Souls filled with resentment, in the world of Shinigami, can degenerate into Hollows.
So, in the world of Naruto, with its Chakra system, what kind of chemical reaction would a resentful soul possessing Chakra have when combined with Reiatsu?
Naruto was very much looking forward to finding out.
He knew Kakashi was observing him from the shadows, but who cared?
Vmmm. Kyoka Suigetsu vibrated faintly, and the entire world rippled like the surface of a lake.
No one noticed.
In Kakashi's eyes, Naruto, having successfully killed the leader, stood there seemingly calm, yet his shoulders were trembling slightly.
This must be the fear of a first kill.
Even someone as warm as the sun, like Naruto, couldn't remain entirely composed when faced with such a brutal reality.
A flash of understanding crossed Kakashi's eyes.
He vaguely remembered when his own team had first undertaken a mission that drew blood. Obito, who was usually so carefree, had become incredibly downcast after killing someone. Rin, on the other hand, had been much stronger than he'd expected.
Give Naruto some time alone. With his personality, he'll pull through it soon enough.
Kakashi smiled faintly and quietly melted back into the darkness.
"Kakashi is definitely no ordinary Jonin. Manipulating his five senses is proving to be incredibly difficult." After Kakashi left, Naruto let out a sigh of relief, his forehead already beaded with cold sweat.
This also made him acutely aware of the importance of Reiatsu.
He needed to find a suitable place for Reiatsu cultivation as soon as possible.
The moment Reiatsu entered the leader's soul, the soul trembled violently.
Within Naruto, Aizen watched this scene intently. The experiment Naruto was currently conducting was a concept he himself had not yet explored.
The leader's soul contained Chakra. After the Reiatsu entered its body, it didn't immediately disintegrate like those Shinigami experimental subjects.
Instead, a steamy, dense white fog gradually began to appear.
"What is this?"
Naruto frowned and moved closer, observing carefully.
Crick, crack, crick. The soul's joints all began to emit strange, dislocating sounds, and its eyes, full of resentment, became shrouded in the thick white fog.
A continuous series of joint dislocations sounded. The soul's body, originally lying on the bed, arched upwards as if pushed by something from within, its chest bulging high. Strange noises also began to emanate from its mouth.
Following that was a "hissing" sound, like something burning. The soul's originally smooth chest suddenly caved in. A bizarre black circle appeared on the chest, beginning to etch itself there like a drawing.
Simultaneously, the chest area within the circle began to turn ethereal, gradually becoming transparent.
The dense white fog also started to coalesce on the soul's face, forming a ghastly white mask.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
He recalled the definition of a Hollow: Hollows are evil souls. The characteristics of a Hollow are a hole in their chest, representing their inner emptiness, and the Hollow mask they wear on their faces.
All the signs indicated…
This soul was transforming into a Hollow! Soon, the soul had transformed into a black-bodied entity wearing a white, long-nosed mask—a Hollow.
"I succeeded!" A wave of ecstatic joy surged through Naruto.
Although he hadn't created a Shinigami, creating a Hollow wasn't bad either.
Hiss… The newborn Hollow slowly stood up, the gaze behind its mask filled with killing intent.
"Hmm? It actually has Chakra in its body, and Reiatsu too. Is this a completely different kind of Hollow?" Naruto calmly assessed the newborn Hollow.
"It's actually showing killing intent towards me. I wonder if it retained its consciousness."
"I wonder if ninja can see this Hollow. Now that it possesses Chakra, I believe it will no longer be invisible to humans," Naruto mused to himself, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Whoosh. The Hollow raised its claws and brought them down towards Naruto's head. The latter remained absolutely still.
The Hollow's claws swept through an afterimage of Naruto. The next moment, Kyoka Suigetsu pierced through the Hollow's head, and Naruto's cold voice sounded: "From what I can see so far, Hollows hold significant research value. However, I cannot allow you to remain for now. So, please, go ahead and die."
"When the time is ripe, I shall begin research on Hollows and Shinigami." Sheathing his sword, he softly pushed open the door and walked out of the room.
After Naruto left, the Hollow inside the room erupted in white flames, gradually disintegrating and vanishing from this world.
Not a single trace was left behind.
It was unknown who had made a slip-up during their part of the operation, alerting the bandits within the town.
Now, the remaining bandits emerged from their homes, brandishing various weapons: cleavers, sickles, kunai, and even long swords.
Their faces contorted with hatred, they gathered together, glaring at the slender figure emerging from their leader's house.
"How did he get out of the leader's house?"
"Don't tell me the leader is dead?"
"Damn it, we have to avenge the leader!"
"Avenge him? But they're ninja!"
"There are so many of us, what's there to be afraid of!"
Hearing the bandits' loud discussion, Naruto soon spotted Sasuke and Sakura nearby, both looking apologetic.
He roughly understood what had happened: they had made a mistake.
"Very well. Rather than dying in your sleep, it's better to die with a lingering attachment to and fear of the world. This way, at least you can look upon the world one last time with regret."
Kyoka Suigetsu hummed softly, the reflection it cast chilling to the bone.
Just like that, Naruto, wielding Kyoka Suigetsu, walked with elegant steps towards the bandits.
"Is this kid tired of living? Is he crazy?"
"Bastard, is he looking down on us?"
"His accomplices are still over there and haven't moved! With so many of us, there's no way we can't even beat one person! Kill him!"
"He's so young! So what if he's a ninja? Let's get him together!"
"Kill!"
These bandits, their hands already stained with blood, felt their murderous intent surge in this moment as they swarmed towards Naruto.
Their faces were savage, already eager to see the confident expression on Naruto's face twist into one of terror.
However…
When a cold light flashed, all their anger and killing intent vanished like smoke. Their bodies remained frozen in their original postures, but their pupils dilated, and their life force began to ebb away.
As the first wave of bandits fell, crimson drew a graceful arc in the air, sprinkling onto the ground, warming the earth that had grown cold under the moonlight.
The bandits further back showed no fear, advancing wave upon wave towards Naruto.
"The moonlight tonight is too perfect for being stained with such a graceful bloody hue." Accompanied by these soft, almost dreamlike words, Naruto, clad in his white Shinigami robe, disappeared into the throng of bandits.
"Th-this guy…" Sasuke watched in utter shock at the scene unfolding before him.
Naruto moved like a light and graceful white butterfly, weaving amongst the enraged bandits. All their attacks were effortlessly dodged by him as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard. With every blink of an eye, a line of blood would appear on another bandit's neck.
It was so elegant, so composed.
It was as if…
Killing were the depiction of an art form.
Utterly captivating.
Thud. As the last bandit fell, Naruto sheathed his sword. His pure white Shinigami robe was not stained with a single drop of blood.
Under the bleak moonlight, corpses lay strewn behind Naruto. Scalding blood flowed over the cold ground. Naruto stood upon the crimson, his smile warm and gentle as he said to Sasuke and Sakura:
"Let's go home."