Kugo Ginjo was nervous.
He was just a teenage boy this year, having only recently acquired the powers of a Soul Reaper.
Naruto smiled and continued, "Ginjo, your situation is quite unique."
"Until now, I've never heard of a human being able to obtain Soul Reaper powers."
Ginjo asked nervously, "So what will you do with me?"
As he spoke, he clenched his fists, beginning to wonder—if he resisted, could he escape from the blond young man in front of him?
This guy looked strong. And he himself was injured.
The chances of escape didn't look good.
"I don't really know," Naruto replied after a moment, "But you're not accused of killing a Soul Reaper."
"If the Soul Reaper willingly gave you their powers, then that's not a crime."
Ginjo felt warmth rise in his chest. "You believe what I said just like that?"
Naruto grinned at him. "You're telling the truth. Why wouldn't I believe you?"
He raised a hand, and a wave of spiritual energy surged forth.
It struck Ginjo like an arrow—
But there was no pain.
Instead, it transformed into a warm current that flowed through his wounds, healing them.
And it surged wildly through his chest.
Ginjo looked down, watching as his fresh skin regenerated. He suddenly recalled how the Soul Reaper who'd passed on his powers always spoke with admiration of his captain.
At the time, he had mocked that kind of blind devotion.
But now…
If the captain was someone like this, that kind of admiration didn't seem so ridiculous anymore.
"What's the deal with your powers?" Naruto asked, pointing to Ginjo's necklace.
Ginjo reached up and grabbed it. "I call this power 'Fullbring.'"
"It awakened suddenly when I was attacked by a Hollow once."
"If I didn't have it, I probably would've been killed."
"As for where it came from…"
"I still don't know."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "It's a pretty impressive power."
From that blade, he could sense an aura distinctly different from that of Soul Reapers—
The scent of Hollow.
And something else—similar to what he felt from Captain Ukitake.
But... a mix of Hollow and Soul Reaper powers naturally made him suspicious.
"Did you awaken this power on your own?" Naruto asked.
Ginjo nodded. "Yeah, about three years ago."
"Have you ever met a man who wears glasses and looks gentle?" Naruto asked. "Or someone who gave you that kind of feeling—like they helped you a lot?"
Ginjo blinked, confused. "Why do you ask?"
"If I had to name someone who helped me a lot, that'd be Uncle Taku."
He was referring to the Thirteenth Division member who gave him his Soul Reaper powers before dying.
Naruto used Kagura's Mind's Eye to confirm—these were genuine words.
So...
There's no trace of Aizen Sosuke involved in this?
But they couldn't rule it out entirely. Ginjo was still too weak. Even if Aizen had done something right in front of him, he might not have noticed.
"I was just curious," Naruto shook his head. "Do you have time now?"
"Would you come with me to the Soul Society?"
"It'll be better if we discuss some things together."
Ginjo nodded. "How long will it take?"
"I've got a part-time job coming up. If it'll take a while, I'll need to take leave."
Naruto thought about it. "Then go take leave. That might be safer."
Ginjo agreed and led the way.
As soon as they left the alley—
A massive spiritual pressure suddenly surged from behind.
Ginjo snapped around.
A giant snake-like Hollow emerged from the shadows, its crab-like pincers raised, exuding malice, and lunged toward Naruto.
"Watch out!" Ginjo shouted, pupils dilating in panic. He hurriedly reached for his sword.
But the moment the words left his lips—
In the next instant, in his vision—
That terrifying creature—something he might have needed to risk his life just to fight—was torn apart and shredded into pieces in an instant by an invisible force.
"No need to be so tense over these little guys," Naruto said with a smile. "Your situation is more important."
Ginjo's mouth went dry, his eyes dazed.
What... just happened?
Did Naruto even move?
Or did he?
"I've been talking this whole time," Ginjo said, taking a deep breath and stammering, "I forgot to ask—how should I address you?"
Naruto smiled, his expression unchanged. "Seventh Division Captain, Uzumaki Naruto."
Uzumaki Naruto.
Ginjo etched that name deep into his mind.
Such strength—and such gentleness.
After Ginjo took his leave, Naruto drew his Zanpakuto and opened the Senkaimon.
Upon arriving in the Soul Society—
Ginjo truly understood just how respected Captain Uzumaki was.
Every Soul Reaper they passed stopped to respectfully greet him.
Even those far away, who didn't need to greet him, would walk closer just to offer their regards.
Inside the Thirteenth Division headquarters—
After Naruto finished explaining the situation, Captain Ukitake frowned.
"A Soul Reaper imparting their powers to a human," said Shiba Kaien, also frowning, "I've never heard of that before."
"And there doesn't seem to be a law in the Soul Society regarding this."
Ginjo sat with his head lowered and posture proper.
These people were far stronger than him.
He was awed.
Despite Naruto looking rather young, his authority was immense—nobody questioned him, they simply trusted him completely.
(The "no mistakes" version is always best!)
"If there's no regulation, then let's make one," Naruto looked at Kaien. "The problem's already here. We should think about how to solve it."
Kaien had an idea. "Why not just officially recruit him into the Gotei 13?"
Ginjo immediately responded, "I have no objection."
Naruto gave him a strange look. "Do you understand what Kaien means?"
Ginjo froze.
Wait—doesn't that just mean becoming a formal Soul Reaper?
Was he misunderstanding something?
"To become an official member of the Gotei 13," Naruto explained, "you'd have to remain in the Seireitei."
"And the Soul Society is a place where the souls of the dead reside."
"That means you'd have to give up everything in the living world—including your lifespan as a human."
"You'd have to die to come here and become a Soul Reaper."
"Can you accept that price?"
Ginjo was stunned and instinctively shook his head.
Die?
Give up everything in the living world?
No way!
He turned to look at Kaien.
The dark-haired man scratched his head and apologized, "Sorry, looks like my idea wasn't great after all?"
"Of course not," Naruto shook his head. "He hasn't done anything wrong. We can't just strip away his life."
Captain Ukitake, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "Naruto, what do you think?"
Naruto paused, then turned to Kaien. "Kaien, would you mind showing Ginjo around the Thirteen Divisions?"
"This place is filled with scenery that's rare in the living world."
Kaien immediately stood, grabbed the still-stunned Ginjo, and led him out.
Captain Ukitake's expression turned serious.
Naruto activated Kagura's Mind's Eye, carefully scanning the surroundings to make sure no one else was nearby. "Captain Ukitake, I mentioned earlier that Ginjo has a power called 'Fullbring.'"
Ukitake nodded.
"I sensed a Hollow aura from that power," Naruto said quietly.
Ukitake fell into thought.
Naruto hesitated, then cautiously added, "And... an energy similar to yours, Captain, but not from a Soul Reaper."
Ukitake was startled. "Naruto, even that you could sense?"
Naruto nodded.
"A power like mine..." Ukitake murmured, "Then that must be from the Soul King."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "The Soul King?"
It was his first time hearing that name.
The King of the Soul Society?
But in the Seireitei, there were only nobles—no royal family.
"Naruto, you're still young," Ukitake said with a shake of his head. "Some matters require preparation—not just for you, but for us too."
"When the time is right, I'll tell you. Okay?"
Naruto tilted his head, remembering what Tosen and Aizen had once said—"The Soul Society was built upon sin."
"Is it related to what Aizen and Tosen mentioned?" he asked.
Ukitake didn't reply, only offering a strained smile.
Naruto didn't press the topic. He moved on: "Hollow, Soul Reaper, Soul King's power…"
"All these elements together make me think of one person."
Ukitake lowered his voice: "You mean Captain Aizen."
"Though I confirmed with Ginjo that he doesn't recall encountering Aizen or any similar power," Naruto nodded, frowning, "we can't rule out the possibility that he's another subject of Aizen's experiments."
"Only this time, the experiment was on a human instead of a soul."
"Until we confirm everything, my proposal is to temporarily acknowledge Ginjo's possession of Soul Reaper powers."
"We can consider sending another Soul Reaper to Karakura Town, to stay in contact with Ginjo and monitor his condition in real time."
"Hopefully, this has nothing to do with Aizen."
"That way, we can maintain a friendly relationship with Ginjo."
"And when he dies naturally and enters the Soul Society, he'll become a valuable asset—someone who inherited a Soul Reaper's power and already has spiritual pressure ranked at the sixth or seventh level. He may even attain Bankai someday and become a captain."
Ukitake nodded, deep in thought.
After a long pause, he finally said, "Then let's implement a new rule—something called the 'Substitute Soul Reaper' system."
(End of Chapter)