NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 17: Hollow Attack
The students realized belatedly, with a start.
Especially those who had previously launched an attack.
Clearly...
The "High-level Hollow" that even their combined efforts struggled to contend with, whose defenses were almost impenetrable by their spells.
Had been easily dealt with by Naruto.
With just one slash.
The blond boy raised his head and looked at another Hollow, speaking calmly, "Is this a Hollow?"
It didn't seem as powerful as the teachers described in class.
Upon hearing this, the upperclassman students lowered their heads in shame.
Sorry.
We were so weak that we made you overestimate the Hollow's strength.
The Hollow roared, tense and hovering in mid-air.
It sensed the power of the Shinigami before it.
Yet, it showed no intention of retreating or escaping.
"Can it fly?" Naruto focused on its flapping wings and raised his hand.
Shinigami have the ability to hover.
Advanced Shinigami can spread their spiritual power in the sky, walking on it to achieve a flight-like effect.
Naruto had sufficient spiritual pressure but had not yet learned this skill.
"Bakudō #4. Hainawa (這縄, Crawling Rope)."
A spell cast without incantation.
A golden light rope shot from his palm, instantly flying out and binding the Hollow's legs.
The Hollow struggled, its wings flapping vigorously.
In terms of strength... Naruto, still a minor, was at a disadvantage.
But its thoughts were just that, thoughts.
Naruto cast without an incantation.
"Hadō #11. Tsuzuri Raiden (綴雷電, Bound Lightning)."
Lightning erupted from the golden rope, crackling and exploding on the Hollow's body.
Numbing it, draining its strength.
It wobbled, losing balance.
With a slight pull, Naruto caused the Hollow to fall, and with another slash, he cleaved it in two.
Black viscous liquid fell to the ground, decomposing into basic spiritual particles.
The crisis was resolved.
The students let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness for you, Uzumaki. We were lucky you were here this time." One upperclassman, who had been captured and almost killed, expressed his gratitude.
His words opened the floodgates for the others, who began loudly expressing their relief and admiration after their narrow escape.
"A once-in-a-century genius."
"Can cast Tsuzuri Raiden without incantation."
"Well done!"
Naruto smiled shyly, "Are there any students who haven't returned yet?"
Throughout his life, he had never received such straightforward, enthusiastic praise, and he felt a bit embarrassed.
An upperclassman stood on tiptoes, counting heads, "Everyone's back, no one is missing."
"Then let's return first," Naruto said softly, "to avoid further complications..."
Before he could finish speaking.
An upperclassman gripped his sword, staring ahead in terror, "The... the Senkaimon won't open!"
"How is that possible!"
Another upperclassman instinctively retorted, drawing his own sword.
He inserted it into the void beside him.
"Open the gate!"
The sword twisted like a key.
But nothing happened.
It was confirmed, the gate was sealed.
Most of the students turned pale, panicking.
They had lost contact with the Soul Society...
High in the sky.
A brown-haired man wearing glasses chuckled softly, "Such beautiful Kidō."
"But this won't do, Naruto-chan."
"What I want to see from you is much more than this."
With a crisp snap of his fingers.
The night sky was torn apart, revealing creases.
He gazed intently at the crowd below.
"Show me something more interesting."
Amid the panicking crowd.
Naruto remained the calmest, despite being the smallest, his words carried the most weight, "It must be the work of those two Hollows."
"The academy and the Gotei 13 can't reach us, they're the ones most worried."
"I think they'll soon..."
A sharp scream interrupted him.
Someone raised a hand, pointing to the sky.
Visible spatial ripples.
A giant hand with sharp nails tore through the night, revealing the dark, chaotic void.
"What is that..."
Someone swallowed hard, seeking help dryly.
A huge figure always carries immense pressure.
Not to mention the terrifying spiritual pressure it exuded.
A white skeletal face peeked out from the parted sky curtain.
With an exposed, concave row of grinding teeth, and a long nose sharp as a saw.
A terrifying creature.
"Menos Grande!" A student stepped back half a step, "That's... a Menos Grande, a monster only Captains and Vice-captains can handle."
Naruto looked up.
The textbook described this "Menos Grande" as a product formed by the amalgamation of hundreds of Hollows.
It sniffed at something, struggling to inch into the present world through the gap.
It turned its head, and two hollow, dark eyes aimed at the crowd.
Inside the empty eye sockets, only swirling black spiritual power moved.
Yet...
It was evident that it had a fanatical "appetite."
It wanted to devour this group of people.
"How could we encounter such a creature here?" Someone despaired, collapsing to the ground.
Someone trembled, trying to draw their sword, but under such spiritual pressure and fear, even standing was an exhausting task.
Naruto stepped forward, his spiritual pressure burst, soaring skyward.
The crowd suddenly felt relieved.
They looked up.
In front, the blond youth turned back: "You all move to a safe place."
"I will deal with it."
The upperclassman immediately objected: "No, Uzumaki, even if you are a genius, this is a Menos Grande."
"It's very powerful..."
Naruto interrupted softly but firmly: "Is there any other way?"
The upperclassman gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight, turning red.
At this moment, he finally understood what the teacher occasionally said to them—"Hurry up and get stronger."
Power...
If he were strong enough now.
How could he let someone so much younger stand in front of him?
"We will fight together." He drew his sword with trembling hands, even though Naruto bore most of the spiritual pressure in front, the slight leakage was still too heavy for them, the ungraduated Shinigami, "We can't leave you behind..."
As he spoke, he paused, staring at Naruto in surprise.
At such a critical moment, he actually smiled.
"From now on, call me Naruto." Naruto said frankly, smiling brightly, "Do you think I will become a high-ranking lieutenant after graduation?"
This question...
Was somewhat inappropriate.
But the upperclassman didn't hesitate: "Of course."
Naruto turned back, looking at the Menos Grande almost fully emerging: "Then let me exercise the authority of a lieutenant in advance."
"I order you to retreat and protect the students of Shin'o Academy."
The upperclassman gritted his teeth.
Naruto raised his sword, the red tassel swaying, his voice firm and powerful: "Don't worry, I am very strong."
"Next time we meet, stay alive." The upperclassman controlled his intense emotions.
Naruto responded without hesitation: "Of course."
The dark red sword was called by name.
Spiritual power bloomed.
He entered the "One-Tail Transformation" state.
He donned a layer of lava-like, semi-transparent red spiritual power cloak.
For no reason, everyone felt a heavy heart, emotions affected.
Some, who could instinctively hold back, couldn't help but cry out loud.
"Is that Uzumaki's sword?" Someone stared back intently while escaping, "Such a powerful and beautiful sword."
Naruto's ear twitched.
Beautiful?
It's the first time someone praised it this way.
The Menos Grande fully broke free.
It lowered its head, its frenzied spiritual power gathered in front of its mouth, flickering deep red.
Naruto stared.
That was...
The technique Urahara Kisuke said was very similar to the "Tailed Beast Bomb" he could use in "Four-Tail Transformation"—the "Cero"?
He bent his legs and sprang forward to kill.
Spiritual pressure drove the blade, slashing the Menos Grande's arm, not cutting it off.
But it left a deep wound, blood spurted, spiritual power dissipated.
The Menos Grande felt pain.
The Cero in front of its mouth didn't fully condense, dispersing with a wailing cry.
It wasn't that hard to deal with.
As the books said, vast spiritual pressure, but "low intelligence," "slow movements."
In battle, these two are original sins.
Ordinary Shinigami couldn't deal with it because they couldn't break its defense.
But as long as you could break the defense, it posed no threat.
Not far away.
A man with flat glasses stood in the air, observing closely, but neither the Menos Grande nor Naruto noticed him.
Inside Naruto, the Nine-Tails bristled.
It sensed an extremely powerful force coveting, making it anxious, reminding it of those three men...
"The Menos Grande is really a useless thing."
"This won't do."
"I saw you with Four Tails that day."
"Then... let's do this."
He waved his hand.
In the sky, several pitch-black holes twisted open, dozens of Menos flew out from the black void.
Not towards Naruto, but towards the fleeing Shinigami students.
The man murmured to himself, his tone joyful.
"Newly acquainted friends under attack."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"What will you do?”