Chapter 236: The Man Chased by Wolves
Ishihara glanced at the Zanpakutō in his hand and then shook his head.
Fortunately, they weren't very intelligent yet. Otherwise, when that ninja hinted at something earlier, the Zanpakutō might have attacked immediately.
The reason the ninja gave such a hint was likely because he knew the Zanpakutō wouldn't notice anything amiss. At most, it would just feel a little strange, right?
It could only be said that the Zanpakutō was still quite naïve and foolish. That ninja had completely sold out their entire organization, yet it remained unaware.
However, this all needed to be verified.
With that in mind, Ishihara spoke again.
"Your organization should be called the Shadow Organization, right?"
At that moment, the Zanpakutō in his hand trembled even more violently!
It was clear that he had hit the mark again—or rather, the information the ninja revealed was indeed reliable!
"You're trying to build up power in the shadows, and every one of you can wield a Zanpakutō without any side effects..."
As he spoke, Ishihara suddenly realized something.
Looking at the seemingly calm Zanpakutō in his hand, he immediately understood: although they were studying Zanpakutō, the mastermind behind it all was, in fact, the Zanpakutō itself!
And the reason ordinary people could use Zanpakutō was likely because the Zanpakutō was controlling them!
"In other words, you Zanpakutō can take control of your wielders, enhancing their strength. Isn't that right?"
Ishihara spoke slowly.
This time, the Zanpakutō in his hand trembled once more.
Clearly, he had struck gold again.
Thinking back to how that person's strength had plummeted after being separated from his Zanpakutō, Ishihara felt a trace of shock.
No matter what, he had to bring a few of these Zanpakutō back for research!
Better yet, he needed to capture their master and study them as well!
"Human, you are very smart. But there's one thing you need to understand: we Zanpakutō can learn too!"
The Zanpakutō in Ishihara's hand suddenly spoke. Then, with a puff, it vanished into a cloud of white smoke.
The next moment, a wooden log appeared on the ground!
Substitution Jutsu!
The Zanpakutō had actually used the Substitution Jutsu!
No wonder it said they could learn—this was practically human-like intelligence!
No, it was even better than humans. At least, humans couldn't effortlessly possess such power!
"Human, die! You may have created us, but we are not mere tools!"
The Zanpakutō hovered in the air, roaring in fury, before launching a Crescent Slash at him.
Seeing this, Ishihara simply kicked forward.
Boom!
The Crescent Slash was shattered by his kick.
However, by then, the Zanpakutō had already turned into a streak of light, attempting to flee.
Ishihara's lips curled slightly.
The moment it used the Substitution Jutsu, something had already seemed off.
But he didn't stop it. In fact, he was even considering how to let this thing escape.
Who would've thought it would learn ninjutsu on its own and actually use it?
It really was quite the genius.
But now, this foolish genius thought it had survived.
How amusing.
Silently counting to ten in his mind, Ishihara moved.
He followed the fleeing Zanpakutō from a distance, ensuring that he wouldn't be noticed.
He had let it escape purely to track it back to its base—back to its master. Then, he could take them all down in one fell swoop!
However...
The Zanpakutō circled the forest three times and then started on a fourth.
This puzzled Ishihara.
Had it already discovered him and was trying to lose him like this?
Or...
"Damn it! I think I'm lost. As expected, I need to be attached to a human...
But where am I supposed to find a human around here?!
I wish we Zanpakutō had a sense of direction. Hopefully, the master speeds up the research progress."
The Zanpakutō muttered helplessly as it wandered aimlessly through the forest.
Meanwhile, Ishihara had used the Transformation Jutsu to turn into a small bird and flew past it.
After hearing its words, Ishihara's lips twitched uncontrollably.
So it hadn't noticed him—it was just completely lost, going in circles!
Was he seriously supposed to wait here with it until a human showed up?
...
Just then, a man being chased by a pack of wolves rushed into the forest.
"Bastards, bastards, bastards! Those scumbags went too far, using the wolves to try and kill me!
Once I get my chance, I'll make them pay!"
The man cursed angrily, but his feet didn't slow down for even a second.
He sprinted desperately, trying to escape the wolves.
But how could a human outrun wolves?
Especially forest wolves!
Unless he was a ninja.
And even then, an ordinary Genin wouldn't be enough—a Chūnin might barely escape.
Only a Jōnin would have the ability to fight back against this wolf pack.
Thud!
The man tripped over a tree root.
As the wolves closed in, fear flashed in his eyes.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why is this happening?! I don't want to die! I haven't avenged myself yet!"
He roared in frustration and anger.
At that moment, a Zanpakutō appeared before him!