Naruto: Copy System#733+734: The Third Seat of the 2nd Division, Hado #90: Kurohitsugi, Expedition to Hueco Mundo

"Can't let you get away."

Though Kyoraku Shunsui was known for his laid-back attitude, he couldn't just let a Gillain escape—especially not in the World of the Living.

If it got away, there was no telling how much destruction it would cause or how many people would die. Besides, this Gillain was different. It showed the potential to evolve into an Arrancar, making it a threat that needed to be eliminated sooner rather than later.

Shin glanced at Shunsui. 'Now's not the time to just stand there and watch,' he thought.

Drawing his Asauchi, Shin unleashed a slash. The wave of pressure struck the Gillain's body, and the creature, which had been trying to flee, was left half-dead from the single strike.

"Looks like I used a little too much force."

Shin glanced at the Gillain. He was lucky he held back, or he would have killed it in one hit.

It was just as Aizen had said—the strength to crush an ant without killing it is a difficult thing to master.

Even so, Shunsui shot Shin a look. The boy's strength was far greater than he had imagined. He was more than qualified to be a Third Seat. If he could achieve Shikai, he could probably even serve as a Vice-Captain.

"What are you staring at me for? If you don't finish it off, it's really going to get away," Shin reminded Shunsui.

Snapping back to his senses, Shunsui immediately acted.

Though this Gillain was a cut above the rest, with Shunsui's power and Shin's support, it was easily dealt with. Shin considered copying the Hollow's power but decided against it. It was just a Gillain—hardly worth the effort.

"Whew, that was a close one. It's finally taken care of," Shunsui sighed, immediately deactivating his Shikai.

While Shikai granted immense power, it also consumed a massive amount of spiritual pressure. Shunsui was almost completely drained.

He was still weak at this point in time, having just been promoted from Third Seat to Vice-Captain. His power was limited. The Kyoraku Shunsui from the start of the main story would have had no trouble killing a Gillain with ease.

"Let's go. We're heading back," Shunsui said, getting to his feet.

————————

They passed through the Senkaimon, returning from the World of the Living to the Soul Society. Upon his return, Shunsui immediately filed his report.

Due to the unexpected incident during the exam, only Shin had passed. The other Shinigami cadets would have to be re-evaluated.

Having passed, Shin was assigned to the 2nd Division. Now clad in a black Shihakushō, he was on his way to the 2nd Division barracks to report for duty.

The current captain of the 2nd Division was Shihōin Kiyotaka, from the Shihōin Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Clans. That's right—there were still five.

The Shiba Clan had not yet been cast out, had not yet fallen from grace.

"Captain Shihōin, it's an honor to be under your command."

Shin smiled at Kiyotaka. Though he had never appeared in the original story, as the head of the Shihōin Clan and captain of the 2nd Division, his strength was undeniable.

"Shin, the position of Third Seat in the 2nd Division is currently vacant. Would you like to take it?"

The Third Seat was a position second only to the Captain and Vice-Captain. Shin was surprised. He hadn't expected to become the Third Seat of the 2nd Division so easily.

'This probably has something to do with Unohana Retsu.'

Shin guessed. It was likely her doing. Otherwise, there was no way he would have been appointed to such a high rank right after graduating, with no merits to his name.

"Then I thank you for your faith in me, Captain Shihōin." Shin certainly wouldn't refuse. This was a good thing for him. He accepted with a faint smile.

Shihōin Kiyotaka smiled back. Shin's guess was close to the mark. The main reason he had offered Shin the Third Seat was indeed because of Unohana Retsu. Knowing that she and Shin had a special relationship, this was a way to curry favor with her.

The competition within the Seireitei was fierce, and the Great Noble Clans were not always on friendly terms. If things were truly so peaceful, the Shiba Clan would not have been cast out of the five Great Noble Clans in the future.

These schemes had nothing to do with Shin. He just felt that being the Third Seat would be beneficial to his plans.

'The Tsunayashiro Clan controls the Great Spirit Book Gallery. I wonder if they have any powerhouses.'

Shin didn't know much about the Tsunayashiro Clan, but they were no simple family. They knew all the history and secrets of the Soul Society and had an inseparable relationship with the Soul King and Central 46.

————————

Shin remained in the 2nd Division, actively taking on duties, especially patrols, which he often conducted himself. Shihōin Kiyotaka, unaware of Shin's plans, thought he was a capable and diligent subordinate and was very pleased with him.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye. Shin had familiarized himself with the entire Seireitei.

"Now, it's time for the real action to begin."

Having thoroughly scouted the area, Shin prepared to infiltrate the Great Spirit Book Gallery and retrieve what was inside. In truth, he was being overly cautious. Even if he had to fight his way in, it wouldn't be difficult.

Night fell. Shin's figure moved swiftly through the buildings of the Seireitei. Soon, he arrived at Central 46 and walked straight through the entrance.

The guards seemed not to see him at all. Shin had used Genjutsu to make them ignore him.

Like he owned the place, he encountered no resistance and reached the Great Spirit Book Gallery, hidden beneath Central 46.

"There's no key, but a single door won't stop me."

Shin used Yomotsu Hirasaka and entered directly.

"So this is the Great Spirit Book Gallery? Looks like I've been discovered."

Shin felt a little helpless. The moment he stepped inside, he felt a wave of spiritual pressure ripple outwards.

"Looks like sneaking in was bound to fail."

Shin held a mask—the same swirling orange mask Tobi wore. After putting it on, he began recording the knowledge in the Great Spirit Book Gallery.

"As expected, all the Kido are recorded here."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Just as Shin had recorded most of the information, a terrifying spiritual pressure descended upon him—definitely Captain-level.

The current head of the Tsunayashiro Clan had arrived, his gaze fixed coldly on Shin.

"Who are you? How dare you break into this place?"

"I mean no harm. I'm just here to borrow a few things. No need to be so hostile."

Shin said calmly. He had already altered his voice. If Madara Uchiha were here, he would have found that Shin's voice was identical to his own.

"SEIZE HIM." The Tsunayashiro Clan Head shouted to the Shinigami behind him, and a group of them charged towards Shin.

"Well, well, looks like a fight is unavoidable."

Watching the charging Shinigami, Shin threw a casual punch, and several of them were instantly killed.

In a flash, he appeared in front of the Tsunayashiro Clan Head and delivered a powerful kick to his chest.

With a loud crash, the man was sent flying into the ground. In a single exchange, he had been taken out by Shin.

<><><><><><><><>

"Am I too strong, or are you just too weak? You couldn't even take a single hit."

Shin said calmly after knocking down the Tsunayashiro Clan Head. But no matter what Shin said, the man wouldn't hear it—he had been knocked unconscious by Shin's single blow.

The other Shinigami were terrified. They were all members of the Tsunayashiro Clan. Seeing their own Clan Head, who was strong enough to be a Gotei 13 Captain, taken out with a single blow left them paralyzed with fear.

The opponent hadn't even used his Zanpakuto—hadn't even released a trace of spiritual pressure. He had crushed their leader with pure physical strength.

"So weak. With that level of strength, you shouldn't be showing off—"

After Shin spoke, a terrifying wave of spiritual pressure tore the other Shinigami to shreds. As for the unconscious Tsunayashiro Clan Head on the ground, after a moment's thought, Shin decided not to spare him either. He picked up a nearby Zanpakuto and stabbed him, finishing him off.

"The other Shinigami probably know by now. Time to leave."

Shin used Yomotsu Hirasaka to open a black portal, stepped through it, and vanished.

In the future, if Shin wanted to re-enter the Great Spirit Book Gallery, it would be easy. He could just use Yomotsu Hirasaka to go directly there.

————————

The next morning, the entire Gotei 13 held a meeting. The events of last night were no small matter. The head of the Tsunayashiro Clan was dead, and someone had infiltrated the Great Spirit Book Gallery. Yamamoto had to find the culprit.

But that had little to do with Shin. At this moment, he was practicing Kido in the Ice Dimension, his personal training ground.

"Seeping Crest Of Turbidity. Arrogant Vessel Of Lunacy. Boil Forth And Deny. Grow Numb And Flicker. Disrupt Sleep. Crawling Queen Of Iron. Eternally Self-destructing Doll Of Mud. Unite. Repulse. Fill With Soil And Know Your Own Powerlessness!"

"Hado #90: Kurohitsugi!"

Unleashed after the full incantation, the terrifying power of Hado #90 instantly shattered a mountain of ice.

When casting Kido, one could choose to use the full incantation or omit it. Forgoing the incantation would naturally reduce the power. However, the power of any Kido ultimately depended on the user's spiritual pressure.

An unchanted Hado #31: Shakkaho could be enough to take down a Vice-Captain.

The stronger your spiritual pressure, the more powerful your Kido. The destructive force of Hado wasn't fixed. The same applied to Bakudo and Kaido.

————————

After a day of training, Shin had basically mastered most of the Kido.

With the cheat of Shadow Clones, his learning speed was naturally fast. And Shin's spiritual pressure was terrifying—so he could cast any Kido he learned. Some Shinigami, even if they obtained high-level Kido, couldn't cast them due to insufficient spiritual pressure.

Just how terrifying was Shin's spiritual pressure now? Even Shin himself wasn't entirely sure. It was almost like his chakra—nearly infinite. Shin had never truly unleashed his full spiritual pressure.

Among the Shinigami, there was probably no one who could surpass him in terms of spiritual pressure, not even the oldest Shinigami, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.

Though Shin had only been exposed to spiritual pressure for three years, his soul was already extremely strong—the pinnacle of Yin Release, capable of creating matter from nothingness through mental power. So, it wasn't strange for him to possess such terrifying spiritual pressure now.

Leaving the 2nd Division, Shin headed for the 4th Division. He was very familiar with the 4th Division, and the members of the squad were all very respectful towards him.

"Still not back?"

Shin waited in the 4th Division barracks. He didn't know when she would return from the meeting. Fortunately, Shin had time to spare. He was idle anyway, so waiting here was no problem.

Around noon, Unohana Retsu returned.

“How long have you been here?” Unohana asked upon seeing Shin.

“A few hours. That was a long meeting. What were you discussing?”

Shin asked Unohana. He believed she wouldn't hide anything from him.

Unohana gave Shin a deep look, then asked, "The one who broke into the Great Spirit Book Gallery last night and killed the Tsunayashiro Clan Head... it was you, wasn't it?"

Though she was asking, Unohana was 100% certain it was Shin. It was obvious that only Shin had the ability to do such a thing. It was an easy guess for her.

"Yes, it was me. Are you going to arrest me, Captain Unohana?" Shin asked with a smile.

"That's not out of the question," Unohana smiled back.

"Looking at you now, you don't seem worried at all that I'll expose you. Are you really that confident in me?"

Unohana said, looking at the completely unconcerned smile on Shin's face.

"You're right, I'm not worried. Based on my understanding of you, Captain Unohana, you probably won't say anything about this."

Shin had absolute trust in Unohana. If the day came when she was no longer trustworthy, it would mean their friendship had come to an end.

————————

"Don't do something like this again. And if you really have to, please tell me."

Unohana said to Shin. She didn't really care about anything else. She didn't even know the Tsunayashiro Clan Head who had died. She was just worried about Shin. His actions were extremely dangerous. He might have gotten away this time, but what if he was caught by accident?

"Even if Yamamoto himself came, he wouldn't be able to catch me. The meeting was probably about trying to catch me, right?"

"That's only part of the reason. The other reason is the matter of the expedition to Hueco Mundo."

Unohana's expression turned slightly serious. The duty of the Gotei 13 was to protect the Soul Society and the order of the World of the Living. Hollows were the ones who disrupted that order. So, every so often, a large number of Shinigami would form an expeditionary force to go to Hueco Mundo.

This Captains' meeting was partly about the incident he caused, and partly about the expedition to Hueco Mundo.

"Shin, for you, this expedition to Hueco Mundo is also an opportunity."

Unohana said to Shin.

"What kind of opportunity?" Hearing Unohana's words, Shin couldn't help but ask.

“The opportunity to be promoted to Vice-Captain, or even Captain, of course. This is a large-scale expedition to Hueco Mundo, and every squad has to participate. It's not uncommon for even Captains to die in Hueco Mundo."

When a Captain died, their position would become vacant. At that time, as long as Shin had some merits, he could become a Captain—a Captain of the Gotei 13, wielding considerable authority.