Pre-Battle Meeting

After learning that Ichigo was preparing to head to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia, his superpowered classmates all rallied behind him. Rukia had become both a good classmate and a good friend to them during this time, so they had every reason to go to the Soul Society.

Once everyone had made their decision, Tsuna gathered them all at Urahara Shop that evening. He was going to hold a pre-battle meeting.

"Tsuna, can't you just say it directly? I'm in a hurry," Ichigo complained. He was eager to train. Thinking of how Byakuya had also been fighting with his power restricted, he desperately wanted to master new strength.

"Ichigo, that kind of thing can't be rushed. Once you overcome the fear in your heart, it'll come naturally," Tsuna said.

"Easy for you to say." Ichigo gave Tsuna a contemptuous gesture.

"This is an intelligence briefing before you enter the Soul Society. How could I explain it all in just a few words?" Tsuna Flash Stepped behind Ichigo and kicked him straight into the tea room.

The tea room at Urahara Shop was pitch-black, save for one glowing wall that looked like a projection screen.

"Oh my, how did young Ichigo roll in here?" Before Ichigo could even get up, he heard Urahara's irritatingly sarcastic voice.

Ichigo sprang to his feet, ready to demand justice from Tsuna, only to get kicked again. He curled into a ball and rolled into a corner.

"Idiot Ichigo, don't block the way." Tatsuki had delivered the kick. Only she and Tsuna could rough Ichigo up like that without him genuinely getting angry.

Orihime Inoue leisurely followed Tatsuki inside. She had long since gotten used to this sort of thing. With Ichigo's current physical strength, this little scuffle could not hurt him at all.

"Damn it, you two are always bullying me! Ishida, Chad, tell me I'm right!" Ichigo said as he sat up, rubbing his chest.

Ishida Uryū and Yasutora Sado entered last. Like Orihime Inoue, they simply ignored Ichigo's complaints.

"If you're in a hurry, then listen properly. I'll keep it as simple as possible." Tsuna slapped the table and snapped, "If you want to rescue Rukia, you need to know who in the Soul Society you can beat and who you absolutely cannot provoke."

At the mention of Rukia, Ichigo finally sat up straight. Once everyone had entered lecture mode, Tsuna signaled Urahara Kisuke to start the presentation.

"We're about to enter the Soul Society. When it comes to the Soul Society's real fighting strength, we cannot avoid the Gotei 13. Today, I'll be sharing intelligence on the Gotei 13."

"First are the people you absolutely cannot afford to offend. If you encounter them, don't fight back, don't run. Surrender immediately, and you might still keep your lives."

The screen scrolled, revealing a long-bearded old man and a woman with long black hair. "These two are the captain of Squad 1 and the captain of Squad 4. Simply put, if they decide to fight, you have no chance whatsoever, so surrendering immediately is your only chance of survival."

"But you don't need to worry too much. The old man from Squad 1 rarely leaves his post, so the odds of meeting him are minuscule. Squad 4's captain, Unohana Retsu, is a gentle-looking but secretly devious woman. She mainly handles healing and generally will not make a move either."

"Question!" Tatsuki raised her hand and narrowed her eyes. "Why do you know so much about that devious big sister?"

"We've never met. You can rest assured," Tsuna explained. He could hardly tell Tatsuki that he had offended Unohana Retsu back in his previous life when he was young, could he?

"I'll let you off this time."

"Next are the masterminds behind this incident: the captains of 3rd Division, 5th Division, and 9th Division." Ichigo pointed at the squinty-eyed man, the bespectacled nice guy, and the blind man wearing goggles on the screen. "If you run into them, run if you can. To keep themselves hidden, they won't force a fight with you and expose themselves."

"You can read the detailed intelligence yourselves."

Every time Tsuna opened a portrait, detailed information on that person appeared. Fortunately, Tsuna was the only poor student present. The others immediately pulled out notebooks and began copying everything down.

"Among the rest, there are a few whose abilities are particularly troublesome, so I'll go over them in detail." The screen changed again. "The captain of Squad 2. Her ability is Two-Hit Kill. Do not let her stab you twice in the same spot."

"The captain of Squad 11. They're a combat division. This guy rises to the strong and falls to the weak, living solely for the joy of battle. If all else fails, show weakness. Let him slash you once, and he probably won't make things difficult for you."

"Hey, getting slashed once already sounds terrifying, okay?" Ichigo complained. They were still high school students. If they had not possessed special powers, they would still be living carefree high school lives.

"The captain of Squad 12 is a research fanatic. He has endless little tricks, so it's best to take him out in one blow. Otherwise, you might not even know when he poisoned you." At this point, Tsuna pointed specifically at Uryū. "Uryū, this is the one who experimented on your grandfather. Don't get drawn into a prolonged fight. If possible, it would be best to leave him barely alive. His research abilities may still be useful later."

Tsuna offered Uryū a word of advice, but did not press too much. When it came to Uryū's family grudge, Uryū had to make the choice himself.

Uryū had already fallen silent. His eyes were fixed on Kurotsuchi Mayuri's portrait, as if he wanted to carve that face deep into his mind. The grandfather who had treated him so gently had died at this man's hands. Uryū's heart was terrifyingly cold, and he wanted nothing more than to tear Kurotsuchi Mayuri to pieces immediately.

"Lastly, there are two rather special people: the captains of 8th Division and 13th Division. Those two will not attack right away. If you tell them why you came, you might even receive their help."

"That's about it. As for everyone else, fight if you want to fight, run if you don't. All the intelligence is here. Read it yourselves." Tsuna sat cross-legged, looking utterly unconcerned.

"Wait, Byakuya Kuchiki isn't even on your list?" Ichigo asked in surprise. He still remembered Byakuya Kuchiki's overwhelming combat strength.

"Ah, the remaining captains aren't absurdly strong, and their abilities aren't especially underhanded. Just treat them like Kensei. They'll make good sparring partners if you happen to run into them."

Byakuya Kuchiki, Sajin Komamura, and Toshiro Hitsugaya all seemed quite suitable as training opponents for them, in Tsuna's eyes.

A strange light appeared in Ichigo's eyes. He still had no idea just how strong Tsuna really was. Tsuna did not even take proper Captain-level Bleach seriously.

"That's the situation. Any questions?" Tsuna asked.

"We're all humans. Can we enter the Soul Society directly?" Tatsuki raised her hand and asked.

"Of course not. The shopkeeper will prepare special Reishi conversion devices for us, like the wristband I use. As for Ichigo, we can just kick his soul out of his body."

"Hold it. Why do you get a Reishi conversion device? Shopkeeper, I want one too!" Ichigo had long since had enough of being beaten out of his body, and he immediately lodged a fierce protest.

"No problem at all. It's just that the cost..."

Urahara narrowed his eyes and rubbed his fingers together. Ichigo immediately turned to Tsuna, while Tsuna did not think there was anything wrong at all and casually gave an excuse. "You know, my allowance is plentiful."

Ichigo dropped to his knees, utterly defeated. Tsuna's parents were never home, and he also had a girlfriend to support, so his wealthy father naturally gave him plenty of living expenses.

"You should just get along with Kon..." Tsuna comforted him.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the envy and indignation in Ichigo's eyes, Tsuna suddenly said, "Fine. If you successfully defeat a captain during this trip to the Soul Society, I'll give you a Reishi conversion device."

"Then it's a deal. I'm going to train!" Ichigo vanished with a whoosh. He had learned the intelligence; now it was time to improve his strength.

"I should head back too. My mother said she has a special tactic to teach me." Uryū rose to his feet, endless fury hidden beneath his calm tone.

"Yoruichi, do you have time?" Tatsuki asked.

"It's time to test your results. Come." Yoruichi left with elegant catlike steps, and Tatsuki followed close behind.

"I'm going to find Muguruma." Chad said.

"Orihime, go with Chad. Have Muguruma Kensei use Bankai. Orihime, heal Chad. Chad, going back and forth between life and death will be especially painful. Can you accept that?" Tsuna suggested.

"I can do it!" Chad said firmly.

"But..." Orihime Inoue hesitated.

"Orihime, if you want to stay by Ichigo's side, your abilities cannot be weak. Becoming his strongest support is what you need to do. Seize every opportunity to improve your abilities." Tsuna saw through Orihime's thoughts at a glance. "Also, Ichigo is with the Visored."

"I understand. Thank you, Tsuna." Once she learned where Ichigo was, Orihime Inoue no longer hesitated and nodded decisively.

"Everyone's gone. Young Tsuna, is there something you wanted to say to me?" Urahara closed the presentation. Seeing that Tsuna had not left, he guessed that Tsuna had something to discuss with him alone.

"Have you found a way to deal with the Anti-Membrane?" Tsuna asked.

"Will Aizen use the Anti-Membrane to escape?" Urahara guessed part of what Tsuna meant.

"After hiding for so many years, would he really be willing not to step onto the stage that belongs to him in full view of everyone?"

"That's true. Geniuses always have moments when they want to show themselves off." Urahara agreed completely. "The Anti-Membrane is an ability Gillians use to rescue their companions. Those covered by the Anti-Membrane have only one destination: Hueco Mundo."

"Strictly speaking, once someone is enveloped by the Anti-Membrane, they enter another space. They use that space to escape danger and travel to Hueco Mundo."

"It's a bit like the Dangai, a passage Hueco Mundo uses to connect with the outside world. The moment the target enters the Anti-Membrane, they are no longer in the same space. That is why every attack fails to hit them. A spatial wall that isolates everything stands between the target and their opponent."

"Using the Anti-Membrane lets him avoid all damage while making a grand entrance before everyone. Just as expected of Aizen."

"So after researching it for years, all you came up with was a sigh of admiration?" Tsuna stared at him with dead fish eyes.

"Young Tsuna, you must understand that there is no such thing as Absolute Defense in this world, and spatial walls are no exception. If an attack fails, it only proves that the attack is not strong enough. You simply need an attack capable of tearing through space..."