The students were struck by a delayed shock.
Especially those who had attacked earlier.
The very same "High-level Hollow" that they had struggled so hard to deal with together—where even advanced Kidō spells couldn't pierce its defenses—
Was defeated by Naruto effortlessly.
With just one slash.
The blond-haired boy looked up at the other Hollow, his tone calm: "So this is a Hollow?"
It didn't seem nearly as powerful as the teachers had described in class.
The upperclassmen who heard this lowered their heads in shame.
Apologies.
We were so weak that we made you overestimate the strength of Hollows.
That Hollow howled, its emotions tense as it hovered in midair.
It sensed just how powerful this Shinigami in front of it was.
Yet, it didn't retreat or flee.
"Can it fly?" Naruto stared at the wings flapping behind it and raised his hand.
Shinigami can stay airborne.
High-ranking Shinigami can spread their spiritual pressure beneath their feet to walk on air, achieving flight-like movement.
Naruto had enough spiritual pressure, but hadn't learned the technique yet.
"Bakudō No. 4: Hainawa."
A spell cast without incantation.
Golden ropes of light shot from his palm, instantly wrapping around the Hollow's legs.
The Hollow tried to resist, its wings flapping forcefully.
In raw strength, it still surpassed the not-yet-fully-grown Naruto.
But that was all it had—raw strength.
Naruto cast another spell without incantation.
"Hadō No. 11: Tsuzuri Raiden."
Lightning exploded along the golden ropes, crackling and bursting across the Hollow's body.
It went numb. Powerless.
Its balance faltered.
Naruto gave a firm tug.
The Hollow fell.
He slashed once more.
Cleanly bisected.
Black viscous liquid hit the ground, then disintegrated into basic spirit particles.
Crisis averted.
The students breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness you were here, Uzumaki," one upperclassman said gratefully—he was the one who had been captured, nearly killed.
His words seemed to unlock the others' voices; they all began shouting their relief, pouring their fear-turned-gratitude into praise.
"A once-in-a-century genius!"
"He even cast Tsuzuri Raiden without an incantation!"
"Well done!"
Naruto scratched his head with a shy smile. "Is anyone else still missing?"
He had never, in his entire life, received so much open and enthusiastic praise.
It made him a little embarrassed.
One senior stood on tiptoe and counted carefully. "Everyone's accounted for."
"Then let's head back," Naruto said softly. "To avoid further—"
He didn't get to finish his sentence.
One student grabbed his sword and stared ahead, face pale with fear: "T-the Senkaimon won't open!"
"That's impossible!"
Another student instinctively retorted, drawing his sword.
He slashed at the space beside them.
"Open the gate!"
The sword, like a key, twisted.
Nothing happened.
It was official—the gate was sealed.
Most of the students turned pale, frozen in terror.
They had lost contact with the Soul Society.
High above.
A brown-haired man wearing glasses chuckled softly. "Beautiful Kidō."
"But that's not enough, little Naruto."
"What I want to see from you goes far beyond that."
With a crisp snap of his fingers—
The night sky twisted and rippled like fabric being pulled taut.
His eyes burned with anticipation as he looked down at the group.
"Show me something more interesting."
Among the panicking crowd—
Naruto remained the calmest.
Though he was the smallest in stature, his words carried the most weight: "It must be those two Hollows' doing."
"The Academy and the Thirteen Divisions can't reach us. They're the ones who are really panicking."
"I'm sure they'll soon—"
A shrill scream cut him off.
Someone pointed toward the sky.
Visible to the naked eye—space was rippling.
A gigantic hand with sharp nails tore at the night sky, revealing a black void of chaos.
"What... is that?"
Someone swallowed hard, their voice dry and pleading.
Enormous creatures always brought with them an oppressive pressure.
Not to mention the terrifying spiritual pressure it radiated.
From behind the curtain of the sky emerged a pale-white skull.
Sunken eyes, grinding teeth, and a long, saw-like nose.
A monstrous, sinister, eerie being.
"A Menos Grande!" one student stumbled back. "That's a... Menos—only Captains and Lieutenants can handle those!"
Naruto looked up.
He'd read about them in textbooks. These "Menos Grandes" were formed from hundreds of Hollows merging together.
It sniffed the air as it struggled to push into the world.
Turning its head, its two dark void-like eyes locked onto the group.
Empty sockets swirling with black spiritual energy.
But—
It clearly wanted to eat them.
"How could we run into something like that here?" someone whispered, collapsing in despair.
Every student froze.
Someone shakily reached for their sword, but under the spiritual pressure and raw fear, even standing was a monumental effort.
Naruto stepped forward, spiritual pressure erupting as he leapt skyward.
Suddenly, the burden lifted from the others.
They looked up.
At the front, the blond boy turned back. "Get to a safe place."
"I'll handle this."
A senior quickly protested. "No, Uzumaki-kun! Even if you're a genius, that's a Menos Grande!"
"It's way too powerful—"
Naruto interrupted, softly but firmly: "Is there any other way?"
The senior clenched his fists so hard they turned red.
Only now did he truly understand what their teachers always told them—
"Hurry up and become stronger."
Power.
If he were strong enough—
A child wouldn't have to stand in front of him.
"We'll fight with you." His hand trembled as he drew his sword. Even with Naruto bearing the brunt of the pressure, the remaining traces were still crushing for ungraduated Shinigami. "We're not leaving you behind."
He stopped mid-sentence, surprised to see Naruto smiling—
In such a critical moment.
"Just call me Naruto," he said with a bright smile. "Do you think I'll become a seated officer after graduation?"
It was a strange question.
But the upperclassman didn't hesitate: "Of course."
Naruto turned back to face the fully-emerging Menos. "Then let me act as one now."
"I'm ordering you to retreat and protect the Shino Academy students."
The senior bit his lip hard.
Naruto raised his blade, the red tassel fluttering. His voice was strong and steady:
"Don't worry. I'm strong."
"Next time we meet—stay alive." The senior held back his turbulent emotions.
Naruto responded without hesitation: "Of course."
The dark red blade responded to its name.
Spiritual energy surged.
He entered his One-Tail State.
A translucent, molten-red spiritual cloak enveloped him.
Inexplicably, everyone felt their hearts sink. Their emotions were thrown into turmoil.
Even those who could normally hold back—broke down in sobs.
"Is that Naruto's Zanpakutō?" someone asked while fleeing, still glancing back. "What a powerful and beautiful sword."
Naruto's ears twitched.
Beautiful?
That was a first.
The Menos emerged fully.
It lowered its head, spiritual energy surging in front of its mouth, flashing deep red.
Naruto stared at it.
Was that...
The same Cero that Urahara Kisuke said was similar to his Four-Tails form's Tailed Beast Bomb?
He braced himself, then leapt into attack.
His spiritual pressure drove the blade into the Menos's arm—not severing it, but leaving a deep gash. Blood sprayed; energy scattered.
The Menos howled in pain.
Its Cero collapsed before fully forming.
It wasn't that difficult to handle.
Just like in the textbooks—its spiritual pressure was immense, but it was "unintelligent" and "slow."
In battle, those traits are fatal flaws.
Ordinary Shinigami couldn't handle it because they couldn't break through its defenses.
But once you could—
It wasn't much of a threat.
Not far away—
The man with the glasses stood midair, watching the battle up close.
Neither the Hollow nor Naruto noticed him.
Inside Naruto—
The Nine-Tails bristled.
It sensed an immensely powerful presence watching, making it anxious—reminding it of those three men...
"A Menos is such a useless thing."
"This won't do."
"I saw you had four tails that day."
"Then... let's do this."
He waved his hand.
In the sky, several dark voids tore open. Dozens of Hollows flew out.
Not toward Naruto.
But toward the fleeing Shinigami students.
The man whispered to himself with a pleased tone—
"Your newly made friends are under attack."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"What will you do?"
(End of Chapter)