Self-Arrancar

"Store manager, I'm back again." Tsuna called out as he pushed open the door to the Urahara Shop.

"Tsuna-kun, what's the matter? See something you like among my wares?" Urahara Kisuke drawled as he shuffled out.

"If there was anything I wanted, I'd have grabbed it already. Where is everyone else?"

"Gone with Tessai to restock the warehouse," Urahara replied.

"Perfect timing, then. I need a favor."

"My services don't come cheap, you know." Urahara pretended to be difficult.

"No problem. Put it on Ichigo Kurosaki's tab." Tsuna called outside: "Inoue's brother, come in."

Sora Inoue's soul drifted into the Urahara Shop. He hadn't wanted to enter at first—his instincts told him this place was extremely dangerous.

"A spirit? You shouldn't need me for a Konso, should you?" Urahara tipped his hat slightly lower.

"Here's the thing..." Tsuna laid out Sora Inoue's choice for Urahara Kisuke in full detail.

"Become a Hollow? Obsession this strong?" Urahara circled Sora once. "With all due respect, it's meaningless. A Hollow is a soul transformed by a hole in its heart. Keeping your sanity when you've lost your heart is nearly impossible."

Urahara turned to Tsuna. "Tsuna-kun, I have more authority on this than you do. Perform the Konso."

"For an ordinary soul, you'd be right. Store manager, a word in private." Tsuna pulled Urahara Kisuke to the corner. "What if Inoue's brother has the potential for a Self-Arrancar?"

"Arrancar?" Urahara raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. "That's an interesting term. A Hollow that tears off its mask?"

"Exactly. He's one of only two Hollows in history with the potential for a Self-Arrancar. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to this." Tsuna was banking on the fact that in the original story, Sora Inoue had torn off his Hollow mask on his own after being moved by Orihime Inoue. That was why he'd brought him to Urahara Kisuke.

"Only two? And the other Self-Arrancar..."

"The strongest in Hueco Mundo, probably. What, store manager, are you interested?" Tsuna asked.

"Potential to become a powerhouse in Hueco Mundo? That's worth a try." Urahara muttered to himself, then said to Tsuna with mock solemnity: "This assistance is free of charge. But you bear the consequences of the experiment yourself."

"Of course. I warned him already."

"Sora Inoue, right? Follow me."

Urahara tapped his cane, and a hidden space opened in the wall beside him. Tsuna and Sora Inoue followed Urahara Kisuke inside. After a long, dark tunnel, they arrived at a room full of instruments—clearly Urahara Kisuke's laboratory.

Urahara activated a machine, and a massive tank lit up. Inside was a lump of white, unidentified flesh that looked like something from inside a Hollow.

"This is pure Hollow flesh I extracted. Go in and touch it with your spirit body. It'll enter you, and you'll start transforming into a Hollow." Urahara pointed at the tank. He'd already opened an opening for Sora Inoue to enter.

Sora Inoue glanced at Tsuna. "Take care of Orihime for me, Tsuna-kun."

Tsuna waved a hand, refusing to take the bait. "Take care of your own sister. Remember Orihime Inoue, and survive."

Sora Inoue bowed respectfully to both of them, then threw himself into the tank without hesitation. The moment he entered, the Hollow's power corroded him. The Causal Chain on his chest vanished instantly, and a hole appeared in his chest.

A bloodcurdling scream came from the tank. Massive amounts of white liquid gushed from the flesh, engulfing Sora Inoue completely. Twisted limbs sprouted from his body as he began transforming into a Hollow.

"Tsuna-kun doesn't seem surprised at all by my setup here." Urahara pressed a strange button while making small talk.

"You're the master of core black tech. Of course you'd have your own lab," Tsuna said.

"I thought you'd be more resistant to this kind of experiment." Urahara looked at Tsuna.

"Well, if possible, I'd prefer the store manager's experiments to respect life a little more." Tsuna didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he drew his Zanpakuto and chanted the Shikai incantation for the Mist attribute.

A trident appeared in Tsuna's hand. He stared intently at Sora Inoue in the tank, ready to act at any moment.

"Tsuna-kun, watch my equipment—don't break it..." Urahara said hastily. These were all expensive instruments. If Tsuna started fighting in here, this lab wouldn't survive his rampage.

"Relax. I'm not making a move. Just taking precautions." Tsuna leaned the trident against a nearby table, showing no sign of wanting to cause destruction.

As time passed, the Hollow in the tank gradually took shape. The creature before them looked exactly like the Hollow Sora Inoue had become in the original story—a human torso with a snake tail, Sora's hairstyle behind the mask, colored mainly in gray and orange-red.

And just like in the original story, Sora Inoue had completely lost his sanity, becoming a Hollow that only knew how to devour, constantly ramming against the tank toward Tsuna and Urahara.

"Looks like it failed, Tsuna-kun." Urahara's tone was flat. Failed experiments were common; he'd long since passed the age of getting emotional over them.

"No. Let me add something to the mix."

Tsuna kicked the trident into his hand. He'd been prepared for Sora Inoue's failure. Now it was time to bring out his contingency plan.

As Tsuna slammed the trident heavily against the ground, Sora Inoue's world changed. No longer was he in Urahara Kisuke's laboratory. Instead, he stood in the small home where the Inoue siblings had relied on each other. Inside, Orihime Inoue was looking at him tenderly.

"Brother, you're back?"

Orihime Inoue smiled and greeted him just like she used to when he came home, as if she couldn't see his monstrous form. She reached out to take the briefcase he was carrying.

His vision blurred. Sora Inoue saw another version of himself—exhausted, handing over the day's fatigue to Orihime, sharing the day's events with her.

This utterly ordinary scene calmed the rampaging Sora Inoue. He didn't know why he'd stopped, only that he felt he should quietly protect this sight.

A cold voice cut through the illusion, striking Sora Inoue's heart: "Sora Inoue! Remember! The most important thing—Orihime Inoue!"

At Tsuna's warning, Sora Inoue's murky gaze gradually cleared. He murmured to himself, "I... Sora... Inoue..."

The scene shifted again. A timid little girl appeared before Sora Inoue—Orihime as a child. Then a present-day Orihime appeared on his left, and a high-school-aged Orihime on his right.

One by one, Orihime Inoue from different periods appeared around Sora Inoue, surrounding him. These were different Orihimes Tsuna had created from his own memories. Each had a different expression, and their repeated calls of "Brother" made Sora Inoue's gaze grow more and more resolute.

Finally, all these Orihimes faded into darkness. An Orihime Inoue in a White Kimono appeared before Sora Inoue. She pointed playfully at the headpiece on her hair and asked, "Brother, can you put the Tsunokakushi on for me?"

Crack. A fissure split open on Sora Inoue's mask. As images of Orihime's future life appeared, more and more cracks spread across the mask. When all the versions of Orihime appeared once more, Sora Inoue's mask shattered completely, revealing his relieved face.

The various images of Orihime Inoue surrounding him were precisely what fulfilled Sora Inoue's dying obsession—the desire to witness Orihime Inoue's growth. It was because this obsession had been satisfied that he truly completed his Self-Arrancar.

"How interesting," Urahara Kisuke remarked.

Urahara had observed Tsuna's entire process. To be honest, he hadn't initially believed it would succeed. He just hadn't expected this Hollow to actually complete a Self-Arrancar and restore Sora Inoue's consciousness. Driven by curiosity, he even felt a desire to experiment with it himself—though that depended on Tsuna's mood.

"Congratulations, Inoue's Brother," Tsuna said, sheathing his Zanpakuto as he addressed Sora Inoue.

"Thank you very much, Lord Tsuna, and Shopkeeper," Sora Inoue said with great deference. He understood that his current state of normalcy was owed entirely to these two.

"It's too early for thanks. You've become a Hollow now. Even though you can maintain your sanity and won't disappear, with your current strength, you can't just go see Inoue whenever you want. You might get dealt with by someone at any moment."

"First, raise your strength. Once you're stronger, you can regain a normal human form. Then it'll be much more convenient to see Inoue, won't it?" Tsuna painted a rosy picture for Sora Inoue.

"I'll trouble Lord Tsuna, then," Sora Inoue said, bowing low.

"Not me—Lord Urahara." Tsuna turned to the side and asked, "Shopkeeper, leaving Inoue's Brother to you is fine, right? I've been watching your hands itch for a while now."

"Ara, aren't you afraid I'll run some strange experiments on him, Tsuna-san?" Urahara hadn't expected Tsuna to be so perceptive, even noticing his eager demeanor.

"If possible, help Inoue's Brother evolve toward the Adjuchas level first. In exchange, you get some experimental data—I think that's a fair trade," Tsuna said. When it came to Hollow evolution, he truly had no ability in that area.

Sora Inoue, fully leveraging the sharp instincts he'd developed as a corporate drone in his former life, immediately turned to Urahara Kisuke, curling up as he said respectfully, "I entrust myself to Lord Urahara!"

"Very well, let's begin an interesting experiment." The grin beneath Urahara's folding fan was one of triumph.

"Then that's settled, Shopkeeper. I'm heading back—Ichigo and the others are pestering me," Tsuna said, holding up his phone.

Before leaving, Tsuna had specifically sent Tatsuki a message to have her keep Orihime Inoue distracted. Now that Tatsuki and Ichigo had just stepped out of Inoue's House, they were already impatiently messaging him.

Urahara tapped his cane again, and a hidden passage appeared. "I won't see you out, Tsuna-san."

Meeting up with Tatsuki and Ichigo, Ichigo immediately pressed Tsuna eagerly: "Tsuna, where did you go? And Inoue's Brother—what happened to him?"

Even someone as simple-minded as Ichigo could figure out that Tsuna's sudden disappearance meant Sora Inoue's fate wasn't as simple as just ascending to heaven.

"Wait a bit first. Once your Fullbring starts showing results, I'll take you to see him," Tsuna said.