The Loser's Dog

Renji Abarai swung Zabimaru towards Ichigo, but the attack didn't even graze Ichigo's clothes. Ichigo simply dodged Renji's assault with ease.

"Your attacks are too slow compared to them," Ichigo remarked. Ichigo's coaching team had been terrifyingly strong lately, and every training session he underwent was beyond Renji's current capabilities.

Renji couldn't stand this. Not only could he not defeat his opponent easily, but he was also being mocked by Ichigo. He decided to stop holding back. While using Zabimaru to restrict Ichigo's movement, he raised his hand, palms together, and began chanting.

After a string of incantations, unstable red spiritual pressure condensed in Renji's palm. "Hadō #31: Red Fire Cannon!"

With Zabimaru's restriction, Red Fire Cannon successfully hit Ichigo. However, because Renji wasn't skilled in Kidō, the Red Fire Cannon inevitably injured his palm. But it didn't matter; as long as the attack hit, that was enough.

"How was that!" Renji asked triumphantly. Red Fire Cannon's power was considerable. Renji estimated Ichigo should have been at least heavily injured.

Unfortunately, the "no damage despite smoke" trope held true. As the dust settled, Ichigo stood before Renji, blocking with his sword. Before Ichigo's door-sized Zanpakutō, Red Fire Cannon had no power whatsoever.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Ichigo's face. He hadn't expected the Lieutenant of Soul Society to only possess this level of combat power, far inferior to those old-timers, the Visored.

Ichigo appeared before Renji with a Flash Step. Zangetsu, crackling with spiritual pressure, swung in a simple downward chop towards Renji. Ichigo had no intention of harming Renji; he specifically aimed for Renji's Zabimaru.

Clang! Renji was knocked out of the air by Ichigo's strike and fell to the ground. He quickly struggled to his feet, a sense of humiliation washing over him. He couldn't believe what he saw on Ichigo's face – was that pity for the weak?

Renji's teeth ground together, humiliation and rage surging within him. His eyes hardened, and he shouted to Byakuya beside him, "Captain, I request the release of my restriction!"

Soul Society had a rule: when Captains and Lieutenants came to the Human World, to avoid unnecessary influence on the souls there, they would have a restrictive spiritual seal carved onto their bodies in the form of their division's insignia. This limited their spiritual pressure by 80%.

Therefore, Renji was not at his full strength. His request to release the restriction was clearly an attempt to regain his pride.

Byakuya glanced at Renji. In his current state, Renji was clearly no match for Ichigo. As Captain, he had no reason to stop his subordinate from going all out.

"Write a report when we get back."

Normally, releasing a restriction required reporting to the Thirteenth Court Guard Squad for approval. There was clearly no time for that now, so Renji would have to face punishment upon his return to Soul Society.

Receiving Byakuya's reply, Renji directly pulled open the collar of his Shinigami Uniform. A division insignia was carved onto his shoulder – his restrictive seal.

Renji shouted, "Release restriction!" and broke free from the seal's bonds with his spiritual pressure. All his spiritual pressure returned to him, increasing his power fivefold. Renji regained his confidence.

Zabimaru's attacks were as cunning as a viper. Renji stepped on air and launched a new round of attacks at Ichigo. This time, Ichigo could no longer remain as composed as before. From Renji, he finally felt a sliver of pressure befitting a Lieutenant.

"Give up, you have no chance of winning."

Renji grew more confident as he fought. This was his most skilled fighting style, constantly attacking the enemy with Zabimaru's ever-extending and retracting reach. Moreover, because Zabimaru's length and power were constantly changing, ordinary opponents found it difficult to find openings in its fluctuating speed. Ichigo was also fighting defensively, retreating as he attacked.

"Let's go," Byakuya said to Rukia, glancing at Renji's fight. Once they passed through the Senkaimon, Renji could stop fighting and retreat.

"Brother..."

Unlike Byakuya, Rukia knew that Ichigo was not fighting at full strength. But her hesitation drew a hint of displeasure from Byakuya.

A flicker of helplessness crossed Byakuya's eyes. Rukia had to return to Soul Society for him to have a chance to save her life. Otherwise, if Rukia continued to act on her own and her sins accumulated, even he, Byakuya Kuchiki, would be powerless.

With that thought, Byakuya turned and reached out to grab Rukia. Since Rukia was unwilling to return, he would have to resort to force.

Ichigo had been keeping a close eye on Rukia's situation. Seeing Byakuya Kuchiki make a move, he could no longer afford to spar with Renji and had to end the fight quickly.

Using a block as an opportunity, Ichigo twisted Zangetsu, pulling Zabimaru towards him. He then grabbed the retractable joint of Zabimaru, a spot without a blade that wouldn't injure Ichigo.

With Zabimaru caught, Renji didn't panic in the slightest. Instead, he let out a light laugh. He flicked the hilt, and under Renji's control, Zabimaru whipped out in an S-shaped wave towards Ichigo. If Ichigo didn't let go, Zabimaru's fangs would teach Ichigo a harsh lesson.

Ichigo grabbing Zabimaru gave Renji an opportunity to hit him. Similarly, Renji, with his Zanpakutō caught, had no chance to escape. Visible blue spiritual pressure condensed on Zangetsu – this was Ichigo's pre-planned combat strategy.

"Run, Renji!"

Knowing Ichigo's strength, Rukia understood what Ichigo was about to do. She didn't want Ichigo to get hurt, nor did she want her close friend to be injured.

Renji glanced back in Rukia's direction. When he came to his senses, Ichigo had already raised Zangetsu high and shouted, "Getsuga Tensho!"

A massive blue crescent moon tore through the night sky of Karakura Town, shredding the wave-like Zabimaru into pieces and charging irresistibly towards Renji.

With Rukia's warning, Renji hastily gathered spiritual pressure, abandoning the incantation. "Hadō #31: Red Fire Cannon!"

In the face of death, Renji's potential erupted. The spiritual pressure was surprisingly stable. The instantly condensed Red Fire Cannon collided directly with the terrifying Getsuga Tensho in front of him, creating a small space for Renji to dodge – at least, that's what Renji thought.

Boom! Red Fire Cannon detonated before Renji, and the violent spiritual pressure explosion engulfed him. After a while, a red figure fell from the smoke – a broken sword, torn clothes, and scattered armor. He collapsed powerlessly on the ground, unable to rise.

"Renji!"

Rukia cried out and rushed towards Renji. His scattered red hair completely covered his face, like a defeated dog, only his wounds visible.

Ichigo scratched his face awkwardly. To be honest, he hadn't intended to beat Renji so badly. According to his plan, that Getsuga Tensho should have just cut off Renji's goggles, to give him a taste of power.

Ichigo hadn't expected Renji to actively charge forward and detonate his spiritual pressure in front of him, maximizing the damage. Forget cutting off his goggles; they had already turned to dust in the explosion, and Renji himself was severely injured.

Ichigo met Byakuya Kuchiki's cold gaze. The biting chill made him flustered as he tried to explain, "Uh, would you believe me if I said it was an accident?"

"Words are useless. Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Byakuya only believed what he saw. Since his subordinate had lost, as Captain, he had no reason not to avenge Renji. He drew his Zanpakutō, and after its Shikai release, the blade transformed into sharp petals. Byakuya pointed the empty hilt at Ichigo, and Senbonzakura attacked Ichigo in a spiral.

"Trouble!"

In a hurry, Ichigo clashed Zangetsu with Senbonzakura. Realizing he could only cut through some of the petals, he decisively used Flash Step to create distance. His Zangetsu was designed for wide, sweeping attacks, and it was difficult to gain much advantage against Byakuya's agile Zanpakutō.

Seeing Ichigo create distance, Byakuya calmly stepped on air, ascending step by step. Every movement exuded an aristocratic aura, and his power continued to climb.

Ichigo inwardly cursed. If he let Byakuya build up more momentum, it would be difficult to fight him later. He had to interrupt Byakuya's current action.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

The same old move. This time, a horizontal crescent moon slashed towards Byakuya. Facing the aggressive Getsuga Tensho, Byakuya remained unmoved. With just a glance, he formed Senbonzakura into a shield before him, blocking Getsuga Tensho.

As Ichigo and Byakuya clashed, Renji slowly stirred awake. Ignoring Rukia's frantic cries, he weakly lifted his eyelids to watch Ichigo and Byakuya fighting in the sky.

Is the gap really this wide? Why don't I have that kind of power? I really want to, I really want to be one of them...

Renji was like a stray dog, only able to look up at the sky with longing, while he himself could only roar powerlessly like a defeated cur. Those true thoughts he had hidden away, like his unrestrained long hair, now spread through his heart.

"Byakuya is still as old and cunning as ever. That Getsuga Tensho was just ordinary; Ichigo won't gain any advantage from Byakuya," Isshin said, even lighting a cigarette. The protection of illusions made him utterly fearless.

"We haven't seen each other for two months. Ichigo's strength wouldn't still be at this level, would it?" Tsuna asked.

"Of course! You brat Tsuna, even if you look down on Ichigo, you can't look down on the coaching team I specifically assembled for Ichigo!" Isshin exclaimed. He had run around quite a bit recently to help Ichigo improve.

Gradually, Ichigo found a balance point in his fight against Senbonzakura. Each time, he managed to strike and retreat before Senbonzakura could surround him, never lingering.

However, this hit-and-run tactic could only guarantee Ichigo wouldn't lose for a short while. It couldn't truly threaten Byakuya. Even Ichigo's powerful three-hit Getsuga Tensho was easily deflected by Byakuya.

"To deal with an opponent like Byakuya, you either have to defeat him with speed he can't react to, or break through Senbonzakura with an unstoppable, super-strong attack. Once it turns into a drawn-out battle, it becomes Byakuya's comfort zone. Both of these methods undoubtedly require Ichigo to unleash another burst of spiritual pressure," Tsuna said as he watched.

"Oh? It seems you already know, little Tsuna?" Urahara asked with some curiosity.

"Know what?"

"That little Ichigo already broke my Zanpakuto Manifestation Device..."