Shinigami in the Ninja World

Chapter 272: Death, Destruction, and Choices

“Are they all dead?”

No one survived.

Ichigo Kurosaki sensed other powerful spiritual pressures, but none of them were from Shinigami—all were Quincy. Among them, one was familiar, belonging to Uryu Ishida.

He gripped his blade tightly, his expression grave.

The situation made him realize one thing: if the Royal Guard was indeed defeated, then… he might be the last remaining Shinigami in the Royal Palace who could still put up a fight.

The other Captains had left the palace long ago, either completing their training or heading back to support the Seireitei. As the substitute Shinigami, he was the only one left here.

In a way, it made sense. For most, the Royal Palace was considered the safest place in all Three Worlds, especially with the protection of the Royal Guard. The Gotei 13 Captains had no reason to stay.

But now…

This “safest” place had been breached by the enemy, and even those who were among the strongest in all Three Worlds had been slaughtered.

It would be up to him to stop them now.

Ichigo took a deep breath. Could he do it?

Even with his new dual blades, could he really hold them off?

He wasn’t expecting victory, but he had to at least stall them until Naruto arrived.

Without hesitation, he charged ahead, moving toward the spiritual pressures he sensed.

...

Meanwhile…

A thick column of smoke erupted from Rukongai, streaking into the sky.

Kūkaku Shiba crossed her arms. “That’s the third one today. Busy day.”

The last time the Shiba family had been this involved was when Kaien served as the Lieutenant of the 5th Division. Before that, it was probably when Isshin caused a stir.

“This might cause more trouble for you.” She was speaking to herself when a voice replied.

Turning, she saw the old man, Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

“Naruto has already gone up,” Kūkaku stretched and shook her head, “along with the Royal Guard, huh…”

With all the recent struggles over the past century, this normally resolute man had grown more cautious. “I won’t send the entirety of the Gotei 13. Only Captain Soi Fon and Captain Mayuri will go up.”

Kūkaku looked surprised. “Captain Mayuri of the 12th Division? Are you sure it’s safe to send him?”

Though she wasn’t officially part of the Gotei 13, her brothers were Shinigami, so she knew Mayuri’s reputation well, aware of what kind of mad scientist he was.

Yamamoto remained expressionless. “Naruto asked him to re

Ichigo clenches his fists, his body trembling with disbelief and regret. "Why... why did I kill him?"

"Why couldn’t I control my own hand? And why can’t I let go of this sword?"

Yhwach smirks. "Because that is my gift to you."

"You’re a Quincy, my child. I lent you this sword and infused it with my own spirit energy. This power is connected to the Quincy blood within you."

His voice drops, revealing a hint of satisfaction. "As long as you carry the blood of a Quincy, you were destined to slay the Soul King. That is your purpose."

With newfound determination, Ichigo lunges at Yhwach, blade poised to strike.

Yhwach looks at him almost pitifully. "And what reason do you have left to fight me?"

"The Soul Society is disappearing, the Three Worlds are collapsing..."

His words cut short as Ichigo pivots, instinctively dodging a sudden strike.

Yhwach is taken aback; he hadn’t foreseen this move. In this world, only two individuals elude his prophetic vision.

One is the Soul King, now deceased. The other...

He turns to see Naruto Uzumaki standing at the palace entrance, casting a jutsu.

Golden chains lash toward Yhwach, one even looping around Ichigo, pulling him safely out of harm's way to the base of the fractured crystal. Meanwhile, Naruto’s chains extend like octopus tentacles, catching and supporting the remnants of the amber crystal as they waver.

Yhwach grins, voice dripping with anticipation. "Naruto Uzumaki! So, you finally show yourself."

"At last, the one being I could never truly see—yet now, you pose no threat to me. Every choice you’ve made has been in vain."

"Sadly, you’re too late. If you’d arrived a minute—no, even ten seconds sooner, you might have stopped Ichigo from killing the Soul King."

Naruto steps to Ichigo’s side, placing a comforting hand on his head. "Using a child’s hand to fulfill your ambitions," he says coldly. "And then, making him shoulder the guilt for it afterward."

He looks Yhwach squarely in the eye. "You’ve lived countless lifetimes compared to him... and this is the sort of vile scheme you come up with? Pathetic."

Ichigo looks up, taken aback, shock and confusion in his eyes. He never expected Naruto to respond with words of encouragement.

"Say what you will," Yhwach shrugs, unfazed. "The fact remains—I am the sole victor here."

He pauses, relishing the impact of his words. "No matter how much you console Ichigo, he has committed the ultimate crime."

Naruto shakes his head, his voice steady. "He’s nothing more than a blade wielded by you. So tell me, Yhwach—is guilt reserved for the blade or the one who wields it?"

Yhwach sneers. "But Ichigo is no ordinary blade."

With three pupils shimmering in his eyes, Yhwach addresses Ichigo with a cold gaze. "You should have listened to Naruto. Had you not come here, none of this would’ve happened."

Ichigo stiffens, stunned.

But Naruto doesn’t respond. He turns his focus to the shattered amber, fixing it in place. Channeling a summoning jutsu, he claps his hand against the crystal’s surface.

A soft "poof" and a wisp of smoke appear as the Soul King’s heart materializes—a heart still alive, emitting a strong and calming spiritual pressure.

Yhwach watches intently but does not interfere.

Naruto takes a sharp breath, a spirit blade forming at his fingertips. Without hesitation, he slices a small incision into the heart, allowing its life force to seep out and wrap around the fractured crystal, connecting the pieces.

The tremors cease.

The upheaval that had rocked the heavens halts, as if nothing had happened at all.

"So, the heart," Yhwach chuckles. "A clever workaround, but only a temporary fix."

"How long will it last? Nine days? A week? Three days?"

Ichigo interrupts, unable to hold back. "You said that if I hadn’t come, none of this would’ve happened—why?"

"Are you truly that dense?" Yhwach scoffs. "Or has the weight of your failure clouded your judgment?"

He turns to Naruto with a knowing smile. "Naruto Uzumaki has already pieced it together."

Naruto once again places his hand on Ichigo’s head, then draws his own blade, Vortex, releasing its full power instantly.

The wind surged around Ichigo’s hand, grinding away the power Yhwach implanted within him. The answer came out alongside the wind: "Only you could kill the Soul King, Ichigo."

Ichigo’s body shudders. He feels the pain of losing that strength, coupled with the shock of hearing this revelation.

'Only he could kill the Soul King?'

Yhwach chuckles. "That’s right. Only someone who possesses the combined power of the Soul King, Shinigami, Hollow, Quincy, and Human can end the Soul King’s life. And in this world, Ichigo, you are the only one with all five."

Ichigo shivers again, glaring hatefully at his own hands.

"My child born in the darkness," Yhwach addresses him, "don’t be troubled. You were born for this purpose."

Ichigo looks up. 'Born... for this?'

"Everything about your life," Yhwach continues, "the friends you made, the powers you gained, the battles you fought, the skills you learned—it was all because of me."

"Your brief seventeen years of life? I have been preparing for it for nearly a century, all for this day."

This idea... it felt painfully familiar.

Ichigo remembers someone else who had spoken like this—Aizen. He clenches his fists, feeling the weight of the parallels, his gaze shifting back to the blackened remains of the Soul King.

A wave of helplessness rises within him, but it doesn’t overwhelm him.

"This plan was set in motion a thousand years ago, just as the Soul King himself foresaw his own end," Naruto says softly, patting Ichigo’s head. "And that was all the Soul King wanted."

Ichigo remains motionless, his body numb.

'So... someone even beyond Yhwach had a hand in this?'

"But that’s all it is," Naruto continues. "Your existence, your power, everything you’ve done, it’s because of your own will. Isn’t that true?"

Ichigo looks up, his eyes clouded. "But... am I really..."

Doubt creeps in. Could even his own will be something placed upon him?

"Don’t doubt yourself," Naruto says with a gentle smile. "I am proof of your own free will."

Ichigo freezes.

"No matter how strong Yhwach’s powers of foresight may be, he cannot see me," Naruto says softly. "So anything involving me, anything we’ve shared, remains beyond his reach."

"Trust that you are still yourself. He’s only manipulated the pieces, nudging events to line up in his favor."

"It’s just like any battle."

Naruto pauses, a wry smile appearing. "If he could control your will, why didn’t he just make you join him the moment you became a Shinigami?"

"Why would he need to give you power and then rely on your hand to kill the Soul King?"

Ichigo lets out a relieved huff, his confusion clearing, his eyes regaining focus. "Thanks, Uncle Naruto. I understand."

Yhwach smirks as he watches them. "How compassionate of you, Naruto Uzumaki. Even now, you take the time to soothe him."

"But what difference does it make?"

"This world is destined for destruction."

Naruto stands up, drawing a second blade, the crimson "Kurama." "Maybe the world will end in the next moment, but before it does, I won’t let the one responsible live to see it."

Yhwach raises his hand. "I’ll admit that even now, I cannot fully see you with my eyes."

"Still..."

"You have no hope of defeating me."

Suddenly, a black, viscous liquid oozes from the remains of the Soul King’s amber prison, creeping across the floor toward Yhwach.

The Soul King’s power flows from his corpse into Yhwach, who drinks it in.

"You should realize," Yhwach says with satisfaction, "this world came into being through the Soul King. He was ambushed by treacherous beings who tore off his limbs, hollowed out his organs, and severed his tongue..."

"They used him as a lynchpin to create the Three Worlds."

"Now, they hypocritically worship him, calling him the Soul King."

"But tell me—who even remembers his real name?"

Naruto pauses.

'The Soul King’s name?'

He’d never heard it before, nor had he thought to ask. It was as if "Soul King" was his one and only title.

"See? Even someone like you doesn’t know," Yhwach sneers, raising a finger to his lips. "

Allow me to enlighten you."

"His name was..."

"Adnyeus."

"He despised this world, this cursed existence born from the sins committed against him."

"Uzumaki Naruto, this is no mere battle against me—you’re fighting against this world itself."

Naruto lifts his sword. "I may not know as much about the Soul King as you do, but I’d say that what you call his hatred is really your own. You’re just projecting your malice onto him."

"There’s no honor in your crimes."

With a flick of his wrist, Yhwach conjures a sword and slashes forward, engaging Naruto in battle.

...

Beneath the Spirit King's Palace, in the Seireitei

The battle between the Quincy and the Shinigami had not yet ceased; some Quincy still fought in desperation. Tremors from the heavens resonated through the earth below, an intensity far beyond what any Zanpakuto or Quincy ability could cause—unless a Royal Guard Zanpakuto, one rivaling Ryūjin Jakka, was in play.

This abnormal disturbance put everyone on alert.

"What’s going on?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya asked, glancing upward. His own Zanpakuto commanded the heavens, so he could sense the tremors were originating from above, not from the ground, where the effects were merely more apparent.

"The Spirit King... has he died?" Kisuke Urahara’s eyes widened with disbelief as he gazed skyward.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s face darkened, saying nothing.

"Died? Urahara, are you kidding?" Soi Fon snarled in fury.

"No, that’s likely what happened," Mayuri replied, shaking his head. At this moment, he found himself unexpectedly aligned with Urahara.

Tōshirō frowned. "What about the Royal Guard? Isn’t their sole duty to protect the Spirit King?"

No one responded. But for this outcome to occur, it could only mean the Royal Guard had been entirely defeated.

...

At the 7th Division Headquarters

The three figures there, deliberating on their next moves, suddenly fell silent.

"The Spirit King is dead," Yamamoto muttered, his voice somber. Even he found the news unexpected, though he kept his emotions tightly in check, betraying nothing outwardly.

Shunsui Kyōraku reached out and grabbed the wrist of the man standing beside him. He knew what his friend would decide to do at such a moment.

"It seems it’s my turn now," Jūshirō Ukitake said softly, uttering the words with calm resolution.

And just as those words left his lips, the tremors ceased.

The world returned to silence.