Ashido

"The Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force dates back to the time when the Sixth Kenpachi, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, was still the captain. That's at least two hundred years ago. I never imagined that anyone from that expeditionary force would still be alive," Urahara exclaimed.

What does "Sixth Generation Kenpachi" mean?

Ashido clearly noticed the problem. Usually, the current captain of the Squad 11 is referred to simply as Kenpachi, and the addition of the generation number only has one reason: the division has changed hands.

The Squad 11 is a rather special division, as the captain can only be succeeded by defeating the previous captain.

"What happened to Captain Kuruyashiki?" Ashido's voice suddenly rose. He was good friends with Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was one of the few people he cared about in Hueco Mundo.

"The current Kenpachi is the eleventh Kenpachi, Kenpachi Zaraki. As for Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, he has been dead for two hundred years," Urahara Kisuke replied.

With his last attachment to Soul Society suddenly gone, a feeling of exhaustion spread through Ashido's body. In those countless moments of unbearable loneliness, he had been deceiving himself, deceiving himself that Captain Kuruyashiki had forgotten him, forgotten these brothers who had fought to the death in Hueco Mundo.

This was the mental pillar that allowed Ashido to persevere, protecting the remains of his teammates and fighting the Hollows to the very last moment.

Finally, there's a tiny bit of hope: that one day, the Soul Society's expeditionary force will return, and he can lead his comrades home in glory.

It seems he was overthinking things. It wasn't that Captain Kuruyashiki had forgotten his brothers who had fought alongside him; rather, his life had already ended.

Tears silently streamed down Ashido's face; the string that had held Hueco Mundo for over two hundred years without ever breaking snapped at this moment.

He gently leaned against the tree trunk and curled up, as if only in this way could he bring himself some warmth, but this laughable warmth was only given by the thin fur on his body.

Urahara, being the astute one he was, immediately noticed that Ashido's mindset was off. "Um, Ashido, we've just arrived at the Forest of the Hollows, would you like to come back to Soul Society with us?"

Soul Society? The word was so familiar yet so distant. If it weren't for Captain Kuruyashiki, Ashido might have already banished the word from his mind long ago.

Life in the Forest of the Hollows was hard to endure, and living alone was even harder. Now, suddenly they were talking about going back to Soul Society, Ashido had absolutely no desire to go Soul Society.

"Forget it, I'm better off staying here..." Ashido looked at the antelope Visored in his hand and softly refused.

Was it disappointment that Soul Society hadn't sent anyone to search for them? Perhaps there was some disappointment, but not much.

Ashido knew very well that if he were to be missing for an extended period, his file status would simply be changed to "dead." No one would waste their energy on a virtual group for someone who was already dead, and he himself would not do so.

What influenced Ashido's decision to return to Soul Society, besides the fact that his old friends were no longer around, was that his body was no longer that of a pure Bleach.

How did Ashido manage to survive for over two hundred years in the Forest of the Hollows without any logistical support?

His body also needs nourishment from fighting Hollows all day long, and the only thing in Hueco Mundo that can be considered food is the Hollows.

The result of years of consuming Hollows is that Ashido's spiritual pressure is no longer pure. It is his obsession with killing Hollows that allows him to maintain his rationality under the influence of Hollow spiritual pressure.

Gradually, Ashido also became a monster, half- Bleach and half-hollow. He knew very well that the Seireitei, which hated Hollows, would not allow the power of Hollows to appear.

Rather than going back to be questioned by the Central 46 and becoming a prisoner again, it's better to enjoy the last bit of freedom in this empty Forest of the Hollows.

This was Ashido's thought after hearing Urahara's invitation.

Ashido's refusal had no effect on Urahara, who always respected others' choices. "In that case, let's continue our operation. Goodbye, Ashido."

It was only then that Ashido realized that these people had not come to the Forest of the Hollows by chance. The person wearing the Captain's Haori was not even the leader. Moreover, among these people were Quincy and Hollows.

"What are you doing here?" Ashido asked, frowning.

"Is the Forest of the Hollows your place? Why do you have to meddle in everything?" Grimmjow retorted impatiently. He couldn't stand sentimentality the most, and when he saw Ashido shed tears, he even wanted to escape from here.

"The Forest of the Hollows is not my place, but you are the biggest problem!" Ashido drew his sword and pointed it at Grimmjow. "If I'm not mistaken, you are Adjuchas!"

There are three levels of Gillian. The most basic one is Gillians, who all wear masks and fake black robes. This type of Hollow is the most common in the Forest of the Hollows.

The next level up is called Adjuchas. Gillian of this level have self-awareness and their bodies can take on different forms. Grimmjow is currently at this level.

The highest level is called Vasto Lorde, and there are only a handful in the entire Hueco Mundo. Grimmjow still has a long way to go to reach that level.

"So what if I am? It's none of your business," Grimmjow scoffed.

"This is the first time I've ever seen Adjuchas that looks so human. Hey, don't be fooled by him..."

Seeing that Ashido's next words might provoke Grimmjow, Tsuna stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Grimmjow is our guide in the Forest of the Hollows, and now he's our companion."

To save face for Grimmjow, Tsuna didn't use the word "prisoner," but even so, Grimmjow was still somewhat dissatisfied.

"Who are your allies?! Pshaw!"

"Don't worry, he can't fool us..." Tsuna's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he shouted, "Watch out!"

A pair of scarlet eyes appeared behind Ashido, but Ashido's expression remained unchanged. With a swift turn, a red light flashed around him, and he calmly sheathed his sword, cleaving the Gillian behind him in two.

This wasn't an ordinary Gillian; it had a unique size—it was an Adjuchas. Yet, even such a powerful Gillian was no match for Ashido's single strike.

"This is what I wanted to remind you: all Adjuchas that have gained reason will stop at nothing to devour others; this kind of sneak attack from behind is just child's play."

As he spoke, Ashido's eyes remained fixed on Grimmjow, ready to Grimmjow at the slightest Grimmjow.

It was this sudden slash that made Grimmjow abandon his disdainful gaze; this seemingly ordinary man before him truly possessed the ability to kill him.

My body trembled involuntarily. Ashido, right? I really want to fight him!

"That strike?" Ichigo's eyes lit up. "Was it Cero integrated into the slash? Mr. Ashido, do you have time to discuss this with me?"

Ichigo has already mastered integrating the power of Cero into his strikes, but he's thinking about something more: how to condense Cero and Getsuga Tensho on Tensa Zangetsu without unleashing them, turning them into ordinary strikes. This is something Ichigo is still exploring.

Now, seeing Ashido fighting in the same way, Ichigo is overjoyed.

"Why? You're Bleach too, aren't you? Why are you pursuing the power of Hollows?"

When he doesn't need to use Hirenkyaku, Ichigo still wears his Bleach outfit as usual, so Ashido thinks he is a Bleach.

"Is it conflicting to possess the powers of both Bleach and a Hollow?" Ichigo was somewhat confused, but he still put on the Bull Visored.

Ashido's pupils contracted. The power emanating from Ichigo was clearly that of a Hollow. His gaze fell on Urahara and Tsuna, who were obviously easier to communicate with.

"When did Soul Society allow the use of Hollow powers?"

"Well, within this year, several captains of the Gotei 13 have acquired the ability to Hollowfication." Urahara was referring to the captains of the Visored.

"Impossible. That Captain-Commander's attitude towards Hollows can be summed up in one word." Ashido immediately denied it. Killing was the main theme of the Bleach's attitude towards Hollows; otherwise, the expeditionary force would never have been formed in the first place.

"Well, the situation has changed. There's only one reason that could make Old Man Yamamoto change his attitude: there's a stronger enemy now," Tsuna said.

"A stronger... enemy?" The outside world is changing too fast; Ashido, who has spent years in the Forest of the Hollows, cannot comprehend it in a short time. What enemy could be more terrifying to Bleach than a Hollow?

"The matter is rather complicated and cannot be explained in a short time, Mr. Ashido. I suggest that you come back to Soul Society with us. Your power is also very important to Soul Society."

Tsuna wasn't lying; Bleach capable of using Hollow's power would undoubtedly shine brightly in the future Thousand-Year Blood War.

The slash that Ashido just used inflicts a powerful negative status effect on the Quincy Quincy each strike.

"This..." Ashido couldn't give an answer. He had been out of touch with the world for too long, and he had no other thoughts besides killing Hollows.

"Alright then, since you're worried about our safety, how about you become our bodyguard in the Forest of the Hollows? When there's no danger, you can exchange your Zanjutsu with Ichigo." Tsuna pointed at Ichigo.

Bodyguard—that title seems acceptable. Ashido wasn't looking for any reward; he just didn't want to see any more Bleach die in the Forest of the Hollows.

"All right."

Upon hearing Ashido's agreement, Ichigo immediately jumped up, excitedly running to Ashido's side to introduce himself and the team members.

"Tsuna, what kind of reward are you planning to give him?" Urahara asked curiously, watching Tsuna constantly rummaging through his clothes.

"Money has no meaning for Ashido anymore." Tsuna's eyes lit up as he took out a small package from his pocket. This was not his personal item, but something the Decimo had brought back with him. Tsuna hadn't thrown it away; he just casually put it on his person.

"Ashido, how about this as your payment?" Tsuna tossed the small package over.

Ashido took the small package and opened it, tears almost welled up in his eyes again. He took one out of the package and put it in his mouth, savoring it carefully, not wanting to bite into it.

"Thanks."

The package wasn't anything precious; it was just Hisana candy) that the Decimo used to amuse Hishin. It was an ordinary candy in Soul Society, but it was incredibly valuable to Ashido, Bleach who had been in Hueco Mundo for over two hundred years.

Things that were once looked down upon now taste like home.