In the shocked gazes of the crowd of souls, Kenma swung his blade, cutting a white streak that tore through space, revealing a large, dark opening.
In the depths of this spatial rift, an ancient wooden door lay, emitting a soft white light.
The souls all stood on their tiptoes, craning their necks to look.
Faced with such a strange scene they had never seen before, the field erupted in exclamations and discussions, a chaotic scene.
Under Kenma's instructions, two Uchiha stood at the opening of the spatial rift, using their spiritual pressure to create a path to the Senkaimon.
Another Uchiha clansman entered the spatial rift first, passed through the Senkaimon into the Soul Society, and informed the Uchiha clan there to prepare for the placement of the souls.
Kenma said to Whitebeard and the others, "Pass through this gate, and you will arrive in the Soul Society, the afterlife world where I'm from."
Whitebeard and the others had already made their decision and naturally had no objections. Led by an Uchiha clansman, they were the first to step into the spatial rift.
"Come on, my boys!"
After shouting to the pirates around him, Whitebeard bent his body and passed through the somewhat low wooden door, entering a soft white light.
Behind Whitebeard was Ace. Ace was holding a glass sphere in his hands. Inside the sphere was a small, clearly visible figure, the sealed Oz Jr.
Seeing this, the pirates under Whitebeard's command quickly followed in the footsteps of their Pops and Ace.
"Everyone, let's go! Follow Pops!"
"Maintain order! Don't break formation!"
After the pirates came the uniformed marine soldiers.
Compared to the undisciplined pirates, the marines were undoubtedly much more orderly. Under the command of their generals, they formed lines and entered the Senkaimon in a disciplined and orderly fashion.
While these souls were entering in turn, Kenma also had Fugaku select a trustworthy and reliable person from the accompanying Uchiha.
"My lord, this is Yakumi. He was my direct subordinate in the ninja world. He is a steady and serious person and can be entrusted with important tasks."
An Uchiha with somewhat dark circles under his eyes knelt before Kenma as Fugaku introduced him.
"Greetings, my lord."
Uchiha Yakumi faced Kenma, his head bowed low, looking a little reserved.
"There's no need to be nervous. Rise."
Kenma took a scroll from his robes and handed it to Yakumi.
"I have a mission for you. You will remain in this world for a period of time and keep an eye on things for me. Mainly, the famous powerhouses, such as the Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords, the Supernovas, and even pirates with bounties over 100 million."
"And the marine admirals, the leaders of the Revolutionary Army. As long as they are sufficiently powerful individuals, if you encounter their deaths, you will preserve their souls and not let them go."
"On this scroll, I have transcribed some special kido, such as this soul-pacifying barrier and the kido that sealed Oz Jr. just now. They are all on here. You should find them useful."
"I will give you a part of the authority over the Senkaimon. The spatial passage where the Senkaimon is located is connected to the Soul Society, and Reishi will also seep in. When you have free time, you can train at the entrance. If you encounter a suitable soul, you can send them to the Soul Society."
Uchiha Yakumi took the scroll with both hands, nodding with a solemn expression.
"As you command, my lord. I will not disappoint you."
Yakumi retreated respectfully. At the side, Shisui, seeing this scene, had his expression soften.
Back then, he had been the same, wanting to see the future of the Uchiha and Konoha after his death, and so he had pleaded with Kenma.
Kenma had granted his wish, and not wanting to waste his talent, he had also given him such conveniences, allowing him to train while also watching everything that happened in the village.
Shisui's gaze fell on Kenma before him, a hint of sincere emotion in his eyes.
Don't be fooled by his master's stern and impersonal exterior. After spending time with him, one would discover that the serious expression was just a facade. The true personality hidden beneath the surface was very gentle, kind, and trustworthy.
He was more than ten times, even a hundred times, more outstanding than the few high-ranking officials in Konoha!
At least, that was what Shisui thought.
To have met Lord Kenma after his death was definitely the mercy of the god of fortune.
And to have such a person as his master was an unprecedented blessing for him, no, for the entire Uchiha clan!
After giving all his instructions and seeing that all the souls on the field had passed through to the Soul Society, Kenma no longer lingered. He led the Uchiha, who had finished their packing, and returned to the Soul Society together.
The moment he stepped into the Soul Society, Kenma felt a sense of refreshing clarity, like the clean scent of the earth after rain, invigorating his heart and mind.
Those places with no Reishi, or a low concentration of it, although they had no effect on a Shinigami like Kenma, there was always something a little unsatisfactory about them.
The environment of the Soul Society was still more comfortable, more nourishing.
The moment they landed, Kenma and the others heard the noisy chatter of a crowd.
The souls who had just arrived had already filled the large courtyard. As far as the eye could see, it was a dense crowd, at least four or five thousand people.
This one courtyard was a bit too small, and many of the souls had been placed in the several nearby courtyards.
And the incredibly huge Oz Jr. was in one of them. Even sitting on the ground, he was incredibly conspicuous.
When Oz Jr. was released from the seal, it had caused all the Uchiha to exclaim in disbelief that such a huge creature could exist.
If this area hadn't been covered by a kido barrier set up by Kenma long ago, it would have been exposed to public view long ago.
Fortunately, with the Uchiha clan's supervision, coupled with Whitebeard's assistance, order was maintained among the souls.
Although the scene was inevitably a bit chaotic, everything was normal, and there were no unexpected incidents.
Seeing Kenma and the others appear, the Uchiha Setsuna and others who were there hurried over to greet them.
"My lord has returned safely from his trip. I can finally rest assured."
"No need to worry. With Shisui, Fugaku, and the others guarding me, my safety is naturally assured," Kenma said.
At the side, Fugaku, Shisui, and the others, upon hearing this, all showed humble expressions and repeatedly said they were unworthy.
They were very clear about their own strength and how they were not worthy of such praise from Kenma.
Uchiha Setsuna obviously understood this as well, but seeing Kenma say this, he couldn't very well step on Fugaku.
Kenma asked, "All these souls have arrived. Let's get ready and start the test."
"Yes."
Setsuna took his orders and left, dragging his old body.
"Since we have returned to the Soul Society, there is no need for so many people to be around me. Fugaku, you all go as well."
"As you command."
Fugaku and the others took their leave. Only Shisui, Yashiro, and the others remained by Kenma's side.
The "test" he was referring to was, of course, the aptitude to become a Shinigami.
And the method of testing was very simple—just have these souls stay where they were and do nothing.
And see if they could feel hunger.
As long as any of these souls could feel hunger, it meant that the Reishi obtained from breathing and drinking water could not meet their body's needs, and they still needed to eat.
This was the qualification to become a Shinigami.
Under Kenma's patient waiting, time slowly passed.
After having the group of souls stay in place for a day and a night, the results came out.
But the result was a great disappointment to everyone present.
Among the at least four or five thousand souls, only one person could feel hunger.
It was not Whitebeard, or Ace, or any of the people Kenma had high hopes for.
It was the mountain-like giant, Oz Jr.
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