As for the reason of wanting to grow stronger, Natsuro didn't even need to explain, Kisuke Urahara and the others already knew.
After all, he had never concealed his desire to become stronger. That pure, unwavering obsession with power was something everyone could clearly feel.
"I see," Kisuke Urahara nodded.
Indeed, his Benihime had been with him for many years. If it were her, he too would be unwilling to see her fall into Hollowhood.
If it truly came down to it, he would probably make the same choice as Natsuro.
However—
"If that was the case, why didn't you explain it to me before? Why wait so long to take it yourself?" Kisuke asked with some puzzlement.
"Hm? If I had asked you directly, would you have given it to me?" Natsuro asked in surprise.
"This Hōgyoku was used on the Visoreds. Although I was the one who used it for them, the result was still the same. So why would you think I'd be unwilling to lend it to you for a few days?" Kisuke countered.
At that, Natsuro fell silent. So why had he waited all this time?
After a while, he suddenly smiled and waved his hand carefreely.
"It doesn't matter now. No one can say for sure what would have happened if I'd spoken up from the beginning. Perhaps you'd have become more guarded and hidden the Hōgyoku away."
"That's true," Kisuke smiled. That was certainly one possible outcome.
"Enough talk. Let's drink. Tessai, Yoruichi, you two join in as well." Natsuro sat down at a familiar table.
He then glanced at the curious Jinta and Ururu. "Children can't drink."
"Tch, who wants to drink anyway!" Jinta crossed his arms and turned his head with disdain.
"Mm, wait a moment, I'll get us some snacks." Yoruichi, now in her human form again, spoke before vanishing inside the shop.
Tessai didn't refuse Natsuro's invitation either.
After all, they had spent years together, and their time had been pleasant enough.
So of course, he wouldn't miss this final farewell.
Soon, everything was ready. The four of them sat around the table, toasting and chatting.
But most of the lively conversation came from Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Tessai, old comrades with a long, rich history together.
As for Natsuro, apart from his experiences in the Naruto world, his time in Bleach's world could practically be summed up in a few words.
So after he finished speaking, he could only act as a listener.
Before long, the table was cluttered with bottles. Yoruichi had even turned back into a cat again, drunkenly sprawled across the table with an empty bottle in her paws.
She truly seemed drunk this time.
Even Tessai's usually stern face was flushed red with intoxication.
Only Kisuke and Natsuro looked relatively unaffected.
"Well then, Kisuke, I'll be leaving now," Natsuro finally said.
"Mm. I won't see you off. It's not exactly safe for me to show up in Soul Society these days," Kisuke nodded.
Natsuro smiled, and a Senkaimon opened behind him.
Moments later, his figure disappeared from the Urahara Shop.
Kisuke watched him vanish and sighed. From now on, his shop would have one fewer familiar presence.
Though he had once been wary, now that Natsuro's motives were clear, Kisuke found himself feeling oddly unaccustomed to the absence.
At that moment, he pulled out the Hōgyoku, now mostly depleted of its power.
He couldn't help but feel curious. How had so much of its energy been consumed in such a short time? Back when he had used it for so long, it had never diminished this much.
Still, the consumption didn't concern him. The Hōgyoku could restore itself, and Kisuke had little need to use it for anything anyway.
Instead, another thought crossed his mind.
If he asked Natsuro for help, could the Hōgyoku be destroyed completely?
But to destroy it, he would have to take it into Hueco Mundo. Even the little reiryoku left inside it, if it were to explode, would cause a massive disturbance in either the World of the Living or the Soul Society.
So Hueco Mundo was the only option.
"…Let it be."
Kisuke shook his head and returned the Hōgyoku to its sealed resting place once again.
....
Soul Society, 4th Division Barracks
Natsuro appeared in his small courtyard. Looking at the carefully tended flowers and plants, he suddenly felt the urge to pick up a watering can and pruning shears to do a bit of trimming.
He didn't often do this himself, but he had watched Unohana tend to them many times. Simply cutting away the dead branches and leaves was easy enough.
As he moved among the flowers, the gate to his courtyard opened.
The figure that stepped through was, unsurprisingly, Unohana.
She was usually the only one who would come here to care for the plants.
"Hm?"
Unohana hadn't expected Natsuro to return today. She had only come to continue her gardening, but instead found him already there among the flowers.
"What makes you want to prune the garden today?" she asked curiously.
"If I don't trim them now, I may not have another chance," Natsuro replied.
"What are you planning to do?" Unohana frowned, a bad premonition stirring in her heart.
"Nothing much. Just going into seclusion for training. It may take a long time," Natsuro answered.
"Oh? You're going to break through again?" Unohana was startled and couldn't help asking.
"Perhaps." Natsuro nodded. He wasn't sure if it could be called his breakthrough. Strictly speaking, it was his Zanpakutō Meikyō Shisui's breakthrough.
But to a Shinigami, a Zanpakutō's advancement was essentially their own.
Unohana gazed at Natsuro, at a loss for words.
He was already so strong, and yet he could still reach new heights so quickly?
For Natsuro, decades in the Bleach world had passed, a long time for him.
But to Unohana, who had lived for over a thousand years, those decades were fleeting, little more than a blink of an eye.
Yet in all her centuries, she had long since lost hope of breaking through. Whether in reiatsu, swordsmanship, or kidō, she seemed to have reached the limits of what she could achieve.
"So this is the difference in talent…" Unohana murmured bitterly. Truly, comparisons between people were maddening.
"Your talent isn't bad. You've simply been held back all these years," Natsuro replied. The greatest limit placed on Unohana… was likely Zaraki Kenpachi.
She neither confirmed nor denied it, instead changing the subject. "So where do you plan to train? Soul Society? Hueco Mundo?"
She didn't think it would be the Living World. Even a reishi-rich place like Karakura Town was far too thin for a Shinigami of Natsuro's level, unsuitable for a breakthrough.
"Hueco Mundo. The disturbance I cause may be rather large," Natsuro said plainly.
Of course, "disturbance" was only an excuse. The real reason was that during his breakthrough, the Hollow aura of Meikyō Shisui would be impossible to conceal…
Unohana gave him a deep look and did not refuse.
"Later I'll inform the Head Captain about my seclusion, so all I need from you, Captain, is to ensure no one comes near the place where I'll be training," Natsuro said with a smile.
"Mm," Unohana nodded softly.
"There's one more thing," Natsuro said, turning his gaze toward her.
"What is it?"
"It's about Kenpachi. This time, Captain, you'll probably have to come with me to Muken. But this time… don't come out until the very end," Natsuro said.
Although Zaraki Kenpachi had always been a good sparring partner for him since he no longer needed him for that, it was time to complete the final step.
"Hm?" Unohana was utterly stunned. She looked at Natsuro, eyes full of questioning.
He simply nodded in confirmation.
At that, Unohana smiled—a rare, genuine smile. Unlike her usual gentle expression as Captain of the Medical Division, this one was strange, even unsettling.
Then she whispered, "I understand. I'll inform Yachiru that I'll be away for a while."
Natsuro couldn't help glancing at her oddly. "So you use Yachiru for that kind of thing often, huh?"
Unohana chuckled. She sometimes went to gather herbs in the mountains, and during such times, 4th Division affairs were usually left in Kotetsu Isane's hands.
Yes, poor Isane, though only the 3rd Seat, she often had to shoulder the work of a vice-captain, sometimes even helping with combat duties. Truly burdensome.
"When you retire, just let Kotetsu Isane succeed you as Captain of the 4th. That girl's had it tough enough," Natsuro remarked.
Unohana nodded. "Naturally. It's not as though I could hand the Captain's position to you, could I?"
As she said this, she shot him a sidelong glare. He didn't even bother properly with his lieutenant's post, let alone that of captain.
Natsuro only chuckled without replying. If he were to take a position, it would be… forget it. Even the Head Captain's seat wasn't truly high; there were still those "rotten elders" above, meddling.
If he ever did become Head Captain, he would probably spend every other day scheming how to slaughter that lot.
Besides, he had come to this world only to grow stronger, not to rule it.
"Well then, I'll go find Kenpachi. Once you've informed Isane, head straight to Muken," Natsuro said.
Unohana nodded, a faint joy on her face as she walked out.
He didn't rush. He carefully finished pruning the flowers before setting down the shears and heading toward the 11th Division.
By now, the members of the 11th were very familiar with Natsuro. When he arrived, they didn't even attempt to stop him and simply let him pass.
"Little Natsuro, you're here again!"
The moment Natsuro stepped through the gate of the 11th, Yachiru Kusajishi spotted him and cheerfully waved while shouting.
"Yachiru, where's Kenpachi?" Natsuro asked.
"Kenny's in the training hall, fighting Ikkaku!" Yachiru replied brightly.
Natsuro nodded. Fighting Madarame Ikkaku, huh. As expected of Zaraki Kenpachi.
Then his gaze lingered on Yachiru. By now, he was certain of her true identity.
"Huh? Little Natsuro, why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?" Yachiru asked, puzzled, patting her cheeks finding nothing of course.
"After this, Kenpachi will probably reclaim all of his strength," Natsuro said.
"Eh?" Yachiru blinked, then broke into a smile. "Wow, that's great! That means Kenny can enjoy fighting you even more!"
"You're really fine with that?" Natsuro asked.
"Mm, so you've figured it out already. As expected of you, Little Natsuro!" Yachiru said in surprise, before smiling again.
"I'll be fine. It's not like I'll really disappear. I'll just return to where I've always belonged. Then, I can always watch over Kenny. And if I want, I should still be able to borrow Kenny's power to come see everyone from time to time."
Natsuro nodded at her words. He didn't say more. Since Yachiru had already accepted this fate, it wasn't his place as an outsider to object.
Truthfully, Yachiru herself was an anomaly. A Zanpakutō spirit that had split off and manifested into an independent being… Most Zanpakutō could never accomplish something like that.
By then, Natsuro and Yachiru had already arrived at the edge of the training hall, where they watched Kenpachi battling Ikkaku.
At that moment, their duel had already reached its climax.
Yes, climax. It looked as if neither could overpower the other, no victor in sight.
Not because Ikkaku had suddenly grown that strong, but because Kenpachi wasn't using his full strength. He was still fighting within the artificial body crafted for him by the 12th Division.
In other words, Kenpachi was holding back enough not to break the artificial body, even as he fought Ikkaku.
This restriction on him was enormous.
Yet from the days when he could barely control his power enough to walk without shattering the prosthetic, to now, where he could fight Ikkaku while wearing it, Kenpachi's progress was remarkable.
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Currently on Chapter 509 - Natsuro, Aizen, and Yhwach