The Only Viable Path

"Fighting powerful opponents to the death seemed to temper the density of one's Soul Spirit Particles... It was much like honing the body in the living world, similar to strengthening one's vital energy and blood. More importantly, powerful opponents released a certain amount of spiritual pressure, or Spiritual Might. This aura invisibly affected the bodies of both sides. If one could fight in such a pressurized environment for a long time, one would grow stronger and the spirit particles within one's body would change accordingly."

After walking for a while, Yue found a fairly secluded tree and collapsed beneath it, leaning against the trunk as he murmured softly.

This battle had brought him quite a few realizations.

No wonder Aizen had said that battles between Soul Reapers were fundamentally contests of spiritual pressure.

So that was how it was.

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

With a smile, Yue closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank into sleep.

He was too tired.

Who knew how much time had passed? When he opened his eyes, dazzling sunlight was already filtering through the shade and spilling across the forest floor. It shone on him, warm and comforting.

Some of the wounds on his body had already scabbed over.

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

Unlike when he had left, the still-young Yue now carried a long blade in his hand. It was the sword of the leader he had killed, now his spoils of war. This weapon looked rather valuable and unusual, likely worth quite a bit... The forging craftsmanship of the blade was also quite good.

Yue considered it carefully. This time, he had come to the world of Soul Reapers to hone his actual combat skills and experience, while also tempering his mindset and thinking in battle.

At the same time, he had come to absorb the "source of power" from this world of Soul Reapers.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he had to use ninja methods as little as possible. On one hand, he was worried about exposing himself or drawing attention. On the other, he wanted to better adapt to and integrate into this environment.

"Though a blade this large is somewhat oversized for someone my age, and a little too heavy... compared to the ninja tools of the Fuma Clan, it is already fairly light. It is just not as comfortable as a kunai or dagger... As for kendo and swordsmanship, I learned some basic fundamentals at the Ninja Academy and at home. I can take this opportunity to study them properly. There were quite a few characters in Naruto who were excellent with blades... I can consider making one my close-combat weapon."

On the way back, Yue kept swinging the blade, familiarizing himself with the weapon.

He slung the sheathed sword over his shoulder, one arm pressing down on the scabbard.

This posture looked somewhat incongruous on a young boy, but it was distinctive.

The moment he stepped onto the street, Yue clearly sensed a change from yesterday. Everyone here looked terrified upon seeing him... Some even quickly turned around, rushed back into their dilapidated homes, and shut their doors tight.

It was as if he were a plague god they feared to avoid.

It was no wonder. Everyone had thought he was dead... Yet when they woke up, the residents of this district discovered the corpses of those desperadoes. Let alone the bloodstains, even the remains had not been dealt with by the surviving villains. They had left their companions' corpses exposed beneath the sun, giving off a rotten stench and drawing fireflies.

Rumors had also spread that the leader of District 78 had gone to hunt Yue down... But now, some sharp-eyed people had noticed that the sword Yue carried was the leader's.

That meant... no matter what had happened, the one who survived in the end was this little brat.

Yue ignored the openly and covertly spying gazes around him. Without shifting his eyes, he strode down the street.

At that moment, someone appeared in a manner completely unlike the others and blocked his way.

It was the filthy little girl from yesterday, Harukana.

"Wonderful... You're alive."

Harukana said happily.

Yue gave her a cold glance. Noticing the obscene sounds coming from the wooden shack beside them, his eyes shifted as he stared at her, signaling for her to move aside.

They had only met once. They were not familiar.

Besides, getting involved with him was not a good thing.

For Harukana, it was extremely dangerous.

From their brief interaction, Yue had judged that whenever her mother was "working," Harukana would run out unattended.

"Grrr."

Suddenly, Yue's stomach rumbled with hunger.

Timidly and cautiously, Harukana pulled a small piece of taro from inside her clothes and offered it to him.

Her meaning was obvious.

Yue frowned slightly. "Food? You can feel hunger too?"

This food should have been extremely precious to her.

"Mm, I just went looking through the garbage heap... You can have this." Harukana smiled.

Hunger was not a major problem. It only required endurance.

Although food was extremely scarce on the fringes of the Soul Society Outskirts... there were many things in the wilderness that could be eaten. If one was truly starving, even chewing on grass was an option. In short, hunger was not a big problem. As long as one wanted to survive, there were many ways.

This feeling... was only relatively "fatal" for young children with no real abilities.

"It is already not easy for you to have survived this long..." Yue reached out and accepted it, immediately stuffing the foul-tasting taro into his mouth, chewing it apart and swallowing it whole. "I never take favors from others for nothing. You hid it well, but... your purpose is still far too obvious."

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

Yue asked blandly.

Never underestimate anyone who could "reasonably" survive in a lawless place, even a little girl.

"Can you teach me how to become stronger?"

Hope filled Harukana's eyes.

"No."

Yue answered with two words.

Since she could feel hunger, it meant Harukana possessed a certain talent for growth.

"As for becoming strong... no one else can help you. The only person you can rely on is yourself."

As Harukana stared in astonishment, Yue suddenly turned and walked to the doorway, separated from them by only a few rotten wooden planks.

Then, he raised his straw-sandaled foot and kicked the door open, forcing his way inside.

Sure enough, the moment he entered, he saw two naked people tangled together.

Yue's eyes were cold.

He showed no reaction at all to the sight before him.

The man on the floor froze. The next second, his face reddened with rage. He grabbed a weapon from beside him and prepared to strike, cursing inwardly that this brat had ruined a good thing.

But he was too slow.

The moment the man rose, Yue had already drawn his sword and slashed without a word.

He carved a wound more than a meter long across the man's body. The cut was deep enough to expose bone, and blood sprayed from his chest, splattering across the floor.

"Ahhh!"

The woman who had shrunk into the corner screamed a few times before quickly calming down.

Clearly, killing was not unfamiliar to her either.

It was just that what had happened was too sudden.

Yue had burst in and killed her "customer" without another word.

Although Yue was only a boy, the woman did not dare underestimate him at all... Hidden in her eyes was an undisguised terror.

It was undisguised because, to her and Harukana, death... was something that could come at any moment. They had long become used to it.

The man's blood had splashed all over Yue, staining half his face as well.

It added a touch of savagery to his youthful features.

"Get dressed."

After saying those few words, Yue turned and walked outside, sitting directly on the ground before the doorway.

Harukana, who had hurried over, was dumbfounded as well.

But she realized what he was doing.

The boy had said that he never accepted favors for nothing.

The people on the surrounding streets also noticed what had happened here, but none of them gossiped or discussed it. They merely watched in secret.

Yue closed his eyes and rested.

Only about ten minutes later, two men dressed like wandering samurai appeared, having come after hearing the news.

At a glance, they locked onto the little brat sitting at the entrance.

Yue sensed their murderous gazes. He patted the dust from himself as he rose, looked at the two adult men who were much larger than him, and slowly drew his blade.

"Hm?"

Then, under their somewhat shocked gazes, Yue revealed a strange smile and charged at them first.

For some reason, that smile made their scalps tingle.

Blade light and footwork intertwined and clashed in the street as the battle erupted.

But it did not last long.

Only two or three minutes later, the two adults had fallen at Yue's feet, lying silently in pools of blood.

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

A little while later, just as he had expected, new enemies appeared.

Since this district was lawless territory, the various forces here had to be intertwined, connected to other districts, and bound by territorial interests. For all the desperate hyenas living here, it was absolutely unacceptable for an unstable factor like him to appear on their turf.

Moreover, by consecutively eliminating the people who controlled this area, he had left the "cake" vacant. Someone would certainly come forward to fight for it.

A lone little brat like him would definitely be the first target they needed to eliminate.

Another day passed... uninterrupted fighting and slaughter.

From daylight until nightfall...

At least dozens of enemies died beneath Yue's blade... Fortunately, these people clearly came from different factions and forces. They had not banded together, instead coming in relatively scattered waves to die, with only a few people each time. Mainly because District 77 was not considered part of the core lawless area. The pressure to survive here could not compare to those three districts, Districts 78 through 80. Overall, the people here were not particularly strong, nor were they well organized.

Another reason was that every small group intended to "pick up the leftovers," believing they could gain an advantage.

After all, the little brat before them had been fighting continuously. To outsiders, his stamina had to run out eventually.

But... whenever several people stepped forward, preparing to finish Yue off while he appeared exhausted, they would, without exception, be killed in return.

This pace and intensity of battle happened to be exactly what Yue needed most.

The enemies could not be too strong, nor could they be too dangerous... He first needed to build a solid foundation, become familiar with the feeling of killing, and maintain his mindset.

He needed a great deal of actual combat to "nourish" himself. Through fighting others, he would absorb, imitate, and learn their moves.

Primarily through kendo... Even if it was unorthodox swordsmanship, as long as it could kill, it was a good killing technique.

Of course, he could also train Taijutsu and footwork to some degree, but neither was as direct as swordsmanship.

In other words, three aspects of Slash, Fist, Stride, Ghost: Slash Arts, White Strike, and footwork, excluding Kido.

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

"Where did this little brat come from?"

"Damn it... Where did this freak crawl out from?"

"He has been fighting all day and still has stamina...?"

"Run!"

Under the cover of night, corpses blanketed an open area of the street.

Several enemies stared in shock and fear at Yue, who stood a few meters away. His clothes had been completely dyed red by blood, making him look like a blood-soaked man as he still held his sword and slowly approached them. They could not help cursing.

This had already exceeded the limits of their understanding.

Seeing those cold, spread-open eyes on the boy's bloodstained face, the few of them finally lost all will to fight and turned to flee.

Yue did not chase them. He merely lowered his sword.

He was injured...

If he used ninjutsu, dealing with them would have been much easier.

But he had always fought in the manner of a "Soul Reaper"... This allowed him to learn more, naturally, but it also put him in greater danger.

First and foremost, his "combat power" would decline.

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

He wanted to awaken a stronger will within himself and stimulate his body.

Therefore, he had actually been forcing himself onward this entire time.

He wanted to see how far he could go... and where his current limit lay.

Yue had already received reality's "answer sheet."

"Handling this number of people already feels incredibly strenuous... and that is with the power of another world as my foundation. Kenpachi Zaraki was causing havoc in District 80 when he was about my age. He is simply inhuman!" A thought flashed through Yue's mind.

Without comparison, there was no harm.

Not enough, far from enough...

Yue stood where he was and looked up at the sky, his arms hanging limply at his sides.

His entire body ached. After his opponents left and his mind relaxed slightly, even his vision began to blur.

It seemed that he no longer had the strength to lift his sword again.

"If I cannot even manage this much, what right do I have to talk about surviving in two worlds... or achieving anything great?"

"For someone like me, without bloodline or background, effort may be insignificant, but it is also the only viable path."

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

Looking closely, even his pupils had lost focus.

He truly... had reached his limit.

At that moment, a set of faint footsteps slowly approached.

The instant he heard the sound, Yue, who appeared to have been completely drained, seemed to trigger an instinct. It was also because he had not yet fully "escaped" the atmosphere of continuous slaughter.

He seemed to regain his strength in an instant, gripping his sword hilt tightly as he spun around.

A blade gleaming with killing intent drew a semicircle of silver light through the air in the blink of an eye. The sharp edge reflected his face, one as forbidding as an evil ghost.

However, the blade ultimately stopped at someone's neck without falling.

It was Harukana.

A thin bloody mark appeared on the skin of the girl's neck, and blood trickled out.

She had rashly approached Yue and had nearly been beheaded.

Yet the girl did not panic or scream... She seemed unable to feel the pain at her neck. She only gazed admiringly and reverently at the boy who had turned around, smiling as she said, "If you are tired, then rest for a while."

"..."

Yue regained his clarity and warned coldly, "Do not approach me so casually."

After saying that, he lowered his sword.

He silently walked back to where he had been sitting cross-legged and restored his strength.

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

"Does someone as strong as you have things you are afraid of too?"

Her question stirred ripples in Yue's heart.

The little girl's powers of observation and perception surprised him.

"Powerful?"

"What you understand as powerful and what I understand as powerful are not the same thing."

Yue still had his eyes closed.

"Maybe..."

Harukana only half understood.

Then, looking at Yue, she said, "But in my eyes, you are the strongest person, whether now or in the future."

"So, no matter what you're worried about or afraid of... in the end, you will definitely be the one who wins! I believe they should be the ones who are afraid."

"Childish."

Hearing that, Yue said in a deep voice.