Naruto: This Genius is Somewhat Ordinary-Chapter 449

Hueco Mundo.

A black rift tore open in the air, silent and abrupt.

Fujimoto Tōma stepped out onto the white desert, dressed in his familiar black robes, a small, cute creature perched on his shoulder. He scanned the land with mild annoyance.

Same sky. Same endless night. Same dead silence.

No matter how many times he came here, this place never grew on him.

But he hadn’t come sightseeing.

Tōma released his chakra and began to chant.

"South heart, north eye. West fingers, east toes. Gather with the wind, scatter with the rain. Binding Art Fifty-Eight: Tracking Sparrow."

A pillar of pale energy shot skyward, then bent sharply in a single direction.

A location formed clearly in Tōma’s mind.

Binding Art 58 worked by locking onto a specific energy signature and following it. As long as the target didn’t suppress their presence, it was almost impossible to lose them.

That was exactly why Tōma had told Starrk not to hide his power.

Every being’s energy was unique. Shinobi, Hollows, it didn’t matter.

As long as the signature matched, the result wouldn’t lie.

"...Still pretty far," Tōma muttered.

Not surprising. He’d been gone over a month.

With nothing holding him back, Starrk would have moved quickly, especially now that his motivation had been reignited.

"You holding up?" Tōma asked, gently rubbing Moon Sprite’s head.

"Gula~" it replied lazily, eyes half-closed.

"Good. Much better than your first trip here."

He didn’t ask it to open a spatial gate. This distance wasn’t worth the effort. Better to let it rest. He might need it soon enough.

Tōma set off.

His body flickered across the desert, as if blinking in and out of existence. To an observer, it looked like teleportation. In reality, it was pure speed.

Each step carried him absurd distances, casual and effortless, like a stroll through a garden.

This was still high-speed movement. No space was folded. No laws broken.

Just speed taken to an unreasonable extreme.

In Hueco Mundo’s dense energy environment, this level of movement would drain most fighters dry. For Tōma, the cost was lower than his natural recovery.

Eventually, the terrain changed.

A forest of pale trees rose before him, their trunks not made of wood but quartz-like stone.

The outer regions, maybe.

Starrk was deeper in.

Tōma pushed forward until he stopped before a strange cluster of white trees.

Two massive energy signatures were inside.

"...He actually found someone," Tōma murmured, surprised. "And another one at that level?"

He stepped into the grove.

Starrk stood there, relaxed but alert. Opposite him was a humanoid Hollow, stark white from head to toe.

It didn’t resemble others of its kind.

Its mask was smooth and expressionless, with only a pair of ordinary eyes beneath it. No glowing pupils. No visible mouth.

The atmosphere between them was tense.

"Tōma?" Starrk’s face lit up. "You’re back?"

"Just arrived," Tōma replied. "And this is...?"

"Ulquiorra Cifer," Starrk said. "A Hollow I found who might become our companion."

Tōma glanced at the white figure. "Judging by his energy, he doesn’t seem convinced."

"Companion?" Ulquiorra spoke, his voice emotionless. With no mouth visible, it was impossible to tell where the sound came from. "What does that mean?"

Starrk hesitated. "You don’t... feel lonely?"

"Lonely?" Ulquiorra tilted his head. "Why would I? If my energy is too strong, I control it. Problem solved."

Starrk froze.

Tōma almost laughed. "Not every Hollow is born powerful and clueless about control like you."

"...Ouch," Starrk muttered, embarrassed.

Still, he pressed on. "Being lonely means living alone. No one to talk to. No one to walk with. It... hurts."

Ulquiorra considered that. "I lived with others once. They rejected me because I was different. So I left. I’ve been alone since. It doesn’t bother me."

Starrk scratched his head and looked helplessly at Tōma.

Tōma stepped in. "Those weren’t companions. A companion is someone who chooses to walk the same path as you. Shared direction. Shared purpose."

"Oh," Ulquiorra said simply.

Tōma continued, "Starrk was born with overwhelming power. Nothing could approach him. He’s been alone since the beginning. That’s why he’s searching."

Ulquiorra nodded slowly. "So... he wants me to be that person?"

"Yes," Starrk said, firm this time.

Ulquiorra fell silent.

Tōma studied him closely.

Ulquiorra Cifer.

A name he knew far too well.

In another timeline, this Hollow would become one of the most dangerous beings in existence. A fighter who would push a certain orange-haired kid to his absolute limits.

And canonically, Starrk and Ulquiorra had never met before a certain manipulator entered the picture.

Looks like that script was already torn.

Still, Tōma wasn’t worried.

That man’s strength never depended on subordinates.

Illusions didn’t require an army.

"Do I have to become like you?" Ulquiorra asked suddenly.

"No," Starrk answered immediately.

Ulquiorra nodded. He didn’t particularly care either way.

He wasn’t like Starrk. He didn’t crave connection. He barely understood the concept.

But he was curious.

And curiosity was enough.

"Can you do it?" Tōma asked, eyes sharp. "Break your mask on your own."

"I think so," Ulquiorra replied. "When I arrived here, the trees damaged it once. I changed... but it repaired itself."

Tōma’s eyes gleamed. "Then try again. On purpose."

Ulquiorra was already standing on the edge.

A self-awakened transformation.

A complete process, from start to finish.

For Tōma, this was priceless.

"...Alright," Ulquiorra said.

"You’re coming with us, then?" Starrk asked, hope creeping into his voice.

"Yes," Ulquiorra replied calmly. "I want to see what changes. Whether it’s different from how I live now."

Starrk smiled, wide and genuine.

Tōma nodded slowly.

One Hollow feared loneliness.

Another didn’t even understand it.

Both stood at the threshold of the same evolution.

"...Guess I’m staying a while longer," Tōma thought.

This was worth watching.