Vongola Trial

Day by day, Tsuna had completely mastered his Shikai abilities. After casually eliminating a Hollow on his way home from school, he arrived at Urahara Shop as usual.

The benefits of becoming a Bleach were plain to see. For those homeless souls in Karakura Town, Tsuna could simply press the hilt mark onto their foreheads and send them to the Soul Society with a Konso. He no longer had to painstakingly persuade them to ascend on their own, nor did he need to fear that they might turn into Hollows.

Also, to allow Tsuna to use a Bleach's powers at any time, Urahara Kisuke had made him a portable Reishi converter. It allowed Tsuna to convert his physical body into Reishi himself and transform into a Bleach.

Tsuna had traded intelligence for this conversion device. He did not trust anyone else to keep his body for him. Since the equipment was portable, it could only work on one person, but that was already enough for Tsuna.

"Hello." After skillfully shaking off the little tail behind him once again, Tsuna pushed open the door to Urahara Shop. "Tessai-san, you're here? The shopkeeper told me to come."

"I know. Please follow me, Sawada-sensei." Kukaku Shiba opened the hidden door leading to the underground space for Tsuna as usual.

"Yo, Tsuna-san, you're here."

The moment he entered, Tsuna saw Urahara waving his folding fan at him in greeting. Koume and Jinta stood beside him, working together to carry a huge crate.

"Shopkeeper, isn't Yoruichi-san here?"

After being beaten up by Yoruichi for so long, Tsuna had somehow developed a bond with her. They were both teacher and friend, so not seeing that smug figure all of a sudden left him feeling a little unaccustomed.

"Kid, if you miss me, just say so."

Tsuna felt a weight settle on his head. An annoying black cat had appeared there, grooming her fur without a care.

"Your Flash Step improved again?" Tsuna asked tentatively. During this period of training, he had fully adapted to Yoruichi's spiritual pressure. It had become impossible for her to bypass his Hyper Intuition and launch a surprise attack, yet she had suddenly appeared on top of his head.

"Hmph, making such a fuss over a tiny bit of progress." The black cat proudly raised her head. It had been worth deliberately hiding herself just to ambush Tsuna.

"All right, all right. Let's begin today's training." Urahara took a humanoid stand from the large crate beside him. "Tsuna-san, today's lesson is Bankai!"

The moment he heard the word Bankai, Tsuna immediately understood what Urahara had taken out: the Zanpakuto Manifestation Device, an item capable of forcibly materializing a Zanpakuto.

As expected, Urahara began introducing the device and the training. "After observing you, I found that Tsuna-san's spiritual pressure has reached the level required to learn Bankai. This item is called the Zanpakuto Manifestation Device. It can materialize your Zanpakuto, allowing you to forcibly subdue it and learn your own Bankai."

Urahara did not explain the principles in too much detail. Tsuna already knew quite a bit of information himself; it was enough for him to know how the training worked.

Just as Urahara had guessed, Tsuna had no questions. He nodded and said, "I understand. I just insert my Zanpakuto into it, right?"

"Kid, if you fail, you'll never be able to learn Bankai again," Yoruichi could not help reminding him.

"It's fine. Yoruichi-san, return to your post first."

Tsuna grabbed the black cat and tossed her back into Urahara Kisuke's arms. Then he transformed into a Bleach and thrust his Black Blade into the Zanpakuto Manifestation Device.

Immense spiritual pressure erupted from the Zanpakuto Manifestation Device, and its appearance changed as well. A pure black suit, Hyper Dying Will Mode, X Gloves—it was Tsuna's adult form in every respect.

"Oh... it is my first time seeing a Zanpakuto spirit so similar to its owner," Urahara Kisuke commented.

The adult Tsuna opened his eyes. Upon seeing Tsuna before him, he immediately understood the situation.

"A Zanpakuto Manifestation Device? Other me, are you planning to learn Bankai?"

"That's right, Decimo. I'll be counting on you. What is our trial?" Tsuna asked, patting Decimo's thigh.

To his surprise, Decimo merely smiled faintly and gently shook his head. "There is no need for any trial between us. If you want Bankai, I can give it to you directly."

"What?!" Decimo's words immediately stunned Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi, and both cried out in surprise.

"What kind of Zanpakuto is this? You can learn Bankai that easily?" Yoruichi could not help complaining. She recalled the days when she trained for Bankai, with that Zanpakuto that never listened to her and was completely incompatible with her. Yoruichi gritted her teeth again.

"It is indeed a little too easy," Urahara could not help saying. When he had learned Bankai, Red Princess had given him no small amount of trouble.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, a little sense of ceremony might not be bad." Decimo had heard Urahara and Yoruichi's complaints, and he seriously began considering giving Tsuna a proper ceremony.

"Actually, there's no need, Decimo. We're all part of Vongola. It's enough for us to help each other as friends," Tsuna hurriedly advised.

Decimo decisively shook his head and rejected Tsuna's suggestion. "Just as you said, we Vongola should have Vongola's sense of ceremony. In that case, let us take this opportunity to give you a Vongola trial!"

A resentful gaze coldly fixed on Urahara and Yoruichi, those two who had made careless remarks. It made both of them shrink their necks. Decimo had clearly agreed to tell Tsuna the power of his Bankai, yet these two had interfered and turned it into a Vongola trial.

Urahara immediately took Yoruichi behind a huge boulder, where they secretly watched Tsuna's side. Tsuna withdrew his gaze and asked Decimo, "Decimo, what is the trial?"

"It's simple. Let me see how much you've grown after obtaining power."

Without another word, Decimo threw a punch straight at Tsuna's face. Tsuna immediately blocked it, using Decimo's force to pull away. The power of the Sky enveloped him as he entered Hyper Dying Will Mode.

High-speed gliding. Sky Flames erupted from the X Gloves, and Tsuna flew around Decimo at extreme speed.

Tsuna believed that anything he could do, Decimo could do as well—perhaps even better than him. With that being the case, launching a frontal attack against Decimo would not be wise.

Switching modes, Tsuna flew behind Decimo and rapidly changed to the Storm Attribute. A barrage of Rocket Bombs shot toward Decimo's back.

"This really brings back memories."

As he spoke, Decimo calmly turned around. Sky Flames ignited in his hand, and with a casual sweep before him, a wall of flames intercepted every Rocket Bomb.

A string of explosions kicked up smoke and dust. A sharp blade flashed from within the haze—Shigure Soen Ryu, First Offensive Form: Axle Rain!

The Rain Attribute-wreathed long blade thrust toward Decimo. Decimo showed no intention of dodging, merely raising two fingers to firmly catch Tsuna's attack. The flames on the blade immediately vanished completely, causing Decimo no harm whatsoever.

Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised—Barehanded Blade Catch!

Tsuna had not expected Decimo to perform Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised without even forming the hand seal. He had used the technique with only two fingers.

The instant his blade was caught, Tsuna immediately switched Attributes. Still Storm, the Skull Sprayer aimed directly at Decimo and fired a Crimson Flame Arrow at point-blank range. Driven by maximum spiritual pressure, red flames completely swallowed Decimo.

The red flames gradually faded, revealing Decimo's figure. He remained as calm as ever and smiled at Tsuna. "Don't forget, I can use the powers of the other Attributes as well."

A layer of green lightning visibly wrapped around Decimo's body. It was the power of Lightning Attribute Flames. Decimo had used the hardness of the Lightning Attribute to defend against the Crimson Flame Arrow.

Tsuna said nothing and switched equipment again. A pair of Floating Cloud Tonfas burning with violet flames attacked Decimo. The tonfas danced through Tsuna's hands with fierce force. During his training with Yoruichi, Tsuna's Hakuda had improved rapidly as well.

"An attack of this level is not enough to look at," Decimo commented softly. He had not expected Tsuna to use the Cloud Attribute against him. Hibari's strength lay in his individual ability, and it was still difficult for the current Tsuna to touch Decimo with those tonfas.

After dodging three consecutive attacks, Decimo's eyes suddenly lit up. "I see!"

Decimo suddenly stopped moving and allowed Tsuna to attack. Yet Tsuna's Floating Cloud Tonfas passed straight through Decimo's body. At the same time, a bright light appeared at Decimo's side.

Three identical Tsunas appeared beside Decimo, and all three punched at him together. Sun Attribute, Maximum Machine Gun!

Decimo smiled faintly and likewise split into two additional figures, each one raising a hand to catch Tsuna's attack one-on-one.

"Not bad," Decimo commented.

It turned out that Sawada Tsunayoshi had not switched from the Rain Attribute to the Cloud Attribute earlier. Tsuna knew himself that he could hardly gain an advantage in close combat, so he had switched to the Mist Attribute. The Tsuna holding the Floating Cloud Tonfas had been created by Mist Attribute Flames all along.

Tsuna was also afraid that Decimo's Hyper Intuition would react, so he had remained hidden beside Decimo. Only when Decimo sensed something wrong did he launch a multi-point Maximum Machine Gun attack. Decimo had nearly fallen for it.

The instant Decimo caught Tsuna's fist, Tsuna switched to the Sky Attribute once more. Yet there was not a trace of Dying Will Flame above Sawada Tsunayoshi's head, despite the X Gloves he wore.

Zero Point Breakthrough!

To catch Tsuna's attack, Decimo's hand had been wrapped in flames as well. That was enough—he had met the activation condition for Zero Point Breakthrough.

The flames on Decimo's hand turned into cold air. An ice flower appeared on his hand, sealing one of Decimo's arms. Tsuna had not wasted his chain of maneuvers.

"Oh? Me? Have you forgotten that we inherently possess Flames of all seven Attributes?" Decimo said to Tsuna.

In Katekyo Hitman Reborn, the XANXUS sealed by Zero Point Breakthrough had broken free only by using high-energy Dying Will Flames generated through the resonance of seven Attribute Flame Rings.

And now, Decimo alone could gather all seven Attributes. Sky Flames ignited on his free hand, then Storm, Rain, Sun, Lightning, and Cloud ignited one after another upon his fingers. Finally, he loosely clenched his palm, and Mist Attribute Flames appeared. As long as he pressed the energy generated by all seven Flames onto the ice, the ice from Zero Point Breakthrough could be removed.

In response to Decimo's question, Tsuna merely answered calmly, "I know."

While Decimo dealt with the ice on his hand, enormous spiritual pressure swept across the entire field. Tsuna's goal had always been only one thing: stall for time, until he could use his ultimate move.

One hand was placed behind Tsuna's back, where a cylindrical mass of pale orange soft flames erupted. His other hand clenched into a fist before him, gathering a vast amount of spiritual pressure. Tsuna decided to gamble all his spiritual pressure on this move, and the orange on his fist grew deeper and deeper.

"What move is that? That kid was still hiding something?" Yoruichi asked. During the time Tsuna had trained with her, he had never used a move like this.

"This move clearly needs time to gather spiritual pressure, and the opponent would be best off unable to move. Using a move like that against you would be suicidal," Urahara assessed.

"I see." The ice on Decimo's hand had just melted when Tsuna's hand, gathered with an immense amount of Sky hard flames, opened toward him.

Tsuna himself served as the core pivot, the soft flames behind him served as support, and the hard flames with their tremendous impact served as the attack point. This was...

XBURNER!

Scorching hard flames shot directly toward Decimo, sweeping through everything in their path and carving a long trail across the ground.

Faced with an attack of this magnitude, Decimo merely calmly extended one finger. It was hard flame as well. With Decimo's mastery of XBURNER, he no longer needed to fire it with both hands. One finger was enough to unleash an XBURNER that rivaled Tsuna's.

Boom!!!

The two overwhelmingly powerful streams of flame stalemated before Decimo. Tsuna sighed inwardly. His proficiency was insufficient; Decimo had still reacted in time. In that case, he could only seek another opportunity.

Tsuna actively redirected the soft flames, allowing them to blast downward. He withdrew the output of his hard flames and used Flash Step beneath his feet to fly high into the air above the field.

Without Tsuna's resistance, Decimo's flames swiftly surged through the place where Tsuna had just stood. Decimo immediately withdrew his move, swept his left hand, and fired several missiles in Tsuna's direction. They were Gokudera's High-Speed Homing Missiles.

The missiles were extremely fast. Tsuna flipped upside down in midair and formed rectangular hand seals with his hands, one upright and one inverted. Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised!

An explosion rang out, and Tsuna fell from the smoke. Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised had absorbed the flames from the missiles, restoring some of Tsuna's spiritual pressure. He fell from the sky amid smoke, unharmed.

Just as Tsuna considered what to do next, his pupils contracted. He suddenly saw Decimo appear directly before him.

"It's an Illusion," Decimo explained. Just like Tsuna earlier, the missiles Decimo had fired were created by Illusion, while Decimo himself had used that time to catch up to Tsuna.

Was it over?

Tsuna felt somewhat unwilling. He should not have been so arrogant. Trying to use XBURNER against its creator had been foolish. When Decimo had been partially sealed, Tsuna should have switched to the Storm Attribute C.A.I. System and attacked Decimo, preventing him from breaking the ice.

But it was too late to say anything now. At such close range, Decimo only needed a single Flame Fist to defeat Tsuna.

The expected attack did not come. Instead, a gentle flame guided Tsuna's right hand to his chest. Likewise, Decimo placed his own hand before his chest. One upright and one inverted, their hands faced each other in the air with their backs turned toward one another.

A massive Vongola Family Emblem appeared between them. Tsuna's expression shifted as he realized it: this was Decimo's inheritance to him.

"I'm glad I could fight you. Congratulations, you have earned my recognition. All of Vongola's power is released to you. Go become stronger, Sawada Tsunayoshi!"

Decimo's hand slowly moved closer to Tsuna's. The emblem between them shrank with it until it was the size of the backs of their hands. As their hands pressed together, the Vongola Family Emblem merged into Tsuna's X Gloves, and all of the Zanpakuto's Bankai Release Phrases were released to Tsuna...

Stain all things, embrace all things, Sky...

The core of attack, an endless raging tide, Storm...

Cleanse with blood, a song that calms souls, Rain...

Shatter adversity, shine upon the earth, Sun...

Bear the damage, erase the threat, Lightning...

Unbound, the solitary path of the proud, Cloud...

Create something from nothing, turn something into nothing, false phantoms, Mist...