Chapter 159: Congratulations

"Captain Naruto!" the female Shinigami called out in surprise as she looked up.

"Is that you, Miyako-neesan?" Naruto recognized her immediately, a hint of surprise in his voice.

It was someone he knew. However, her spiritual pressure was so weak, nearly completely suppressed by the Hollow, that it had blended into the air, the breeze, and the grass, making her presence easy to overlook.

This was Kaien Shiba's wife, a gentle yet strong female Shinigami, currently the Third Seat of the 13th Division.

"Thank goodness you're here," she sighed in relief. The strength she had been holding onto finally gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, sitting down with her legs stretched out in front of her.

Naruto walked over to the Hollow, extending his hand to seal it with a binding technique. The Hollow trembled, its eyes darting around as if unwilling to accept its fate.

The sealing technique began to unfold.

In that instant, the Hollow's tentacle-like appendages, resembling octopus legs, suddenly retracted into its body and turned into threads, burrowing into the ground with a swift movement, carrying its aura with them.

Instead of disappearing, the aura was transferred, rapidly moving toward Naruto.

However, its spiritual pressure was only at the level of a Vice-Captain.

Naruto quickly stepped back and raised his hand, using the seal like a net to intercept all the threads.

The Hollow struggled desperately, its threads stretching taut as it tried to pierce through the seal.

"So... this body was just a shell for you?" Naruto observed the Hollow with curiosity in his eyes.

A Hollow like a "hermit crab"? Was it trying to escape its original shell and take over his body as a new one?

Did it really think it could parasitize a Captain's body with confidence? This was the first time he had encountered such a Hollow.

The creature twisted and writhed but could no longer speak. It seemed to have lost the ability to do so in its current form.

Naruto brought the creature to the 12th Division.

"A Hollow that can make a Shinigami's Zanpakuto disappear and parasitize others?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi's eyes widened in astonishment.

Naruto nodded, his expression somewhat grim. The parasitism wasn't the main concern, but the ability to make a Zanpakuto disappear... That was an unsettling power. And if it could threaten a Third Seat, what about Vice-Captains or even Captains?

If no one knew about this Hollow's ability and were caught off guard, what could happen?

"Let me research this," Mayuri squinted his eyes and reached out to take the scroll from Naruto's hand.

But Naruto raised his hand out of reach.

"Captain Uzumaki, what is this?" Mayuri clicked his tongue in displeasure. "This isn't what we agreed on."

Naruto's expression was cold, with a hint of threat in his tone. "I just don't trust you."

"Researching this Hollow without other materials for comparison will make it hard to get results. And with your patience—or rather, your personal ethics—I'm worried you might be tempted to experiment on souls."

Mayuri lowered his hand, his tone casual. "Isn't it natural to use the best experimental materials to get quicker results?"

Naruto said nothing, just stared at him.

"You and the Captain-Commander are really..." Mayuri sighed, "Fine. I promise not to use Shinigami for experiments."

Naruto didn't lower his hand.

"Nor will I use human souls or those who've been stripped of their Zanpakuto or forcibly retired from the Gotei 13. Will that suffice?"

Naruto scrutinized Mayuri, suspicious.

Using his sensory abilities, Naruto could tell that Mayuri was telling the truth. But his willingness to comply so easily was uncharacteristic; usually, Mayuri would need to be beaten into submission before he begrudgingly agreed. Had he already been intimidated? That couldn't be it...

"Why are you hesitating, Captain Uzumaki?" Mayuri stretched out his hand again but refrained from saying too much. Naruto could sense lies, and the more Mayuri spoke, the more likely he was to slip up.

After some thought, Naruto, seeing no other type of soul that Mayuri might use, handed over the scroll. "Please prioritize research on the ability to make Zanpakuto disappear. It's important."

Mayuri grinned and agreed.

Leaving the 12th Division, Naruto headed straight for the 13th Division.

Upon entering the Vice-Captain's office, he found not only the 13th Division's Captain and Vice-Captain but also Rukia and Captain Unohana from the 4th Division.

Kaien's already troubled face was even more knotted with worry. When he saw Naruto, he relaxed slightly. "Naruto, thank you for your help."

"Miyako has told me everything."

"Thank you for saving her."

Naruto shook his head. "No need to thank me, Kaien-niisan. How is Miyako-neesan now? And her Zanpakuto..."

Retsu Unohana looked up, her brows furrowed. "Lady Shiba's Zanpakuto wasn't just suppressed."

"It has truly disappeared."

"Her soul has also suffered some damage and will need to be repaired."

"So there's a chance it might not be recovered?" Naruto inquired.

Miyako forced a smile. "Don't worry about me; my body isn't injured."

"But losing my Zanpakuto..."

She looked at Captain Ukitake. "Captain, please reassign me to a different position. I'm no longer fit to serve as the Third Seat."

Rukia shook her head, speaking up anxiously. "Lady Miyako, that's not true, you can still—"

"Rukia," Miyako said gently, "Don't say that."

"As Shinigami, we must consider our responsibilities."

"And it's not like I'm leaving the 13th Division; I just won't be the Third Seat anymore."

Rukia was taken aback and lowered her head, her voice subdued. "I'm sorry, Lady Miyako. I was being selfish."

Kaien patted her on the head. "Nothing is more important than surviving."

He sighed deeply, his voice heavy with worry for both his wife and the 13th Division. "But... Hollows can now evolve to have such abilities?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's not evolution."

Everyone in the room turned their attention to him.

"It's modification," Naruto said firmly. "This Hollow was modified."

"Though Miyako-neesan suffered, this is good news."

"We've caught that person's slip."

"Although we can't yet confirm who it is, we can be certain that someone is doing this."

The others were puzzled, not understanding.

However, Captain Ukitake and Captain Unohana, who were in the know, immediately grasped the situation.

"Then I'll inform Teacher," Captain Ukitake said.

Captain Unohana nodded, standing up. "I'll prepare as well. See you shortly."

An hour later, at the 1st Division headquarters...

"Captain Ukitake told me that Captain Uzumaki has something urgent," the Captain-Commander said, his gaze fixed on Naruto. "That required me to convene a meeting."

"To gather all the Captains... What do you have to say?"

Naruto looked at Mayuri.

The man with a blackened face clicked his tongue. "What a bother."

He reached into his robe, pulled out a device, and threw it on the ground. "Take a look."

"The detailed data on that Hollow."

A screen appeared, projecting dense information.

Aizen made a sound of interest.

Some Captains seemed to understand, while others were puzzled.

"Perhaps some of you are complete idiots when it comes to research," Mayuri said with contempt, sweeping his gaze over all the Captains.

Kenpachi raised his hand, reaching for his sword.

Naruto used Shunpo to hold his hand down. "Mayuri's in a weakened state right now; he can't handle your spiritual pressure."

Mayuri, still in a vulnerable state, was only a shadow clone.

Kenpachi turned his head away in irritation.

He wasn't the only one who didn't understand, but he was the most impatient.

Mayuri, seeing that someone had taken the bait, grinned smugly. "This Hollow's abilities are quite unusual."

"It can make a Shinigami's Zanpakuto disappear."

"And it has the ability to fuse with others."

"Those with a spiritual pressure below rank four won't be able to resist it. Once parasitized, the Hollow will fully gain that person's memories and thoughts."

Naruto was taken aback, glancing at Mayuri.

How did he figure all this out so quickly?

"This isn't an ability that a normal Hollow would have," Mayuri continued. "I can guarantee, on Captain Uzumaki's honor, that this creature was definitely modified."

"Furthermore, I extracted some 'Shinigami power' from its body. Although it differs from the standard Shinigami power, its essence is the same."

"So—"

"Someone is secretly researching the Hollowfication of Shinigami."

"Sound familiar?"

"Decades ago, the 'Hollowfication experiments' were conducted by Kaname Tōsen, who was killed by Captain Uzumaki."

The Captain-Commander's face stiffened slightly. "Someone is still engaging in such treacherous acts."

"Can you identify who's behind it, Captain Kurotsuchi?"

Mayuri shook his head. "I'm just an ordinary scientist."

"Ask Captain Uzumaki. He only instructed me to present this information."

The Captain-Commander shifted his gaze to Naruto.

Naruto stepped back into his position. "I can't confirm who it is either, as there's no direct evidence."

"But..."

"That person might think they're covering their tracks perfectly, but every action leaves traces."

"This evidence is enough to prove that someone is indeed behind this."

"And whether it's the Hollowfication of Shinigami or the Shinigamification of Hollows, the core principle behind both experiments is essentially the same."

"So I might venture to make a bold assumption."

Naruto maintained a neutral expression, avoiding eye contact with Aizen, and instead locking eyes with the Captain-Commander. "Perhaps Kaname Tōsen was not the mastermind back then but merely a scapegoat set up by the true culprit."

"There's someone far more dangerous that we should be wary of."

The Captain-Commander murmured, "Is that so?"

He understood what Naruto was hinting at.

Kaname Tōsen was already a Vice-Captain at the time, and someone who could command a Vice-Captain... Who could that be?

Within the entire Seireitei, only a handful of people had that authority.

After the meeting, Naruto walked alongside Aizen, with the other Captains keeping their distance.

"Congratulations, Naruto-kun," Aizen said softly. "You've managed to turn the tables and catch a slip-up."

Naruto looked up at him.

There wasn't the slightest hint of panic on Aizen's face.

Using his sensory abilities, Naruto could tell that Aizen was genuinely congratulating him.

~~~

Another female was saved this author doesn't miss. Also because Miyako is saved Kaien is saved too.