Karakura Town, a deserted garden in a secluded area.
The reishi from the purified Hollow still lingered in the air.
Kurosaki ichigo propped his massive Zanpakuto on the ground.
In front of him, Rukia Kuchiki patiently guided him.
…
That’s right, just like that.
Rukia looked at Kurosaki ichigo with a serious expression, “Lightly touch the hilt of the Zanpakuto to his forehead.”
“This ritual is called ‘Soul Burial’.
It cleanses his attachment to the Human World, allowing him to peacefully proceed to the Soul Society.”
Kurosaki ichigo nodded, half-understanding, as he looked at the Soul of the little boy with a bewildered expression.
He gently pressed the hilt of the Zanpakuto onto the boy’s forehead.
“Buzz—”
A soft Kido array lit up, and the bewilderment on the boy’s face instantly transformed into a relieved smile.
His body turned into specks of light, slowly sinking into the array.
“You did well, Ichigo.”
Rukia finally showed a hint of approving smile on her face.
“Hehe, it’s nothing!”
Kurosaki ichigo scratched his head, a curious look on his face, “Didn’t you say before that you were out of power and couldn’t return to the Soul Society by yourself?
Can this ‘Soul Burial’ send you back?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Rukia’s eyes widened instantly.
“Thwack!”
“Ouch!”
Kurosaki ichigo clutched his head, which had been sharply struck, and looked back with teary eyes.
Rukia stood in a punching pose, fuming and stomping her feet.
“You idiot, what on earth are you thinking?!”
She pointed at her nose, roaring exasperatedly, “What do you think Soul Burial is?
A bus?
You can just get on whenever you want?!”
“I was just asking…” Ichigo mumbled, feeling wronged.
“Even just asking is not allowed!”
Rukia put her hands on her hips, then couldn’t help but poke Ichigo’s forehead fiercely with her finger.
“Listen carefully, Soul Burial is the duty of a Shinigami.
It’s a ritual to guide lost ‘Plus’ to the Soul Society.
It’s useless for a Shinigami, understand?”
Just then, a cold voice, without any warning, came from not far away, breaking the brief moment of warmth.
“It seems you’re not like this idiot who can be pushed to the brink by ordinary Hollows.”
“Who?!” Ichigo and Rukia were startled simultaneously, turning their heads sharply.
Uchiha Sasuke was leaning against the trunk of a large tree, arms crossed, looking at them coldly, having stood there for an unknown amount of time.
“It’s you.”
Kurosaki ichigo relaxed his furrowed brow.
Sasuke ignored him, simply fixing his gaze on Rukia: “The duty of a Shinigami?
Guiding lost Souls?
You certainly remember these boring rules very well.”
“That’s only natural!” Rukia puffed out her chest, retorting seriously, “Slaying Hollows and performing Soul Burial is our mission and rule as Shinigami!”
“Rules?” Hearing Rukia’s words, Sasuke seemed to recall something and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Without saying more, he shifted his gaze to Kurosaki ichigo: “It seems you’re not as useless as I imagined.”
This sudden compliment stunned both Ichigo and Rukia.
They both thought Sasuke would once again unleash a series of sharp and sarcastic remarks, just like last time.
Sasuke ignored their surprised expressions and continued speaking to himself: “Since you’ve mastered the basic work of a Shinigami, that’s good.”
He straightened up, a hint of impatience on his face.
“From now on, you’ll handle these small fry that appear in Karakura Town.”
“Huh?!” Kurosaki ichigo pointed at his nose as if he hadn’t heard clearly, “I handle them?
What about you?
Aren’t you a Shinigami?!”
“I have more important things to do.”
Sasuke answered bluntly, with no intention of explaining, “Don’t compare me to a substitute Shinigami like you who handles miscellaneous tasks.”
Having said that, he prepared to turn and leave.
Just as he was about to take a step, his foot paused slightly.
An unusual feeling made him instinctively turn his head, and his Sharingan once again locked onto Kurosaki ichigo.
Something’s not right…
Sasuke’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He hadn’t observed carefully last night, but now that he calmed down, he realized that the Spiritual Pressure within this orange-haired guy seemed a bit too immense.
It was definitely not merely the level of power Rukia had transferred to him.
This immense Spiritual Pressure immediately reminded him of the demonic fox sealed behind the giant fence in Naruto’s mental world.
Although the aura was completely different, the essence of “another power existing within one body” was strikingly similar.
Are they the same type of thing?
Must confirm with his own eyes.
To verify his conjecture, three dark tomoe quietly emerged in Sasuke’s eyes, slowly rotating.
In Konoha, Kakashi Hatake once said that his Sharingan could copy most Ninjutsu.
However, he was powerless against the Kido Sasuke used, because the Sharingan could copy the flow of Chakra and hand Seals, but it couldn’t analyze or imitate Kido, which was composed of pure reishi.
However, this posed no obstacle for Sasuke.
His Sharingan had evolved in the reishi-filled environment of the Soul Society, and had long adapted to the presence of spiritual power.
For him, whether it was the Chakra formed by the combination of mental and physical energy in the Ninja World, or the pure reishi of the Shinigami World, both could be analyzed by his Sharingan.
At this moment, under the gaze of his slowly rotating Sharingan, the surging spiritual power within Kurosaki ichigo was completely exposed.
Sasuke clearly saw another power, completely different from that of a Shinigami.
It was distinct from the blue Shinigami power, yet strangely intertwined with it.
“Indeed…” Sasuke understood in his heart, “Just like that idiot Naruto, this guy also has something else inside him.”
What exactly was this black power?
With this question, Sasuke pushed the insight of his Sharingan to its limit, attempting to penetrate that black ocean and discern its deepest essence.
Just then—
A sudden change occurred!
The previously calm black power, as if sensing the presence of a prying observer, suddenly stirred up tumultuous waves.
“Ugh!”
Sasuke grunted, feeling a sharp pain in his eyes, as if countless steel needles were piercing them.
He abruptly closed his eyes, his body uncontrollably stumbling backward a step.
Fresh red blood slowly trickled down the corner of his tightly closed right eye.
His Sharingan, in the depths of that black power, vaguely captured a blurry afterimage.
A man in a black trench coat, wearing translucent sunglasses, with a stern expression.
“Hey!
What’s wrong with you?!”
Kurosaki ichigo was startled by the sudden turn of events.
He saw Sasuke suddenly cover his eyes, with blood flowing from the corner, and quickly stepped forward, asking anxiously.
Rukia also showed a look of surprise and uncertainty.
She hadn’t understood what had just happened, only feeling Sasuke’s aura become extremely chaotic for a moment.
…Damn it.
Sasuke gritted his teeth against the intense pain, slowly opening his eyes.
He stared intently at the bewildered Ichigo.
Although it was brief, that pure power was definitely not something a mere substitute Shinigami could possess.