Naruto was a bit unaccustomed to his new identity as a "genius."
He was also not used to being the focus of so many "friendly" and "enthusiastic" gazes.
It was a treatment completely opposite to, and worlds apart from, what he had experienced in Konoha.
The drastic psychological contrast made him inevitably anxious and uneasy.
He worried whether he truly had talent.
He worried that once the "truth" was exposed, his classmates would laugh at him again, and his teachers would continue to look down on him.
But after enrolling...
Naruto learned a new word: "the man of Qi worries over nothing."
He truly was a genius.
The four main courses at Shin'o Academy were "Sword, Fist, Step, and Demon" (斩拳走鬼).
"Sword" referred to swordsmanship; Shinigami are warriors who fight using Zanpakutō, and the sword is like a second half of their soul.
"Fist" referred to Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat), which matched Naruto's concept of Taijutsu completely.
"Step" referred to Shunpo, a body-movement technique for quick mobility.
In these three aspects, Naruto stood out significantly, especially in Shunpo. While other students were struggling to grasp the basics, Naruto had already mastered it. This movement technique seemed like something ingrained in his body—activated as soon as he touched it.
His talents in swordsmanship and Hakuda were less remarkable compared to others who were more gifted in those areas.
But Naruto worked hard.
From a young age, he had an extraordinary healing speed, and this ability followed him into the Soul Society.
No matter how hard others worked, their bodies could only handle training for seven or eight hours a day.
Naruto, on the other hand, could train for 14 to 16 hours!
He wanted to quickly fulfill the "potential" that Dean Hōka had mentioned.
He wanted to become a captain as soon as possible.
He wanted to find his parents quickly and have a home.
Among the four main courses, the only one where Naruto performed poorly—or even disastrously—was "Demon" (鬼).
"Demon" referred to Kidō, a technique that uses spiritual energy through incantations to create spells, similar to Ninjutsu in Konoha.
While his classmates had already learned the "First Spell of Destruction" and "First Spell of Binding" and were moving on to more advanced techniques, Naruto's attempts at "Spell #1: Sho (Thrust)" were still laughably weak—so weak that a gust of wind from a fart might have been stronger.
This frustrated Naruto.
It wasn't that he lacked talent; his learning progress wasn't slower than others.
It was just that he couldn't use it.
When he was alive, it was the same, though back then, he didn't know why.
Now, in death, it was the same, but after learning about spiritual energy, Naruto could clearly feel that the reason he couldn't use Kidō was that there was a strange force inside him interfering.
He didn't know how to explain this to his teachers, nor did he want to bring up those worries he had as a "man of Qi."
But not every school was the Ninja Academy, and not every teacher was like the teachers there. People in the Soul Society were very different from those in Konoha. The Shinigami who taught Kidō didn't scold Naruto but instead patiently and kindly guided him.
After understanding Naruto's situation, the teacher didn't see it as a lack of talent. Instead, they attributed the interference in his spiritual energy to the sheer abundance of it, which Naruto had yet to fully control. The interference was just an illusion caused by this excess.
This was "the burden of a genius," the teacher explained, and it could be resolved with more spiritual control practice.
With his teacher's reassurance and his classmates' encouragement, Naruto gradually regained his confidence and even found himself in the same mindset he'd had when developing the "Sexy Jutsu"—he wasn't completely talentless. After all, his "Sexy Jutsu," which he had worked hard on, was exceptional.
Though his progress in Kidō was slow, it was visibly improving.
Academically, Naruto was excelling.
Socially, he was thriving.
His classmates liked Naruto and took care of him—not because of his talent but because of his age. Naruto was the youngest in the class, whether considering his age of 12 before death or the three years he had spent in the Soul Society.
Two months passed.
The freshmen settled into the academy. Those who couldn't keep up had dropped out, and the time had come for the sword-granting ceremony.
In Class 1...
The teacher announced loudly: "Finally, the moment has arrived."
"The day you receive your Zanpakutō."
"From today onward, you can be called Shinigami apprentices until your graduation."
With that, the teacher knocked on the table.
"It's also time to explain the graduation rules at Shin'o Academy."
"There are two ways to graduate."
"One is to complete six years of study. Even in this top-performing Class 1, this is the only graduation option for the vast majority of you."
"The other is to achieve Shikai, which allows you to graduate early."
"Only a rare few achieve this."
"It's even rarer to see someone graduate in their first year after mastering Shikai."
"But perhaps this year, one such student will emerge."
Almost as soon as the teacher finished speaking, everyone's gaze instinctively turned toward one person.
The small blond boy in the front row.
"Teacher, I—" Naruto scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
The teacher ruffled his hair. "I have high hopes for you becoming the youngest captain ever!"
With his other hand, the teacher grabbed a simple, standard Zanpakutō and placed it before Naruto. "The swords being distributed to you today don't have names yet. For now, they're called Asauchi (shallow hits)."
"Remember this."
"Asauchi are not gifts. They're only temporarily leased to you by Shin'o Academy."
"Until you graduate and officially join the Gotei 13 or another organization, you will not be formally granted a Zanpakutō."
The teacher's tone grew serious. "While leased, you must not transfer the Asauchi to others."
"Do not lose it."
"If it's damaged or broken, report it immediately."
"Failure to comply will result in severe punishment."
The students all nodded solemnly.
Once every student had an Asauchi, the teacher relaxed slightly. "Now, as we've practiced in previous lessons, try to perform Jinzen (sword meditation)."
"Use your spiritual energy to feel the voice of your sword."
Jinzen is a Shinigami's form of meditation.
Through this process, a Shinigami connects with their Zanpakutō to eventually communicate with it.
Only by learning its name can they unlock its power.
Naruto closed his eyes, placing the sword on his lap.
The moment his spiritual energy touched the blade...
His consciousness was abruptly pulled, as though a giant pit had opened beneath him, and he fell into weightlessness.
When he regained his senses...
He was in a damp, dark sewer.
Naruto looked around, confused.
Where was this? Another world?
He quickly dismissed the thought.
He could feel the presence of a familiar energy—one that had interfered with his attempts at Kidō. This place must be what his teacher had called his "inner world."
But...
Normally, mastering Shikai only required hearing the sword's voice. Entering the inner world was something Shinigami only achieved when progressing to Bankai.
Was his talent truly this exceptional?
And where was the soul of his Zanpakutō?
Naruto stood up and followed the path forward.
He soon reached a towering, massive red-barred gate. Beyond it lay darkness, as though something was lurking within.
Heavy breathing, undisguised malice, and a flash of fiery red that seemed to consume everything.
"Hey, kid," a voice rumbled from behind the gate. The massive being stirred and spoke.
Naruto responded, "I'm here."
"Come closer," it called again.
Naruto stepped forward.
With a whoosh, a fierce wind blew.
A giant claw shot out violently, crashing against the gate. The sharp tips of the claws pierced through the gaps, stopping just short of Naruto's throat—barely missing but almost cutting into him.
"You've got guts, kid."
"You didn't even flinch."
Naruto grinned brightly. "Why should I flinch? You wouldn't hurt me."
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
"What's yours? Can you tell me?"