Chapter 235: A Talking Zanpakutō!
Ishihara thought about the immortal organization he had established.
Every member within it possessed a Bloodline Limit, and their strength was formidable.
Each of them was at the Kage level, and only after wielding a Zanpakutō did they barely reach the Super Kage level.
Only the truly powerful ones within the Super Kage level could be considered somewhat formidable—like Orochimaru and Haku.
However, their Zanpakutō were custom-made by him, extremely refined versions.
Yet the one in front of him… This guy was only using one of the earliest Zanpakutō he had distributed—mere tools for his subordinates.
And yet, it was still able to unleash such astonishing power.
It seemed that this so-called "Shadow Organization" had done extensive research on the Zanpakutō.
If left unchecked, they might actually figure out how to create them!
"You guys… how much have you researched about the Zanpakutō?"
Ishihara directly asked.
The ninja in front of him sighed.
"That's classified information within our organization! Don't even think about prying it out of me!
Besides, every single one of us in the organization can use a Zanpakutō without any conditions or side effects!
If you join us, you'll be dead for sure!"
Once again, this guy unwittingly gave Ishihara the answer he was looking for.
More importantly, Ishihara noticed that the ninja kept sneaking glances at his Zanpakutō.
This puzzled him.
Why did he need to look at the Zanpakutō while answering?
Was there some hidden secret on it?
Curious, Ishihara reached out and grabbed the ninja's Zanpakutō.
The moment he did, the sword suddenly came to life!
A small mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth appeared on the blade and snapped toward Ishihara's hand.
But Ishihara's reflexes were far superior—he easily dodged the attack and firmly grasped the weapon.
Then, he turned to look at the ninja.
What shocked him was that the ninja slumped to the ground, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Even more astonishing, his strength began to plummet!
In just a few breaths, his power fell from Kage level to that of an ordinary person!
Ishihara was utterly stunned.
What the hell just happened?!
Why was this so absurd?!
His gaze fell upon the Zanpakutō in his grasp.
It was still struggling fiercely, but unfortunately, Ishihara was far stronger.
"Wait a second… did this Zanpakutō just… come to life?"
A realization struck him.
In Bleach, every Zanpakutō had its own abilities and soul.
Did that mean… the one in his hand had one too?
Wait!
Ishihara suddenly noticed something terrifying—he had no connection to this Zanpakutō!
In other words, it had completely severed its bond with him long ago.
The implications made his skin crawl.
Could there be a conspiracy brewing among the Zanpakutō?
"You… do you know something? What the hell is going on?"
Ishihara turned his gaze to the ninja, who was now just an ordinary person—probably not even at Genin level anymore.
The man looked up at Ishihara, then at the Zanpakutō. Just as he was about to speak—
A flash of steel.
The Zanpakutō, still in Ishihara's grasp, suddenly moved on its own, silencing the man permanently!
"What?!"
Ishihara was utterly shocked.
He had thought the sword had settled down, realizing the power gap.
But it had merely been waiting for the right moment!
"You damn thing! A Zanpakutō like you, one that so easily turns on its master, cannot be allowed to exist!"
···
"Hah! Even if you kill me, so what? My master will avenge me! He will kill you! He will lead us to our peak!
This world belongs to us Zanpakutō!"
To Ishihara's astonishment, the Zanpakutō actually spoke!
"What master? Who is this 'master' you're talking about?"
Ishihara demanded.
But the Zanpakutō suddenly clamped its mouth shut, refusing to say another word.
So Ishihara began to extract its power.
Even though it had severed its bond with him—even though it had grown strong—it was, after all, something he had created.
Absorbing its power was effortless.
What he didn't expect was just how much raw strength this Zanpakutō contained.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.
Even more surprising, despite being drained, the Zanpakutō remained stubbornly silent.
That only confirmed Ishihara's suspicions.
"If I'm not mistaken, you guys only recently developed intelligence, right?
That includes your so-called 'master' as well.
And your intelligence is still quite low, isn't it?"
Ishihara smirked.
Sure enough, the Zanpakutō trembled slightly.
That proved he was right.
Of course.
The Zanpakutō wouldn't want their secret getting out and drawing attention.
They were likely trying to develop in secret, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and take over the Shinobi World.
Thinking about it, Ishihara couldn't help but marvel.
This world really was full of surprises.
There was no limit to what could exist.