The wind pulled the sky into a chilling cold.
A little girl stood on her tiptoes, observing everything around her.
"Where are we going next?" she asked, casting a glance back at the place colder than the world outside, a dead-like "home", with a hint of confusion in her tone.
She had been standing at the door for over ten minutes.
The man who "rescued" her had no intention of taking her somewhere else.
Gang Myuda Jitan grinned, "No rush."
"We're waiting for someone."
The little girl lowered her head, her voice not showing much disappointment, "Daddy probably won't be back yet."
"He said he would return in a few days."
Gang Myuda Jitan shook his head, "The person we're waiting for isn't your daddy."
The little girl seemed confused.
The man with dark green hair suddenly lifted his head, a mysterious smile on his face, softly saying, "He's coming."
The little girl followed his gaze, looking into the distance.
But she saw nothing, only a dazzling light that flashed by.
Brilliant golden light fell right before them.
"Captain Uzumaki." Gang Myuda Jitan greeted cheerfully, "How nice to see you here."
Naruto ignored him.
Like a fluttering ant, unable to draw attention.
Turning his head, he looked at the little girl, sensing the power within her, "Reiō's Power" and a trace of "Void's Power," and asked, "Are you An Hetianjing?"
"I'm a friend of your father's; he asked me to come get you."
He said, taking something out of his pocket—a "ring."
"You're familiar with this, right?" Naruto's smile was gentle, "It's the tool your father uses for 'Fullbring'."
"It proves that I'm not lying."
An Hetianjing said nothing.
Gang Myuda Jitan laughed, waving a hand, "Captain Uzumaki, you're late."
"This little girl has already agreed to come with me."
Naruto turned his head, "Shut up."
Gang Myuda Jitan laughed merrily, "I can't possibly shut up, just to meet Captain Uzumaki here."
"I have already paid a heavy price."
Naruto raised his hand, "I can make you pay an even greater one."
A surge of pressure burst forth, sending golden chains flying.
With a swooshing sound, the chains bound Gang Myuda Jitan's limbs, pinning him to the wall.
"Resorting to violence at the slightest disagreement," Gang Myuda Jitan's eyes gleamed, his excitement growing, "Captain Uzumaki certainly harbors deep-seated animosity against our Tsunayashiro family."
"Disgust for something as revolting as a maggot can hardly be described as animosity," Naruto shook his head.
Gang Myuda Jitan nodded with feigned seriousness, "Maggots?"
"That is quite a vivid and indeed exquisite description."
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
Is this person deranged?
"Let's discuss some serious matters." Gang Myuda Jitan seemed to want to perform some action, but with his limbs tied, he could only shake his head, "For instance…"
"The secret of the Fullbringers."
"Aren't you curious why the Tsunayashiro family is interested in them?"
Naruto replied coldly, "Because of the Soul King's power?"
"Of course, you know," Gang Myuda Jitan grinned, "Exactly, that's the reason."
"But I need to correct one of your misunderstandings."
"The thing inside them isn't the Soul King's power, but rather a fragment of the Soul King."
Naruto's pupils dilated.
What does this mean?
Power and fragments are fundamentally different.
The latter sounds like body pieces.
"This is knowledge you won't find anywhere in the Soul Society," Gang Myuda Jitan seemed pleased with Naruto's reaction, his tone more joyful, excited, "It's a secret the Tsunayashiro family has hidden since ancient times."
"Allow me to educate you."
"Where should we start?"
"Let's begin at the very beginning."
He looked provocatively at Naruto.
Naruto did not continue to act.
Gang Myuda Jitan slowly continued, "Eons ago, the world was a realm of chaos, neither advancing nor retreating."
"Everything existed in a cycle of spirit particles, and even the Hollow was no exception."
"At a certain point, the Hollow suddenly awakened, starting to devour souls and spirit particles. If this continued unchecked, the entire world would become a great Hollow."
"It was then that the Spirit King emerged and vanquished the Hollow."
"At the same juncture, five sinners appeared, who hoped to exploit the Spirit King's power to divide the world."
"Thus, they ambushed the Spirit King and sealed him away."
"Using the Spirit King as a wedge, the world was split into today's three realms."
"The world of spirit particles, the Soul Society."
"The world of vessels, the Human World."
"And the desert sanctuary banishing Hollows, Hueco Mundo."
Naruto took a deep breath.
"The 'five sinners,' are they the 'Five Great Noble Families'?"
In his mind, the words Aizen once spoke—"Everything in the Soul Society was born in sin"—resonated again in his ears.
"It's not just that," Gang Myuda Jitan clicked his tongue, making a disdainful sound, "Those five sinners feared the Spirit King's power."
"They were afraid that one day he might, by his own strength, break the seal and destroy them, the sinners."
"So they severed the Spirit King's arms, extracted his heart, cut off his legs, and removed his internal organs from his body."
"Shredded them and discarded them to the corners of the world."
"The fragments of the Spirit King within the Fullbringers are from this."
Naruto looked at him.
"The Spirit King's fragments are actually 'corpse pieces.'"
Gang Myuda Jitan's face twisted into a grotesque, chaotic smile.
"Why tell me this?" Naruto drew a deep breath and asked.
Gang Myuda Jitan tilted his head, "Do you know how the Gang Myuda family reacted when they learned you were aware of their actions?"
Naruto did not answer.
"They abandoned me, letting me make a final attempt," he spoke softly, as if recounting a stranger's tale, indifferent in tone, "Regardless of success, I will be a sacrifice."
"A pawn to be used as a gag for you Soul Reapers."
"Of course."
"The Tsunayashiro family won't feel guilty about it; they're a clan rooted in sin."
"That's why I've treated them as expendables."
Naruto reminded him, "You're also a Tsunayashiro."
Jitan Tsunayashiro replied frankly, "Yes, which makes me a born sinner."
"I'm curious, how did you find out about this and prepare in advance?"
"Was it due to some instigation?"
Naruto didn't answer.
"Is the instigator's identity inconvenient to disclose?" Jitan casually shook his head, "Never mind, whoever it is."
"Let me take this moment to thank him."
"If not for him, who knows how long it would have taken for me to make this decision."
Naruto squinted.
What decision?
"Naturally, the reason I revealed this to you," continued Jitan Tsunayashiro, "isn't just the trivial details."
"The main reason is because you're fascinating."
"Someone as upright as you is rare in the Soul Society."
"And you're nothing like Tōsen."
"Who only hides his inner darkness with grandiose justifications."
As he said this, he paused, grinning even more menacingly, "I'm eager to see what your response will be."
"My beloved's answer was far from interesting."
"Captain Uzumaki, give me an interesting reaction."
Naruto looked at him with furrowed brows, disgust in his eyes, "When you say beloved, you can't mean that woman named 'Gaku'."
"Who else?" Jitan whispered calmly.
Naruto shook his head, "I can't believe you could say something like that."
Jitan Tsunayashiro's expression was serene, self-righteous, "Gaku has fragments of the Spirit King within her, and falling into the hands of the Tsunayashiro family... What fate do you think awaits her?"
"I killed her to free her."
"Besides, that woman was incredibly naive."
"Even upon learning of her predicament, she felt no pain and could say something like 'You've come to save me'."
"Hehehe."
"What will you do?"
"Will you act like that naive woman, trying to disperse the dark clouds so that people can see the stars?"
Naruto gripped his sword.
Gang Myuda Jitan remained amused, "Can't hold back anymore?"
"Captain Uzumaki,"
"Are you going to kill me?"
"I'm not inclined to believe your words entirely," Naruto kept his sword sheathed, his tone calm. "Perhaps the truth isn't far from what you claim."
"But," he thought of Yoruichi Shihōin, of Isshin Shiba and Kaien Shiba, as well as Ginrei Kuchiki and Byakuya Kuchiki.
Though they all hailed from the 'Five Great Noble Families', the 'five sinners' descendants as Gang Myuda Jitan called them, their aura was entirely different from the chaos and sinfulness of the Tsunayashiro family.
Moreover, the Tsunayashiro family had always been antagonistic towards the Shiba family.
"I believe there are those who will choose a path completely opposite to yours," Naruto stated impassively.
He approached Gang Myuda Jitan, "I won't part the clouds for people to see stars."
"I will become the sun."
"So that wretches like you will vanish under its scorching light."
Gang Myuda Jitan frowned, his features twisted with diminished interest. "Do you still wish to uphold this sinful realm of the Soul Society?"
"What I wish to protect are my friends, seniors, juniors," Naruto replied without hesitation.
"Light and darkness coexist."
"The task is to remove darkness, not destroy 'light' alongside it."
"I have enough patience to identify and eliminate scoundrels like you."
He paused, his tone stern as he extended his hand, a sealing technique forming in his palm, "I will spare your life for now."
"Next, I will uncover the truth of this matter."
"And then I'll turn you despicable beings"
"into the human pillars of this world."
"Just as your ancestors did, as you say."
(End of Chapter)