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

Chapter 438 The Three Battle Groups and the Showdown of Retirement

"Wow, that was close! I almost died!"

Gin Ichimaru, who was inside the crater, suddenly unleashed a powerful spiritual pressure, dispelling the flames on his body. As he walked out of the crater, he complained, "Why am I so unlucky? Being sandwiched between the two strongest is really close to death."

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"Just a little bit more, haha."

Gin Ichimaru even gestured with his hand, using the space between his index finger and thumb, about the size of a sesame seed, to emphasize his good fortune.

When Matsumoto Rangiku saw that he could still act silly, she finally felt relieved.

When Gin Ichimaru saw Rangiku Matsumoto, who was disheveled and bleeding from the corner of her mouth, he smiled and said, "Haha, Rangiku, you're really in a sorry state."

But in his narrowed eyes, a glint of unimaginably sharp light flashed – an unwavering killing intent.

"Damn it, you useless Grim Reaper, get out of our way!" Apache yelled without any politeness. "Don't delay us from taking care of your former colleague!"

"Oh dear, this is really difficult," Gin Ichimaru complained, scratching his head. "Can't you Hollows use your brains for once?"

Suddenly, Gin Ichimaru unleashed a burst of spiritual pressure once more, this time far surpassing the intensity of his previous dispelling of the flames; the spiritual pressure was comparable to a storm.

Even Matsumoto Rangiku, who was far away, could not stand firm and was blown far away by the storm.

Compared to Rangiku, who was merely thrown away, the three Apache girls, who were closer, naturally suffered a much more violent impact, being completely blasted away by spiritual pressure.

As the three of them struggled to stand up, they were slammed to the ground by a powerful force, unable to move.

Gin Ichimaru walked over step by step, casually saying, "Even Halibel, number 3, keeps his distance from me. How dare you guys with double-digit numbers speak so arrogantly to me?"

"Aizen is not a kind-hearted leader; getting close to him is only related to one's strength."

"And I am closer to him than all of you Arrancar."

He bent down, looked at the struggling Apache, and said with a smile, "My strength is actually far greater than yours. Shouldn't you show me respect and submission?"

Their eyes met, and a murderous intent was conveyed.

Apache finally understood Gin Ichimaru's power and ruthlessness. Her pride crumbled, and she respectfully lowered her head, pressing her long antlers to the ground.

Gin Ichimaru laughed heartily, using his laughter to mask his regret at not being able to kill, and said cheerfully, "That's right. Before you Arrancar were you all Hollows, you had to go through thousands of years of survival of the fittest to get to where you are today."

"If there were truly proud monsters among you who refused to bow their heads, how could you have survived to this day?"

"Just obey. If you obey, at least I won't kill you."

Gin Ichimaru turned around and looked at Rangiku Matsumoto again: "Now let's get down to business—hmm?"

A massive spatial portal suddenly opened up right next to Matsumoto Rangiku.

Reinforcements from the Halls of Souls have arrived.

The first Shinigami to step out of the black portal was Retsu Unohana, the captain of the Fourth Division.

Her hands were clasped in front of her, and her gentle smile softened the murderous aura that permeated the battlefield.

Unohana Retsu used [Instant Step], arriving beside Matsumoto Rangiku in a single step, and used Retsu to wrap the heavily injured Rangiku in her arms.

Rangiku's condition has visibly improved.

The Shinigami who followed out of the portal were not from the 4th Division, but from the 11th Division: 4th Seat Natsumi and 5th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa.

Xia Zuo's mere glance was enough to strike the three Apache women like lightning. The severely injured Apache was trembling all over and almost fell from the sky.

Following closely behind the 11th Division Shinigami is Hinamori Momo.

Unlike the previous three Shinigami, she was not able to remain calm. Upon seeing Matsumoto Rangiku injured, she nervously drew her Zanpakuto and stood in front of Rangiku.

No reinforcements arrived after that.

After all, there are already enough people coming; if any more come, the Soul Court will be empty.

No matter what, the present world can't compare to our hometown; someone has to stay behind to guard it.

At this time, there were three major battle groups on the battlefield.

Second Division Captain Soi Fon and Vice-Captain Ōmaeda team up to fight against Espada No. 2, known as the "King of Hueco Mundo," Barragan.

They have already easily killed two of Barragan's subordinates and are now ganging up on Barragan.

Ah, no, it wasn't a gang beating, but rather they were all being overwhelmed and beaten by Barragan.

To be precise, Soi Fon was being relentlessly beaten by Barragan, and only managed to maintain her undefeated status thanks to the help of the true strongest Shinigami, Ōmaeda.

Ōmaeda was in a real predicament. With his enormous belly protruding, he used his flamboyant movements and bizarre actions to outmaneuver Barragán.

He even cried!

The crying was accompanied by snot and tears flying everywhere; not only was the snot disgusting, but the crying also annoyed Barragán.

Before Aizen invaded Hueco Mundo, Barragan was the actual controller of Hueco Mundo, and it was he who activated the Anti-Membrane to approach Aizen and enter Hueco Mundo.

Originally, he was tempted by Aizen's offer and planned to use the power of the Shinigami to further enhance his strength so that he wouldn't fall too far behind others.

Who knew that although the Arrancar achieved his goal and his strength increased, he lost his kingdom.

Even as one of the "Espada," Barragan isn't number one!

Barragán was angry, which is why he was particularly irritable.

After being provoked by Ōmaeda several times, Barragán was filled with rage and completely lost his mind.

Despite having the upper hand, he prematurely unleashed his Zanpakuto, transforming into the Skeleton Emperor and unleashing an overwhelming spiritual pressure as he relentlessly slashed and hacked at Ōmaeda.

The fat Grim Reaper was slashed and cried out in despair, his cries shaking the heavens and his snot flying everywhere.

Barragan was too careless; he didn't even realize that despite his strength increasing so much, he still hadn't left a single scar on Ōmaeda.

This naive old man was actually fooled by the ability to age, thinking himself invincible, completely forgetting that the nature of this world is all about having the last trick up your sleeve.

In the world of Bleach, the advantage or disadvantage in battle is not important; the key is who can make the opponent unleash their ultimate move first, and that person will win the final victory.

It's obvious that Barragán is doomed.

The second battle group was the sibling battle group of Toshiro Hitsugaya and Halibel. The two stirred up storms in the sky, creating a strong blizzard, and fought fiercely.

The third battle group consists of the most charismatic, emotionless Arrancar Ulquiorra and the yandere Shinigami Jushiro Ukitake.

Both of these are powerful individuals who rely on strategic thinking to defeat you. When both sides are rational and calm, the battle becomes like a complex and unpredictable game of chess.

The two stared intently at each other, not daring to relax for a moment. They gently swung their Zanpakuto, seemingly engaging in a casual turn-based battle, but in reality, they were meticulously planning their next move.

Such battles are extremely dangerous. Once a misjudgment is made and the opponent seizes the opportunity, one wrong step will lead to another, quickly resulting in overwhelming dominance and leaving no trace of the enemy.

Such a battle is not suitable for outsiders to get involved in; one wrong move could endanger the experts on our side.

Finally, there is another duel between two factions that cannot be matched by a warband.

Captain Kyoraku Shunsui, who will become the Captain-Commander in the future, versus Stark, the strongest member of the "Espada" and number 1.

It was absolutely a clash of titans, a battle that should have been so intense it would have darkened the sky and obscured the sun and moon, becoming the undisputed focus of the battlefield and the absolute deciding factor in the war's outcome!

However, besides being extremely powerful, these two aces are also the number one slackers in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.

The two biggest slackers went head-to-head, and they fought like cowards who were afraid of dying.

Correct!

It's the legendary "Sword of Cowardice and Fist of the Cowards" and "Fist of the Cowards."

Amidst the flashing swords, you strike me once, I strike you back once.

In the energy wave, you release a phantom flash, and I chant a ghostly spell.

What is turn-based combat?

This is freaking turn-based!

This is the battle fought between the two "slackers" after their leaders were separated from the battlefield.

It can't even be considered a warband anymore.

Xia Zuo and Yumichika exchanged a glance and decided to ignore them.

Yumichika was bullied because of his status. How dare he, a mere grandson of a minor official, manage the beloved disciple of the captain of a squad and the commander-in-chief?

Even if it were possible for a subordinate to hold a superior accountable, the principle of not interfering in the affairs of relatives should still be considered.

Now that Xia Zuo is stronger, he no longer cares much about his identity.

Moreover, he is a man who aspires to pursue Sister Hua, and his status is no less than that of Kyoraku Shunsui.

However, Shazor knew that Stark was a true monster, a self-destructive Arrancar who was determined to die, and a guy destined to die a very pathetic death.

It's best not to interfere with his fate as much as possible.

As for Kyoraku Shunsui, no matter what, he managed to hold off the Starks, who were stronger than him, which is a merit.

The Grim Reaper's reinforcements were mostly observing, with only Hinamori Momo bravely joining the battle.

Without hesitation, she stood with Matsumoto Rangiku to confront her three subordinates, Apache, Sunsun, and Mira.

Hinamori Momo suffered a major setback at Aizen's hands, and even after Unohana Retsu's treatment, she only barely regained a little of her former self.

However, as the vice-captain of the Fifth Division, Hinamori Momo is definitely strong enough, especially in her profound mastery of Kido.

Her Zanpakuto, Tobiume, was already adept at ranged attacks, and when combined with various types of Hado, she severely injured the most impulsive Apache with just one move.

"Damn it!"

Apache covered her charred cheek, her anger reaching its peak, because her face and one of her antlers had been burned off, and she was no longer perfect!

Despite her rage, Apache didn't lose her temper. She secretly glanced at Retsu Unohana, Natsume, and Yumichika Ayasegawa, who were watching them.

They discovered that they were in a standoff with Gin Ichimaru, the Grim Reaper on their side, but it was clear that they could easily send reinforcements to support various battle groups.

She glanced at her direct supervisor, Halibel, and realized that her situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable; they were running out of time.

Apache then gave Sunsun and Mila a wink, and the two women nodded seriously, indicating that they understood.

"Beast God!"

The three of them simultaneously unleashed their spiritual pressure, which converged and spun around each other as if space itself had been distorted.

The three women then tore off their arms and threw them into the vortex high in the sky, causing the spiritual pressure vortex to suddenly erupt.

Then a disgusting stream of black slime flowed out from the twisted opening; it was pure evil.

When evil and spiritual pressure combine, it expands like popcorn, instantly transforming into a monster.

This is a standard chimera, combining the characteristics of the three females, with antlers, a lion's mane, and a thick snake tail on its body.

As a humanoid monster, it wears a mask of nothingness on its face and huge hooves on its feet.

The monster was extremely irritable, and as soon as it took shape, it stomped its feet impatiently, emitting a low growl from its nostrils.

Accompanied by various noises, the chimera's size continued to expand, and its spiritual pressure also increased rapidly in tandem.

When the behemoth's size swelled to the size of a building, its spiritual pressure finally stabilized at the captain level.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Matsumoto Rangiku and Hinamori Momo stared in disbelief at the monster, unable to comprehend its existence.

Even if it were to crush all three women into a single entity, using their combined spiritual pressure and flesh as nutrients, it still wouldn't be able to create a captain-level spiritual pressure.

Where did this several times greater spiritual pressure suddenly come from?

Sensing Xia Zuo's gaze turn towards him, Apache didn't dare waste any time and immediately issued the order: "Go, Wong, tear those two Grim Reapers to shreds!"

Upon hearing this, Matsumoto Rangiku immediately swung her gray cat, creating a defensive circle in front of her to meet the enemy.

The best defense is offense, but the Chimera's spiritual pressure is too strong, and Rangiku believes that her own spiritual pressure will hardly be able to harm this monster.

Considering that a failed attack would be the worst possible outcome, she carefully opted for defense.

Unfortunately, the gap in strength between them was far greater than she had imagined. She shouldn't have chosen to defend at all; instead, she should have dragged Hinamori Momo away and run away.

As long as you run to Natsume and Unohana Retsu's side, you can save your life.

Unfortunately, during Aizen's betrayal, Matsumoto Rangiku went to the Central 46 Chambers and did not witness Retsu Unohana's heroic figure on the execution platform, nor did she see Natsuzo's powerful severing of the anti-membrane with a single strike.

Although she heard about these things afterward, she subconsciously still thought that Captain Unohana was a healer who needed her protection, and that Natsume was the fourth seat and not as strong as her.

It has to be said, old ideas are harmful.

Upon hearing the order, Weng immediately launched an attack.

Matsumoto Rangiku's vision vanished instantly; the dust defense she had set up was blown away, and a rumbling sound of footsteps came from behind her.

Rangiku found that her body was no longer under her control; she could not turn around, she could not even turn her head, and she could not even move her eyes.

Two full seconds passed before a tearing pain shot through her right side, allowing Rangiku to regain control of her body.

She looked down and saw a blurry mass of flesh and blood, blood vessels gushing blood, writhing internal organs, and ruptured intestines.

Before Matsumoto Rangiku could react, the old man ripped off her lower right abdomen.

Blood gushed from Rangiku's mouth, and she lost all strength, collapsing limply backward.

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