Zangetsu

"Is this...? My home?"

Ichigo Kurosaki's vision suddenly changed, and he found himself standing at his own front door. Under the bright sunlight, Ichigo pushed the door open and went inside. The layout was exactly the same as the home he currently lived in.

"Mom, Dad, Yuzu, Karin?"

Ichigo tentatively called out to his family, but there was no response for a long time. The house seemed completely empty. When he reached the living room, Ichigo found many photos related to himself on the walls.

There were family portraits, photos with his sisters, his parents, and pictures with Tsuna, Tatsuki, and Orihime Inoue. Ichigo found it strange. He clearly had never taken these photos, yet every one depicted scenes most deeply etched into his memory.

Ichigo even saw the scene of his first encounter with Chad, as well as the time he and Uryū had fought Hollows together. Every photo on the wall was closely connected to Ichigo.

Ichigo's fingertips gently brushed over the photos. It felt as though something had touched them. He turned toward his room, and at that moment, the lights throughout the house dimmed, leaving only the path leading to his bedroom door illuminated.

With an uneasy heart, Ichigo opened his bedroom door. There was nothing strange inside. Whether it was the bed or the desk, everything was exactly the same as what he currently used.

A cool breeze brushed past him, and Ichigo realized his window had been left open. As he approached it, he suddenly noticed a patch of black above his head. He hurriedly leaned out and looked up. It seemed to be the silhouette of a person?

"Who are you? Hey!" Ichigo shouted, but the person ignored him. Ichigo grew anxious. He had finally encountered a living person here—how could he let them leave his sight just like that?

Ichigo immediately stepped onto the window frame and used both hands and feet to pull himself up along the eaves. He clambered onto the roof rather awkwardly, and the first thing he saw was a figure in a long black coat standing there.

"Who are you? Why are you here..." Ichigo suddenly remembered what Tsuna had told him before. "In my inner world?"

The man turned around. He had long black hair and black sunglasses. Judging from the stubble on his chin and his tall, slender build, he looked like a middle-aged man.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, what have you come here for?"

"Of course I came to find the power that belongs to me!" Ichigo said, clenching his fist.

"As you wish!"

In an instant, heaven and earth overturned. The once-clear sky turned dark with storm clouds beneath Ichigo, and he fell upward toward the sky without anything to brace himself against.

At the same time, countless small rectangles chased after him. Ichigo looked closely and realized they were countless photos of himself. All of them had emerged from the upside-down house, while that man hung upside down from the roof like a vampire.

Very soon, Ichigo was swallowed by the photos. He discovered that they contained far more than what he had seen in the living room. How could he possibly find the power that belonged to him among these innumerable memories?

No matter what, he had to try. Ichigo desperately clawed through the downpour of photos. Every single one bore his image, from his infancy to his current high school years. Which photo was the key?

Ichigo did not know. He only knew that every photo here was something immensely precious to him. But there was no time for him to slowly reminisce about the past. He had to find the crucial photo as quickly as possible.

Ichigo continued tumbling through the air. Gradually, he was about to fall into the clouds. He had an inexplicable feeling that if he entered them, he would fail completely this time.

What would the consequences of failure be? Ichigo vaguely remembered Tsuna mentioning it—becoming a Hollow? Then what meaning would all these photos around him have?

He would not allow it. He would not allow something like that to happen!

In the real world, white fluid surged from Ichigo's diagonal wound, and Hollow spiritual pressure erupted from within him.

"Ohoho, it's starting. Mr. Tsuna, you handle this yourself." Urahara sat cross-legged atop a rock, looking as though he were enjoying a show. Back then, Tsuna's Hollowfication had put him through plenty of suffering. Now it was finally his turn to watch.

"Come on, isn't this a minor matter?" Tsuna said to Urahara. Meanwhile, Ichigo beside him had already been wrapped in a large amount of fluid and entered a frenzied state.

"Sawada, be careful!"

Tsuna knew Orihime Inoue was not worried about him. She was telling him to go easy so that he would not hurt Ichigo. Tsuna had no mind to pay attention to Orihime now, as Hollowfied Ichigo had already swung his grotesque claws at him.

Tsuna calmly raised a hand to block Ichigo's attack, while his voice changed as well. "Ichigo, it's still far too early for Hollowfication to surpass me!"

Tsuna also donned half a Hollow mask. Using Hollow's power against Ichigo's initial Hollowfication, Tsuna was completely unafraid.

Soon, Ichigo and Tsuna began fighting. Ichigo attacked Tsuna like a crazed beast, while Tsuna retreated as he fought. Rather than suppressing Ichigo, he made himself into a punching bag and allowed Ichigo to use his power to his heart's content.

As long as he did not completely suppress Ichigo, Ichigo would not force his Hollow's power to advance further, and it would buy Ichigo a little more time.

Tsuna was not worried that Ichigo would truly become a Hollow. The power within Ichigo existed primarily to protect him. Even if things dragged on until the final moment, the man inside Ichigo would definitely hand that power over to him.

Inner world.

Ichigo struggled with all his strength when he suddenly caught sight of one photo. It was different from the others. There was no sign of him in it!

Ichigo "swam" through the rain of photos and finally grabbed the photo he had been searching for. Only then did he realize that it was not that he was absent from the photo. He simply was not its focus. Most of his body was covered, with only his head exposed, and the person shielding him was his mother, Masaki Kurosaki.

Ichigo saw Masaki Kurosaki spreading her arms in front of a Hollow, while unconscious Ichigo lay behind her. But that was not all the photo showed. In another corner, Ichigo saw a red bow firing three arrows at the Hollow.

It was Tsuna's Fullbring. Ichigo recognized it at once. So Tsuna had possessed power that early on. No wonder he knew his parents' secret. As for Ichigo, he had been unconscious and had no memory of this at all.

At that moment, Ichigo understood the meaning of the photo. If not for Tsuna, perhaps his life would have been completely different. Masaki Kurosaki, who had no power, could only use her body to block that Hollow.

The meaning of this photo was a change in fate. Ichigo gently stroked it, and it immediately shattered. A wave of black spiritual pressure wrapped around him, and the familiar Shinigami Uniform appeared on his body. He had regained his Bleach powers.

Yet Ichigo's fall had not stopped. He met the black-clad man's eyes, and the other man said, "Congratulations. It's time to leave."

"Wait!" Ichigo finally understood. This stranger was his Zanpakuto. "Tell me your name..."

Vaguely, Ichigo saw the man's lips move a few times...

"Zangetsu!" In the real world, Ichigo shouted, and immense spiritual pressure linked the sky and earth throughout the underground space.

Once the spiritual pressure dispersed, Ichigo appeared before everyone in a Shinigami Uniform, carrying a massive cleaver-like Zanpakuto over his shoulder, with a mask hanging diagonally from his forehead.

From the moment the spiritual pressure erupted, Ichigo's will had already taken control of his body. Seeing the strange masked person standing in front of him, Ichigo immediately recognized Tsuna.

A smile appeared at the corner of Ichigo's mouth, and a mischievous idea surfaced in his mind. Using the blast wave as cover, Ichigo swung his blade straight at Tsuna.

Ichigo concentrated his spiritual pressure into his Zanpakuto, using it as a medium to hurl that spiritual pressure outward. A powerful sword wind of spiritual pressure appeared before Tsuna.

Tsuna immediately drew a white short blade in a backhand grip. A red arc collided with Ichigo's sword wind, shattering it before transforming into a blood-red moon that flew far into the distance.

This was another way to use Cero. When fully using Hollow's power, Tsuna could easily unleash slashes equivalent to Cero.

"Looks like you're in pretty good shape, Ichigo." Tsuna removed his mask and spoke to Ichigo.

"Tch, what a shame." Ichigo was still somewhat displeased that Tsuna had kept things from him. If the people around him had not all spoken in riddles, he would not have looked like an idiot who knew nothing.

"No need to regret it. Since you've already mastered your Zanpakuto's Shikai, you'll start extra training with me tomorrow." Tsuna was not angry at all over Ichigo's sneak attack. It could not hurt him anyway.

"Shikai? You mean Zangetsu?" Ichigo raised his massive cleaver and casually swung it, feeling quite pleased with himself. His new Zanpakuto felt very comfortable in his hand.

Zangetsu. The power within Ichigo had still chosen that name.

"Alright, go share your joy with Orihime. I'll go settle your special training instructor first." Tsuna changed back into casual clothes, waved his hand, and prepared to leave the Urahara Shop.

"Special training instructor?" Ichigo asked curiously. "Who is it? Aren't you qualified enough to be my instructor?"

Logically speaking, Tsuna was more than capable of training Ichigo's combat ability. Why did he need to find another instructor?

"Some powers must always be passed on. Someone is more suitable to teach you than everyone present." Without turning back, Tsuna walked toward the onlookers.

"Who is it? Do I know them?" Ichigo followed behind him and asked.

"You definitely know him. Uncle Kurosaki—how could you not know him?" Tsuna did not speak in riddles this time and directly told Ichigo who it was.

"My dad?"

Ichigo stopped in his tracks. Did his father, who usually only messed around and bickered with him, really possess such powerful strength?

Ichigo looked at his right foot. He had kicked Kurosaki Isshin flying plenty of times. His dad would not use this chance to take revenge on him, would he?

No, while Tsuna was still here, Ichigo had to get some information about his father from him in advance, lest he be trained into a useless dog.

"Tsuna, wait! What is my dad good at..." Ichigo ran after Tsuna's retreating figure.

(PS: I prefer to think that Ichigo's inner world was originally shaped by his mother's death, which left him lonely and isolated. The skyscrapers and the deep sea both reflected that. Now that Masaki had not died, I believe Ichigo's inner world was warmer, filled with many of his memories.)