Bleach or Quincy?

Urahara Kisuke coming out to snatch people was something Tsunayoshi hadn't expected. A hint of mischief rose in his heart, and he smiled as he asked Urahara, "Shopkeeper, do you think the power of a Shinigami is stronger, or that of a Quincy?"

"Ara ara, well..." Urahara covered his face with his folding fan, his tone exaggerated as he said, "Shinigami and Quincy are both powers passed down for a thousand years. Both sides have clashed before. Soul Society still has a complete Shinigami lineage, but after the Quincy experienced this Auswählen..."

"The only one with a complete inheritance left is the Ishida family, and the only true Quincy remaining is Ryuuken-san."

Urahara didn't directly state which side was stronger or weaker; he simply laid out the facts for Tsuna—over the millennium, the Shinigami had always had the upper hand against the Quincy.

"In terms of combat techniques, Shinigami excel at Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō, while Quincy mostly rely on a set of combat skills derived from the Spirit Bow and Arrows, using Reishi arrows to eliminate their enemies."

"Among Shinigami, the Zanjutsu centered around the Zanpakuto has even more derivative variations. Every Shinigami possesses their own unique Zanpakuto, allowing them to develop personalized Shikai and Bankai for battle."

"Quincy combat styles are more fixed. They're better at using various equipment and tools in battle, often producing unexpected effects."

"As for whether it's Quincy or Shinigami, that depends on young Master Tsuna's choice." Urahara Kisuke had most of his face hidden behind his folding fan, only a pair of narrow eyes visible.

Urahara Kisuke's implication was that Shinigami allowed for greater expression of individual traits, while Quincy followed a set inherited path of training. If Tsuna wanted to tap into his own potential, he'd most likely choose the power of a Shinigami.

Regarding Urahara's introduction, Ryuuken didn't refute it. He himself disliked the Quincy profession. If not for the immense debt of gratitude he owed Tsuna, he would never have agreed to teach Tsuna Quincy abilities.

Tsuna naturally understood the meaning behind Urahara's words, but he had already made his choice in his heart. Missing this opportunity with Ryuuken would be hard to come by again. As for the Shinigami side, both Urahara and Isshin could serve as Tsuna's backup options.

"Urahara Shopkeeper, thank you for your kindness. I'd like to try training in Quincy powers with Uncle Ryuuken first. If I really have no talent, I can come to you then." Tsuna said with a chuckle.

"Respecting young Master Tsuna's choice. The Urahara Shop is always welcome to your visit. I think we still have business to discuss." Urahara snapped his folding fan shut as he spoke.

Ishida Ryuuken called for an ambulance from his hospital to send the two post-surgery patients back to the Ishida residence. Tsuna's training schedule was temporarily put on hold, to begin once the weather cleared up.

Two days later, on a sunny day at the Ishida Residence, Tsuna rang the doorbell. The one who opened the door was Ishida Uryū, whom he had met once before.

"May I help you?" Uryū asked timidly. The dejected look was gone from his face; his mother Hae's condition was gradually improving, and Uryū had been staying with her during the break.

"I'm here to see Uncle Ryuuken. I made an appointment with him—he's going to teach me Quincy training methods." Tsuna said openly. Since he'd be visiting the Ishida house frequently from now on, there was no point hiding it.

Tsuna's words struck a nerve with Uryū. Uryū knew full well that his father hated Quincy the most. He had once asked his father to teach him Quincy abilities, only to be met with a harsh refusal.

In fact, Ryuuken had never taught Uryū anything about Quincy powers. So why was Ryuuken now willing to teach an outsider to become a Quincy?

Uryū's young mind was filled with confusion. He decided to take Tsuna to see his father. "Follow me."

Under Uryū's lead, Tsuna arrived once again at Ryuuken's bedroom. Ryuuken was feeding Hae her medicine. Seeing Tsuna arrive, Hae smiled and waved at him.

"How are you feeling, Aunt Hae?" Tsuna greeted her in return.

"Thanks to you, little Tsuna. Ryuuken said I'll be able to get out of bed in two days." Hae replied.

While Tsuna exchanged greetings with Hae, Uryū reported Tsuna's arrival to Ryuuken.

"Father, he says he's here to learn to become a Quincy."

"I understand. You may leave." Ryuuken's voice was as cold as ever.

"Father!" Uryū mustered the courage to call out to Ryuuken, then his voice turned timid again. "Can I learn too? I'll work hard!"

Uryū's words earned him Ryuuken's first real look. After staring at Uryū for a long moment, Ryuuken said, "You don't have the talent."

"Then why can he? He's an outsider—does he have talent?" Uryū pointed at Tsuna and demanded.

"Whether he has talent or not remains to be seen. There's no need for you to waste time on mere Quincy. You can do anything you're interested in—except being a Quincy!" Ryuuken's tone grew heavier by two degrees.

"Why? I am interested in Quincy! Ever since I was little, you've never looked at me properly. Only Grandpa was willing to teach me training!" Uryū, drawing courage from somewhere unknown, shouted back at Ryuuken for the first time.

"Grandpa was killed by those monsters! Have you never thought about avenging him? If you won't do it, then I will. I'll become a Quincy and kill all those monsters!"

Uryū's eyes were reddening. In his memory, his grandfather had been surrounded and killed by Hollows. If he had had power back then, maybe he could have saved the grandfather who had always been kind to him since childhood.

Uryū didn't see the flicker of emotion that passed through Ryuuken's eyes. It was impossible to be completely unmoved by his father's death. But what killed his father were Hollows—and how could Hollows ever be completely wiped out?

This was the first time Ryuuken realized how deeply Sōken's death had affected Uryū. Yet he still didn't want Uryū to walk the path of a Quincy—whether because of Ryuuken's own disgust for Quincy, or the Auswählen that had just occurred.

"Alright, Uncle. Teaching one is the same as teaching two. Bring Uryū along too." Tsuna spoke up at the right moment, then introduced himself to Uryū: "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. Looks like we'll be classmates from now on."

"Hello, I'm Ishida Uryū." Uryū quickly shook Tsuna's hand in reply.

"But..."

Before Ryuuken could finish, Tsuna continued, "Uryū, have you already started Quincy training? Can you show me what you've learned?"

"Of course." Ishida Uryū said confidently. He focused all his effort on controlling every bit of Reishi he could manage. A long arrow gradually formed—a Reishi light arrow used by Quincy in battle.

Seeing this, Ryuuken's mind shook violently. He had originally been worried about the Auswählen and wanted to oppose Uryū's request to train. But Tsuna's act of guiding Uryū to use this power completely shattered Ryuuken's concerns.

In Ryuuken's view, Uryū was also a mixed-blood Quincy. The reason Uryū had escaped the Auswählen was that he had no Quincy power at all. But now, seeing Uryū able to barely form a Reishi arrow—no matter how weak—it was unmistakably Quincy power.

Yet Ishida Uryū, who had already begun to possess Quincy power, had actually escaped the Progenitor of the Quincy's Auswählen. Why was that?

Ryuuken's gaze toward Tsuna was full of questioning, but Tsuna acted as if he hadn't noticed Ryuuken's look at all. He turned to Hae, who was in bed, and asked, "Aunt Hae, Uryū is growing up too. He needs power to protect himself, doesn't he? Let him train with me."

Hae could naturally read Ryuuken's expression. She also saw that Ryuuken was already showing signs of relenting, so she gave him an out. "Ryuuken, let Uryū learn along with him."

"Fine. But if you can't keep up, you'll have to quit." Ryuuken warned Uryū once more.

"Yes, Father! I'll definitely work hard!" Uryū said excitedly. This was the first time his father had allowed him to openly train as a Quincy. Uryū was brimming with motivation.

At the hill behind the Ishida Residence, Ryuuken had designated this as their temporary training ground.

Ryuuken took two short bows from his backpack and handed them to Tsuna and Uryū. "You both know that a Quincy's primary combat ability is archery. Before learning the Spirit Bow and Arrows, you must first master basic archery skills."

"Use this bow. Pick any tree as your target. Let me see your current level." Ryuuken said.

Uryū gripped his bow with excitement. He had trained under his grandfather Sōken since childhood, and he had long mastered the use of short bows like this one, which required little strength.

Uryū drew three arrows. With three swift shots in succession, he struck the same tree, the arrows forming a triangular pattern—a clear demonstration of his current archery skill.

Yet before Uryū could feel proud, three arrows precisely embedded themselves next to his own. It was Tsuna. After Uryū had fired, Tsuna immediately loosed his arrows, each one landing at an identical interval from Uryū's shots.

"Uncle Ryūken, I've mastered this basic archery too. Let's start the real lessons directly," Tsuna said. With G's Bow and Arrow, he had long since grasped the art of shooting.

"Fine." Ryūken wasted no words. "The fundamental power of a Quincy lies in controlling Reishi. By manipulating Reishi, you form different combat techniques. Among them, the Spirit Bow and Arrows fires Reishi arrows, and Hirenkyaku is the advanced footwork that pairs with it..."

"In short, to learn the abilities of a Quincy, everything begins with Reishi control. You can both already sense the presence of Reishi. Follow my lead."

Ryūken had no intention of teaching Tsuna and Uryū step by step. He simply demonstrated his own technique for controlling Reishi. If the two couldn't keep up, he'd have an excuse to end this Quincy training he disliked.

And so, Tsuna spent the entire summer break at the Ishida Residence. Ryūken had them form specific patterns with Reishi to sharpen their control, requiring them to complete one pattern each day. If they failed, he would halt the training for the day.

Under Ryūken's regimen, Tsuna and Uryū improved rapidly. Soon, they could each condense a preliminary Spirit Bow from Reishi. All that remained was to use the Spirit Bow and Arrows to slay a Hollow, and they would officially become Quincies.

Only Tsuna's Spirit Bow prototype turned out somewhat different from what he had originally envisioned.