After the Battle

"Sawada Tsunayoshi!"

Flash Step, who appeared before Tsuna, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto filled with rage, like a volcano about to erupt. He was trying his best to suppress his emotions, even though he knew that as an outsider, Tsuna had already done enough.

After a while, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto finally managed to control his emotions, Zanpakuto, and transformed once again into the old man with the cane.

"Old Man Yamamoto, to be honest, I personally have no conflict of interest with Aizen. If you're really angry, we can have a spar in a couple of days," Tsuna said.

"Hmph! Sawada brat, you think you can talk big just because you have a little strength?" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto rarely addressed people like that, and his anger hadn't completely subsided.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto acknowledged Tsuna's strength. Although he wasn't above the Sōkyoku at the time, he could sense the spiritual pressure fluctuations during Tsuna's battle with Stark. He had to admit that this young brat's strength had already surpassed most of the Seireitei's captains.

"Whether it's boastful or not, you'll find out in a couple of days." Tsuna was completely unconcerned about Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's anger. "Because your Vice-Captain's visit to the First Division was already on my agenda."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's squinting eyes opened slightly. Only now did he remember that the brat in front of him had been assassinated by the Sasakibe. And before the Sasakibe offended him, he had just defeated Retsu Unohana Retsu only to him in strength in the Seireitei!

It's all Aizen's fault. He lost his temper and became somewhat irrational. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto took a deep breath and calmed down. "In any case, on behalf of the Seireitei, I thank you for your help. As for a visit, I will be waiting for you in the First Division!"

"Grandpa, what are you talking about?"

A figure leaped out from the shadows Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto; it was Shunsui Kyōraku, who had been too afraid to emerge since Aizen regained consciousness.

Kyōraku had been hiding in the shadows nearby, trying to launch a sneak attack on Aizen, but he didn't get a chance even after Aizen had escaped.

"Oh, Captain Kyōraku finally decided to show himself?" Tsuna asked with a smile. "I was wondering why I couldn't see you. Turns out you were hiding in the shadows."

Seeing Tsuna's knowing look, Kyōraku knew he was being mocked. He awkwardly scratched his head and said, "It's just that we haven't found an opportunity to take down Aizen yet."

"Really? Even when Captain Unohana and Captain Zaraki attacked together, they didn't have a chance?" Tsuna's grin widened.

Amidst the high-density Kenpachi Zaraki, overwhelming attacks from Unohana Retsu Unohana Retsu Kenpachi Zaraki Aizen, Kyōraku should have been able to instantly cripple Aizen with a single sneak attack, but Kyōraku didn't make a move.

"Well, weren't you worried about the risks being too high?"

Kyōraku wasn't sure if Aizen was using Illusion the whole time. If he rashly stepped forward and got hacked to death by Unohana Retsu and Kenpachi Zaraki, things would get really messed up.

"Traitor! How dare you say that!" Kyōraku's words only fueled Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's anger. "You knew beforehand that Aizen suspicious, and look at what you've done!"

"Most of the captains of the Gotei 13 have been severely injured by Aizen. Where's your brain? Where's your strategy? Don't tell me you've only been drinking these past two days!"

Kyōraku hadn't seen Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto this annoyed in ages. He shrank back and offered a weak defense, "It's just that Kyoka Suigetsu Suigetsu's power is too strong..."

"Hmph! The Kyoka Suigetsu Water Moon is powerful; how could I possibly find a way to deal with it in such a short time? And why not cooperate with those who are unaffected by the Kyoka Suigetsu Tsukikage?"

"With such negligence, how can I entrust the future of Seireitei to you!"

The first half of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's statement was alright, but the second half terrified Kyōraku to the point of losing his mind. What a joke! Handing over the Seireitei to him?

Besides handling all the affairs of Soul Society, I also have to deal with those short-sighted guys. Where will I find the time to go out and have fun?

Captain-Commander, I wouldn't even be a dog...

"Teacher, you're still in good health. We'll just stay by your side and fight for you..." Kyōraku said tentatively to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto with a grin.

"Hmph!" Kyōraku's answer did not satisfy Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto as expected. What displeased him about this disciple was his excessive laziness.

Ukitake's situation is too special. Ukitake is only able to fight normally thanks to Tsuna. The Captain-Commander is being controlled by outsiders from Soul Society, which is not what Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto wants to see.

In other words, after much deliberation, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto only had Kyōraku left to choose from. To this immature disciple, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto tapped his cane and said, "Hurry up and go rescue people and clean up the mess!"

Upon hearing Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's words, Kyōraku vanished in a flash. Although no one died in the Seireitei this time, many were injured, and the price paid was not small.

After listening to a few words of Kyōraku and his master's discussion, Tsuna walked over to Hiyori and the others with a bored expression. Because Lisa had been stabbed and fallen to the ground, without Lisa's help, Hiyori and Kuna Hak were completely curled up into a ball shape.

Even though they were already unable to move, Hiyori and Kuna Hak were still struggling. If the ball rolled two more times, they would really fall off Sōkyoku. Tsuna, who couldn't bear to watch any longer, had no choice but to come to their side first.

A special bomb containing pure Storm Attribute Flame was inserted into the Skull Sprayer, and a pure yet gentle Storm Attribute Flame was sprayed onto Hiyori and her sphere. Under the decomposing effect of the Storm Attribute, the flexible Love quickly dissipated.

"Phew... I'm alive!"

"Thank you, Tsuna..."

After dealing with Hiyori and Kuna Hak, Tsuna walked over to Uryū, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Get up. How long are you going to sleep?"

"Huh?" Uryū sat up, looking confused, and asked, "Are you done playing?"

"How long has it been? You've already fallen asleep?"

"There's nothing I can do, the opponent's massage technique is just too professional."

Uryū deliberately omitted Sora Inoue's name, but the Cero Sora Inoue hit him with was indeed not very powerful. Uryū was just pretending to be dead; he was just lying there too comfortably and had fallen asleep without noticing.

"Get up and help. Carry Lisa over to Orihime. I'll go get Ichigo." Tsuna said. Indeed, he was going to get him. The underground space of the Sōkyoku had been turned into a mess by Ichigo and Gin Ichimaru, like a garbage dump.

Using the spiritual energy network to locate Ichigo, Tsuna moved the boulder and found Ichigo staring blankly at the ceiling with vacant eyes.

What are you thinking about?

Tsuna slapped Ichigo on the forehead, snapping Ichigo out of his daze. He looked Tsuna up and down, then said casually, "Nothing, I was just thinking about that fight. That guy was really strong..."

"What? You got discouraged by Ulquiorra so quickly?" Tsuna asked.

"If it weren't for Zangetsu operating the machine just now, I definitely wouldn't have been able to stop him."

Ichigo had no reason to pretend in front of Tsuna, so he directly admitted his thoughts, then shook his head, slapped himself hard, and his eyes became determined again.

"Why should I think about this? Anyway Rukia has already been rescued, and there won't be any more battles with these powerful individuals."

Ichigo's motivation to keep getting stronger has always been to repay Rukia's favor. Now that Rukia is alright, he thinks that he doesn't need much power to deal with the Hollows in Karakura Town, and he won't have to participate in those death-defying training sessions anymore.

When Ichigo saw Tsuna's face turning red from trying not to laugh, he looked puzzled and a little annoyed again. He punched Tsuna in the stomach and yelled, "What are you laughing at? Is it that funny?"

"Haha." Tsuna laughed for a while before stopping. "Ichigo, I'm sorry to tell you, but there will be more and more strong people like this in the future. You can't stop getting stronger, so you just Hakuda yourself for nothing."

"Why?" Ichigo didn't understand. Rukia had already been rescued, so why was there still a battle?

"Someone wants to turn this world back to its primordial state of chaos; you can simply understand it as destroying the world," Tsuna said.

After hearing Tsuna's words, Ichigo also became serious. He looked at Tsuna earnestly and asked, "Is this what you've been carrying all this time?"

It wasn't until this moment that Ichigo understood why Tsuna kept striving to become stronger, why he practiced Bankai even though he had already mastered Resurrección, and why he wanted even greater power—it was all in preparation for future enemies.

"The burden you're carrying is an exaggeration. It's a hurdle that everyone in the Three Worlds has to face. I just moved a little faster... Ouch! Ichigo, you bastard!"

Before Tsuna could finish speaking, Ichigo delivered another powerful punch, grabbing Tsuna's collar and demanding, "You're the bastard! You should have told me this sooner! Didn't you say it was a crisis everyone had to face?!"

Tsuna smiled. He didn't let Ichigo's attack and anger ignite his own emotions. It was precisely because Ichigo and he had been friends since childhood that he gave him that punch.

"Alright, we can't stop here. You still need to keep getting stronger, you know?" Tsuna patted Ichigo's hand, breaking free from Ichigo's grasp.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Destroying the world... the sooner we prepare, the better, right?" Ichigo hadn't forgotten that he kept asking Tsuna about his Fullbring before Tsuna taught it to him. He could have been taught the power of the Bleach back then...

Tsuna White Ichigo's meaning and said helplessly, "It's not that I'm unwilling to teach you, but I asked Uncle and Aunt, and they don't really want you to get involved in these things. They want you to live a normal life."

"You idiot! I clearly said it's a crisis everyone has to face, why did you listen to my unreliable old man!"

On this issue, Ichigo instinctively ignored Masa. He turned around and stood behind Tsuna, grabbing Tsuna's neck with one hand and launching a drilling punch attack on Tsuna's head with the other.

"Alright, alright, there's still time!" Tsuna broke free from Ichigo's grasp. "Anyway, Isshin- san is coming in a couple of days, so if you have any complaints, take them out on him."

"Dad? You've come to Soul Society? What for?" Ichigo was stunned.

"What else would Yuzu who has left home do upon returning? Of course, he'd visit relatives, you idiot!" With that, Tsuna dashed off.