HRU: Chapter 85/86

Chapter 85: Bones of Heavenly Blooming Madness

In the three days since returning to the Gojo estate, Satoshi had been meticulously studying the black short blade in his hands.

The next Zanpakutō he planned to forge was unique—completely different from his previous creations, Sode no Shirayuki, Suzumushi, and Senbonzakura.

It was a rare type of Zanpakutō, even within Soul Society.

So, he had to be careful.

While Satoshi was busy researching, he didn't allow Toji to idle around either.

For three days straight, Satoshi himself had skipped Toji's brutal specialized physical training, but Shunichi and Satoru? They weren't so lucky.

After all, both of them were now his personal experience packs.

Although training personally would allow Satoshi to learn more, free experience was still free experience. How could he waste such an opportunity?

Watching Shunichi and Satoru constantly getting beaten down and treated afterward, Satoshi felt an odd sense of peace.

So this is what it feels like to be a spectator.

If he wasn't so focused on studying the short blade in his hands, he might have grabbed a bag of snacks, just like Shoko and enjoyed the show.


---

"Satoshi, when are you going to forge a Zanpakutō for this monster Toji?! I can't take this anymore!"

Satoru stumbled into the forge, exhausted.

"I never wanted to learn this! So why the hell am I being forced to train like this?!"

And worst of all? Toji was worse than Satoshi!

Back then, this level of hellish training had been reserved for Satoshi. So why had it suddenly been transferred to him?!

Satoshi smiled in response to Satoru's complaints.

"Satoru, don't blame Toji. Your current training regimen? I personally assigned it to you."

"You want to be the strongest sorcerer, don't you? Then how are you supposed to make Senbonzakura submit to you without a strong enough body?"

"No way, no way… You don't actually think you can just make Senbonzakura surrender using talent alone, do you?"

Satoru opened his mouth but had nothing to say.

He knew Senbonzakura had far greater potential than he had tapped into.

But wasn't he only six years old?!

What was the rush?!

He was about to protest, but Satoshi's next words froze him in place.

"Toji, Satoru's slacking off! You should push him harder."

"The harder you train him, the faster I'll finish forging your Zanpakutō."

A moment later, Toji appeared right in front of Satoru.

Satoru's face turned pale as he stared at the mountain of muscle that was Zenin Toji.

Slowly, he turned his head toward Satoshi, betrayed beyond words.

He had been backstabbed by his own brother.

And thus, the fist-to-flesh training resumed.

Satoshi, meanwhile, turned his attention back to the black short blade cursed tool, finally coming to a conclusion.

He had a clear plan for how to forge this next Zanpakutō.

One of the reasons he had chosen this short blade was because of its history.

It had once been a shrine sword, used for exorcising demons and suppressing evil.

Even though it wasn't as high-quality as a special-grade cursed tool, it was perfectly suited for the Zanpakutō he was about to forge.


---

The Next Morning.

Everyone had gathered around Gojo Satoshi, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Shoko, despite her exhausted face, was especially eager.

After all, unlike the others, this was her first time witnessing Gojo Satoshi forge a Zanpakutō.

With the forge now active again, the entire Gojo family had turned its attention to him once more.

Unlike before, most of them no longer held doubts.

They knew a new Zanpakutō was about to be born.

The memory of Senbonzakura's debut was still fresh in everyone's minds. People were visual creatures.

The sheer spectacle of Sode no Shirayuki and Senbonzakura had completely overturned their understanding of cursed tools.

Since Satoshi had already forged something as insane as Senbonzakura, it meant his technique for creating Zanpakutō was already mature.


---

Even Kumaen, who had initially doubted him, was unnaturally calm.

After witnessing Senbonzakura, he found himself strangely looking forward to Satoshi's next creation.

The emergence of Zanpakutō had shaken the entire jujutsu world to its core.

And the Gojo family was the biggest beneficiary of this revolution.

As the current leader of the Gojo faction, Kumaen would never do anything to jeopardize the family's interests.

So, when others in the faction questioned him about Gojo Satoshi's forging, he chose to wait and see.

He realized he had severely underestimated Satoshi before.

And perhaps—he could even use Satoshi's Zanpakutō to secure greater power for the Gojo family.


---

Meanwhile, in the Zenin Clan, Naobito and Ogi exchanged glances.

They had also received news that Gojo Satoshi had started forging again.

For the Zenin family, who had lost their leverage against him, the only consolation was that this next Zanpakutō's owner would be Zenin Toji.

At the very least, through Toji, they could study the capabilities of a Zanpakutō.

As for the question of whether Toji would hand his Zanpakutō over to the clan?

That thought had never even crossed their minds.

After all, Toji belonged to the Zenin family.

And everything that belonged to Toji belonged to the Zenin family.


---

Elsewhere – The Kamo Clan.

Kamo Shin's expression was grim.

He hadn't expected Shoso to lose contact after infiltrating the Gojo family.

Shoso was his greatest trump card.

Even though he wasn't strong in direct combat, his ability to hide should have ensured his survival.

Had he still not found an opening to attack?

But it had been a full week.

If Shoso didn't act soon, he would revert back into a cursed object.

Perhaps it was time to personally visit the Gojo family under the guise of checking on Gojo Satoshi…

And while he was there, retrieve Shoso.

One thing was clear.

The Gojo family could not be allowed to use Satoshi's Zanpakutō to strengthen their position any further.

Kamo Shin made his decision.

If Shoso didn't act within a week, he would use Gojo Takuya's previous invitation as an excuse to enter the Gojo estate and reclaim Shoso himself.


---

Inside the Forge.

The process was simple. Unpretentious.

Everything flowed naturally.

After an hour of meticulous work.

A new Zanpakutō was born.

As he merged the short blade cursed tool into its core, a familiar system notification rang in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully forged the Zanpakutō—Katen Kyōkotsu.]

(To be continued.)

Chapter 86: The Man With a Conical Straw Hat And a Pink Kimono

As Satoshi held the two newly forged Zanpakutō—one long, one short—everyone present was visibly astonished.

Shoko was amazed by how effortlessly the Zanpakutō had been born.

Satoru and the others, however, were stunned for a completely different reason, Satoshi had forged two Zanpakutō at once.

What's going on? Has the forging process evolved to the point where a single cursed tool material can now create two Zanpakutō?

Shunichi was becoming more and more shocked by Satoshi's forging skills. Although the two swords, crafted from the same Asauchi, seemed different from the others, their presence was imposing.

These two swords… they feel like a pair.

Meanwhile, Satoru held his Senbonzakura, watching with narrowed eyes. He didn't feel that his own Zanpakutō was inferior, but…

Is this the special Zanpakutō that Satoshi mentioned before?

Toji, on the other hand, already knew this pair of Zanpakutō was made for him. For the first time in a long while, his normally unshakable heart wavered.

Amidst the astonished gazes, Satoshi examined the swords in his hands and nodded.

Katen Kyōkotsu—a dual-blade Zanpakutō, consisting of one long and one short blade. The rectangular tsuba had its corners cut off, adorned with petal-like decorations. The hilt was wrapped in purple-red cloth.

At first glance, it didn't seem particularly special, but anyone present could feel that this wasn't an ordinary blade.

The forging process had gone incredibly smoothly.

Because Katen Kyōkotsu was unique, Satoshi had prepared himself for any complications.

In Bleach, Katen Kyōkotsu was a Zanpakutō created to hide the sacred Eight Mirror Sword (Shinken Hakkyōken).

However, in this world, there was no such sacred sword to conceal.

Would he even be able to forge Katen and Kyōkotsu together in the first place?

Fortunately, everything had gone perfectly. He had lived up to Toji's trust.

Opening his system panel, he saw Katen Kyōkotsu's name now displayed among the Zanpakutō he had forged.

[Zanpakutō: Sode no Shirayuki (Owner: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: None)]
[Zanpakutō: Suzumushi (Owner: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: Gojo Shunichi)]
[Zanpakutō: Senbonzakura (Owner: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: Gojo Satoru)]
[Zanpakutō: Katen Kyōkotsu (Owner: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: Zenin Toji)]

Satoshi lightly tapped Katen Kyōkotsu together, the crisp sound pulling everyone out of their daze.

Meeting Toji's expectant gaze, he extended the twin blades toward him.

"Here. This is the Zanpakutō I made for you. Have I fulfilled my promise?"

Toji took Katen Kyōkotsu in silence.

Holding both a katana and a wakizashi in his hands, he felt something he hadn't expected, a strange sense of familiarity.

And then… he saw him.

A middle-aged man, wearing a conical straw hat and a pink kimono, standing before him.

"Oh? Looks like Katen Kyōkotsu's new owner isn't bad. Take good care of Katen and make sure to play hide-and-seek with Kyōkotsu often."

The man smiled at him—then vanished, like an illusion.

Toji stood still.

With his absolute control over his body, he knew this wasn't some hallucination.

That man… he was real.

And from his words, it was clear—Katen Kyōkotsu had once belonged to someone else.

A part of him struggled to understand, how could a freshly forged Zanpakutō already have a previous owner?

Yet at the same time…

He felt something else.

Somehow, he and that man could have been good friends.

Zanpakutō have souls.

Now that the man had disappeared, the intimacy between him and Katen Kyōkotsu became even stronger.

"Toji? Toji?"

Satoshi called out, but Toji remained frozen in thought.

"Oi, Toji, why are you spacing out?"

"Haha, I think he's just too happy," Satoru smirked. "Hey, Shoko, check on him. If he dies of joy here, the Zenin family might get the wrong idea."

"Oh, right! Satoshi, what's the name of Toji's Zanpakutō?"

Compared to Satoshi's mild concern, Satoru was as sharp-tongued as ever.

But Shoko ignored him. She wasn't worried at all, based on what she had seen of Toji, there was no way a mere Zanpakutō would shake him like this.

Finally, Toji snapped out of it.

Feeling the concerned gazes of those around him, he gave a small, difficult smirk.

Then, under everyone's eyes, he raised his katana and wakizashi, crossing them into an X-shape.

His voice was calm yet filled with power.

"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer"

Katen Kyōkotsu."

As his voice fell, the blades transformed.

The katana and wakizashi elongated and curved, becoming two massive scimitars, one black, one white.

The hilt and tsuba remained the same, but at the end of the handle, long red tassels fluttered in the air.

The moment the transformation completed.

Everyone froze.

The entire atmosphere shifted.

Katen Kyōkotsu, now a pair of huge curved blades, radiated an untamed wildness.

Just a moment ago, Toji holding a katana and wakizashi had felt slightly… off.

Now?

With these twin scimitars, he looked like he was born for them.


---

Shunichi's eyes twitched with envy.

Sode no Shirayuki was elegantly white.

Senbonzakura could shatter into thousands of cherry blossoms.

Katen Kyōkotsu was dual-bladed, massive, and exuded untamed ferocity.

And his own Zanpakutō?

Suzumushi… a plain, ordinary sword.

Shunichi sighed. Why did mine have to be so normal?!

Satoru, on the other hand, carefully examined the black twin blades through his Six Eyes.

A flicker of admiration flashed in his gaze, but he quickly regained his composure.

Dual swords, huh? Not bad.

But not as refined as Senbonzakura.

After all, true elegance was about more than just having a flashy appearance.


---

Standing at the side, Shoko watched everything unfold, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Satoshi had promised her that he would forge a Zanpakutō for her too.

At that moment, she realized… she couldn't wait.

She didn't know what material Satoshi would use for hers.

But she wanted one.

She wanted a beautiful Zanpakutō like Sode no Shirayuki.

She wanted a stunning Zanpakutō like Senbonzakura.

And even if it didn't quite match her personality, she wouldn't mind something as wild as Katen Kyōkotsu.

Honestly…

She just wanted a Zanpakutō of her own.

Seriously, Satoshi—

Hurry up and make me one already!

(To be continued.)