Shinigami in the Ninja World

They returned to their residence.

Karin activated a barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

Surprised, she turned around to examine the two foxes. "You really have the same power as Naruto, including that so-called Zanpakutō?"

"But where are your swords?"

Naruto was curious as well.

He had searched carefully at the waterfall, even worried that the swords might have fallen into the water, and had dived in to look for them.

But he found nothing.

"We don't know." Yang Nine-Tails blinked and shook its head. "I only heard the name, but I didn't receive a sword."

"Although, when I was fighting that ugly guy, I did use one."

The two of them took turns explaining the situation.

Especially when they said, "Naruto, you were wrong; that guy isn't my dark side," they wagged their tails excitedly, feeling proud.

However, they became more reserved when mentioning the "Zanpakutō."

Naruto thought for a moment and offered a hypothesis: "Under the Falls of Truth, we meditated and entered our inner world."

"Since you've already mastered that power, you were able to use it smoothly."

"But in the real world, you don't have an Asauchi."

"That's why you don't have a sword."

Yang Nine-Tails was impatient: "We still need an Asauchi?"

"As I recall, Naruto, didn't you once obtain an Asauchi?"

"How do you have two swords?"

Naruto removed the "Nine-Tails" and explained, "This sword was formed from your power."

"The one from Ashura is the one born from the Asauchi."

Yin Nine-Tails pondered, "Indeed, during the battle just now, we did extract a portion of our power from our bodies to condense into our own sword."

Yang Nine-Tails also looked thoughtful, staring at Yin Nine-Tails.

"What are you trying to do?" Yin Nine-Tails asked warily, taking two steps back and bumping into Karin.

Despite the question, being the same fox, it knew what the other was thinking.

It turned around to see who it was, thought for a moment, then reluctantly shoved its tail into her hand.

At this moment, being near Karin seemed safer than being next to its other self.

"I just wanted to see if you could become a Zanpakutō," Yang Nine-Tails muttered.

Yin Nine-Tails bared its teeth: "Why don't you try it yourself first?"

Yang Nine-Tails replied confidently, "I understand the power of the Shinigami better than you, so it should be me."

Yin Nine-Tails yawned.

Yang Nine-Tails pounced.

The two foxes began to tussle, and Karin quickly stepped aside. Before long, they had torn the bed into pieces.

"It's no good," Yang Nine-Tails said, shaking its head in disappointment as it grabbed Yin Nine-Tails's tail. "We can't make a sword."

"It seems... we'll need to get an Asauchi."

Naruto nodded, looking at Karin.

Indeed, the relationship between himself and Nine-Tails was a special case.

In most situations, a Shinigami needs a Zanpakutō to achieve Shikai, and even someone as powerful as Nine-Tails is no exception.

So if he wanted to make Karin a Shinigami, he'd first have to figure out how to get her a Zanpakutō.

But...

He couldn't bring anything from the Soul Society back.

Nine-Tails was easier to handle, with the seal connecting them, allowing him to go to the Soul Society together.

But Karin?

He couldn't exactly seal Karin inside his body.

He still needed to understand the essence of the "Asauchi."

Naruto suddenly remembered that the Asauchi seemed to be forged as well, but there didn't seem to be a forging facility for Asauchi in the Seireitei. The 12th Division didn't handle that, and it didn't seem to be the responsibility of the 1st Division either.

He grasped a blind spot he had never considered before.

"Where do Asauchi come from?"

This needed to be investigated when he returned to the Soul Society.

"By the way, Nine-Tails, what's the ability of your Zanpakutō?" Naruto tilted his head, looking at the still persistent Yang Nine-Tails.

Speaking of which—

Yang Nine-Tails proudly raised its head: "My sword is called 'Kokuragami.' According to the Shinigami's terms, it should be classified as a Kido-type Zanpakutō."

"No matter what kind of attack is used against me, Kokuragami will absorb it."

"Of course..."

"However much chakra or spiritual pressure the opponent uses, I must consume an equivalent amount."

"And the energy stored in the sword cannot exceed the maximum amount of energy I possess."

"But it won't dissipate over time; it can be retained indefinitely."

"Once the accumulated energy reaches a satisfactory level or is fully stored, it can be compressed and released entirely through the blade."

Naruto nodded, his eyes gleaming with interest: "Sounds like a very powerful sword."

In the best-case scenario, it could even unleash the full power of Nine-Tails in a single attack.

"Of course, it's my power; how could it be weak?" Both Nine-Tails raised their heads proudly, tails swaying. "I'm very pleased with its ability."

"Although I'm not sure if it can absorb Genjutsu."

The first thing that came to its mind was the "Sharingan."

Then came the image of Sosuke Aizen's calm face.

"Even though you don't have a Zanpakutō," Naruto urged, "since you've already achieved Shikai, why not try Bankai?"

"You still remember those training methods, right?"

The two Nine-Tails responded in unison.

They leaped onto another intact bed, looking quite proper, and began meditating.

Karin glanced at them enviously, pulled out a scroll, and began reading.

Even foxes can do it.

What excuse do I have to slack off?

Study!

I refuse to believe I can't learn it.

Although the training had ended, Naruto and the others stayed on the island for a while longer.

Karin occasionally visited the Falls of Truth.

But for an ordinary ninja, such training only strengthens their resolve and doesn't lead to any significant increase in power.

Karin spent more time studying "techniques."

A week later, Naruto left Turtle Island and took a ship back to the Land of Lightning.

He declined the grand invitations from the Daimyo and Raikage and left the Cloud Village with Karin.

They set up a temporary camp in a cave deep in the mountains.

A campfire was lit, flickering and swaying.

A few wild bears shivered in their lair, where they had been sleeping peacefully until this group suddenly barged in.

They said they wanted to stay for the night.

But whether it was the two people or the two seemingly small foxes, they all had a chilling aura, terrifyingly strong!

The Nine-Tails' "Bankai" training was not going smoothly.

After a week, there were no results, just like when Naruto first attempted it.

"This might be because there's no sword," Naruto consoled it. "Once we get a sword, it'll work."

Yang Nine-Tails shook its head: "I'm afraid it has nothing to do with a sword."

Naruto looked at it, puzzled by its words.

"I can't perform the Bankai training with the 'Nine-Tails' sword because it's not my sword; it's just a power lent to you," Yang Nine-Tails flicked its tail and continued analyzing, "And in the inner world before, I couldn't even perform the initial release (Shikai)."

"It wasn't because I was resisting internally."

"It was because the two of us weren't united as one; our soul consciousness wasn't complete."

Naruto nodded.

The Nine-Tails had mentioned this before.

"Isn't Bankai the evolution of the initial release?" Yang Nine-Tails pondered, "So... does Bankai require true completeness?"

"All this time, I haven't told you about this."

"But now that I'm bringing it up, you should be able to give me some advice."

Naruto tilted his head, looking at it.

"I'm incomplete," Yang Nine-Tails said seriously.

Naruto looked at Yang Nine-Tails, then at Yin Nine-Tails.

"Yes, you've always been incomplete," Karin nodded, echoing the same thought.

The Nine-Tails shook its head: "No, not that kind of incomplete."

It paused: "Naruto, do you know why there are so many powerful creatures in the world, yet only nine Tailed Beasts, each with different appearances and abilities, are categorized together?"

Naruto shook his head. He hadn't heard about the Tailed Beasts' past: "Is it related to the Sage of Six Paths?"

Yang Nine-Tails paused: "How did you guess?"

"The mysteries of chakra all trace back to the Sage of Six Paths," Naruto replied softly.

Yang Nine-Tails lowered its head: "Do you remember the Divine Tree that the Great Toad Sage spoke of?"

Naruto nodded.

"That's the origin of all chakra, and also the origin of us Tailed Beasts," Yang Nine-Tails continued, its voice slowing down, "That Divine Tree was once given a name by the Sage of Six Paths; he called it the Ten-Tails."

"We Tailed Beasts..."

"Were born when the Sage of Six Paths split the power of the Ten-Tails into nine parts."

"So even if I unite my Yin and Yang halves, I'm still incomplete, only one-ninth of a whole."

Naruto seemed thoughtful, a curious look in his eyes: "Nine-Tails, do you have any memories from when you were the Ten-Tails?"

Yang Nine-Tails shook its head: "Of course not."

It paused: "The things you want to know, I'm not clear on either."

Naruto nodded, not disappointed: "Since there are no memories of being the Ten-Tails..."

"That proves that although your power comes from it, you are already an independent entity, not just a part of it."

"Why did you suddenly bring this up today?"

Yang Nine-Tails tilted its head: "It just came to mind suddenly. I thought you've been doing well lately, so as a reward for listening to my advice and releasing the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails."

"Moreover..."

"If Uchiha Madara really has ties to the Akatsuki..."

"Then his goal in collecting the Tailed Beasts might be to awaken the Ten-Tails."

Naruto pondered.

Uchiha Madara, huh?

"Nine-Tails, don't give up on Bankai training," he said after thinking for a while. "Since you can master your own initial release, there's no reason you can't master your own Bankai."

"Didn't Captain Kuchiki say that Bankai training takes decades?"

"Just in case, we can also look for the other Tailed Beasts."

"If we borrow some chakra from them, it might help?"

Both Nine-Tails were momentarily stunned, then nodded heavily and coughed twice: "Indeed, that's exactly why I said it. I had the same thought."

Karin looked at them disdainfully.

Really?

~~~

Nice, we're touching the Six Paths slowly. And also, this is the last double update, I don't have enough chapters instore.

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