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

Chapter 448 The Rat Hidden Behind the World

"If I'm not mistaken, that Hōgyoku flew towards him on its own—"

"The Hogyoku's self-healing ability is limitless. After fully absorbing the Hogyoku, one can become immortal."

"Then my Bankai won't be able to kill him?"

"What exactly does all this years of infiltration mean?"

Gin Ichimaru smiled slyly, but inside, a storm was raging.

Aizen's power and rapid advancement within half an hour completely overturned his century-long plan of infiltration.

Because all of Gin Ichimaru's preparations and plans were for that final, decisive blow of his Bankai.

A century of preparation—wasn't that itself a century of hesitation?

By procrastinating, I turned what was originally a 30% sure plan into a complete joke.

The white fox's self-doubt lasted for three minutes, after which he rallied.

In Gin Ichimaru's mind, the scenes of his century-long infiltration were quickly turned over, and all of Aizen's conspiracy, the method to break the Kyoka Suigetsu, the massacre in Hueco Mundo, including his own sinful self, were thrown to the back of his mind.

The chaotic aura subsided, and the wavering conviction solidified once more. A chilling killing intent flashed briefly in Ichimaru Gin's light blue pupils.

Then, its slender eyes closed, and the furry fox transformed back into a cold, venomous snake, a fake smile reappearing on its face.

It's like a mask that never fades.

But a touch of tenderness sprouted from his unwavering resolve; it was the source of Gin Ichimaru's strength, and it was a face that haunted his dreams.

That's right, it's just her face, because when her face was at its most beautiful and youthful, she wasn't this well-endowed yet.

Rangiku!

With his gaze fixed on the holy figure standing motionless in mid-air, Gin Ichimaru gripped his Zanpakuto tightly.

[I did all this for you, so don't forget me!]

Why is he still further ahead?

"No, that's not right, why is he farther away from me now?"

Aizen, looking utterly dejected, asked Xia Zuo, "What was that line?"

Xia Zuo replied, "If you are merely the Grim Reaper, you see me as a frog in a well gazing at the moon; if you transcend the boundaries of death, you see me as an ant—"

The dragonfly sees the blue sky. "

"Yes, that's the line." Aizen said with a wry smile, "An ant seeing the blue sky, an ant—blue sky—"

"So that's how it is. Only now, at this stage, am I just an ant with enough eyes to see the vast blue sky. Haha, it's truly despairing."

"Lord Xia Zuo, just how much of a gap is there between us?"

Xia Zuo smiled.

After Aizen took this step and completely surpassed the limits of a Shinigami, he became the best benchmark of strength, allowing Xia Zuo to confirm just how far his strength had reached.

Don't underestimate the ant; it's a benchmark.

Before Xia Zuo saw the ants, those single-celled organisms that were death gods could not be used as a measure of his strength at all.

It's funny, Qingtian doesn't even know how tall he is.

Now that he knew, he was in a great mood and explained with exceptional patience: "From the perspective of the largest and most complete power system in all the heavens and myriad realms, it is divided into ranks."

"From the initial stage of cultivation as a mortal to the Qi Refining Realm, the subsequent stages are Foundation Establishment Realm, Core Formation Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, Deity Transformation Realm, and Void Refining Realm."

The stages are: Integration Realm, Mahayana Realm, Tribulation Transcending Realm, and finally, True Immortal.

"Aizen, now that you can communicate with the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo with the help of the Hogyoku, you can basically be considered to have entered the fifth stage of the Nascent Soul realm."

"As for me, I can barely be considered a True Immortal who has crossed the ninth level of the Tribulation Transcending Realm. Well, perhaps it's an incomplete and bankrupt version, but my realm is still there."

Aizen asked in surprise, "Only halfway?"

"Oh, I see. The leaps between each realm are worlds apart, and the gap will only widen."

Xia Zuo nodded and said, "That's true."

"You've reached this point, which means you've completely exhausted your potential, even to the point of—"

After looking him up and down, he continued, "He's even gone a bit astray; the possibility of him being promoted again in the short term is no longer there."

"Do you still want to fight me?"

Aizen's eyes suddenly lit up: "Of course!"

"Of course we must have a good fight with Lord Xia Zuo!"

"Having spent so much effort to reach this point, how can we not feel the majesty of the heavens?"

"Please rest assured, I already know what you're thinking."

"I will do everything in my power to destroy Karakura Town, trigger the reaction of the Soul Resurrection Zone, and bring Hueco Mundo and Soul Society out of hiding, forcing out the rats lurking behind the world."

"After we finish fighting, I will voluntarily hand over the Hōgyoku and confess my guilt."

9

Xia Zuo was extremely satisfied. Aizen was indeed Aizen; his mind was truly brilliant.

With just a few words, he guessed that his true intention was to fight him in order to scheme against certain beings hidden in the dark side of the world.

He even guessed what was going on with him and sincerely accepted it.

This made Xia Zuo feel a little embarrassed, so he decided to hold back a bit when he made his move, so as not to hurt him too much.

The terrifying battle has paused, and after the failed attempt to ambush Aizen, the tense Shinigami have regained some of their energy.

Meanwhile, Ichigo Kurosaki, having broken free of his Hollow form, also returned.

His father, Kurosaki Isshin, asked, "You killed that masked man?"

Kurosaki Ichigo instinctively replied, "Ah, he turned to ash."

In reality, the battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra resulted in both being severely injured. However, Ulquiorra, who possessed the ability to regenerate at an extremely fast pace, was inexplicably unable to heal his internal organs.

It feels like he died from a plot device rather than being killed by Ichigo Kurosaki.

However, the Grim Reapers didn't care about that. When they heard that the troublesome masked man was dead, they simply forgot about him.

Once he realized what was happening, Ichigo Kurosaki grabbed his father's Shinigami robes by the collar and demanded, "Dad, you're a Shinigami?"

Why didn't you tell me this?

"Let go, let go now!" Kurosaki Isshin, the son-in-law, was sweating profusely with anxiety. "Give your father some face in public!"

Kurosaki Ichigo graciously let go: "Then you have to tell me what happened?"

Kurosaki Isshin sighed, his voice filled with reminiscence and sorrow: "It's a long story; I'll tell you it slowly when we get back."

"Alright—" Kurosaki Ichigo looked around and asked, "Karakura Town has been destroyed so badly, with so much damage. Where are Yuuko and Karin?"

Kurosaki Isshin patted his son on the shoulder: "Don't think too badly of your dad. I only came to help after I got them to safety."

"By the way, I've also notified your friends, and they've all evacuated with their families."

Kurosaki Isshin sighed and said, "As for the others, there's nothing I can do. After all, no one would believe me even if I told them."

Kurosaki Ichigo breathed a huge sigh of relief: "It's good that Yuuki and Karin are alright. Dad, you've done more than enough. There's really nothing more we could do."

The father and son spoke in hushed tones.

Meanwhile, Kisuke Urahara began constructing a new barrier.

It's not about rebuilding, but about establishing a strong enough sanctuary to protect Death in the battles to come.

There was no way around it; everyone wanted to see what the next battle was like, but they were also afraid of being killed by the aftershocks.

At this moment, the former Grand Master of Ghost Arts and the Deputy Grand Master of Ghost Arts joined forces to create a barrier, a lineup that was extremely luxurious.

The two of them represent the highest level of Kido in Soul Society and Soul Reaper. The barrier they erect is enough for all Shinigami to survive in battles that surpass even Shinigami level.

With nothing to do, Kisuke Urahara took advantage of the ceasefire to retrieve his green hat, carefully put it on his head, and meticulously adjusted the brim.

Yoruichi Shihouin sighed, "Such a good opportunity was wasted, and Aizen has become even stronger now. It's safe to say there's no chance of killing him anymore."

Kisuke Urahara said with a hint of helplessness, "It's alright. Judging from Natsume's words, he will deal with Aizen, although it won't be in a way that satisfies us."

Yoruichi frowned and said, "I never expected that the Fourth Seat of Natsume could completely suppress Aizen—how come I didn't know he was such a terrifying guy before?"

Kisuke Urahara shook his head and said, "Yoruichi, I never cared about you in the past, but from now on, you must show Natsuzo enough respect."

As the creator of the Hogyoku, Urahara understood it very well, knew what its infinite potential represented, and could comprehend the terrifying power of Aizen when he fused with the Hogyoku.

However, the combination of Hogyoku and Aizen was no match for Xia Zuo; it was easier for them than an adult beating a child.

Kisuke Urahara wasn't just a researcher; he knew what that meant.

This means that Xia Zuo can destroy the Soul Society all by himself!

The destruction here is not a word game, but a real, material destruction.

And it's not the Seireitei, it's the Soul Society!

The entire Soul Society, including the Soul Society, all districts of Rukongai, the wastelands, and the borders.

Beside Kisuke Urahara, the seven members of the Visored remained silent, the atmosphere so somber it was almost as if water could drip from it.

Now everyone knows that their hopes for revenge have been dashed, and the road to vengeance will be long and arduous!

Captain-Commander Yamamoto remained silent.

He understood what Urahara Kisuke meant; he was actually worried that he and Natsume would clash and accidentally destroy the Soul Society or even the Soul Society.

The stubborn old man scoffed at his concerns: "Do you really think I, Yamamoto Shigekuni, am an idiot?"

[If I were a stubborn, reckless fool, how could I have held the position of Captain-General for thousands of years? That would be a joke.]

Even in crucial moments, I can be quite resourceful!

Otherwise, I would have beaten you all to death a hundred times over, a hundred times over!

Although he was certain that nothing would happen, Captain-Commander Yamamoto still turned his gaze to Kenpachi Zaraki.

As the captain of the 11th Division, Xia Zuo is his fourth seat, so he must know Xia Zuo very well.

Who knew Kenpachi Zaraki would grin and say, "I don't know Xia Zuo. If I did, I could make him slack off in our fight."

Year?"

Ayasegawa Yumichika shook his head repeatedly: "I am indeed quite familiar with Natsuzo, but only to a limited extent. I don't even know what his Bankai is."

Then, everyone's attention turned to Retsu Unohana.

"snort!"

Unohana Retsu snorted coldly, not uttering a single word.

But Yamamoto Shigekuni already understood what his old comrade meant: "I know, but not much, and I don't want to say. You all rejected me just now, humph!"

Suddenly, a burst of spiritual pressure erupted, and seeing its milky white color, one could tell that it was Aizen's spiritual pressure.

After the milky-white spiritual pressure suddenly erupted, it quietly returned to calm, just like when Xia Zuo had unleashed his spiritual pressure before.

The difference this time was that Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Retsu Unohana sensed Aizen's spiritual pressure limit at a distance close to their perception limits.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto sighed, "Aizen has indeed broken through the boundaries of a Shinigami and embarked on the path of approaching the Soul King alone."

Unohana Retsu gritted her teeth and said, "Natsuzo, the power he's been hiding is actually this strong—"

Surprisingly, Ichigo Kurosaki also sensed it, and he asked in a daze, "Their combined power is too strong, how can they be so powerful?"

After calming himself down, Aizen regained his composure and suddenly drew his sword without warning.

As the Mirror Flower Water Moon cleaved through the air, an extremely sharp sword aura was released from the blade, fiercely and unpretentiously rushing towards Xia Zuo.

Accompanied by a violent, piercing storm, the sword energy struck Xia Zuo's phantom, passed through it, carved a straight trench in the densely built Karakura Town, and finally dissipated into the body of a 66-story building.

Xia Zuo was very satisfied with Aizen's hard work: "Well done, keep it up. Show your strength to the fullest. It will be very beneficial for your future imprisonment."

"Lord Xia Zuo, please don't joke around."

Aizen snorted coldly and unleashed his sword energy once more, attacking the afterimage that Xia Zuo had deliberately left behind.

[No matter what, one of them must be true. If I attack them all, how can I not succeed?]

The Mirror Flower Water Moon drew a beautiful arc like a gazelle's horns, and after being infused with terrifying spiritual pressure, it unleashed a sword pressure capable of destroying everything.

Sword energy was being released by Aizen from all directions—front, back, left, and right!

However, Xia Zuo did not merge with the phantom, and all his attacks missed.

However, Karakura Town suffered a major misfortune. In an instant, one-third of its buildings were destroyed, another third became dangerous buildings, and only the remaining third remained intact.

Boom—

Amidst a deafening roar, Xia Zuo and Aizen clashed. This time, Xia Zuo initiated the attack, and Aizen was immediately overwhelmed and forced to defend.

Although no one could sense Xia Zuo's spiritual pressure, he completely overwhelmed Aizen in terms of spiritual pressure, and the collision between the two also triggered a terrifying storm.

The ruins of the buildings piled up around Aizen were blown away by the terrifying storm in an instant, and the super-powerful energy even evaporated some of the fine dust.

In an instant, the confrontation between the two created a huge meteorite crater in Karakura Town, 30 meters deep and more than 5000 meters in diameter.

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