First-Stage Shikai

Immense Reiatsu surged through his body, and the rapidly growing power filled every inch of him, temporarily suppressing the pain.

"For our first Shikai, our synchronization isn't high enough yet." The young girl Scarlet Eye's voice quietly sounded beside Yato's ear.

"End this quickly."

At those words, the three tomoe in Uchiha Yato's eyes spun rapidly.

The world seemed to slow into a series of frames.

The sweat dripping from Horiuchi Yuma's nose, the rapidly twitching muscles in Horiuchi Yosuke's arms, the dust dancing through the basement under the pressure of Reiatsu...

Everything was laid bare in perfect detail.

Scarlet Eye's First-Stage Shikai granted Yato all the abilities of an ordinary Sharingan.

One tomoe, two tomoe, three tomoe—it depended on the output of his Reiatsu.

At a life-or-death moment like this, he naturally used the Three Tomoe.

Boom!

Uchiha Yato's muscles bulged, then instantly tightened. He shattered the wooden post behind him and rebounded to the ground.

Then, he pulled out the Asauchi embedded in his chest.

With the Sharingan's exceptional perception, he grasped every detail of the Soul-Cutter Sword with a single glance.

The blade had a slight curve, its hilt was wrapped in dark crimson, its pommel was shaped like a chestnut, and its guard was an archaic, somber hexagon.

Elegant, yet deadly.

This had once been a nameless blade, an initial Asauchi.

Now, it had its own name.

Scarlet Eye.

Uchiha Yato gripped the Soul-Cutter Sword, Scarlet Eye, in one hand and charged straight at the Horiuchi father and son.

"Fall back!"

Horiuchi Yosuke shouted and thrust his blade at Yato's neck.

Though it had not touched his skin, the boy could already feel a searing pain.

Horiuchi Yosuke had once been a sixth-year student at Shin'ō Academy and had received the most orthodox Zanjutsu training. This strike was extremely precise, its intent obvious: attack where the enemy had no choice but to defend.

Yet that confident strike ultimately missed.

Horiuchi Yosuke smelled the heavy stench of blood from behind him and heard Yato's cold voice.

"Too slow."

"Fa...ther..."

Horiuchi Yosuke turned around in shock and saw his son's body split into two.

The boy named Yato stood with his sword in hand, his face showing neither anger nor the pleasure of avenging a great wrong.

There was only calm in those scarlet Sharingan eyes.

Caught between fear and rage, a strange thought suddenly surfaced in Horiuchi Yosuke's mind.

When I casually executed Rukongai civilians in the past, wasn't I this calm too?

But he only had time for that thought. He had no chance to reminisce.

Because Scarlet Eye's blade had already sliced across his throat.

Blood sprayed, and his head fell.

The Horiuchi family's patriarch and heir died one after another beneath Uchiha Yato's blade.

Yato lightly tapped his foot against the ground, took the sheath from Horiuchi Yuma's waist, and fastened it onto himself.

The three spinning tomoe gradually slowed, revealing obvious exhaustion.

"Hah..."

Yato let out a quiet breath and felt his mind beginning to swim.

Tonight, he had first slain ten assassins from Kusajishi District, then suffered severe injuries fighting the Ninth Division's lowest-ranking Seated Officer. He had also endured plenty of torment in the Horiuchi Family's basement.

Even after calling Scarlet Eye's true name and greatly increasing his Reiatsu to suppress his injuries, it was only a temporary measure.

What he needed most now was to recuperate and rest properly for a while.

However, Yato could not do that.

Because hurricane-like Reiatsu appeared overhead once more.

"Ninth Division Seventeenth Seat, Koizumi Kentaro..."

A cold glint flashed through Uchiha Yato's eyes. He strode to the stairs, threw open the basement exit, and emerged into the light once more.

The moonlight remained bright.

Koizumi Kentaro stood in the center of the training ground with his Soul-Cutter Sword in hand, silently watching Yato emerge from the basement.

Corpses surrounded the Seated Officer.

The Horiuchi Family's servants, relatives, and guards had all died beneath his blade.

Blood had dyed Koizumi Kentaro's Soul Reaper uniform an even deeper black.

Those who could become Seated Officers were all the backbone of the Gotei 13. Kentaro, who had risen from the front lines, possessed exceptionally strong mental fortitude. Even after killing so many people, his expression did not change.

"From the moment I sensed the Reiatsu erupting underground, I started killing."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over those scarlet Sharingan eyes before he could not help but praise him.

"So it really is Shikai. I don't know what happened, but from the looks of it, the Horiuchi Family and I picked the wrong person to provoke."

Uchiha Yato did not respond. He merely fixed his eyes on the other man's movements and closed in quickly.

His injuries were too severe; he could not drag this out. Just as Scarlet Eye had said, he had to end this quickly!

As for why Koizumi Kentaro had brutally silenced everyone, it was not a difficult question to answer.

After sensing the Reiatsu erupt underground, Kentaro understood that Uchiha Yato would inevitably kill the Horiuchi father and son and blow the matter wide open.

No matter the outcome, the deaths of a lower noble house's patriarch and heir would certainly draw an investigation from Central 46.

Ambushing a newly admitted student of Shin'ō Academy, forging an admission notice... these were all serious crimes.

For his own safety, silencing everyone was inevitable.

The process of silencing them had been extraordinarily easy, even beyond Koizumi Kentaro's expectations.

The Horiuchi family had never been a noble house known for Reiatsu or martial strength. After moving out of Seireitei, they had placed even more of their focus on business.

Wealth without sufficient strength to protect it was as fragile as thin paper.

"As long as I kill you, no one will ever uncover this."

Watching the boy approach, Koizumi Kentaro's killing intent rose to its peak.

At a certain moment, both men exerted themselves at once, and their bodies vanished from where they stood!

Bzzzz...

The Soul-Cutter Swords collided, producing a series of piercing explosions.

"A special type that directly enhances the body?"

Kentaro shouted as he stared at those Sharingan eyes.

He had used Flash Step to increase his speed and employed a familiar swordsmanship style to amplify the power of his Zanjutsu, yet he was still being suppressed by this rookie who had not even enrolled.

Yato could not be bothered to answer. He simply kept shifting, slashing, and charging, engaging Kentaro in close combat.

The bluestone slabs shattered beneath their tremendous force, and blood continually splashed onto the ground.

The two fought with utter abandon, each exhausting everything they had to kill the other.

At one moment, Yato seized an opening, violently raised his leg, and drove his knee into Koizumi Kentaro's face.

Boom!

Kentaro flew backward like a rag doll, only barely stopping after crashing through a building.

After dispersing the recoil, Yato did not pause for even an instant and charged toward Kentaro!

The Sharingan granted him peerless dynamic vision, while his surging Reiatsu had greatly enhanced his physical abilities.

In a blade-to-blade fight, the lowest-ranking Seated Officer was no longer his match.

However, after running only twenty-odd meters, Uchiha Yato stopped in place and did not advance further.

Dust filled the air amid the ruins of the shattered building ahead.

A powerful Reiatsu howled like a hurricane.

Using his Soul-Cutter Sword as a cane, Koizumi Kentaro limped out.

"What an incredible genius. If you survive tonight, perhaps you could become someone like a lieutenant. What a pity..."

He spat out a mouthful of blood, smeared it over his Soul-Cutter Sword, and his soul resonated with it—

"Reap, Blood Sickle!"

Add bookmark

Return to contents

Report chapter error

Share with friends: