Naruto swung his sword, slashing down with relentless force.
The clang of blades clashing resounded, sparks flying in the air.
At first, Kaname Tōsen managed to barely hold his ground, but with each stroke, Naruto's blade grew faster and more powerful.
Already blind, Tōsen was inherently disadvantaged in close combat.
His spiritual pressure was also weaker than Naruto's.
In the blink of an eye, his true skill was exposed, leaving him struggling to defend himself, utterly flustered and overwhelmed.
"Is this all you've got?" Naruto coldly remarked, his voice devoid of warmth. "No wonder you hide and cower."
"But at this level, who can you possibly defeat?"
With a few more strikes, Naruto had already inflicted several wounds on Tōsen, blood spilling forth.
Whether it was swordsmanship, flash step, spiritual pressure, or even combat awareness, Naruto utterly dominated him.
They were simply not opponents on the same level.
"Captain Uzumaki," yet Tōsen remained composed, speaking with confidence, "you are a genius."
"Perhaps in a few decades, I would never be able to catch up with your footsteps."
"But at least for now,"
"there remains a vast chasm between us."
Tōsen lifted his sword.
"Captain Uzumaki, until now, you have been a good person."
"But for true justice, I have no choice but to eliminate you here."
"Perish in the loss of your five senses."
"Bankai—"
"Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi."
His sword emitted a faint buzzing sound, the ring around its hilt spinning and detaching from the blade, splitting into nine segments, each swiftly darting to different positions, creating a formidable barrier.
In an instant, a darkness more potent than night consumed the entire space.
Naruto's body stiffened.
The world around him fell silent, his eyes unable to see anything, let alone sense any spiritual pressure.
"Loss of the five senses."
So this is what it feels like.
Tōsen relaxed as he approached Naruto, speaking softly, "A world of dark silence is terrifying, isn't it?"
"The darkness in the Seireitei is many times worse than this."
"But then again, you probably can't hear me anyway."
He stopped slowly in front of Naruto, raising his sword.
"Let me show you the true terror of darkness in this ignorant hell."
The sword slashed down.
Clang––
But this time, the strike was impeccably blocked.
Kaname Tōsen was shocked.
How did he do it? Even in this state, he managed to intercept the attack.
Inside the mental world.
"He's directly ahead, full of malice," Kurama's voice echoed, displeased, "Hurry and take this enemy down."
"My senses... are obscured as well."
Kurama's senses rely on Naruto, so within this barrier, they too were sealed.
However, since they shared the same body, their communication happened through the mind, avoiding the sword's influence.
Naruto grinned.
Chanting the release phrase, he activated his Shikai.
Golden body with six arms, light blooming, dispelling a small patch of darkness.
However, nobody could witness this glimmer of light.
Kaname Tōsen's vision was impaired.
And Naruto had his sight taken by Tōsen's "Bankai."
"Losing the five senses" didn't throw him into panic or hesitation; instead, he boldly thrust "Asura" forward.
Still aiming straight ahead.
Kaname Tōsen barely dodged.
"This time to the right," Kurama prompted again.
Naruto swung his blade, hands moving at lightning speed.
The other two hands clasped together, golden chains extending, haphazardly striking around.
Kaname Tōsen struggled to fend off the attack.
The pressure in his heart grew immensely.
The activation of Bankai hadn't significantly changed the situation; Naruto, being guided by Kurama, was only slightly delayed in his attacks.
Even so, with this level of delay...
Naruto's swordsmanship still surpassed Kaname Tōsen.
What made it even harder for Tōsen to fend off was Naruto gradually getting used to fighting in this "sensory deprivation" environment; in his inner world, Kurama's guidance was also becoming more precise.
Moreover, only his "five senses" were stripped away—his sense of touch remained.
The information fed back from his adamantine chains allowed Naruto, even without sight, hearing, or smell, to mentally construct a fairly complete battlefield.
He knew exactly where the enemy was, what techniques he needed to use, and what he had to do next.
Everything was crystal clear in his mind.
After several rounds.
The "Nine-Tails" slashed Tōsen's shoulder, and "Asura" pierced his abdomen.
Spiritual pressure collapsed, the barrier shattered, and the five senses returned.
Naruto held both swords, calmly staring at the man opposite him: "Even with your Bankai unleashed, this is all you amount to."
"You won't need to wait several decades; already now, you're far behind."
"Your abilities are even uglier than your words."
Once the barrier was broken, he could clearly perceive Tōsen's spiritual pressure, which after Bankai had increased five to ten times, yet was only at the level of a third-class spirit power.
In the inner world, Kurama spoke: "This aura and malice
""were the ones that appeared suddenly when those captains were hollowfied and attacked you."
Naruto was not surprised; he walked to Tōsen's side and gently asked, "Who is controlling you?"
"Is it that man?"
Before facing Tōsen, Naruto had his doubts whether this person might be the culprit behind the persecution of the captains.
But after the fight, the suspicion vanished.
This man's sword could deprive the five senses.
He was indeed the one who appeared that day to attack him.
But he could not possibly be the mastermind.
Even the breaking of the Bankai left Tōsen's expression hardly altered.
But that single question
rendered him unable to control his face, his features twisting in extreme shock.
"You're too weak," Naruto stated calmly, articulating a fact, "This kind of ability simply can't handle them."
"You just can't."
In terms of both strength and intelligence, Tōsen just wasn't qualified.
The thought that a guy far less smart than himself could force Kisuke Urahara into such a situation seemed impossible.
Kaname Tōsen's expression gradually returned to calm, his tone leveling out, "As expected, you are the greatest obstacle on the path of justice."
"I once naively thought you could have been an ally."
"What a shame, Captain Uzumaki."
"Allow me to show you the power of ultimate evolution."
He raised his sword again.
A bony liquid erupted from his body, forming a mask over his face, covering his features completely.
Meanwhile, as Naruto engaged Tōsen, those Hollows had already been dealt with.
The two captains and their subordinates surrounded them.
"Tōsen!" Komamura Zajin's voice cracked with anger, his eyes burning with rage, "How could you fall to this level!"
Naruto reached out, casting the "Four Symbols Seal" with a sweeping gesture.
But.
In that instant, an even stronger spiritual pressure erupted from Tōsen's body.
He vanished suddenly, reappearing several positions away from Naruto.
"It's useless." Tōsen whispered, extending his hand to place it over his chest, "I am different from those defective products."
"They accepted it passively."
"But I embrace it actively."
"This is the Shinigami's... evolution!"
As he spoke, he removed the hand he had just placed over his chest.
The flesh seemed to dissolve, revealing a hole the size of a fist.
This was the "Hollow's Heart," like the "Mask," a distinctive trait of the Hollow beings.
The Shinigami were shocked and filled with dread.
A mask, an empty hollow.
They watched helplessly as a Shinigami, who had mastered Bankai, willingly degraded himself into this fearsome, grotesque form called "Hollow."
So it was truly him, who had targeted the members of the Sixth Squad.
Was he the culprit behind their Hollowification and demise?
Tōsen raised his sword again.
Naruto leaped at him, ready to strike once more.
Having become a "Hollow," Tōsen's spiritual pressure had augmented somewhat.
Yet, he was inherently weak, and even with the boost, he remained not much stronger.
The spiritual pressure didn't even surpass the 'Third Grade.'
Moreover, in this state, there was no qualitative change; his eyes hadn't recovered and remained blind.
Under relentless attacks, his injuries increased, while Naruto barely showed any change.
Embarrassed and frustrated, Kaname Tōsen retreated from the battlefield, leaping into the air and stood firmly, opening his mouth wide: "Then try this power."
Spiritual particles gathered at his mouth, radiating a black light.
Naruto immediately remembered the technique used by the Hollows.
Since falling and becoming a Hollow, had he mastered even the Cero?
Naruto also opened his mouth.
Inside his body, six arms emerged, aiding the effort in front of his mouth.
Spiritual particles also gathered, forming the Tailed Beast Bomb.
But moments later, Tōsen's body suddenly twisted as the balance between the 'Hollow' and 'Shinigami' powers within him was not well maintained, and the energy compression technique of the Cero completely disrupted the balance in his body.
The Cero failed to erupt and exploded inside him like a time bomb.
His head was obliterated into ash.
Only his lifeless form floated down to the ground.
Naruto dispelled the Tailed Beast Bomb, stared at the corpse, and with a wave of his hand, sent golden chains flying to retrieve it.
He turned his head, gazing towards Sōsuke Aizen.
That man stood amidst the crowd, accompanied by Gin Ichimaru, raising a hand to adjust his glasses. It was no surprise to him that Naruto would look his way, responding with a gentle and polite smile.
"Regroup and return, report to the Head Captain." Naruto sealed the corpse.
Sōsuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru leisurely walked at the very end.
"Captain Aizen is still as ruthless as ever." Gin remarked cheerfully, his tone bright despite the words, "Such a shame about Tōsen, he didn't suspect from the start he was forsaken."
Aizen quietly commented: "A foolish and weak individual cannot bear the cost of traveling with us."
"Rejecting a wrong path for us."
"Is his most commendable contribution."
"But Naruto seems convinced it's Captain Aizen." Gin swayed, "That last look of his was truly intimidating, as if he wanted to devour Captain Aizen."
Aizen smiled: "Wasn't it me who informed him?"
"If Naruto-kun cannot even see through such a hint, he would be rather disappointing."
"Will you meet him with me tonight?"
Gin glanced back.
The aftermath of the battle cleared the mountain mist, leaving only a scene of chaos.
"Captain Uzumaki still trusts me."
"Captain Aizen, are you so quick to discard me?"
(End of Chapter)