Natsuro stood in his own courtyard, sheathing Meikyō Shisui.
By now, he had already spent some time with the Fourth Division.
He could sense that ever since his return, the watchful gazes fixed on him had finally relaxed somewhat.
And now, it was time for him to do what he had long intended, though it had been delayed because of Unohana.
When he entered Unohana's courtyard, he saw her sitting there flipping through a book.
"Reading a medical text?" Natsuro sat down opposite her, glanced at the book in her hands, and asked.
"Mhm. What brings you here today? Another duel? I don't have time today, I'll be heading to the Tenth Division later to see a patient." Unohana nodded, closing the book and looking at him.
She couldn't help but feel a little helpless about him. Ever since returning to the Fourth Division, he had practically become a complete shut-in, always staying in his courtyard, neither eating nor drinking.
No one knew what Natsuro did inside his courtyard.
But Unohana didn't need to guess, he was training. If he had come out to find her, it meant he had something to say.
If he didn't, then he would never bother her.
"Not here to duel. I came to say goodbye." Natsuro looked at the empty table, then casually took out tea leaves and cups from Unohana's cupboards, as if he were in his own home.
Do it yourself, and you'll never go hungry.
"Goodbye?" Unohana paused, her tone a little surprised. "Where are you going? The Head Captain didn't assign you any mission."
"No," Natsuro nodded.
"Then this is desertion."
"As long as Captain helps cover for me, no one will notice." Natsuro sipped his tea.
Unohana fell silent, recalling everything he had done since returning. Then she gave a bitter smile.
"So that's why you've been keeping yourself locked away recently."
"Not really. If staying shut in could make me stronger, then I'd truly never step outside," Natsuro said after a moment's thought.
Truth was, he really was a natural shut-in, but more than staying indoors, he loved the feeling of growing stronger.
"I see. Then how long will you be gone? If it's too long, I can't keep it hidden." Unohana nodded, tacitly agreeing.
"I'm not sure. Maybe a few months, maybe years." Natsuro thought for a moment.
"That long?" Unohana frowned. How could she possibly cover for him for such a time?
"Mhm. But don't worry, I'll return regularly." Natsuro smiled. After all, he still planned to come back and fight Zaraki and Unohana again.
"You won't be discovered coming and going?" Unohana frowned. The Seireitei was safe, yes, but under heavy surveillance. Who knew how many devices the Twelfth Division's captain had hidden around?
"Don't worry. I have a way." Natsuro said, reaching toward his shoulder.
Unohana was puzzled, there was clearly nothing there.
But in the next instant, her pupils shrank. A creature she had never seen before suddenly appeared on his shoulder.
It nuzzled Natsuro's hand cutely, but…
"A spatial ability?" Unohana asked in surprise.
"Yes." Natsuro nodded, holding Umbreon in his arms and stroking it.
Unohana fell silent, staring at the little creature in his arms, then at the way he casually poured her another cup of tea.
"If Central 46 learns of this, they'll punish you again." She sighed.
"That's why they won't find out." Natsuro nodded. He knew well enough that any Kidō involving time or space had been officially classified as forbidden by Central 46.
Their reasoning was that such arts disrupted the spatial and temporal order of Soul Society.
Natsuro, however, thought little of that. If only those Kidō were accessible to anyone outside the Chief and Deputy Kidō Chiefs, he would have learned them already.
"May I ask, what is it?" Unohana finally asked.
She was truly curious. Unlike Kisuke Urahara and the others who assumed it was the manifested spirit of Natsuro's zanpakutō, she knew better.
She had seen his Bankai. His zanpakutō's power had nothing to do with space.
Which meant this creature, possessing spatial abilities, was not his sword spirit, it was a real living being.
But the problem was, Unohana was over a thousand years old, and in all that time she had never once seen such a creature.
"It's called Umbreon, a spatial-type Ninja Beast." Natsuro said directly, without hiding it.
"Umbreon… Ninja Beast?" Unohana was stunned. No matter how she searched her memory, there was nothing about such a thing.
"Don't bother searching. You've never seen it before," Natsuro said with a smile. "It's the only one of its kind."
"I see…" Unohana nodded, then glanced at Natsuro, wondering just how many mysteries he still hid.
To her, both Umbreon and Natsuro himself were extraordinary.
Perhaps he had already been immensely powerful even before becoming a Shinigami. If that were so, everything he had done since would make sense.
But Unohana had no desire to probe further. For now, she simply stared at the cute creature in his arms.
"Natsuro, may I hold it?" she suddenly asked. After all, Umbreon looked so adorable and well-behaved, it was hard for anyone to resist.
"I don't mind, but you'll have to ask if it's willing." Natsuro replied.
At that, Umbreon lifted its head, cast her a disdainful glance, then buried its face back into Natsuro's chest.
Both Unohana and Natsuro froze.
Unohana wondered if she was really so detestable.
While Natsuro was simply surprised at its attitude. Back in the Naruto world, it had gotten along well with everyone. Why had it suddenly changed?
"Looks like I'm out of luck." Unohana shook her head with a wry smile. "So, you're going to the Human World?"
In her impression, he had always wanted to stay in the Human World and avoid returning.
This return was entirely because of her. Had she not hesitated and tipped him off that something was wrong in Soul Society, he would probably still be there.
Thinking this, Unohana felt a little moved.
"The Human World? What for?" Natsuro asked back.
"To study the newest technology…" Unohana began, then stopped, her eyes locking on him, filled with shock.
Because his denial meant only one destination remained.
This world had only the Human World, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo. Perhaps Hell as well.
But Unohana couldn't imagine he heading to Hell. Which meant, Hueco Mundo.
"Those things are meaningless." Natsuro replied. He had already lived through far more advanced technological eras in his previous life; the current level of technology held no interest for him.
Unohana fell silent, sipping her tea and savoring its fragrance.
"But you must think carefully. That's Hueco Mundo," she said seriously.
"Don't worry. With my strength, do you really think I'd be in danger?" Natsuro half-joked.
"I don't fear that. I fear you'll make… other choices. Whether Hollowfication or Hollow research, either is a capital crime." Unohana said gravely.
"I know."Natsuro nodded.
"So, you're set on going?" Unohana asked, her gaze steady on him.
"If I don't, how else can I grow stronger? Captain, my spiritual pressure has already been compressed to its current limit." Natsuro looked back at her.
"Already?" Unohana was startled.
"That's why I can't stop. And I've found something interesting in the Human World that I need to confirm in Hueco Mundo." Natsuro explained.
He wasn't worried Unohana would betray him. He trusted she would never expose him.
And he trusted she would understand him.
"Is becoming stronger really that important?" Unohana asked softly, as if to him, as if to herself.
"It is," Natsuro answered firmly.
"I see." At last, Unohana smiled. Just as a thousand years ago she had once been obsessed with finding someone who could fight her, his obsession was growth, to become stronger and stronger.
So she knew, no one could ever stop this man.
"When do you leave?" she asked again.
"Today."
"Mhm."
Then, neither spoke further. They sat together, quietly drinking tea, as though savoring this one peaceful moment.
.....
Back in his courtyard, Natsuro called softly:
"Umbreon."
At once, Umbreon appeared again on his shoulder.
Natsuro scratched under its chin, watching its pleased little expression. "Open a spatial passage to Hueco Mundo."
"Gula!" Umbreon nodded. Its crimson eyes seemed to glow, and in front of Natsuro the very air rippled like water, finally stabilizing into a black portal.
Having done all this, Umbreon looked quite tired, yet its bright eyes still fixed on Natsuro, full of expectation, as if begging for praise.
"Well done. You worked hard." Natsuro didn't disappoint it, rubbing the small creature's head.
Umbreon squinted with enjoyment for a while, then vanished from his side, retreating to its private space to rest.
Shifting space within a single world wasn't much effort for it, but this time, it had opened a gate from Soul Society to Hueco Mundo.
That took a far heavier toll, so it needed to rest for some time.
Natsuro gazed at the black portal before him. Beyond it lay Hueco Mundo, where there was nothing but darkness.
Hueco Mundo… what kind of place was it really?
A little curious himself, Natsuro stepped through the portal.
As soon as he entered, the black hole in his courtyard vanished, leaving behind only the flowers and plants, as though no one had ever been there.
In an unknown place, a black spatial rift suddenly appeared.
From it stepped a man in a white priestly robe, Natsuro.
The moment he arrived, he felt countless eyes upon him.
They belonged to Hollows, fascinated by the sudden intruder. The vast spiritual power within Natsuro's soul was an irresistible lure to them.
Yet here, "irresistible" meant death, literally.
The next instant, his spiritual pressure erupted. Terrifying to the extreme, it blasted outward, creating a small vacuum around him. Every Hollow caught within it was instantly vaporized.
Sensing such spiritual pressure, the surviving Hollows shrieked in terror and fled in all directions.
Natsuro made no move to chase them, nor to slaughter them all.
After all, what mattered most in this world was balance. It wasn't that fewer Hollows automatically meant fewer deaths. Not at all.
If he went on a massacre here, Soul Society would sense it. To compensate for the broken balance, they might then choose to cull ordinary souls in Soul Society.
That was why the Gotei 13 had never truly been a benevolent group protecting the people. They were mediators, enforcers of balance.
And worse, those mediators had their own will and politics, so incident after incident inevitably arose.
He shook his head and reined in his spiritual pressure, keeping it only in a small radius around himself.
That alone was enough to keep the Hollows away, they weren't eager to seek their own deaths.
Then, he began to study this world.
First, the density of reishi. Hueco Mundo's concentration of spirit particles was far higher than Soul Society's. No wonder it could sustain so many Hollows.
Here, a Hollow could probably survive just by breathing. Of course, to grow stronger, they would still need other means.
And besides—
He lifted his gaze upward. Above, there were no stars. Only a single, lonely moon hung in the sky.
Hueco Mundo had no day. Hollows didn't need sunlight to see.
So…
Looking at the endless desert stretching before him, Natsuro sighed.
Hueco Mundo truly was a monotonous and dreary world.
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