War Footing

Soul Society.

As its name suggested, it was a world for souls after death, one of the main destinations for human souls after they died in the World of the Living.

It wasn't a paradise in the traditional sense. It was more like a vast, socially structured settlement for souls, with prosperous, bustling areas like Seireitei and poor, chaotic ones like Rukongai.

"—But Rukongai isn't all poor and chaotic. It's divided into four districts—east, south, west, and north—and each district is further divided into numbered areas from 1 to 80. The lower the number, the better the public order and the richer the resources. They're also closer to Seireitei."

"Old man, why are you going on and on?" the square-faced man said with a grin. "He'll learn all that in time. For now, he just needs to know he's dead."

"Watch your tone! He's still a child, you bastard!"

The man they called Old Man was named Kenta Ishikawa. He was something of a local authority in this part of Rukongai, and rumors said he had ties within Seireitei.

Ishikawa raised the folding fan in his hand and smacked the square-faced man on the forehead. The man wasn't bothered at all; he just grinned and walked off. He had a date with the old man's daughter, after all. He'd get his revenge later.

Unaware that trouble was brewing right under his nose, Ishikawa snorted and turned to Naruto, who was staring blankly. His voice softened again.

"Well? Is there anything else you don't understand?"

"...I think I get the gist."

Naruto finally came back to himself with some difficulty and swallowed.

It was no wonder he was stunned. One moment, he'd been inside the Hyuga compound; the next, he was in Soul Society... What the hell was that supposed to be? Naruto had seen Bleach at the cinema and heard of this place, but he'd never expected the world of the Soul Reapers to be real, just like the Ninja World! And somehow, he'd ended up here?

Had Hinata's consciousness come here too? Was that why she'd remained unconscious?

[Hey... kid, did you understand any of that?] the equally dumbfounded Nine-Tails asked. [What's this guy talking about? We're dead? Aren't we Shadow Clones?]

"We definitely didn't die... You could say that we're both souls, like him...?" Naruto said uncertainly.

[Souls? Aren't we chakra?]

"Chakra can exist in the form of a soul too. Did you forget how Asura and Indra reincarnated?"

Naruto thought of the reincarnated chakra within him, Dan Katō's Spirit Transformation Technique, the Sage of Six Paths appearing during the battle against Kaguya, and how Obito had revived the Mangekyō Sharingan in Kakashi... Only then did he realize that chakra's nature was far more complex than he'd understood. It was clearly more than just something used to perform ninjutsu.

"I really haven't read enough, and my research is too shallow..."

Naruto was reminded of his shortcomings once again. He couldn't help thinking of Orochimaru, the gold standard of scientific research in the Ninja World. His thoughts stirred, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

"I understand. You must be very confused right now." Seeing Naruto remain silent, Ishikawa couldn't help looking at him with pity. "To die so young... You must have suffered a lot when you were alive."

He patted Naruto on the shoulder. "But it's all right now. All souls who come here lose their memories of life, so you can think of Soul Society as a fresh start."

"...Yeah." Naruto nodded. Whatever happened, he had to adapt to his surroundings and gather more information first... At the very least, he needed to figure out what point in the Bleach storyline this was.

"So what should I do now?" He quickly slipped into the role of a "child" and asked the most natural question.

"Ah, right, right. I almost forgot." Ishikawa slapped his forehead. "Come with me. The Gotei 13 are holding a recruitment test in Rukongai today. If you pass, you can study at Shino Academy. It's an incredibly rare opportunity. If we weren't in a state of war and implementing Universal Martial Arts, people from Rukongai like us wouldn't get a chance like this."

???

What did he mean by a state of war? And Universal Martial Arts?

Naruto, who'd been struggling to recall the Bleach storyline, was now utterly baffled. Sure, he didn't know the series inside and out... but how could he have no memory of something that sounded so important?

"I'll explain terms like the Gotei 13 after the test." Misreading Naruto's expression, Ishikawa took him by the hand. "Let's go. You just need to know this is an opportunity Rukongai hasn't had in a thousand years. Besides, you don't have to do anything for the test. Just show up. There's no point in trying hard; your natural spiritual pressure has already decided everything!"

"Wait!"

As Ishikawa dragged him toward the end of the street, Naruto hurriedly asked, "I understand what a state of war means, but what's going on? Is Soul Society fighting someone?"

"To be honest, we in Rukongai don't really know either. That's handled directly by the Gotei 13," Ishikawa said. "But my daughter mentioned in her letter that it seems two otherworldly realms have invaded the World of the Living. So, to protect the balance, Soul Society has to fight back?"

????

What the hell was this guy talking about?

Naruto's mind filled with the same question as the Nine-Tails. But beneath his shock, he keenly sensed that this world's deviations from the original story were strikingly similar to what had happened in the Ninja World.

Could it be?

An idea flashed through Naruto's mind like a bolt of lightning. Remembering Kakashi's words—"I fought a guy covered in flowing magma..." —he formed a startling guess. But before he could think it through, Ishikawa gave him another piece of information that made his scalp tingle.

"By the way, when we get to the test site, you'll see people wearing black Shihakusho and carrying long swords. Remember to treat them with respect. Don't be rude," Ishikawa reminded him. "But you're really lucky. The 5th Division is coming to East District 22 today. They're the friendliest division in the Gotei 13."

"And Captain Aizen is leading them in person today. He's the kindest, most gentle Soul Reaper I've ever met. He's such a good person, so there's no need to be too nervous or stiff. Just take it easy."

"...Huh? Me?"

Naruto finally broke. It took him several seconds to process what he'd heard.

"Such a good person. Just take it easy"... Easy for you to say.

He forced a bitter smile.

May I ask if the "kindest, most gentle Soul Reaper" you're talking about is Aizen Sosuke, the mastermind behind Seireitei's thousand-year conspiracy, master of Illusion, creator of Las Noches, ruler of Hueco Mundo, enforcer of Central 46's purge, and the one who completely fused with the Hōgyoku?

Well, that's just great. I'm screwed.

So I'd barely been "born" in Soul Society as an undocumented soul, and now I had to face the most intimidating boss in this world... while somehow hiding the truth from him?

Dammit... I'm only twelve!