"Hey, why do I have to be a Shinigami too!?"
Hearing Rukia Kuchiki's serious words, Kurosaki Ichigo immediately protested, his reaction almost explosive.
"Nonsense!"Rukia gritted her teeth and glared at him.
"Last night, almost all of my Shinigami powers were drained by you! Right now, I can't even handle a basic Hollow, let alone perform my full duties."
She clenched her fists.After visiting Urahara's shop, Rukia realized the grim truth — her spiritual pressure had fallen to barely a tenth of her original strength. Her spirit body was badly wounded, too.Forget fighting Hollows — she could barely even operate outside of this temporary artificial body.
"But... Kuchiki-chan..."Nanaya blinked, pointed at her chest, and said seriously:"From where I'm standing, you look plenty healthy."
"Don't point there!!"A vein bulged on Rukia's forehead as she slapped Nanaya's finger away.
"This is a Gigai! A temporary body used when a Shinigami loses their powers! It's basically the same as an ordinary human body. I'm only using it to heal."
She took a breath, suppressing her anger, and continued:
"Since I'm injured, until I recover, you two will have to take over the duties of a Shinigami."
She paused, suddenly frowning.
"Wait... what's with that face?"
Nanaya was touching his chin, looking at her thoughtfully.
"I mean... if you're in a body, can't you just make a better one?" he asked, genuinely confused.
Rukia: "..."
"..."
Her face twisted as if she was about to punch him, but she held it back.
"No way! Absolutely not!"Ichigo crossed his arms and refused flatly.
He hadn't agreed to any of this. He only became a Shinigami to protect his family. Now that they were safe, he just wanted to go back to a normal life.
Nanaya rubbed the bump on his head from Rukia's earlier slap.
"Hold on, why am I being dragged into this too?!"He pointed at himself, incredulous."It was Ichigo, not me, who stole your powers!"
"Eh?!"
Ichigo's mouth dropped open in shock.
Rukia, face dark, raised a tightly clenched fist.
"So?" she said menacingly."Are you sure you want to refuse?"
Facing her dangerous aura, Nanaya wisely raised both hands in surrender.
"I'm in! 100%!" he said immediately.
"Hmph," Rukia huffed, but the corners of her mouth twitched upwards in satisfaction.
She turned back to Ichigo.
"And you? Still planning to refuse?"
"This..."Ichigo hesitated, looking at Nanaya with conflicted eyes.
Later, walking through the town in their new Shinigami forms, Ichigo complained non-stop.
"Seriously... Nanaya... why'd you agree so fast!? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be stuck like this!"
He stomped along in his black death robe, a massive sword strapped across his back, looking every bit the reluctant hero.
Nanaya only smiled, clapping a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.
"Ichigo... you were unconscious last night, so you didn't see it."
"Kuchiki-san... even though she was injured badly, she didn't run to heal herself first. She made sure your sisters were safe. She even changed their memories... so they wouldn't be traumatized."
"A girl like that—strong, but kind... would only ask for help if she really had no choice."
"..."
Ichigo went silent, guilt flashing across his face.
He thought about how Rukia had risked herself to protect his family.And it was because of that… because of him... that she lost her powers.
"I get it..."Ichigo clenched his fists tightly."I'll be a damn good Shinigami!"
Far ahead of them, Rukia walked with her hands tucked behind her back, her ears flushed pink.
"Idiot..." she muttered under her breath.
"You're just a kid... I'm over a hundred years old... I don't need you worrying about me..."
Yet she couldn't stop the small, silly smile pulling at her lips.
"Ahhh!!!"
A roar shook the park ahead.
A massive Hollow — Menos Grande — materialized, howling wildly.
Ichigo, hyped up with adrenaline, roared back and charged forward, swinging his giant Zanpakutō like a madman.
"I'll take down this monster!!!"
Three hours later.
"Alright... let's see..."Nanaya murmured, scanning the area with sharp eyes.
"There!"His Sharingan spun alive — a scarlet whirling wheel — locking onto the Menos instantly.
"Amaterasu!"
With a single word, the black flames of Amaterasu erupted, engulfing the monster.The Hollow screamed, thrashing as the inextinguishable black fire devoured it completely, until only fading spirit particles remained.
"It's over!"
Nanaya withdrew his gaze, a touch of excitement flashing in his eyes.He gently rubbed the corners of his eyes, muttering under his breath:
"Looks like... it doesn't consume any so-called pupil power?"
He couldn't help feeling a surge of joy.He didn't know whether this Sharingan was born from the Hōgyoku's influence or from some Fullbring mutation — either way, these eyes weren't bound by the usual limits.
No more worrying about going blind or losing his vision.
Instead, what they consumed was spiritual energy.As long as his spirit power remained strong, he could unleash the immortal black flames endlessly.
Unlimited Amaterasu...
Just thinking about it sent a thrill down his spine.
"Hey, Nanaya..."Kurosaki Ichigo called out in a dangerously calm voice, then suddenly jumped up, veins bulging on his forehead as he pointed furiously at Nanaya.
"You BURNED all the Menos Grande we encountered! Then why the hell did you drag me out here too?! What, just to watch you show off!?"
"Hahaha..."Nanaya scratched his head, laughing awkwardly.
To be honest, he had gotten a little carried away.
Ever since unlocking this crazy power, he'd been so excited that he couldn't help blasting every Menos Grande he saw into ashes — without giving Ichigo a single turn.
Rukia Kuchiki ignored the squabbling boys.Her serious gaze was fixed firmly on Nanaya's eyes.
"Those eyes..." she muttered, frowning."What kind of ability is that?"
Her expression darkened slightly.
"It doesn't match Shinigami powers... and it's not Quincy abilities either. If anything..."She paused.
"It feels... closer to the aura of a Hollow."
"Hollow!?"Nanaya blinked, surprised.
"Hmm," Rukia nodded gravely.
"Normally, only Hollows can directly use the soul's power through their bodies. Your eyes... have that same heavy, dark, suffocating feeling."
As she spoke, an uneasy chill rose up in her chest.The longer she stared at Nanaya's Sharingan, the more a cold fear gnawed at her heart.
Those blood-red eyes...It felt as if they could drag someone straight into an endless abyss — where despair and madness waited hungrily.
"Evil and darkness... huh?"
Nanaya fell silent, deep in thought.
His mind flickered to the Naruto world's lore — the true nature of the Sharingan.
The eyes that reflect the soul.
They evolve through powerful emotional shocks — often through the agony of loss.Senju Tobirama had once explained: when an Uchiha experiences deep heartbreak, a special chakra surges in their brain, transforming their optic nerves and awakening the Sharingan.
The stronger the hatred...The deeper the despair...The more powerful the eyes became.
Uchiha Madara was the ultimate example — a man who drowned in darkness to become unstoppable.
"Evil... darkness... power that resembles Hollows..."Nanaya whispered internally.
Could it really be... the result of Fullbring?
In this world, the Fullbring technique was the ability to manipulate the souls within matter, using spiritual power to trigger supernatural phenomena.Orihime's Sōten Kisshun, Sado's Brazo Derecho del Gigante — both were born from Fullbring.
And Nanaya's Sharingan...It perfectly fit the image of the Uchiha's divine eyes — yet deep within, it also carried that dangerous Hollow aura.
A strange, seamless fusion of two completely different powers.
A Sharingan...Infused with the essence of Hollow.
A hybrid eye created by the Hōgyoku — an artifact capable of realizing desires, no matter how absurd.
The two Mangekyō Sharingan now nestled in his eye sockets weren't just ordinary dojutsu.
They were something entirely new.
Something that didn't exist in either the world of Shinigami or Hollows before.
Realizing all this, Nanaya smiled faintly.
"So what if it's darkness?" he said softly.
"As long as I can control it...As long as I can protect the people I care about..."
He closed his eyes briefly, feeling the fierce, burning power slumbering inside.
"...then even if this power comes from hell itself... I'll gladly use it."