Naruto: Copy System - [738] : I Heard You Wanted to Kill Me?

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“The ambush and heavy losses suffered by each squad are my responsibility. I apologize.”

After Chōjirō convened the meeting with the other captains, he began with a sincere apology.

“Lieutenant Sasakibe, don’t blame yourself. This wasn’t your fault. The blame lies with those despicable Hollows.”

The captains waved off his apology. It wasn’t Chōjirō’s fault; no one could have predicted this. The mindless Hollows had actually managed to ambush them, resulting in catastrophic losses.

“If I’m not mistaken, there’s a Vasto Lorde behind this ambush, orchestrating everything,” Chōjirō said, his face a mask of grim certainty. It was a guess, but he was sure of it.

A Vasto Lorde’s intelligence was no less than their own. It wouldn’t be surprising for one to use such tactics.

“Do we retreat, or do we continue the campaign? The choice is yours,” Chōjirō sighed. After such a disastrous start, continuing the fight would put them at a severe disadvantage.

“Retreat is not an option. I will avenge my squad members,” the 3rd Squad Captain snarled.

“We just arrived in Hueco Mundo. We can’t just leave with our tails between our legs.”

The other captains agreed. After suffering such a heavy blow, leaving in shame was out of the question.

“Good. In that case, we can no longer act alone. We will move as one to exterminate the Hollows.”

Chōjirō had no desire to leave either. They had only been in Hueco Mundo for two days—one, if you didn’t count the day they spent setting up. Leaving now would be a complete humiliation.

No one objected to Chōjirō’s orders; it was the best course of action.

For the next few days, they remained at the encampment, recuperating and guarding against Hollow attacks. The howls of Hollows could be heard in the distance, but they never attacked, as if they were wary of something, or perhaps plotting another scheme.

During these few days, Shin was promoted to lieutenant. With the 2nd Squad’s lieutenant dead, it was only natural for the 3rd seat to take his place. With Kiyotaka Shihōin’s strong recommendation, Shin’s promotion was a simple matter.

However, becoming a lieutenant came with more responsibilities. Thankfully, Shin had Shadow Clones. He could let them handle the paperwork while his real self slacked off.

“I must be the fastest promotion they’ve ever seen,” Shin said as he sat in the 4th Squad’s barracks.

“No, there have been faster. Some became captains shortly after graduating,” Retsu said, shaking her head.

“Really?”

“Yes. But they tend to die just as quickly.”

Retsu recalled the last expedition to Hueco Mundo. During every major campaign, the turnover rate for captains was incredibly high. She expected this time would be no different. After all, they had only been here a few days, and the 8th Squad Captain was already dead.

“Alright, I can’t chat with you anymore. I have a mission.”

Shin had a reconnaissance mission. It was a 2nd Squad task. The 2nd Squad was essentially the assassination corps, making them the safest choice for intelligence gathering. If they ran into trouble, their chances of escape were the highest. They were fast, disappearing in a blur with a single Flash Step.

Of course, Hollows had a similar movement technique, Sonído, which was arguably even more advanced than Shunpo. Shunpo was a series of high-speed steps, while Sonído was closer to a spatial ability.

“Be careful. If you encounter a Vasto Lorde, it’s best to retreat,” Retsu advised Shin.

She knew Shin was stronger than her, but this was Hueco Mundo. A moment of carelessness could still get him hurt.

“It’d be great if I could run into a Vasto Lorde. I’m actually hoping to meet one.”

Shin’s eyes gleamed with interest. A Vasto Lorde, huh? It’d be nice to run into one. He could copy its power. Though this was the world of Soul Reapers, the powers of Hollows and even Quincies had their merits.

The Quincies had mostly been wiped out, the survivors hiding in the Schatten Bereich. He could consider paying a visit to the Quincy’s Wandenreich—the shadows of the Seireitei—in the future.

“Only you would be excited about the prospect of running into a Vasto Lorde,” Retsu said, shaking her head.

Of course, if this were the old Retsu, she would have been ecstatic at the chance. She had been a battle maniac. But now, she didn’t even have the interest to spar with Shin. Who knew why? Perhaps it was because sparring with Shin meant she never won. No one would want to keep fighting after that.

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Leaving the encampment, Shin went alone. Kiyotaka had wanted him to take some squad members, but Shin had refused. To put it bluntly, they would just be dead weight. They couldn’t help him at all. Besides, Shin wanted to explore Hueco Mundo properly. Bringing 2nd Squad members along would just be a restriction.

Considering these reasons, Shin chose to go alone, and after some thought, Captain Kiyotaka Shihōin agreed.

“Endless yellow sand. How dull. I could use some excitement.”

Shin looked out at the desolate landscape, bored. He wondered when he would find an opponent worthy of his time. But that seemed unlikely. All the Hollows in Hueco Mundo combined probably wouldn’t be a match for him.

“Look at that arrogant bastard. Should we take him out?”

Some distance away, an Adjuchas grumbled, annoyed at the sight of a lone Soul Reaper strutting through Hueco Mundo like he owned the place.

How dare a single Soul Reaper act so nonchalantly in their domain?

“Kill him,” the other two Adjuchas said coldly.

One had a deep green body, the other a grayish-blue. Their faces were covered in strange masks. Though their appearances varied, they shared some similarities.

Compared to the massive Gillians, Adjuchas were clearly smaller, but their power was on a completely different level.

“I heard you wanted to kill me?”

Shin’s calm voice suddenly echoed behind them. The Adjuchas, who had been confident just moments ago, froze and whipped around.

The Soul Reaper they had been watching from afar was now standing right behind them, his gaze serene.

But that calm gaze sent a terrifying chill down their spines, a premonition of imminent death.

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