Naruto: Copy System#771+772: I Am Looking Down on You—Apologies, but With Power, You Can Do Whatever You Want

"DAMN IT," Yoruichi said, stomping her foot in frustration. To think she couldn’t take down Koga Kuchiki and Muramasa herself and needed Shin to step in.

"Don't beat yourself up over it. His abilities are actually quite potent," Shin said to Yoruichi. An ordinary captain would have had an even harder time against Koga.

"For Ginrei Kuchiki's sake, I'll give you one more choice. One, you come back with me. Two, you die by my hand. The choice is yours!"

Shin stared at Koga Kuchiki, a faint smile on his face that sent a chill down the man's spine.

"Master, choose the first option. Come back with him," Muramasa urged his master. Even if Koga were imprisoned again, Muramasa was confident he could break him out.

"I choose the third path."

Koga gripped his sword and slashed at Shin, unleashing a wave of sword pressure. It was clear his mastery of the blade was considerable.

"There is no third path. Don't be ridiculous... Trying to forge a new path in front of me? Are you trying to be funny?"

Shin reached out and caught the slash of sword pressure mid-air. With a single clench of his fist, it dissipated into nothing.

"..."

"HOW?"

Koga's eyes widened. A single slash from him could sever a river, yet Shin had caught it with his bare hand.

"It's not impossible. You're just too weak. To be honest, killing a weakling like you gives me no sense of accomplishment. It's actually kind of boring," Shin said with a yawn.

Yoruichi's expression soured. 'You're calling him a weakling? What does that make me, then, since I almost got played by that weakling?'

"You're looking down on me."

Koga's eyes turned bloodshot as he stared at Shin, his gaze filled with endless killing intent and hatred. He was an incredibly proud man and couldn't stand being looked down upon. It was clear his arrogant personality was a major factor in his downfall—it was easy for him to make enemies.

"That's right. I am looking down on you," Shin stated plainly. Whether Koga was enraged by his words or not, Shin couldn't care less.

He had no intention of letting Koga live. If he wanted to walk a third path, Shin was curious to see if he had the strength to do so. If not, and he ended up dead, there was no one to blame but himself.

Yoruichi watched from the side, making no move to intervene. She had already failed once. If Koga had taken the opportunity to attack her earlier, he could have seriously wounded her, if not killed her.

Of course, with Shin there, Koga would never have succeeded.

"Master, let me test him first."

Worried for Koga, Muramasa charged at Shin, his sharp claws capable of piercing through anything.

"A mere Zanpakutō dares to lay a hand on me?"

Shin lifted his leg and kicked out. Even space itself seemed to crack under the force of his kick.

———————————

"That's just absurd," Yoruichi couldn't help but say, watching the scene unfold. A kick like that would obliterate her—not even dust would be left.

'So he was never serious when we sparred.'

A strange light flickered in Yoruichi's eyes. Women admire strength, and though she knew Shin was powerful, it now seemed his strength far surpassed her wildest guesses.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The kick landed squarely on Muramasa, and he didn't just fly back—he disintegrated. Vanished into nothing but pure spirit particles.

As the materialized Muramasa disappeared, the Zanpakutō in Koga's hand shattered into pieces.

"Koga Kuchiki, you're a genius. I wonder if you can withstand a single kick from me?"

Shin asked, looking at the horrified Koga.

Koga staggered back in terror, his legs trembling slightly, completely intimidated by the raw power Shin had just displayed.

"Even if you beg for mercy now, I won't spare you. Any last words? Speak now, or you'll lose the chance forever."

Shin looked down on Koga dispassionately.

"BEG? EVEN IN DEATH, I, KOGA KUCHIKI, WILL NEVER BEG FOR MERCY," Koga said with conviction. It was his pride.

"But I won't go down without a fight."

"<Hadō #96: Ittō Kasō!>"

This sacrificial Hadō burned the user's own body to unleash its power, capable of turning miles of land into scorched earth.

A terrifying, blade-shaped flame rushed toward Shin, engulfing even Yoruichi in its range. There was no way to dodge an attack of this scale.

"<Bakudō #81: Dankū!>"

A defensive wall materialized in front of him. It looked fragile, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch, yet it completely stopped the sacrificial flames of Ittō Kasō.

"I'm surprised you know that Kidō. It seems you had a few tricks up your sleeve," Shin remarked, staring at Koga.

Ittō Kasō was an advanced Hadō that probably not even Ginrei Kuchiki knew.

In the original story, only Yamamoto had used it. Of course, others like Aizen probably knew it as well, but the number of users was extremely small. After all, the price of using it was burning one's own body.

Now, Koga had used it to no effect, and he was the one left on the ground.

He wasn't dead, but part of his body was charred black, and his spiritual pressure was completely depleted. A single Soul Reaper from the academy could probably kill him now.

"It's over for you. But maybe this is for the best. Living might not have been so great for you anyway."

Shin said as he walked toward Koga. It was true. Given his crimes, he would never have been forgiven. At best, he would have been sealed away, a fate worse than death. In that sense, death was a release.

Koga's eyes were calm now, with no hatred for Shin. He had been outmatched. There was nothing more to say. But deep down, he was filled with regret. He would never get the revenge he sought.

<><><><><><><><>

Looking at the resentful Koga Kuchiki, Shin ended his life with a single slash.

"Alright, Koga Kuchiki is dead. Just bring his body back," Shin said, turning to Yoruichi.

Yoruichi's mouth twitched, and she couldn't help but ask, "Don't tell me you expect me to carry the body?"

"Congratulations, you guessed right," Shin said with a smile.

"I was the one who took him down, after all. It took a lot out of me. You wouldn't just stand there and do nothing, would you?"

Shin said with a light chuckle. After a moment of hesitation, Yoruichi went over and picked up Koga's body.

"Let's go back."

Shin opened a spatial gate with Yomotsu Hirasaka and stepped through. Using a Senkaimon was too slow for his liking.

Yoruichi, having gone through the gate several times, was used to it. She followed Shin without hesitation.

"I can't believe the mission was completed so quickly. I thought it would take a lot longer," Yoruichi couldn't help but say.

She had expected it to be a drawn-out affair, searching for a single Soul Reaper in all of Hueco Mundo. She never thought Shin would be so efficient, finding Koga Kuchiki so easily. She was glad—she didn't want to spend any more time in Hueco Mundo than necessary.

"Come with me to the First Division."

Shin led Yoruichi to the First Division barracks. The guards didn't dare stop them—he was a captain, after all.

"Old Man, I'm here to turn in the mission report." Shin pushed open the door and walked into the First Division office.

"..." Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing, seemingly unconcerned with Shin's casual address.

"This guy resisted, so I had to put him down," Shin said, pointing at Koga's body.

"I'm surprised you completed the mission so quickly." Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni glanced at Shin, then had Chōjirō Sasakibe go and inform Ginrei Kuchiki.

"Wait here for a moment," Yamamoto said to Shin.

"Since I took down Koga Kuchiki, shouldn't there be some kind of reward?"

Shin asked. A reward was only fair, even if it was just money. Shin didn't mind.

"What reward do you need for doing your duty as a member of the Gotei 13?"

Yamamoto, ever the miser, was clearly not planning to part with a single coin. The Seireitei's reconstruction required a great deal of money, and the great noble clans weren't willing to contribute. Where was he supposed to get the money?

Not long after, Ginrei Kuchiki arrived. Seeing Koga's body, a flicker of sadness crossed his eyes before he looked at Shin.

"Don't look at me. I already gave him a chance. It's a shame he didn't take it."

Shin wasn't afraid of Ginrei's anger. He had never promised to bring Koga back alive.

"Koga brought this upon himself," Ginrei said with a straight face.

Though he felt sorrow, he appeared cold and detached. Shin couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Well, my work here is done."

Shin left with Yoruichi. Neither Yamamoto nor Ginrei stopped them.

"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, may I take Koga's body back with me?" Ginrei asked.

"You may." Yamamoto didn't make things difficult. Koga's body was of no value now. Since he was dead, it was all over.

Ginrei left with Koga's body.

———————————

"Shin, do you think that old man Ginrei will hold a grudge against you?" Yoruichi asked Shin.

"How would I know? I'm not him. So what if he does? If he wants to hold a grudge, let him."

Shin waved his hand dismissively. Even if that old man did hold a grudge, Shin had nothing to fear. In terms of strength or anything else, there was no reason to be afraid of Ginrei Kuchiki.

"You're probably the only one who isn't afraid of him. Any other captain would be wary of Ginrei Kuchiki," Yoruichi said.

After all, besides being the captain of the Sixth Division, he was also the head of the Kuchiki Clan. With that status, few would dare to disrespect him. He was a veteran Soul Reaper who had been a captain for a long time, on par with someone like Retsu Unohana.

"Are you forgetting about strength? With my power, why should I be afraid of Ginrei Kuchiki? It would be strange if I were."

Shin raised his hand and lightly tapped Yoruichi on the head.

"...Hey, strength isn't everything in the Seireitei," Yoruichi couldn't help but remind Shin.

"My apologies, but with this kind of strength, one really can do whatever they want."

Shin believed in the power of his fists. He could crush any opposition. If someone wasn't convinced, he'd just beat them until they were.

"Fine, I know I can't win an argument with you."

Yoruichi gave Shin a frustrated look, knowing it was pointless to argue.

———————————

When they returned to the Second Division barracks, Retsu Unohana was there. Shin had asked her to look after the Second Division.

"You're back already." Unohana was a bit surprised to see Shin return so quickly.

"You know my strength. Is it really that strange for me to be back so soon?" Shin said with a smile, taking a seat.

"Captain Unohana, I think the members of the Fourth Division might be crying right now," Yoruichi said to Unohana.

Hearing this, Unohana just smiled faintly and said to Yoruichi, "Actually, I'd rather see you cry."

Hearing Unohana's words, Yoruichi's heart stirred. She clenched her fists and looked at Unohana, who, of course, saw everything.

Unohana smiled gently and asked, "Would you like to have another sparring session with me?"

"I'm not in good shape right now. Maybe some other time. Besides, aren't you a little old to be bullying me?" Yoruichi retorted.

She was no match for Unohana. Though she hated to admit it, this woman was as strong as a monster.