Gunbai

The wind changed.

Something dangerous took shape between breaths.

The dark tomoe of the Sharingan spun wildly. In an instant, Yato's back tensed as he leaned backward.

The next moment, a powerful wind blade sliced past the tip of his nose, taking several strands of hair with it and effortlessly severing every stone pillar in the training ground.

Rumble...

The eaves collapsed, sending dust flying into the sky.

The invisible wind blade swept through again, dispersing the dust and revealing Yato and Kentaro.

The right side of Koizumi Kentaro's face was badly swollen, and several of his teeth had shattered. Yet unlike his miserable appearance, he was in high spirits.

"My ability seems to counter yours quite well."

His Soul-Cutter Sword had changed shape, its blade extending strangely until it resembled a shield.

"Uchiha Yato, your Soul-Cutter Sword's ability is probably to pour Reiatsu into your eyes, enhancing your perception, speed, and strength."

"You can even see through my Flash Step with ease."

"More terrifyingly, those eyes of yours can probably see Reiatsu directly!"

"If your injuries hadn't been so severe, I probably wouldn't even have had the chance to use Shikai. What a pity. Truly a pity."

Koizumi Kentaro held his shield-like Soul-Cutter Sword before his chest, aiming it at Yato.

"You can't catch the wind."

Invisible wind blades struck again.

Yato sighed inwardly. This low-ranking Seated Officer, who had been utterly insignificant in the original story, actually possessed such seasoned combat instincts.

Koizumi Kentaro was right. The tomoe Sharingan in its First-Stage Shikai form was powerful enough to perceive the surging Reiatsu of battle, but it could not see through rapidly moving hurricanes.

In just a few seconds, the situation had completely reversed.

Wind blades howled in from every direction. Yato blocked them head-on with his sword while twisting and darting about to evade the attacks.

But at his current speed, he could not outrun the wind.

The wind blades occasionally cut into his body, tearing through flesh. Though Yato reacted quickly enough that the wounds were shallow, they continued to accumulate, and his injuries steadily worsened.

Even the ground beneath his feet had been blasted into a deep crater.

Yet even as more wounds covered his body and blood spilled across the ground, Yato continued to hold on without falling, like a dancer performing on a tightrope.

Gradually, Koizumi Kentaro grew anxious.

The disturbance at the Horiuchi Estate was too great. A massive fire had even broken out in the western sleeping quarters. Soul Reapers from the Gotei 13 could arrive at any moment!

This could not drag on any longer.

Koizumi Kentaro gritted his teeth.

He clasped his shield-like Soul-Cutter Sword with both hands and poured out his Reiatsu. After a brief tremor, a wind dragon leaped forth.

Maximize the attack power. Make sure this brat can neither dodge nor block!

The wind dragon roared, bringing countless wind blades as it charged toward Yato.

"It's over..."

The rapid expenditure of Reiatsu drained the color from Koizumi Kentaro's face, but he endured the discomfort and looked toward Yato.

Even when victory was assured, keep a firm grip on your sword and your eyes locked on the enemy. That was what the Zanjutsu instructors at Shin'ō Academy preached every day.

Yet to his surprise, the boy who was surely doomed showed no expression of despair.

Yato's Soul-Cutter Sword changed shape as well.

It became a black-and-white, gourd-shaped Gunbai bearing two pairs of six-tomoe patterns, with a chain attached to its handle.

Facing the powerful dragon of wind blades, the boy raised the Gunbai before himself.

"Uchiha..." Yato's voice held not the slightest trace of emotion.

"Reflect."

The wind dragon struck the Gunbai and vanished without a sound.

One-thousandth of a second later, an even stronger, more violent storm burst from the fan's surface and viciously bit toward Koizumi Kentaro!

A tornado-like gale formed in the air, tearing into the low-ranking Seated Officer's body.

The ruins of the building where he stood were also blasted away by that immense force, leaving not a single tile behind.

"Pfft!"

Yato's vision blurred. He spat out blood and dropped to his knees.

Supporting himself with the Gunbai, he forcibly kept himself from collapsing and looked toward Koizumi Kentaro.

This Seated Officer of the Ninth Division now had his limbs torn apart, his organs and bones ground to pieces.

He was dead beyond doubt.

The weight in Yato's heart finally lifted. His scarlet Sharingan returned to pure black eyes, and the Gunbai became a katana once more.

He gasped for breath, resting where he stood for a moment before forcing himself to rise and walk away.

Yato had no intention of waiting for the Gotei 13 to arrive.

The mess between himself and the Horiuchi Family involved nobles. It would certainly be reported to Central 46 for their judgment.

But... could that bunch be trusted?

More than a decade later, they would even absurdly order the execution of eight captain-class Soul Reapers!

Falling into their hands would be worse than running to Hueco Mundo and becoming a damn Menos Grande.

Therefore, Uchiha Yato intended to conceal the full story and return home immediately.

The Horiuchi family must have been extremely cautious in doing this sort of thing. Koizumi Kentaro had just carried out a massacre to silence everyone, so there was no need to worry about anyone leaking the truth. The Tsunayashiro Clan was also unlikely to bring up the matter on their own.

The fire in the west drew ever closer and would soon engulf the entire Horiuchi Estate.

The flames would bury everything.

"Quick! Faster!"

"Those skilled in water-based Kidō, step forward! Users of water-type Soul-Cutter Swords, come over too!"

"Go get people from the 4th Division..."

"What? What do you mean there isn't a single survivor?"

Late at night, dozens of Soul Reapers in Soul Reaper uniforms bustled outside the fiercely burning Horiuchi Estate.

From receiving the alarm to organizing personnel and arriving at District 62 of Eastern Rukongai, Flower Withers, only half an hour had passed.

Considering the distance between the two locations, such organizational efficiency was remarkable.

Naturally, the Squad Five of the Gotei 13 was responsible for rescue work during emergencies.

Unfortunately, when Squad Five's members rushed here, they found that not a single living person remained in the Horiuchi family estate. There was only the raging fire.

The Soul Reapers looked at one another, unsure what to do.

Just as they were at a loss, a mellow voice reached the ears of the Soul Reapers.

"Continue doing what you need to do."

A man approached at an unhurried pace.

He looked like a young man, with handsome and refined features, brown hair, and black-rimmed glasses that made him appear even gentler and more scholarly.

His Soul Reaper uniform was immaculate, his Soul-Cutter Sword hung at the most convenient place on his waist, and the lieutenant's badge engraved with the character "Five" and an andromeda flower was worn on his left arm.

The newcomer was none other than the vice-captain of Squad Five of the Gotei 13—

Aizen Sosuke.

"Vice-Captain!"

"Yes, Vice-Captain!"

"Vice-Captain, you came here personally so late at night..."

"It's all right, Third Seat Kurokawa Shunsuke." Aizen smiled gently.

"It is merely a Soul Reaper's duty."

The vice-captain's arrival gave Squad Five's members someone to rely on. Following Aizen's orders, they extinguished the blaze.

The Horiuchi Estate had become a scorched wasteland.

Aizen Sosuke stepped onto the ruins.

The Reiatsu that had briefly erupted during the battle had long since disappeared.

Yet faint Spirit Veins still remained in unknown cracks and corners, slowly dissipating with the passage of time.

Even captain-class figures would find it difficult to notice such minute Spirit Veins.

But...

As he passed through a patch of ruins, Aizen's footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.

...Excellent Reiatsu.

"Third Seat Kurokawa Shunsuke."

As though making casual conversation, Aizen smiled lightly at the Seated Officer behind him.

"Did the Horiuchi family have any Soul Reapers serving in the Gotei 13?"

"Vice-Captain, I don't recall any. Sigh, their family seems to dislike force. They only attended Shin'ō Academy to socialize with other nobles. But why did you suddenly..."

"It's nothing."

The gentlemanly man with the mellow voice smiled and shook his head. At the same time, he lightly pressed his foot down, crushing the lingering Spirit Vein.

"I merely thought of a flower blooming on a cliff face."

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