Chapter 28: First Meeting - Bleach: This Captain Is an Uchiha

"Open your eyes. Let me see." The girl observed him carefully for quite a while before saying,

"There are indeed a lot of bloodshot veins, but it's only ruptured and dilated conjunctival blood vessels. A little rest will fix it. What matters now is... Yato, tell me, is your vision affected at all?"

"No." Yato answered with complete certainty.

"It's still as clear as ever."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Why would I lie to you?"

The two looked at each other for a long time, then smiled in perfect understanding.

--The Mangekyo activated through Shikai did not damage his vision!

Before today, even Yato, as a transmigrator, and Scarlet Eye, as a Soul-Cutter Sword, had not been entirely certain of this. They had been afraid something bizarre might go wrong.

This was the world of Soul Reapers. If using the Mangekyo made him go blind, where was he supposed to dig up the eyeballs of fellow Uchiha Clan members?

Fortunately, the Mangekyo released through his Soul-Cutter Sword did not come with that problem.

Yato had gained a great deal from this trip to Hueco Mundo.

Killing Hollows and completing the Academy's assigned mission had been as easy as breathing for Yato. There was no need to elaborate.

He had met Harribel, giving him connections in Hueco Mundo and laying the groundwork for his possible future plan to "devour the Opposing Force."

His Reiatsu had improved, allowing him to enter the realm of Second-Stage Shikai a full year ahead of schedule. That gave him more time to hone his Shikai and increased his confidence in attaining a high-ranking Seated Officer position after graduation.

After carefully reviewing the events of the past few days and finding no oversights, Yato swallowed a pill.

It had been developed by the 4th Division to soothe the nerves, making it perfect for his current condition.

After resting for several minutes, the pain in his eyes and head eased. Yato patted Scarlet Eye at his waist and headed toward the area where the Senkaimon was located.

Of course, since he was still in Hueco Mundo, Yato could not truly stroll around as leisurely as if he were on an outing. He activated his Sharingan intermittently, keeping watch on his surroundings while maintaining a brisk pace.

The facts proved that such caution was worthwhile.

"Who's there?"

Beside a petrified quartz tree, Yato stopped, drew his Soul-Cutter Sword, and pointed it toward the place where the Reiatsu fluctuations were abnormal.

"Not coming out? Fine, then Hadō Seventy..."

"Hey, hey, hey, wait, Yato-kun. It's me."

A somewhat awkward voice sounded from the other side of the hill.

A pale young man emerged from hiding with a dozen or so people behind him.

There were men and women among them, all young and dressed in Shin'ō Academy student uniforms like Yato.

"Watanabe Hideki?"

Yato frowned, recognizing the low-ranking noble who had eagerly flattered Byakuya Kuchiki.

"What are you doing hiding here?"

"Ambushing Hollows, Yato-kun."

For some reason, Watanabe Hideki's attitude was much better than when they had first arrived in Hueco Mundo. He gave a noble's salute, using honorifics in every sentence.

"We don't have strength like yours, Yato-kun. We've only killed eight Hollows so far, and four of us still haven't gotten one. You know the Academy's rules, Yato-kun. Everyone must kill one."

"Huh? But this is outside the training zone, isn't it? Aren't you afraid of encountering a Menos Grande?"

"Yato-kun, nearly all the Hollows within the zone have been killed by the other students. We had no choice but to take the risk and come here, hiding our tracks at all times..."

"All right. You do need to be more careful operating here." Yato nodded, his attitude softening.

He habitually swept his gaze over the surrounding area, turned his blade inward, and prepared to take his leave before returning to the Senkaimon.

Yet that single glance made his motion of sheathing the sword abruptly freeze!

Far in the distance was the place where he and Harribel had fought the Adjuchas group together. From here, he could only vaguely make out several tiny black dots.

It was very far away, nearly beyond the limits of normal eyesight.

Logically, there was no way these dozen people could know what had happened just now.

But...

Byakuya Kuchiki seemed to have mentioned that the "Six-Eyed Watanabe" were a low-ranking noble family renowned for their Reiatsu sensing abilities, with senses far beyond ordinary people.

Could I have been exposed? The entire time I helped Harribel...

Uchiha Yato lightly stroked Scarlet Eye's guard, then suddenly raised his head, his Sharingan scrutinizing the group before him.

His nearly abnormal dynamic vision and ability to capture details laid every unconscious reaction from the dozen Academy students bare before his eyes.

Watanabe Hideki's breathing stopped for an instant, and his nostrils flared by roughly 0.3 millimeters...

Though the girl beside him showed no change in expression, her abdomen trembled at a frequency of fifteen times per second...

The large man in the middle had his hands behind his back. Judging from the trembling of his shoulder muscles, his knuckles had to be moving frantically... Was he signaling the people behind him?

A cold gleam passed through the scarlet Sharingan.

Something was wrong!

The hand resting on the hilt changed from pushing to gripping, and Scarlet Eye left its sheath once more.

The atmosphere instantly turned grim as suffocating silence spread.

"Yato-kun, what's wrong?" Watanabe Hideki forced a smile, trying to soothe the person before him.

"We're all students of Shin'ō Academy. Even if I was disrespectful before, there's no need to draw swords against each other..."

"Where were you an hour ago?"

"Ambushing Hollows nearby."

"Is that so?" Uchiha Yato suddenly sneered.

"Then why is your voice trembling, Watanabe Hideki?"

The young noble opposite him seemed to turn even paler as he stammered, trying to explain himself.

The students behind him were even less composed. Malice appeared on many faces, while hands bulging with veins quietly moved onto their Soul-Cutter Swords.

Yato sighed silently and closed his eyes.

There was no need to ask any further.

They had seen him help Harribel. They had seen the black flames after his Second-Stage Shikai. That was why they were afraid and hesitant, revealing all these signs.

Should I gamble that they'll keep silent for the sake of being classmates, guard this secret to the death, and not report it to Central 46?

Ha. Don't be ridiculous.

Having close ties to Hollows was a grave crime punishable by execution! How could he place his life in someone else's hands?

Then, how should he deal with them?

Scarlet Eye in its Second-Stage Shikai could not yet use [Kotoamatsukami]. It was impossible to permanently alter their wills and memories.

And even if they swore solemn oaths, he would not dare believe them.

So...

Should he kill them?

He should... kill them.

Uchiha Yato's Reiatsu gathered with the force of a tsunami.

If he was going to kill them, he had to do it cleanly. Behead them and cut out their tongues so they could not leave behind information through Kidō. And in the end, he had to finish it with Amaterasu!

Razor-sharp killing intent raged within Yato's heart.

At one moment, his Reiatsu erupted in full, and he instantly activated the Mangekyo, opening his eyes!

A six-pointed star of red patterns against black, devoid of the slightest emotion.

However.

Just as Yato intended to follow his plan and kill Watanabe Hideki first, leaving the others leaderless, he suddenly froze in place.

Because before he could act, Watanabe Hideki's head had already left his neck.

No, it was not just Watanabe Hideki.

The dozen or so Shin'ō Academy students behind him had also been effortlessly crushed by sudden slashes. Nobles and commoners alike fell into eternal darkness within a single breath.

Muscles were severed, bones shattered, souls cut apart.

The method of killing was simple and elegant, nearly an art.

Within half a second, all the Academy students were dead.

The next instant.

A sound like cloth being torn sliced through the air.

Aizen Sosuke appeared.

"Yato-kun."

His voice was warm and mellow, like that of a steady, kindly teacher. His long, powerful fingers brushed across Kyoka Suigetsu's blade, wiping away the blood.

The vice-captain of Squad Five gently adjusted his black-framed glasses. Looking at the six-pointed Mangekyo in the boy's eyes, he smiled mildly.

"Excellent Reiatsu."

"I never expected that in just one year, compared to when you were with the Horiuchi Family, you would improve to such an extent."

"Then..."

Aizen looked around at the corpses, then glanced toward the distant resting place of the dead Adjuchas before speaking with great interest.

RandomTranslator

First Meeting