Night Battle

The Soul Society lacked nothing so much as vicious men.

Among the Rukongai in the four cardinal directions, any district numbered above seventy was lawless land.

There was almost no order. The nobles could not manage those places effectively, and the Soul Reapers paid them little mind as well.

Strength was the only passport there. Even small-time merchants did not mind drawing blades to earn a little "extra income."

However, the Seireitei enforced a "residence permit jurisdiction system" upon the residents of Rukongai. Once souls entered the Soul Society, their range of movement was assigned, and they could not easily cross districts without permission.

This had created Rukongai's bizarre state of affairs—

Low-numbered districts, such as West District 1, Junrinan, were practically paradises. Public safety was excellent, and many Soul Reapers liked to vacation there during their breaks.

High-numbered districts, such as North District 80, Zaraki, were overrun by vicious men. Passersby would pull knives and stab each other on sight. It was bloodier and more violent than a primeval forest. After all, animals killed to survive, while people from Zaraki might fight simply to enjoy the thrill.

Thus, the high-numbered districts of Rukongai had become headquarters for hiring murderers.

For nobles, using a few tricks to secretly move vicious men across major districts was no difficult matter.

For instance, on this particular night, ten assassins from North Rukongai's District 79, Kusajishi, had quietly made their way outside a courtyard in the Withered Flower District.

"It's here."

The leader stopped and raised his right hand.

The people behind him put on masks in unison, concealing their faces.

They took bottles from their clothes and smeared the liquid over their bodies to hide their scent, then gave their weapons one final inspection.

Their weapons were peculiar curved blades, with reinforced guards and weighted metal blocks tied to them. They were especially suited for dealing with standard-issue swords.

—The target was a newly admitted student of Shin'ō Academy. The entrance examination included a subject called the Zanjutsu Assessment, so every new student could be considered an accomplished swordsman with some foundation in the way of the blade.

All ten had been informed of this when they accepted the mission, so they had naturally made special preparations.

As for the target's so-called "twelfth-grade spiritual pressure," the ten of them did not take it too seriously.

Without a Zanpakutō or systematic training in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō, spiritual pressure at that level could only intimidate people. They came from Kusajishi and fought and killed others whenever they pleased. They were no cowards.

What was more, before the operation, all ten had swallowed the appropriate herbs, allowing them to resist the fear brought by high spiritual pressure.

Hiring vicious men—tactical preparations—crossing major districts—murder—destroying the bodies and returning. It was already a highly developed bloody industrial chain!

Everyone in that chain could be called a professional.

"Are you ready?" Beneath the moonlight, the leader gave his final instructions:

"Remember, get the item before silencing them. The fire oil is ready. Don't leave a single trace! Deal with the neighbors while you're at it... Huh? Looks like no one lives in the house next door? Tch, lucky them!"

The leader gripped his curved weapon and lightly tapped it against the ground.

The other nine scattered, prying open gaps at the windows, roof, and back door before slipping into the house.

The leader remained where he was in silence, keeping watch over the surroundings as he waited for his companions' signal.

According to the plan, his nine subordinates would first find the target, force him to reveal the whereabouts of the admission notice, then silence him and burn down the house.

But he waited for a long time without seeing even the faintest spark.

"Something's wrong!"

The leader's heart sank sharply, but instead of retreating, he lowered his body, dropped his shoulder, and slammed viciously into the front door.

Boom!

He stood a head taller than most people, his muscles knotted and his strength astonishing. He possessed some spiritual pressure himself, and he put his full force into that charge, smashing the wooden door to pieces. The enormous noise tore through the night sky, startling migratory birds asleep in the distance.

Breaking down the door was also meant to alert his companions inside to quickly regroup with him.

Several of his subordinates rushed toward him at the sound of footsteps, but the face behind the leader's mask grew darker and darker.

"One, two, three, four... That bastard killed five of them in such a short time! And without making a sound!"

Fear rose in the assassin leader's heart. He glanced at his subordinates from the corner of his eye and sensed the same panic and agitation in their body language.

Should they flee? Or stay and find the target?

The assassin leader was caught in a dilemma.

But soon, he realized he did not need to make a choice.

Because someone made it for him.

A boy slowly emerged from the depths of the darkness.

He was around fifteen or sixteen, slightly thin but upright. His features were nearly perfect, without the slightest flaw. Especially those eyes, black as night.

Uchiha Yato stopped and calmly faced the five men before him.

No one spoke, because everyone knew that only one side would survive this night.

At a certain moment, the assassin leader let out a low roar and charged at Yato first.

The oppressive atmosphere shattered in an instant, and a brutal fight erupted!

Yato did not reach for the long sword he usually used for practice. Instead, he rushed straight at the assassin leader.

The leader was huge, like a black bear, but Yato showed no fear. Instead, he accelerated again and crashed directly into the man's embrace!

He tightened his abdomen, drew in his elbow, and pushed off the ground. Yato used his elbow like a bull's horn and slammed it hard into the assassin leader's chest.

The powerful body he had painstakingly tempered for Shin'ō Academy's entrance examination finally showed its worth. Yato heard the crisp sound of bones breaking.

"Bastard!"

Yet the leader was exceptionally fierce. Despite suffering such a heavy blow, he advanced instead of retreating, drawing his arms inward in an attempt to seize Yato and pin him against his chest so his companions could strike.

However, the boy was far more agile than he had imagined. With a light twist of his body, Yato evaded the grab.

Then, without pausing for even a moment, Yato moved in to kill the remaining four weaker assassins.

The assassin leader looked back and saw the boy's lips twitch slightly. One assassin suddenly collapsed to the ground as though his soul had left his body, falling with a thud and losing all signs of life.

He focused his gaze and discovered a needle glinting coldly from the new corpse's neck.

"This is... Senbon?"

The assassin leader found it unbelievable.

Before his death, he had been a bandit and had dealt with those Kōga ninja. He knew they had a technique involving specially made needles called Senbon, which they held in their mouths and spat at enemies. Their power was not great, but when they struck vulnerable spots and were paired with poison, they could kill in a single blow!

But... where had this guy learned that technique?

And could that technique really be this powerful? It was nothing like what he had encountered before!

Yato did not know what the man behind him was thinking. He simply raised his hand and brought it down, relying on his physique to kill the enemies one by one.

In truth, the technique of killing with Senbon had been taught to him by a girl.

The method of exerting force and the method of crafting them were completely different from the Kōga ninja arts of this world, making them far more powerful.

Of course, using them against Soul Reapers or Hollows would be nothing but fantasy.

But assassinating a few ordinary people was no difficult task.

It was thanks to this technique that he had been able to silently take out half the assassins first.

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