Blade Zen

"Is the captain alright?"

"How could he be alright? He's the Vice-Captain!" Ikkaku looked dejected. The pink-haired brat who bullied him and called him "Little Baldy" had simply disappeared? Could he believe it?

It was Ikkaku and Yumichika who prevented the other members of the Squad 11 from going forward to visit.

Although Kenpachi Zaraki wouldn't be very polite to Yachiru, everyone could see how Yachiru he cared for her.

At this moment when Yachiru disappeared, Ikkaku and Yumichika were afraid that if they rashly sent the soldiers to comfort them, the crazed captain would kill them on the spur of the moment.

Kenpachi Zaraki, having not received a reply from Yachiru, had already figured something out. He stared blankly at Nodachi, lost in thought.

"What are you thinking? When did the word 'hatred' become yours Kenpachi Zaraki's?"

Tsuna's voice jolted Zaraki out of his reverie. He gripped Nodachi's hand tightly, ready to strike at Tsuna Nodachi Tsuna said anything wrong.

"What you need to do is not grieve here, but find a quiet room as soon as possible to communicate with your Zanpakuto, that is, Blade Zen."

Tsuna pointed at Nodachi, "I'm sure you guessed it too, that Yachiru Kusajishi is your sword spirit. Because Rukongai couldn't meet your combat needs, you stripped Yachiru, which is that child's form."

"Now that Yachiru has disappeared, she has merely returned to your Zanpakuto. She hasn't disappeared; you can still meet her through the Blade Zen."

After hearing Tsuna's words, Kenpachi Zaraki walked towards the wall without saying a word, retrieved the things left behind by Yachiru, and then found a quiet place to practice Blade Zen.

"Wait a minute." Tsuna called out to Kenpachi Zaraki, "You're already satisfied just by seeing Yachiru?"

Kenpachi Zaraki turned around, his face, which appeared expressionless, was now full of questions.

"Trying to make the Zanpakuto's power truly yours, and mastering Beyond Bankai —for most Bleach, that's the most difficult step, and you've already missed it."

"Your sword spirit is undoubtedly extremely satisfied with you, and Yachiru wouldn't do anything to make things difficult for you. Therefore, your training to Beyond Bankai will be completely unimpeded."

"You just need to follow the sword spirit's guidance and learn how to use the power within your Zanpakuto."

"Once you've mastered Beyond Bankai and completely control your power, won't you be able to see Yachiru Kusajishi whenever you want?"

Temptation, absolute temptation. These words were incredibly powerful for Kenpachi Zaraki. He would do anything to see Yachiru Kusajishi again.

Seeing that Kenpachi Zaraki was clearly interested, Tsuna pressed on, "Do you see the shopkeeper often calling out Red Princess to help? He's completely mastered Red Princess's power."

"Blade Zen, is it? I'll do it!"

Kenpachi Zaraki said this, but he was actually unsure. He had tried calling out the name of his Zanpakuto, but Zanpakuto had never responded.

This time, will you respond? Will you Nodachi, or Yachiru?

Kenpachi Zaraki turned and left. He didn't want to think about anything right now; he just wanted to find a quiet place to practice his Blade Zen.

Watching Zaraki's retreating figure, Unohana Retsu suddenly asked Tsuna, "If I remember correctly, there was a little girl with Urahara Kisuke. Didn't her Zanpakuto directly?"

These words suddenly enlightened Tsuna. He clapped his hands and said, "Oh right, I almost forgot about Koume. Oh well, it won't hurt for Zaraki to practice Blade Zen Zaraki."

Kenpachi Zaraki's figure was no longer visible. After thinking of the training ground, he took the clothes left behind by Yachiru and disappeared with Flash Step.

Tsuna waved towards Ikkaku, calling the two of them over to him.

"Tsuna, what can I do for you?" Ikkaku asked respectfully.

"Once you've finished dealing with your squad's affairs, go find Urahara Kisuke and borrow Koyuki's Koume from him. To be precise, borrow Koume's sword and have Murasame try to materialize Yachiru," Tsuna said.

Ikkaku and Yukichika immediately beamed with joy. This seemed like a good idea. When there was nothing to do, Yachiru could be released to continue serving as their Vice-Captain, Zaraki needed power, he could return to his Zanpakuto Bankai.

With Murasame's abilities, even the most difficult dilemmas can be easily resolved.

"However, you should be mentally prepared. The Yachiru that Murasame summons may not be the Yachiru you imagine," Tsuna warned.

If Tsuna remembers correctly, there's a theory about Kenpachi Zaraki's sword spirit: Yachiru was originally an older sister figure, Zaraki sealed away some of his power to become a loli.

Based on this reasoning, Kenpachi Zaraki successfully enters the Blade Zen state, what he sees in his inner world is the mature Yachiru.

"Does the Vice-Captain not recognize us?" Gong Qin asked.

"Yachiru should know you, but that doesn't mean you'll recognize Yachiru." Tsuna didn't explain further; this was just his guess, and there was no concrete evidence in the manga.

"That's alright then. With the Vice-Captain's mischievous nature, we'll be able to recognize him in no time," Yumichika said, patting his chest. Ikkaku also agreed.

Just as the two were about to leave to inform Kenpachi Zaraki of the good news, a beam of light solidified beside them—it was Soya Ashirogi.

"Yumichika Ayasegawa, if it's alright, come with me to see Captain-Commander Kyōraku," said Soya Ashirogi.

Tsuna glanced at Soya Ashirogi, thinking that Soya Ashirogi was probably going to hand over his weakness to Kyōraku.

Yumichika and Ikkaku were unaware of Soya Ashirogi's purpose, and they had absolutely no goodwill towards this so-called Eighth Kenpachi who caused the Vice-Captain's disappearance.

"I haven't received any orders from the Captain-Commander. What exactly are you trying to do?!" Yumichika and Ikkaku already gripped their Zanpakuto, ready to strike at any moment.

"Yumichika, your Ruri'iro Kujaku is his natural enemy. The reason I took you to find Kyōraku- nii is probably to explain this matter." Soya Ashirogi couldn't stand Tsuna's brain and mouth anymore and helped explain.

"Natural enemy!"

Yumichika and Ikkaku became even more vigilant. Upon discovering their natural enemy, the first thought of a normal person would be to either run away or kill it; the option of traveling together was nowhere to be found.

"Don't be nervous, I have no intention of harming you." It would have been better if Soya Ashirogi hadn't explained at all and had simply kidnapped Yumichika to the First Division.

"No way! If Yumichika goes, I'm going too!" Good brother, for life, no matter the outcome, Ikkaku will share the burden with Yumichika.

"I'll go with you." Just as Soya Ashirogi was hesitating about how to persuade them, Unohana Retsu stepped forward.

Unohana Retsu's authority was undeniable, and her arrival immediately put Yumichika and Ikkaku at ease.

Watching the four leave, Tsuna pondered what to do next when his phone rang. It wasn't the one he used in Seireitei, but a special one that could connect to the World of the Living, extremely rare.

The moment the call connected, Ichigo's urgent cry came through the phone, "Tsuna, help! Yuzu, Yuzu is dying!"

"Ichigo, calm down and tell me what happened!"

Tsuna became more and more anxious as he spoke. He and Ichigo had grown up together, and he had long regarded Ichigo's sister as his own. Upon hearing that Yuzu was in trouble, he took off running to the nearest Senkaimon.

Ichigo's signal was interrupted. Perhaps the signal was affected by the Kotsutotsu when passing through the Dangai. Never mind, let's get back to the World of the Living first.

At the same time, Stealth Force appeared kneeling in front of Tsuna's path. He raised his head, about to call out "Sawada," but heard Tsuna's rebuke.

"Get out of my way, I don't have time for your little tricks!"

"Sawada, I have been ordered by Captain Soi Fon of the Second Division Captain to inform you of the appearance of the Gates of Hell in the World of the Living. Your comrades are currently being interfered with, please go to provide support as soon as possible."

Stealth Force's mouth seemed to have an engine installed, he rattled off his purpose for finding Tsuna in a rapid-fire manner.

Gates of Hell?

Tsuna slowed his pace slightly. A few days ago, when he was discussing the Soul King crisis with Urahara and the others, they had talked about the Gates of Hell. He didn't expect it to come knocking on their door so soon.

"Has the First Division been notified?" Tsuna asked.

"Some soldiers have already gone to the First Division!"

If nothing unexpected happens, Kyōraku and Tsuna should receive the message at the same time, so it seems that Soya Ashirogi's plan to meet the Captain-Commander will have to be temporarily abandoned.

Soya Ashirogi the Gates of Hell and the City of Moles, it's obvious which is more important.

Without asking any further questions, Tsuna returned to the World of the Living through the nearest Senkaimon. As soon as he returned, he sensed several powerful spiritual pressures above Karakura Town.

Toshiro and Jūshirō Ukitake don't seem to have suddenly rushed into the World of the Living like Tsuna; they must have arrived a while ago. Do they have some kind of mission?

"What brings you two here?" Tsuna asked as he appeared beside Toshiro and the others, dialing Ichigo's number on his phone.

"Two days ago, the Gotei 13 received a report that Gates of Hell had appeared in the World of the Living, and that the Gates of Hell was acting strangely, so Captain Hitsugaya and I led a team here to investigate."

"Just now, unexpectedly, the Gates of Hell went berserk again, and even injured Ichigo's family," Ukitake explained briefly.

Hearing the busy tone on the phone, Tsuna was so anxious he felt like his head was about to explode. When Ukitake mentioned Ichigo's situation, he immediately asked what was wrong.

"How are Ichigo and the others? By the way, where are they resting?" Tsuna realized he could get information from Ukitake and quickly asked.

"Ichigo Kurosaki took a little girl to Ishida Uryū's house," Toshiro, who had been silent until now, said. "I saw her when I visited the old captain last time; she's Black Knight's sister."

That's right, everything makes sense now. It really is Ichigo's sister in trouble. After a quick thank you, Tsuna rushed towards Uryū's house, leaving sonic booms in the sky.

"I hope Ichigo is alright." After praying, Ukitake said to Toshiro, "Captain Hitsugaya, based on the information we've gathered, it's highly likely this is an invasion planned by Gates of Hell. We need to get more help!"