NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Chapter 4
Shunkyō, Uehara Shiroha's Zanpakutō, was a system reward—an ability perfectly suited for him with limitless potential.
Its Shikai had two stages, with the first stage being permanent, meaning his Zanpakutō was always in its released state.
This granted him a truly broken ability—he could enter an intangible state at any time, making him immune to all physical and spiritual attacks.
However, like Kamui, he was unable to attack while intangible.
Even so, the energy consumption for maintaining this state was minimal.
With his Reiatsu, Uehara Shiroha could theoretically remain intangible for days without issue.
Uchiha Obito had dominated the ninja world with a five-minute intangibility limit.
Uehara Shiroha had no cooldown.
The horror of Shunkyō could be easily imagined.
And that was just the first stage of Shikai.
The second stage, which required manual activation, was even more terrifying.
By overlapping Shunkyō's space with a portion of reality, he could slice through space itself, allowing him to attack in ways that were completely unavoidable.
This made his second-stage Shikai a fusion of:
Ope Ope no Mi's ROOM (One Piece) – An absolute domain where he dictated the rules.
Kakashi's Kamui (Naruto) – Instant, precise spatial destruction.
In this state, even:
Hierro (Arrancar's steel skin)
Spiritual Pressure-based defense
High-level Kido barriers
…were utterly useless.
Against his second-stage Shikai, there was no protection.
For offense, it was absolute destruction.
For defense, it was absolute invulnerability.
That was Shunkyō.
And this was only Shikai.
Bankai?
It would be on an entirely different level.
However, Uehara Shiroha's Bankai training had just begun.
Even with his Third-Class Captain-level Reiatsu, he still lacked the necessary strength to fully master Bankai.
But he wasn't worried.
With his task system, achieving Bankai was just a matter of time.
As the night deepened, Uehara Shiroha prepared to receive the results from his shadow clones' training.
In his mind, he could clearly perceive Shunkyō's exclusive dimension—a vast personal space.
It was as large as an entire city.
For comparison, Obito's Kamui dimension was tiny in comparison.
With such a massive training ground, his four shadow clones could train freely, even performing high-level techniques without spatial limitations.
With a thought, one of his shadow clones dispersed—the one that had been training in Zanjutsu.
Immediately, a flood of experience and memories surged into Uehara Shiroha's mind.
He carefully processed and absorbed them.
He could feel his swordsmanship improving.
It was a sensation similar to receiving the system reward [Zanjutsu +1].
Satisfied, he proceeded to dispel the remaining clones—those training in Kidō, Shunpo, and Hakuda.
With each clone's dispelling, his combat proficiency silently increased.
Stronger without even lifting a finger.
If other Shinigami knew about this, even captains would die of envy.
When the next morning arrived, Uehara Shiroha checked his daily task panel.
[System Notification]
[Daily Task: Take a Walk]
[Take a peaceful evening stroll. When you reach ninety-nine years old, you will embrace the lifestyle of a wandering vagabond.]
[Reward: Random Attribute +2]
Reading the task description, Uehara Shiroha couldn't help but internally complain:
"In Soul Society, living to ninety-nine isn't called longevity—it's called premature death."
As always, daily tasks were easy—there were no penalties for failure, and they constantly provided steady growth.
It was free power-ups every day.
With a light stretch, he left his courtyard, ready to complete his daily mission.
But before heading out, he made a quick stop.
He went to visit the First Division's vice-captain—Sasakibe Chōjirō.
This white-haired, golden-eyed old man was not to be underestimated.
A thousand years ago, during Yhwach's invasion of Soul Society,
Sasakibe Chōjirō had been the one to stab Yhwach in the back, allowing Captain-Commander Yamamoto to land the finishing blow.
Together, they saved Soul Society from total annihilation.
Despite his strength and experience, Chōjirō chose to remain as vice-captain, dedicating himself to serving under Yamamoto.
Even though he had the qualifications to be a captain, his loyalty never wavered.
Uehara Shiroha casually reported some of the recent intelligence he had gathered.
Much of it was outdated or minor details, but effort mattered more than accuracy.
After all, slacking off still required proper tactics.
One could be lazy with subordinates, but in front of superiors, the best strategy was to appear hardworking.
A good employee wasn't the one who worked the hardest…
But the one who was always visible to the boss.
As expected, Chōjirō nodded approvingly, looking at Uehara Shiroha with relief.
"This young man is diligent after all," the vice-captain thought.
Some people in Seireitei gossiped about Uehara Shiroha, calling him a lazy troublemaker.
But wasn't he right here, working hard?
As for his frequent visits to the red-light district for drinks…
Meh.
At least he wasn't as hopeless as Kyoraku Shunsui.
Meanwhile, at the Eighth Division…
Far away, Kyoraku Shunsui suddenly shivered.
He frowned, rubbing his arms.
"Hmm… Did the drinking incident get exposed?"
"No, that's impossible. The old man has known about it for years."
"Maybe… some girls are thinking about me?"
He sighed dramatically.
"Being too charming is such a curse…"
The Seireitei, located at the center of Soul Society, was massive.
It spanned 130,000 soul miles, with a radius of 365 soul miles.
For comparison—Karakura Town, home to 100,000 people, had a radius of only one soul mile.
It would take an ordinary soul about forty days just to walk around the outskirts of Seireitei.
Arranged in a circular design, the city's outer walls were composed of Sekkiseki, which repelled spiritual energy.
This barrier shielded Seireitei from outside intrusions, ensuring that only authorized individuals could enter.
At each of the four main gates—North, South, East, and West—a powerful guardian stood watch, allowing only permitted personnel to pass.
At that moment, Uehara Shiroha was wandering near the White Road Gate, enjoying the scenic view.
The architecture was traditional—gray and white buildings, tiled rooftops, exuding a classic Japanese aesthetic.
The air was fresh, and the closer he got to the center, the denser the spiritual particles became.
Before he realized it, his daily task was already completed.
[System Notification]
[Task Complete!]
Reward: [Zanjutsu +1, Reiatsu +1]
Another effortless power-up.
Life was good.
Now, only one special mission remained on his panel:
[Witness the Birth of the Visored].
And the reason he had come to White Road Gate…
Was to complete it.
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