"Naraku Sixth Seat—killing nobles without authorization means the Central 46 will put you on trial!"
Sui-Feng panicked and hurriedly tried to stop him.
"Who said they're nobles?"
Naraku curled his lip and pointed at the loudest one. "Would a 'noble' stand where a Menos was standing and think like it does?"
"In my opinion, they're just Hollows wearing noble skin."
As he spoke, he was already in front of the "noble." Naraku flashed his teeth and smiled at him—an almost unnervingly warm smile.
"Filthy Hollow, daring to disguise itself as an innocent noble. I'll personally—"
Staring at the face that had suddenly appeared inches away, the lingering heat of Reiatsu combustion still clung to Naraku. The onrushing wave of warmth twisted the noble's expression instantly.
This was Yokota Kōichi, one of the most ordinary members of the Yokota house. No exceptional spiritual talent, no unbreakable will.
He'd lived for centuries and still only reached around eighteenth-grade Reiatsu. He barely knew any Kidō.
Under this sudden pressure, Kōichi nearly dropped to his knees. But "noble pride" forced him to hold himself upright as he glared at the boy, voice booming.
"A mere Gotei 13 squad member dares lay hands on us? Your Shinigami career ends here!"
"I'll report everything that happened to the Central 46 and have Head-Captain Yamamoto deal with you personally."
"You—just wait for Sōkyoku Hill!"
Hearing that absolute refusal to back down, Naraku almost laughed.
This man was the living definition of "brave at home, coward outside."
When facing the Menos, they'd called it "Envoy-sama," thrown away their noble dignity, bowed, flattered, begged.
But the moment they spoke to the Shinigami who killed that Menos, they climbed right back onto their high horse—acting like they still stood above every institution in Seireitei.
How could Soul Society ever be fixed if it was run by vermin like this?
Seeing Naraku's gaze turn sharper and more hostile, Yokota Kōichi realized—no matter how stupid he was—that this had gotten serious.
This boy wasn't bluffing.
He truly intended to strike them down.
There was no "rank" in his eyes anymore. Even a high noble was just a corpse that happened to still be breathing.
"Wait, I can—"
Kōichi hurriedly tried to speak, to prove he was a noble and not the "Hollow" Naraku was calling him.
But at that moment, several waves of Reiatsu rolled in from outside the manor, one presence in particular heavy as a breached dam.
Seireitei reinforcements had arrived.
Kōichi felt it too. The fear on his face vanished, replaced by his earlier arrogance.
In his mind, other Shinigami wouldn't be as lawless as this one. They wouldn't commit the ultimate taboo of striking nobles.
And that Reiatsu… it even felt faintly familiar.
With "that person" here, he was safe.
"Hah. You're finished."
Kōichi laughed smugly, raising his voice. "Your crimes will be recorded. The Central 46 will judge you fairly, and then you'll—"
He didn't finish.
His smile froze.
A head—still wearing the same expression—dropped from the air, rolled in the muddy pool of blood, and finally stopped.
Its stunned eyes stared up at the clear blue sky.
"I'm sick of all this red tape."
Naraku stood there with his sword, exhaling softly. In the reflection of blood, his face looked almost blade-sharp.
The manor fell silent.
The nobles stared at the severed head in the blood. Their earlier arrogance was gone—replaced by unmistakable fear.
Right then, the Shinigami squad leading the reinforcements entered the estate.
The instant they stepped in, they were stunned by what they saw.
Under the torn Kidō barrier, everything was devastated. The ground had split into countless cracks of varying sizes, and a scorching wind hung over nearly every corner—
Like a thin layer of white mist.
Residual flames crackled on broken stone, in charred soil, and inside sticky flesh, still burning what remained.
The entire manor was wrapped in destruction.
Like a natural disaster had passed through.
The Shinigami stared, dumbfounded, and the estate sank into a heavy silence.
Until a noble spoke up to remind them: "Captain Takeda, you should protect us first."
Everyone snapped out of it.
The man called Captain Takeda lifted his narrow eyes. His gaze was slightly cold as it swept the area, finally landing on Naraku and Sui-Feng—recognition flashing across his face.
At once, many nobles surged toward him as if he were their last anchor, terrified that if they lagged behind, they'd end up like Yokota Kōichi.
Only when that head hit the ground did they finally realize something—
The Shinigami boy who'd fought a Menos head-on didn't care about noble titles.
And he certainly wasn't going to protect their lives.
The only person who could "save" them now was the late-arriving Ninth Division captain, Takeda Satoru.
"You trespassed into a noble's private estate and slaughtered innocent nobles," he said evenly. "Boy, you have violated Articles 37 and 64 of Soul Society law."
"Surrender, or I will personally take you in."
His face didn't change. Eyes sharp as a hawk locked onto Naraku beside the scorched crater, Reiatsu gathering as the tension spiked.
Naraku frowned.
In this situation, even Nishikawa the straight-laced "honest man" would've smelled something off.
Let alone him.
This Ninth Division captain was a stranger—someone he'd never seen in any memory. Most likely an original character who never appeared in the "canon."
But judging by his attitude, this man was clearly standing with the nobles.
Naraku curled his lip, utterly unconcerned.
"Captain Takeda, we were acting under orders to investigate anomalies within the Yokota estate."
"Just now, these nobles collaborated with a Menos by sacrificing civilian souls. Look—its body should still be warm."
"You hear one side and immediately try to shield them. Don't tell me you're with them?"
Takeda Satoru shook his head, pity in his eyes.
"I saw no sacrifice, no Menos."
"What I did see was the indisputable slaughter of nobles."
"As a member of the Gotei 13, protecting nobles is our most fundamental duty."
"Since you refuse to repent, I'll have to capture you myself."
The moment he finished—
A blazing pillar of Reiatsu erupted from his body and shot into the sky, a terrifying pressure far above Naraku's instantly sweeping over the entire estate.