Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"There are some things that even I, an old man, am not entirely clear about."

..........

In the present world, Karakura Town.

As night deepened, the city lights appeared somewhat hazy in the drizzle.

Ichigo Kurosaki stood on the rooftop of a tall building, raising his longbow. Standing behind a Quincy, he frowned in deep thought: "What do you mean by that?"

What do you mean I'm too well protected?

"And what exactly is this 'stealing Bankai' thing?"

Just minutes before, the Quincy who called himself "Azkielro Iban" suddenly appeared in front of him and attacked him without saying a word.

Although the opponent's methods were somewhat bizarre, including the ability to use Quincy spiritual weapons, these tricks were clearly no match for Ichigo, who had already mastered the power of the Quincy.

After only a few rounds of fighting, that guy was cornered by Ichigo's longbow, finding himself in a desperate situation.

Just when Ichigo thought the battle was over, his opponent said something that left him completely baffled.

"You have only redeemed a portion of your potential."

"Uchiha Sasuke, and the Gotei 13, have protected you too well."

"That's why you only possess this level of strength now."

"This level?"

Ichigo frowned.

What do you mean by "this level"? Is this level very weak?

With his current strength, he should be able to easily defeat most captains, right?

He couldn't understand how someone who was at a disadvantage in front of him could utter such high-sounding words.

But what concerned him more was the incantation of the Word of Power, the ability of "Star Manifestation".

Capture the swastika...

Does it really possess such an unreasonable ability?

If Bankai could really be taken away, wouldn't that be a catastrophe for those Shinigami who rely heavily on Zanpakuto abilities?

He wasn't sure, after all, he hadn't used his Zanpakuto in this battle.

Azkielro Ibon shook his head, staring at the bow in Ichigo Kurosaki's hand.

He had no desire to say anything more, and even less to fight.

Compared to delaying Ichigo Kurosaki, the information we have now is more worthy of reporting to His Majesty.

He reached out, grasped at the void, and pulled out a shadow to cover half of his body.

The shadow writhed like a living thing, engulfing his body.

"Stop making pointless attempts."

The guy was hiding in the shadows, his voice arrogant.

"Only the chosen ones are qualified to be in the shadows."

"Someone like you, a half-baked amateur, should just stay in the sunlight and wait to be hunted."

As soon as the words were spoken, only faint fluctuations of spiritual energy remained in the void.

Kurosaki Ichigo stared wide-eyed at the sky where a fierce battle had just erupted.

The person disappeared.

In a way he didn't understand.

"Disappeared..."

Do Quincy have this ability?

He had never seen Yulong use it.

Although he possessed Quincy powers within him, he had never sensed this "stealth" ability within his body.

"What exactly is going on?"

Ichigo scratched his short hair, his expression growing increasingly confused.

What exactly does that organization called the Invisible Empire want to do?

They came to cause him trouble time and time again.

........

The Invisible Empire.

Yhwach stared at the person kneeling on the ground before him, languidly half-lying down, one hand supporting his chin.

"Gerrard actually failed."

His voice was very soft, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Even with the power of a 'miracle,' can one still be killed?"

He reached out, and a surge of blue light flowed back into his hand.

"There's only one source of material like his, it's such a pity."

Although he said it was a pity, there was not a trace of regret on Yhwach's face.

"However, his death was not entirely meaningless."

"The ability to be immortal and indestructible can indeed, to some extent, be able to contend with that Uchiha Sasuke."

"If it weren't for that strange power..."

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the room until it landed on the only person kneeling.

“Azkielro Ibon, you look quite disheveled.”

"It seems the result wasn't very good."

"He's just a good kid with some combat experience, but he hasn't been forged into iron and blood yet."

The man whose name was called trembled violently, lowered his head even further, and his voice betrayed his fear.

"Your Majesty..." Iban stammered as he reported, "I did indeed engage in battle with Kurosaki Ichigo."

"According to the plan, my subordinates tried to lure him into using his Bankai, but he never used his Zanpakuto!"

“He’s using the power of us Quincy!” Ivan swallowed hard. “The Star Seal is ineffective against him.”

"Oh?" Yhwach let out a soft exclamation, tapping his cheek lightly with his fingers. "Our power?"

"Yes!"

With trembling hands, Ebon reached into his pocket and carefully took out the round metal badge engraved with five equal lines, holding it above his head with both hands.

"He seems to have completely mastered the Quincy's fighting style; Starstalker can't take anything from him at all..."

With a casual wave of his hand, Yhwach sent the star emblem flying lightly from Ivan's grasp into his own.

He lowered his eyes and gently stroked the badge with his fingertips.

"As expected, there isn't one."

After a moment, he spoke calmly, "So, this isn't your problem."

Upon hearing this, Ibon's tense body relaxed slightly, but he still dared not look up.

“Ichigo Kurosaki is a very special existence.” Yhwach toyed with the Star Badge between his fingers. “As a hybrid of Quincy and Shinigami, his power is inherently one.”

"It's understandable that Xingzhang's abilities were ineffective against him."

After saying that, he casually tossed the star badge back to its original position.

Yibang hurriedly grabbed it in his hand, his expression somewhat relaxed.

His Majesty returned my things to me...

Does this mean I won't be punished?

"Although you were unable to bring back Bankai, you have at least demonstrated the power that Ichigo Kurosaki is currently using."

Yhwach continued to prop his head up, flicked his finger, and chuckled: "From this point of view, you are not without fault, and you could even be said to have done something good."

"So... what kind of reward should I give you?"

Reward?

Ibang suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

His gaze instinctively fell on Yhwach's hand, which had just withdrawn its blue aura.

Yhwach noticed his gaze, shook his head slightly, and let out a soft chuckle.

Do you want the power of 'M'?

"It's not right for you."

Yibang was startled and quickly lowered his head again, stammering in a panic, "I...I wouldn't dare! I had no such intention!"

That is the sacred letter "M," which symbolizes the supreme power of "miracles."

In the invisible empire, only those members of the Sternritter who stand at the pinnacle are qualified to be bestowed with "Holy Script" by His Majesty.

That was the source of power and a symbol of status.

The reason why monsters like Gerald Valkyrie possess such unbeatable abilities is precisely because they possess the holy letter "M".

With my background, how could I dare to covet something bestowed by the gods?

"hehe......"

Yhwach looked at his trembling and fearful expression and beckoned with his finger.

"In that case, I shall bestow upon you a different kind of honor."

Ibang raised his head again, his eyes filled with longing.

A different kind of honor?