Kotetsu Isane smiled at Ichigo and Rukia. "Just rest a little longer, and you'll be fine. Rukia's recovering quickly."
Ichigo nodded. Kotetsu Isane didn't want to be a third wheel, so she left the room.
Ichigo looked at Rukia and said, "Don't worry, just focus on your recovery. I'll bring Byakuya back."
"Mm, I'll be good." Rukia's voice softened in a way she rarely showed.
Before Ichigo could say anything more, Ikkaku suddenly knocked on the door. "Ichigo, Rukia, may I come in?"
"Ah, come in," Ichigo replied, sitting up quickly. He looked at Ikkaku, puzzled. "What's up, Ikkaku? You here to visit Rukia?"
Ikkaku shook his head. "No, Kurosaki Ichigo, I'm here for you."
"Me?" Ichigo pointed at himself, surprised.
"That's right. I heard you reclaimed your Zanpakutō. I want your help to find mine!" Ikkaku rested his Asauchi on his shoulder.
"Got it. No problem!" Ichigo had no reason to refuse—he was going out to find Byakuya anyway.
Meanwhile, Omaeda Marechiyo was also searching... well, under Soi Fon's orders.
But of course, wandering the Seireitei at night was bound to lead to encounters with trouble.
Sure enough, Omaeda ran right into his Zanpakutō, Gonryōmaru, and Ikkaku's Zanpakutō, Hōzukimaru!
To Omaeda's shock, his Zanpakutō, Gonryōmaru, had turned against him... because of differing aesthetic tastes!
That alone left Omaeda completely dumbfounded.
But just as he prepared to fight his Zanpakutō, a rock flew out of nowhere and smacked him away.
Of course... that rock came from Ichigo.
"Ah? Did I just hit someone with that rock?" Ichigo asked curiously.
"Did you?" Ikkaku, who was following behind Ichigo, replied.
"Ah, whatever. Look—there's your Zanpakutō!" Ichigo pointed to a burly man with orange hair rushing toward them, holding a long spear.
Clang!
Ikkaku blocked the attack and grinned. "So it really is Hōzukimaru!"
"Hmph, figured it out? That's right—I'm your Zanpakutō, Hōzukimaru!" Hōzukimaru said as he increased the pressure, sending Ikkaku flying with a headbutt!
"Wait... you actually have hair?!" Ikkaku blurted out in shock.
"What the hell, man!" Hōzukimaru muttered, utterly speechless.
Then, right in front of Ichigo and the stunned Gonryōmaru, the two broke into an absurdly synchronized dance, leaving both onlookers completely speechless.
Ichigo smacked his forehead. "Damn it... I knew I shouldn't have brought this idiot along!"
Seizing the chance, Gonryōmaru quietly slipped away. Feeling Ichigo's terrifying Reiatsu, he didn't dare stick around—he knew he'd get crushed if he lingered!
Meanwhile, Ikkaku, feeling quite pleased with himself, laughed. "Heh, as expected of my Zanpakutō! That dance was perfect!"
Hōzukimaru sneered at Ikkaku. "Yeah, I'm lucky I ran into you so quickly."
Ikkaku stared at Hōzukimaru. "So... are you coming back with me?"
Hōzukimaru smirked. "Why don't you try me?"
Elsewhere, Gonryōmaru, seemingly under Muramasa's command, inexplicably circled back and prepared to attack Ichigo from behind, flinging his chained meteor hammer at him in an attempt to knock him out.
Facing such a suicidal opponent, Ichigo had no choice but to handle him the hard way—so he struck him down without hesitation.
Meanwhile, the battle between Ikkaku and Hōzukimaru escalated.
Ikkaku launched into a ferocious offensive, raining down blows like a storm.
Surprisingly, the rugged-looking Hōzukimaru adopted a defensive stance, analyzing Ikkaku's moves and patterns in the midst of battle.
Though Ikkaku's attacks managed to leave a few cuts on Hōzukimaru, they weren't enough to slow him down.
"Now's my chance!" Hōzukimaru seized a gap in Ikkaku's assault and hurled his spear straight at Ikkaku's head. If that hit, Ikkaku would've been sent flying into the sky!
But Ikkaku wasn't blindly attacking—he tilted his head slightly, narrowly dodging the strike.
Yet, Hōzukimaru wasn't just a spear—he was also a three-section staff!
Clack clack!
With two clicks, the weapon split into segments, spinning back toward Ikkaku's head via the chains.
But again—same story, different move—Ikkaku simply crouched, dodging the fatal strike!
The two clashed without holding anything back, their fight fierce and chaotic!
"Hey, Hōzukimaru, why did you betray me?" Ikkaku asked, confused.
"Betray? You call this betrayal?" Hōzukimaru retracted his segmented staff, reforming it into a spear and pointing it at Ikkaku. "It's not me who betrayed you—it's you who betrayed me!"
"As your Zanpakutō, I naturally want you to use my power in battle! But what have you done? Why won't you use your Bankai?! Why?!"
Hōzukimaru's resentment toward Ikkaku wasn't new—it had been building for decades. Aside from training, Ikkaku had never used his Bankai in actual combat!
"If that's how it is, then I'll use it myself! Bankai—Ryūmon Hōzukimaru!"
As Hōzukimaru's Reiatsu surged, three massive blades descended from the sky, fusing into Hōzukimaru's form!
Admittedly... it was probably the weakest Bankai out there.
It lacked offensive power, was incredibly fragile, and even if it could be repaired, its strength would be severely diminished.
This was likely the real reason Ikkaku avoided using his Bankai in combat.
You could fix a damaged Shikai, but a broken Bankai? That was permanent!
Meanwhile, Ichigo dealt with Gonryōmaru in one effortless swing—his Getsuga Tenshō shattered Gonryōmaru's meteor hammer, knocking him out cold on the ground.
As Ichigo finished up, a black figure crashed behind him, smashing the steps to pieces.
It was Ikkaku!
Without knowing any Kidō, Ikkaku couldn't match the overwhelming force of Ryūmon Hōzukimaru.
That was the price of being a one-trick pony!
"Cough, cough!" Ikkaku coughed, clearly showing that Hōzukimaru hadn't held back. The fact that Ikkaku was still conscious spoke volumes about his resilience!
"Ichigo, don't step in. Let me handle this myself!" Ikkaku struggled to his feet, gripping his Asauchi.
But Ryūmon Hōzukimaru, completely unscathed, approached with a smirk. "What's wrong? Can't keep up?"
Ikkaku, swaying unsteadily, stubbornly declared, "It's not over yet!"
Before he could charge again, more people arrived—Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō!
And not just them—Soi Fon and her stealth force appeared too!
"Hmph..." Ryūmon Hōzukimaru narrowed his eyes.
"Be careful! My Zanpakutō is in its Bankai state!" Ikkaku warned, no longer hiding his trump card.
But it was too late—Hōzukimaru slammed his massive axe into the ground, releasing a blast of powerful Reiatsu that sent the stealth force flying!
Then he bolted—he wasn't stupid enough to stick around.
After all, besides Ichigo, there were two captains with over a century of combat experience and a master of Hakuda!
He wasn't about to get caught like that!
"Escaped, huh?" Ukitake watched Hōzukimaru vanish.
"But we did capture Gonryōmaru!" Kyōraku grinned.
"What about that other Zanpakutō?" Ukitake asked.
Soi Fon smirked. "No problem—Ichigo's chasing after him. Even if Hōzukimaru's in Bankai, he's no match for Ichigo."
Hearing this, Ukitake nodded. True—Ichigo's current combat power was the highest in the Gotei 13!
Unless Unohana started cutting loose, no one could surpass Ichigo now.
Ichigo, meanwhile, was already tailing Hōzukimaru like a cat toying with a mouse.
But what surprised Ichigo was that, in front of Hōzukimaru, cherry blossoms began to bloom!
Ichigo swung Zangetsu, dispersing the petals instantly.
No one else might know what that meant—but he did.
"This is... Senbonzakura!"
Ichigo's eyes widened as he looked around, spotting Byakuya standing on a nearby rooftop!
"Byakuya?!"
But before Ichigo could react, Senbonzakura vanished along with Hōzukimaru, as if they'd only come to ambush him.
Byakuya disappeared in an instant too.
"Wait! Byakuya!" Ichigo shouted, chasing after him.
As for whether it was a trap waiting for him ahead?
Sorry, Ichigo thought, it wasn't them ambushing him—he was the one surrounding them.
As he passed through a grove, a pink ribbon shot toward his neck—Ichigo caught it with one hand.
With a tug, a small girl in a kimono appeared before him.
It was Tobiume—Hinamori Momo's Zanpakutō!
But she wasn't alone. A tall, curvy woman with striking features also appeared.
No need to guess—this was Haineko, Matsumoto Rangiku's Zanpakutō!
"It really is Kurosaki Ichigo!" Tobiume's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Ichigo let go of the ribbon, looking at the two female Zanpakutō with a confused expression.
"Hmph, what luck! Kurosaki Ichigo just walked right into my hands! It's fate—I'll make a name for myself with Muramasa-sama!" Haineko declared, practically swooning.
Ichigo was speechless. Were all Zanpakutō like this?
Two Shikai-level Zanpakutō, not even wielding Bankai, fighting over who would claim him?
Ichigo: ???
You're braver than Aizen Sōsuke!
Unable to outtalk Tobiume, Haineko took the initiative—she transformed into ash and surrounded Ichigo.
But for Ichigo, this was child's play.
With a casual swing of his sword, his powerful Reiatsu dispersed Haineko's ash completely!
Tobiume sighed and closed her eyes. "Give it up. This is basically giving Ichigo a backrub."
"Oh? What's this? Can't match my figure, so you're trying to win with words?" Haineko taunted viciously.
"Who are you calling flat-chested?!" Tobiume snapped, clutching her chest and glaring at Haineko.
Haineko sneered. "You're just jealous of my figure!"
Tobiume flushed red with anger. "You perverted woman! There's nothing but air in that head of yours!"
"What? Got a problem with me?"
"Who's the one with a problem here?!"
The two Zanpakutō bickered right in front of Ichigo!
Ichigo raised his hands helplessly, muttering, "What even is this...?"
They didn't seem to care about him at all.
"Alright then! Whoever takes him down first wins the match, okay?"
"Hmph, I agree with your attitude—but that's a deal!"
"Attitude? It's obviously my power that'll win!"
(End of Chapter)
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