Naruto: Copy System

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In the blink of an eye, three years had passed in Hueco Mundo. Countless Hollows had been slaughtered, and many Soul Reapers had lost their lives in the process.

“How incredibly boring.”

Shin looked out at the endless yellow sands, feeling utterly listless. Sand and Hollows—that was all there was. Hueco Mundo really wasn’t a pleasant place.

The only upside was the density of Reishi here, which far exceeded that of the Seireitei. It was an excellent place for training.

However, Shin’s Reiatsu had already reached a limit—it was practically infinite. If he were to fully release his spiritual pressure, he could wipe out the vast majority of Soul Reapers instantly just by standing there.

Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto would likely be suppressed under Shin’s overwhelming power.

“We’ll be leaving soon,” Unohana Retsu said, approaching Shin.

Over the past three years, they had cleared out the necessary Hollows. Of course, Hueco Mundo was still teeming with them.

It was impossible to exterminate them all; Hollows were born every moment. The mission was simply to cull the dangerous Menos Grande and thin the herd. The rest would be left to wander the sands until the next purge.

“Yeah, finally leaving this godforsaken place. If we stayed any longer, I might not have been able to stop myself from destroying the entire dimension,” Shin remarked to Unohana.

He wasn’t joking. If Shin got serious, destroying Hueco Mundo would be a trivial task.

His Bankai—Zanka no Tachi—could evaporate the entire dimension.

Or he could use the Truth-Seeking Balls to annihilate and reconstruct the world. Destroying Hueco Mundo was well within his capabilities.

It wasn’t difficult for Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto either. If the Head Captain truly wanted to wipe out Hueco Mundo, his Bankai alone could do the job.

But Yamamoto would never do that. The balance had to be maintained. The Soul Society, the World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo existed in a delicate equilibrium.

Losing any one of them could cause the collapse of the worlds.

The Soul King acted as the lynchpin. If the Soul King were killed, the World of the Living, Hueco Mundo, and the Soul Society would all face destruction.

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“I actually found our time in Hueco Mundo quite pleasant,” Unohana said with a gentle smile.

Here, Shin came to talk to her every day. Even amidst the barren sands, Unohana didn’t feel lonely.

“Maybe you’re just used to it. I could never get used to this place.”

It was a desolate wasteland. No one would ever fight over a place like this—well, except for Aizen. The future traitor would turn Hueco Mundo into his base of operations.

But Aizen hadn’t revealed himself yet. In the Gotei 13, Shin hadn’t even spotted anyone named Aizen Sōsuke yet.

Presumably, he hadn’t joined the Gotei 13 yet. Shin was actually looking forward to Aizen and Kisuke Urahara creating the Hōgyoku. If there was one thing worth copying in this world, it was definitely the Hōgyoku.

—The Hōgyoku was a reality-warping cheat code, the item Shin desired most in the Bleach universe.

But since its creation hadn’t begun, and Shin lacked the scientific aptitude to make it himself… well, he was out of luck.

When it came to combat and gaining strength, Shin was a prodigy. When it came to scientific research, he was clueless.

He’d leave the high-end science to geniuses like Urahara and Aizen. He just had to wait to reap the rewards. It might take a while—perhaps a few hundred years—but he had no choice since neither of them had emerged yet.

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A few days later, after wrapping up the final loose ends, it was time to depart.

“Everyone, prepare to leave Hueco Mundo. We finished the mission much earlier than last time,” Chōjirō Sasakibe said with a sigh of relief. The casualties were also significantly lower.

During the last expedition, they had fought in Hueco Mundo for ten years, and ten Captains had perished. Compared to that, this campaign was a resounding success.

“Finally.”

Shin watched the Senkaimon—the gate to the Soul Society—open. He led the members of the 2nd Division through the gate without hesitation.

Back in the Seireitei, everything looked much more pleasing to the eye than before.

“Shin, feel free to visit the 4th Division whenever you have time,” Unohana said to him before they parted ways.

“I will.”

Shin smiled. However, he doubted he would have much free time in the immediate future. He still had to settle the affairs of the 2nd Division.

They had just returned to the Seireitei and hadn’t even had a chance to rest before Yamamoto convened a Captains’ meeting.

Shin had to attend, of course, as the Vice-Captain of the 2nd Division.

“Welcome back,” Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni said, standing up.

‘With that stone-cold expression and not a hint of a smile, it’s hard to feel welcome,’ Shin thought, looking at Yamamoto.

“I have been briefed on the losses each squad has sustained,” Yamamoto said, picking up a document. His voice grew heavy.

The document listed the names of every Soul Reaper who had died during the crusade in Hueco Mundo, including the fallen Captains.

“They are heroes of the Soul Society, and we will remember them. The losses across all Squads are significant. You may proceed to the Shin’ō Academy to select suitable replacements.”

Yamamoto spoke solemnly about the fallen before moving on to the topic of recruitment.

The losses had to be replenished, and the Shin’ō Academy was the source of fresh blood.

“Looks like there’s going to be a fight for the best recruits,” Shunsui Kyōraku muttered.

Geniuses were rare in the Academy, so the Captains would inevitably clash over who got them.

“Furthermore, regarding the appointment of Captains… The Captain of the 2nd Division, Shihōin Kiyotaka, has proposed that Shin Uzumaki take over his position. Do any of you have objections?”

Yamamoto looked around at the other Captains.

Shin paused, slightly surprised, and looked over at Shihōin Kiyotaka.

“Shin, I honestly no longer have the strength required to be the Captain of the 2nd Division. I believe you are far more suited for the role than I am.”

Seeming to sense Shin’s surprise, Kiyotaka explained.

Historically, the 2nd Division had almost always been led by the Shihōin family. This was the first time an outsider was being nominated.

However, since Shihōin Kiyotaka himself had proposed it—and actively admitted his limitations—the others naturally had no reason to object.

Besides, objecting might offend Unohana Retsu. And even if they weren’t afraid of Unohana, who would want to offend Shin Uzumaki?

Although Shin was currently a Vice-Captain, his strength was universally acknowledged. He was likely stronger than many of the Captains present.

Thus, regarding Shin’s promotion to Captain, not a single voice of opposition was raised.

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