A short Arrancar collapsed to the floor, trembling all over.
Uchiha Shisui, with short black hair and a sword on his back, walked past him. His red Sharingan spun slowly with a blade-like pattern in the center.
"Shisui, find anything?" Minato asked quietly as he stood beside him.
"Yeah. I found out where Naruto is being held," Shisui nodded slightly, looking toward a side door not far away. "Go in here, head east, and walk about 700 meters."
"That's great," Minato let out a breath. "Then let's..."
Before he could finish, a flash of silver light suddenly appeared.
A long gash, dozens of meters long, tore through the ground where the two had just been standing. Dust and smoke flew everywhere.
"Not bad. You really are fast, Shisui of the Body Flicker and Yellow Flash." A hoarse voice echoed from within the smoke.
A boy with silver shoulder-length hair appeared, his cheeks covered in white bone-like armor. He held a huge blade and wore a twisted, almost sick-looking grin.
"You're... Hozuki Mangetsu?" Shisui's eyes widened, clearly surprised.
"Can't believe you still remember me." Mangetsu grinned wickedly. "Been a long time, huh, Shisui of the Twin Stars of the Leaf."
"Why are you working for Aizen?" Shisui frowned. "I thought you were killed by him."
"That kind of thing..." Mangetsu raised his giant sword and vanished. "Has nothing to do with you!"
The sharp sound of metal clashing rang out.
Shisui gritted his teeth, holding his sword up to block. His right arm trembled slightly. This guy was on a whole different level than those weaklings earlier.
"Oh? Looks like you really do have some skills," Mangetsu laughed wildly as he stared at Shisui from close up. "Then how about this?"
He opened his mouth, and a ball of dark red energy began to form.
Shisui's eyes widened as his body instinctively jumped back.
A loud explosion shook the ground.
A mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke rose into the sky, leaving a deep crater several meters wide in the ground.
"Tch, missed after all?" Hozuki Mangetsu glanced to the right. Shisui, held safely by Namikaze Minato, was completely unharmed.
"Thanks, Minato-senpai," Shisui said softly with a sigh of relief.
"It's fine, Shisui," Minato waved it off, eyes fixed on Hozuki Mangetsu. "This guy is tough. We need to come up with a better plan."
But Shisui shook his head. "No, Minato-senpai. Leave this one to me. You should go save Naruto."
Minato's face changed. "That's not an option, you—"
"Don't worry." Shisui cut him off, gripping his sword tighter. "I'll catch up with you soon." Then he dashed straight at Hozuki Mangetsu.
Their blades clashed again, sparks flying everywhere.
"Thanks, Shisui!" Minato gave him a deep look, then sprinted toward the side gate of the Grand Hall.
"So it's just you now?" Hozuki Mangetsu watched Minato's back as he ran off and sneered, "You'd better call him back while you still can."
"Forget it. I won't let you get in Minato-senpai's way." Shisui's eyes were firm as he twisted his sword. With a burst, the blade was suddenly engulfed in flames.
Mangetsu smiled, raising his blade to block.
A strip of white cloth floated through the air.
"Not bad sword skills," Hozuki Mangetsu glanced down at his collar. His white Arrancar uniform had a clean cut across it, revealing his neck and collarbone. "Didn't expect that."
Shisui didn't respond. He was breathing hard, his hands numb from the impact, and he could barely hold his sword. Even though he had been the one attacking, this was how things turned out.
This Mangetsu... was stronger than he had expected.
"Too bad. I was honestly giving you good advice earlier," Mangetsu said as he tore off what remained of his upper clothes, grinning. "If your Minato-senpai charges in like that, he's gonna die badly."
"What do you mean?" Shisui frowned.
"Look here. What do you see?" Mangetsu tilted his head, pointing to his throat.
Following his finger, Shisui could clearly see a "9" carved on the right side of his throat.
"Yep, that's it." Mangetsu raised his right hand holding the sword and ran his left hand down the blade. "The Espada are ranked by number. The lower the number, the stronger. That means I'm the weakest of the ten."
Shisui was stunned. Someone this strong... was the bottom of the ranking?
"So, take a guess." Mangetsu smirked, amused. "Which number do you think is guarding Uzumaki Naruto?"
Shisui's eyes widened in shock.
There was another Espada—someone stronger than this guy—watching over Naruto?
And if Mangetsu was saying this... then whoever that person was had to be way stronger.
Minato-senpai is in real danger!
As that thought hit him, an overwhelming spiritual pressure suddenly burst out of Mangetsu's body. "Crush them—Crab God Weapon!"