Shinigami in the Ninja World (Re-upload)

The final Zero Division palace stood before them.

It was a serene, temple-like structure—silent and imposing. Unlike the other palaces, which had a degree of life and presence, this one seemed draped in only black and white, exuding a cold, deathly stillness.

At the entrance of the grand hall, a monk greeted Naruto with a casual, uninterested expression, lazily surveying the area before his gaze landed on the sword at Naruto's waist.

"You're finally here, wandering soul," the monk remarked, his voice flat. His eyes lingered on Naruto's sword.

Naruto followed the monk's gaze and nodded. "Forging the sword took longer than expected."

The sword, 'Vortex', was now sheathed. However, unlike typical Zanpakutō, this one could not be sheathed in an ordinary scabbard. Ōetsu Nimaiya had once mentioned a Zanpakutō named 'Sayafushi', which was considered a "failed creation" because its sharpness destroyed any scabbard it touched. 'Vortex' had a similar issue—anything it touched, even the air, would be disrupted, causing chaos within minutes.

However, unlike 'Sayafushi', Naruto could control 'Vortex''s power, using his own spiritual energy to forge a custom scabbard.

"Captain Nimaiya said you were urging me to hurry. Has something happened in the Seireitei?" Naruto asked directly, not waiting for the monk to speak.

The monk nodded slightly. "Indeed. Two hours ago, the Wandenreich launched an attack on the Seireitei."

"However…" He paused before continuing, "It was only a small vanguard. According to the Gotei 13, they weren't too difficult to handle."

"There's no need to worry too much."

Naruto's expression remained calm. "Before I left, Captain Kurotsuchi had already developed a method to counter the Quincy's ability to steal Bankai. Once the Shinigami can use their Bankai without restriction, they won't be at a disadvantage."

The monk raised his hands, clapping one fist into the other palm. "You sure place a lot of trust in them."

Naruto didn't engage with the monk's remark. "So, what's my training here?"

"Training?" The monk tilted his head with a smile. "You don't need any training from me."

"Your spiritual pressure, your swordsmanship, your mastery of Kidō and Zanpakutō…"

"You've already matured in all these areas. To make further progress would take much more time than we currently have."

Naruto nodded. "Then I'll head back—"

"Although you don't need to train here," the monk interrupted, shaking his head and looking at Naruto with a seemingly sincere expression, "there's still one thing you need to do."

He held up one finger.

"Reio-sama, the Soul King, wants to see you."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly but showed no surprise. If the rumors about the Soul King were true, it made sense. Perhaps others hadn't noticed Naruto's uniqueness, and perhaps Naruto himself didn't fully understand it yet, but the being that held the balance of the world certainly would.

"I see," Naruto said softly.

The monk, his large belly shifting as he moved, leaned in, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Reio-sama has said that your existence does not threaten the balance of the Three Worlds."

"And from what I've seen, I also believe you won't end up like Aizen or Yhwach."

"But…"

The monk leaned even closer, his eyes narrowing further.

"You've probably heard from the others that each of us in the Zero Division has contributed something to the Soul Society."

He spoke with pride.

Naruto nodded.

"The Zanpakutō, the Shihakusho, the Gikon…"

"But unlike the others, what I created for this world wasn't a tangible item. It was a concept."

The monk paused, lifting his robe to reveal his waist. "Names."

"At the beginning of the Three Worlds, I named everything."

"Thus, I know the name of every single thing in this world, including the name of every Zanpakutō…"

"Shikai or Bankai?"

The monk continued, still proud. "I help Reio-sama manage this world."

"But there is one exception."

He pointed at Naruto.

"I know the name of Kurama. I know the name of 'Vortex'. But I don't know their Bankai names."

"You are the only exception I've ever encountered."

"So, what exactly are you? How do you possess such power?"

"Can you tell me?"

Naruto met his gaze calmly, then smiled faintly after a moment of silence. "Am I right to interpret this as a personal curiosity of yours, and not an order from the Soul King?"

The monk nodded.

Naruto shook his head. "I refuse."

The monk's expression didn't change in the slightest.

Naruto smiled. He hadn't liked this monk from the beginning. There wasn't a specific reason, but when the monk had tried to take Ichigo Kurosaki away by force, that had left a bad impression. Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto, who prioritized stability above all else, wouldn't have pulled an ordinary human like Ichigo into this mess so easily.

The monk's attitude was far too cavalier.

"Is that so?" The monk spread his hands. "Then let's go see the Soul King."

The journey from this palace to the center of the Soul King's palace didn't take long.

The towering pillars of the palace felt even more desolate than the monk's own quarters.

There were no guards, no attendants…

The vast emptiness made Naruto feel like he was entering a massive, hollow prison.

At the entrance to the throne room, the monk stopped and gestured forward. "Go on in."

The doors were open—if they could even be called doors. It felt like there were no barriers at all.

Naruto entered.

Kurama frowned, his fur bristling slightly as he curled up into a tighter ball. "This place feels… off."

He glanced back at the monk.

The rotund man stood obediently by the entrance, not turning around.

A faint but powerful spiritual pressure guided Naruto forward. Soon, he saw the being he had come to meet—the Soul King.

Bearing the title of "King," yet utterly devoid of any royal demeanor, the Soul King was a human-like figure encased in amber.

A human form, but mutilated—limbs removed, with only part of the legs remaining, arms severed.

The face was handsome enough, but the eyes bore the Quincy's cross-shaped pupils.

"I'm here," Naruto said, standing before him.

The figure inside the amber—this so-called Soul King—did not respond in any way. It didn't even move.

He couldn't speak, and he couldn't hear.

Kurama grumbled, moving closer to Naruto's leg. "We're here!"

"Hey, can you hear us?"

"Soul King?"

Kurama's voice echoed in the empty hall, but there was no reply.

"Wasn't he the one who summoned us?" Kurama fidgeted, growing impatient. "Why isn't he saying anything now?"

"The Seireitei still needs—"

"He isn't silent because he chooses to be," Naruto interrupted, his eyes fixed on the Soul King's lips. "He can't speak."

Kurama tilted his head, confused.

Even in the presence of the Soul King, Naruto didn't hold back. "In ancient history, the five great noble families ambushed the Soul King and turned him into a throne to stabilize the Three Worlds."

"They feared his rebellion, so they dismembered him, removing his organs…"

"The heart we killed in battle—the heart of Gerard Valkyrie—that was part of the Soul King."

Naruto instinctively touched the scroll hidden within his clothing.

"So, would they have left him with a tongue?" he asked.

Kurama thought for a moment, then nodded. "Of course not. The five great families—except for the Shiba Clan—are all hiding their crimes. Even the Shihōin Clan. If the Soul King could speak, he'd expose them."

Kurama suddenly understood. "Ah, so that's it."

"He literally can't speak."

But now that Kurama understood, a new concern arose. "How are we supposed to communicate with him?"

Naruto didn't answer immediately. Instead, he extended his hand.

"Mind's Eye of the Kagura!"

His sensing technique spread out effortlessly, and he quickly detected a trace of spiritual pressure lingering outside the amber.

Once it made contact with Naruto, it responded immediately, obediently drifting into his palm without any resistance.

Kurama noticed it too.

"Is this the Soul King's spiritual pressure?" Kurama sniffed at it. "Why does it feel so much like…"

"The Quincy's spiritual pressure?"

Naruto gently handled the spiritual energy, analyzing it carefully while answering Kurama's question. "The connection between the Soul King and the Quincy might be stronger than that between the Soul King and the Shinigami."

"Don't you think the special abilities of the Quincy—their 'Schrift' powers—like Valkyrie's 'Miracle' and Haschwalth's 'Balance'—resemble Fullbring abilities?"

Kurama muttered something under his breath, but Naruto stayed focused, continuing to investigate the spiritual pressure.

There was only one message.

And it wasn't difficult to understand.

"When the time comes, do not hesitate to kill me, and do not stop my death."

Naruto froze for a moment.

He wasn't sure if he had fully understood. Fortunately, the spiritual energy didn't dissipate immediately after he decoded it. Naruto applied his sensing technique more carefully, probing deeper.

The message remained unchanged.

Kurama tilted his head. "What did the Soul King say to you?"

"He told me to kill him when the time is right, and not to prevent his death." Naruto's gaze returned to the being encased in amber, his expression tinged with sadness.

This being, regarded as the most exalted figure in the Three Worlds…

Wanted nothing more than death.

Kurama, however, wasn't surprised. He even chuckled. "If I were in his place, I'd want to die as soon as possible too."

Kurama yawned, his eyes drifting back to the Soul King.

"Why wait for the right time? Isn't now good enough?"

Naruto shook his head. "If the Soul King dies, the Three Worlds will lose their foundation, and the balance will collapse."

"Even though…"

He stepped closer to the amber and placed a hand on it. "Even though it would be a mercy for him."

"But if the innocent people of the world—the humans, the Shinigami, even the Hollows—are caught up in that, it wouldn't be fair."

Kurama placed a paw on the amber as well. "So we need to find a new 'throne.'"

The first name that came to Kurama's mind was "Ichigo Kurosaki."

After all…

Aizen had once considered using Ichigo to replace the Soul King as the foundation of the world.

But Kurama didn't say that name aloud.

It was unrealistic. Kurama knew Naruto would never accept such a plan. Not only was Ichigo Naruto's nephew, but even aside from their bond, Ichigo was still just an ordinary Substitute Shinigami, no matter how much potential he had. He didn't deserve such a fate.

"The Quincy…" Naruto mused, studying the structure of the spiritual pressure in his hand.

The resemblance between the Soul King and the Quincy gave him an idea.

Naruto reached out and sealed the spiritual pressure, storing it within a scroll.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Naruto asked, looking up.

A second strand of spiritual pressure floated out of the amber.

Like a feather, it gently landed in his hand.

Just as before, Naruto used 'Mind's Eye of the Kagura' to decipher it.

This time, the spiritual pressure held two sentences.

"I trust you. Solve this in your own way."

"I have seen your radiant light, shining like the sun, in another world."

Another world…

Naruto froze.

This was the first time anyone else had mentioned "another world."

It was clear now.

The Soul King knew.

"Is that so?" Naruto muttered, the spiritual pressure fading away after he read it. "So my presence in this world… is related to you?"

But his question received no response.

The Soul King's palace remained silent.

Kurama, curious, pawed at Naruto's hand. "What did the Soul King say this time?"

"I didn't even get a chance to read it before it vanished."

"Nothing important," Naruto replied. "Just that the Soul King might be responsible for us being here. And then, he gave me some encouragement, telling me to handle things my way."

Kurama tilted his head, pondering for a moment.

He felt a bit more affection for the being inside the amber.

The ninja world had always been a place of suffering for Kurama. But here, in this new world, despite the occasional conflict, things felt more comfortable. Much more bearable than his previous life.

"We'll have to repay his kindness then," Kurama said seriously. "When the time comes, we'll help him die."

Naruto looked at him and laughed softly. "You know, what you just said sounds less like a repayment of kindness and more like a threat."

Kurama grumbled, "The Soul King isn't just anyone. He's different."

Naruto turned back to the Soul King for one last look.

Satisfied that there were no more messages, he headed for the exit.

As he approached the monk, ready to greet him, something in the distance caught his attention.

His 'Mind's Eye of the Kagura' sensed a familiar spiritual pressure approaching the Soul King's palace at high speed.

A spiritual pressure he hadn't wanted to feel here.

Ichigo Kurosaki.

"What is it?" Kurama asked, tilting his head.

Naruto's smile faded, replaced by a somber expression. "Ichigo is here."