"Correct. I hope you can tell me the truth."
Kenma looked at the black-haired Kiritsugu, who nodded as his calm voice slowly resonated.
"You are the master; you have the right to know. Naturally, there is no issue in telling you."
"Shisui, Fugaku, and even the entire Uchiha clan, as well as those pirates and Marines... after they formed a connection with you, they became completely unable to awaken their own Zanpakutō no matter what."
"There is only one reason for this: I did not agree to it!"
"Therefore, I seized all of the potential those connected individuals had to awaken a Zanpakutō."
Kenma's pupils constricted slightly, though a faint expression suggesting he had expected this appeared on his face.
"I knew it—"
"So, it really was your doing."
The black-haired Kiritsugu shook his head. "To say it was 'my' doing isn't quite accurate."
"You should say it was 'our' doing," the white-haired Kiritsugu at the side interjected. "The moment the connection was established, I sliced off a portion of those connected individuals' souls along with their possibility of awakening a Zanpakutō."
The black-haired Kiritsugu followed up immediately, "Then, I gathered those fragmented souls and fed them back into your body."
"Kenma, haven't you felt that you've been improving rapidly lately?"
"Not just in Reiatsu, but a comprehensive enhancement of your physical constitution—strength, speed, neural reflexes, and athletic ability."
Kiritsugu was right; Kenma did indeed feel this way.
However, it was so subtle that he had mistaken it for an illusion brought about by the increase in his Reiatsu.
Now it seemed it was his Zanpakutō playing tricks.
Kenma lowered his eyelids, then opened them again, a grim look faintly surfacing on his face.
"Why?"
"Why did you do this, and why didn't you even tell me?"
"If I hadn't noticed, were you planning to hide this from me until I died?"
The white-haired Kiritsugu sighed. "If we had told you, your personality wouldn't have allowed such a method."
"The damage caused by forcibly slicing off a piece of another's soul is permanent. Even if that portion of the soul were returned, that person would not be able to reconnect, nor could they ever return to how they were before."
The black-haired Kiritsugu stated bluntly, "Kenma, your nature is too gentle. The quality education you received in the past molded you into someone too kind."
"Being so kind, you are incapable of actively setting traps to harm those you view as companions."
"But that is fine—we really like that kindness of yours."
"So—since you cannot bring yourself to do it, we will do it for you! We will bear this sin in your place."
Looking at the two Kiritsugus who spoke without any concealment, Kenma grit his teeth, a trace of struggle appearing on his face.
"You are the manifestation of my power; you are no different from me."
"What you do is what I do. I will not deny this, nor will I cover my ears and pretend I cannot hear."
Hearing Kenma's words, the two Kiritsugus exchanged a glance, their expressions seeming to relax considerably.
A hint of joy surfaced on their calm faces.
Immediately after, Kenma grit his teeth and asked, "In that case, why did you have to do this? Why did you have to cut off their souls?"
"At least give me a justifiable reason."
The smile on the white-haired Kiritsugu's face faded as he quietly looked at his master.
"There is no special reason. It is merely our instinct."
"We simply want to protect you. That is our instinct."
As his voice fell, the black-haired Kiritsugu spoke, "Instinct—we only want you to live on safely and spend every day in happiness."
"You wouldn't have to be immersed in fear of the unknown all day long; you could exist with peace of mind."
"Fear?" Kenma's expression darkened. "I control the lives and deaths of people like Shisui, so where would fear come from?"
"Naturally, it is the fear of the unknown!"
The black-haired Kiritsugu's tone was decisive.
"The people you connect with are very strong. Even those pirate minions are stronger than the original you."
"If they were allowed to access a Zanpakutō... the abilities they would awaken would be an unknown variable."
"If the Zanpakutō they awakened had the ability to sever the 'Connection', or even allow them to turn the tables on you, then you would fall into danger."
"This kind of uncertainty is the most terrifying, most lethal existence."
The white-haired Kiritsugu quickly added, "To prevent such things from happening, we took preventative measures, snuffing out this possibility while it was still in the cradle."
"As things stand now, regarding your connected individuals, the various abilities they possess—be it the Sharingan, Devil Fruits, or even Chakra and Haki—are all existences you understand."
"You are clear about their trump cards and abilities. Added to the contingencies we left when the connections were made, they pose absolutely no threat to you."
After a moment of silence, the black-haired Kiritsugu spoke with a complex expression, "It is only right for you to be angry upon learning of these actions we took without permission."
"Feel free to unleash your anger upon us; we are willing to accept it."
"There is just one thing we hope you can promise us."
The expressions of both Kiritsugus softened, and their gaze toward Kenma revealed a trace of pleading.
"Kenma, do not snap us."
"We can still become your strength and protect you well."
Kenma looked at the two of them in a daze, remaining silent for a long time.
He felt angry. He was furious about the persecution of Shisui and the others by Kiritsugu, and he was indignant that they had concealed it from him.
But as was said before, the Zanpakutō was his power, and such actions were all taken to protect him.
What could he say?
Seeing Kenma like this, both Kiritsugus sighed in unison.
"Kenma, actually, we don't need you to have incredibly powerful strength, nor do we want you to have many forces under your command or control multiple worlds."
"We simply hope that you can possess second or third-class Spiritual Power, find a way to become ageless, and then go to a peaceful, slice-of-life world to safely spend a life without fear and without end."
They paused, then their voices continued.
"Likewise, we also know your ideals from these past years, as well as the resentment and dissatisfaction you hold toward the Shinigami in your heart."
"When you were stranded in Soul Society back then, and those brothers and friends you met were slaughtered by the Shinigami... although we had not yet taken form, we could see it clearly in your memories."
"If this is what you want, we will provide you with the greatest assistance without threatening your own safety."
Thoughts swirled in Kenma's mind, and suddenly, a realization dawned on him.
"So, the worlds I traveled to were all carefully selected by you?"
"Worlds that posed no threat to me, yet had their own unique aspects that could help me to a certain extent and strengthen my power."
The Chakra of the Ninja World, the Devil Fruits of the sea, and those wondrous techniques in the Jujutsu World—this was true for all of them.
"Correct!"
"If we let you go to worlds capable of destroying heaven and earth, it would be very dangerous."
The voices of the two Kiritsugus came from his left and right. Kenma lowered his eyes.
He forced himself to calm the complex emotions in his heart.
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