Naruto: Just Want To Be A Death God

Soi Fon wore a cold expression as she tiptoed forward and peered over Naruto's desk."Captain Uzumaki, you sure look relaxed," she said."Have you started moonlighting with the Twelfth Division?"

She couldn't make out much of what was on his desk—some parts were cloaked with spells the moment she entered—but there was one thing she could unmistakably identify.

A very familiar scent.

The scent of Kisuke Urahara.

A flash of golden light.

Naruto used Shunpo to appear behind her in an instant, grabbed the back of her collar, and hoisted her up.

He wasn't particularly tall, but Soi Fon was even shorter.

"If Captain Soi Fon has no real business here, please don't start mimicking that idiot Captain Zaraki," Naruto said as he carried her toward the window. "What I do in private is no concern of yours."

"That's not your division's responsibility."

He opened the window and made a show of getting ready to toss her out.

Soi Fon kicked and struggled, shouting, "Wait! I have something important to say!"

Naruto paused but didn't let her down.

"I came here out of concern—wanted to ask if Captain Uzumaki needed any assistance." Her tone cooled as she continued, "Your pursuit of Yoruichi Shihōin and the others doesn't seem to be going well."

"I haven't heard any progress updates."

"If you're short on manpower, the Stealth Force can assign at least one squad to support."

It was the second time she had brought up this offer.

Naruto smiled.

So it was about Yoruichi-sama.

That gentle smile of his made Soi Fon lower her guard for a moment. She added, "Or maybe... you've just been slacking off and haven't taken it seriously?"

With a flick of his wrist, Naruto threw her to the floor.

She had barely started to stand back up when—

A burst of spiritual pressure surged.

Soi Fon looked up—her eyes reflected a flash of gold—and clank, chains wrapped around her body.

It was the signature technique of the Seventh Division Captain.

"What are you doing?!" Soi Fon shouted, struggling with spiritual energy. But the second, third chain came in—fully binding her—and she was hoisted up near the window, suspended.

Naruto looked up at her."If Captain Soi Fon came here to question how I do my job…"

"Then I must say…"

"Even though you're older than me, I became a captain before you. That technically makes me your senior."

"Isn't it rude for a junior to criticize their senior like this?"

"But if it's not criticism…"

"Could you be a bit more straightforward, Captain Soi Fon?"

He smiled as he said this, still calm and composed.

Soi Fon clenched her teeth, resolute.

"So it was criticism then." Naruto waved his hand, and the golden chains swung her out the window. "Then goodbye, Captain Soi Fon."

"I have work to get back to."

In a panic, Soi Fon kicked against the window frame and swung herself back inside.

"Wait! It wasn't criticism!" she cried out."I'm sorry, Captain Uzumaki!"

"I just want to understand the mission progress!"

Naruto kept smiling, but the chains dragged her back toward the window.

"Please!" she pleaded, finally using honorifics."Please let me know the current progress, Captain Uzumaki!"

With a flick of his wrist, Naruto withdrew the chains.

"You should've just said that earlier."

Soi Fon landed back inside, disheveled, face twisted in humiliation.

This man is so infuriating!

He obviously knows what I'm thinking, but still forces me to say it aloud.

So embarrassing!

"So have you found any trace of Yoruichi Shihōin and the others?" she asked, now soft-spoken and obedient.

Naruto shook his head. "As you said, Captain Soi Fon—I've been slacking off a bit and haven't really been looking."

Soi Fon blinked in disbelief. "Why not?"

"The real perpetrator already came forward—it was Kaname Tōsen. Not Kisuke Urahara."

"They were falsely accused."

"Yoruichi Shihōin is only guilty of disrupting the Central 46. But for a great noble house like the Shihōin Clan, that's barely a scratch on their reputation."

Naruto looked at her and returned to his seat.

"So why come to me, Captain Soi Fon? Why not seek out Yoruichi-sama yourself?"

Soi Fon pouted.

Isn't that obvious?

If I could find Yoruichi-sama, why would I even come here?

"Because you know I'm here. Everyone knows Captain Uzumaki of the Seventh Division is here," Naruto said gently.

Soi Fon was stunned.

That's... a pretty obvious statement too.

Where else would a division captain be if not in their division quarters?

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "As someone who was closest to Yoruichi-sama and Captain Urahara—"

"I was not!" Soi Fon snapped, voice harsh, but with a tiny trace of sorrow.

She didn't believe she was the closest.

Because if she were…

Why didn't Yoruichi take her along when she fled?

Naruto paused, glanced at her."You should be able to understand why I haven't gone looking for them."

Soi Fon froze.

Should understand?

"You know full well what Yoruichi-sama and Urahara Kisuke are capable of," Naruto continued.

Soi Fon looked down, furrowing her brow in thought.

Yes…

They were both incredibly capable. Even in the human world, they could easily stay informed about what was happening in the Soul Society.

Tōsen Kaname was already dead. The Hollowfication incident resolved.

They must know.

Then why haven't they returned?

Is it because they're worried about the Hollowfied captains? Or something else?

Her mind spun in circles. She couldn't figure it out.

Looking up at Naruto again, she spoke sincerely."Please tell me, Captain Uzumaki… why?"

Putting everything together only made her more confused.

Naruto calmly shook his head. "I can't tell you."

Soi Fon stiffened, clenching her fists. "Why not?"

"I am Yoruichi-sama's—"

Naruto cut her off."With everything I've just told you, and with how well you know her and Captain Urahara, you should be able to guess something."

"But you haven't. That means you're not smart enough."

"Nor strong enough."

"And you lack composure."

"Telling you would do more harm than good. It wouldn't be safe for you."

He was genuinely concerned—if Soi Fon knew the truth, with her personality, she might charge out that very night and try to assassinate Aizen.

But charging in without certainty only leads to being cornered.

Soi Fon was dejected. "But I'm already a captain!"

"Captains are simply those who rose above regular squad members," Naruto replied calmly. "That doesn't mean you're strong enough."

"Yoruichi-sama left me because I was weak…" Soi Fon murmured, head down.

She couldn't refute Naruto's words.

In front of him, everything she prided herself on—Shunpo and more—was completely overshadowed.

That golden chain from earlier, maybe he saw it as playful…

But she had been truly helpless.

Naruto sighed."Yoruichi-sama didn't leave you because you were weak."

"She just felt it was safer for you to stay here in Seireitei."

"Now think—if you were her, what would you be doing right now?"

Soi Fon said nothing. She hugged her knees, rested her chin atop them, and went deep into thought.

She ended up treating the Seventh Division quarters like her second office.

Once her own duties were done, she'd go sit silently in Naruto's office, doing nothing but thinking.

At first, the Second Division panicked. Where's the captain?!

But eventually, they got used to it.

Vice-Captain Ōmaeda Marechiyo even brought a pile of lavish gifts, filling nearly half of Naruto's office. The gift list alone was the thickness of a hand.

With such courtesy, Naruto couldn't exactly throw her out.

So, if Soi Fon wanted to stay, he let her.

He even moved to a different room—but Soi Fon followed him like a shadow.

Even if he angrily tossed her out, she'd sneak right back in soon after.

"What do you want?" Naruto eventually asked in exasperation.

Soi Fon replied earnestly,"You told me to think about what Yoruichi-sama would do. But I can't come up with anything… she's not here."

"You're smarter than me. So I'll observe you."

"If I see what you do, maybe I'll figure it out."

Naruto looked at her and understood.

She was even more stubborn than he was.

So he let her be, treating her like air, and went back to his own research.

He had a new project.

Inspired by Kūgo Ginjō.

He had once believed that only the dead could wield the power of a Soul Reaper.

But now… that no longer seemed to be the case.

Kūgo Ginjō, a living human, had gained Soul Reaper powers through spiritual infusion.

Which raised a new possibility—

Could Karin become a Soul Reaper too?

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was also highly interested in this project.

The two of them joined forces to research how to grant Soul Reaper powers to a living human.

It wasn't too hard.

Kūgo Ginjō had gone through it himself and shared his experience.

A Soul Reaper uses their Zanpakutō as a medium to pierce the human's body and infuse them with spirit energy, thereby creating a new "Soul Reaper."

There was a condition, of course—

The person must already possess spiritual power.

During their research, they discovered something surprising.

The essence of Soul Reaper power wasn't merely "spiritual pressure."The powers of Hollows, and even Ginjō's "Fullbring" technique, were just different ways of utilizing spiritual energy.

All three—Soul Reaper, Hollow, Fullbring—were forms of spiritual manipulation, yet each manifested differently.

While researching this, Mayuri revealed something to Naruto.

He was modifying his own Zanpakutō.

Using reliable technology, he could now stably alter the form of its power.

For now, only its Shikai could be altered.

Mayuri then invited Naruto to let him modify his Zanpakutō.

Naruto hadn't even had time to refuse when the Nine-Tails in his inner world shook its head furiously and demanded Naruto beat Mayuri up.

That man was way too unreliable.

(End of Chapter)