The Power of the Shinigami

After shaking off Tatsuki Arisawa, Sawada Tsunayoshi didn't head home. Tsunayoshi's mom was used to him having extracurricular activities and not coming back so early.

Following his usual routine, Tsunayoshi should have been patrolling all over Karakura Town, searching for traces of Hollows. But today, he had no intention of wandering aimlessly. His destination was clear: the Urahara Shop.

Pushing open the shop door, he found Jinta and Koume on watch duty again. As soon as they saw Tsunayoshi, Jinta shouted, "Long time no see, spiky-head! What do you want to buy?"

"Can you actually sell anything with that attitude?" Tsunayoshi asked, pinching his forehead.

"What can I help you with?" Koume bowed and asked softly.

"At least Koume has manners. I'm looking for the shopkeeper, Urahara," Tsunayoshi said.

"Please wait a moment."

Koume went inside to find Urahara Kisuke. Meanwhile, Kukaku Shiba came out carrying a tray of hot tea. He gestured for Tsunayoshi to sit and asked about the purpose of his visit.

"Is there something we can help you with, Tsunayoshi-san?"

"Didn't Shopkeeper Urahara invite me to try out the power of a Shinigami? That's why I'm here," Tsunayoshi said.

Speak of the devil, and Urahara walked in carrying a black cat. "Ohoho, so that means your training as a Quincy isn't going well, Tsunayoshi-san?"

"Ryūken-san said I have no talent as a Quincy," Tsunayoshi said awkwardly, showing everyone the palm-sized Reishi bow he had formed.

"Being able to condense a Reishi bow means your Reishi control is already far beyond ordinary people," Kukaku commented. As a former head of the Kido Corps, he knew too well how important Reishi control was in Kido. Many Shinigami who self-destructed while using Kido did so because their Reishi control wasn't up to par.

"Kisuke, is this the brat you were talking about?"

The black cat leaped out of Urahara Kisuke's arms and landed right on top of Tsunayoshi's head. Tsunayoshi reached up to grab it, but no matter how he swiped, the black cat dodged every time. Helpless, he gave up and let the black cat squat on his head.

"Brat, you don't seem surprised at all?" the black cat asked, somewhat dissatisfied.

"I've killed who knows how many Hollows. A talking cat is nothing special," Tsunayoshi said dismissively.

"Tsunayoshi-san, have you thought this through? Becoming a Shinigami comes with risks," Urahara kindly warned.

"That's not the attitude you had when you invited me, Urahara-san," Tsunayoshi replied with a smile. "If I were afraid of danger, I would have taken my family and left Karakura Town long ago. Sure, it would be barely scraping by, but one more day alive is one more day."

Urahara stared at Tsunayoshi for a long moment before saying, "Yoruichi, get off Tsunayoshi-san's head. I'm still waiting for him to become a Shinigami so we can have a good talk."

"Two weirdos." The black cat jumped back to the ground, freeing Tsunayoshi.

In the underground space beneath the Urahara Shop—how Urahara Kisuke had managed it, no one knew—a vast, seemingly endless cavern had been excavated beneath the shop. The entire space was made of earth and stone, perfect for combat training.

From the moment he met Tsunayoshi, Urahara had been observing his expression. Whether it was the talking black cat or this enormous underground space, Tsunayoshi showed no surprise at all.

"Since Tsunayoshi-san is prepared, I assume you know the procedure?"

The moment Tsunayoshi nodded, Urahara tapped his forehead with his cane. A Sawada Tsunayoshi dressed in a white kimono was ejected from his body, a long chain attached to his chest.

Tsunayoshi moved around a bit, getting used to his new state. This was his soul. His physical body had collapsed in front of him, and Koume and Jinta carefully dragged it away.

"Tsunayoshi-san is both a Fullbringer and a Quincy, so you're not lacking in spiritual power. That's why your soul can move freely even outside your body. Let's skip straight to the next stage."

As soon as Urahara finished speaking, clink—Kukaku Shiba swung an axe and severed the Chain of Fate on his chest.

"You know what happens if the entire Chain of Fate is consumed. So, before you turn into a Hollow, find the power within your heart!"

In sync with Urahara's words, Kukaku immediately used Bakudō #99: Seal, locking Tsunayoshi's arms behind his back with leather straps and nail-like objects.

Then Urahara pointed his cane, and a massive pit opened beneath Tsunayoshi's feet. He tumbled to the bottom, while Kukaku sat cross-legged beside him, maintaining the Bakudō stance.

"Good luck, Tsunayoshi-san! If you turn into a Hollow, we'll have no choice but to kill you!" Urahara shouted dramatically from the top of the pit.

Tsunayoshi remained calm. After a moment's thought, he first spoke to Kukaku beside him: "Kukaku-san, if I really go berserk, please go all out. You, the shopkeeper, and that black cat named Yoruichi—don't hold back."

Tsunayoshi's words made Kukaku feel uneasy. Why did it feel like Tsunayoshi was implying that even with him, Urahara Kisuke, and Yoruichi backing him up, it still wasn't enough?

Tsunayoshi didn't say anything more to Kukaku. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused entirely on sensing his inner world.

Tsunayoshi opened his eyes. He was standing at the entrance of a school building. He recognized this building. Namimori Middle School?

Back when Sawada Tsunayoshi still lived in Namimori Town, thinking he was the future Tenth Generation Vongola Boss, he had visited the local Namimori Middle School during break. Partly to scope out his future territory, partly to see if he could find any familiar faces and confirm he was in the world of Reborn!.

As expected, he didn't find a single familiar face. Later, he transferred to Karakura Town. He never thought he'd see Namimori Middle School again, especially in his own inner world.

Tsunayoshi walked through the school's main entrance. It was dead silent. No one in sight?

Boom!!!

Suddenly, a massive explosion ripped through the first floor. A figure rolled out of the smoke, wearing a Namimori Middle School uniform, with silver hair, looking somewhat battered.

The figure casually tossed a few lit sticks of dynamite back into the smoke, then ran toward Tsunayoshi.

Hayato Gokudera? Tsunayoshi recognized the person. Why was Gokudera in his inner world? And that explosion—who was he fighting?

Gokudera also spotted Sawada Tsunayoshi standing in the hallway. His eyes lit up, then immediately turned panicked.

"Tenth Generation Boss! Why are you standing there? Danger! Run!" Hayato Gokudera grabbed Tsunayoshi's hand and started running.

But Tsunayoshi was confused. This Gokudera was clearly middle-school height, a full head taller than him. And Tsunayoshi was wearing a white kimono. Why didn't Gokudera find that strange at all? Instead, he naturally called him "Tenth Generation Boss"?

"Gokudera, what's going on?" Tsunayoshi asked quickly.

"It's bad! The True Funeral Wreaths have broken in!"

Gokudera's words made Tsunayoshi's brain struggle to keep up. Not only was Gokudera in his world, but the True Funeral Wreaths too? The True Funeral Wreaths attacking Namimori Middle School? What kind of plot development was this?

"Is there anything I can do now?" Tsuna asked quickly. After his battles with Hollows, he was no longer the timid boy from Reborn! who cowered before activating his Dying Will Mode.

"Tenth, can you fight right now?" Gokudera glanced at Tsuna and said.

Tsuna looked down at his own white-clad form. In this inner world, aside from being able to move freely, he couldn't use Fullbring, a Quincy's Spirit Bow, or anything else. He was utterly ordinary—more ordinary than possible.

Tsuna gave a wry smile. "Sorry, I don't seem to have any combat ability."

"Then run!" As he spoke, Gokudera hurled four Rocket Bombs behind him. The missiles double-boosted and shot toward the enemy.

Amid the dense explosions, they took two more steps. The door to a classroom in front of them swung open, and a baby in a cow-print outfit with horns on his head walked out.

The moment he saw Tsuna and Gokudera, the baby shouted happily, "No-Good Tsuna, Squid Head! What are you playing?"

"Lambo?" Tsuna was startled again. Gokudera being here was one thing, but why was Lambo in his inner world too? Was the entire Vongola Family here?

"Idiot, this isn't the time for playing!" Gokudera scooped up Lambo in one arm and shoved him into Tsuna's hands. "Tenth, please take care of this moron."

"Lucky me, running into a young Vongola."

A middle-aged man's voice came from behind them. Gokudera's face went pale. His bombs hadn't suppressed the enemy. Now that the guy had recovered, an attack was coming, judging by his earlier methods.

Without a second thought, Gokudera tackled Tsuna to the ground. A searing red beam shot over their heads, causing another violent explosion.

Gokudera's move was sudden, and Tsuna hit the ground hard. Lambo, who had been in his arms, tumbled aside. The baby started wailing from the pain.

Tsuna turned his head to look. From the smoke behind them, a burly red-haired man stepped out, stroking the stubble on his chin with an expression like he'd won the lottery.

Pomegranate? One of the True Funeral Wreaths, the Storm Guardian of Millefiore. Gokudera hadn't lied—the True Funeral Wreaths really were attacking Namimori Middle School!

Tsuna didn't understand why his inner world was such a mess. In Bleach, didn't a person's inner world only have one inhabitant? How did his end up housing so many people?

Gokudera had no idea what Tsuna was thinking. He quickly got to his feet, shielding Tsuna, and said, "Tenth, I'll hold him off here. Please escape!"

"Gokudera..." This Tsuna wasn't one to hesitate. He scooped up Lambo and sprinted off. "I'm counting on you, Gokudera!"

"Roger, Tenth!"

Gokudera's gaze was unwavering. Crimson flames ignited across his body, his outfit shifting to a more casual, mature style. A skull-shaped Armguard launcher appeared on his arm, a row of deep-red square cases hung at his waist, and circular barriers materialized in front of him.

C.A.I. System activated!