Chapter 12: The Blond Delinquent and the Bespectacled Peacekeeper

...

"Did you call for reinforcements?" Hogei Ichiji exclaimed.

The Shinigami who had just been slammed into the wall responded, "We already requested backup."

They looked at the figure of Naruto standing in the center of the gymnasium.

Hogei Ichiji's expression was complex, and he had to admit that he had spoken a bit too loudly earlier.

What he had said about "not to let him sustain too severe injuries" - Tch!

That was just nonsensical drivel spewed out from his unthinking mind.

Facing a being of "that level of terror," they could barely manage to defend themselves.

It's not that Naruto's current strength had already surpassed the combined might of their high-ranking officers.

It's just...

His battle logic was completely different from any living being they had encountered before - be it Shinigami or Hollow.

When the rampaging Naruto launched his first attack, he abandoned his mobility advantage and rooted himself in place.

This was unwise, making him a sitting target.

But this did not give Hogei Ichiji and the others any advantage.

That sword brought about a tremendous enhancement.

The red spiritual energy cloak was not merely for show.

It also possessed incredible defensive power!

Kidō spells below the Level 30 were unable to inflict any damage, unable to penetrate that layer of red outer armor.

Even abandoning the chanting, Kidō spells below the Level 30 could only create some cracks.

Only high-level Kidō, with complete incantations, could inflict negligible damage. This was the result Hogei Ichiji had initially intended.

But...

The astonishingly rapid healing, those minor skin wounds healed in the blink of an eye, never to be seen again.

And the unmoving Naruto still possessed formidable offensive capabilities.

He thrust his hands into the ground.

The entire gymnasium seemed to have become his domain.

The red spiritual energy constructs in the form of giant hands could emerge from any unexpected area to attack.

And the "lava-like" nature of the spiritual energy was not just in appearance.

It truly possessed the properties of lava, with an incredibly potent burning and corrosive power.

After discovering this quality, Hogei Ichiji and the others did their best to evade, avoiding major injuries.

The gymnasium was reduced to a state of disrepair.

Those craters, those skylights.

"Headmaster, I can't take it anymore," a Shinigami drew his sword, his tone grave. "If this continues, it may endanger the other students..."

He was preparing to release his Shikai.

Without releasing, it would be difficult to subdue Naruto in this state.

"The rescue is taking too long." a Shinigami complained. It had been nearly five to six minutes already.

Hogei Ichiji was about to respond.

Through the skylight, a voice of steady tone but frivolous content came, "Ah, how annoying. When will the 10th Division finally get a captain?"

"I have to deal with this kind of thing."

Hogei Ichiji looked up in surprise and delight, "Captain Hirako."

The speaker was a man with long golden hair, wearing a captain's haori, and had even tied a scarf for himself under his shihakushō. He slouched, his expression disdainful yet restless.

Behind him followed a man with simple, plain black-framed glasses, looking harmless.

"Lieutenant Aizen!"

Hirako Shinji clicked his tongue, "It's been reduced to this state, huh."

"That rampaging, uncontrolled student, is that the Demon Fox?"

"The spiritual pressure is quite..."

"Terrifying."

He raised his hand.

Inside the gymnasium, the rampaging Naruto also noticed the threat from above.

His survival instincts told him. This blond man and the brown-haired man beside him were extremely dangerous.

Whoosh, whoosh~

Two rolling lava-like red tails surged up to grab at them.

"Captain, be careful!" Aizen Sōsuke urgently dashed out, abandoning the incantation.

["Bakudō #39: Enkōsen"] {Round Lock Fan}

A rapidly spinning bright yellow spiritual energy shield unfolded in his palm.

Clang!

The tails struck the shield, the massive impact shattering them. The fragments tainted by the red spiritual energy let out a sizzling, humming sound as they were corroded.

The spiritual energy was being burnt.

Aizen Sōsuke stared at it contemplatively.

This... was an interesting ability.

The tails were still rapidly surging forward.

Hirako Shinji sneered, "Sōsuke, this is an opponent around your level, so be serious."

"Don't disgrace the 5th Division."

He drew his sword, flashed forward, and slashed the tails.

The spiritual energy was disrupted.

"Captain Hirako, be careful! Naruto's spiritual energy has corrosive properties," Hogei Ichiji quickly warned.

Hirako Shinji impatiently retorted, "Do you think I'm blind? I've already noticed!"

"His spiritual pressure still can't damage my blade."

As he spoke,

Aizen Sōsuke raised his right hand, chanting an incantation.

["Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"] {Blue Fire, Crash Down}

A weakly glowing blue spherical lightning bolt shot towards Naruto at high speed.

Boom!

The explosion kicked up a swirling cloud of smoke.

The Tailed Beast cloak was cracked, a small portion shattered, injuring the underlying flesh and muscle, blurring it.

But... whether it was the wound or the outer red spiritual energy cloak, they were healing at a visible, rapid pace.

"Very strong defense," Aizen Sōsuke concluded, "and remarkable self-healing ability."

"This power..."

It was so similar to a Hollow.

His eyes held a look of amazement.

The minor injury only made the rampaging Naruto even more frenzied, his four tails flaring up chaotically.

"Don't say such obvious things that even an idiot can figure out," Hirako Shinji raised his hand.

Abandoning the incantation.

["Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan"] {Hundred Steps Fence}

Spiritual energy condensed into pale purple columns.

They rained down, pinning Naruto's four thick tails and limbs to the ground.

Of course, they were being corroded, wisps of white smoke drifting off.

But at this rate, wanting to break the seal would require a significant amount of time.

"It's not that hard to deal with, after all," Hirako Shinji bared his teeth in a mocking smile, "I thought it would be a real hassle, so I specifically requested the release of my Zanpakutō from the Captain-Commander."

"Cut off his spiritual energy."

"Without spiritual energy, in this state, he should..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Gurgle, gurgle~

That layer of spiritual energy cloak started boiling, the spiritual energy swirling and surging.

The restrained Naruto raised his head, his mouth opening to an eerie, massive size.

Spiritual energy continuously gushed out from his body, coalescing in front of him, with this as the core, also absorbing the nearby spiritual energy, forming a large black spherical ball.

It had a tremendous spiritual pressure. And a strange spiritual energy fluctuation.

"That's..." Hogei Ichiji's eyes widened in disbelief as he exclaimed, "a Cero?"

Aizen Sōsuke pushed up his glasses.

The highly concentrated spiritual energy, the spherical shape, the black color...

All were consistent with the characteristics of a "Cero."

This was a skill only "Menos-class" Hollows could use, not something on the list of Shinigami abilities.

"Interesting!" Hirako Shinji grinned, "But this is not a Cero."

"Have your brains been pickled to the point you can't even distinguish this spiritual pressure?"

"But this terrifying level..."

"It's a good thing I requested it."

He raised his sword, releasing his grip.

The sword did not fall, but floated in front of him.

["Collapse, Sakanade."]

The Zanpakutō's form changed, the hilt's end expanding into a circular guard. With a ringing sound, the sword began to spin.

A peculiar fragrance was stirred up, instantly permeating the nostrils of everyone in the gymnasium.

The world inverted in that instant. His Shikai's Special ability ["Inverted World"]. 

At that moment.

The Tailed Beast Bomb was fired, but the target was absurdly off, soaring high into the sky.

Moments later, it exploded with a thunderous roar.

Spiritual energy swept through, the shockwaves rolling.

The already devastated gymnasium, under this fierce wind, finally could no longer bear the burden and collapsed.

Hirako Shinji raised his hand. Seizing the opportunity.

["Bakudō #4: Hainawa"] {Crawling Rope}

Golden spiritual energy ropes flew out from his palm, tightly binding Naruto's fox-like head.

Aizen Sōsuke was about to fly down.

Hirako Shinji beat him to it, sealing Naruto's "Saketsu" and "Hakusui", also know as "Binding Chain" and "Soul Sleep" - the two key acupuncture points in the soul's body that were essential for the circulation of spiritual energy. If these were damaged, the soul would not be in mortal danger, but would lose all spiritual power. Similarly, if they were sealed, the spiritual energy would cease to circulate.

Deprived of the spiritual energy support, layer of red outer cloak gradually faded away revealing the "host" a blond youth.

The physical, spiritual, and mental exhaustion caused the still-young Naruto to fall unconscious.

"Captain Hirako, how should we handle him?" Aizen Sōsuke inquired with a smile.

Hogei Ichiji immediately spoke up, "It was me who made him try the Shikai release."

Hirako Shinji briefly glanced at the two of them, grabbing Naruto without any gentleness as he mockingly sneered, "Did your brains get waterlogged?"

"And, he's going to the 4th Division."

"With that massive spiritual power and that nature of spiritual energy, who knows what kind of damage it's doing to his body."

He grinned derisively.

"Were you going to send him to the 2nd Division?"

...