Shinigami in the Ninja World

Naruto raised his blade and struck.

The blade collided with a resounding clang, sparks flying.

At first, Tōsen Kaname could barely hold his own, but as the strikes continued, Naruto's blade grew faster and more powerful.

Being blind, Tōsen had an inherent disadvantage in close combat, and his spiritual pressure was weaker than Naruto's.

In the blink of an eye, his skill level was exposed, leaving him extremely vulnerable and struggling to defend himself.

"Is this all you've got?" Naruto spoke coldly. "No wonder you hide in the shadows."

"With this level of skill, who could you possibly defeat?"

After a few more strikes,

Tōsen's body was already riddled with wounds, blood seeping from them.

Naruto completely overwhelmed him.

They weren't even on the same level.

"Captain Uzumaki," Tōsen said, still composed and confident, "you are a genius."

"Perhaps in a few decades, I won't be able to keep up with you no matter what."

"But at least for now,"

"There's still a vast chasm between us."

Tōsen raised his blade.

"Captain Uzumaki, up until now, you've been a good person."

"But for the sake of true justice, I must eliminate you here."

"Perish in the loss of your senses."

"Bankai—"

"Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi."

His blade emitted a faint hum as the ring on the hilt rotated, detaching from the blade, splitting into nine pieces, and swiftly spreading in all directions.

A vast barrier unfolded.

A darkness even deeper than night engulfed the entire space in an instant.

Naruto's body stiffened.

Suddenly, everything went silent; his eyes saw nothing, and he couldn't even sense spiritual pressure.

"The loss of the five senses…"

So this is what it feels like.

Tōsen relaxed, walking toward Naruto as he spoke softly, "Isn't the dark and silent world of ignorance terrifying?"

"The Seireitei is several times darker than this."

"But… you probably can't hear what I'm saying, can you?"

He stopped slowly in front of Naruto, raising his blade.

"Then let me show you the horror of this hell of ignorance."

He swung his blade down.

Clang—

But this time, his strike was met with an incredibly precise block.

Tōsen was shocked.

How did he do that? How could he intercept my attack in this situation?

Within the inner world.

"He's right in front of you, filled with malice," Nine-Tails spoke, sounding irritated. "Finish off this enemy quickly."

"My senses… are also blocked."

Nine-Tails's senses were born from Naruto, and within this barrier, they were sealed as well. But since Nine-Tails and Naruto shared the same body, they communicated through their inner thoughts, unaffected by the blade's power.

Naruto grinned.

He recited the release incantation, activating his Shikai.

A golden six-armed figure emerged, its light driving away a small portion of the darkness.

However,

No one could see this light.

Tōsen's vision was impaired,

And Naruto had lost his sight due to Tōsen's Bankai.

The loss of the five senses didn't make him panic, nor did it cause him to hesitate. He decisively thrust "Ashura" straight ahead.

Tōsen barely evaded.

"This time, to the right," Nine-Tails prompted again.

Naruto swung his blade, his hands moving swiftly.

Two of his hands came together, releasing Adamantine Chains that lashed out aimlessly in all directions.

Tōsen could barely defend himself.

The pressure in his heart grew immensely.

Unleashing his Bankai didn't bring much change to the situation; it only made Naruto's attacks, guided by Nine-Tails's hints, slightly slower.

But even with that slight delay,

Naruto's swordsmanship was still superior to Tōsen's.

What made it even harder for Tōsen to cope with was that Naruto was gradually adapting to fighting in this "sensory deprivation" environment. Nine-Tails's tips in the inner world became more accurate.

Moreover, only the five senses were taken away; the sense of touch remained.

The feedback from the adamantine chains allowed Naruto to form a fairly complete picture of the battlefield in his mind, even without sight, hearing, or smell.

He knew exactly where the enemy was, what move to use, and what to do next.

Everything was crystal clear in his mind.

After several exchanges,

The "Nine-Tails" slashed Tōsen's shoulder, while "Ashura" pierced his abdomen.

Spiritual pressure collapsed, the barrier shattered.

The five senses returned.

Naruto stood calmly, holding his two blades, staring at the man before him: "Even after unleashing your Bankai, this is all you've got."

"You don't have to wait decades; you're already far behind."

"Your abilities are even uglier than your words."

Once the barrier was broken, he could clearly sense Tōsen's spiritual pressure. After Bankai, Tōsen's spiritual pressure increased five to ten times, but it was still only at the level of a 3rd Class spiritual pressure.

Inside the inner world, Nine-Tails spoke, "This aura and malice…"

"It's the same as the person who attacked you when those other captains were hollowfied."

Naruto wasn't surprised. He walked over to Tōsen and quietly asked, "Who is controlling you?"

"Is it that man?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

Before fighting Tōsen, he had doubts about whether this person was the mastermind behind the captains' suffering.

But after fighting him, those doubts vanished.

This man's blade had the ability to rob others of their senses.

He was also the one who attacked Naruto that day.

But he couldn't possibly be the mastermind behind it all.

The breaking of the Bankai did not cause much change in Tōsen Kaname's expression.

But just one sentence made him lose control, his face contorting in extreme shock.

"You're too weak," Naruto stated calmly. "With this ability, you can't even lay a finger on Captain Shinji and the others."

"You can't do it."

In both strength and intellect, Tōsen Kaname wasn't qualified. Someone far less intelligent than himself could never have pushed Urahara Kisuke to that extent.

Tōsen's face gradually returned to normal, his tone also calming down. "As expected, you are the greatest obstacle on the path of justice."

"I once naively thought you could become an ally."

"What a pity, Captain Uzumaki."

"Let me show you the power of ultimate evolution."

He raised his sword again.

A liquid oozed from his body, forming a mask on his face, completely covering his features.

As Naruto and Tōsen Kaname clashed, the group of Hollows had already been dealt with. Two captains and their subordinates surrounded them.

"Tōsen!" Komamura Sajin's voice tore through the air, his eyes filled with fury. "You've fallen to this extent!"

Naruto reached out his hand, preparing to unleash the "Four Symbols Seal."

But at that moment, an even stronger spiritual pressure erupted from Tōsen Kaname.

In a flash, he disappeared and reappeared several paces away from Naruto.

"It's useless," Tōsen Kaname said softly, extending his hand and placing it on his chest. "I'm different from those defective products."

"They were passive recipients."

"But I embraced it willingly."

"This is the evolution of a Shinigami."

As he spoke, he removed his hand, revealing what seemed like a fist-sized hollow in his chest, as if his flesh had dissolved away.

This was the "vanishing heart," a trait unique to Hollows, just like the "mask."

The Shinigami were shocked and terrified. A mask, a hollow—they were witnessing a Shinigami who had mastered Bankai willingly degrade into a terrifying, monstrous Hollow.

So, it was this guy who targeted the members of the 6th Division.

Was he the culprit behind their Hollowfication and deaths?

Tōsen Kaname raised his sword.

Naruto slashed at him once again.

After becoming a Hollow, Tōsen's spiritual pressure increased slightly. But he was fundamentally weak, and even with this boost, he wasn't much stronger. His spiritual pressure hadn't even surpassed "3rd Class."

Moreover, in this state, he hadn't undergone any qualitative change—his eyes were still blind.

Under Naruto's attacks, Tōsen suffered more wounds, while Naruto remained almost unscathed.

Embarrassed and angry, Tōsen withdrew from the battlefield, leaping into the air and standing there, opening his mouth. "Then try this power."

Spiritual particles gathered in front of his mouth, and a black light flickered.

Naruto instantly recognized the technique used by the Menos Grande.

After falling to become a Hollow, had he even mastered the power of the "Cero"?

Naruto also opened his mouth.

From within his body, six arms extended, aiding in front of his mouth. Spiritual particles gathered as well, gradually forming a "Tailed Beast Ball."

But moments later, Tōsen's body suddenly twisted. The powers of the Hollow and the Shinigami inside him were not well balanced, and the "Cero," a technique that compresses energy, completely disrupted the balance in his body.

The "Cero" didn't shoot out but detonated like a time bomb inside him.

His head was obliterated to ashes.

Only his body remained, drifting to the ground.

Naruto dispersed the Tailed Beast Ball, stared at the corpse, waved his hand, and a golden chain flew out, grabbing it.

He turned his head to look at Sosuke Aizen.

That man stood among the crowd, with Ichimaru Gin by his side. He pushed up his glasses, unsurprised that Naruto would look his way, and responded with a gentle, polite smile.

"Gather the team and return to report to the Captain-Commander." Naruto sealed the corpse.

Sosuke Aizen and Ichimaru Gin leisurely walked at the back of the group.

"Captain Aizen, you are indeed merciless," Ichimaru Gin sighed, though his tone remained cheerful. "Poor Tōsen, who would have thought he was abandoned from the start."

Aizen replied softly, "Foolish and weak people cannot bear the cost of walking with us."

"His most commendable contribution was eliminating a wrong path for us."

"But it seems Naruto has confirmed that it was you, Captain Aizen," Ichimaru Gin said with a lazy drawl. "That last look he gave was terrifying, as if he was going to devour you."

Aizen smiled, "Didn't I tell him?"

"If Naruto-kun couldn't see through even such an obvious hint, it would be truly disappointing."

"Are you coming with me to meet him tonight?"

Ichimaru Gin glanced back.

The aftermath of the battle had cleared the mist from the mountains, leaving only devastation.

"Captain Uzumaki still trusts me a lot."

"Are you that eager to discard me, Captain Aizen?"

~~~

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