"Hmm?"
The man named Zaraki slowly opened his eyes. He stood up lazily, dug into his ear, pulled out a lump of earwax, and flicked it aside without a care.
Then his eyes shifted toward the wounded middle-aged man. "You mean," he said in a low voice, "someone wants to fight me?"
"That's right, Zaraki-sama! You're the most powerful person in the Zaraki District! But today, someone wants to challenge you!"
The middle-aged man's tone was loud, his words laced with subtle provocation. Deep down, he hoped that once Zaraki and Gosuke Shigure started fighting, he could use the chaos to slip away unnoticed.
People in the Zaraki District were like that — cunning, ruthless, and desperate to survive.
This man wasn't strong, but his deceit and opportunism had kept him alive until now.
Unfortunately, his attempt at manipulation was too crude.
'Really? You think no one can hear your thoughts?' Shigure thought with faint irritation, already guessing what was going on.
Zaraki, however, seemed not to care. He stared straight at Shigure with burning eyes, his expression brightening. "So, you're the one who wants to challenge me?"
He grinned, his teeth flashing white. "Interesting!"
Muttering as if to himself, he added, "I recognize that uniform… it's been a long time since I've seen someone like you. You look strong. Let's fight — properly."
The way Shigure carried himself, the steady calm in his eyes, reminded Zaraki of someone from long ago — a certain woman whose sword had once thrilled him. It had been ages since he'd found that kind of joy in battle.
And now, that hunger burned again.
Shigure, on the other hand, knew the man before him was exactly the one he'd come looking for — the strongest soul in the Zaraki District.
If he could bring Zaraki into the Eleventh Division, that would solve everything. With his obsession for combat, he'd gladly take on every mission himself — and Shigure could finally rest, drink tea, and handle team work at ease.
But convincing someone like Zaraki with words? Impossible.
The only way to make him listen was through battle.
So the outcome was inevitable — this fight had to happen.
Shigure smiled faintly. "If you're truly the strongest in Zaraki," he said evenly, "then yes — I want to fight you."
Zaraki's grin widened, savage and genuine. "That's what I wanted to hear!"
He leaped forward, muscles rippling beneath his tattered clothes. The jagged, worn blade in his hand came crashing down in a simple, brutal swing — no technique, just raw power.
The air itself seemed to tear with a slash!
The middle-aged man standing beside Shigure froze. The oppressive force of Zaraki's killing intent rooted him in place. He wanted to run, but his body refused to move.
'I'm dead, I'm really dead!' he thought in terror.
Before Zaraki's strike could reach, Shigure grabbed the man by the sleeve and hurled him aside with one hand.
"Stay out of the way." he said calmly.
As the man tumbled across the ground, Shigure's other hand drew his own Zanpakutō in a single, fluid motion.
Clang!
Steel met steel. Zaraki's monstrous strength collided with Shigure's blade, and sparks scattered into the air.
Zaraki's eyes lit up. "Heh… sure enough, you're interesting."
He had spent years wandering the wastelands of Zaraki, looking for opponents worth killing — and finding none. The souls here were weak, pitiful, dying too easily. Even when they tried to fight him, their fear made the battles dull.
Most ran the moment they saw him.
He never lacked water, either — not because he sought it, but because the terrified villagers would secretly leave offerings near his resting place. A twisted form of worship to the beast they feared.
But now, for the first time in years, Zaraki felt excitement flood through his veins.
Shigure didn't respond to his words. He merely held his blade steady, effortlessly absorbing the force of Zaraki's strikes.
Crash!
Zaraki's sword came down again, heavier this time, raw power exploding with each swing.
Though he wasn't yet a shinigami, the wild spiritual energy in his body — his natural reiatsu — erupted unconsciously with every strike. The white pressure waves tore through the earth, sending gusts of dust into the air.
A sharp whoosh! followed as Shigure twisted his body, sliding back to gain distance.
'He's still sealing himself…' Shigure thought. 'Even without his full strength, he's this powerful.'
It was true. The man before him was far from his peak — burdened by the subconscious seals he had placed upon his own power after his battle with Unohana Retsu centuries ago.
Even so, his raw strength was already at captain level.
Shigure didn't dare underestimate him. He had learned his lesson the hard way in his past life — arrogance had been his downfall.
Zaraki roared and brought his weapon down again, another feral slash! shaking the ground.
Shigure stepped aside and countered.
His blade shimmered with focused reiatsu, forming a crescent arc of white energy that sliced through the air toward Zaraki.
Zaraki met it head-on, swinging his sword with a shout.
Boom!
The two attacks collided — and then, with a sudden shimmer, Shigure's crescent split apart midair, dividing into two smaller arcs.
Zaraki blocked one with a grunt — but the second carved across his side.
Shhhk!
Blood sprayed through the air. The crimson stain spread quickly across Zaraki's tattered clothes, dripping down his chest.
But instead of pain, what spread across his face was joy.
"That's it… that's it!" he shouted, laughing wildly. "Now this—this is fun!"
His wound bled freely, but it only fuelled his madness. His grin stretched wider, his movements faster. The scent of blood, the burn of pain — it all ignited something primal inside him.
Shigure tightened his grip on his sword, watching calmly as Zaraki's fighting spirit grew fiercer by the second.
'As expected.' he thought. 'He really lives for this.'
The man in front of him wasn't fighting to win. He was fighting to feel alive.
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]