After shaking off Tatsuki Arisawa, Sawada Tsunayoshi did not head home. Mom had grown used to Tsuna having extracurricular activities and not returning home so early.
By his usual routine, Tsuna should have been patrolling all across Karakura Town, searching for any trace of Hollows. But today, he had no intention of wandering around aimlessly. His destination was clear: the Urahara Shop.
Pushing open the shop's front door, he found Koume and Jinta watching the entrance again. The moment Jinta saw Tsuna, he shouted, "Long time no see, Hedgehog Head! What're you buying?"
"Can you really sell anything with that attitude?" Tsuna asked, rubbing his forehead.
"What can I help you with?" Koume asked softly with a bow.
"You're much more polite, Koume. I'm looking for Shopkeeper Urahara," Tsuna said.
"Please wait a moment."
Koume went inside to find Urahara Kisuke. At that moment, Kukaku Shiba came out carrying hot tea. He invited Tsuna to sit and casually asked why he had come to the shop.
"Is there anything we can help you with, Mr. Tsuna?"
"Didn't Shopkeeper Urahara invite me to try using Soul Reaper powers? That's why I'm here," Tsuna said.
As soon as they mentioned Urahara, he walked in carrying a black cat. "Ohoho, does that mean Mr. Tsuna's Quincy training hasn't gone well?"
"Uncle Ryūken said I had no talent for the Quincy path." Tsuna awkwardly displayed a Reishi bow no larger than his palm.
"Being able to form a Reishi bow means your Reishi control already far surpasses that of ordinary people," Kukaku Shiba assessed. As the former head of Kido, he knew better than anyone how important Reishi control was in Kido. Many Soul Reapers who blew themselves up while using Kido did so because their Reishi control was inadequate.
"Kisuke, is this the kid you mentioned?"
The black cat leaped from Urahara Kisuke's arms and landed right on Tsuna's head. Tsuna reached up to grab her, but no matter how he waved his hands, the black cat evaded him. Left with no choice, Tsuna gave up and let her perch on his head.
"Kid, you don't seem surprised at all?" the black cat asked unhappily.
"I've lost count of how many Hollows I've killed. It's just a talking cat," Tsuna said disdainfully.
"Mr. Tsuna, have you made up your mind about becoming a Soul Reaper? The process is dangerous," Urahara advised kindly.
"That wasn't your attitude when you invited me, Mr. Urahara." Tsuna smiled. "If I were afraid of danger, I would have taken my family and left Karakura Town long ago. Even if we're only barely hanging on, living one more day is still living."
Urahara stared at Tsuna for quite a while before saying, "Yoruichi, get off Mr. Tsuna's head. I'm looking forward to having a proper talk with him after he becomes a Soul Reaper."
"Two strange guys." The black cat jumped back to the ground, finally freeing Tsuna.
Beneath the Urahara Shop was an underground space. Somehow, Urahara Kisuke had carved out a vast, boundless expanse beneath the shop. The entire area was made of earth and stone, making it highly suitable for combat training.
Ever since meeting Tsuna, Urahara had been observing his expression. Whether it was the talking black cat or this enormous underground space, Tsuna had shown no surprise whatsoever.
"Since Mr. Tsuna is prepared, I assume you understand the procedure?"
Tsuna had barely nodded when Urahara tapped his forehead with his cane. Sawada Tsunayoshi, dressed in a white kimono, shot out of his body, a long chain trailing from his chest.
Tsuna moved around slightly, getting used to his condition. This was his soul, while his body lay before him. Koume and Jinta thoughtfully dragged his body away.
"Mr. Tsuna is a Fullbringer and a Quincy, so he lacks no spiritual power. Even after leaving your body, your soul can move freely. We can proceed directly to the next stage."
The moment Urahara finished speaking, there was a sharp clang. Kukaku Shiba raised an axe and severed the Causal Chain at Tsuna's chest.
"You understand what will happen if the Causal Chain is completely consumed. So please find the power within your heart before you become a Hollow!"
As Urahara spoke, Kukaku Shiba immediately used Bakudō #99: Seal, firmly locking Tsuna's arms behind his back with strips of leather and nail-like bindings.
Then Urahara pointed with his cane, and a huge pit appeared beneath Tsuna's feet. He fell straight to its bottom, while Kukaku Shiba sat cross-legged beside him, maintaining the Bakudō.
"Do your best, Mr. Tsuna! If you become a Hollow, we'll have no choice but to kill you!" Urahara called dramatically from the top of the pit.
Tsuna remained calm. After thinking for a moment, he first said to Kukaku Shiba beside him, "Mr. Shiba, if I really lose control, please don't hold back. You, the shopkeeper, and that black cat called Yoruichi—don't spare any of your methods."
Tsuna's words made Kukaku Shiba feel rather uneasy. Why did it sound as though even with him, Urahara Kisuke, and Yoruichi backing Tsuna up, it still might not be enough?
Tsuna did not trouble Kukaku Shiba further. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused entirely on sensing his inner world.
Tsuna opened his eyes and found himself standing at the entrance to a school building. He recognized this building. Namimori Middle School?
When Sawada Tsunayoshi had still lived in Namimori Town, believing himself to be the future Vongola Decimo, he had visited the local Namimori Middle School during a holiday. Part of it had been like inspecting his own territory, and part of it had been an attempt to find familiar faces and confirm that he was in the world of Reborn!.
As expected, Tsuna had not found a single familiar face. He had later transferred to Karakura Town, yet he had never expected to see Namimori Middle School again in his inner world.
Tsuna walked through the school building's entrance. It was completely quiet, and there was no one in sight.
Boom!!!
A violent explosion suddenly erupted from the first floor of the school building. Someone rolled out from the smoke, dressed in the Namimori Middle School uniform. He had silver hair and looked somewhat disheveled.
The man casually tossed several explosives with lit fuses into the smoke, then ran toward Tsuna.
Hayato Gokudera? Tsuna recognized him. Why was Gokudera in his inner world? And those explosions—who was he fighting?
Gokudera also saw Sawada Tsunayoshi standing in the corridor. His eyes lit up, but his expression immediately turned anxious.
"Decimo, why are you standing here? It's dangerous, run!" Hayato Gokudera grabbed Tsuna's hand and started running.
But Tsuna was confused. This Hayato Gokudera was clearly the height he had been in middle school, more than half a head taller than Tsuna. And Tsuna was currently wearing a white kimono, so why did Gokudera not find anything strange about him? Why did he so naturally call him "Decimo"?
"Gokudera, what's going on?" Tsuna hurriedly asked.
"The situation is critical! The True Funeral Wreaths have broken in!"
Gokudera's words nearly made Tsuna's mind short-circuit. His world did not only have Gokudera, but also the True Funeral Wreaths? The True Funeral Wreaths were attacking Namimori Middle School? What kind of development was this?
"Is there anything I can do?" Tsuna hurriedly asked. After fighting Hollows, he was no longer as timid as he had been in Reborn! before entering Dying Will Mode.
"Decimo, can you fight right now?" Gokudera asked, glancing at Tsuna.
Tsuna looked at himself in white. In his inner world, aside from being able to move freely, he could not use anything—neither Fullbring nor a Quincy Spirit Bow. He was utterly ordinary.
Tsuna gave a bitter smile. "Sorry, I don't seem to have any combat ability."
"Then run!" As he spoke, Gokudera flung another four Rocket Bombs behind them. After firing twice, the bombs flew toward the enemy.
After running two more steps amid the dense explosions, the door to a classroom ahead of them opened. A baby in a cow-print outfit with two horns on his head walked out.
The moment he saw Tsuna and Gokudera, the baby happily shouted, "Useless Tsuna, Octopus Head, what are you playing?"
"Lambo?" Tsuna was startled again. Gokudera was one thing, but why was Lambo in his inner world too? Did the entire Vongola Family live here?
"Idiot, is this the time to play?" Gokudera scooped up Lambo with one hand and shoved him into Tsuna's arms. "Decimo, please take care of this idiot."
"What luck, running into the young Vongola."
A middle-aged man's voice came from behind them. Gokudera's face instantly changed. His bombs had failed to suppress the enemy, and now the opponent had recovered. Judging by that man's methods earlier, they were about to be attacked.
Without the slightest hesitation, Gokudera threw himself over Tsuna. A scorching red blast shot over their heads and caused another violent explosion.
Gokudera's movement had been so sudden that Tsuna hit the ground painfully. Lambo, who had been in his arms, was flung aside as well. Apparently hurt by the fall, he began crying loudly.
Tsuna turned his head and saw a muscular, red-haired middle-aged man emerging from the smoke behind them. He stroked the stubble on his face, looking as excited as though he had won the lottery.
Pomegranate? One of the True Funeral Wreaths, Millefiore's Storm Guardian. Gokudera had not lied—the True Funeral Wreaths really were attacking Namimori Middle School!
Tsuna could not understand it. Why was his inner world such a mess? Weren't the inner worlds of those Soul Reapers supposed to contain only one person? Why did his inner world have so many people living in it?
Gokudera had no idea what Tsuna was thinking. He hurriedly got to his feet and stood in front of Tsuna, saying, "Decimo, I'll hold him here. Please escape quickly!"
"Gokudera..." This Tsuna was not indecisive. He grabbed Lambo from beside him and began running at full speed. "I'm counting on you, Gokudera!"
"Understood, Decimo!"
Gokudera's gaze was incomparably resolute. Red Flames ignited around his body, and his outfit became more casual and mature. A skull-shaped Armguard launcher appeared, dark crimson box-shaped devices hung from his waist, and circular defensive barriers formed in front of him.
C.A.I. System, activate!
Before you continue