Chapter 369: Zanpakutō? Why Does the Wet Bone Forest Have a Zanpakutō?

Uchiha Jin furrowed his brows.

Yet after a brief moment of thought, he still grasped the blade in his soul form.

This was not recklessness—it was calculated.

Because even in his current soul state, he could still sense his Hongmeng Tower, his greatest lifeline, still resting within his soul.

Therefore.

He was confident that even if this blade held danger, the Hongmeng Tower would save his life!

This was the perfect chance to find out what this blade truly was.

And then, the next second.

The instant Uchiha Jin’s soul gripped the blade, the physical blade before him slowly dissolved, reappearing directly in his soul’s hand.

“This…”

In his soul state, Uchiha Jin felt the icy touch of the blade in his hand.

It stirred his heart—could this be a blade usable by a soul?

In an instant,

he recalled the short sword held by the Death God summoned by Minato Namikaze during the Shinigami Shinku.

Was his own blade part of the same system as the Death God’s sword?

【Ding, detected soul-based weapon!】

【Detection complete!】

【Sōkyoku: Initial form of Zanpakutō.】

【Host has not trained in soul-based weapons; currently unable to use this weapon.】

【Searching within the Tower’s treasures…】

【Search complete!】

【Detected full Death God cultivation system; full enlightenment requires 100,000 Qi Yun value.】

【Enlighten?】

As Uchiha Jin pondered, the Hongmeng Tower proactively offered guidance.

Sōkyoku? Zanpakutō?

Isn’t that something from the Death God system?

How could such a thing exist in the Naruto world?

It was no surprise Uchiha Jin hadn’t recognized it—had the Hongmeng Tower given him this blade, he would have immediately understood its connection to his soul.

But the problem is…

This blade was given to him by the slug of the Wet Bone Forest—who could have imagined obtaining a Sōkyoku in the Naruto world?

Now the question arises!

Could the Naruto world have some channel linking to the Soul Society?

And in the previous era, before the Ōtsutsuki appeared, were the Death Gods there part of the same system as the Soul Society?

Is the Death God image he now sees merely a grotesque fusion created by Hagoromo and himself?

Countless thoughts converged in his mind.

In an instant,

Uchiha Jin considered many possibilities, yet after a moment of silence, he buried these questions deep within.

Because overthinking served no purpose!

All he could do now was train, grow stronger—and when he reached the height of his power, all the world’s secrets would naturally unravel.

‘Hongmeng Tower, enlighten me!’

As Uchiha Jin spoke, the Hongmeng Tower within his mind began to spin.

A beam of golden light shot forth and merged into his soul.

His mind was instantly flooded with countless memories.

From basic soul energy control and soul engraving, to advanced techniques like Zanpakutō, Hakuda, Kido, and even Soul Burial internships.

Soul Society’s history: the organizational structure of the Soul Society, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; basic knowledge of the Hueco Mundo, Hell, and the Dangai; even how to use common auxiliary tools like the Gikongan and the Zanpakutō’s Soul Release Gauntlets.

Almost instantly,

Uchiha Jin transformed from a complete novice of Soul Society into a seasoned veteran.

The next second,

Uchiha Jin’s soul re-entered his body, gave a brief greeting to Ino Yamanaka, then left Konoha directly for the Valley of the End nearby.

He began training the Death God basics: Zanpakutō, Hakuda, Kido, and Shikō.

Swordsmanship? Mediocre.

In some ways, it was even inferior to the Uchiha sword style.

Fist techniques? Acceptable.

At least in Uchiha Jin’s perception, they fell far short of Might Guy’s Leaf style.

Shikō? Excellent.

It felt slightly stronger than the Body Flicker Technique—worth light training, but no need to invest heavily.

For Uchiha Jin now, even the Flying Thunder God Technique couldn’t keep pace with him—he primarily used the Yomi no Kuni.

Therefore,

The only aspect truly worth his full focus was clearly the strongest section: Kido.

Only Kido could harm soul-based entities like Hagoromo’s descendant, and it was precisely the immediate combat power he currently lacked.

‘O sovereign! Mask of flesh, all phenomena, wings unfurled, beings bearing the name of man! Scorching heat and chaos, surging against the sea toward the south, step forward!’

Uchiha Jin began chanting.

Though not in soul form, a flick of his will summoned the Sōkyoku from thin air, now held firmly in his hand.

‘Hado #31: Shakkahō!’

BOOM!

A searing fireball shot forth—unlike Fire Release chakra techniques, Uchiha Jin could clearly sense a soul’s tremor within the flame.

This technique worked on souls!

Sōkatsui, Raikōhō, Kokū…

One by one, Kido techniques erupted from him; after two full hours of training, his anxious heart finally eased slightly.

Though he still couldn’t achieve Shikai, he now had at least some capacity to fight Hagoromo’s descendant.

For now, it was enough!

After finishing his training, Uchiha Jin returned home.

That night, he did not visit Ino Yamanaka’s room—he went alone to a quiet chamber.

‘Soul engraving? Let’s try.’

Uchiha Jin spoke slowly.

Sitting cross-legged on the tatami, he placed the Sōkyoku flat across his knees and used his soul engraving ability to imprint his soul’s essence onto the blade.

Yet after a moment,

Uchiha Jin gave up—it was a painstaking, slow process.

He had read the original Soul Society manga in his past life, so he understood how utterly different it was from the Naruto world.

Normal ninja in the Naruto world rarely lived past thirty; during wartime, children dying in their teens was commonplace.

But what of the Death Gods?

They routinely lived for centuries, even millennia; the standard time for a Sōkyoku to achieve Shikai was measured in decades—even ordinary Death Gods took fifty or sixty years to awaken their blades.

So the question arises:

Do I have that much time?

Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki will arrive in just over ten days!

After a moment of silence,

he summoned his interface and activated the enhancement function.

【Detecting host’s soul…】

【Soul particle affinity leans toward fire; Zanpakutō Shikai can only lean in one direction.】

【Enhanceable Zanpakutō: Ryūjin Jakka.】

【Enhance to Shikai state: Requires 100,000 Qi Yun value.】

【Enhance to Bankai state: Requires 1,000,000 Qi Yun value.】

As Uchiha Jin spoke, the Hongmeng Tower swiftly provided the enhancement options.

Yet upon seeing the possible enhancement, Uchiha Jin froze.

Ryūjin Jakka?

That most powerful fire-type Zanpakutō?