In the original plot, among all the captains of the Gotei 13, only Zaraki Kenpachi was truly worthy of inheriting the title of "Strongest Shinigami" from Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
But in Uehara Shiroha's eyes?
Meh. Not that impressive.
First off, that whole "adaptive seal" thing? Kind of a joke.
Instead of sealing his enemies, Kenpachi essentially sealed himself. All for the sake of enjoying a "good fight."
He unconsciously suppressed his own power, matching his opponent's strength level just to prolong the fun. It sounded cool—like some edgy warrior trope—but really, it was just dumb.
Put nicely, you could call it "walking a different path," "being trendy," or "keeping it stylish."
Put bluntly?
It was the kind of thing people did when they had power but no control over it.
It's like trying to play the pig just to eat the tiger—except you're not pretending to be a pig, you're literally rolling in the mud.
Uehara Shiroha, for example, could one-shot captains without breaking a sweat. But did he go around blasting people like Rukia or Renji into ash during training sessions?
Of course not.
Control over one's own strength was basic. The bare minimum. Day-one curriculum for the truly powerful.
And with Kenpachi's "unsealing" speed?
If he faced a top-tier opponent or an explosive glass-cannon type, he'd be wiped out before he even had time to react.
Case in point: Kurosaki Ichigo took him down once using that very opening.
To make matters worse, even Kenpachi's Bankai—while undeniably powerful—came with a massive drawback.
It tore up his body as much as it did his enemies.
A double-edged sword in every sense. It was short-lived, unstable, and extremely hard to control.
In the end, he had to fight and kill Unohana Retsu, the previous Kenpachi, just to finally unlock his full power.
And the results?
Still just... okay.
In Uehara's eyes, Zaraki was a beast with raw talent—but ultimately just a well-fed vegetable.
Meanwhile, Uehara himself didn't even need to lift a finger to grow stronger. His system handed him invincible abilities like candy. Just lying down, he'd gain new skills. But even so, he never stopped training.
He mastered every power he received.
His techniques were precise. His control was perfect. Every move he used wasn't just overwhelming—it was executed with surgical precision.
That was true strength.
Kenpachi had a rock-solid foundation, sure. But his power was too brute-force, too wild. Like swinging a sledgehammer in a tea shop.
He had no finesse—only instinct and raw drive.
That might work on most people. His sheer force and monstrous resilience could overwhelm them.
But against Uehara?
Talent alone just wasn't enough.
So when Kenpachi charged in, all fired up and overflowing with battle spirit, Uehara didn't flinch. In fact, he almost laughed.
Ichigo Kurosaki and the others, however, weren't nearly as composed.
Seeing Kenpachi in full battle mode left them completely stunned.
His base Reiatsu was already terrifying—and now it had spiked again.
"Does this guy even have a limit?!"
Monster.
And those slashes?
Even watching from a distance made their skin crawl.
At this moment, Zaraki's face practically had the words "I Am Invincible" written across it.
Under their shocked gazes, the war god charged straight at Shiroha.
And then… the war god was sent flying.
To be more precise, Zaraki Kenpachi was smacked across the battlefield like a baseball, hurtling through the air at high speed.
Facts didn't lie—Kenpachi was still no match for Uehara Shiroha.
Past, present, future, or even alternate timelines—Kenpachi had zero advantage in this matchup.
If a regular person faced such a gap in power—getting slapped around, losing every time, seeing no hope of winning—they'd start to break.
They'd doubt themselves. Feel frustrated. Eventually, they'd give up the fight altogether.
But that's exactly why Kenpachi Zaraki was different.
Where others would walk away, Kenpachi would double down.
He didn't believe in unbeatable opponents. If one existed, he'd just keep slashing until it broke.
That wasn't ego—it was a belief etched into his very soul.
The thrill of fighting the impossible.
But even that kind of unshakable resolve… looked pathetic in front of Uehara's absolute dominance.
Because in the face of overwhelming power, belief—no matter how strong—meant nothing.
Kenpachi charged in at full force.
Shiroha casually sidestepped with a single Tenjin Shunpō and flicked his wrist in a basic hakuda strike.
Boom—Kenpachi was launched.
He hadn't even drawn his sword.
It was effortless. Clean. Mockingly elegant.
But far from being discouraged, Kenpachi let out a loud, booming laugh as he flew backward.
"Hahahahaha! THAT'S the stuff…!"
Despite his injuries—despite being tossed like a ragdoll—he looked even more excited.
He didn't back down.
He never could.
Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth, his body already torn from the impact—but his eyes burned brighter.
His killing intent sharpened. His Reiatsu flared up even stronger.
His fighting spirit didn't diminish—it amplified.
If anything, the pain only pumped him up.
His frame seemed to grow, the sheer pressure he exuded rising like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
He had entered a new state—complete madness.
Destroy. Fight. Bleed. Repeat.
Kenpachi, now in full berserker mode, dragged his broken body across the desert and launched himself forward again.
A man drenched in blood.
A sword raised high.
CLANG! The golden Reiatsu around him condensed into a violent arc, the impact howling like a tiger's roar through the dunes, splitting the very air apart.
Yachiru's bright eyes sparkled with joy.
"Ken-chan's going crazy again. I love it!"
She beamed from her perch, clapping her hands like a child watching fireworks.
Every single time, Kenpachi would get beaten to a pulp by Shiroha.
And every single time, he'd walk away grinning wider than before.
Each defeat fueled him. Made him hungrier. Gave him more fire.
Fighting was his entire purpose. His reason to exist.
No matter how badly he was beaten, he never gave up.
Never retreated.
Never stopped.
Ichigo and the others stood frozen in disbelief.
Kenpachi, already unbelievably strong to begin with, had gone all-out—and yet, Shiroha crushed him with a single blow.
One hit.
And still, the man kept fighting.
And what's worse—his strength actually increased after getting hurt.
"Monster…" Ichigo muttered again, voice hollow.
Over on the other side, Shiroha couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
"What kind of undead vitality is this guy running on…?"
"And the more injured he is, the stronger he gets? Are you sure you're a Shinigami and not some RPG boss in rage mode?"
That was what made Kenpachi so troublesome.
In the Bleach, defeating someone with high Reiatsu wasn't always that hard.
The goal was usually to knock them out or overwhelm them enough that they couldn't fight anymore—not necessarily kill them.
Hit them hard enough, and they're done.
But actually killing someone with high Reiatsu?
Way harder.
That was just how spiritual beings worked.
Even in the original timeline, despite all the wars and massive battles, only a handful of well-known Shinigami ever died.
Unless someone had overwhelming power or abilities that ignored defense altogether, most fighters just got injured and taken out of the fight.
Take Yamamoto, for instance. After losing just one arm, the strongest Shinigami in history became noticeably weaker.
Or Shiba Isshin—after taking a hit from Aizen and losing part of his strength, he couldn't even activate his Bankai anymore.
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