Shunbu Chōjirō left.
He had already obtained the answer the Captain-Commander wanted.
"Don't blame yourself," Ikki Hagan approached Naruto's bedside, placed down two swords, and gently comforted him, "and don't reject this power."
"Though it was a bit unexpected, you really gave us a beating."
"But I'm just a minor seated officer. The captains are way more powerful than I am—they'll definitely be able to solve the major problem in your body."
Naruto lifted his head.
Their eyes met.
Ikki Hagan froze. In those deep blue eyes, there wasn't the fear or hesitation he had imagined.
Instead, they held unwavering determination.
And a sense of apology—toward himself, and toward those teachers.
He… was far stronger than he had thought.
"I'm not rejecting it. It's just…" Naruto clenched his fists. "I just wish I were a little better."
"You brat!" Hagan chuckled and scolded him fondly, giving his hair a rough rub.
Unohana Retsu and Kyōraku Shunsui were both surprised by Naruto's response.
It wasn't something one would expect from a kid not even twenty years old, combining his life before and after death.
It was a good answer.
Mature, strong, reliable.
They had enough time and patience to nurture a gifted but immature youth.
But if he could mature earlier, all the better.
"Now that's what being a man is about," Hirako Shinji chimed in—but his words, as usual, had a bit of a weird twist. "I thought you'd be crying in Hagan-sensei's arms by now."
Naruto gave him a side glance, clearly unimpressed, and turned to Unohana Retsu. "Captain Unohana, what do I need to do to control the power of the Nine-Tails without losing myself?"
"You need to continue practicing your Zanpakutō meditation. You need to meet the spirit of your Zanpakutō," she replied gently, smiling. "Don't rush. You're still young—we can take our time to solve this."
Naruto replied calmly, "I've already done it."
Unohana looked surprised.
"I've already seen it," Naruto pointed to his chest. "During my first Zanpakutō meditation."
"How many did you see?" Kyōraku asked.
Naruto looked confused. "Of course just one."
Kyōraku pondered. "Those of us who wield dual swords are different from Shinigami who use only one. We have two Zanpakutō spirits."
"You can tell just by the names."
"Like my Katen Kyōkotsu, or Ukitake's Sōgyo no Kotowari."
"The Nine-Tails might not be a fake name—but an incomplete one. That's what Captain Unohana meant by 'missing half'."
Two?
Naruto tilted his head.
But in that underground sewer… he only ever saw the Nine-Tails.
"I suspect the reason you can only release one sword is because the one you've released is simply too strong," Kyōraku continued.
He raised his hands, gathering spiritual energy.
In both palms, light spheres appeared—equal in size and power.
"For me and Ukitake, both swords have equal strength, so they can shine equally."
"Captain Unohana mentioned that the sealed power within you has at least a Class-2 spiritual pressure."
"But you, Uzumaki, only have Class-4 or 5."
"That's like this—"
The light in Kyōraku's left hand suddenly flared, bright and blinding, while the one in his right remained unchanged—so overwhelmed by the left that it was nearly invisible unless you looked closely.
"What do you see?"
Naruto wasn't dumb—he was sharp: "The Nine-Tails' glow is too powerful. It overshadows the light of the other Zanpakutō, so I couldn't notice it?"
"Exactly." Kyōraku waved and dismissed the energy spheres.
"So Uzumaki, what you must do now is continue your Zanpakutō training—find the other blade. That might complete its name or help you balance the Nine-Tails' power."
Naruto nodded, deep in thought.
So it's about finding the other piece of his "inner strength"...
"We'll also work on figuring out that strange seal on your body," Unohana added with a gentle smile. "Don't be too anxious."
Naruto looked at them, then at Hagan.
He exhaled long, venting the frustration pent up inside.
As he thought, Soul Society still felt more like home.
He spent half a month recovering in Squad 4. Once Unohana confirmed his emotions wouldn't negatively affect his progress, he was allowed to return to the Spiritual Arts Academy.
Naruto wanted to help Unohana solve the sealing problem—but he knew nothing about sealing techniques.
The ninja academy's textbooks only covered the basics. Sealing arts were a blind spot.
Back at school…
His early graduation process began.
He needed to finish six years' worth of coursework in less than one year.
Besides the basic four arts—Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō—there were also other subjects related to Shinigami duties, like stealth ops, medical aid, intel patrols, and purification combat…
These were usually the most troublesome for early graduates.
But for Naruto, they weren't a big issue.
Many were similar to what he'd already learned at the ninja academy.
Of course…
He had more to learn.
Captain Unohana specifically requested an additional class for Naruto: Kaidō (healing arts). Normally, the Academy only taught Kaidō basics, and full training only began after assignment to Squad 4.
Naruto wanted to refuse.
But… every time he even thought about saying no, he got an eerie, skin-crawling feeling of danger.
Captain Unohana was so gentle, so beautiful…
And yet—he didn't dare say no.
Also, he'd successfully learned the ninjutsu he got from Konoha—Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. Although he no longer liked Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had to admit the man had a good eye. That jutsu suited him well.
Everything was improving.
Except…
There wasn't much progress with "the other sword."
Every Zanpakutō meditation session, he only ever heard the Nine-Tails' voice.
Naruto even tried asking the fox if it was hiding its real name—but whenever he brought it up, the Nine-Tails would explode in rage and kick him out.
Only after several tries did it calm down enough to talk again.
"Nine-Tails" really wasn't its true name—but it refused to tell him what it was.
Half a year passed like that.
The Shinigami he saw most frequently was Fifth Squad Vice-Captain Aizen Sōsuke. He was a very gentle man, visiting almost every week to teach Naruto Kidō, greatly boosting Naruto's progress.
However… their meetings never lasted long—because Captain Hirako Shinji would always show up not long after Aizen arrived.
Although Aizen was kind…
For some reason, Naruto preferred the foul-mouthed, weird, constantly complaining Hirako.
Next to that was Squad 4's Unohana Retsu, who cared deeply for him.
One day—
Naruto was training alone in the gym, as usual.
Ikki Hagan came looking for him. "Naruto, a captain wants to see you. Come with me."
Naruto stopped and looked puzzled. "A captain?"
If it were Unohana or Kyōraku… Hagan wouldn't specifically call them "captain" like that.
"It's the newly appointed captain of Squad 12—Urahara Kisuke," said Hagan. "Seems like he's developed something."
"They say he's pretty amazing. He's got ties with the Shihōin clan. Maybe he'll be able to solve your problem."
They arrived at the office.
As soon as the door opened—
"Yo, Uzumaki-kun! I've heard a lot about you. First time meeting in person though."
The voice reached him before the figure did.
Naruto looked.
It was a man with pale yellow hair, wearing a captain's haori.
Unlike other captains he'd seen—those were all strange in their own ways, but undeniably powerful in presence.
This one…
Had a soft, delicate-looking face.
He seemed fragile. Easy to bully.
There wasn't just one captain in the room.
There was also a dark-skinned beauty sitting cross-legged on the desk, yawning.
The yellow-haired man stepped forward. "I'm Urahara Kisuke, captain of Squad 12 and head of the Research and Development Bureau."
"As for this one…"
"Well…"
He sounded annoyed. "You can basically pretend she doesn't exist."
"You jerk, Urahara!" The dark-skinned woman leapt over and punched him hard. "Introduce me properly!"
Holding his head, Urahara winced. "This is Shihōin Yoruichi, captain of Squad 2. She's very interested in your fox's condition."
"Also, we'll need her help for what comes next."
Then—
He paused. What he was about to say touched on the area he was most confident in. His demeanor became intense.
"I've figured out a few things about your seal—and your problem."
"But it's not something we can discuss here."
"If you're free, would you come with us for a bit?"
(End of Chapter)