Naruto should be thankful that these people had lost their reason.
No tactics—just brute force.
Nor did they release their swords to further complicate the battlefield.
But...
Even so, the captains and vice-captains, with their centuries of life experience and countless battles, still possessed a combat instinct carved deep into their bodies—making it overwhelming for Naruto to handle.
He couldn't afford to get hit.
And he still had to find a way to seal them.
It was truly a headache.
As Naruto dodged attacks—
Hirako Shinji raised his head with difficulty. The bone mask had almost completely covered his face. One eye was dark and hollow, devoid of reason, while the other still retained a shred of human clarity.
He seized this last bit of sanity and shouted with all his might:
"Naruto! If you can seal us—"
"Even if you have to cut off our arms or legs, do it!"
"Don't be soft!"
"If you can't, then leave—don't pity us, or you'll—"
Before he could finish, the flowing bone matter sealed his face completely, along with the last of his rational mind.
Hirako Shinji had fallen.
His mask was deathly pale—evil to the extreme, yet tragically divine.
Naruto gritted his teeth and raised his blade high.
"Anger, pain, fear, corruption..."
"Hear the wailing and let it bloom!"
"Nine-Tailed Demon Fox!"
A chakra cloak wrapped around him. Six tails floated behind him.
He swallowed the blade.
White bones grew from his arms and face.
Just like those who had undergone "Hollowfication," but he looked even more sinister and fearsome.
Yet the color of the bones was different.
The Hollowfied ones had dull, lifeless bone masks.
Naruto's outer bones, however, shimmered with a bright white light, as if they could still give birth to flesh and blood.
But this didn't improve the situation much.
More enemies surrounded him, attacking from all directions, leaving him in agony.
Only by using Shadow Clones as bait and his Shunpo speed was he able to avoid being injured.
But...
This was the limit of what Naruto could currently do.
He couldn't find a chance to seal them.
Even if the clones bought time to cast "Adamantine Sealing Chains," the moment they were destroyed, the attackers would rush at him again.
Wasting all his efforts.
"Third Seat Uzumaki!"
Someone shouted.
Naruto looked.
It was Sub-Kidō Chief Ushōda Hachigen. He was clutching his arm, panting heavily, but his expression was resolute:
"Go!"
"This is no longer something we can handle."
"Let the other captains come support us."
Naruto clenched his teeth.
Should he leave?
They had all Hollowfied—even Ushōda Hachigen had fallen.
Seven captains and vice-captains, now turned.
Only he remained sane.
The more "enemies," the greater the pressure. If he stayed any longer, he'd eventually get injured too.
But...
These were his teammates. Seniors who cared for and protected him.
Naruto clenched his fists.
The title of "genius" was crushed in this moment.
Power.
He needed more power.
Just "Six-Tails" wasn't enough. He needed even more strength.
Should he go into Seven-Tails form?
But that wouldn't be a qualitative change—still not enough to seal all these people...
And the risk of losing control was massive.
"Call my name."
Suddenly, a voice came in his ear. Mature and calm—a man's voice.
Naruto froze.
Who was speaking?
There was no one left with reason.
"Call my name!"
Then another voice came—different from before. Young and urgent, like a little boy.
While dodging, Naruto lowered his head and looked toward the other blade at his waist.
The voices came from there.
The two voices called out again—no longer noisy, but distinct and clear, each uttering one name.
Their names.
Naruto reached for the hilt, took a deep breath, and steadied himself.
In the nearby forest—
Ichimaru Gin was amazed. "Is this the third seat Uzumaki's Shikai?"
"It really looks like... Hollowfication."
"No wonder Lord Aizen values him so much."
Aizen Sōsuke smiled slightly. "His brilliance is even greater than it was seven years ago."
"Gin, you know—"
"Gems must be polished to shine."
Ichimaru Gin said nothing.
He kept his fake smile, eyes fixed ahead, fists clenched in his sleeves, pupils suddenly widening.
Naruto stood in the air, withdrew his previous release.
He pulled the blade from his waist and held it in his left hand—now wielding a blade in each hand.
"Is he giving up because he can't hold on?" Gin couldn't help but ask.
Aizen shook his head.
He stared intently at the new blade.
Already sensing what was coming.
Naruto raised both swords, determination in his eyes.
That small, eager voice felt familiar.
But now, he needed the stronger power.
Since they were two sides of the same self—
Let it be his to command!
Spiritual pressure surged, sweeping the air.
He began chanting—words unlike any before.
"Roar in rage, weep in sorrow, sing in mercy, be reborn in wrath…"
The dark-red blade glowed with spiritual pressure, red ribbons tinged with golden light.
The asauchi transformed, shortening from a standard katana to a smaller kodachi.
The hilt curled like twin whirlpools.
It gleamed in golden splendor, with a dark magatama ornament hanging from the guard.
Deep in Naruto's inner world—the sewer-like subconscious—the Nine-Tails suddenly opened his eyes.
The massive beast stood up, shocked.
This power...
Why could he sense this aura?
It should've disappeared more than 800 years ago.
And now, it appeared in this kid.
Was it the power of that so-called Zanpakutō?
Hirako Shinji and Muguruma Kensei rushed in.
Naruto gritted his teeth and stared them down, calling out the names of the two blades—
"Nine-Tails Asura!"
The powers of the two swords merged, creating a miraculous transformation in his body.
Tailed Beast chakra surged forth, forming a new cloak.
Not the dark, twisted red—but a radiant, translucent gold like sunlight.
It enveloped Naruto completely.
Four extra arms sprouted.
A six-armed golden form, wielding twin swords.
Holy and glorious.
Naruto slashed at the two attackers.
Two other arms formed seals.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Stronger than ever before.
Thicker, more numerous golden chains burst out, whipping toward Lisa Yadōmaru and slamming her into the ground.
He chanted again:
"Wagon of thunder, gap of the spinning wheel…"
"Gathering light splits into six!"
"Bakudō #61: Six Rods Light Prison!"
The final pair of hands pointed toward Kuna Mashiro.
Six massive golden rods shot out, locking her in place.
In the forest—
"The second blade was released too?" Aizen's eyes gleamed.
"Kidō and spell techniques amplified this much."
"This isn't something his current spiritual pressure could release alone."
"The second blade must boost Kidō."
Ichimaru Gin grinned. "He seems even more interesting now."
"Lord Aizen, should we keep him—"
Aizen shook his head. His smile remained warm, but his words were cold and heartless:
"Strong prey must be consumed."
"If left on the table, they'll spoil."
"Go. Trouble you to take care of it."
At his side—
A blind man with a five-pointed star afro nodded. "Yes, Lord Aizen."
He wore a white sleeveless haori.
But it wasn't the mark of a Captain.
On his back, five large characters read: "Muguruma, 9th Division."
The distinctive uniform of the Special Forces.
(End of Chapter)