Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

The others exchanged glances and quickened their pace.

.........

When the group finally arrived at the center of the spiritual pressure burst, the scene before them left them somewhat stunned.

"what is this?"

Madarame Ikkaku stared wide-eyed at what lay ahead in disbelief.

Instead of the fierce battle they had anticipated, there was only a huge iron ball, crackling with wisps of lightning, floating in mid-air.

Beneath the iron ball, a silver-haired boy dressed in pure white divine robes stood quietly.

"Sasuke?!"

Ichigo landed at the edge of the pit and instinctively called out.

Sasuke turned around and calmly glanced at the crowd.

Hey! Kid!

Ikkaku Madarame, however, couldn't care less about anything else. He rushed forward, anxiously looking around, "Where's the captain?! Where's the captain?!"

He could clearly feel the captain's violent spiritual pressure, so why couldn't he see a single person here?

Sasuke glanced at him indifferently and pointed to the iron ball above his head.

"It's in here."

"......ha?!"

He stared blankly at the metal ball, "You mean the captain is inside this ball?!"

"Yes." Sasuke nodded slightly. "I'm trying to help him find the name of his Zanpakuto again."

Chapter 248 Hell, Pure Land, Location of the Target

A slow, deliberate sound of wooden clogs came from behind.

"Oh my, it's so lively!"

Kisuke Urahara, his hat brim pressed down, was followed by several huge floating stretchers, on which lay the unconscious Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Chad.

"Inoue! Sadatari!"

Upon seeing this, Ichigo rushed over and carefully checked them over. After confirming that they were only unconscious and unharmed, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Urahara,” Ichigo said gratefully.

"You're welcome, Mr. Kurosaki."

Urahara waved his hand, then stepped to the bottom of the huge iron ball, looked up, and examined it with great interest.

"Sasuke-kun, what did you mean by that just now?"

Urahara looked at Sasuke, his eyes probing, "What do you mean by 'finding your name'?"

Sasuke didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "You should know that Zaraki has been unconsciously suppressing his spiritual pressure."

"Yes, I have heard that rumor."

Urahara nodded, resting his chin on his fan. "It's said that because he was so eager for battle, he subconsciously put himself in a shackle to suppress his power to a level comparable to his opponent's in order to enjoy the thrill of fighting for longer."

"But what does that have to do with the name?"

“It has a lot to do with it.” Sasuke looked at the iron ball. “Because that kind of suppression is not only aimed at spiritual pressure, but also at the connection between him and his Zanpakuto.”

"He is rejecting that true power."

“So…” Sasuke raised his hand, lightning crackling in his palm, “I’ll use this to give him a push.”

"This iron ball..."

Urahara carefully observed the lightning patterns flowing across the surface of the sphere, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes.

"This must be your Bankai, right, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke nodded, without denying it.

“Heavenly Law Thunder Punishment,” he explained in a low voice. “The inside of this sphere is an absolutely sealed spiritual pressure circulation space.”

“Every bit of power that Zaraki releases inside will be absorbed by the sphere wall and then transformed into a stronger binding force, which in turn suppresses him.”

"The more he struggled, the stronger the restraints became."

"The only way to break this cycle is..."

Sasuke's lips curled into a smile.

"It is in an instant that a power exceeding the limit of this cycle is unleashed."

"That is, to completely remove all the shackles he had put on himself."

"I see..." Urahara exclaimed in admiration after hearing this. "To put oneself in a desperate situation and then survive? That's a truly unique method."

"However, given Captain Zaraki's personality, this may indeed be the most effective method."

Just as the two were talking, the huge iron ball that had been floating in mid-air suddenly began to tremble violently.

"Buzz—!!!"

The originally smooth lightning patterns on the surface of the iron ball began to become disordered.

A golden light shone from inside the iron ball.

"But for someone like him who loves physical combat, this might be a bit difficult."

Just as Urahara said, Kenpachi Zaraki was very agitated inside the Thunder Sphere at that moment.

"Drink it!!!"

He let out a roar and slashed fiercely at the lightning in front of him with his shallow sword.

But the barrier not only did not break, it instantly devoured all the spiritual pressure contained in Kenpachi's attack.

"Damn it, it's that thing again."

Kenpachi gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with rage.

The more he tried to exert force, the greater the pressure from the surroundings became.

The moment the spiritual pressure within the body erupts, it is instantly drawn away by that strange mechanism and then transformed into even stronger lightning that strikes back.

This is a vicious cycle!

"You brat! Let me out! Let's fight face to face!"

Kenpachi roared at the sky above, but there was no response.

Gradually, Kenpachi's movements slowed down, and he felt a sense of fatigue beginning to erode his consciousness.

"...Tch, how boring."

Kenpachi leaned on his sword, panting heavily.

"Are you giving up already?" a strange voice asked.

He suddenly opened his eyes, looked around, but saw nothing.

"Who?!"

"You're still the same as before, always liking to put shackles on yourself."

The voice continued, "Despite possessing immense power, you choose to carefully control your strength."

What are you so afraid of?

"Afraid the opponent will die too quickly? Afraid the battle will end too soon?"

"Are you still afraid that you'll never find that person again who lets you fight to your heart's content?"

"Shut up!" Kenpachi roared, his irritation growing even stronger. "I'll fight however I want! It's none of your business to lecture me!"

"is it?"

The voice chuckled softly, "So you're prepared to die here?"

"..."

Kenpachi remained silent.

He looked down at the shallow-handled sword in his hand, which was full of nicks and chips.

This knife had been with him for hundreds of years.

From his rampage through Rukongai to becoming the captain of the Eleventh Division.

It remained silent, like a piece of scrap metal, letting him wield it as he pleased.

But now...

"Are you talking to me?"

Kenpachi's voice was a little hoarse.

"Did you finally hear that?" The voice became clearer. "I've been waiting for you, waiting for the real you to come back."

boom--!!!

Something seemed to shatter in Kenpachi's mind.

A memory he had deliberately sealed away resurfaced.

That battlefield strewn with corpses, that boy wielding a blood-stained longsword, and that woman who gave him his first taste of "pleasure."

"yes......"

Kenpachi's lips slowly parted into a ferocious grin.

"I remember now."

"That feeling. That pleasure that makes your very soul tremble..."

He slowly straightened up, and a golden spiritual pressure began to emanate from his body.

Come on! Tell me your name!