"...because I?"
Yuta watched the girl silently. She nodded and gently tapped her head with one finger. "...because I don't have your information."
To her, there was no other knowledge she did not know-but Yuta remained unknown to her. She wanted to understand what kind of person he was.
"And... I also want to go out and have a look."
Yuta touched his chin, appearing to consider her words carefully.
Her gentle tone followed quickly as she pointed at her own head. "I…"
She then pointed downward toward the sea of knowledge with one pale finger. "...and it."
Her expression flickered slightly, revealing her nervousness from speaking aloud.
Yuta said, "You're saying that if I bring you with me, it's the same as bringing the entirety of the Great Spirit Book Corridor's knowledge?"
She nodded.
"In that case… then you'll become my Zanpakutō."
He looked at her briefly. "I'll just call you 'Spirit Book'-that works."
As Yuta extended his right hand, the girl's floating form dissolved into light and drifted toward him. Her small frame reached only to his waist-if he held her, it would have been as if cradling her gently.
Her body faded into energy and reformed as a Zanpakutō wrapped in white bandage cloth around the handle. The cloth extended out and trailed toward the ground.
Yuta gripped the blade-and in that moment, he instinctively understood its power.
"Spirit Book" allowed him to access every Shikai and Bankai technique he had learned-similar to the Tsunayashiro family's "Enryakoten."
However, unlike "Enryakoten" which chipped away at the user's soul after each use and offered no way to recover it, "Spirit Book" was merely a medium for Yuta's spiritual pressure. The power belonged to him alone-it did not carry the same cost.
And when he held "Spirit Book," his spiritual pressure surged with force, creating visible shockwaves that pushed back the surroundings-sending the blue sea of knowledge rolling and crashing against the corridor's boundaries.
Yuta then condensed spiritual energy to form a proper scabbard and slid the blade into it in one smooth motion.
As he stepped outside the corridor, he came upon the scene: Aizen Sōsuke standing across from Shihoin Yoruichi and Soi Fon.
Without hesitation, Yuta drew "Spirit Book" and released the ability of Kyōka Suigetsu right away.
There was little change in Yuta's appearance during his time in the Shihoin estate, but to Soi Fon, he held the distinction of someone on the same level as Room 46's elders.
Upon hearing Yuta's order, she responded without resistance. "Yes, sir."
Soi Fon glanced briefly at Yoruichi and departed with the Onmitsukidō members in tow.
Sōsuke Aizen narrowed his eyes. "What ability did you just use? What made Soi Fon listen so easily?"
Yoruichi remained silent but was clearly confused by what she'd witnessed. How exactly were Soi Fon and Yuta connected?
Yuta smiled faintly. "Didn't you notice it? I thought you were already familiar with its spiritual signature."
From behind his lenses, Aizen's eyes gleamed slightly. "Was it… Kyōka Suigetsu?"
"That's right," Yuta said plainly.
Inside the chambers of Central 46, Tōsen's expression changed. He had heard it clearly-Yuta had activated Kyōka Suigetsu's ability.
He couldn't believe it. That ability belonged to Aizen alone-or so he thought. How did Yuta manage to replicate it?
Although he remained physically inside the chambers, Tōsen's hearing picked up every sound from beyond the walls, and what he heard didn't make sense.
Yoruichi also seemed stunned. She had already known that Yuta's strength was remarkable-but this went beyond her expectations. Now he possessed the ability of Aizen's famed Zanpakutō?
And most surprising of it was the new sword in Yuta's hand-a third Zanpakutō. In Soul Society, no Shinigami had possessed three. Even Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō only had paired Zanpakutō that worked as one set.
Yet the swords Yuta wielded were not symmetrical. One was black and the other white-opposites in form and aura. And now, there was the third: "Spirit Book." A weapon unlike any other seen in history.
What kind of ability did that sword contain?
Yuta's answer didn't clarify it fully-but it made Aizen hesitate. The reflection on Aizen's glasses veiled his expression.
"That Zanpakutō… does it copy abilities?"
Yuta placed the sword wrapped in white bandages upright between them. "It's not copying. Why don't you try it yourself and see?"
Amused, Aizen chuckled and placed his hand on the hilt of his own Kyōka Suigetsu. "Interesting…"
As he slowly unsheathed his blade, the sound of metal scraping filled the space-sharp and purposeful.
Yoruichi's brow tightened slightly. Fighting Aizen now-was that wise? Would it draw unwanted attention?
Yet she said nothing to stop him. Yuta did not act on impulse-he was both smarter and stronger than she was. If he chose this moment, he must have his reasons.
In that moment, Aizen vanished.
He reappeared directly behind Yuta without so much as stirring the wind.
Yoruichi's eyes went wide. Even someone like her, known as the fastest Shinigami in Soul Society, had difficulty tracking that movement. Aizen's Shunpo nearly matched her own.
And Aizen wasn't known for speed-that was what made it terrifying. What was Yuta planning?
Yuta reacted calmly. He rotated his sword downward and released his grip-the tip lowering until it touched the ground.
"Bankai-Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
In the next moment, the surroundings erupted with energy as thousands of Zanpakutō formed from spiritual pressure. The blades hovered and multiplied-each one reflecting light like petals in spring.
They filled the space around him entirely-and the atmosphere shifted as if separated from the world outside.
With sudden force, the countless blades surged forward-coalescing into petal-like fragments that blocked Aizen's strike easily and went on to counter with overwhelming pressure.
Tōsen's startled reaction carried across the corridors again. "What?"
He recognized it immediately-that was Kuchiki Byakuya's Bankai. When had Yuta acquired that?
Senbonzakura Kageyoshi transformed any space into its battlefield. With so many petal-like blades under Yuta's command, Aizen's approach lost its advantage by the second.
His own strike was parried-and now the tide was shifting fast.
Shihoin Yoruichi had seen the power of Senbonzakura before. She knew that if someone was struck by those deceptively delicate-looking petals, countless fine wounds would rupture across their body, causing excruciating pain in mere moments.
However, when Aizen Sosuke was confronted with this technique, he only smiled calmly. Raising two fingers from his left hand, he spoke softly, "Hadō #81: Dankū."
In that instant, an invisible barrier formed before Aizen Sosuke. It stretched wide across the battlefield-imposing and immense-as if it connected one end of the sky to the other. It stood between Yuta and Aizen Sosuke like a massive wall, separating them into entirely different spaces.
Upon witnessing this, Yoruichi couldn't help but speak out in disbelief.
"How could this be?"
"Such large-scale Kidō…"
"And he cast it without incantation."
Despite seeing the sky filled with blades from Senbonzakura, Aizen maintained his aloof composure, even allowing the corners of his mouth to rise slightly in amusement.
"I didn't expect you to use your Bankai so soon after arriving, Yuta. That was unexpected."
"However, from what I'm seeing, those blades alone don't appear powerful enough to break through-"
Before he could finish his thought, his words were cut off by Yuta's action.
Yuta gave a brief chuckle as he recalled the billions of blades back into his grip, reforming them into his Zanpakutō, the blade wrapped in its signature white bandages.
"Everything turns to ash. Ryujin Jakka."
An overwhelming shift in the surrounding atmosphere followed-immediate and suffocating. The temperature spiked wildly, turning the air thick with heat. With just one sweep of his sword, flames poured outward from Yuta's position as though the very oxygen in the air ignited under pressure.
Yuta swung his sword-its arc traced straight toward Aizen Sosuke's position. Aizen's expression hardened. He understood the intensity of Ryūjin Jakka's flame. It was the Zanpakutō of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto himself, regarded as the most destructive blade in Soul Society. Aizen knew that his own sword would not be enough to block it.
True to his instincts, his Zanpakutō shattered under the force of Yuta's swing, splintering like fragile glass before the searing heat buried him in fire.
Flames erupted in every direction, and the explosion turned the surrounding sky into blinding light.
…
After receiving earlier orders to fall back, Soi Fon dared not intervene but also couldn't retreat too far. She waited some distance away, wondering why Yoruichi hadn't returned. She also sensed that the atmosphere around Aizen Sosuke was abnormal.
Didn't he try to invoke Hadō #99 earlier?
When did the Fifth Division Captain master techniques of that level? What else was he hiding?
Soi Fon couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to see for herself.
Retracing her steps, she moved cautiously toward the location of the confrontation.
…
Yoruichi stood frozen, watching as Yuta unleashed the flaming blade at Aizen Sosuke. Flames surged toward him like wind-fed wildfire, and Aizen raised his sword in defense. The fire swelled and consumed everything in front of it.
Yoruichi's pupils narrowed, her breath hitching at what she saw. That unmistakable flame-Ryūjin Jakka. It couldn't be mistaken for anything else. It was the blade of the former Captain Commander himself.
Why was it now being wielded by Yuta?
Surely, Aizen would not withstand that blow.
Yet what followed shook her deeper.
As the fire finally dispersed, Aizen Sosuke stood-burnt and clearly shaken-but alive. He had retreated from the point of contact, burn marks scattered across his captain's uniform and exposed skin. Though scorched and disheveled, he remained standing.
How was that possible?
Yoruichi clenched her fists slightly-how much power was Aizen hiding?
He glanced once into the distance before shifting his gaze to the bandaged blade in Yuta's hand. Aizen scrutinized the Zanpakutō, recognizing that it could manifest the Shikai or Bankai of other captains. It wasn't just mimicry-it was replication at the highest level.
He understood now: this Zanpakutō's true ability was to wield the Bankai of others as if they were its own.
"Looks like we'll have to leave it at that for today," Aizen said.
"If we continue, the entirety of Seireitei will be alerted."
Despite the intensity of the fight so far, most of it had been hidden using Kyōka Suigetsu's illusion. To outsiders, this place felt mundane, with no unusual spiritual pressure emanating from it-nothing that would draw attention.
Only Soi Fon, approaching from afar, sensed that the situation didn't feel right.
"Yuta," Aizen said calmly, "until next time."
And with that, his figure disappeared without sound or trace.
Yuta descended from the sky and rejoined Yoruichi at ground level. She approached him with curiosity evident in her eyes.
"Your Zanpakutō… what exactly is it? Why does it have access to so many Bankai?"
Yuta smiled and tilted his face toward her slightly. "You want to know? Kiss me."
Yoruichi's face flushed. Her skin tone made the blush subtle, but it was there. Though uninhibited in many situations, this was her first time kissing someone so directly-especially someone like Yuta.
She glanced around to ensure no one was watching before leaning in. Her lips pressed gently against his cheek, leaving the faintest trace of warmth behind.
It was… unexpectedly natural.
She had assumed kissing someone would feel awkward or uncomfortable-something rough and not enjoyable at best-but this... felt different.
Perhaps it was simply because it was Yuta.
Her heart skipped once, just slightly.
And someone had seen it.
Soi Fon had just arrived near the clearing-and saw everything.
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