HRU: Chapter 381/382

Chapter 381: Zanpakutō Material?

"Satoru, maybe I will be your sister-in-law in the future, so you can't be disrespectful to me like this."

Shoko gritted her teeth and reminded him in a voice Satoshi could not hear.

Satoru looked helpless and shrugged. "Then compete with Yuki. It is okay, Shoko, I will stand with you."

Satoshi and Suguru were unaware of the change between Satoru and Shoko. At this time, Satoshi was playing with the small box Suguru had handed him.

"Suguru, can I open it now?" Satoshi asked.

Suguru nodded.

This was not a formal gift, and he felt a little embarrassed when Satoshi asked so seriously.

As he opened the box, Satoshi saw a transparent crystal, a bit like glass, but the power contained within it proved the stone was extraordinary.

"What effect does this stone have?"

Satoshi did not touch it casually. Although he was strong enough, he would still be cautious with unknown items.

"This was a trophy I obtained from defeating a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit during a previous exorcism. That Cursed Spirit could disrupt a person's sense of direction, so this crystal, taken from it, has the same effect."

Suguru's response made Satoshi's eyes light up.

As he touched the crystal, he truly felt his senses invert, and that sensation directly sparked inspiration.

Since waking up, he had not attempted to forge a Zanpakutō.

One reason was that he had not forged one in nine years. The second was that he had not found the right materials.

Every Zanpakutō is not born out of thin air. Each requires corresponding materials to activate its power.

Now, Satoshi would not try to forge some unknown Zanpakutō. His goal was simple, at least forge a captain-class Zanpakutō first.

These Zanpakutō cannot remain forgotten.

Moreover, when facing Sukuna and Kenjaku in the future, an ordinary Zanpakutō would not play much of a role.

Satoshi had always adhered to the principle of rather having none than something subpar when selecting Zanpakutō users.

Although his Zankensoki experience points had reached the maximum level, he could still feel that as long as the Borrowed Sword users practiced, some of his values would continue to increase.

In this situation, he had to spend his limited energy on high-quality Zanpakutō.

Now, this piece of crystal was very good material, and the image of a Zanpakutō emerged in his mind.

It is you. I have not forged a Zanpakutō for a long time. I will use you to get my hand back in.

Satoshi tossed the crystal in his right hand with a smile.

"Suguru, I like this gift very much. This material inspires me, thank you."

Suguru was very happy. He felt it was absolutely right to consult Satoru about this. He had been nervous, worried Satoru might be a little out of touch.

"Satoshi, as long as you like it."

"But what is the use of this stone? What are you going to do with it?"

This crystal had been in his hand for a long time and he had never understood its purpose. Now that Satoshi liked it so much, he was curious.

Satoru also looked over, stopping his joking with Shoko.

This crystal was obtained when he and Suguru were on a mission together. Even though he used the Limitless Technique to resist it, the crystal still affected his senses.

Because he had encountered it before, he was as curious as Suguru about its function.

"This stone is good Zanpakutō material. It can be used to make a very good Zanpakutō."

Satoshi's words shocked the three of them.

"Satoshi, are you planning to reforge a Zanpakutō?"

Satoru's figure instantly disappeared from Shoko's side and appeared in front of Satoshi.

In the Jujutsu world, after Satoshi awakened, everyone recognized how powerful he was. However, many believed that because of his nine years of slumber, he had lost the ability to forge Zanpakutō.

This was also the fundamental reason the Zenin and Kamo families still wanted to oppose the Gojo family.

As long as the Gojo family did not hold the absolute advantage of Zanpakutō, the Zenin and Kamo families would not be afraid.

Even if the two families joined forces, they could not defeat the Gojo family. So what? As long as their own families were not destroyed and Satoshi and Satoru died, the three families would naturally return to parity.

Times change. This era belongs to the Gojo family, but a hundred years ago it was the era of the Kamo family. At most, when the Gojo family is eliminated by time, it will become the era of the Zenin family.

The Big Three Sorcerer Families are the top in the Jujutsu world and that would not change.

All these tacit assumptions were broken because of Satoshi's appearance and because he developed the Zanpakutō system.

Without Zanpakutō, even Zenin and Kamo from the Big Three would fall further behind the Gojo family in competitiveness.

The Yagyū family, which followed in the Gojo family's footsteps, is an example.

In the past, the Yagyū family formed part of the Zenin family's foundation.

It was just an ordinary sorcerer family that produced a kendo master.

The strongest in the family was the Grade 1 sorcerer Yagyū Hidetsugu, who only appeared once in a century.

Now?

Because Yagyū Saemon obtained the Zanpakutō Nejibana, the entire Yagyū family, with the twin stars Hidetsugu and Saemon, became highly successful in the Jujutsu world.

Even in General Directorate meetings, the Yagyū family's voice was recognized by many small families.

All of this was based on the Gojo family's independent mastery of Zanpakutō forging.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 382: Restarting the Forge

Satoshi no longer has the ability to forge a Zanpakutō.

This is the consensus of most people in the Jujutsu world.

Now, Satoshi said that this mysterious stone could be used to make a Zanpakutō, which shocked everyone.

Is it really possible to reforge a Zanpakutō?

Seeing the three stunned, Satoshi was a little confused.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

He had only said he wanted to forge a Zanpakutō, yet it shocked them. Was there something special about it?

Satoru and Suguru looked at each other, their hearts full of excitement. They had not dared to touch on this until now, but Satoshi taking the initiative meant the consensus across the Jujutsu world had been broken.

"Satoshi, I noticed you never tried to forge a Zanpakutō again after you woke up. I thought you had lost that ability."

"I didn't expect this mysterious crystal from Suguru could actually be used as forging material."

Satoru was in a very relaxed mood now. If Satoshi could truly forge again, it meant the Gojo family could once more control the Jujutsu world by distributing a scarce resource.

At this time, Suguru was also looking at the Zanpakutō from nine years ago. He still had not fully mastered it, but the materials provided after Bankai could be used as new power, and he was genuinely happy.

Recently, he had been strengthening his use of Hōzukimaru through physical training, and he felt his chance to reach Bankai was getting closer and closer.

His body felt stronger, and Hōzukimaru's adaptability to him higher and higher, as if this Zanpakutō leaned more toward physical enhancement rather than the special-ability type.

That suited him. The prerequisites for his Cursed Technique and Cursed Spirit Manipulation are a strong body. Many mistakenly believed he was only strong in techniques, but in truth, his physicality was not beneath Satoru.

Without a technique like Limitless to tank hits, he did not think Satoru could defeat him relying solely on body and Hakuda.

Originally, before Satoshi woke up, Suguru thought his Hōzukimaru might be the first to reach Bankai, but he had not expected Satoru to complete Senbonzakura's Bankai in their fight, putting him a step behind.

Now, because of the mysterious crystal he gave Satoshi, it was as if Satoshi's forging process was starting again.

"Satoshi, will the effect of this Zanpakutō be similar to the crystal?"

Suguru looked curious.

Satoshi nodded. Every Zanpakutō is tied to items in this world. There is only one Zanpakutō that resonates with this crystal.

He already had the idea.

"Which is stronger, this Zanpakutō or my Senbonzakura?"

"Compared to my Minazuki?"

"Compared to my Hōzukimaru?"

They asked in unison, each wanting to know whose Zanpakutō would be stronger.

Satoshi looked at the three, a bit awkward, and finally paused on Suguru.

Although Hōzukimaru can also reach Bankai, it belongs to Madarame after all.

Madarame's strength is still far behind Sixth Division Captain Kuchiki Byakuya and Fourth Division Captain Unohana Retsu. Of course, that does not mean the gap between Zanpakutō is absolute.

After all, Madarame becomes a captain-level Shinigami in the future, so calling the Hōzukimaru in Suguru's hand a captain-class Zanpakutō is not a problem.

The Zanpakutō he was going to forge next also belonged to a captain-class Shinigami, Hirako Shinji.

Its effect is extremely strong, and it is a powerful weapon in team battles.

"They are about the same, about the same. The power of your Zanpakutō depends on your own strength. Do not worry about it too much."

Satoshi waved it off and let Satoru and the others practice the advanced Kidō, Dankū, while he headed to the forge, his hands itching to work.

It is just right. If I shift my thinking while considering forging with Tenshintai, I might find a better direction.

However, Satoru, Shoko, and Suguru quietly followed him.

After all, this was the first time Satoshi had forged after nine years of sleep, and they did not want to miss it.

Satoshi walked into the forge, where nine years had left a heavy atmosphere.

Tools piled in the corner wore a coat of dust, and tiny particles floated in the air, dancing slowly in the slanting sunlight.

It felt slightly dilapidated and lonely, unlike his memory.

He walked to the central table, fingers brushing over rusty tools.

Compared to the modern forging room in the Tenshintai lab, this place seemed too primitive and old.

Modern rooms had sophisticated instruments, flashing displays, and various auxiliaries.

This old forge had almost nothing beyond the basics.

As expected, I feel more at ease here. Satoshi looked at the familiar surroundings, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Forging Tenshintai requires precision and efficiency, each step with clear parameters and standards. Here, the forger relies more on feeling and intuition. This primitive and pure method is more suitable for creating a spiritual Zanpakutō.

Satoshi stood at the table, the crystal in his palm emitting a faint light.

He could feel the special power within it, the strange ability to invert perception.

In his mind, the image of Sakanade became clearer and clearer.

A Zanpakutō that confuses the enemy's perception is the most suitable carrier for this crystal.

This power that disrupts perception, combined with inversion, should produce amazing results.

(To be continued.)