Chapter 149: Little Schemes.
Seireitei, Soul Reaper Academy.
"Are you sure he's a newly born soul?"
"Yes, Instructor, we are sure."
Placing the mission report on the table, their instructor clasped his hands under his chin and fell into deep thought, ignoring Kido Shūi and Ōshima Shūzō who stood respectfully to the side.
A newly born soul must adapt for a period of time and undergo an assessment after entering the Soul Society before they can enter the Seireitei. This was not only a regulation but also an important measure to maintain the stability of the Seireitei.
However, there were exceptions to everything; if a newly born soul's talent was powerful enough, an exception would be made to let them enter the Seireitei.
"Hmm, I will explain the situation to the Principal. You two go ahead and get busy."
Just as Kido Shūi and the other were about to leave, their instructor called them back and took out his sake flask from behind him.
"This is brewed using reishi, and the reishiconcentration is ten times that of water." Sake was very common in a wealthy place like the Seireitei. "Although it is very useful for replenishing the reishi that a soul urgently needs, drinking too much will make one drunk."
It wasn't that their instructor didn't have better things to replenish a soul's reishi, but Naruto was neither kin nor friend to him. Giving the sake he usually sipped to Naruto was also out of consideration for his talent.
Kido Shūi naturally had no objections. After respectfully reaching out to take it and offering his thanks, he pulled Ōshima Shūzō and left the instructor's office.
"Let me have a sip!"
As soon as they stepped out, Ōshima Shūzōintended to snatch it, but Kido Shūi nimbly dodged him.
"This is life-saving stuff for that newly born soul. Don't let his soul be damaged just for the sake of your appetite." Kido Shūi said with a stern face, "He is our bargaining chip to continue staying in the Seireitei!"
Although treating Naruto as a bargaining chip was a bit too pragmatic, there is no love in the world without a reason.
Although at first, out of a sense of justice and duty, Kido Shūi's rescue of Naruto didn't have much of a purpose, after realizing Naruto's powerful talent, he did have some utilitarian motives.
"I saw his talent with my own eyes. This asauchiwas almost given a name in his hands, and you have to know that was his first time touching an asauchi!"
Kido Shūi tucked the sake flask into his robe, looking very much like a small cat baring its teeth to protect its food.
"He has the potential to become a squad Shinigamior even a Lieutenant-level Shinigami. With the relationship of us having saved him, our wish to become squad members will be easier to achieve."
"Just one sip, I'll only drink one sip!"
"No!" Kido Shūi refused again. "The strength of his soul is simply too high. This half-flask of sake might not even be enough for him!"
"Tsk, if you won't give it, then fine." Ōshima Shūzōwaved his hand. "It's hard for a newly born soul to make a name for themselves. Have you forgotten how we struggled back then?"
"That was because our talent wasn't enough!" A look of loneliness appeared on Kido Shūi's face. "The Thirteen Court Guard Squads don't just consist of nobles. Commoners with extraordinary talent can also serve as Third Seats or Lieutenants; even becoming a Captain isn't impossible."
"How many Captain-level Shinigami are there in the entire Seireitei? Are you really that optimistic about him?"
Kido Shūi touched the asauchi at his waist, a look of certainty thick on his face. "My asauchi tells me that the newly born soul can do it!"
...
A small reishi vortex gathered around Naruto's soul, occasionally turning into specks of light that merged into his soul. While nourishing and strengthening his soul, the illusory long sword in his hand was also gradually solidifying.
"Nar..."
Ketsumi, who was leading Kido Shūi and the other inside, was instantly pulled behind him by Ōshima Shūzō. The asauchi at his waist also unsheathed in an instant, its bright tip pointing directly at Naruto.
"This..."
Kido Shūi, following at the very back, was also so shocked he couldn't speak. No matter how one looked at Naruto's current appearance, he looked like a Quincy, whose philosophy was diametrically opposed to that of the Shinigami!
"Wait!"
Kido Shūi grabbed Ōshima Shūzō, who was about to attack Naruto, and then pointed at Naruto's body. "He doesn't have a Quincy Cross!"
"But the long sword in his hand..."
"It's just a temporary product aggregated from high-concentration reishi; it should be related to the method he's currently using to absorb reishi." Kido Shūi stepped closer to observe. "It's like a Breathing Technique for some kind of swordsmanship, which needs to be paired with a weapon."
Students of the Soul Reaper Academy have cultivated swordsmanship, except in the Soul Society, it is called "Zanjutsu," so it wasn't strange for them to have a superficial understanding of swordsmanship.
"It seems this guy named Naruto was quite extraordinary during his lifetime..."
Ōshima Shūzō sheathed his sword, his guarded expression fading, replaced by a face full of curiosity.
Kido Shūi was the same, but he still took a few steps back, while also pulling back Ōshima Shūzō, who wanted to get even closer to observe.
"Let's wait for him to wake up on his own. For now, let's head out first."
"Alright..."
After the three exited the room, Naruto's tightly closed eyes flickered slightly. Using the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū Breathing Technique, he wasn't completely unaware of the outside environment.
At the very least, Naruto had clearly felt Ōshima Shūzō's killing intent just now.
"Quincy..."
Naruto muttered to himself, deciding to end his Breathing Technique cultivation early. The long sword condensed from reishi in his hand also dissipated into reishi, which was then absorbed into his body.
"Shūi, Brother Shūzō, Sister Ketsumi, please come in!" Naruto, opening his eyes, called out.
"Who were you during your lifetime?!"
Before the door was even pushed open, Ōshima Shūzō's voice drifted in, and he was the first to rush into the room without hesitation.
"Just a fallen samurai." Naruto naturally adopted Himura Kenshin's identity. "I died in a duel with my mentor."
"Ah..." Ōshima Shūzō nodded. "That's one bad thing about the Living World; the foul habit of killing one's master to prove one's Dao is disgusting just thinking about it."
"He was very strong!"
"I think you held back at the end, didn't you?"
Kido Shūi chimed in. In the era when he died, this kind of teaching method was prevalent in the Living World. Although he hadn't experienced it personally, he had heard about it more or less.
"Is your method of absorbing reishi effective?" he followed up with a question.
"The effect isn't great. After all, the world after death is still very different from the Living World."
"That's to be expected." Kido Shūi nodded, then untied the sake flask at his waist and handed it over. "This is Spiritual Sake from the instructor. The reishi concentration is ten times that of water; it's good for the recovery of your soul."
"Thank you, Brother Shūi!"
Naruto had a silver tongue, which, combined with his thirteen or fourteen-year-old appearance, was extremely deceptive.
"Hey! Based on the age of his soul, he could be your grandfather!" Ōshima Shūzō had a flighty and mischievous personality. He bumped Kido Shūi's right shoulder and winked. "Tell your little brother, how old are you?"
"227 years old." Kido Shūi rolled his eyes and then asked Naruto, "How is the effect of the Spiritual Sake?"
"It's good, but the after-effects are a bit strong..."
Naruto felt a bit dizzy, but the state of his soul was indeed much better than before.
"This Spiritual Pressure..."
In his drunken state, Naruto's control over his body had weakened significantly, and the Spiritual Pressure inherent to his soul involuntarily leaked out when he wasn't in combat.
Kido Shūi and Ōshima Shūzō looked at each other, both seeing the surprise and joy in each other's eyes.
They hadn't just saved the right person; the future looked promising!
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