Chapter 156: Hollow turn Shinigami?

The 2nd Division conducted interviews with the students, recording their testimonies.

Meanwhile, the small group gathered together.

"Which squad are you all planning to join?" Renji Abarai asked, frowning with concern.

As top students, they had the privilege of choosing which squad to join from several offers, unlike regular students who had to wait for the academy to assign them based on their skills.

"I'm going to the 13th Division," Rukia answered immediately; she had already made up her mind.

Hisagi Shūhei was equally straightforward. "My choice is the 9th Division."

The others looked at him with puzzled expressions.

The 9th Division... It wasn't a bad choice. The captain was Komamura Sajin, a dog-headed man known for his sense of justice and strict adherence to rules—a good captain to serve under.

But with several options available, wasn't the 7th or 5th Division a better choice?

"I was saved by the 9th Division's captain when I was younger," Shūhei admitted, scratching his head with a shy smile, raising a hand to point at the tattoo on his face. "This is my tribute to him."

"But that man isn't the current Captain Komamura."

"It was someone else..."

He trailed off, his tone turning somber. "I haven't seen him since I entered the Shin'ō Academy."

"Once you join the Gotei 13, you'll be able to find out!" Rukia reassured him, giving his shoulder a confident pat. "Since it was during your childhood, there should still be traces of that captain's existence."

"You can ask about it when the time comes."

Shūhei looked at her serious expression and nodded in agreement with a quiet "Mm."

"I should probably go to the 7th Division," Kira Izuru murmured, lowering his head. "Captain Uzumaki is young but very promising."

Unlike the others in their group, Kira was the only one with "pure blood."

Renji scratched his head, looking troubled. "I also want to join the 7th Division, or maybe the 6th."

"But Captain Sosuke..."

He found it difficult to refuse an invitation from a captain, especially one who had expressed a desire for him to become his right hand.

After deliberating for a while, he finally said, "I think I'll end up going to the 5th Division."

They then turned their attention to the last person who hadn't voiced her decision.

Hinamori Momo was conflicted.

"Both the 7th and 5th Divisions have extended offers to me."

"Captain Uzumaki and Captain Aizen... it's such a tough choice."

One was young and kind, while the other was refined and gentle.

Both of them deeply appealed to her.

…

At the 7th Division headquarters, Naruto was receiving memories from his Shadow Clone.

He clapped his hands together, summoning the scroll that contained the sealed body of the Menos Grande.

As he carefully reviewed Aizen's behavior from earlier, he noticed that Aizen didn't seem particularly concerned about the fate of this test subject.

Although Aizen had guided Shūhei's words, appearing to be interested in the Menos Grande's performance, that definitely wasn't his true objective.

So what was he hoping for?

Was it the performance of this year's graduating students?

Naruto took the scroll and left his office, calling out a name. "Tsubaki Jin'emon."

A man wearing sunglasses appeared immediately.

"Prepare a report on the top students graduating from the Shin'ō Academy this year," Naruto said with a cheerful smile. "What's their attitude toward the 7th Division?"

Jirōemon replied, "Their interest is quite high."

Before Naruto became the captain of the 7th Division, it was difficult to recruit top students, as the division mainly relied on academy assignments. Few top students actively chose the 7th Division.

The previous captain, Love Aikawa, who sported an afro, didn't have much personal charisma and had a rather low profile.

Moreover, as the "Guard," the 7th Division's responsibilities weren't particularly enticing compared to other divisions.

But since Uzumaki Naruto took over as captain, the 7th Division's situation had drastically changed.

They no longer needed to expend effort promoting themselves.

Like the 5th Division, the captain's charisma alone made the 7th Division the top choice for the academy's best graduates.

"Then please persuade those who are still undecided," Naruto instructed after thinking for a moment. "If anyone remains uncertain, I'll personally speak to them."

Jin'emon was surprised.

This year's graduates were exceptional, but... the biggest prize, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, had already graduated early and joined the 10th Division.

None of the others had shown enough talent to warrant the captain's personal intervention, had they?

But he nodded in agreement regardless.

Naruto then headed to the 12th Division.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the 12th Division captain, was reluctant but came out to greet him. "Captain Uzumaki, what brings you here again?"

"I found something interesting." Naruto waved the scroll in front of him.

Mayuri's interest was minimal, and he yawned indifferently. "What is it?"

"A Hollow," Naruto replied.

Mayuri's already faint interest vanished completely. "A Hollow? What could possibly be interesting about that?"

"A Menos Grande," Naruto clarified, "One that can hide its spiritual pressure."

Mayuri was taken aback.

Hide its spiritual pressure?

This was an unheard-of trait in Hollows.

"Aren't you curious to study it?" Naruto offered, holding out the scroll.

Mayuri took it, his tone curious. "Such a change... intriguing."

"Is it a natural phenomenon?"

Naruto shook his head.

Mayuri nodded, realization dawning as a wave of deeper interest sparked within him. "So, it was modified by that person?"

"An improved Hollow, huh?"

"How fascinating."

He thought for a moment before gesturing to Naruto, inviting him to a spacious underground area.

Naruto was familiar with the place.

This was the same spot where Urahara Kisuke had trained with Yoruichi when he was still in the 12th Division.

"This is a space left behind by that man." Mayuri clicked his tongue, his facial features twisted with undisguised disgust. "I originally planned to fill it in."

"But I figured it might have some uses, so I left it as it was."

"And now, it's just perfect."

He tossed the scroll.

The seal broke.

The scroll unfurled with a rustle, and instead of the Menos Grande's physical form, an unstable mass of black spiritual pressure surged out.

Naruto's eyes widened.

He raised his hands, skipping the incantation.

"Bakudō #73. Tōzanshō (倒山晶, Inverse Mountain Crystal)."

A blue crystal barrier formed around them.

The black spiritual pressure exploded in an instant, unleashing a massive shockwave.

It battered the Tōzanshō, causing cracks to form in the crystalline barrier.

Once the waves subsided, Naruto dismissed the Bakudō.

Mayuri remained expressionless, clasping his hands behind his back. "It seems that person didn't intend to leave us with any test subjects after all."

"Even with your sealing, Captain Uzumaki, it still ended up like this."

"Looks like it was pre-programmed."

Naruto glanced around the area.

The space was a mess, but since Urahara Kisuke had set it up, nothing was permanently damaged, only disordered.

He shook his head. "I had hoped for some clues."

Mayuri chuckled, "Why say there's no gain?"

"This is my territory."

He snapped his fingers.

Two soft thuds echoed from the ceiling, and a fleshy worm the size of a small arm fell to the ground. "You should know, not every test subject..."

With a soft plop, Mayuri's frail clone tried to catch the worm but was too weak to withstand even the minor impact, shattering into a puff of white smoke.

The worm landed unharmed.

A few minutes later, a new clone of Mayuri appeared, picking up the worm as if nothing had happened, continuing from where he left off. "Not every test subject behaves obediently without resistance."

"So I nurtured this little darling."

"Capable of quietly absorbing a sliver of spiritual pressure the moment a test subject rebels."

Mayuri stroked the worm's belly.

It opened its mouth and spat out a black strand of spiritual pressure.

Mayuri didn't catch it, instead raising his head, watching Naruto with a blank expression.

A golden chain flashed, sealing the spiritual pressure.

"Although it's just a single sample," Mayuri remarked, now taking the sealed sample, "It should be enough to analyze a few things."

"Captain Uzumaki, please wait a moment."

He turned and walked into another lab.

Not long after, he returned with a report.

"It really is something interesting." Mayuri held up the report, his expression smug. "Captain Uzumaki, care to guess what I found?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Hollows are inherently chaotic creatures," Mayuri explained slowly. "They're low-intelligence beings, with one dominant Hollow controlling hundreds of others."

"So..."

"Each Menos Grande sample yields different results."

"Occasionally, you get one that's particularly unusual."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, sensing a dangerous turn in the conversation.

Mayuri, no longer teasing, revealed his findings honestly. "I found a trace of very faint Shinigami power within this Menos Grande's body."

"This Shinigami power is incredibly weak and differs from the usual power we Shinigami possess. If it weren't so conspicuous within the Hollow's energy, I might not have even noticed it."

Naruto frowned.

As expected...

Aizen was conducting experiments to "Shinigamify" Hollows.

But how was this "hidden spiritual pressure" connected to "Shinigami power"?

"Is it because of the Shinigami power that the Menos Grande could hide its spiritual pressure?" Naruto asked.

Mayuri shook his head. "Not sure."

"With only this one sample, it's hard to determine much."

"If it hadn't self-destructed, or if you could bring me more samples, I might be able to figure out more."

Naruto cut him off. "Don't count on more samples; this is all we have for now."

"However..."

"If you can create a device to detect this peculiar Shinigami power, you should be able to find more samples."

Mayuri raised an eyebrow. "That's a piece of cake."

"But please, Captain Uzumaki, bring those samples directly to me and not to Urahara."

"That man... truly interesting, having such wild ideas."

~~~

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