Retreating Crimson Rain

Nozomi Kujō's change naturally attracted the attention of the crowd partying below, and a few busybodies, led by Ichigo, even used Flash Step get onto the roof of Tsuna's house.

"Nozomi Kujō, are you Bleach?" Ichigo asked curiously. When Tatsuki introduced Nozomi Kujō, he didn't mention that she was Bleach.

"I just acquired the power of the Bleach," Nozomi Kujō explained, her brows furrowing slightly. She was still somewhat unaccustomed to being surrounded by so many people.

"Hey, do you know the name of your Zanpakuto?" Hiyori asked.

"Your Shinigami Uniform looks pretty good; it's a good idea for a modification." Lisa subtly adjusted her glasses, surprised that she had found a combination of sailor uniform and Shinigami Uniform so quickly.

"It seems I need to register your information in detail. Congratulations on joining the Seireitei Bleach family." It was Ukitake who spoke, his gentle tone already drawing Nozomi Kujō into the Seireitei.

"Um..." Nozomi Kujō had never seen anything like this before. She was completely overwhelmed by so many questions and was already taking steps back.

"Hey everyone, let's tackle your questions one by one!"

After Nozomi Kujō obtained the power of Bleach, Tatsuki immediately used his spiritual pressure to clear the effects of alcohol from his body. Seeing that Nozomi Kujō's "CPU" was overloaded, he flashed in front of Nozomi Kujō without saying a word.

With Tatsuki's help, Nozomi Kujō finally relaxed a bit. There was no way around it; she hadn't fully grasped these people yet, and expecting her to communicate fluently was simply asking her too much trouble.

With Tatsuki taking the lead in the exchange, the situation finally calmed down a bit. Tatsuki then took Nozomi Kujō to the courtyard to avoid having to explain to the other curious people again.

"Nozomi, can you control your Bleach power? Do you know what that power is?" Tatsuki asked.

Nozomi Kujō nodded slightly, drew his Asauchi, and began chanting his release phrase, "Splash Retreating Crimson Rain!"

Nozomi Kujō's Zanpakuto has become a straight sword with a cross-shaped horizontal blade at the tip. However, this horizontal blade is very short and looks more like two extra sections compared to the rest of the sword, rather than a cross.

Tsuna glanced at Nozomi Kujō with some surprise. If he remembered correctly, Nozomi Kujō wasn't able to unleash her Zanpakuto from the start in the story. Could it be that his healing abilities were so strong that they directly allowed Nozomi Kujō touch the power deep within her heart?

"This is my Zanpakuto, Retreating Crimson Rain. Its ability is to absorb the spiritual pressure of others and convert it into my own before releasing it." After saying this, Nozomi Kujō shut her mouth, unsure of how to demonstrate it further.

"It sounds somewhat similar to my Sogyo no Kotowari," Ukitake said, stroking his chin. His Sogyo no Kotowari also absorbs enemy attacks, adjusts them, and then releases them.

"Captain Ukitake, the power to Retreating Crimson Rain and Sogyo no Kotowari are completely different things," Tsuna suddenly said. He didn't explain directly, but instead held up a finger to Nozomi Kujō and said, "Grip your sword tightly, Hadō #4: Byakurai."

A beam of white light shot from Tsuna's fingertip onto Retreating Crimson Rain. Nozomi Kujō was not injured by the impact. Instead, the Byakurai's spiritual pressure was completely absorbed by Retreating Crimson Rain, and a pink light appeared on the blade.

"Do you understand?" Tsuna asked.

"That's interesting. Sogyo no Kotowari's absorption and release are one-time events, but I can adjust the attack power after release," Ukitake analyzed. "Retreating Crimson Rain's absorption is even more domineering, completely converting the opponent's attack into its own spiritual pressure."

"In other words, the absorption limit of Retreating Crimson Rain is linked to Nozomi Kujō's physical endurance. She can absorb multiple enemy attacks and then fuse them into a powerful strike."

"It's definitely different from the Sogyo no Kotowari; the two knives are used in completely different scenarios." As the owner of the Sogyo no Kotowari, Ukitake quickly analyzed the advantages of the Retreating Crimson Rain.

"Is it just absorbing the enemy's attacks?" Tsuna's face revealed a mysterious smile.

"According to Tsuna, the ability to Retreating Crimson Rain has a huge advantage in group battles." Kyōraku, that old coin, immediately understood Tsuna's intention.

"That's right. The greatest use of the Retreating Crimson Rain is to combine the attacks of weaker Bleach into a powerful strike. It's a Zanpakuto that can turn quantitative changes into qualitative ones. If used properly, a hundred Squadron members might be able to kill a Captain."

Upon hearing Tsuna's words, all the captains' eyes lit up, because with Tsuna's addition, the Seireitei's top combat power was undergoing a rapid transformation.

However, there's nothing that can be done about the lower- to mid-level Bleach. First, there are too many of them, and even Tsunayoshi can't handle a lot of Tsuna energy. Second, they are limited by their talent; their strength is just so-so, and they can't even become Seated Officer. They can only honestly do their jobs.

The appearance of Nozomi Kujō created a new path for the lower-level Bleach in Soul Society, a battle formation led by Nozomi Kujō.

Not only the captains, but also the Vice-Captain showed serious expressions. If the attack could take down the captains, dealing with these Vice-Captain who hadn't yet learned Bankai would be a piece of cake.

The atmosphere suddenly shifted from enthusiastic to serious. Nozomi Kujō was stunned, completely unaware that her Zanpakuto's power had such a significant effect.

"Grandpa, give the word. Give Nozomi Kujō title. Her abilities will definitely be useful in the future." Tsuna broke the silence.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto understood Tsuna's meaning: by Retreating Crimson Rain, they might be able to concentrate their forces to steal a member of the Sternritter during the battle with the Wandenreich.

"Not yet. I haven't seen either the maximum power of Retreating Crimson Rain or Nozomi Kujō's combat abilities. I'm sorry, I cannot grant your request."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's words dampened Nozomi Kujō's spirits. She was eager to join this family of Bleach. She could understand Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's thoughts, but being rejected before even starting was hardly inspiring.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto glanced at Nozomi Kujō without making a sound. This naive girl wore all her emotions on her face, so there was no need to bother guessing.

"But I can promise you that as long as Nozomi Kujō's combat ability reaches the level of a regular Bleach, I will allow her to join the 13th Division."

Nozomi Kujō's face lit up with joy. She wasn't clear about the differences between the various divisions, but Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's words undoubtedly sent her a signal that the Seireitei had accepted her.

The reason Nozomi Kujō was added to the 13th Division was that, among all the divisions, only the 13th Division had more contact with the World of the Living. Considering that Tsuna, Tatsuki, and others were in the World of the Living, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto placed Nozomi Kujō in the 13th Division.

"I'll do my best!" After promising, Nozomi Kujō Tsuna, "Please let me help you when we fight Inaba!"

Seeing Nozomi Kujō Tsuna shook his head, a rare occurrence for him. "No, without any combat experience, I cannot agree to let you go to the battlefield."

"Besides, it's just Inaba Kagerōza; we don't need your power yet. There's a bigger stage waiting for you."

"But..." Nozomi Kujō bit her lip, wanting to prove her strength, only to find that she really knew nothing.

Tsuna gave a look towards the roof, and Tatsuki leaped down to Tsuna's side. "I'll leave it to you, okay?"

"Of course, I'll finish what I start," Tatsuki replied, patting his chest.

Under Nozomi Kujō's questioning gaze, Tsuna said, "From now on, Tatsuki will be in charge of your training. Only when you gain Tatsuki's approval can you join the Gotei 13 and go to the battlefield."

"No problem, Captain-Commander?"

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded. Tatsuki's current strength was comparable to that of a captain. Without the Seireitei sending anyone to train him, he would have an immediate fighting force. He was overjoyed.

"Captain Ukitake, the 13th Division should quickly build a combat squad, initially training it around your Sogyo no Kotowari. I request that you be ready to be used immediately when replacements are needed."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's order thoroughly implemented Nozomi Kujō's arrangements. Although Nozomi Kujō was able to lead a small team on his own because of the Retreating Crimson Rain, it was enough to show how much Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto valued him. At the very least, Nozomi Kujō was given a position as a Seated Officer.

After Nozomi Kujō finished making the arrangements, the party continued. Because of gaining the power of Bleach, she seemed to get along better with the Bleach, and she didn't even find it annoying when Rangiku hugged her shoulder while she drank water.

In the Soul Society, in the desolate wilderness outside Rukongai, beside a lake, a barbecue party was also taking place.

"Sigh, how am I supposed to get through this? A barbecue without drinks, can it even be considered a party?" Byakuran looked worried. Just two days ago he was enjoying a few drinks, but today he had to hide in the middle of nowhere. He was miserable.

"Lord Byakuran, shall I go to Rukongai and get you some drinks?" A pair of bright eyes approached Byakuran and asked.

"Forget it, Haineko, they're all poor people, don't exploit them..." Byakuran said, actually because he was used to the high-end drinks of Seireitei, and the drinks in Rukongai were no longer palatable to him.

"But I can't bear to see Byakuran suffer," the Haineko said, blinking.

After meeting the Decimo and Byakuran, she discovered that there were two handsome men among her Zanpakuto, and she immediately put aside her disappointment at not seeing Hyōrinmaru.

Unfortunately, the Decimo Boss's aura was too powerful, and Haineko didn't dare to approach him easily. Byakuran was much better; he spoke kindly and knew how to comfort people.

"It's alright. The Vongola said that if we can just endure these two days, Little Tsuna will be back soon." Byakuran wiped away tears that weren't even there and secretly glanced at the Decimo standing on the hillside.

When they escaped from Seireitei, the Decimo and Byakuran did something. They secretly rescued the Zanpakuto captured by Inaba and gathered them in a remote part of Soul Society, waiting for Seireitei's counterattack.

As for those Zanpakuto that were Zanpakuto, the Decimo and Byakuran didn't bother with them; they'd let their masters deal with them later.

The Decimo wasn't just standing on the hillside in a daze. In his palm lay a red pill, Modified Soul created from Byakuya Kuchiki's Reishi, which he obtained after defeating Byakuya Kuchiki's clone.

A red flame ignited in the Decimo's palm. It was Storm Attribute flame with decomposing properties. Under the scorching heat of the Storm Attribute flame, the Modified Soul was gradually being deconstructed, with the core being a Reishi from Byakuya.

A series of questions flashed through the Decimo's mind: Why could a single Reishi be used to copy Byakuya Kuchiki, and why did that copy possess all of Byakuya's past memories?

What carries memories? Can Little Ichi Reishi bear the weight of a soul's past? And is Modified Soul possessing past memories a true existence?

The Decimo's intuition told him that these things were very important and might be able to help his friend...