The Only Viable Path

"By clashing with powerful opponents, it seems one can temper the density of their own Soul Spirit Particles... This is similar to refining the body in the real world, akin to improving Blood Essence. Primarily, powerful opponents release a certain Spiritual Pressure or Spiritual Might. This aura will invisibly affect the bodies of both sides. If one can fight for a long time in such a pressurized environment, they will become stronger and stronger, and the Spiritual Particles within their body will also change accordingly."

After walking for a short while, Yue found a relatively hidden tree and leaned against it, mumbling softly.

This battle had given him many insights.

No wonder Aizen said that the essence of a battle between Soul Reapers is the confrontation of Spiritual Pressure.

So that's how it is.

"District 78... Heh heh, I definitely have to go take a look."

He chuckled, closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank into slumber.

He was too tired.

After an unknown amount of time, when he opened his eyes, blinding light was already filtering through the tree canopy and onto the forest floor, warming his body.

Some of his wounds had already scabbed over.

He found a water source nearby, cleaned himself up briefly, and returned to the district.

Unlike when he left, he now held a Long Saber in his young hands. This was the saber of the leader he had killed, and it had become his spoils of war. This weapon appeared quite valuable and special, likely worth a considerable sum... The forging craftsmanship of the blade was also quite good.

Yue thought carefully. His purpose for coming to the world of Bleach this time was to hone his practical combat skills and experience, and to temper his mindset and thinking during battles.

It was also to absorb the 'source of power' of the Bleach world.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he would try to use ninja techniques as little as possible. On one hand, he was worried about exposing himself or attracting attention, and on the other hand, it was to better adapt and integrate into this environment.

"Although for myself at this age, this Blade is a bit overpowered with its large size and excessive weight... fortunately, compared to the Ninja Tools of the Fuma Clan, it's already considered relatively light. It's just not as comfortable to use as Kunai or daggers... As for swordsmanship and saber techniques, I've learned some superficial basics in the Ninja Academy and at home, so I can take this opportunity to properly advance my skills. In Naruto, there are quite a few characters who are excellent with swords... I can consider it as a personal weapon."

On the way back, Yue continuously swung the Blade, getting familiar with the weapon.

He carried the closed scabbard on his shoulder, one arm pressing down on the blade.

This posture and appearance, on a young boy, was somewhat incongruous but very distinctive.

And as he stepped into the street, Yue clearly sensed a change from yesterday. Everyone he saw looked at him with fear... Some even quickly turned back into their dilapidated houses and shut their doors tightly.

It was as if he were a plague god, whom they couldn't avoid fast enough.

It wasn't surprising. Everyone thought he was already dead... But after waking up, the residents of this district found the bodies of those desperate criminals. Not to mention bloodstains, even their remains were left unhandled by the surviving villains, their companions' corpses exposed to the sun, emitting a foul odor and attracting fireflies.

There were also rumors circulating that the leader of District 78 had gone to hunt Yue... But now, some observant individuals had noticed the saber Yue was carrying was the leader's.

This meant... no matter what happened, the one who survived was this brat.

Yue ignored the gazes, both overt and covert, that were peeking at him, and walked down the street with his head held high, striding purposefully.

At this moment, one person appeared, uncharacteristically, and blocked his path.

It was the dirty little girl from yesterday, named Harukana.

"That's great... you're still alive."

Harukana said happily.

Yue glanced at her coldly. Noticing the lewd sounds coming from a nearby wooden house, his eyes flickered as he stared at her, gesturing for her to move aside.

They had only met once and were not close.

Moreover, getting involved with him would not be a good thing.

It would be very dangerous for Harukana.

From their brief interaction, it seemed that whenever her mother was 'working,' Harukana would run out unsupervised.

"Gulp."

Suddenly, Yue's stomach rumbled with hunger.

Harukana timidly and cautiously took out a small piece of taro from her clothes and offered it to him.

The meaning was self-evident.

Yue frowned, "Food? You get hungry too?"

This food must be very precious to her.

"Yeah, I just dug through the trash heap... I'll give this to you." Harukana smiled.

Hunger wasn't a big problem, it just required endurance.

Although food was scarce in the outskirts of the Soul Society... there were many things to forage in the wild. If he were truly starving, gnawing on grass wouldn't be out of the question. In short, hunger wasn't a major issue; as long as one wanted to live, there were many ways.

This feeling... was 'fatal' only for young children with little ability.

"It's already not easy for you to have survived this long..." Yue took it, immediately putting the unappetizing taro into his mouth, crushing it, and swallowing it whole. "I never take benefits for nothing. Although you hide it well, your... intention is too obvious."

"Tell me... what do you want?"

Yue asked calmly.

Don't underestimate anyone who can 'reasonably' survive in a lawless area, even a little girl.

"Can you teach me how to become stronger?"

Hope flickered in Harukana's eyes.

"No."

Yue replied with two words.

Since she could feel hunger, it meant Harukana also had some talent for growth.

"Strength... no one else can help you with that. The only one you can rely on is yourself."

As he spoke, under Harukana's stunned gaze, Yue suddenly turned and walked to the doorway, separated only by a few rotten wooden boards.

Then, he lifted his straw-sandaled foot and kicked the door open, forcefully entering.

As soon as he stepped inside, he indeed saw two naked people entangled.

Yue's eyes were cold.

He showed no reaction to the scene before him.

The man on the ground froze. The next second, his face flushed red, and his expression turned angry. He grabbed a weapon beside him, ready to attack, cursing the kid for ruining his good time.

But his speed was too slow.

As the man got up, Yue had already drawn his sword and swung it without a word.

He opened a gash more than a meter long on the man's body. The wound was deep enough to see bone, and blood sprayed from his chest, splattering all over the ground.

"Ahhhhh!"

The woman, who had shrunk into a corner, first let out a few screams, then calmed down.

Clearly, killing was not something new to her.

However, the current situation was too sudden.

Yue had burst in and killed her "customer" without a second thought.

Although Yue was just a boy, the woman didn't dare to underestimate him... Her eyes hid a calm fear.

It was calm because, for her and Harukana, death was a constant possibility, something they were long accustomed to.

The man's blood also splattered all over Yue, staining half of his face.

It added a touch of ferocity to his young face.

"Get dressed."

After saying a few words, Yue turned and left the room, sitting down on the ground right by the entrance.

Harukana, who had been rushing over, was also stunned.

But she realized what he was doing.

The boy had said he never accepted favors for free.

The people on the street also noticed what was happening, but they didn't gossip or discuss it, only observing the situation from the shadows.

Yue closed his eyes to rest.

About ten minutes later, two figures dressed as ronin samurai appeared, having heard the commotion.

They immediately locked onto the little brat sitting at the entrance.

Yue sensed their murderous intent, patted his butt, and stood up. He looked at the two adult men, much larger than himself, and slowly drew his sword.

"Hm?"

Then, to their somewhat shocked expressions, Yue actually flashed a strange smile and charged at them.

For some reason, that smile made them feel uneasy.

The glint of blades and their movements intertwined on the street, clashing and fighting fiercely.

But it didn't last long.

In just two or three minutes, the two adults fell at Yue's feet, lying quietly in pools of blood.

After killing them, Yue flicked the blood off his blade, returned to his original spot, and waited quietly.

After a while longer, just as he had predicted, new enemies appeared.

This district, being a lawless area, must have had complex factions and ties to other districts, as well as territorial disputes. For all the desperate hyenas living here, they absolutely wouldn't tolerate an unstable element like him appearing in their territory.

Furthermore, his successive elimination of the people controlling this area meant the "cake" was now empty, and someone was bound to step up and fight for it.

A lone kid like him would surely be the first target they'd want to eliminate.

Another day... non-stop fighting, killing.

He fought from day till night...

At least dozens of enemies had fallen by Yue's blade... Fortunately, these people clearly came from different factions or forces. They didn't band together but came in relatively scattered waves to their deaths, with only a few at a time. The main reason was that District 77 wasn't the core area of the lawless zone, and the survival pressure wasn't as high as in Districts 78-80. Overall, the combat power of the inhabitants wasn't too high, and their organization wasn't strong.

Another point was that each small group these people formed intended to "pick up the scraps," thinking they could take advantage.

After all, the kid in front of them had been fighting continuously, and in the eyes of others, his stamina would eventually run out.

However... every time a few people stepped forward, preparing to deliver the finishing blow when Yue appeared exhausted, they would, without exception, be killed in return.

This rhythm and intensity of combat were exactly what Yue needed.

He couldn't be too strong, nor too dangerous… He needed to build a solid foundation first, get used to the feeling of combat, and maintain his state of mind.

He needed a lot of real combat to 'nourish' himself, and by clashing with others, he could absorb, and even imitate and learn their techniques.

Focusing on swordsmanship… even if it was unconventional swordsmanship, as long as it could kill… it was a good killing technique.

Of course, he could also train his Taijutsu and footwork to some extent, just not as directly as his swordsmanship.

This meant the Slash Arts, White Strike, and Footwork aspects of Slash, Fist, Stride, Ghost, excluding Kido.

He was like a shriveled sponge, soaking up water and constantly growing stronger.

"Where did this kid come from?"

"Damn it… where did such a freak appear from?"

"He's been fighting all day, does he even have any stamina left…"

"Let's go!"

Under the dark night, an open space on the street was covered in corpses.

Several enemies, shocked and terrified, stared at Yue, who stood a few meters away. His clothes were already stained red with blood, making him look like a blood-soaked figure still holding his saber and slowly approaching them. They couldn't help but curse.

This was beyond their comprehension.

Looking at the pair of cold, gloomy pupils in the boy's blood-streaked face, the few men finally lost their will to fight, turned, and fled.

Yue didn't chase after them; he simply lowered his saber.

He was injured…

If he had used Ninjutsu, he would have handled it more easily.

But he had consistently fought in the style of a 'Bleach', which allowed him to learn more. However, he was also taking on greater risks.

First, his 'combat power' would decline.

Of course, all of this was done under the premise of ensuring his absolute safety.

He wanted to awaken his stronger will and stimulate his body.

So, he had actually been pushing himself the entire time.

He wanted to see what he was capable of… and where his current limits lay.

The 'answer' reality had given him, Yue had already received.

"I'm already struggling to deal with this many opponents… and that's with the foundation of power from another world. And Kenpachi Zaraki, who's about my age, is causing chaos in District 80. He's not human!" A thought flashed through Yue's mind.

There's no harm without comparison.

Not enough, far from enough…

Yue stood in place, looking up at the sky, his arms hanging limply.

His whole body ached. After the opponents left, his mental tension eased slightly, and his vision even became somewhat blurry.

It seemed he didn't even have the strength to lift his saber again.

"If I can't even do this much, how can I talk about surviving in two worlds… and achieving great things?"

"For someone like me, without bloodline or background, effort might be insignificant, but it's the only viable path."

Yue's consciousness was becoming scattered, and his body tilted.

If one looked closely, even his pupils were unfocused.

He had truly… reached his limit.

At this moment, a faint sound of footsteps slowly approached.

Hearing the movement, Yue, who seemed to have been completely drained, instantly reacted as if triggered by 'instinct'. This was also because he hadn't fully 'detached' from the constant atmosphere of combat.

He seemed to instantly gain strength, gripped the saber hilt, and spun around.

A killing intent-filled saber aura flashed, drawing a silver arc in mid-air. The sharp blade reflected his face, which looked like that of a demon, unapproachable.

However, the saber's edge finally stopped at a person's neck; it didn't cut.

It was Harukana.

A thin bloodstain appeared on the girl's neck, and blood flowed out.

She had approached Yue rashly and was almost decapitated.

However, the girl didn't panic or cry out… She didn't seem to feel the pain on her neck. Instead, she looked at the boy who had turned around with admiration and reverence, and smiled, "If you're tired, take a break."

"…"

Yue regained his composure and coldly warned, "Don't come near me so casually."

After speaking, he lowered his saber.

He silently walked back to his original spot where he had been meditating, conserving his energy.

Harukana looked at Yue, who had fallen silent, and suddenly asked, "What are you afraid of?"

"Someone as strong as you… has things they're afraid of too?"

A ripple went through Yue's mind at the little girl's question.

The girl's observational skills and perception surprised him.

"Powerful?"

"The 'powerful' you understand and the 'powerful' I understand are not the same thing."

Yue kept his eyes closed.

"Perhaps..."

Harukana didn't quite understand.

Then, she looked at Yue, "But in my eyes, you are the most powerful person, now and in the future."

"So, whatever you're worried about, whatever you're afraid of... in the end, you will be the one to win! I believe they should be the ones who are afraid."

"Childish."

Yue said in a deep voice upon hearing this.