Kenma withdrew his consciousness from Amanai Riko's body and opened his eyes, finding himself back in his own study.
Raising the Zanpakutō in his hand, Kenma's gaze was deep, yet he seemed somewhat dazed.
'It is not just Fugaku and Shisui—'
'The entire Uchiha clan, Whitebeard's men, and those Marines—no, all the contractors connected to me are the same.'
'Clearly their spiritual pressure is sufficient, and they are training assiduously, yet they simply cannot infuse their souls into the Asauchi...'
Such a widespread phenomenon was enough to indicate that this was inevitably linked to his Zanpakutō's ability.
It was even possible that his [Kiritsugu] had placed some sort of restriction on these contractors.
A restrictive condition that even he, the master of the Zanpakutō, was unaware of.
Although this was merely a guess on Kenma's part, he had an inexplicable feeling that his speculation was essentially correct.
Immediately, two doubts surfaced in his mind.
Why would [Kiritsugu] do this?
And how could [Kiritsugu] achieve such a thing?
Even if he had left some hidden pitfalls and secret clauses in the contracts with those contractors, the relationship between the two parties was fundamentally equal.
Humans only establish contracts, agreements, and promises with other intelligent beings; they do not treat chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs in such a manner.
When dealing with animals, whether cherishing them as pets or slaughtering them for food, all decisions are made unilaterally by humans. The animals' opinions are never solicited.
Kenma was the same.
The reverse was also true. To establish a connecting contract with these dead souls, the most basic first step was to treat those contractors as their own kind who could communicate with him—that is, as 'Humans'.
Only then could the contract succeed; this was the primary prerequisite.
Since both parties to the contract were 'Humans' and held a relatively equal status...
Then where did his Zanpakutō get such high-handed power to suppress, or even plunder, the instinct of these contractors to awaken their Zanpakutō?
Could it be—
Kenma's eyes flickered uncertainly. He looked up at the wooden ceiling, then down at the Zanpakutō in his hand, exhaling a deep breath of turbid air.
There was no use sitting here letting his imagination run wild; it would be better to ask the party involved directly.
'It has been a while—I should perform Jinzen.'
Lately, Kenma had been so busy his feet barely touched the ground, and he had to attend to Yoruichi at night, leaving him absolutely no time to train with his Zanpakutō.
He would take advantage of this brief moment today to visit Kiritsugu, who resided in his inner world, and ask these questions.
Kenma went to the bed in the partition, sat cross-legged, and rested his open hands on his knees.
With one hand on the hilt of the Zanpakutō and the other supporting the blade, Kenma calmed his breathing rhythm and began to meditate on the sword.
Time passed unknowingly; it felt like a century, yet also like a fleeting instant.
A breeze brushed against his face, and the sound of clear, flowing water rang in his ears. He felt as though he were immersed in mist.
Kenma slowly opened his eyes, and the scene before him changed abruptly.
He was no longer in the study partition, but in the middle of a lake. A compass carved from massive stone lay at the very center of the water's surface.
And he was sitting in the exact center of that compass.
Not far in front of him, three balls of light shone, labeled [Fire], [Sea], and [Curse].
A familiar voice came from behind him.
"Kenma, I didn't expect you to have time to visit me when you've been so busy lately."
"Honestly, I am very happy."
Although the words expressed happiness, the voice was utterly calm, devoid of any emotion.
Kenma stood up and looked behind him.
A brown-skinned man appeared before him, clad in black armor and wearing a red scarf. Beneath his short white hair lay expressionless features.
It was Kenma's Zanpakutō, Kiritsugu!
"Long time no see, Kiritsugu," Kenma said directly. "Unfortunately, I didn't come specifically to see you, but for business—I have questions to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Not you, the other you!"
Kenma pointed to Kiritsugu's shadow reflected on the ground.
"Let that Kiritsugu come out. I don't need you to relay the message; I must ask him face-to-face."
Kiritsugu paused slightly, then nodded.
"That guy is shy and embarrassed to see you in person."
"But since it is your request, I will forcibly drag him out."
After speaking, he walked to the side, reaching the edge of the compass, and looked down at the lake surface.
The breeze blew, creating ripples across the lake, distorting the reflection of Kiritsugu's face.
However, unlike his current self, although the reflection in the lake had the same features and build, it possessed a distinctly different appearance.
Short black hair, normal skin tone rather than the deep brown of the one on the shore, and wearing a black trench coat.
The brown-skinned Kiritsugu above said, "Come up. Kenma wants to see you."
The reflection in the lake gently shook its head, clearly unwilling.
"I knew it would be like this. How long do you intend to be shy?"
Seeing this, the Kiritsugu on the shore sighed.
He then reached into the lake and grabbed the reflected Kiritsugu directly by the collar.
"However, I have already promised Kenma, so you must come out."
The Kiritsugu on the shore twisted his body and pulled upward with force, causing a massive splash to erupt from the lake surface.
A pitch-black figure was dragged up by Kiritsugu and flung toward Kenma's position on the compass.
The black trench coat flapped loudly in the high-speed airflow. Seeing that he was about to crash into Kenma, the figure turned in mid-air to kill his momentum and landed lightly on the compass.
Those pitch-black eyes, devoid of any highlights, looked at Kenma. His expression was composed, hands tucked into the pockets of his trench coat, exuding a distinct demeanor.
"Long time no see, Kenma."
"Don't give me that 'long time no see'; you're the one who has been avoiding me," Kenma lamented. "It really isn't easy to get a glimpse of you. I had to force you out."
From the day he awakened his Zanpakutō, Kenma had seen two Kiritsugus and knew clearly that there were two distinct souls within his blade.
The brown-skinned, white-haired Kiritsugu was the manifestation of his [Severing] power.
And the yellow-skinned, black-haired Kiritsugu was the source of his [Connection] power.
The two were the dual abilities of his single Zanpakutō, housing two souls.
The white-haired Kiritsugu walked over. Before he could speak, he heard the black-haired Kiritsugu scold him: "You spoil Kenma too much. It's not good for him."
"You're one to talk!" the white-haired, brown-skinned Kiritsugu retorted.
Looking at the two Kiritsugus with such different appearances, Kenma's gaze darkened as he asked, "You should be aware of the reason for my visit, right?"
The two Kiritsugus exchanged a glance, then looked at Kenma in unison and nodded slightly.
"We are inside you and see everything you experience, so naturally, that includes your doubts."
The black-haired Kiritsugu affirmed, "You want to ask why those dead souls I connected cannot use Zanpakutō, correct?"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]