Zanpakuto Materialization
"Ikkaku, Yumichika, what changes have occurred in today's training?" At the training camp, Shūhei Hisagi saw Ikkaku and Yumichika walking slowly towards him and immediately approached to ask.
"I don't know either, let's wait for Sawada Tsunayoshi to arrive." Ikkaku decisively passed the ball to Tsuna, looked around and asked, "Is everyone here?"
"Everyone except the Shiba has arrived," Shūhei Hisagi replied.
"Oh, Captain Komamura has asked for leave for Shiba. It's said that Shiba entered a special state while practicing Blade Zen in the barracks, and he might be making his Zanpakuto submit," Ikkaku said. Because of the First Division's orders, Komamura had specifically informed him.
"That's great. When will I be able to learn Bankai?" Shūhei Hisagi sighed, his face filled with envy. He knew that his talent was not high, and he was already very satisfied with being able to feel improvement every day.
"Shiba is already ahead of you, there's no need to envy him," Yumichika comforted him. Rather than envying Imaba's impending Bankai Shiba, he felt that Shiba was simply lagging behind, since Ikkaku had already taught him how to practice Bankai.
"It was just a casual remark. Oh? Sawada-sensei is here."
Shūhei Hisagi raised his hand to greet the two figures, one tall and one short, in the distance. Tsuna had spent a lot of time with them lately, and the Tsuna Bleach in the training camp were quite familiar with him.
The taller figure walking in front was naturally Tsuna. Actually, he wasn't that tall; he only appeared taller because of the contrast with Koume.
Koume, standing next to her, had already changed into a mini Shinigami Uniform just like Yachiru's, with a long Zanpakuto slung across her back. To avoid hindering her movement, the hilt of the sword was a head higher than her, which meant that Koume had to jump up to draw the sword each time she needed to.
"Sawada-sensei, is this a new member of the training camp team?"
Shūhei Hisagi greeted Tsuna very familiarly. After Aizen's defection, he had conducted an exclusive interview with Tsuna about the Battle of the Sōkyoku. After getting to know each other, he knew that Tsuna was a relatively easy person to communicate with.
Now Tsuna has become a special interview guest for Seireitei Communication. After all, with the Seireitei undergoing rapid changes, Tsuna is more or less involved, and Shūhei Hisagi has no way of finding such an easy interviewee.
"No, she's your instructor for today," Tsuna said, patting Koume's head.
The instructors, Ikkaku and Yumichika immediately pictured their Vice-Captain, Yachiru Kusajishi, in their minds. Yachiru's position Vice-Captain was earned through hard work and experience.
Even now, Ikkaku and Yumichika still don't understand where such a small person gets such powerful energy.
Could this little girl in front of them be a highly skilled fighter, just like their Vice-Captain?
"Hello everyone, my name is Yame, you can call me Koume." Koume's voice was very soft, but luckily none of them were ordinary people, so they all heard what she was saying.
"Tsuna, Shiba is currently working on mastering Bankai, so he's not here," Yumichika explained. "Everyone else is here."
"Bankai? That guy's progress is too slow," Tsuna complained. "It's okay, let's ignore him for now and focus on training."
Tsuna led Koume to the large platform he had carved out for his speech. "Today, our training will begin in the form of In-Depth Blade Zen Training. Koume will be our temporary instructor, but you will not be taught by her; you will be taught by yourselves."
Everyone was confused by Tsuna's words, but no one refuted them; instead, they patiently waited for Tsuna's explanation.
"It's a bit complicated to explain, so let's jump straight into the demonstration. Rukia Kuchiki step forward."
As Tsuna finished speaking, Rukia stepped out. "What do you need me to do, Tsuna?"
"Just wait patiently, Koume, begin your performance."
Koume nodded slightly, and with a leaping forward roll, she drew her Zanpakuto. Tsuna was sweating profusely at Koume's actions. He was considering whether to ask Urahara to adjust Koume's height or add a pair of height-increasing shoes.
"Whisper, Muramasa." Ignoring Tsuna's expression, Koume methodically used the power of her Zanpakuto.
Muramasa's tall, slender figure appeared behind Koume. Then, he flashed past Rukia, his lips moving slightly as if he were saying something. Afterward, he calmly walked back to Koume's side with his hands in his pockets.
Rukia Muramasa and Koume's actions. She could only stand ramrod straight and wait for Tsuna's next instructions.
Unlike Rukia, the other Bleach stared wide-eyed as they saw a woman's figure gradually solidify from an illusion after Muramasa walked past Rukia, finally standing solidly behind Rukia.
"Long time no see, Rukia."
A familiar, gentle yet cool female voice sounded behind Rukia. Rukia quickly turned around and saw a white-haired young woman wearing a long-sleeved white kimono standing behind her with a smile.
Rukia had never seen this person before, but the voice was very familiar to her. With a hint of uncertainty, she asked, "Are you Sode no Shirayuki?"
It's me.
Rukia. It had been a long time. Indeed, it had been a long time. In fact, Rukia's training progress in the training camp had not been ideal.
Whether it's the Hogyoku hidden within her, Aizen and Urahara's schemes, or Ichigo and the others' rapidly increasing strength, all these factors are affecting Rukia's heart.
Furthermore, because Aizen replaced Sode no Shirayuki, Rukia, after regaining her Bleach powers, found it extremely difficult to practice Blade Zen. Even when she forcibly entered her inner world, she could only see a vast expanse of white, with nothing at all.
When was the last time she heard Sode no Shirayuki's voice? It must have been when Rukia had Shikai, right? It's been so long, so very long. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd heard Sode no Shirayuki's voice.
Rukia looked at Tsuna with a mixture of understanding and confusion. Tsuna smiled and asked, "Now you know why it's Blade Zen training, right?"
"Muramasa's power can materialize the spirits of your Zanpakuto, meaning you can directly communicate with your spirits in reality without having to painstakingly practice Blade Zen."
"And the ones who will teach you how to use your power next are your Zanpakuto. Only your Zanpakuto know how to use your power correctly."
"Next, Koume will have Muramasa awaken your Zanpakuto one by one. All you need to do is get along with your Zanpakuto."
"In other words, there are no fixed training locations from now on. You and your Zanpakuto can go wherever you want, as long as you don't endanger the world, no one will bother you."
Everyone looked at each other, trying their best to process the news.
"It sounds like we're trying to Zanpakuto?" someone asked.
"It's not about Zanpakuto, it's about pleasing yourselves!" Tsuna said irritably. "Your Zanpakuto is the most unmasked version of yourself. By understanding your Zanpakuto, you understand your truest self. When you gain the Zanpakuto's approval, that's when you'll learn Bankai."
"It sounds like the Shiba lost money," Yumichika murmured.
While Shiba was practicing Blade Zen to communicate with his Zanpakuto, Tsuna went even further, bringing out the sword spirits directly for a face-to-face dialogue, making Shiba's efforts seem somewhat futile.
"Since he's already in Shiba zone, let's not disturb him," Tsuna added. "Next, I'll go over some points to note."
"Once the Zanpakuto materializes, you lose Shikai Zanpakuto; that power is extracted from the Zanpakuto along with its spirit."
Upon hearing Tsuna's words, Rukia quickly drew her Zanpakuto, chanting her Shikai, but no matter how much she chanted, the Zanpakuto remained motionless.
Sode no Shirayuki covered her mouth and chuckled, then casually pinched her hand in the air, and a pure white Zanpakuto appeared in her hand— Rukia's Zanpakuto in its Shikai form.
No introduction is needed; Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki have already proven Tsuna's words to everyone with their actions.
"Your Zanpakuto are your primary means of combat. There are two ways to reclaim your Shikai."
"One way is to defeat the materialized sword spirits. No matter what methods you use, whether it's Hakuda- for-all or Kido, defeating them will allow you to regain your Shikai. In a way, it can be considered a different kind of surrender."
"The second way is to gain the recognition of your Zanpakuto. Whether it's master and servant or friend, as long as the Zanpakuto recognizes you, you can regain the power of your Shikai."
The second method is that Muramasa added Koume as his master after he recognized her. After getting to know Koume, Muramasa realized that the relationship between Bleach and Zanpakuto could extend beyond master and servant; they could also be intimate.
This is why Sode no Shirayuki, whom Muramasa called out, showed absolutely no hostility towards Rukia. His tactic for enticing Sode no Shirayuki was simple. "Do you want Rukia to truly get to know you? Do you want to become friends with Rukia?"
Under the guise of friendship, Sode no Shirayuki appeared gracefully before Rukia. This was not Muramasa's temptation, but purely Sode no Shirayuki's own desire.
Of course, the "friend" rhetoric isn't necessarily effective on all Zanpakuto. For example, Shūhei Hisagi's Zanpakuto, Kazeshini, couldn't wait to attack Shūhei Hisagi with two windmill-shaped Zanpakuto after being summoned by Muramasa.
Kazeshini was an arrogant man, his entire body a humanoid shape made of black and red, with a head of neat long hair that fluttered freely. He looked more like a humanoid made of energy, and his facial features were not very clear. All that could be seen were his arrogant mouth and eyes.
There was only one reason why Kazeshini was willing to come out: either he would kill Shūhei Hisagi, or Shūhei Hisagi would kill him. So without saying a word, he launched an attack on Shūhei Hisagi.
Shūhei Hisagi was also itching to get his hands on it. He was the second Bleach to voluntarily accept Muramasa's power. Not for any other reason than that, seeing Sode no Shirayuki's gentle appearance, he was also looking forward to seeing his Zanpakuto materialize.
Often things don't go as planned. Shūhei Hisagi sees other people's Zanpakuto and their masters in a harmonious relationship, but his Zanpakuto is all about fighting and killing from the moment it appears. Shūhei Hisagi doesn't tolerate this, so he picks up his Zanpakuto and engages in Kazeshini with Zanpakuto.
"Now I understand why you said we don't need to train together anymore, Tsuna." Yumichika watched Shūhei Hisagi Kazeshini's battle. "These two guys could probably fight their way from Seireitei all the way out of Rukongai."