Moonlight

[Soul Reaper Fate System bound]

[Host: Gekkō Byakuya]

[Soul Strength: 3 -> 13]

It was a summer evening in Konoha, year 39.

Gekkō Byakuya slowly opened his eyes and saw the ceiling. He was still alive.

The weather was probably fine outside. Moonlight filtered through the paper windows, illuminating the entire room. Even with the lights off, he could see just fine.

He slowly looked around. It was a fairly small wooden house, old but clean and tidy, with a reassuring feel to it.

"Cough, cough!"

The sudden coughing broke the silence. Byakuya lowered the hand he had reflexively covered his mouth with and looked at it.

A streak of red.

Seven. That was how old he was now.

Three days ago, he had been an ordinary office worker in his twenties. Overtime, reports, late-night convenience stores—those things felt like a lifetime ago now. In fact, they really had been.

He had closed his eyes and opened them again, and just like that, he had become Gekkō Byakuya, one of the last heirs of a declining ninja clan in Konoha. A seven-year-old boy who wheezed with every breath.

A small patch of dried, dark red blood stained the bedding beside his pillow. He had coughed it up in his sleep, and it had already gone cold.

Gekko.

If that had only been his surname, he probably wouldn't have immediately understood his situation. But when he learned he had a younger brother three years his junior named Gekko Hayate, he had a fair idea of what world he was in and when.

The world of Naruto. The Second Shinobi World War had ended not long ago, but the Third Shinobi World War would begin in a few years.

And "Gekkō Byakuya" should have died three days ago.

Bloodline Disease.

The Gekko Clan's Kekkei Genkai was an ability that could turn the body transparent and conceal its presence. It sounded wonderful, but the price was that it steadily ravaged the user's body. In mild cases, the body gradually weakened; in severe cases, the user might not even live to adulthood.

The Gekko Hayate he remembered had been pale and visibly weak from his very first appearance, coughing constantly. That was a sign his Bloodline Disease had grown quite severe. So even if Baki hadn't killed him, he probably would have lived only to thirty.

Well, at least he could have had a child. I remember Gekko Hayate had a lover. What was her name again? Uzuki Yugao? Wait, she's the girl from next door who's been coming over to see Hayate every day these past two days?

Oh, childhood sweethearts, too.

From a clan that had been quite famous during the Warring States era to the premature death of its last surviving member in the future, the Kekkei Genkai so many people envied was the culprit behind it all.

Unfortunately, Gekkō Byakuya was exceptionally gifted in Transparent Release...

If the adult-level mental strength he had brought with him through transmigration hadn't suppressed the onset of Bloodline Disease, given how terribly weak his body already was...

What a hellish start.

[Detected a change in the fate of character (Gekkō Byakuya) (minuscule). Fate points +1]

[Current fate points: 1]

[First change in fate detected. One Beginner Soul Reaper Gift Pack triggered!]

[Claim it?]

Fortunately, he hadn't come alone. With a cheat, was there any reason to fear he wouldn't survive this beginning?

Wait... Soul Reaper? But isn't this the world of Naruto?

"Claim it."

Byakuya had no other choice, anyway.

[Claimed successfully. Opening Beginner Gift Pack...]

[Opened successfully!]

[Obtained one Zanpakuto (Asauchi). Scanning surroundings... one Tachi detected. Convert it?]

Byakuya looked at the sword standing in the corner of the room. It was a family heirloom, more or less, and had passed into his hands after his father's death.

"Convert it!"

[Conversion successful! Congratulations to the host on obtaining a Zanpakuto (Asauchi) (bound)]

In an instant, a sword entered Byakuya's perception—not through sight, but through a more direct connection. Forcing himself to endure the pain, Byakuya got up, slowly walked over, and picked it up.

In his current condition, lifting a sword like this should have taken tremendous effort, but now he picked it up with ease.

A warm pulse came from the blade in steady waves, as though answering his heartbeat.

The sword... was breathing?

Was this a Zanpakuto?

[Obtained permission to audit classes at Shin'ō Academy (night sessions) for six years. Can be activated upon falling asleep.]

There's another reward?

Of course, Byakuya wouldn't complain about getting more rewards. Though the system's version might not quite match reality, he wasn't in a position to be picky.

It activated when he fell asleep, so he would go and see what it was all about.

Clutching the sword, Byakuya lay down again and closed his eyes.

"Enter."

Darkness surged in like a tide, then quickly receded.

Byakuya opened his eyes and found himself standing in a large classroom. It had wooden floors and tall windows. Outside, the sky was a soft white, and light that was bright but not harsh streamed in, illuminating the room.

Nearly every seat was already taken. The students sat whispering to their neighbors.

Looking around, he saw that the other students' faces were all blurry.

Byakuya shifted his neck a little uneasily and was pleasantly surprised to find that he wasn't as weak here as he was in reality. His body was even the size of an adult's.

This was his soul. The system had shown that his Soul Strength exceeded that of an ordinary adult... Understanding dawned on him.

"Oh? Is there still a student who hasn't taken a seat?"

Before he could collect himself, a gentle voice reached his ears. At some point, the other students had stopped talking, and the entire classroom had fallen silent.

That voice sounds familiar?

"I'll..."

He looked up. A tall man stood at the lectern, wearing glasses, with brown hair and a gentle face.

Sōsuke Aizen.

"...find a seat right away!"

Barely managing to hold back the curse that rose to his lips, Byakuya hurried to find a seat so he wouldn't remain under that man's gaze for long. But he looked all around and couldn't find an empty seat, and his back began to tense.

"Over here."

Aizen's voice came again, his low tone as gentle as if he were coaxing a child. Byakuya followed his pointing finger—the middle of the front row.

The most conspicuous seat.

Wait, is it really appropriate for an auditing student like me to sit there?

Byakuya was silent for a moment, but in the end, he didn't have the courage to refuse. He walked over and sat down.

Aizen waited quietly through it all. When he saw Byakuya sit down and keep staring at the bottom of the lectern, unwilling to meet his eyes, he smiled silently and began his lecture as though nothing had happened.

"Reiatsu is a pressure that naturally radiates outward from the soul. Every person, or creature, with a soul has Reiatsu, and it grows stronger as the soul grows stronger..."

"Everyone is born with different talents. The fact that all of you here were able to enroll means you have the potential to become Soul Reapers. The most basic requirement for becoming a Soul Reaper is sufficiently powerful Reiatsu."

"Each student is lent an Asauchi by the academy upon enrollment. To become a Soul Reaper and increase your Reiatsu, you must transform these standard Asauchi into your own Zanpakuto."

"Jinzen is the first step..."

Byakuya listened attentively. He already knew some of what was being taught, but many of the details were new to him. He had no time to wonder why his classmates all had blank faces while the teacher was someone as difficult to deal with as Aizen.

Villain or not, Aizen's teaching ability was beyond reproach. In a gentle voice that seemed incapable of ever growing heated, he explained complex knowledge in simple terms, making it remarkably easy to understand.

Was this his personal charm?

No wonder so many people had found it hard to believe when they discovered he was a villain.

He had to listen and study hard. His body in reality was already in such terrible condition that if he couldn't even make good use of this gift of fate, he might as well give up early and hope for another life, if there was one.

"That's all for today's lesson. When you return, you can practice Jinzen..."

"Teacher Aizen, there's something I'd like to ask you..."

"Teacher Aizen..."

Byakuya glanced at Aizen, who had been surrounded by students in an instant. He closed his eyes and went over the lesson, found he remembered most of it, and immediately got up and headed for the door at the back of the classroom.

He had an inexplicable sense that as soon as he walked out of the classroom, he would return to reality.

He had been too surprised at first to hide his expression. It might have been fine with anyone else, but this was Aizen.

He might have already noticed something was wrong!

Time to leave, time to leave.

"Your name is Byakuya? It seems you've known me for a long time?"

Byakuya froze.

"Teacher Aizen? I don't understand what you mean..."

Trying hard to look confused, Byakuya could only do his best to respond.

After all, Aizen's voice had come from in front of him.

He had even used Shunpo to stop a newly enrolled student from leaving...

Looking at the door just behind Aizen, Byakuya figured his smile must have looked pretty awful.

Should I gamble on rushing past Aizen?

I might as well draw my sword. At least I could die with some dignity.

For now, he could only hope the system wouldn't harm him. This was just a beginner gift pack, after all, not a hell mission.

"I'm quite confident in my memory... This is the first time we've met. Why do you know me, and why are you even afraid of me?"

"...Ahaha, teacher, I really need to use the bathroom..."

"It seems you aren't very inclined to clear up my doubts, Byakuya... In that case..."

Aizen's voice suddenly paused. Then he spoke the words that made Byakuya's scalp go numb.

"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu..."

Byakuya's pupils contracted sharply, and he reflexively squeezed his eyes shut.

One second. Two seconds.

Nothing happened.

Byakuya opened his eyes. Aizen stood where he was, his sword still in its sheath and a hint of an amused smile on his lips.

"It seems you do know some things you shouldn't."

He had been bluffing with that Zanpakuto release command.

Run!

Panic had taken over Byakuya's mind. He could only follow his instincts and flee.

But would Aizen let him leave?

"Bakudō number one, Sai..."

The entire world shuddered, and everything froze.

[Malice toward the host detected from illusion character. Preparing to forcibly intervene and alter the character's memories.]

Byakuya watched the world suddenly flicker around him. His legs gave way, and he fell to the ground.

Only when he saw that Aizen had been frozen too did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Right? Even Aizen was ultimately created by the illusion, so he couldn't be a match for the system, could he?

[Alteration complete.]

"Do you need help, student?"

Looking at Aizen gently offering him a hand, Byakuya no longer felt as awkward as he had at first.

"I'm fine, thank you. Goodbye, Teacher Aizen!"

Byakuya got up, dusted off his clothes, and walked past Aizen and out of the classroom.

Aizen withdrew his hand and looked toward the door, pondering for a long while.

Suddenly, the world began to shake again, and everything around him froze.

Then it entered a cycle of resuming, shaking, and freezing.

After an unknown amount of time, the world stopped shaking, and a faint smile appeared on Aizen's lips.

"Byakuya? Interesting..."

Byakuya woke from his dream.

It was still night outside the window.

At some point, Hayate had slipped into his room. He was sleeping soundly beside him, drool smeared across the pillow.

A little kid only three years old didn't know what life and death meant.

But even his younger brother would have to set foot on a battlefield someday, given the current state of the Shinobi World—a place where even Kage Level powerhouses could die without anyone knowing how or why.

That was what it meant to be a ninja now.

Byakuya sat up. The sword in his arms glinted coldly in the moonlight, as if waiting for him.

"Thump, thump... thump, thump..."

A heartbeat. Not his, but the sword's.

Like a silent invitation.

Byakuya crossed his legs, laid the sword across them, and slowly closed his eyes.