The Innate Powerhouse

"BOOM—HUM—!"

That surging pillar of incandescent white light, accompanied by a dull roar that echoed throughout the entire venue, surged upward with unstoppable momentum!

"So fast!"

"It's passed the halfway mark! He's passed the assessment!"

The crowd only had time for two gasps of shock before a collective intake of breath followed.

Everyone watched in horror as the light pillar, having already crossed the halfway point of the pillar—the passing standard—showed no signs of fading in speed or intensity! It continued to rocket toward the top of the crystal pillar without a moment's hesitation!

The shock felt by the Shinigami was far greater than that of the common folk.

Because they understood the meaning behind the height and brightness of the crystal pillar better than the citizens of Soul Society. As Ishikawa had explained earlier, the essence of this test was the difference in spiritual pressure between the examinee and the proctoring Shinigami. The point where the light flow reached indicated what fraction of the proctor's spiritual pressure the examinee possessed...

Reaching the halfway point meant the examinee's innate spiritual pressure was half that of a Shinigami's. But given the current trend, this brat's light flow was almost certain to reach the very top of the crystal pillar!

In other words, this brat... Menma had only just arrived in Soul Society, yet his innate spiritual pressure could rival a Shinigami who had spent decades training in Soul Society?!

The Shinigami looked at one another, filled with doubt and unease.

However, Naruto did not give them much time to digest this shocking fact. Only a few seconds later, the light pillar beneath his palm crashed through to the very top!

A thunderous gasp erupted from the crowd once more, but as everyone looked up at the top of the crystal pillar, no one noticed that there was not a hint of satisfaction in Naruto's eyes!

Not enough...

As this thought ignited in his heart, the light constrained within the crystal pillar emitted another low hum!

Inside the light pillar, it was as if magma were surging and roaring. Within the pure white light, countless tiny golden specks gradually emerged. They swirled, surged, and rose, finally converging at a single point before exploding outward!

The massive golden radiance instantly engulfed the entire crystal pillar. Its intensity was so great that it cast the shadows of everyone in the plaza onto the ground, stinging their eyes so badly they could barely keep them open!

"CRACK!"

The air itself trembled. This violent golden pillar, like a dragon breaking free from its shackles, smashed through the top of the crystal pillar with overwhelming force!

The beam of light pierced straight into the sky, as if it were about to punch a hole through the gray, overcast sky of Soul Society!

Such a phenomenon surpassed any assessment scene in the memory of every Shinigami present, even drawing the attention of Shinigami from neighboring districts who began sending scouts to investigate.

Yet, amidst this blinding golden light, only two people remained calm.

Naruto and Aizen gazed at each other across the dazzling curtain of light.

The moment Aizen discovered his identity, Naruto knew he only had one path to take.

He had to be dazzling; he had to attract everyone's attention as much as possible. He could never become an existence that no one would care about if he disappeared.

Therefore, he had to be a genius, and he had to remain a genius, breaking all conventions and forcing people to keep their eyes fixed on him.

Only by standing under the spotlight of public attention could he ensure his own survival.

Naruto had never trusted Aizen. Even though he was only a Shadow Clone here, he would never pin his hopes of survival on Aizen's potential inaction; he would only trust himself.

Of course, he was also aware that Aizen was not the type to be held back by such things, but every bit of added cost to attacking him was the very purpose of this Shadow Clone's struggle.

"Then let me see, Aizen..."

Naruto stared at Aizen, his hair dancing in the turbulent air.

"Let me see what you will do next, let me observe (learn)... more of you."

The light blurred his vision. In the haze, Naruto seemed to see Aizen clapping for him ever so gently.

Two hours later, the assessment for the entire East District 22 concluded.

Naruto was the only one who passed.

When the trembling proctoring Shinigami announced that Naruto had passed, silence blanketed the entire scene.

All the previous sneers, disappointments, secret joys, and calculations were completely crushed at that moment by the golden pillar of light that had reached the heavens.

Afterward, many Shinigami spoke in private, gradually comparing Naruto to 8th Division Captain Zaraki Kenpachi and 10th Division Vice-Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro, calling him an innate powerhouse just like them—an existence whose natural spiritual pressure reached the Captain level.

This also meant that in his upcoming studies at the Shino Academy, Naruto would only need to master how to freely control his own spiritual pressure. As long as he didn't die prematurely, a Captain's seat was practically reserved for him.

Presumably, once this news reached the Seireitei, it would cause another sensation and attract many more eyes.

Of course, Naruto knew his own situation best.

At this moment, he didn't even understand the difference between Reishi and chakra, nor did he know if he could learn the skills taught at the Shino Academy. So, he actually didn't have much confidence regarding his future studies and life in the Seireitei.

But for now, he could only take it one step at a time...

It is worth mentioning that after Naruto passed the assessment, Hanama Natsu immediately came to apologize to him and Ishikawa. His attitude was extremely sincere; aside from not performing a full kowtow, he even managed to squeeze out tears, showing he was quite capable of bending when necessary.

But according to the Nine-Tails, this guy's malice toward Naruto and Ishikawa hadn't disappeared at all; in fact, it had only increased... so Naruto decided that he would finish him off completely the next chance he got.

It didn't matter if he was just a Shadow Clone, but he absolutely could not let this guy harm anyone else.

[Brat...]

At this moment, the Nine-Tails, having held its tongue for two hours, finally couldn't help but ask.

[How did you manage that assessment just now?]

"I didn't manage it, I just guessed," Naruto explained calmly. "I just gambled that the assessment device's principle was based on 'energy differential' rather than reacting solely to reishi... so I just poured chakra into it recklessly. It was pure luck."

[Oh...], Kurama realized with a start, [And what if that guess hadn't worked?]

"Then I would've just stayed in the Rukon District."

Naruto raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Why ask such a brain-dead question? We're just Shadow Clone anyway, so we wouldn't have lost anything regardless."

[You brat, I'll—!]

And so, amidst the incessant cursing of Kurama, Naruto bid farewell to Kenta Ishikawa. After promising to return and visit him in the future, he left the East 22nd District with the members of the 5th Division, heading toward the Seireitei.

However, before they departed, Kenta Ishikawa pulled Naruto aside and, acting somewhat bashful, mentioned that he had a child with a mistress who was also studying at the Shino Academy, asking Naruto to look after her if it was convenient.

"Her name is Amaterasu Yu. She enrolled three years ago, so she should be in her third year now."

Kenta Ishikawa added embarrassedly, "Oh, and don't mention my name. The child ran away from home, so if she finds out I asked you to look after her... she might get very angry."

A mistress, don't mention the name, ran away from home—these words combined clearly pointed to a very troublesome backstory...

Nevertheless, Naruto helplessly agreed. After all, if not for Kenta Ishikawa, he might not have been able to enter the Seireitei so quickly.

"What happens after we enter the Seireitei?"

On the way, Naruto asked curiously while being carried on Aizen's back.

--Although he was quite reluctant, his walking speed as a "child" was simply too slow compared to the Shunpo of these Shinigami, and since Aizen, the captain, had volunteered to carry him, no one dared to object.

"Menma will stay at the Ryushinsai for about a week first. There, they will introduce the general situation of the Seireitei, as well as some etiquette and regulations. Then, you will join the other successful candidates from the same batch to enter the preparatory course at the Shino Academy," Hinamori Momo said.

"Preparatory course?"

"Yes. After all, the official curriculum for the current academic year at the Shino Academy has already begun, so the new students in your batch must undergo preparatory studies first before officially enrolling at the start of the next academic year."

Hinamori Momo explained, "Actually, this can also be considered an adaptation period for you. After all, the environment of the Seireitei is quite different from the Rukon District. Of course, if someone is exceptionally gifted and adapts faster than the average person, they can be granted an exception to enroll officially mid-term, or even skip grades and graduate early."

"For instance, Captain Ichimaru Gin of the 3rd Division only studied at the Shino Academy for one year before graduating. Moreover, he became the 3rd Seat of the 5th Division immediately upon graduation and worked under Captain Aizen for a period of time."

"That was because I saw he was very talented and used my position to pull him into our division to help me with work," Aizen joked, and everyone laughed knowingly, not taking it seriously.

However, from their banter, Naruto roughly understood that the 5th Division seemed to be responsible for personnel adjustments within the Gotei 13.

For example, the selection and assignment of academy students, as well as personnel transfers below the rank of captain, were all related to them—or rather, related to Aizen.

Like the current 3rd Division Lieutenant Kira Izuru, who was first arranged by the 5th Division to study Kaidō in the 4th Division before being transferred to the 3rd Division to become Ichimaru Gin's subordinate; even the appointment letter for 6th Division Captain Abarai Renji was read out by Hinamori Momo.

Thinking of this, Naruto couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.

Aizen specifically brought up this topic—could he be hinting that he would transfer Naruto to the 5th Division later and keep him under his own nose?

Truly... what a pain in the ass.

Kalifa was cursing internally.

Because she didn't know where the flaw in her peasant disguise—which perfectly matched the setting of this world—had been exposed.

She had already come to this Konoha to gather intelligence several times without a single mistake, yet she had been discovered today, and they had even followed her!

No... this couldn't even be called tailing; it was an insult to the art of tailing!

Unable to bear it any longer, Kalifa walked into a secluded path and turned around to glare at the man who had been following her step-for-step, less than ten centimeters away, practically glued to her back:

"...Why have you been following me!"

"I'm not following you, I just happen to be walking this way," said the man, who was actually Naruto in disguise, with a look of earnest sincerity.

"...Then please don't stand so close to me," Kalifa adjusted her glasses. "...This is sexual harassment."

"Huh?"

This time it was Naruto's turn to be confused. He looked at the wrinkled, elderly woman in a straw hat that Kalifa had disguised herself as, and verified with uncertainty in his heart:

"Kurama, are you sure it's this old lady?"

[That's right, it's her. She really wants to kill you right now.]

"Don't lie to me."

[I never lie! Don't compare me to you humans!] Kurama fumed.

"Sorry, sorry."

Naruto snapped back to reality and looked at Kalifa again.

Indeed, now that he thought about it, there was something strange about this old lady.

The sound of her voice seemed to always carry a trace of imperceptible... lag?

"Sorry about that, Grandma, I'm with the Konoha Military Police Force," Naruto bluffed, operating on the principle that he didn't have to be responsible for what he said while using the Transformation Technique. "Actually, I'd like to ask you to come back with us to clarify a few things..."

Bang!

Before Uzumaki Naruto could finish his sentence, the old woman erupted into action, kicking him until he burst into smoke.

Immediately after, her figure flickered like a phantom, kicking every pedestrian on the path into puffs of smoke—they were all Shadow Clone of Uzumaki Naruto.

None of them are the real body...

Kalifa frowned; the power system of this world was indeed far more troublesome than the previous one.

Without time to dwell on it, she used Soru to vanish from her spot.

She needed to retreat quickly; under no circumstances could she jeopardize the grand plan set for the day after tomorrow.

However, the second after Kalifa disappeared, dozens of Uzumaki Naruto figures materialized exactly where she had been standing.

[Southeast! Five o'clock!]

Nine-Tails chirped excitedly in his mind, and the dozens of Shadow Clone didn't hesitate, shooting off like arrows released from a bow toward the source of the malice.

At the same time, the real Uzumaki Naruto, positioned in the rear, received the memories and immediately split off dozens more Shadow Clone, sending them to find and notify Might Guy, Kakashi, and the Third Hokage.

This was how it should be; he, Uzumaki Naruto, had a legitimate status, and Konoha was his home turf. There was no reason to ignore his home-field advantage and risk his life alone.

He wasn't always one to rely on brute force.

Having finished all this, Uzumaki Naruto followed the first wave of Shadow Clone, flashing rapidly toward the southeast.

His eyes glinted with a hint of excitement.

No mistake about it... that old woman just now definitely wasn't a character or plot point from the original story.

Uzumaki Naruto had a strong premonition.

This person... was absolutely connected to the changes in the plot!