"Crack... crack..."
Chunks of rock kept falling as the rocky mountain behind them crumbled.
Nanaya, sitting at the base of the mountain, looked annoyed as she tossed aside a rock that had just hit her on the head.
"You witch... How dare you sneak attack me."
Even with the enhanced strength and awareness that came after awakening his Sharingan, getting kicked in the face—twice—still hurt like hell.
Shihouin Yoruichi casually tied her long purple hair into a ponytail and said with a smirk, "Sneak attack? Come on. With eyes like yours, you should've seen it coming."
After spending some time fighting him, she had come to understand how powerful Nanaya's eyes were.
Even ignoring all the other abilities, his dynamic vision alone was impressive—fast enough to track her movements with ease.
"If that's all you've got, I'm disappointed. Beating up a punching bag isn't very fun…"
"Shut up!!!"
Nanaya pointed at her, face dark and voice sharp:
"Why are you only wearing your top?!"
He had only gotten kicked because he accidentally saw something he wasn't supposed to.
"Oh…" Yoruichi glanced down at her bare legs and laughed lightly. "Oops. My bad. I'm a cat—you know we don't wear pants."
"Shut up! Most people start with pants, you know!"
"..."
After finally getting fully dressed, Yoruichi tugged at her clothes uncomfortably.
"I'm really not used to wearing all this. Clothes just get in the way during a fight. But you're the one who got distracted…"
"Shut up!"
Nanaya's face flushed deep red.
In both of his lives, this was the first time he'd ever seen a girl completely naked.
He used to talk tough, act like he could handle anything—but meeting someone as bold as Yoruichi had left him completely rattled. His heart was pounding like crazy.
"Yes, yes, I messed up. But you're ready now, aren't you?"
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes at him with a mischievous grin.
"Don't let your guard down. This time, I'm not holding back. In our next fight... you might actually die."
Nanaya slowly exhaled, his breathing calming as his focus returned.
"I know."
He wasn't foolish enough to let his earlier win over her black cat form make him overconfident.
Shinigami weren't ordinary beings—they were monsters who had lived far longer than humans and had faced death countless times.
Just look at Kurosaki Ichigo in the original timeline. When he regained his Shinigami powers, he nearly turned into a Hollow right then and there.
And Urahara Kisuke? He just stood there and watched the whole thing play out.
Nanaya clenched his fists.
"We agreed on the rules from the start," he said. "If I can touch any part of your body, I win. Right?"
"That's right!"
Yoruichi nodded with a playful smile, tapping the ground lightly with her bare feet."But seriously... do you really think you can catch me?"
The moment she finished speaking, her figure vanished.Only a flash of purple light—her flowing hair—remained behind.
"So fast!"
Nanaya's pupils narrowed in shock.
It wasn't just fast. Even with the heightened perception of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Yoruichi's speed still overwhelmed him.
And when someone was that fast, it usually meant one thing—
"Bang!"
Yoruichi's bare foot landed squarely on Nanaya's head.
"Crack, crack..."
The rock beneath his feet shattered under the pressure.
If not for the solid ground holding him up, that single kick might have driven him into the earth.
"My eyes can see it, but my body can't keep up… Just like Sasuke back in Naruto—talks big, but the body can't handle the speed."
Nanaya gave a bitter smile.
He remembered how Sasuke had struggled during the Chūnin Exams—especially when he fought Rock Lee.Even with the Sharingan, Sasuke had been completely outclassed, simply because his body wasn't fast enough to match what he could see.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A flurry of strikes landed.
Nanaya tried to fight back, but he couldn't even touch her. Yoruichi darted around like a blur, never staying in one spot.
Her laughter echoed around him like wind chimes."Just give up! I already figured out your eyes have some trick—I won't look at you directly."
Nanaya's eye twitched, then he looked up at the flashes of purple light darting around him.
"You're too fast—I can't keep up with you. But what happens if I just cut off your path?"
"Amaterasu!"
His left eye glowed.
A black flame sparked to life on the ground—quiet, cold, and terrifying. As Nanaya turned his gaze, the black fire spread, surrounding him in a growing circle.
"Flame Control!"
Now the right eye activated.
The black flames twisted and pulled together, forming into dozens of flaming black javelins that hovered menacingly in the air.
With a sharp thought, they launched—targeting every spot where Yoruichi's light flashed.
Yoruichi's expression turned more serious.
"Not bad. You actually thought of using fire to restrict my movement. And this creepy black flame… it's a pain."
She remembered how even Urahara Kisuke had once been burned by this same fire—and had to shave off some hair because of it.
Still, she wasn't too worried. She glanced behind her at the incoming javelins.
"They're fast… but not fast enough."
Then, without warning, she leapt high into the air, stepping lightly onto the sky itself, speeding toward Nanaya.
"Flame Control!"
Nanaya didn't hesitate—he unleashed more power.
Since these abilities didn't drain his eye's power unless used too often, he only had to worry about his spiritual energy for now.
A massive wave of black fire surged upward, quickly filling the sky above him like a collapsing ceiling of flame.
"This power is annoying... Can I really not touch it?"
Yoruichi frowned. She tapped the air with her foot—and suddenly, golden Reiatsu burst from her body.
It surrounded her like golden fire, thick and heavy, warping the very air around her.
Now shielded, she rushed into the sea of black flames without fear.
But the fire wasn't ordinary.
Inside the flames, Yoruichi's eyes widened.
"It's burning through my Reiatsu!?"
The fire clung to her spiritual energy, silently eating away at it. Every second she stayed inside, her energy was being drained at an alarming rate.
She tried pulling her energy back to protect herself, but without it, the black fire started to burn her physical body directly.
With no other choice, she detonated her spiritual power in a burst—pushing the flames away.
"Yeah… this is definitely a troublesome ability. No wonder even Kisuke got burned."
Still, she calmly analyzed the situation.
"At this rate, it would take about three days for this flame to completely burn through my energy."
With that knowledge in hand, Yoruichi took a deep breath—then launched herself straight back into the firestorm.
"Flame Control!"
Nanaya's eyes glowed again, directing the black flames on her body.
They flared, changing shape—transforming into dozens of razor-sharp spears made of fire.
They slashed toward Yoruichi like blades.
"Crap!"
Yoruichi's eyes widened. With no time to dodge, she let out a shout—
"BOOM!!!"
Golden spiritual pressure erupted once more, pushing the blades away just in time.
But the cost was high. Her energy was being drained at twice the speed now.
Gritting her teeth, she powered through, flying straight toward Nanaya.
"Seriously—what kind of grudge do you have against me!?"
Nanaya could see he was running out of options.
He activated his newest move:
"Self-destruction curse... Rendanini's Black Dog. Once called, fully ignite—cut your own throat!"
"Bakudō #9: Strike!"
A flash of red light shot forward—but Yoruichi dodged it easily.
She raised her foot, Reiatsu glowing gold and black flames still clinging to her, then slammed it straight into Nanaya's face.
Everything froze.
No sound. No movement.
Time itself seemed to stop—at least, from Nanaya's point of view.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was evolving.
Scarlet eyes spun—and deep within them, something had changed.
All the spiritual energy he had absorbed from defeated Hollows was now fusing with his Sharingan.
Without thinking, he whispered:
"Mangekyō Sharingan... Hollow form."