After dinner, everyone went back to rest.
Thump!
Naruto flopped onto his large bed with a sigh of contentment. For him, the happiest moment of the day was lying down and casting aside all worries.
As for Blastoise, it had already reverted to Wartortle after dinner when the Weapon Blessing expired, then he put it back to its Poke Ball.
This also meant Hidan's two hours of agonizing torment had finally ended.
"Right, the sign-in reward."
After lying down for a while, Naruto suddenly remembered the sign-in reward he hadn't yet claimed.
Opening the system panel, he clicked on the latest reward notification, and the familiar system prompt sounded in his mind.
[It is detected that the host has stayed in the Land of Iron for one hour. Sign-in successful. Reward: Zanpakuto.]
'What?'
'Zanpakuto?'
Hearing those words, Naruto immediately snapped out of his relaxed state and bolted upright.
Of all things, he hadn't expected to receive a Zanpakuto as a reward.
In his previous life, Naruto liked watching Naruto the most, but his favorite setting was still the Zanpakuto from Bleach.
Not only were they incredibly cool, but each Zanpakutō had unique abilities, and the Bankai transformations were the epitome of style and power combined.
The idea of owning a Zanpakuto was the ultimate symbol of strength and flair.
He hurriedly opened the system inventory and found what appeared to be an ordinary katana lying inside.
[Zanpakuto: A weapon used by the Shinigami in the manga 'Bleach' and its derivative works. Its shape and abilities are forged from the wielder's own soul. A Shinigami must learn the name of their Zanpakuto and engage in spiritual dialogue to unlock its power.]
Naruto only skimmed the system's description. After all, who could possibly understand the Zanpakuto better than him?
Retrieving the katana from his inventory, it looked entirely unremarkable, indistinguishable from a standard Japanese sword.
"It must be because the Land of Iron is full of samurai." Naruto mused, "So signing in here triggered the reward for a Zanpakuto."
As he examined the sword, Naruto recalled the basics, 'All Zanpakuto initially appear as standard katanas. To unlock their true potential, one must learn their name and call upon them to initiate the release of their unique abilities.'
It sounded simple, but Naruto knew this step was daunting.
Even after living two lives, Naruto still didn't fully understand the essence of his own soul, which the Zanpakuto was based on. It was a challenge that left him scratching his head.
After racking his brain for a while without success, Naruto turned to the system for help.
"Can you tell me the name of my Zanpakuto?"
[Friendly Reminder: The host can communicate with your Zanpakuto through spiritual dialogue.]
Hearing this, Naruto was extremely speechless and couldn't help but complain, "System, I can't do spiritual dialogue. Are you messing with me?"
Buzz!
However, at this moment, the Zanpakuto in Naruto's hands began to vibrate and hum.
"Hmm? A reaction?"
Naruto, who has seen Bleach, immediately recognized that Zanpakuto only responded when their name was spoken, followed by a specific release command for their abilities.
'Could it be that I accidentally said the name of my Zanpakuto?'
Naruto hurriedly recalled what he had just said, and realized he had only spoken two sentences. When he said the first sentence, his Zanpakuto did not respond.
'It must have been the second sentence.'
The exact words were: "System, I can't do spiritual dialogue. Are you messing with me?"
Naruto wasn't in a rush. He tested one word, then two, then three, carefully experimenting step by step.
After numerous attempts, his expression turned incredulous.
He had guessed the name of the Zanpakuto but found it hard to accept. Clearing his throat, he tentatively said, "System?"
Buzz!
The Zanpakuto emitted a low hum in response.
After double-checking multiple times, Naruto was left speechless.
It was baffling to him that the essence of his soul wasn't himself but… the system.
Then again, the core of his existence was undeniably tied to the system. Without it, he wouldn't have achieved all that he had.
'Still, the fact that my Zanpakuto's name was System felt… less than impressive. Not exactly cool, to say the least.' Naruto didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
However, after knowing the name of his Zanpakuto, Naruto can finally communicate with the Zanpakuto.
Gripping the sword tightly, Naruto inwardly asked, "System, what's your Shikai command?"
As soon as he said that, two identical mechanical voices rang in his mind.
[Friendly Reminder: Host, please avoid repeating questions. Your beginner privileges have expired.]
[Shikai Command: System, please sign in!]
"Ah, this... You're joking, right?" Naruto was utterly exasperated.
He realized that any communication by calling the name 'system' would simultaneously trigger responses from both the original system and the Zanpakuto.
Fortunately, Naruto already knew the Shikai Command, so he didn't take it too seriously.
To avoid confusion, Naruto decided, "The original system in my body, when I ask you about matters in the future, I will call you System-sama."
[Friendly Reminder: Designation successfully updated. The system will now respond to the name 'System-sama'.]
Hearing this, Naruto nodded in satisfaction. This way, there would be no confusion, which would save him a lot of headaches.
Teleporting out of the villa in a flash, Naruto decided to test the Zanpakuto's release form in an open area.
'If it turned into a forty-meter-long greatsword, it would destroy the villa, so better to be cautious.'
Gripping the katana's hilt with both hands, Naruto called out, "System, please sign in!"
Buzz!
With a short, sharp hum, the katana began to glow with an inky black light.
The blade elongated rapidly, transforming before Naruto's eyes into a sleek, jet-black longsword.
"Black Blade, Dark Moon?"
When Naruto saw his Zanpakuto's appearance in Shikai state, he let out a light exclamation.
The sword bore a striking resemblance to the Dark Moon Blade from DNF. Its long, slender blade and completely black appearance could be described in one word: stunning!
Although the blade was 1.2 meters long, it felt exceptionally light in Naruto's hands. He swung it experimentally and found it easy to wield.
Despite Naruto's relatively short stature of 1.5 meters, the sword didn't look out of place… On the contrary, it added an air of sharpness to his otherwise adorable demeanor.
"Not bad. Not bad at all," Naruto muttered, nodding with satisfaction.
If the Zanpakuto had come with a flashy name from the start, Naruto might not have been as excited. It was precisely because the Zanpakuto's Shikai was called the system that he didn't have so many expectations for the shape of the Shikai, and just hoped that it would be normal.
Seeing such a sleek, stylish design far exceeded his hopes, leaving him genuinely excited.
The only downside was that Naruto didn't know how to properly wield a longsword, nor could he pull off any flashy techniques with it.
After all, he'd never expected to own a Zanpakuto.
"I remember Itachi was very skilled with swords. This should make the next leg of our journey more interesting." Naruto mused.
For now, though, it was late, and he wasn't in a rush. There was something even more pressing on his mind.
Now that he was able to use Shikai, the introduction of his Zanpakuto would include its Shikai ability, so he was eager to see what kind of power it held.
'No matter what, it's a Zanpakuto tailored to my soul and system, so it shouldn't be that weak, right?'
But when he opened the Zanpakuto's introduction panel and saw the Shikai ability, he was stunned for a moment.
"Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous!"
Naruto could confidently say this was the most absurd Shikai ability he'd ever encountered.
For most people, it would likely be useless, but to him, it was nothing short of godlike.
[Shikai Ability: Enhances the host's...]