Karakura Town, a deserted, abandoned garden.
The air still held the residual Reishi of the Hollow that had just been purified.
Ichigo leaned on his massive Zanpakuto. In front of him, Rukia was patiently instructing him.
"...Yes, that's right."
Rukia looked at Ichigo, her expression serious, "Gently touch the hilt of your Zanpakuto to his forehead."
"This ritual is called 'Soul Burial'. It cleanses his attachment to the world of the living and allows him to peacefully proceed to the Soul Society."
Ichigo nodded, somewhat understanding. He looked at the soul of the little boy, who had a confused expression on his face.
He gently pressed the hilt of his Zanpakuto against the boy's forehead.
Hum…
A soft magical circle lit up. The confusion on the boy's face instantly transformed into a relieved smile as his body turned into points of light and slowly sank into the circle.
"Not bad, Ichigo." A hint of an approving smile finally appeared on Rukia's face.
"Heh, it was nothing!" Ichigo scratched his head, a curious look also appearing on his face, "You said before you lost your power and couldn't return to the Soul Society yourself. Could this 'Soul Burial' send you back?"
The moment he finished speaking, Rukia's eyes widened.
Bang!
"It hurts!"
Ichigo clutched his head, which had been sharply knocked, tears welling in his eyes as he looked back.
He saw Rukia holding a fist-throwing pose, hopping mad with anger.
"You idiot, what on earth are you thinking?!"
She pointed at her own nose, roaring furiously, "Do you think Soul Burial is a bus? You can just get on whenever you want?!"
"I was just asking..." Ichigo defended himself in a small, wronged voice.
"Just asking isn't allowed either!" Rukia planted her hands on her hips, then couldn't help but extend a finger to viciously poke Ichigo's forehead.
"Listen up, Soul Burial is the duty of a Shinigami, a ritual to guide lost 'Pluses' to the Soul Society. It doesn't work on Shinigami, understand?"
Just then, a cold voice, without any warning, came from not far away, shattering the moment of warmth.
"It seems you're different from this fool who was pushed to the brink by an ordinary Hollow."
"Who?!" Both Ichigo and Rukia were startled, whipping their heads around.
They saw Sasuke leaning against the trunk of a large tree, arms crossed, watching them coldly. It was impossible to tell how long he had been standing there.
"It's you." Ichigo relaxed his furrowed brows.
Sasuke ignored him, instead shifting his gaze to Rukia, "A Shinigami's duty? Guiding lost souls? You remember these boring rules quite clearly."
"Of course!" Rukia puffed out her chest, refuting seriously, "Slaying Hollows and performing Soul Burials on Pluses are our mission and duty as Shinigami!"
"You say 'rules'?" Hearing Rukia's words, Sasuke seemed to think of something and couldn't help but laugh.
He didn't elaborate further. His gaze fell on Ichigo, "It seems you're not as useless as I imagined."
This sudden praise left both Ichigo and Rukia stunned.
They had both thought Sasuke would, like last time, launch into a barrage of acerbic sarcasm.
Sasuke ignored their surprised expressions and continued on his own, "Since you've mastered the basic work of a Shinigami, it's just convenient."
He straightened up, a look of impatience appearing on his face.
"From now on, you'll handle the small fry that appear in Karakura Town."
"Huh?!" Ichigo pointed at his own nose as if he hadn't heard correctly, "I'll handle it? What about you? Aren't you a Shinigami?!"
"I have more important matters."
Sasuke answered bluntly, with no intention of explaining, "Don't compare me to a Substitute Shinigami who handles trivial chores."
Having said that, he prepared to turn and leave.
Just as he was about to step away, his footsteps paused slightly.
A strange feeling made him instinctively look back. Those Sharingan eyes locked onto Ichigo once more.
'Something's not right...'
Sasuke's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He hadn't observed carefully last night, but now, with a calm mind, he realized the Reiatsu within this orange-haired guy... seemed excessively vast.
That was definitely not a level achievable solely by the power Rukia had transferred to him.
This immense Reiatsu instantly reminded him of the demon fox sealed behind massive bars within Naruto's mental world.
Although the aura was completely different, the essence of 'another power existing within one body' was strikingly similar.
'Is it the same type of thing?'
'I had to see for himself.'
To verify his guess, three black tomoe quietly emerged in Sasuke's eyes, beginning to rotate slowly.
Back in Konoha, Kakashi had mentioned that his Sharingan could copy most Ninjutsu.
However, he was powerless against the Kido Sasuke used because the Sharingan could replicate Chakra flow and hand seals but couldn't analyze or mimic Kido, which was composed of pure Reishi.
Yet, this posed no obstacle for Sasuke.
His Sharingan had evolved in the Soul Society, an environment saturated with Reishi, and had long adapted to the existence of spiritual power.
For him, whether it was Chakra from the Shinobi World, formed from the combination of Spiritual and Physical Energy, or the pure Reishi of the Bleahc World, both could be analyzed by his Sharingan.
Now, under the gaze of those slowly rotating Sharingan eyes, the flow of Reiatsu within Ichigo was laid bare.
Sasuke clearly saw another power, completely distinct from that of a Shinigami.
It was sharply demarcated from the blue Shinigami power yet eerily intertwined with it.
'As I thought...' Sasuke understood inwardly, 'Just like that idiot Naruto, there's another thing inside this guy.'
'What exactly is this black power?'
Driven by this question, Sasuke pushed the perceptive power of his Sharingan to its limit, attempting to pierce through that black ocean to see its deepest essence.
Just then…
Something strange happened!
The previously calm black power, as if sensing the presence of a peeper, suddenly stirred into raging waves.
"Ugh!"
Sasuke grunted, a sharp pain shooting through his eyes as if countless steel needles were piercing them.
He snapped his eyes shut, his body staggering back uncontrollably. Fresh blood trickled slowly from the corner of his tightly closed right eye.
Within the depths of that black power, his Sharingan had faintly captured a blurred afterimage.
A man in a black coat, wearing translucent sunglasses, with a cold and stern expression.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?!"
Ichigo was startled by the sudden turn of events. Seeing Sasuke suddenly cover his eyes with blood streaming from the corner, he hurried forward and asked nervously.
Rukia also showed a shocked and uncertain expression. She hadn't understood what had just happened at all, only sensing Sasuke's aura becoming extremely chaotic in an instant.
"...Damn it."
Sasuke forced himself to endure the intense pain and slowly opened his eyes.
He stared intently at the bewildered Ichigo. Although brief, that pure power was definitely not something a so-called Substitute Shinigami could possess.
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