NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: Chapter 15
At the edge of the hot spring, Uehara Shiroha's eyes flew wide open as he chanted aloud with exaggerated piety:
"Don't look at what is indecent! Don't look at what is indecent!"
The sudden outburst broke the tranquility of the misty spring.
In the water, Yoruichi Shihōin, having sensed something amiss, looked up—and there he was: Shiroha Uehara, reciting his "mantra" with his eyes wide open like an owl.
Her brow twitched as a vein pulsed in irritation.
"Chanting so loudly, but why are your eyes so wide open, you idiot?!"
With a splash, Yoruichi submerged deeper into the steaming waters, letting the thick mist cover her figure. The glimpse of her graceful curves vanished.
Unlike the carefree woman she would become a hundred years later, this version of Yoruichi was still reserved, less playful and teasing than her future self.
Meanwhile, Uehara Shiroha, face straight and voice solemn, declared:
"Relax. Actually, I'm blind. Totally can't see a thing. No need to cover up."
He even mimicked Kaname Tōsen's stoic demeanor, raising his chin with a dignified air.
But then he recalled the irony of Tōsen—how the supposedly "blind" man could monitor surveillance screens and even use binoculars. If that counted as blindness, then his current act was perfectly justified.
Yoruichi, peeking from the mist, felt her eyelids twitch.
"Blind, my ass."
Her golden eyes narrowed as she chose to skip past his nonsense and get straight to the point:
"Otsutsuki Naruto… I assume you know who I am. What exactly are you doing here?"
Uehara Shiroha shrugged with a casual grin and swore with mock sincerity:
"Rest assured. Our Otsutsuki Clan is a peace-loving family. We'd never side with someone like Aizen!"
Yoruichi's tense shoulders loosened ever so slightly—
Until—
Shiroha added with a smirk:
"…Unless they pay more."
The air thickened instantly.
Yoruichi's fist clenched. Then unclenched. She fixed him with a cold, testing gaze:
"…The Otsutsuki Clan, huh? Never heard of it. Why is that?"
Uehara Shiroha, adopting a nostalgic expression, sighed dramatically:
"Because we're like the werewolves of legend—a hidden clan that resides beyond Rukongai, far from prying eyes."
With a wistful smile, he continued,
"When I was born, my father composed a poem for me:
'When you were born, the entire Soul Society whispered your name—Arthas!
And you… shall be crowned king!'"
Yoruichi's brow furrowed, her expression twisting with confusion:
"Wait… aren't you called Otsutsuki Naruto? Where the hell did Arthas come from? And the 'entire Soul Society'? Please. There's only one king in this world—the Soul King.
So… what kind of king do you think you're supposed to be?"
Uehara Shiroha shrugged casually:
"'Arthas' is just my nickname. My old man was pretty westernized—thought it sounded cool, so he gave me a fancy foreign title.
And besides," he continued, his grin widening mischievously,
"Who says there's only one kind of king?
I could be the Old King. Or how about Pirate King?"
He paused, smirking at her deepening frown, and added playfully:
"After all, pirates are the freest people in the world! No rules, no masters—just treasure, adventure, and the open seas.
Plus, they get to enjoy all-you-can-eat seafood… though, to be fair, their deaths can be just as random. Kinda like living in a certain 'land of the free,' if you catch my drift."
Yoruichi's scowl deepened so hard it could crush a fly.
"Old King? Pirate King? What kind of lunatic nonsense is this?!"
She resisted the overwhelming urge to plant her fist through his face. The only thing stopping her was sheer curiosity about his bizarre abilities.
But—Gods above, his mouth wouldn't quit.
Uehara Shiroha, eyes glinting with mischief, suddenly brightened:
"Actually—speaking of kings—how about you become my queen?"
Yoruichi's lips pressed thin. A short, sharp laugh escaped—dry and disbelieving:
"Excuse me? Queen? You've lost your damn mind."
Uehara Shiroha, ever undeterred, answered with mock wisdom:
"As a man, it's only wise to leave a path of retreat. One tree shouldn't make you abandon the whole forest, right?
However…" He paused, his gaze suddenly playful and sharp,
"You'll have to change some habits.
From now on—only I get to see your body."
His eyes sparkled wickedly.
"Do that… and you might just stand a chance at becoming my queen."
For a long second, silence hung heavy.
Inside her head, Yoruichi's thoughts were an inferno of curses:
"You broke into my bath. And now you're making demands?
When the hell did I sign up to be your 'queen'?!"
Her golden eyes flashed—
Hard!
Her fists clenched—
Harder than ever before!
Her patience—gone.
With a sharp crack of the ground beneath her heel, Yoruichi launched herself into the air. Her figure vanished—swallowed by pure speed.
In an instant—
She reappeared, fully clothed in her standard Onmitsukidō combat attire—
A form-fitting, sleeveless bodysuit with a high collar, her right arm wrapped tightly with bandages for combat reinforcement.
The outfit hugged her lithe, muscular frame perfectly—a stark contrast to the regal robes of nobility, a declaration of her Shinigami's pride.
Her sharp, golden gaze locked onto Uehara Shiroha, narrowed with both warning and deadly intent.
But Uehara Shiroha, rather than flinching, smiled wider.
"All dressed up already?" His tone teased. "Well then… fancy a dance?"
Yoruichi vanished.
A sudden blur of motion—no, not motion—disappearance.
Shunpo.
Faster than thought. Faster than the eye.
Yet—
Uehara Shiroha's head turned exactly to the right.
"Shunshin Yoruichi…" he murmured with a grin, "…you live up to the title."
Despite her blinding speed, he had tracked her perfectly.
The reason?
Since obtaining Shunkyō and unlocking its spatial properties, Uehara's perception of space had sharpened to the extreme.
Now—he felt space, sensed distortions, ripples—like a spider detecting tremors on its web.
Yoruichi's form re-emerged—a flicker of shadow and flame.
Her gaze turned sharp with appraisal.
"He's… tracking me? Through spatial awareness? Even without seeing me directly?"
The former Second Division captain felt a rare ripple of tension.
She'd heard Urahara's reports about Uehara Shiroha's abilities—but feeling them was something else entirely.
Moments ago, she had struck at him at her highest speed, one that bypassed even spiritual sense—yet her fist had passed through his body like air.
No defense. No counter. Just—intangible.
Her lips pressed thinly.
"This… is troublesome."
But she wasn't one to back down.
Without warning—she vanished again.
This time, she attacked from multiple angles—Shunko-style.
Her form blurred, splitting into afterimages.
Each image struck out simultaneously—fingertips aimed precisely at Uehara Shiroha's vital points.
Her moves were swift, elegant—each a Kappō strike that could paralyze or kill with pinpoint accuracy.
But—
"MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA—!"
With a sudden, exaggerated pose—hands on hips, back arched—Uehara struck a JoJo-esque stance.
His expression became theatrically smug, his eyes blazing with playful defiance.
All the while, in the background, shadowy clones—emerging from the spatial folds of his ability—applied Horse Talismans to his body.
Because Uehara Shiroha remembered—
Recklessness kills.
Aizen—despite merging with the Hōgyoku and reaching a state of godhood—was ultimately sealed because he underestimated Urahara's tactics.
Uehara would never make the same mistake.
Yoruichi's attacks landed—
But they passed through his hollow-state body as if striking air.
Her final strike hit where his heart should be—
But there was nothing.
No flesh. No bone.
Just—space.
Her figure twisted mid-air—agile as a cat—before landing, her toned legs bending to absorb the impact.
==============================================
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
==============================================