13th Division's Call for Help

"Tsuna, something's happened!"

The speaker was Kugo Ginjo. He had been following Ukitake around these past few days, and through this close contact, he had gradually come to appreciate Ukitake's kind-hearted nature. Sure enough, as soon as Ukitake got into trouble, Ginjo helped find reinforcements.

"What's the rush?" Tsuna sensed something was off about Ginjo's tone.

"Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku are locked in a fierce battle with the captain of the 10th Division. Both of them have been severely injured by the 10th Division 10th Division are currently unable to defeat that white-haired brat." Ginjo quickly explained the current situation.

"Can't take him down? Two captains should be able to easily take down Hachi, right? If you can't, why don't you go up and help out?" Tsuna said.

Kugo Ginjo has Captain-level strength. If he and Ukitake were to fight together, young Toshiro would have no chance against the three of them.

"You're kidding, how could those two old foxes be no match for them? It's just that the 10th Division attacked like a madman, even breaking free from the Bakudo set up by the two captains. Ukitake were afraid of hurting the 10th Division, so they kept fighting back." Ginjo explained the reason.

"Crazy? Controlled?"

That makes sense. A captain like Hitsugaya, who values rules so much, wouldn't easily fight with other captains. The only explanation is that he was being controlled by someone.

"Ukitake analyzed that he might be under Illusion. Didn't you use Illusion on Ukitake before? He asked me to see if you could help," Ginjo said.

"Illusion! Hiss~" Tsuna gasped. There weren't many Bleach with Illusion abilities; each one was incredibly powerful, especially that big shot. "Where are you now?"

"The location? I don't know either. It should be the Central 46 nearby, right?" Ginjo wasn't familiar with the area. "Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku said they were going to the 40th Chamber, so we outsiders had to wait on the nearby streets. We ended up seeing those two being beaten up by that guy from the 10th Division."

"No, Ginjo, they weren't being suppressed. They deliberately headed in our direction to contact Sawada-sensei," Tsukishima added.

With so many directions around Room 146, why did Ukitake end up attacking Ginjo's side? The only explanation is that Ukitake remembered Tsuna's Illusion ability and, together with Kyōraku, lured Toshiro Ginjo his group were.

"I understand, I'll be right there." Tsuna turned to Ichigo and said, "Ichigo, go train with Renji and Uryū, I have to go out for a bit."

"Are you alright? Do you need any help?" Ichigo asked.

"Don't worry, it's not your turn to step in yet, Mr. Yoruichi. Please take me there."

Tsuna had to call Yoruichi. He knew exactly where the Central 46 was, and it would be much more efficient to have Yoruichi lead the way through some secluded paths than to rely on his spiritual energy to force his way through.

"I heard everything, let's go," Yoruichi replied.

"Shunsui, Ginjo and the others have already notified everyone," Ukitake said to Shunsui Kyōraku while keeping a watchful eye on Toshiro, holding the Sogyo no Kotowari.

"Hopefully it will work, Illusion..." Kyōraku hadn't finished speaking when Toshiro unleashed a barrage of ice flowers at him, forcing Kyōraku to unleash two wind blades. "Fūryū Kōkotsu."

Kyōraku and Ukitake had been locked in a stalemate with Toshiro for quite some time, and they had to pay the price of two extra wounds to bring Toshiro to Ginjo.

Originally, after hearing Tsuna's reminder, Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake specifically investigated the events that occurred after the Soul Society's Ryoka invasion, especially the dead captain, Sosuke Aizen.

After some investigation, and considering the words spoken during the performance, the two brothers finally suspected that Tsuna and his companions' adversary was hiding in the Seireitei. Besides the various nobles, the only other place in the Seireitei where people could hide was the Central 46, which was inaccessible except during the trial period.

In addition, the orders from the Central 46 during this period were somewhat strange, which forced Kyōraku and Ukitake to also consider the Central 46 as a suspect.

The investigations by various nobles have been initiated by Ukitake and Kyōraku, who have already assigned their respective Vice-Captain to conduct the investigations. Meanwhile, the two captains themselves are preparing to visit the Central 46.

When the two of them arrived at the Central 46, they both sensed a conspiracy. It was too quiet. The Central 46 was a place of strict hierarchy. In order to reflect the power and status of the noble lords, there should be servants serving them here. But there was no one around. Kyōraku and Ukitake could not see any living creatures at all.

Kyōraku and Ukitake exchanged a glance and simultaneously placed their hands on their Zanpakuto.

They slowly pushed open the door to Central 46. The room was pitch black, and they could see nothing except for glimpses of things through the light streaming in through the door.

The two looked inside, following the light from the doorway, and at the end of the path of light stood a very familiar figure: white-haired, carrying a sword on his Toshiro Hitsugaya.

Just as Kyōraku was about to ask Toshiro why he was in the Central 46, a voice without any murderous intent reached his ears.

"Whisper, Haineko."

Kyōraku instinctively tried to draw his sword, but it was too late. A patch of gray sand appeared in front of him, seemingly about to engulf him.

Suddenly, a force came from behind, Kyōraku bent back like a ripe shrimp, while he also drew his twin swords and slashed at the gray sand.

A flash of sparks, and the sand missed Kyōraku's chest, but the hasty strike was still unable to block the entire attack, leaving Kyōraku's forearm with numerous cuts from the sand.

Compared to Kyōraku, who was more focused on the interior of the Central 46, Ukitake was more attentive to the surrounding environment. He realized it was a trap earlier than Kyōraku, and it was thanks to his cooperation that Kyōraku was not instantly severely injured by the ash sand.

However, with Ukitake helping him, his own weakness was exposed. Because he was holding Kyōraku back, he couldn't draw his sword immediately, while the white-haired brat at the end of the path of light had already charged towards Ukitake with his sword.

A flash of light appeared, Ukitake's shoulder was instantly ripped open with a wound the length of a forearm. Kyōraku quickly swung his sword to stop Toshiro's next attack.

Because of this disturbance, Kyōraku and Ukitake had to leave the area of Central 46. The door of Central 46 slowly closed, and Toshiro Hitsugaya and his Vice-Captain Rangiku blocked Kyōraku and Ukitake's way.

The person who ambushed them in the darkness was Rangiku. Her Haineko was even harder to spot in the dark, which gave her the opportunity. After one round of fighting, Kyōraku and Ukitake were both injured.

"Captain Hitsugaya, Vice-Captain Matsumoto, why are you here?" Kyōraku immediately questioned.

Toshiro and Rangiku showed no intention of replying to Kyōraku. They were furious and attacked the two with their Zanpakuto. Kyōraku even activated the Shikai of Hyōrinmaru Toshiro, releasing an ice dragon to attack.

Faced with the unreasonable Toshiro, Kyōraku and Ukitake both Shikai their Zanpakuto.

"The winds of flowers are in disarray, the goddess of flowers weeps! The winds of heaven are in disarray, the demons of heaven sneer! The Katen Kyōkotsu!"

"All flowing waves become my shield, all lightning bolts become my blade; Sōgyo no Kotowari!"

Ukitake stood beside Kyōraku, raising his left Zanpakuto towards the ice dragon. Soon, Ukitake absorbed all the ice dragons released by Toshiro. Toshiro showed no sign of stopping there, and hurled another ice dragon at Ukitake.

Ukitake quickly raised his Zanpakuto in his right hand, unleashing another ice dragon. The two collided in the center, forming a giant ice sculpture.

This is Ukitake's Zanpakuto, Sogyo no Kotowari. The left-hand sword is for absorbing power, and the right-hand sword is for releasing power. The hilts of the two swords are linked by a Chains necklace, and there are five plaques on the Chains that can adjust the strength and speed of the absorbed energy.

Ukitake is facing off against Toshiro, while Kyōraku is naturally tasked with dealing with Rangiku. Rangiku, who only has the strength of Vice-Captain, is no match for Kyōraku.

However, Kyōraku had no intention of defeating Rangiku immediately. He had just noticed that the two members of the 10th Division were acting strangely, and he wanted to take this opportunity to observe them carefully.

Kyōraku glanced in Ukitake's direction and noticed Ukitake's effortless demeanor. Tsuna's image flashed through his mind. Thanks to the prosthetic lungs that Tsuna made for Ukitake, Ukitake was no longer constrained by his physical defects and could freely exert his strength.

Kyōraku withdrew his gaze and focused entirely on his fight with Rangiku. He kept trying to probe Rangiku with words, but no matter what he said, Rangiku seemed not to hear anything and gave no response.

After several rounds, Kyōraku noticed something was wrong. Rangiku's face was full of anger, but her pupils were lifeless, as if she had lost her own consciousness.

Having made a gain, Kyōraku quickly retreated towards Ukitake's location. Ukitake, as if by telepathy, came to Kyōraku's side, and the two exchanged information while fighting the captain and Vice-Captain of the 10th Division.

"Shunsui, what problem have you discovered?"

"Their eyes were lifeless, they might be being controlled. No matter how much we called out to them, they didn't respond and only knew how to attack us," Kyōraku shared.

"Then what should we do? Injure them?" Injuring the opponent to the point of immobility is one method.

"Let's give it a try," Kyōraku said.

The two immediately coordinated their actions. Ukitake used his Sogyo no Kotowari to catch the Swarm of Birds Ice Pillars released by Toshiro, while Kyōraku and Ukitake quickly switched positions. Kyōraku took Toshiro's attack, while Ukitake converted the power of the Swarm of Birds Ice Pillars into speed and attacked Rangiku.

Faced with the speed boost from the Swarm of Birds Ice Pillars, Rangiku couldn't dodge them all; her shoulder and abdomen were inevitably pierced by the ice pillars. Even so, Rangiku continued her attack on Ukitake as if she were completely oblivious.

"This is troublesome; their injuries won't wake them up," Ukitake said.

"Then we'll have to trap them! Ukitake, coordinate with me!" Kyōraku immediately swung his two Zanpakuto, each unleashing a Zanpakuto wind blade towards Rangiku and Toshiro. "Fūryū Kōkotsu."

"Bakudo Thirty: Beak-Piercing Triple Flash; Bakudo Sixty-One: Six-Rod Light Restraint"

Ukitake unleashed two Bakudo in quick succession, his Beak-Piercing Triple Flash to Rangiku to the ground, while Six-Rod Light Restraint Toshiro in the sky.

Rangiku's arms and waist were bound, rendering her unable to move. Toshiro, on the other hand, was different. The Six-Rod Light Restraint only bound his waist, and he seemed to feel nothing as he continued to unleash ice dragon attacks on Kyōraku and the other two.

Kyōraku and his companion didn't expect these two Bakudo to end the battle. To restrain the two, they would need even stronger Bakudo. Kyōraku completely ignored Toshiro's attacks and muttered incantations.

After unleashing two Kido, Ukitake stepped in front of Kyōraku to block Toshiro's Ice Dragon.

Looking at the spirited Jūshirō Ukitake in front of him, Kyōraku's face showed a nostalgic smile. He didn't know how long it had been since the two brothers had cooperated like this. With Jūshirō Ukitake in good health, he was completely at ease, and Kyōraku devoted himself to chanting.

"A wall of Iron Sand, a pagoda shaped like a monk, gleaming iron, serene and ultimately silent!"