Shinigami in the Ninja World (Re-upload)

This version of Valkyrie, compared to before, seems to have undergone only superficial changes, adorned with additional ornate patterns. However, these patterns have granted him greater power and vitality.

The vortex winds howled, dissolving his flesh. Despite this, he continued to harness his strength, as if attempting to achieve even greater power. Though his efforts showed promise, the winds from the "Vortex" were too swift and fierce, stripping away his skin, consuming his muscles and veins, leaving only bones in a matter of moments.

Naruto showed no mercy. Even the bones were ground down completely by the fierce winds, reduced to a small pile of dust that was swiftly carried away by the breeze.

Naruto's cold gaze remained fixed on the indentation where Valkyrie had once stood. If the claim of his immortality was true—if he was indeed the embodiment of miracles—then even being reduced to dust might not prevent him from reviving, presenting a miracle far greater than mere resurrection.

The soldiers cheered, but the captains and vice-captains weren't so optimistic. They, too, shared an uneasy feeling, shielding their shoulders as if mirroring Naruto's concern.

In nature, wind often comes with rain. Though "Vortex" couldn't control water, Naruto could disturb the clouds, perhaps drawing out moisture. Yet, he had never bothered with that. Still, droplets of rain began to fall amidst the wind.

Naruto raised his hand to wipe his face, feeling the raindrops hit his skin, leaving behind a damp sensation. Yet, there was nothing tangible there.

"Reverse-flowing rain," Kurama said, leaping from Naruto's inner world onto his shoulder.

Reverse-flowing... it reminded him of what they had seen in the "Infinite Tsukuyomi."

"It's reishi," Naruto recognized immediately, seeing the glowing particles floating in the air. They ascended, merging, and forming the rough outline of a human figure—massive and radiant.

Valkyrie's body was reforming, but it wasn't like his earlier regenerations. Instead of rebuilding flesh and blood, his body was now made purely of energy. This new form was even more imposing. Though his size remained the same, the pressure he emitted far surpassed that of his previous form.

Perhaps it was because his figure had drifted further from a human shape. His head was now fused with what resembled an ancient Roman helmet, and two bone spikes jutted from his shoulders, connecting to his cloak. Or perhaps it was because the light radiating from his body outshone even the sun, casting a shadow over the remains of the 1st Division headquarters.

"I am immortal," Valkyrie proclaimed in his resurrected, giant form, arms outstretched, his voice booming with divine resonance. "Even if my body is destroyed, I can revive and fight for victory."

"Tremble! Despair! Before you die, behold my—"

He roared, extending his left hand forward as if gripping an invisible bow, drawing back the string with his right. Reishi gathered, glowing even brighter.

"Holy Arrow."

A colossal arrow, larger than his own arm, formed—wild and uncontrollable—disrupting all of Soul Society. His final declaration rang out in a booming voice:

"The power of a god!"

He released the arrow, yet nothing happened.

The wind blew past, and the arrow dissipated.

For a race like the Quincy, who depended on external reishi to fight, Naruto's "Vortex" was nearly a natural enemy, easily disrupting their techniques by rendering reishi uncontrollable.

Valkyrie realized this. The power of the "Vortex" blade prevented him from using his usual techniques. In desperation, he charged forward like a meteor, throwing his entire body into the attack.

Naruto lightly stepped aside, leaping into the air. Valkyrie stumbled but twisted his waist, swinging his arms to slam toward Naruto once more.

If his Quincy techniques were useless, then he would rely on his immense physical strength.

But before his fists could land, golden chains—Adamantine Sealing Chains—wrapped around his wrists, suspending him midair.

Naruto reached out, tightening the chains with a firm grip.

His eyes narrowed, cold and calculating.

Sealing him was not an option. He had no intention of imprisoning this opponent. Unlike the others Naruto had sealed before, this man had no "uniqueness." He was merely one of the Quincy invaders. Besides, Valkyrie had committed unforgivable crimes.

The 1st Division soldiers... and Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe, who had served longer than most captains, a respected elder. Important people had been gravely harmed or killed by Valkyrie.

Naruto couldn't let him live. Only death could atone.

But why was he "immortal"? Even when every inch of his body had been destroyed, he revived again and again. What was the principle behind it?

Naruto didn't believe in true immortality. Everything could die—even worlds could be destroyed, let alone an individual within that world.

Moreover, each time Valkyrie was injured or killed, strange patterns appeared on his body, and his form changed with each resurrection. Healing from injury and resurrection both triggered visible transformations.

Thus, he must have been using some method to evade the finality of death.

He could die. He would die. Naruto just hadn't figured out how yet.

Valkyrie struggled, his power far greater than when he first appeared. He twisted his wrists, snapping several chains.

His labored, angry breaths filled the air.

Naruto raised his hand. The power of the "Vortex" surged again, tearing at Valkyrie's glowing body. His reishi-based form began to dissolve rapidly, like boiling water evaporating into the air.

Yet even as he disintegrated, Valkyrie did not die. His body continued the cycle of dissolving and reforming. The brief moments of weakness made it difficult for him to fully exert his strength, allowing the golden chains to tighten even further.

After several cycles of this, Naruto gathered a bit of wind in his hand, forming a short blade.

He studied Valkyrie.

Despite "Vortex" dismantling every part of his body, Valkyrie still hadn't died.

It was clear that his physical form wasn't the key. His body was merely a vessel for his power.

So what was the core?

Naruto pointed the blade forward.

On the ground lay Valkyrie's two discarded weapons—a sword called the "Sword of Hope" and a shield named the "Shield of Justice." These were the weapons he had wielded throughout the battle.

Typically, Quincies use the "Quincy Cross" as a medium to summon reishi and form a bowstring. However, this man, Valkyrie, had not demonstrated many conventional Quincy techniques. The only time he used a "Heilig Pfeil" (Holy Arrow), he had formed it directly by hand.

These two items, the sword and the shield, were his only external tools. The sword had a unique effect that inflicted reflected damage. But what about the shield?

Throughout the battle, whether attacking or being attacked, the shield had never shown a special ability like the sword's "rule-based" effects.

Naruto waved his hand, and the wind blew past. The shield began to erode, its edges breaking apart into fine dust. Yet, its destruction had no noticeable effect on Valkyrie, who continued to be broken down and reformed by the winds of "Vortex."

It wasn't the shield.

Could it be the sword? Perhaps the sword was central, with its destruction causing a backlash that harmed those who damaged it? But that didn't seem right either—Valkyrie wouldn't have been so indifferent to losing his weapon if that were the case.

Naruto's gaze shifted over Valkyrie and landed on something seemingly insignificant—something that appeared only symbolic: the Quincy Cross.

Though Valkyrie had other weapons, the Quincy Cross remained, serving no practical function beyond marking him as a Quincy. But since he had kept it on him the entire time...

Naruto reached out, grasping it across the distance.

Valkyrie immediately reacted, twisting his body, but he couldn't avoid the movement of air currents. The "Vortex" winds encircled the Quincy Cross, eroding it bit by bit. The simple necklace, made of fragile material, began to disintegrate.

This small, seemingly insignificant item had a profound effect. As it dissolved, Valkyrie's body stiffened. The light that enveloped his "Giant of Light" form began to dim, and his "flesh" melted away.

The sound of Valkyrie's strained breathing lingered in the air. He should have been dead, yet something remained.

As his reishi-constructed body disintegrated, something else became visible—a "heart" suspended in midair, untouched even by the "Vortex." Though not powerful, and appearing weak, it still beat with life.

The Quincy presence had completely vanished, replaced by the aura of the Soul King.

The heart floated in the air, small and faint, overshadowed by the returning sunlight. Yet its appearance captured everyone's attention.

The faint, almost imperceptible "thump" of the heart beating in the wind resonated like the heartbeat of the world itself.

Naruto's eyes widened as he recalled the Fullbringers—individuals who, after being attacked by Hollows, had awakened fragments of the Soul King within them, granting them extraordinary powers.

Could it be that this man, Gerard Valkyrie, was the Soul King's heart all along? Influenced by Quincy powers, he had gained near-immortal abilities, while the Quincy Cross served as a medium for harnessing that power.

Naruto reached out as the wind gently guided the Soul King's heart into his hand. At the same time, sealing techniques activated, containing the heart that, outwardly, appeared no different from a normal human heart.

Now, there was no resurrection—only true death, a permanent one with no possibility of revival.

Naruto looked down at the masked Quincy soldiers, who were finally showing signs of panic, attempting to summon shadows and flee.

However, the power of "Vortex" was still in effect. Without Naruto's permission, none of them could escape.

"Mayuri, they're yours," Naruto said calmly, flicking his hand. "They said they would start the war in five days, but I'm only giving you one."

Mayuri sneered, shaking his head dramatically. "Only one day?"

"So much to—"

Naruto cut him off. "This concerns all of Soul Society and even the three worlds."

"If you can't do it, I suppose I could temporarily set aside our differences and consult Urahara."

Mayuri let out an irritated hiss, the sound dragging like nails on glass. "Captain Uzumaki, *I* am the head of the Technological Development Department. I don't need help from someone who isn't even a Shinigami."

"I don't need a day. By tonight, I'll have extracted useful information."

Naruto descended through the air and came to stand before the Captain-Commander.

"Well done," Yamamoto said softly. "At least Soul Society has not been completely humiliated."

"But too many have died," Naruto responded, glancing at the elderly man with white hair and a mustache in Yamamoto's arms. "Their methods are too strange."

Yamamoto shook his head. "These techniques are things even I did not see a thousand years ago."

"I believe... they've been preparing this entire time."

"As the Shinigami evolved, so did they. But their advancements seem almost unbelievable."

Naruto turned to look at the other captains who had gathered.

"The 1st Division's headquarters is in ruins," Yamamoto said, turning to the group. "Holding a meeting amidst this rubble would be disrespectful and undignified."

"Let's move to the 7th Division."

With a sweep of his remaining hand, he gestured toward the destroyed buildings and the bodies of fallen soldiers scattered around, many of whom had died gruesomely. His expression flickered with emotion.

Though he could sacrifice his men—his students and friends—for the sake of Soul Society, as he had during the battle against Aizen, he did not do so lightly.

He was decisive, but not heartless.

At least... Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe had not died.

"Each division, handle the situation and maintain a state of emergency," Yamamoto ordered, slamming his cane against the ground. "We are likely facing the most brutal war we've seen in a thousand years."

Naruto had won, but this battle was not a good sign.

Valkyrie's strength far exceeded that of most captains, and from what they had seen, Yamamoto was certain that only three individuals, including himself and Naruto, could confidently defeat him. The third was Shunsui Kyōraku.

Kyōraku had both the strength and the wit to come up with a plan that could turn the tide.

As for the others...

Even Yamamoto's most cherished disciple, Jūshirō Ukitake, would stand little chance in his current condition. If he weren't sick, perhaps there would be hope.

And Valkyrie was merely a messenger of war.

How many beings of his caliber existed in the "Wandenreich" was unknown. No matter how strong Yamamoto and Naruto were, one of them would have to face Yhwach.

If there were just two more like Valkyrie, the fate of Soul Society might rest on Naruto's unknown potential, his untested abilities, or his unreleased "Vortex Bankai."

Alternatively, they might have to rely on the Quincy making a foolish mistake—though that seemed less likely than hoping for a miracle.

Half an hour later, in the 7th Division.

The meeting room was neither as small nor as lively as the 1st Division's had been. Soi Fon's small table had been pushed into a corner, with Tōshirō Hitsugaya's stacked on top of it. In the middle of the room, the space had been cluttered with Kurama's bed and various "trophies" it had collected, like Kenpachi's bells and even Yamamoto's mustache.

"The Wandenreich has declared war on us," Yamamoto said gravely, "and they have slaughtered over a hundred of our soldiers."

"This is the greatest loss we've suffered in a thousand years."

The battle against Aizen had cost the lives of only a few captains, and they had all been replaced within a few years. The Muramasa incident had caused chaos but resulted in little loss of actual combat strength.

But this time, it was different.

Many seated officers were dead. The 1st Division lay in ruins. It would take at least a year or two to train replacements, let alone find suitable candidates. The long-standing infrastructure and talent pool of the 1st Division had been utterly decimated.

"Unforgivable!"

"I once spared the Quincy because they had not yet committed a true atrocity. They were ignorant, acting for the sake of the world's balance. That's why I did not wipe them out entirely."

"And now, instead of gratitude, they return only to start another war."

"Mayuri, have you located their base?"

Mayuri glanced at Naruto before shaking his head. "Not yet. Their technology is unlike anything we've seen before, but I'm working on it."

"Let me see your progress."

Without hesitation, Mayuri pulled out a syringe from his sleeve and injected it into his arm.

An invisible liquid coursed through his bloodstream, and his eyes began to roll uncontrollably. His body moved as if time had sped up a thousandfold, his hand movements creating blinding afterimages.

In this state, Mayuri formed seals, dispelling shadow clones. The flood of information left him momentarily reeling as he struggled to process the incoming data. However, the effects of the serum allowed him to endure the onslaught.

After several minutes, the serum wore off, and Mayuri regained control, sorting through the information he had collected.

"There are no concrete results yet," he admitted while forming more seals and creating a new set of clones. "But I've found a lead."

"I've deciphered part of the encryption they use for spatial manipulation. Once I crack the code, I'll be able to locate their base."

He grinned wickedly and glanced at Naruto.

"If Urahara were doing this, he wouldn't be nearly as effective."

To meet Naruto's half-day deadline, Mayuri had halted all other projects, even suspending his Quincy autopsies. Dozens of his clones worked tirelessly, each group of seven analyzing different aspects of the data. Every thirty minutes, they regrouped to review their findings, identifying the most promising directions for further investigation.

Failure after failure, they were slowly piecing together the solution.

Success required both talent and luck. Even a genius like Urahara experienced failures, but he was sharp—after one failure, he quickly ruled out ineffective methods and moved on to new ideas.

Genius, Mayuri thought, was simply precision.

But even a genius couldn't process the sheer volume of data that Mayuri subjected himself to every half hour. The serum he had injected, which he had named "Clone Drug," temporarily expanded his mental capacity, allowing him to process vast amounts of information at incredible speed.

"I see," Yamamoto said, his expression softening slightly. "Begin preparations with the 7th Division."

"We cannot trust the words of such treacherous liars."

"Naruto has already killed their messenger."

"Though they promised to start the war in five days, we can't rely on their sense of honor."

"Moreover—"

"This is the greatest provocation against Soul Society. We must seize the initiative in this war."

Shunsui Kyōraku chuckled quietly, pulling his hat lower.

The old man was furious.

He glanced at Naruto.

"I have additional information," Naruto said, stepping forward. "The Wandenreich is most likely located within Soul Society itself."

The captains were stunned.

Yamamoto was not surprised—Naruto had shared this information earlier.

"I had the 7th Division preparing before, but they declared war before we could act," Naruto continued, shaking his head. "Prepare yourselves, captains..."

"Whether we take the initiative or they do, the battlefield is likely to be within Soul Society."

The captains' expressions grew serious.

A battle within Soul Society?

"And as for their ultimate goal," Naruto continued softly, pulling out a scroll, "it's most likely the Soul King."

"You're all familiar with the Fullbringers, right?"

"When I fought that man earlier..."

Mayuri couldn't contain himself and interrupted, his voice hissing eagerly, "I saw it too. The Soul King's presence—it was the heart."

"That was the Soul King's heart."

"Captain Uzumaki, give it to me, will you? If I had it, I could find their base even faster."

His eyes gleamed with anticipation.

The Hōgyoku... Mayuri had secretly read the research notes from the Daireishokairō (Great Spirit Library). One of its primary materials was a fragment of the Soul King.

Both Aizen's Hōgyoku and Urahara's used nothing more than a fingernail of the Soul King—an insignificant piece.

Now, before him was the Soul King's heart.

It seemed to possess the power of "immortality."

Though Mayuri wasn't entirely sure, he knew one thing—the ability to avoid death was not native to the Quincy.

The Soul King's heart was the most valuable research specimen in the world.

Mayuri craved it. Even if it meant admitting that Urahara might be smarter than him, if he could get his hands on the heart, none of that would matter.

Naruto shot him a cold glance. "I'm certain now—there's a connection between Quincy and the Soul King. It's no longer just a vague similarity."

"Their powers come from the same source."

"Or, perhaps, the Soul King and the Quincy are closely related."

Yamamoto bowed his head, frowning in thought.

This wasn't something he knew much about. Despite his long life, the history of the world—the three worlds stretching back nearly a million years—remained beyond his comprehension.

"We'll wait until Mayuri produces results," Yamamoto said softly. "There are things even I do not know."

Meanwhile, in the human world.

Ichigo Kurosaki stood with his sword raised behind a Quincy, deep in thought. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean I've been 'protected too much'?"

"And what do you mean by 'stealing Bankai'?"

The Quincy, Asguiaro Ebern, smirked and shook his head. "You've only unlocked a fraction of your potential."

"Naruto Uzumaki and the Gotei 13 have been protecting you too well."

"That's why you only have *this* level of strength."

Ichigo's face twisted with confusion.

*Only* this strength?

He couldn't understand how someone who had been at a disadvantage before him could speak so condescendingly.

And he wasn't weak.

Another Substitute Shinigami, Kūgo Ginjō, had said that Ichigo had surpassed him. Urahara had mentioned that Ichigo was an exceptional captain-level fighter, a talent rivaling even Naruto Uzumaki.

That was fine.

He also knew he'd been protected.

But what really caught his attention was the incantation—"Vollständig"—and the ability it granted.

"Stealing Bankai."

Did such an ability really exist in the literal sense?

Asguiaro Ebern shook his head, his eyes fixed on Ichigo's sword.

He didn't want to say anything more.

He also no longer wanted to fight.

More than delaying Ichigo, the information he had just learned needed to be reported.

The ability to steal Bankai...

It didn't work on Ichigo.

He reached into the void, drawing forth a shadow that enveloped half of his body. The thick, dark substance writhed as it lifted him into the air.

Ichigo reached out, trying to grab him. "Wait!"

"Don't bother with futile attempts," Ebern said, his voice tinged with pride. "Only those chosen have the right to merge with the shadows."

With that, the void closed, leaving only a faint reishi disturbance in the air.

Ichigo's eyes widened as he stared at the sky, where an intense battle had just taken place.

The enemy was gone.

And they had disappeared in a way Ichigo couldn't comprehend.

"Quincy..."

He had never heard of them having abilities like this.

Not even his mother had mentioned it.