Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 421 Ichigo Gets Slashed, Cheat Code Appears

Kenpachi Zaraki has a very rugged appearance.

He was tall, with his hair braided into sharp, spiky plaits, the ends of which were adorned with small bells, but no clear, ringing sound came out when he swayed.

Kenpachi Zaraki wore a black eyepatch that covered one eye, so he looked at the boy in front of him with only one eye.

After observing him carefully for a while, he stuck out his tongue and licked his lips: "Not bad, you're not bad at all. You've given me the desire to fight."

Ichigo Kurosaki felt a chill run down his spine under Kenpachi Zaraki's gaze; the extremely aggressive spiritual pressure terrified him.

The boy, who had never felt such powerful spiritual pressure before, was pounding his heart like a drum, and cold sweat poured down his forehead uncontrollably.

But the protagonist is the protagonist, and Ichigo Kurosaki quickly overcame his fear.

He drew his Zanpakuto, which resembled a bone-chopping sword, pointed the tip at the monster before him, and asked, "Who are you?"

Kenpachi Zaraki calmly replied, "I am Kenpachi Zaraki, the captain of the 11th Division. I came here specifically to kill you."

Then he grinned maliciously and said, "I hope you can withstand the cuts, so that my special trip for you won't be in vain."

After saying that, Kenpachi Zaraki shut his mouth and revealed his Zanpakuto, whose blade was full of cracks and resembled a saw blade. Without any hesitation, he raised it high and then slashed down fiercely.

The tattered longsword unleashed a tremendous sword aura, which Kurosaki Ichigo managed to dodge almost entirely on instinct.

The sword energy grazed Ichigo's clothes as it passed by, leaving a deep groove in the floor.

Kenpachi Zaraki's sword energy surged forward, cutting through the earth, the walls, and everything that blocked it, until it collided with the barrier of an important building, at which point it dissipated and collapsed.

Without a doubt, this sword energy, which looks like [Crescent Moon Sky Slash] or [Flying Slash], is the result of Xia Zuo's decades of training as the captain's sparring partner.

Just like the 11th Division members' unconscious formation when they fight seriously, advancing like a wall with long swords like a thicket, slashing in succession, it was also an unintentional result of Xia Zuo.

It was truly unintentional.

After all, in Soul Society, individual strength is the key to victory or defeat, and the theme of world development is that collective power has never had much of a chance to be demonstrated.

He was just accompanying the squad members on patrols and expeditions; he couldn't just watch them get killed by the Hollows, so he could only offer some tips on how to survive.

Day after day, year after year, without realizing it, the 11th Division was changed by him.

At least when not encountering a Hollow, it's not so easy for people to die.

Even when facing a Hollow, they can put up a fight and are no longer just cannon fodder NPCs sharing the same line, "What terrifying spiritual pressure!"

Kenpachi Zaraki's sword strike displayed terrifying combat power.

Shiba Iwa felt weak in the knees and collapsed to the ground.

Kurosaki Ichigo was also trembling with fear, and could only hold the sword with both hands to prevent the tip from wobbling.

Kenpachi Zaraki nearly landed a critical hit, but instead felt deeply disappointed. He angrily retorted, "That's it?"

"Is that all the skill you have? That's all the guts you have?"

"What a disappointment. I thought that at least the bones of a traveling villain could help me sharpen the rust on my knife."

Kurosaki Ichigo gripped his Shikai Zangetsu tightly, forcibly suppressing his fear, and roared, "Take this!"

Kenpachi Zaraki nodded slightly: "Heh, you finally have the courage. At least you're not beyond redemption."

"Your blood is enough to make my blade wet."

Kurosaki Ichigo mustered his courage and swung his sword with all his might, but it was blocked in front of the opponent's chest.

What blocked his Zangetsu was not his Zanpakuto, nor Kenpachi Zaraki's arm, nor even his chest, but rather the surging spiritual pressure.

Kenpachi Zaraki did not make any move; he simply blocked Ichigo Kurosaki's full-force slash and Zangetsu's Shikai form with his leaked spiritual pressure.

Before Ichigo Kurosaki could process his shock, he suddenly saw a blur before his eyes and realized that Kenpachi Zaraki's movements had changed; his arm was now raised high.

[Is this... a sword-wielding motion?]

Only then did Ichigo feel a cold chill in his chest, and when he looked down, he saw blood mist gushing from his wound.

[Just a moment ago, I was slashed by Kenpachi Zaraki?]

Why wasn't it cut in two?

Oh, I jumped backward myself too —

Kenpachi Zaraki suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha, not bad, kid. You may not be tough enough, but you're fast enough. You're definitely worth killing!"

The next instant, the captain of the 11th Division transformed into a raging storm of sword blades, unleashing countless slashes.

Kenpachi Zaraki's sword strikes were like a storm, so powerful that Ichigo Kurosaki couldn't even open his eyes. But he managed to withstand every attack from Kenpachi Zaraki by instinct.

Clang! Clang! Clang, clang, clang, clang clang clang—!

The sounds of Zanpakuto clashing were as dense as a sudden storm, eventually merging into a single, continuous sound, like melodious music.

After an unknown amount of time, Ichigo Kurosaki finally felt the wind and rain stop.

His eyesight gradually returned, and he saw himself in a disheveled state, his clothes tattered and his body covered in wounds, but he was still alive.

Kurosaki Ichigo's chest heaved as he greedily inhaled the fresh air. The blankness in his mind slowly receded, and his ability to think gradually returned.

We can't beat them, we absolutely can't beat them!

[I was completely overwhelmed. I don't even know how I managed to block it. Is this what a captain-level Grim Reaper is like? This is too strong!]

[The Gotei 13, which means there are 12 more powerful Shinigami of this caliber?]

Can I really rescue Rukia?

But—what about our friends? We promised to rescue Rukia, how can we give up halfway through just because we encountered a strong enemy?

Huffing and puffing—

Kurosaki Ichigo's breathing gradually calmed down. His palms, which were soaked with sweat, gripped Zangetsu tightly. He began to feel the stinging pain in his hands. He had blocked Kenpachi Zaraki's attacks densely before, but each attack had caused slight damage to his hands. The accumulated injuries were quite considerable.

The injuries occurred so frequently that the pain in my hands was replaced by numbness before I could even feel it.

Feeling the pain in his hands, Ichigo Kurosaki felt the overwhelming spiritual pressure emanating from Kenpachi Zaraki more clearly than ever before.

It was a terrifying spiritual pressure, like a mountain, that made Ichigo feel uncontrollably fearful and doubt his ability to win.

If even Ichigo Kurosaki, the strongest and most determined member of the "Rukia Rescue Team," is like this, then Ganju, who is by his side, is even less capable.

This guy was kneeling on the ground at some point, only managing to stay upright by supporting himself with his hands.

Poor Hanatarou was even weaker; he was now foaming at the mouth and lying on the ground with his eyes rolled back.

Seeing the terrible state of his teammates, Ichigo Kurosaki felt an overwhelming surge of courage once again.

He stepped forward, blocking between Shiba Ganju and Zaraki Kenpachi, and said firmly, "Ganju, you two go first. I'll deal with him and then chase after you."

Without having to directly confront Kenpachi Zaraki's spiritual pressure, Ganju recovered considerably. His reckless nature wouldn't allow him to run away, so he stubbornly said, "Idiot, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Shiba Iwa knew he wasn't confident, but having been the eldest brother for so many years, he knew he had to hold on and not admit defeat, even if it meant being stubborn.

He said with a stern face, "The other party is a captain-level figure. I can't let you face them alone."

"oops!"

The pink-haired Yachiru jumped behind Kenpachi Zaraki, then perched on his shoulder, pointing in another direction and saying, "Kenpachi, is that a sissy's spiritual pressure erupting over there?"

Kenpachi Zaraki hoisted his broken sword onto his shoulder and chuckled, "It really is Yumichika. He also encountered a traveler's misfortune. He's quite lucky."

Ichigo Kurosaki also sensed an unfamiliar spiritual pressure confronting Chad's spiritual pressure.

Suddenly, Chad's spiritual pressure erupted, then rapidly declined, and then could no longer be sensed.

"Huh?" Kenpachi Zaraki said in surprise, "He's already killed the Ryoka. This kid is faster than me, the captain."

""

The pink-haired girl raised her little fist: "Go, Little Sword! Don't let the sissy outdo you!"

Kenpachi Zaraki grinned: "Tch, no matter how fast Yumichika is, he can't beat me. I'm the captain!"

Kurosaki Ichigo froze on the spot, his face turning deathly pale as images of him and Chad as classmates and fighting side by side flashed through his mind.

Kurosaki Ichigo was enraged that his close comrades and companions had died.

A surge of spiritual pressure erupted, accompanied by a sudden burst of grief, creating a hurricane that blasted everything around Ichigo away.

In an instant, Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual pressure surpassed that of Kenpachi Zaraki.

He turned to Ganju and said, "There's no time. Ganju, you go find and rescue Rukia first. I'll defeat this guy and then come after you."

Before Shiba Ganju could say anything more, Kurosaki Ichigo, growing impatient, roared, "Get out of here! This isn't the time to steal the spotlight, get out of here!"

Upon hearing Ichigo's words, Ganju, who had also sensed the change in Chad's spiritual pressure, gritted his teeth, abandoned his prisoner Hanatarou, and turned to run away.

As he ran, he shouted, "Ichigo, I'm going to find Rukia, you have to catch up with me!"

Ichigo Kurosaki did not answer. He faced Kenpachi Zaraki, blocking Iwa Shiba's figure, and focused all his energy on adjusting his breathing to recover his strength.

The battles between Shinigami rely entirely on spiritual pressure, and managing spiritual pressure also requires physical strength to wield a Zanpakuto.

Kenpachi Zaraki, feeling Ichigo's violent spiritual pressure, finally revealed a satisfied smile.

He was particularly pleased with Ichigo's chilling killing intent, and said admiringly, "Judging from your posture, you're going to fight me to the death."

"It's great that you have this awareness; my trip wasn't in vain."

With his spiritual pressure increased, his stamina recovered rapidly. Kurosaki Ichigo quickly adjusted his breathing and entered battle mode.

Seeing Kenpachi Zaraki's expectant face, an enraged Ichigo couldn't help but ask, "I never expected that you would not only not interrupt my recovery, but also let my comrades leave—don't you need to stop us?"

"Heh, I came here specifically to cut you down! As for that fat guy—" Kenpachi sneered disdainfully, "He's too weak, he's not worthy of being cut by my sword."

Enraged, Kurosaki Ichigo gritted his teeth and said, "You bastard, you're really arrogant—"

Kenpachi Zaraki was becoming increasingly satisfied with Ichigo: "I don't care about anything else, as long as you let me cut to my heart's content, I don't care about anyone else."

"Kid, unleash your full power and fight me to the death!"

"If you don't satisfy me, I'll go and kill all the traveling monsters!"

Kurosaki Ichigo, his eyes filled with murderous intent, swung his sword and slashed.

Kenpachi Zaraki also brandished his sword, directly clashing with Zangetsu, showing no regard for the Zanpakuto's ability to withstand attacks.

Kurosaki Ichigo's Zangetsu is like a bone-chopping sword, born for head-on clashes, and he is not afraid of fighting.

The two then engaged in a fierce battle, neither giving an inch, creating a cacophony of clanging metal.

However, Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual pressure and aura were forcibly raised by his emotions. When the battle began, he could not quickly overpower Kenpachi Zaraki, and his own aura began to decline rapidly.

As Ichigo Kurosaki's momentum waned, his spiritual pressure lost its support, widening the gap between him and Kenpachi Zaraki.

When the gap widened to a certain extent, Ichigo Kurosaki could no longer harm Kenpachi Zaraki, and he crumbled at the slightest touch when the two swords clashed.

Ultimately, the battle between Shinigami is a battle of spiritual pressure; the stronger the spiritual pressure, the more overwhelming the opponent!

The difference in strength between the strong and the weak is too obvious!

Ichigo Kurosaki was powerless to resist and was quickly and completely suppressed by Kenpachi Zaraki. What should have been a head-on battle turned into a cat-and-mouse game.

Kenpachi Zaraki was unhappy; this was not the battle he wanted!

Clang!

After the clash of metal, Ichigo Kurosaki, sword and all, was blasted into the wall behind him by Kenpachi.

Kenpachi closed his eyes, his face full of regret as he questioned, "What happened to you? How come you only managed 26 strikes before you were defeated? Where did your momentum go?"

"What a disappointment. I thought I could at least get a hundred or two hundred dollars."

"What a disappointment!"

Amidst the ruins of the building, Ichigo Kurosaki is struggling.

I can't lose!

I can't just die like this—

[Move my body, let me fight him one more time—]

Everyone, including Rukia, is waiting for me.

But Ichigo Kurosaki's body did not respond, and his vision gradually faded. In a daze, he saw Zangetsu, dressed in a long robe, appear before him and look down at him.

Zhan Yue asked, "Do you still want to fight? Or do you just want to live? Which do you choose?"

Without hesitation, Ichigo Kurosaki answered: "I want to fight!"

Zhan Yue sensed his determination and resolve, and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips: "Very good."

Kenpachi Zaraki stared wide-eyed, expectantly, only to witness Ichigo's spiritual pressure plummet until it became completely imperceptible.

"Tch, it's over already! How boring!"

Feeling utterly disappointed, Kenpachi Zaraki turned around, slung his sword over his shoulder, and prepared to hunt down the other Ryoka, just as he had said when he threatened Ichigo Kurosaki.

He is Kenpachi Zaraki, the captain of the 11th Division, a Shinigami who keeps his word!

If the plan is to kill the other travelers, then not a single one will be spared!

He had barely turned around when a surge of spiritual pressure erupted from behind him.

Turning his head, Kenpachi saw Ichigo Kurosaki carrying his Zanpakuto as he walked out of the ruins.

His cheat code is online!

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