The Blunt Sword That Slays Gods

In the 8th Division barracks, Kyōraku looked exhausted, his hair was tied up in a messy, haphazard way, and he didn't even realize that the floral jacket draped over his back had slipped down halfway down his shoulder.

Kyōraku has been very busy lately. He's in charge of everything from the establishment of the new organization to the handover of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto Kyōraku gradually handing over the Gotei 13 to him.

In addition, Kyōraku was also in charge of investigating the nobles, among whom the investigation of the Tsunayashiro Clan was the most difficult, and he had to be very careful to avoid alerting them.

"Captain, Sawada Tsunayoshi here." Ise Nanao said, carrying a pile of documents, as she approached Kyōraku, who was hunched over his desk.

"Tsuna- kun? What's he doing here?" Kyōraku asked, his eyelids drooping, then patted his face and forced a smile, saying, "Please invite him in."

Tsuna followed Nanao into Kyōraku's office, glancing at him several times before finally finding Kyōraku's head amidst a jumble of documents.

"Tsuna- kun is here? Please have a seat." Kyōraku's voice was low and listless.

Nanao worked very efficiently, clearing an empty table in no time, and serving tea along with it.

Kyōraku sat half-reclined at the table, took a sip of hot tea, and sighed heavily, saying, "How I miss the days when I drank every day!!!"

"Captain!" Nanao called out somewhat displeased. Kyōraku's current state was completely embarrassing in front of outsiders.

"It's normal for the future Captain-Commander to work a little harder, it's all in service of upholding the Gotei 13's ideals," Tsuna said with a grin.

"Tsuna -kun, even you're teasing me!" Kyōraku spat out, somewhat annoyed. "Why don't you be the Captain-Commander? I think you're quite capable!"

Nanao, listening from the side, was utterly exasperated. She didn't know what to say about this unreliable captain. How many days had the World of the Living been in Soul Society? And this Captain Kyōraku was already planning to overthrow the Soul Society?

"Don't even think about it. Once this Quincy thing is over, you'll see if I come to Soul Society or not!" Unsurprisingly, Tsuna flatly refused.

Kyōraku sipped his tea with a wry smile, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. He knew Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's plan, but it didn't matter; they had plenty of time.

Kyōraku is ready to leave the team behind a hundred years from now and take Little Nanao to find a secluded mountain village in Rukongai. This is the idea that Kyōraku has been encouraging himself to think about these days.

"By the way, what brings Tsuna to the 8th Division?" Kyōraku asked.

Kyōraku had already asked Tsuna about his Zanpakuto's abilities during the captain's meeting, and Tsuna didn't have any suggestions, which allowed Kyōraku to fully focus on handling team affairs.

"Since both parties involved are here, Vice-Captain Ise Nanao, please have a seat as well," Tsuna said.

As soon as Nanao sat down, Kyōraku quickly connected it to Tsuna's words, "Looking for Little Nanao? Is it about the Vice-Captain's training? Nanao doesn't have Zanpakuto."

"Really not, Captain Kyōraku?"

Seeing Tsuna's smiling expression, Kyōraku immediately understood that Tsuna knew something. He abandoned his usual frivolous attitude and asked, "As Nanao's family, of course I know about Nanao's situation."

Seeing that Kyōraku was about to continue beating around the bush, Tsuna his hand and went straight to the point, saying, "Alright, I won't beat around the bush with you. I'm here to suggest that Vice-Captain Ise practice his Zanjutsu when he has time. It doesn't have to be Zanpakuto; any wooden sword will do."

"At the very least, you need to learn how to fight with a sword. As for your instructor, I'll ask the Captain Kyōraku to take on that role when he has time."

"I've finished speaking, you can continue with your work." Tsuna finished his tea in one gulp and prepared to get up and leave.

Kyōraku looked down at his water glass in silence, but Nanao couldn't sit still any longer. "Sawada-sensei, please wait. I've never been able to control the power of Asauchi since I was a child. Why did you come all this way for nothing?"

Tsuna glanced at Nanao, then at Kyōraku who was hanging his head and remaining silent, and lightly kicked Kyōraku. "Your Vice-Captain has clearly guessed something. Isn't it better to let the child make her own decisions now that she's grown up?"

Two red lines appeared on Nanao's face as she awkwardly touched her glasses. Over the years, she could tell that Kyōraku had been hiding a secret from her. She had just deliberately provoked Tsuna, wanting Tsuna and Kyōraku to have a fight, but she hadn't expected to be seen through.

"Sigh!" Kyōraku sighed, looking at Tsuna with a complicated expression, and asked, "Sawada Tsunayoshi, what do you think of the curse?"

Nanao's gaze kept shifting between Kyōraku and Tsuna, completely bewildered and unable to understand a word they were saying.

"Stop playing riddles. Should I tell you or should you tell me?" Tsuna had already figured out that Kyōraku was willing to reveal his buried secret; otherwise, Kyōraku wouldn't have spoken up and would have continued to bury his head in the sand.

"Tell me..." Kyōraku was overcome with grief. This matter involved the deaths of his beloved older brother and sister-in-law, the most tender part of his heart.

"Vice-Captain Ise, listen carefully. The curse that Captain Kyōraku mentioned is aimed at your Ise clan, and the source of the curse is the sacred sword, the Eight Mirror Sword, which the Ise clan worships."

"Your Ise clan is a family of priests who control rituals. For generations, all the children born to you are women, and men who marry into your family are cursed to die young. Your father, his brother," Tsuna said, pointing at Kyōraku.

"To prevent you from being cursed, your mother entrusted the sacred artifact to the Captain Kyōraku for safekeeping, and she was executed by the Central 46 for the crime of losing the sacred artifact."

"This is the truth that Captain Kyōraku has always kept hidden. In order to protect this divine weapon, Katen gave birth to Kyokotsu, and this is the origin of Captain Kyōraku's twin swords."

"Heh, Tsuna- kun, what is it that you don't know..." The truth of the past reappeared before Nanao, Kyōraku seemed much relieved. He looked at Nanao and said, "I'm sorry, Little Nanao, I couldn't protect your Mom."

"It's not your fault, Captain." Nanao gently shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "You've worked so hard all these years..."

Tsuna didn't interrupt their emotional exchange. Instead, he poured himself a glass of water and waited patiently. After a while, Kyōraku wiped his face and returned to his serious demeanor.

"Tsuna- kun, do you want Little Nanao to use the Eight Mirror Sword?" Kyōraku had already guessed this when he heard Tsuna say that he wanted Nanao to practice Zanjutsu.

"That's right. Although the Eight Mirror Sword is a ritual sword with no blade, it is particularly useful when dealing with Quincy who have surpassed the Perfection level."

"What do you mean?" Kyōraku would never agree to Nanao wielding the Eight Mirror Sword unless Tsuna gave a reason.

"The names of Quincy's Vollständig mostly follow the format of 'God's xx.' When dealing with enemies named after gods, the Eight Mirror Sword is particularly useful. After all, it's the blade that cut down the Soul King. Killing those false gods would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"

"What?!" x2

"The Eight Mirror Sword can kill the Soul King?!" If this is true, then the importance of the Eight Mirror Sword in Kyōraku's heart will rise to another level.

Tsuna glared at Kyōraku, annoyed. "Watch your words. It's 'cut,' not 'kill.' It's roughly equivalent to dismemberment. The Soul King isn't that easy to kill."

In this world, Tsuna suspects there's only one possibility for the Soul King to be killed: the Soul King himself wanted to die. Otherwise, who could kill him?

"That's impressive, wait a minute." Kyōraku suddenly realized something, "Could the curse on the Little Nanao family be related to the Soul King?"

"It's pretty close..." Tsuna said vaguely. He didn't know if it was related to the Soul King, but considering the Soul King's emaciated appearance, this so-called Eight Mirror Sword should be the divine sword that the Five Great Noble Houses used to dismantle the Soul King back then.

"No wonder..."

Once you understand one thing, you understand everything. Kyōraku now understands the reason behind the whole thing. The Ise Clan worships the weapon that dismembers the Soul King. It would be merciful not to wipe out the entire family. They even left the Ise Clan a sliver of hope.

"Tsuna- kun, I can't make that decision..."

"Captain, I'm willing to give it a try!" Nanao looked at Kyōraku with unwavering determination. "If the moment truly comes when I'm needed, what does curse matter, right?"

"Little Nanao..."

Kyōraku pursed her lips, looking at Nanao with a complicated expression. This was the most important person her sister-in-law had left behind. Now that Nanao had grown up, she really did have some of her sister-in-law's heroic spirit and confidence.

"No matter what happens in the future, we'll face it together!" Kyōraku said.

Nanao nodded heavily. After this, the grudge between her and Kyōraku, caused by Kyōraku's favoritism towards her, disappeared.

"Alright, you two, stop making it sound like a life-or-death situation," said Tsuna, the Atmosphere Destroyer. "It's just teaching Vice-Captain Ise how to fight with a sword, not making her wield the Eight Mirror Sword right now."

"What if we can handle the Quincy? Vice-Captain Ise might not even need to go to the battlefield, right?"

"That seems to be the case." Kyōraku finally realized what was going on, and looked intently at Tsuna, saying, "Please, Tsuna- kun!"

"No, I'm under a lot of pressure. Even if Vice-Captain Ise really is going to inherit the so-called curse, let's find an opportunity to talk to the Soul King. Maybe we can break the curse?" Tsuna suggested whimsically.

"Looking for the Soul King?" Kyōraku shook his head helplessly. "Tsuna- kun, you should know that only three Bleach have been promoted to the Zero Squad in the last thousand years. As for being able to meet the Soul King in the Soul King Palace, the hope is even more remote."

"There is still a chance to ascend to the Soul King Palace..." Tsuna didn't say much more. With the changing situation in the future, the Soul King Palace would certainly no longer be able to remain isolated in the sky.

Kyōraku gave Tsuna a deep look. As Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's successor, he knew that Tsuna had already secretly plotted against the squad in the sky.

As the Captain-Commander, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto showed no intention of stopping them; on the contrary, he wanted to use this opportunity to see just how strong the so-called Zero Squad really was.