"Is the Captain all right?"
"How could he be?"
Ikkaku looked deeply troubled.
"That was our Lieutenant."
That pink-haired little brat who was always bullying him and calling him "Little Baldy" had actually disappeared.
Could anyone believe it?
It was Ikkaku and Yumichika who stopped the other members of the Eleventh Division from going over to check on their Captain.
Although Zaraki wasn't exactly affectionate toward Yachiru, everyone had seen how much he cared about her.
Now that Yachiru had disappeared, Ikkaku and Yumichika were afraid that if the Division members rashly approached Zaraki to comfort him, their enraged Captain might casually cut them down.
Zaraki had received no response from Yachiru.
He seemed to have realized something.
He stared blankly at Nozarashi, apparently lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
Tsunayoshi's voice came from behind him.
"When did someone like Kenpachi Zaraki ever have the luxury of holding a grudge?"
Tsunayoshi's words brought Zaraki back to his senses.
His hand tightened around Nozarashi.
If there was even a single thing Tsunayoshi said that he didn't agree with, he was fully prepared to swing Nozarashi at him.
"What you should be doing isn't mourning here."
Tsunayoshi pointed at Nozarashi.
"You need to find a quiet room as soon as possible and communicate with your Zanpakutō."
"In other words, you need to practice Zanjutsu meditation."
Tsunayoshi continued.
"You've probably already figured out that Yachiru Kusajishi is your Zanpakutō Spirit."
"Rukongai could no longer satisfy your desire for battle, so you separated Yachiru from yourself. That's why she took the form of that little girl."
"Now that Yachiru has disappeared, she has merely returned to your Zanpakutō."
"She hasn't disappeared."
"You can still meet her through Zanjutsu meditation."
After hearing Tsunayoshi's explanation, Zaraki immediately turned toward the wall.
He intended to retrieve the things Yachiru had left behind and then find somewhere quiet to practice Zanjutsu meditation.
"Wait."
Tsunayoshi stopped him.
"Would simply being able to see Yachiru again really be enough for you?"
Zaraki turned around.
His expression remained blank, but his eyes were filled with confusion.
"Try to make the power of your Zanpakutō truly yours."
"For most Shinigami, the most difficult step toward mastering Beyond Bankai is obtaining the recognition and cooperation of their Zanpakutō Spirit."
"You don't have that problem."
"Your Zanpakutō Spirit's approval of you is undoubtedly at its maximum."
"Yachiru wouldn't do anything to make things difficult for you."
"So, for you, mastering Beyond Bankai should be completely unobstructed."
"All you need to do is follow your Zanpakutō Spirit's guidance and properly learn how to wield the power contained within your Zanpakutō."
"Once you've mastered Beyond Bankai and completely taken control of your own power, what's stopping you from seeing Yachiru whenever you want?"
It was temptation.
Pure and absolute temptation.
Those words struck Zaraki particularly hard.
If he could see Yachiru again, he was willing to do anything.
Seeing Zaraki's obvious interest, Tsunayoshi struck while the iron was hot.
"Think about Urahara."
"Doesn't he frequently summon Benihime to help him?"
"He has completely mastered Benihime's power."
"Zanjutsu meditation, right?"
Zaraki nodded.
"I'll do it!"
He sounded confident, but deep down, he wasn't so sure.
It wasn't as though he had never tried calling out the name of his Zanpakutō before.
His Zanpakutō had simply never responded.
This time... will you answer me?
Nozarashi... or Yachiru?
Zaraki turned and walked away.
At this moment, he didn't want to think about anything else.
He only wanted to find somewhere quiet and begin practicing Zanjutsu meditation.
Watching Zaraki's retreating back, Unohana suddenly asked Tsunayoshi:
"If I remember correctly, there's a little girl beside Kisuke Urahara."
"Doesn't her Zanpakutō, Muramasa, have the ability to directly materialize Zanpakutō Spirits?"
The remark suddenly enlightened Tsunayoshi.
He slapped his palm.
"Right!"
"I almost forgot about Ururu."
"Never mind. It won't hurt Zaraki to practice Zanjutsu meditation a little more."
Zaraki's back had already disappeared from sight.
After finding a suitable training area, he picked up the clothes Yachiru had left behind and vanished with Shunpo.
Tsunayoshi waved toward Ikkaku and called the two of them over.
"Mr. Tsunayoshi, did you need something?"
Ikkaku asked respectfully.
"Once you've finished dealing with your Division's affairs, go find Kisuke Urahara."
"Ask to borrow Ururu."
"More precisely, borrow her Zanpakutō."
"Have Muramasa try to see whether it can materialize Yachiru."
Ikkaku and Yumichika immediately broke into delighted smiles.
It seemed like a pretty good solution.
Yachiru could simply be materialized whenever there was nothing going on and continue serving as their Lieutenant.
Whenever Zaraki needed her power, she could return to his Zanpakutō and Bankai.
With Muramasa's ability, the seemingly impossible dilemma could be solved.
"However, you two should be mentally prepared."
Tsunayoshi warned them.
"The Yachiru summoned by Muramasa may not be the Yachiru you're imagining."
If Tsunayoshi remembered correctly, there was a theory that Zaraki's Zanpakutō Spirit was actually an adult woman.
The childlike Yachiru was merely the result of Zaraki sealing away a portion of his own power.
If that deduction was correct, then even if Zaraki successfully entered Zanjutsu meditation, the Yachiru he encountered in his Inner World would be an adult Yachiru.
"Wouldn't Lieutenant Yachiru recognize us?"
Yumichika asked.
"Yachiru should recognize you."
Tsunayoshi paused.
"But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll recognize her."
He didn't explain further.
This was merely his speculation and hadn't been definitively confirmed in the manga.
"Then it's fine."
Yumichika patted his chest confidently.
"With Lieutenant's personality, she'd probably play some prank on us. It wouldn't take long for us to figure out who she is."
Ikkaku nodded in agreement.
Just as the two were preparing to leave and tell Zaraki the good news, a ball of light condensed nearby.
Kuruyashiki appeared.
"Ayasegawa Yumichika, if possible, come with me to see Captain-Commander Kyōraku."
Tsunayoshi glanced at Kuruyashiki.
He figured Kuruyashiki was probably planning to voluntarily hand over his weakness to Kyōraku.
Ikkaku and Yumichika, however, had no idea what Kuruyashiki's purpose was.
They had absolutely no goodwill toward this so-called Eighth Kenpachi, the man responsible for Yachiru's disappearance.
"I haven't received any orders from the Captain-Commander."
Yumichika and Ikkaku's hands were already on their Zanpakutō.
"What exactly are you planning?"
"Yumichika's Ruri'iro Kujaku is your natural enemy."
Kuruyashiki explained.
"Taking you to see Big Brother Kyōraku is probably so that I can explain that matter."
Tsunayoshi couldn't stand watching Kuruyashiki struggle to explain himself.
He stepped in.
"Your natural enemy!"
Ikkaku and Yumichika became even more vigilant.
Normally, when someone discovered their natural enemy, the first instinct would be either to run away or kill them.
Who would voluntarily accompany their natural enemy somewhere?
"Don't be nervous."
Kuruyashiki tried to reassure them.
"I have no intention of harming you."
Tsunayoshi immediately thought:
That explanation was somehow even worse.
Kuruyashiki might as well have simply abducted Yumichika and taken him straight to the First Division.
"No!"
Ikkaku immediately stepped forward.
"If Yumichika's going, I'm going too!"
Brothers for life.
No matter what happened, Ikkaku would face it together with Yumichika.
"I'll go with you."
Unohana stepped forward just as Kuruyashiki hesitated over how to convince them.
Unohana's authority was unquestionable.
Her presence immediately put Ikkaku and Yumichika at ease.
Tsunayoshi watched the four of them leave.
He began considering what he should do next.
His phone suddenly rang.
It wasn't the one used within the Seireitei.
This was a special device capable of connecting to the Human World, and there were extremely few of them.
The moment he answered, Ichigo's frantic voice came through.
"Tsunayoshi, help! Yuzu—Yuzu's dying!"
"Ichigo, calm down!"
Tsunayoshi immediately became anxious as well.
"Tell me exactly what happened!"
He and Ichigo had grown up together.
Tsunayoshi had long since regarded Ichigo's sisters as his own.
The moment he heard that something had happened to Yuzu, he immediately sprinted toward the nearest Senkaimon.
The signal from Ichigo was suddenly cut off.
Perhaps the signal had been disrupted by the Kōtotsu while passing through the Dangai.
There was no time to worry about that.
He needed to return to the Human World first.
At the same time, an Onmitsukidō member appeared on one knee directly in Tsunayoshi's path.
He raised his head.
He was just about to call out, "Lord Sawada," when Tsunayoshi shouted at him.
"Move! I don't have time to play games with you!"
"Sir Sawada, I have come under the orders of Captain Soi Fon of the Second Division to inform you that a Gates of Hell has appeared in the Human World."
"Your companions have already been affected by the disturbance. Please proceed there immediately and provide assistance."
The Onmitsukidō member spoke so quickly that it sounded as though his mouth had an engine installed.
He rattled off the entire reason he had come to find Tsunayoshi.
A Gates of Hell?
Tsunayoshi slowed down slightly.
A few days ago, when he and Urahara's group had been discussing the Soul King's crisis, they had also talked about the Gates of Hell.
He hadn't expected Hell to come knocking so soon.
"Has the First Division been notified?"
"They have already dispatched a member to the First Division!"
As expected, Kyōraku should be receiving the same information as Tsunayoshi.
It seemed Kuruyashiki's plan to meet the Captain-Commander would have to be put on hold.
Between the Gates of Hell and Kuruyashiki, which was more important?
The answer was obvious.
Without asking anything else, Tsunayoshi immediately returned to the Human World through the nearest Senkaimon.
The moment he arrived, he sensed several powerful Reiatsu signatures above Karakura Town.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Jūshirō Ukitake.
Judging from their appearance, they hadn't rushed to the Human World as suddenly as Tsunayoshi had.
They had probably arrived much earlier.
Were they here on a mission?
"What brings the two of you here?"
Tsunayoshi appeared beside Hitsugaya and Ukitake while dialing Ichigo's number on his phone.
"Two days ago, the Gotei 13 received reports that a Gates of Hell had appeared in the Human World."
"Moreover, there were abnormalities surrounding it."
"So Captain Hitsugaya and I brought some people here to investigate."
Ukitake briefly explained the situation.
"But just now, the Gates of Hell suddenly went berserk again."
"And it injured Ichigo's family."
The phone continued to emit nothing but a busy tone.
Tsunayoshi was becoming so anxious that he felt like flames were about to erupt from his head.
Hearing Ukitake mention Ichigo's situation, he immediately asked:
"How are Ichigo and the others?"
"And where are they resting?"
Tsunayoshi realized that Ukitake might be able to provide useful information and hurriedly asked.
"Kurosaki Ichigo carried a little girl to Ishida Uryū's house."
Hitsugaya, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"I visited the former Captain-Commander before. I've seen her before."
"She's Kurosaki's sister."
That confirmed it.
Everything lined up.
Something really had happened to Ichigo's sister.
Tsunayoshi quickly thanked them and rushed toward Uryū's house, leaving successive sonic booms in the sky.
"I hope everything is all right with Ichigo."
Ukitake offered a brief prayer.
Then he turned toward Hitsugaya.
"Captain Hitsugaya, judging from the information we've gathered, there's a strong possibility that this is an invasion being orchestrated through the Gates of Hell."
"We need more reinforcements!"
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