"BOOM!!!!"
Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the darkness as bright as day.
A tremendous roar echoed between heaven and earth, awakening countless creatures. The overwhelming power of nature inspired terror in all who sensed it.
After what seemed like an eternity, the disturbance gradually subsided, and peace returned to the surroundings.
Shihouin Naraku sat on a massive boulder, crimson lightning flickering between his eyes. An aura of dread surrounded him, making him difficult to look at directly. It would take time for this intimidating presence to fade.
"This is a bit too much. Anyone would notice something's wrong with me!"
After considering his options, Naraku placed his right hand on his waist, and with a metallic clang, his Zanpakutō appeared as he unsheathed it.
"In that case, I'll practice my swordsmanship. That should help control this aura."
With determination, Naraku gripped Kurikara and began practicing his sword techniques diligently in the quiet forest.
Meanwhile, in various hidden corners of the woods, forest creatures were frantically abandoning their homes—birds, beasts, insects, and even ants! None could tolerate the continuous loud disturbances throughout the night. How could they possibly sleep? Lack of rest could be fatal. Animal lives mattered too!
Move! They had to move!
...
It took Naraku an entire night to calm his surging chakra and aura.
"Isn't this the Valley of the End?" he realized as daylight broke.
After running all night, he had somehow ended up at the Valley of the End. No wonder his enormous commotion hadn't drawn anyone's attention.
"The sun will rise soon. I should return to the village before someone notices I'm missing."
Having made his decision, Naraku quickly headed back to Konohagakure.
The village was still quiet, not yet awakened from its night's rest. He returned to the Shihouin clan compound silently and entered his room. Before he could rest properly, Shihouin Chunyuan appeared at his door.
"Naraku, I was thinking about you all night yesterday...?" Chunyuan stared at him intently, then hesitated before continuing, "Is it my imagination? Why do I feel that your temperament—no, your aura has changed overnight? Naraku, what did you do last night?"
"Ah~~~" Naraku yawned deliberately and replied, "I didn't do anything special, just tried to sleep normally, but I didn't rest well. If there's nothing urgent, Uncle Chunyuan, I'd like to take a nap."
"Didn't sleep well? Then you should rest quickly. Don't let it affect your work."
Chunyuan turned to leave, but halfway through his departure, he remembered he had something to discuss with Naraku.
"Never mind, we'll talk about it later," he muttered before walking away.
...
After watching his uncle leave, Naraku returned to his room, removed his Zanpakutō Kurikara and placed it carefully on the table.
"System, bring out both swords from the recent draw."
"Thud! Thud!"
Two swords materialized before Naraku.
Black Knife Qiu Shui!
This famous sword from the Pirates world ranked among the twenty-one great swords. Its previous owners included the legendary dragon-slaying swordsman Ryuma and the three-sword style user Zoro from the protagonist's group! The blade was black with purple highlights, featuring a tight molecular structure that made it extremely durable and heavier than ordinary swords.
Zanpakutō: God's Punishment!
This weapon came from the Shinigami world. Its Bankai ability could summon a massive black-armored warrior resembling a giant. While offering tremendous combat power, it forced its wielder to share any damage inflicted upon it. Simply put, it summoned something like a Susanoo, though not as powerful and with the significant drawback of shared damage.
Naraku ran his palm over both weapons and commanded, "Kurikara, swallow these two swords!"
The Kurikara blade on the table suddenly unsheathed itself. A rotating black hole materialized on its dark surface.
"Crack!"
Black Knife Qiu Shui and Zanpakutō: God's Punishment trembled briefly before being pulled into Kurikara's black hole by an invisible force, followed by the sharp sound of shattering metal.
In an instant, both legendary weapons with their formidable powers were completely crushed and absorbed by Kurikara.
Moments later, the rotating void on Kurikara's black blade gradually disappeared, and the sword returned to its normal appearance.
Naraku stood and circled the table, examining Kurikara carefully but finding no visible changes. The scabbard and sword remained motionless on the table, appearing no different than before.
"Is that it?"
"I don't feel any different. Maybe the change is in the sword?"
As he spoke, Naraku reached out and grasped Kurikara's hilt, slowly lifting the Zanpakutō.
"Whoa! When did it become so heavy?"
He tentatively held the sword in one hand and swung it casually, feeling its new weight. "This feeling—if it's not 800 kilograms, it's close. System, what's Kurikara's current weight?"
[Kurikara weighs 522 kilograms, equivalent to 1,044 pounds!]
"That number seems significant! By the way, what new abilities has Kurikara gained?"
[Kurikara has acquired the "Indestructible" feature—it cannot be damaged by any means.]
[Awakened Zanpakutō ability: Souls of those injured by Kurikara will sustain spiritual damage simultaneously!]
[Awakened Acala Statue ability: When wielding Kurikara, Host can manifest a giant Acala Statue. This consumes physical stamina, chakra, and spiritual energy!]
"These three abilities are incredible and extremely useful! With the first one, we won't need to worry about Kurikara being damaged by any special techniques!"
"The second ability seems to be an inherent characteristic of Zanpakutō—specializing in cutting souls! It's unfortunate that it awakened so late; it would have made previous battles much easier!"
"And the third ability—isn't this essentially my own Susanoo? It appears even more powerful than I imagined!"
Naraku felt deeply satisfied with his recent power increase, yet he sensed there was more to discover. He believed these rewards contained hidden benefits worth exploring.
Just as his previous draw had allowed him to awaken Conqueror's Haki after obtaining Observation Haki, there must be similar hidden advantages this time.
"Like the One-Tailed Shukaku's Chakra—it feels too simple to just increase my chakra reserves!"
"System, display my attribute panel! I want to see what's changed."
[Name: Shihouin Naraku]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 26]
[Kekkei Genkai: Magnet Style]
[Constitution: S+]
[Spirit: EX (Host's spiritual power has reached the absolute limit in this world!)]
[Soul: Kurikara (Acala!)]
[Chakra Control: S++]
[Chakra Amount: S+++ (exceeding 99% of all shinobi in the ninja world!)]
[Chakra Nature: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, Earth, Yin, Yang]
Naraku examined the attribute panel carefully, noting that his spiritual attribute had reached EX, meaning no one in the shinobi world possessed stronger mental fortitude than him.
This also meant that genjutsu would no longer affect him. If Uchiha Itachi were to use Tsukuyomi on him in the future, the Uchiha wouldn't even be able to disturb his spirit enough to drag him into the illusory space!
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