Bestowing Blades

"What else?"

Kenma's eyes widened almost imperceptibly as he looked at Fugaku, who had spoken, his heart filled with shock.

Ever since he entered, the Uchiha Clan had already given him more than enough surprises. Yet now, Fugaku was saying there was more?

Uchiha, what other surprises do you have that I do not know about?

"Please wait a moment, my lord."

After bowing lightly, Fugaku called toward the youths standing in formation. "Qi, come here. Let my lord have a look at you."

A child of seven or eight squeezed out from the crowd. He was handsome, with the Uchiha Clan's distinctive cool and aloof bearing.

After running over, he first gave Kenma a deep bow, then looked toward Fugaku.

"My lord. Clan Head."

This boy named Uchiha Qi behaved with great propriety. At a glance, one could tell he had received strict instruction, giving him an air of maturity beyond his years.

Kenma looked at Fugaku in confusion. "This child is?"

"Uchiha Qi, the youngest member of our Uchiha Clan to awaken the Sharingan." After introducing the child, Fugaku said, "Qi, open your Sharingan."

Upon hearing the order, the boy closed his eyes as though gathering his emotions. A moment later, he slowly opened them.

His formerly pitch-black eyes had turned blood-red, radiating an ominous aura. A black Tomoe hung within them, slowly rotating before finally stopping at the lower right.

Under Kenma's puzzled gaze, Uchiha Fugaku explained, "Before this child died... no, two days before coming to the Soul Society, he clearly had not awakened the Sharingan. But several days ago, after suffering intense mental stimulation, he awakened it!"

The Uchiha Clan was a clan of love. Yet that love ran too deep, and once it erupted, it could have an enormous effect on a person. The Sharingan was a power awakened under such stimulation.

Although Uchiha Qi was young, he already possessed a basic understanding of life and death.

Life in the Soul Society was almost no different from life before death. At first, he had not noticed anything and merely assumed that the clan had moved.

But when he suddenly learned that he, his parents, family, friends, and even his entire clan had all died, the tremendous mental shock caused the young child to awaken these cursed eyes on the spot.

After Fugaku's explanation, Kenma understood.

He nodded lightly, then realized something.

"If the Uchiha Clan can still awaken the Sharingan through Yin Release power after death, then the Sharingan can also evolve, correct?"

Fugaku nodded solemnly. "That is correct."

Evolving to the Mangekyo level required a certain amount of luck and talent, but if it was merely Three Tomoe... the Uchiha Clan had been passed down for a thousand years, so naturally, they had methods of stimulating the mind.

The Uchiha Clan's cultivation speed was related to the strength of their Sharingan. The more Tomoe they had, the better their aptitude.

From Fugaku and Shisui alone, Kenma estimated that they would possess the aptitude to attain Third-Class Spiritual Might in the future.

In other words, they could become Captain-level powerhouses.

Once the Three Tomoe Uchiha Clan members before him matured, they would be at least Vice-Captain or Third Seat level.

And the entire Uchiha Clan could support the full combat strength of at least two Gotei 13 divisions.

Not even the ancient Four Great Noble Clans were this lavish.

How was this a burden? It was clearly a treasure trove waiting for Kenma to develop!

Fortunately, he had agreed to Shisui's request and brought the entire Uchiha Clan over. Otherwise, he would have regretted it to death, with nowhere even to cry.

And he must not forget that Kenma's Zanpakuto ability could also share part of a Contractor's abilities and Spiritual Pressure.

No wonder he had felt his Spiritual Pressure condensing much faster these past few days. At first, he had thought he was entering a period of explosive growth, never expecting this to be the reason.

These Uchiha had only just begun cultivating, and most had not even crossed the threshold. If they formally embarked on Shinigami training, then—

The future was promising!

The future was truly promising!

With the support of these Uchiha clansmen, punching Aizen and stomping Yhwach would be easy. Even beating up the monk and Yamamoto would not be a problem.

At that thought, Kenma's worries about the future bosses Aizen and Yhwach vanished in an instant. All he could see was a smooth road ahead.

Looking at the Uchiha before him, a strange light lit up in Kenma's eyes, and his joy was impossible to conceal.

"Not bad. Truly not bad!"

At this moment, even someone with Kenma's gloomy disposition could not help but feel stirred with excitement.

Seeing Kenma's sincere delight and praise, Uchiha Fugaku and the others immediately relaxed.

Naturally, Fugaku had rehearsed those words beforehand. His goal was to let Kenma, their New Lord, see the Uchiha Clan's potential and advantages.

Now, it seemed the effect was quite apparent. Presumably, Kenma would place even greater importance on the Uchiha Clan in the future.

Over the past few days, Fugaku had gathered intelligence and learned that his clan possessed enormous potential, but he had not had a clear understanding of just how great it was.

Now that he saw it was enough to move Kenma, he had gained a rough idea.

He also felt rather proud.

"Our Uchiha Clan is exceptional. Even after dying and coming to another world, our talent still stands out!"

Kenma's gaze fell upon the Uchiha, and he nodded to himself. Then his expression suddenly stiffened, and his thoughts came to a halt.

"This is bad. I didn't bring enough Zanpakuto."

The most important supplies he had brought from the Shikokuin Family were the Zanpakuto.

According to his original estimate, it would already have been impressive if four or five Uchiha clansmen possessed Shinigami aptitude.

Just in case, he had brought over ten extra blades. Yet he had never expected the number of talented Uchiha to be this terrifying.

It left him in an awkward position.

Forget it. So there were fewer than needed. He would muddle through today first.

Kenma sat cross-legged on the wooden corridor as the Uchiha brought over the things he had carried with him.

His index finger lightly tapped the wooden box beside him. His gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on Fugaku.

"Fugaku, besides coming to see how your clan has been doing, I brought you some things this time."

"Open it."

Receiving the order, Fugaku looked incomparably solemn as he carefully opened the first long wooden box.

As the lid lifted, the first thing revealed was a layer of straw and wood shavings, with three wakizashi-style short blades laid atop it.

Fugaku froze for a moment, then reacted. A trace of astonishment appeared on his rigid face.

"M-My lord, could these be...?"

"It seems you've guessed."

Before Fugaku and the Uchiha clansmen beside him, who had likewise shown surprise upon seeing the short blades, Kenma wore a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

"Just as you guessed, this box contains over ten Zanpakuto I brought with me. Today, I bestow them upon you."

After receiving Kenma's confirmation, the Uchiha could no longer suppress the astonishment on their faces.

One after another, they stared at the short blades in the box in shock and disbelief. Some secretly glanced at Kenma, seated above them, before immediately looking away and returning their gazes to the blades.

"These are... Zanpakuto!"

"The symbol of a Shinigami!"

"They're being bestowed upon us..."