Shinigami in the Ninja World (Re-upload)

The 'Zanpakutō' is not an innate ability of the Shinigami, but something forged. Naruto had known this for a long time.

However...

He had always assumed the Shinigami who discovered the "forging technique" had long since passed away, as he had never heard of or seen them. Yet, here stood this person, a member of the Royal Guard, right before him.

Naruto took a closer look.

The man was thin, short, and unremarkable. Compared to his strange and unique companions, there was nothing striking about him. His hairstyle wasn't as flashy as the pompadour, nor was his physique as imposing as the monk or the large woman. As for his looks, there was nothing noteworthy. He wasn't shockingly ugly like the pompadour man, nor was he stunningly beautiful like the woman with long black hair.

He didn't seem to resemble someone from the "blacksmith" profession.

It was surprising, to say the least, that the one who forged hundreds of Asauchi every year for the students of Shin'ō Academy could be so unassuming.

"Not what you expected, huh?" Ōetsu Nimaiya chuckled. "Hard to believe someone as dashing as me would be stuck with such hard labor, right?"

Naruto pursed his lips.

It was indeed unexpected.

But calling himself "handsome" might have lacked a bit of self-awareness.

"Naruto-chan won't be going with you just yet," a large woman squeezed past the monk, approaching them. "He needs to come to my palace first."

Naruto looked at her.

"I remember when I joined the Royal Guard, you were already enrolled in Shin'ō Academy, weren't you?" Despite her large figure, her face was kind, and her smile was innocent and approachable. "It's a pity. If I'd stayed a few more years, we might have crossed paths."

Some memories stirred in Naruto's mind, and he smiled. "Are you Captain Kirio Hikifune?"

The purple-haired woman cupped her face with her hands. "You still remember me? I'm honored."

"Hiyori often compares you to former Captain Urahara," Naruto said, smiling. "She misses you a lot."

But there was some confusion in his eyes.

From Hiyori's descriptions...

This 'Kirio Hikifune' was supposed to be a great beauty.

While she wasn't unattractive, she didn't quite match the "beauty" he had heard about.

Had he finally discovered, after all these centuries, that his taste in beauty differed drastically from that of Soul Society?

"Hiyori-chan..." Kirio Hikifune smiled fondly, shaking her head. "I'll make time to visit them once all of this is over."

"But for now..."

"Come with me."

She turned and gestured to the pompadour man. "Captain Kirinji, I'll leave the rest of them to you."

The pompadour man gave a nod, his face still sour, but his mood calm and patient.

Ōetsu Nimaiya seemed to have no objections to Hikifune's decision, figuring it was best for Naruto to leave with her for now.

They flew, moving from the current island to another.

"Welcome to my Gatonden!" Kirio Hikifune spread her arms wide in greeting. "Naruto-chan, you'll love it here!"

"And don't hold back with me."

She paused, tilting her head. "By the way, is there any food you particularly like, Naruto-chan?"

Food?

Naruto blinked, taken aback by the sudden question. But he answered honestly, "If I had to choose, I'd say ramen is my favorite."

"I don't like vegetables."

Kirio Hikifune tilted her head, smiling. "Picky eating is a bad habit."

"But..."

"Don't worry, you won't have to eat anything you don't like here. Even if it's green peppers, I'll make them delicious."

She motioned for them to follow her into the palace.

"Take a seat, Naruto-chan. The food will be ready soon."

Eating... a meal?

Naruto found himself seated at a large table, the size of which was completely disproportionate to the number of people present.

Kurama popped out, frowning. "Do they think we're guests here?"

"Treating us to a meal?"

"I'm not really in the mood to eat."

The Soul Society was in chaos, with those he knew either injured or dead. Before they left, Kira's fate was still uncertain. He hadn't been fortunate enough to be brought to the Royal Palace.

Naruto shook his head. "It's not just about food."

"Did you notice?"

"Their spiritual pressure."

Kurama's face darkened, and he nodded.

When they were in the Seireitei, these individuals didn't seem particularly extraordinary. But upon arriving at the Royal Palace, their spiritual pressure had changed dramatically, merging completely with the space around them, becoming part of this realm.

"The Royal Guard is more unusual than I thought," Naruto murmured.

As they spoke, two bowls of ramen flew out from behind a curtain, landing smoothly in front of Naruto.

It was ramen—specifically, the familiar and aromatic pork bone ramen, garnished with a generous heap of scallions.

Kurama's nose twitched. Though he had just said he wasn't hungry, he now stared hungrily at the food, swallowing instinctively.

Before they could even pick up their chopsticks, more dishes flew out from behind the curtain.

Tempura, fried rice, grilled meat—all of it in large portions, each dish visually and aromatically appealing.

"This actually looks pretty good," Kurama muttered, shifting his gaze from the ramen to a plate of grilled meat. "You humans do know how to make food..."

"Hmm, she's quite good at this."

"Naruto, you've been fighting all day, and the battle with Haschwalth must have taken a toll. Why not eat a little?"

The fox paused, quietly sniffing at the food again before adding, "After all, like you said, it's not just about the meal."

Naruto smiled at Kurama. "You're craving it, aren't you?"

Kurama bristled, his entire body tensing as all nine of his tails stood on end, covering his face.

But...

His eyes were still fixated on the food.

"Ridiculous! I'm just worried about your health."

"No matter how strong you are, you still need to eat."

"And yes, she's good at cooking..."

Naruto tugged gently on one of Kurama's tails. "I think you're just tempted by the taste and texture. Haven't you noticed?"

His tone grew serious.

"The essence of this food."

Kurama froze, slowly turning his head to meet Naruto's gaze.

Once free from the distraction of the food, his senses finally kicked in.

Spiritual pressure...

These cooked dishes contained spiritual energy and had their own unique spiritual pressure.

Just because something contained spiritual energy didn't mean it had spiritual pressure. Everything in Soul Society was made of reishi and reiryoku, but only living beings had spiritual pressure.

Which meant...

Each of these dishes was "alive," possessing its own soul.

Kurama held his breath.

From behind the curtain, a slender hand drew it open, accompanied by a soft laugh and a voice as gentle as flowing water. "Such keen senses, Naruto-chan. Your ability to perceive things is unmatched."

"But while they're 'alive,' they're not fully alive."

"I'm not cruel enough to use others' souls to make dishes."

The owner of the hand stepped out.

She was a tall, gentle beauty, different from the sharp-edged elegance of the woman with long black hair. The latter was like a rose with thorns—approaching her was dangerous, let alone touching her.

But this one...

She was like a camellia, bright, warm, and beautifully radiant.

"Who are you?" Kurama shuddered.

Naruto, surprised, called out, "Captain Kirio Hikifune!"

"It's her?" Kurama couldn't believe it, his eyes wide as his tails stood stiff. "That's impossible!"

"Why does the little fox look so shocked?" Kirio Hikifune playfully tossed her hair. "Didn't I tell you?"

"When I cook, I infuse the food with my own spiritual energy."

"That's why I become very thin after cooking."

"If I don't keep myself well-fed, my body can't handle it."

Kurama gaped.

This was completely outside his understanding of people gaining and losing weight.

Who could get fat and thin at will, without any side effects?

Such a strange ability.

Naruto observed her but didn't touch his chopsticks just yet.

Despite Kirio Hikifune's approachable demeanor, he hadn't forgotten that she was a former captain of the 12th Division.

Researchers from that division were never quite right in the head.

Whether it was Orochimaru or Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who were obviously extreme, or Kisuke Urahara and Aizen, who harbored their own darker tendencies...

This woman...

She seemed normal and kind.

But Naruto had already been tricked once by Kisuke Urahara.

He wasn't about to trust the outward appearances of anyone who had dabbled in research.

"Sigh." Kirio Hikifune sighed, shaking her head helplessly. "It seems Kisuke really did a number on you."

"Let me put it this way..."

"And while we're at it, let me tell you a bit more about the Royal Guard."

She paused for a moment, then sat down across from Naruto.

"Every member of the Royal Guard has created something for Soul Society, something that the Soul King himself recognized as part of its history."

"For example, Ōetsu Nimaiya, whom you met earlier, created the 'Zanpakutō'."

"The woman who took that young man from the Kuchiki clan, Senjumaru Shutara, created the 'Shihakushō'."

"And I—"

"Created the technique of 'modified souls' and how to integrate them into bodies."

"Simply put, thanks to me, the 'Gikongan' exists."

Naruto's eyes widened in realization, glancing at the food on the table. "So, these dishes are...?"

"Exactly." Hikifune clapped her hands. "The essence of 'Gikongan' is to integrate a completely different spiritual pressure into a body to enhance one's strength."

"So go ahead, eat."

"Eat as much as you want!"

"These will help you grow your spiritual pressure."

She paused again, studying Naruto. "Though you're already very strong, Naruto-chan, with immense spiritual pressure..."

"But..."

"The Soul King says you haven't yet reached your full potential."

"And time is short, so we can't wait for your spiritual pressure to grow naturally."

Her words were convincing.

Naruto pulled the bowl of ramen closer to himself. He couldn't deny that he was tempted by the food.

But given the uncertainty of its origin and the fact that the chef was a former 12th Division captain, he had been hesitant to eat.

With a single bite, his eyes lit up.

Delicious!

It was like the first bowl of Ichiraku ramen he had as a child, the one he had saved up so long to eat.

Kurama couldn't wait any longer and pounced on the grilled meat he had been eyeing.

They both ate with gusto.

Kurama even enlarged his form to devour entire bowls of food in a single bite.

As delicious as the food was, it was far more filling than ordinary meals.

Human food, no matter how much Kurama ate, never left him feeling full.

But now...

After only seven or eight bowls, he felt full. He figured he could manage only four or five more bowls before reaching his limit.

Naruto, on the other hand, seemed to have swapped stomachs with Kurama.

Ten bowls, twenty bowls...

No matter how much food was placed before him, he ate it all, his body rapidly digesting the food and converting it into spiritual energy that merged seamlessly into his spiritual pressure.

Kirio Hikifune watched, smiling warmly.

She liked young men who could eat heartily.

For a cook, there was nothing more satisfying than watching someone devour their food with enthusiasm.

When the table was nearly empty of hot dishes, soups, and desserts, Kirio Hikifune didn't hesitate. She immediately returned to the kitchen to prepare more food.

For every bowl Naruto ate, she cooked another.

Ten minutes later.

Kirio Hikifune, now noticeably thinner, began to look concerned.

Her food was delicious, but...

Was this boy eating too much?

Twenty minutes later.

Having just emerged from the kitchen, Kirio Hikifune was forced to sit down and rest.

An hour later.

Kirio Hikifune, now gaunt and skeletal, lay slumped over the table, her body shaking as she stared at Naruto with a mix of awe and anxiety. Her hands gripped the table as she took deep breaths, as if gathering her strength.

The blonde boy finished drinking the broth from his ramen, gulping it down.

With a loud thud, he set the bowl on the table.

Kirio Hikifune's heart, and her entire body, trembled at the sound.

"Thank you for the meal," Naruto said, patting his stomach with a satisfied grin.

Kirio Hikifune let out a long breath.

Finally...

She had managed to feed him.

Too weak to stand, she remained slumped over the table, utterly drained.

There wasn't a drop of energy left in her.

Her spiritual energy had been completely exhausted.

"So, how do you feel?" Kirio Hikifune asked, looking up at Naruto. She couldn't muster enough energy to sense his spiritual pressure.

Naruto stood up, stretching a little before giving her a thumbs-up. "Great!"

He felt completely rejuvenated.

His entire body, inside and out, felt clean and refreshed. The soreness and numbness left over from his battle with Haschwalth had been healed by the food and the spiritual energy it contained.

However...

He didn't feel a significant increase in his spiritual pressure.

He had definitely grown stronger.

But it wasn't a "qualitative" change.

It was a subtle, incremental shift. His spiritual pressure had transformed, but it was difficult to articulate exactly how. Naruto wasn't sure what kind of changes it would bring.

"This is the first time I've seen anyone eat as much as you," Kirio Hikifune marveled. "It shows just how extraordinary your spiritual pressure is."

"But..."

"Be careful, Naruto-chan."

Naruto tilted his head, puzzled by her words.

Kirio Hikifune gathered her strength before continuing, "You came to the 'Soul King Palace' to become stronger."

"The Soul King has a plan for you, an 'ordeal' that you must complete."

"And your next stop..."

"Is the 'Hōōden', where you'll face Ōetsu Nimaiya."

"Your Zanpakutōs..."

"They're quite special, aren't they?"

Naruto smiled, turning to gaze at the island where the 'Hōōden' was located. "I understand. Thank you, Captain Hikifune."

Lying on the table, now a shadow of her former self, the gaunt, purple-haired woman waved weakly. "Go on, Naruto-chan. Let me rest."

"There are still a few more people waiting for you."

Naruto and Kurama left for the next island.

As soon as they landed, they were met with a wave of enthusiastic cheers.

Beautiful women, too many to count, rushed toward them, holding various items—confetti, glow sticks, and even signs with "Naruto" written on them. Naruto looked around helplessly.

Unlike Kirio Hikifune's 'Gatonden', the 'Hōōden', which should have had the atmosphere of a blacksmith's workshop, was gaudy and flamboyant.

Neon lights flashed across the sign.

It felt more like a nightclub than a royal palace.

"Welcome!"

"To my palace!"

Spotlights flashed as Ōetsu Nimaiya stood on a high platform, arms wide open.

"Naruto-kun..."

"What do you think?"

Kurama scowled in disdain. "Ugh, so many muscular women. This reminds me of some unpleasant experiences."

Muscular women...

Had never left Kurama with a good impression.

Whether it was Rangiku Matsumoto, Nemu Kurotsuchi, or even Kūkaku Shiba and Yoruichi Shihōin.

Only Unohana Retsu had been a little better.

"They..." Naruto's spiritual senses swept over the women, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Are they... Zanpakutōs?"

These auras...

They were familiar.

He had felt them before when he trained with Byakuya Kuchiki and Gin Ichimaru, learning about Bankai.

And also...

When he had watched Ichigo Kurosaki use the 'Tenshintai' to manifest his Zanpakutō.

Wait!

Ichigo Kurosaki, the 'Tenshintai', the manifestation of Bankai!

He finally realized where that strange sense of déjà vu had come from when he saw Yhwach.

It was the manifestation of 'Zangetsu'.

Yhwach and the manifestation of 'Zangetsu' looked almost exactly the same—the same face, the same features. The only differences were minor changes in hairstyle and accessories, as if they were two versions of the same person.

Naruto's expression darkened.

Why...

Did Ichigo Kurosaki's Zanpakutō look like Yhwach?

Was it because his mother was a Quincy?

Ōetsu Nimaiya, oblivious to Naruto's thoughts, assumed his change in expression was due to the number of manifested Zanpakutō surrounding them. With a cheerful clap of his hands, he said, "That's right!"

"These little darlings are all Zanpakutō."

Kurama narrowed his eyes at them. "You've got a twisted sense of humor."

So many muscular women...

What was this guy thinking?

"They chose these forms themselves," Ōetsu Nimaiya chuckled. "Don't you think they're adorable?"

Naruto wasn't interested in indulging him. "At Captain Hikifune's palace, we experienced the benefits of the modified soul technique."

"So what's your specialty?"

He emphasized the word "benefit."

Ōetsu Nimaiya leapt down from the platform, lowering his head and rolling his eyes upward in an exaggerated fashion as he stared at Naruto. "Benefit?"

"You're that eager already?"

"I thought you'd be more interested in these little darlings."

Naruto didn't respond.

Ōetsu Nimaiya shrugged, then waved his hand. "Alright, follow me. This isn't the real 'Hōōden'."

"I'll take you to where you need to go."

He led the way.

They passed through the gaudy, nightclub-like fake 'Hōōden', walking up a mountain path. At the end of the trail, on the peak of the mountain, stood a dilapidated, ramshackle hut, looking ready to collapse at any moment. A crooked wooden sign hung above the door, with the words "Hōōden" scrawled messily on it.

"What a difference," Kurama muttered, not holding back his disdain.

From "nightclub" to "junkyard."

The contrast between the 'Hōōdens' was hard to believe.

It was like...

Ōetsu Nimaiya, who had been the most reserved and subdued of the group during their time in the Seireitei, had now become the most flamboyant and over-the-top.

Ōetsu Nimaiya awkwardly turned his head, as if reluctant to admit that this shabby place was his real palace. He whistled and then said, "Naruto-kun, you're quite the cautious fellow."

"You were right to hesitate before entering."

"Your spiritual senses are sharp."

Naruto pointed toward the entrance. "I can feel a lot of sharp auras inside."

"It doesn't seem like a welcoming place."

"Sharp indeed," Ōetsu Nimaiya chuckled, patting Naruto on the back. "Inside, you'll find a lot of interesting things, just like you sensed."

"But don't worry, it's only a test."

"It's part of the 'ordeal' the Soul King has arranged for you."

Naruto looked at him.

According to his 'Mind's Eye of the Kagura', the man was telling the truth.

Ōetsu Nimaiya wasn't lying.

Naruto took a step forward, lifted the curtain, and walked inside.

The interior of the palace was pitch-black, without any lights or illumination.

Naruto glanced down.

At that moment, the darkness beneath him seemed to collapse, as if gravity had suddenly intensified, pulling him downward.

But this didn't faze him. With a simple twist of his body, he landed lightly.

The sharp auras that had been vaguely sensed outside now became crystal clear.

In the darkness, several indistinct figures quietly approached.

They had human bodies but were clearly not human. Their heads were featureless, lacking any defined facial features. Where their eyes should have been, there were two lipless mouths instead.

Every one of these creatures had the same appearance.

They were cold, greedy, and devoid of life.

"Are these Zanpakutō too?" Kurama asked, narrowing his eyes as he perched on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto nodded.

They were similar to Zanpakutō but lacked the unique aura.

So this must be…

"These are Asauchi," Ōetsu Nimaiya's voice called out from the doorway as he waved cheerfully. "In the coming time, you'll be participating in a very special trial."

"These fellows will attempt to attack you."

"And your task is to earn their recognition."

"Good luck."

"Naruto-kun, and little fox."