Chapter 157: The Fourth life experience gameEnds.
In Hueco Mundo, the final offensive of the Shinigami began.
Naruto, having firmly established himself as the lieutenant of Squad 11, led his troops into battle; as the vanguard of the expeditionary force, they struck directly at the enemy's heart.
The zanpakutō in Naruto's hand—Ashura—at this moment unleashed its full power after Shikai.
There was no need to laboriously defeat the Hollows before purifying them with the zanpakutō; one only needed to swing the blade, and as long as a Hollow was injured, it would be stripped of its power and the evil thoughts in its heart.
This method of attack was undoubtedly unreasonable, especially in the Soul Society, which emphasized the concept of balance; Ashura, a blade that did not kill, was undoubtedly the greatest weapon for purifying Hueco Mundo.
Naruto's reputation climbed rapidly!
The final crusade lasted nearly ten years, and Naruto had been fighting in Hueco Mundo for ten years as well.
Witnessed by Naruto, members of Squad 11 died, while others grew stronger; having endured blood and fire, Squad 11 became even more powerful and undoubtedly became the strongest unit among the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
However, everything has its pros and cons; because Naruto's strength skyrocketed like a rocket, his wavering attitude toward the Seireiteiroyalty and his failure to pledge total loyalty planted the seeds of trouble for him.
In the final year as the crusade against Hueco Mundo neared its end, the Soul Society had already achieved a total victory, and at the moment of impending triumph, Naruto was recalled to the Seireitei.
He was invited to join Squad Zero.
This was a form of protection for Naruto, the Genius; after all, a zanpakutō is a reflection of a Shinigami's heart, and the ability of Naruto's zanpakutō was simply too deceptive.
He had Ashura to thank for that…
However, Naruto did not want to accept; he only wanted to learn Bankai as quickly as possible.
Because of the System, Naruto already felt that he was about to leave this world; if he could not learn Bankai before leaving, he would not have the leisure time to do so after returning to the Ninja World.
Because the lifespan of Shinigami in the Soul Society started at over a hundred years, and there were quite a few old monsters who had lived for thousands of years, the time required to advance from Shikai to Bankai was definitely very long.
After returning to the Ninja World, Naruto did not have much lifespan to spend on researching the Bankai of his zanpakutō.
As a blade that did not kill, Ashura in its Shikaistate was already sufficient…
It was not that its ability was not strong, but rather that Naruto had only been thinking about resolving his physical condition; now that it was resolved, everything else had become dispensable.
He missed Hyuga Hinata.
Having not joined Squad Zero and failing to clearly express loyalty to the royalty, Uzumaki Naruto, the most brilliant Genius in the war against Hueco Mundo, was shelved by the Seireitei.
Zaraki District 80, the place where Naruto first arrived in the Soul Society.
He built a small wooden hut here; besides waiting quietly for the opportunity to leave this world, he spent his time delving into the Bankai of the zanpakutō in his hand.
Unfortunately, Bankai for a zanpakutō was very difficult; apart from needing the tempering of life and death, the rest required time to slowly grind away at it.
Clearly, Naruto possessed neither of these two things.
He had originally thought about causing a scene in the Seireitei just before leaving, but once he thought of the Bankai that Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had used when fighting the Quincy in Hueco Mundo, Naruto abandoned that idea.
If the strength gap was similar, that was called a death struggle; if the gap was somewhat large, that was called fighting for survival; but if the strength between the two was not even on the same level, that was simply courting death.
All things considered, the time Naruto had spent cultivating in the Soul Society was only about seventeen or eighteen years; no matter how much of a Genius he was, such a short time could not compare to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who had reached the Peak since the day the Soul Society came into existence.
If time were pushed forward a hundred years, Naruto would definitely win easily, but for now, he might as well wash up and go to sleep…
"Today you asked me to come…"
Unohana Yachiryu stood prettily in front of Naruto's wooden hut, a look of confusion on her face.
"Nothing special, just here to say goodbye."
If one were to say who Naruto had any feelings for in the Soul Society, besides Kido Shūi who had saved him, the only one left was Unohana Yachiryu.
Although both of them had their own agendas, one should not be too clear about things in life; otherwise, one would not just live unhappily, but would also be very tired.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura died, the obsession in Naruto's heart had mostly faded; while his Heart-Nature became more transparent, he also stepped one foot out of the vortex of hatred.
After returning, only the Akatsuki Organizationwould remain…
"Do you intend to leave the Soul Society to go to Hueco Mundo or… to the living world?"
Unohana Yachiryu was well aware of Naruto's predicament, but this was precisely what she cared about the least; in her life, enjoying the pleasure of battle was still everything to her.
As long as Naruto did not die and could still swing his blade, Unohana Yachiryu had enough patience to wait.
After all, the lifespan of a Shinigami was simply too long…
"Neither, I am leaving this world."
No expression could be seen on Naruto's face; Unohana Yachiryu was slightly disappointed, but then she seemed to recall something, and a look of bloodthirsty madness flashed in her eyes.
"Before I leave, I want to learn your swordsmanship, and in exchange, I can teach you my swordsmanship, Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū."
"It seems I will have to add a 'one' after Yachiryu from now on." Unohana Yachiryu said half-jokingly, the Battle Intent in her eyes growing more intense.
"Then let us begin…"
Naruto did not delay any longer; while wholeheartedly accepting Unohana Yachiryu's instruction, he also wholeheartedly taught her the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū swordsmanship.
A year later, the feeling of returning to the Ninja World became increasingly strong.
"I will not teach you the move that involves killing one's master to prove one's Dao; this is not me hiding secrets, but rather that the zanpakutō in my hand has already changed the nature of my swordsmanship."
Naruto explained, then sheathed his blade and looked up, calmly gazing at the sky of the Soul Society.
"As the tenth-dan swordsman of the Soul Society, you should be able to understand. I will not say anything more. Thank you for your guidance over these years; I have to go."
Naruto turned his head to look at Unohana Yachiryu beside him, a smile on his face, as his spiritual body as a soul also began to gradually fade.
[The current life experience game has ended. You have 30 minutes of remaining time. The Host may choose to continue staying or choose to return immediately.]
…
When he opened his eyes again in the Root base, a zanpakutō also appeared in his hand.
Naruto did not choose to continue staying in the Soul Society, but instead chose to return immediately.
Moreover, Naruto did not add the experience points from the System's settlement to his five-dimensional attributes, but instead chose to materialize the zanpakutō.
"The problem with my body has been completely resolved."
Naruto chuckled slightly; there was less coldness and even less sunshine, replaced only by a sense of plainness, just as plain as a passerby.
Meanwhile, in another hidden world of the Ninja World—the world belonging to the dead—ripples appeared.
"Has Ashura failed…"
Otsutsuki Hagoromo tightened his grip on the shakujo in his hand; although he was determined not to interfere with the development of the Ninja World again, he was still silently observing the Ninja World from the shadows.
He lightly waved the pitch-black shakujo, and a mirror-like image appeared before his eyes, reflecting the scene of Naruto just about to get up and leave the abandoned Root base.
"You have truly brought me too many surprises; I hope the development of the Ninja World will not head toward an even worse state…"
No joy or sorrow could be seen on Otsutsuki Hagoromo's face, only his deep gaze, which seemed to pass through the Pure Land and the atmosphere of the Ninja World, casting itself straight into the depths of the Universe.