seireitei, there were only nobles, no "royalty."

"Naruto, you are still young," Ukitake Jūshirō shook his head. "Some things require not only your preparation but also ours."

"When the time is right, I'll tell you. Is that okay?"

Naruto tilted his head, recalling what Tosen Kaname and Sosuke Aizen had said: "Is it related to what Aizen and Tosen mentioned, that 'the Soul Society was founded on sin from the very beginning'?"

Ukitake Jūshirō didn't speak, only forcing a smile.

Naruto didn't press further, skipping the topic and continuing: "Hollows, Shinigami, the power of the Soul King..."

"When these things combine, it's hard not to think of one person."

Ukitake Jūshirō lowered his voice. "You mean Captain Sosuke."

"Although I've confirmed with Ginjō that, to his knowledge, he hasn't come into contact with Aizen, nor with any power resembling Aizen's," Naruto nodded, frowning. "We can't rule out that this is another one of Aizen's experiments."

"Only this time, the subject might be a human instead of a soul."

"Until everything is confirmed, my idea is to temporarily acknowledge Ginjo's possession of Shinigami powers."

"We could consider sending another Shinigami to Karakura Town to interact more with Ginjo, monitoring his condition in real-time."

"It would be best if this isn't part of Aizen's scheme."

"That way, we can maintain our friendship with Ginjo."

"When he naturally dies and returns to the Soul Society, he'd be a valuable asset to the Seireitei. Inheriting Shinigami powers from someone else, he already has the spiritual pressure of a 6th or 7th seat. In the future, he might even achieve Bankai and become a captain."

Ukitake Jūshirō nodded thoughtfully.

After a long moment, he finally spoke: "Then let's jointly establish a new rule called 'Substitute Shinigami.'"

~~~

1 Chapter only today... My Patrons are also gunning me to update for more. We got cliff hanged on Chapter 220... Sht...

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