As time passed, the battle in the Seireitei grew more intense.
Yamamoto stood to one side, leaning on his Zanpakutō, watching the fight in silence.
But his attention never left Lin Xuan.
In his view, ending this battle meant taking down Lin Xuan first.
If he wasn't mistaken, that man had summoned everyone through some special technique. Kill him—and would the technique disappear?
So he waited, searching for an opening to strike Lin Xuan down.
On the battlefield, the clash between Byakuya Kuchiki and Minato Namikaze was spreading wider and wider.
Nearby Shinigami retreated to avoid the fallout, clearing a larger space for them.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura!"
Byakuya shouted. His Zanpakutō burst into countless cherry blossom petals drifting through the air.
Thousands of petals became blades, slicing toward Minato at high speed.
Thud thud!
Minato was fast—but against such dense attacks, his hands and feet still suffered cuts.
"Your attacks are interesting. Guess I need to get serious," Minato smiled.
His figure vanished and reappeared behind Byakuya, a Rasengan spinning in his palm.
Boom!
Minato's eyes narrowed. The Rasengan hadn't hit Byakuya—countless petals had blocked it, and more petals shot toward him.
A rain of petals poured down. Minato coated himself in black Armament Haki and vanished again.
Hundreds of tiny holes appeared in the wall behind him—terrifyingly dense—then the wall collapsed entirely.
Minato reappeared nearby and exhaled.
If he hadn't used Armament Haki in time, his stomach would have looked like that wall.
But he didn't stop. A shuriken flew toward Byakuya.
Byakuya sneered. Petals in the air danced toward the incoming shuriken.
"Shadow Clone Shuriken Technique!"
Pop!
The shuriken split into tens of thousands of clones, raining down on Byakuya like a storm.
Countless petals swirled around Byakuya, precisely blocking every shuriken.
"Sage Mode!"
Minato formed hand seals. His eyes turned golden, orange markings appearing at the corners. He entered Sage Mode instantly.
"Flying Thunder God—Second Stage!"
Minato vanished and reappeared at Byakuya's side, another massive Rasengan forming in his hand.
"Try this—my son's technique. Wind Style: Rasengan!"
The Wind Style Rasengan flew at Byakuya.
"What?"
Byakuya startled—Minato's speed had increased dramatically.
Boom!
The explosion engulfed Byakuya. Shockwaves swept in every direction, flattening surrounding buildings.
Nearby Shinigami stared, mouths agape.
"This Ryōka is that strong? Captain Kuchiki is in trouble?" someone worried.
The explosion felt deadly—like tens of thousands of razor-sharp needles cutting through the air.
Then—a pink light shot skyward, cutting a path through the explosion's center. A figure burst out.
Countless petals danced, blocking the needle-fine chakra blades in the air.
Boom!
The figure landed on a rooftop. Petals scattered, revealing Byakuya Kuchiki.
But he looked more battered than before. His clothes were torn in many places, blood staining his white shihakushō.
Byakuya's gaze toward Minato had changed completely.
"Your strength exceeded my expectations. In that case, I'll have to give you everything I've got."
Petals in the air reformed into his Zanpakutō.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura!"
Byakuya held the blade vertically. It pierced the ground like a surface of water, ripples spreading outward.
Then thousands of massive blades rose slowly from the earth, transforming into cherry blossom petals that swirled and scattered.
But this time the number far exceeded his Shikai release. Cherry blossoms filled the sky—beautiful and spectacular, yet far more dangerous.
Bankai—Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
Countless petals swept in, enclosing Byakuya and Minato like a dome-shaped prison.
In midair, countless blades condensed. Byakuya reached out and caught one.
He looked at Minato and smiled. "Come. Show me how strong you really are."
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T/N:
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