West Rukongai.
Toushiro's mood was low today, his brows constantly furrowed, unable to relax.
Although the Spiritual Arts Academy was on holiday, a break should have been relaxing.
But the sudden problem with his Zanpakuto made it impossible for him to relax.
He couldn't even contact Hyōrinmaru anymore.
At this moment.
Toushiro sat in his courtyard, looking melancholic, a Zanpakuto resting on his lap, his eyes filled with dejection and anxiety.
Hinamori Momo saw his expression, looked puzzled, and quickly walked over.
She had never seen Toushiro look like this, and out of concern, she softly asked,
"What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?"
Upon hearing this, Toushiro slowly raised his head, a flicker of hesitation on his young face. In the end, he still recounted the existence of Hyōrinmaru.
Currently, Hinamori Momo was unaware of this matter; Toushiro had originally planned to surprise her.
That is, he intended to tell her after Hinamori Momo also learned the name of her Zanpakuto.
This approach would both avoid hurting her self-confidence and allow her to experience the joy of a double blessing.
But unexpectedly, before that day arrived, the situation changed…
Just as he was about to continue speaking.
Boom!
A deafening explosion suddenly roared in their ears.
The sound was like something incredibly vast, striking the air with immense force, creating a booming sound.
Toushiro and Hinamori Momo subconsciously turned their heads.
In an instant, a bone-chilling cold swept over them, as if the entire world had been covered in ice and snow, and what met their eyes was a gigantic ice-blue dragon.
This colossal dragon appeared extremely abruptly, as if it had instantly altered the surrounding scenery.
Just a single glance, even before they had a chance to examine it closely, caused their expressions to change immediately.
"What?!"
Toushiro's brows instantly furrowed, a hint of alert flashing in his eyes.
He quickly braced his hands on the ground, using the leverage to stand up abruptly, and in a single stride, he moved to Hinamori Momo's side, shielding her behind him.
He knew this place was close to Seireitei, and any creature that attacked would be captured, so he wasn't very worried.
Even if it was a dragon.
Unfortunately, Hinamori Momo's composure was far from Toushiro's.
"!"
Out of fear, Hinamori Momo instinctively took a step back.
The dragon's scales reflected the sunlight, appearing iridescent and extraordinarily majestic.
But in Hinamori Momo's eyes, they seemed to exude endless danger.
Instinctively, she bravely drew her Zanpakuto.
Whoosh!
—However, for a young girl, courage ultimately struggled to overcome primal fear.
Even as she exerted all her strength, trying to regulate her rapid and erratic breathing, her legs still trembled uncontrollably.
Her hands also shook along with them.
The colossal dragon slightly lifted its eyelids, its gaze calmly sweeping over Hinamori Momo, a hint of disappointment flashing between its brows as it gently shook its head:
"It's not her."
The immense power was about to continue speaking, but Toushiro suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, and without thinking too much, he preemptively asked loudly,
"Hyōrinmaru? Are you Hyōrinmaru?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing the voice, the colossal dragon slowly followed the sound with its gaze, and what met its eyes was the wary, silver-haired boy holding the hilt of his sword.
His posture was quite courageous, and there was no fear in his eyes as he met its gaze, as if he would draw his sword and strike without hesitation if it made the slightest move…
"Hmm."
The colossal dragon nodded, quite satisfied. At least this courage surpassed ordinary people, but his stature…
"I am indeed Hyōrinmaru, brat. Are you my master?"
The colossal dragon opened its massive maw, emitting a powerful and resonant voice, distinctly different from its voice in human form, carrying more majesty and dominance.
Due to its excessively enormous size, to avoid causing greater commotion…
Hyōrinmaru slowly vibrated its gigantic wings, and a faint spiritual glow emanated from its body.
Its body began to shrink rapidly, and under Toushiro's unwavering gaze, it gradually transformed into a human form.
Seeing this, Toushiro's expression grew even more serious:
"I'm not a brat, I… Alright, I am still young now, but I will definitely grow up one day."
"Hyōrinmaru, why are you here?"
He had been wondering why he couldn't contact Hyōrinmaru before; it turned out Hyōrinmaru had gone out.
The textbooks never taught any of this…
At this moment, Toushiro's mind was full of questions, urgently awaiting answers.
However, Hyōrinmaru merely responded to him:
"It's a long story, brat. Let's fight. Let me see if you truly have the qualifications to be my master."
"Although you know my name, I haven't fully acknowledged you, especially after what happened today…"
The battle with Yoriichi Tsugikuni made Hyōrinmaru realize that no matter how strong its own abilities were, they still needed a corresponding foundation for support.
If the master was too weak, affecting the Play of its abilities, it would be like a pearl covered in dust.
No Zanpakuto could accept such a situation.
Toushiro's expression changed, and his grip on the Zanpakuto unconsciously tightened even further.
He wasn't sure what specific 'thing' Hyōrinmaru was referring to, but he had a vague feeling that he had been tricked.
They had been getting along quite harmoniously before, but now suddenly there was a demand for a fight, and with the posture of testing a junior…
Toushiro's pressure intensified.
Hinamori Momo, listening to the conversation between the two, gradually came back to her senses.
One hand instinctively clutched Toushiro's sleeve, her palm slick with nervous perspiration.
After a moment of hesitation, she slightly furrowed her brows, looking at Toushiro, and quietly asked,
"Is this… your Zanpakuto?"
"Why is it outside?"
This was also what Toushiro wanted to ask; the textbooks didn't mention it at all.
However, existence implies reason.
Toushiro took a slight breath, turned his head to look at Hinamori Momo, and reassured her,
"It should be, but don't worry, I'll win."
"I'm sorry, Momo, for not telling you about this."
"I originally planned to tell you once you also learned the true name of your Zanpakuto…"
Before Toushiro could finish, Hyōrinmaru interrupted, "Brat, stop with the nonsense. Come on."
"Though I don't know who that girl is to you, she'll soon face the same situation as you."
"Instead of worrying about her, you should worry about yourself."
"…"
The amount of information in that sentence was considerable, causing both Toushiro and Hinamori Momo to fall silent.
The same situation?
Could it be that Momo's Zanpakuto was also about to materialize?
Unheard of! They thought it was an exception, but unexpectedly, it was about to become common…
Their breathing grew heavy; vaguely, they felt as if something big was about to happen.
…
Seireitei.
A few minutes ago.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni quietly watched Hyōrinmaru transform into a dragon and fly away, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
A moment later, he came back to his senses. First, he instructed the tardy Shinigami to carefully carry away the unconscious Zanpakuto on the ground and properly settle them.
Then, he waved to Muramasa and Myōō beside him, saying,
"You two, come with me. Now that I know who your master is, Myōō, I will find him later, and you two can reunite."
"By the way, Muramasa, do you need healing?"
Muramasa hesitated for a moment, then gently nodded.
Although the injury wouldn't kill him, it would make him very weak.
He had come to terms with it; since it was a collaboration anyway, he might as well be thorough.
At this moment.
Hinagiku leaned in: "Hey, hey, what about us? Why hasn't Black Cat woken up yet!"
"Are you just going to leave like this?"
"We need healing too!"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni turned his head and softly said, "Just go find Rangiku. She'll wake up in about five minutes."
"I didn't expect things to end so quickly."
"Five minutes?"
Hinagiku tilted her head, thought for a moment, then gave up waiting. She'd just follow Yoriichi.
If Rangiku saw her, she'd be lectured again, because Rangiku liked Black Cat…
Yoriichi didn't mind Hinagiku following him. Once they arrived at a quiet spot, he began to heal Muramasa.
Regardless of whether Muramasa was a Zanpakuto, everything in Soul Society was composed of reishi, so healing him was no different from healing a Shinigami.
The reason he didn't die was because this wasn't Muramasa's true body.
Even if he died, as long as the Zanpakuto still existed, he would eventually revive.
In the story, if Kuchiki Kōga hadn't broken the Zanpakuto itself, he wouldn't have fallen into the state of rampaging and perishing.
Yoriichi was unaware of this, but in his view, as living beings, as long as they hadn't committed major mistakes, each was a worthy existence to be respected.
Muramasa was a little touched. Compared to his past actions and his current situation, he unconsciously felt a clear sense of guilt.
During the healing, Muramasa looked at Yoriichi, hesitated, but still couldn't help asking,
"Shinigami, you trust me so much, aren't you worried that I might betray you one day?"
"Like, one day while visiting Kōga, I might kidnap Kōga…"
"You won't."
Yoriichi's movements didn't pause in the slightest; he continued the healing methodically, without even raising his head.
"Trust is mutual. The moment Kuchiki Kōga injured you, a rift formed between your relationship with him."
"Even if you don't care, he will care, because he's worried you'll retaliate against him. After all, he isn't you."
"Hmm… The logical relationship here is a bit complex."
Yoriichi thought for a moment, then slowly raised his head, looked at Muramasa, and concluded:
"In short, I don't think you would abandon the future of peaceful coexistence between Zanpakuto and Shinigami to wander the world with Kuchiki Kōga…"
"He's not worth you following…" Regarding this sentence, Yoriichi looked deeply at Muramasa but chose not to say it.
However, Muramasa seemed to have understood the unspoken meaning.
He slightly lowered his brows, falling silent.
After a long while, he exhaled, his expression relieved as he said,
"I see, is that what you think?"
"I understand."
"Although I don't entirely agree with your view, it is the truth."
"I confess, I actually lied to you. The Zanpakuto Muramasa is actually on me right now."
"I originally intended to give it to Kōga so he could use my abilities to escape, but unexpectedly, before I could give it to him, he severely injured me."
Muramasa sighed, manifesting a katana.
As soon as Yoriichi saw it, a sword suddenly appeared in his hand.
The touch was very cold.
"I'll leave it in your safekeeping, Yoriichi Tsugikuni. I trust you."
"If you ever deem me uncontrollable, then break this sword."
"I am the sword, and the sword is me; if the sword breaks, I will die."
"Consider it atonement for that incident back then, and for this one today…"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni gazed at Muramasa… or rather, at the sword in his hand, a strange expression on his face.
Now that the treatment was over, he finally understood what he had overlooked.
Muramasa challenged the entire Gotei 13 to save Kuchiki Kōga.
But if it was just an ambush… upon closer thought, it didn't seem to hold much meaning.
Even if the plan had miraculously succeeded, facing numerous obstacles, he wouldn't have been able to safely take Kuchiki Kōga out.
However, with this Zanpakuto, the situation was entirely different.
Whoever wielded Muramasa could control all the Zanpakuto it had hypnotized.
In other words, one person could become an army.
It was a pity this excellent hand was ruined by Kuchiki Kōga's arrogance…
Fortunately, it was ruined; otherwise, the Shinigami's casualties would have been even more severe.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni slowly exhaled, looking at Muramasa, and retorted, "Are you sure you want to give this sword to me?"
"Won't you regret it?"
Muramasa's expression was complex, as if he had fallen into memory, and he said wistfully:
"Perhaps, but that will be a matter for later. For now, I only trust you."
"You are the second Shinigami I've seen, besides Kōga from before, who treats a Zanpakuto like this."
"Actually, Kōga, when he was young, also respected me greatly."
"If it weren't for the Kuchiki Clan's recruitment, which fueled his ambition, he wouldn't have gradually come to view me as a mere tool."
"He changed, I know it clearly. I can no longer be his partner."
"Rather than gradually losing my power in solitude until I completely vanish, it's better to let some Zanpakuto express their true feelings before I vanish."
"You are quite open-minded," Yoriichi nodded slightly.
This was precisely the plan they had set earlier.
By releasing the Zanpakuto's true form, enabling communication and honest interaction with their masters, they could truly achieve the ideal state of perfect resonance.
Originally, the leadership of this plan was in Muramasa's hands.
But now, with the transfer of Muramasa's true form, control had already been seized by Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Muramasa sighed: "What kind of open-mindedness is this? The more I interact with Zanpakuto, the more terrifying I find beings like Shinigami."
"Of course, that doesn't include you."
"There's one thing I haven't told you: my ability allows me to read others' memories."
"I hypnotized many Zanpakuto and obtained all their memories, so I know all the unsavory things some Shinigami have done."
Yoriichi's expression sharpened, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes:
"Is that so? So you're telling me this because you want me to rectify them?"
"Perhaps. The initiative is yours, isn't it?"
Muramasa looked at Yoriichi, then his gaze fell upon Hinagiku.
That gaze made Hinagiku feel a little unnerved, but fortunately, the stare didn't last long before Muramasa shifted his gaze again, whispering:
"Take this lady, for example. Her master often slacks off, likes to take small advantages, and occasionally even makes remarks about her figure."
"I understand that this might seem like human nature to humans."
"But when I tried to experience it from her perspective, that feeling of being treated like that truly makes one very uncomfortable."
"Her master should be your sister, right? If she is treated like this, let alone other Shinigami…"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni fell silent. He actually knew about this, but since it was Rangiku's own business, Yoriichi couldn't interfere.
Forcibly changing others' ways of doing things would be too self-centered.
Hearing Muramasa mention this, Yoriichi pondered for a moment, then nodded gently, exhaling deeply as he said:
"I understand. Since there are so many conflicts between Shinigami and Zanpakuto, and you have given me the choice, I naturally won't stand by and do nothing."
"However, this will require your assistance, Muramasa."
"Currently, there are approximately five thousand Shinigami with Zanpakuto in the Seireitei."
"If you use your ability, how long will it take for all of them to materialize?"
Muramasa thought for a moment and gave a precise number: "One year."
…
Yoriichi Tsugikuni took Muramasa's true form and turned to leave, and soon, other Shinigami would naturally come to properly settle Muramasa.
As for the proposal to materialize all Zanpakuto within a year, it would be gradually implemented step by step after the Spiritual Arts Academy reopened.
After all…
Young people are the future of the Shinigami; they are pure and innocent, full of enthusiasm.
If anyone can empathize with Zanpakuto, and who can understand them…
It can only be those Shinigami who have just acquired Zanpakuto, meaning those who have already graduated or are still students.
Hinagiku and Kuro Neko were taken away by Rangiku not long after.
When she left, Hinagiku's face was full of displeasure.
It wasn't because Rangiku only just arrived, but because her memories had been read by Muramasa, and she had been completely unaware.
Fortunately, she was a sword and didn't need to eat, drink, or relieve herself; otherwise, she would rather have committed suicide on the spot.
It was utterly mortifying.
As for Myo-o…
Since his master was Gyomei Himejima, and Gyomei Himejima was not yet a Shinigami, he probably didn't even know that his Zanpakuto was acting abnormally.
So Yoriichi planned to personally take him there later.
At the same time, he wanted to see how Kira Iziru and Gyomei Himejima were living together.
Consider it a home visit.
With these thoughts, Yoriichi Tsugikuni arrived at the Fourth Division. He intended to understand the casualties caused by this chaos.
Logically, with ample preparation, the casualties should not have been too severe.
And the actual situation was indeed similar to what was expected.
Isane Kotetsu held a registration form, and after carefully reading the contents recorded on it, she reported:
"In this battle, a total of 527 Zanpakuto appeared, and there were 1782 Shinigami participants."
"Among them, the number of lightly wounded was 344, and the number of severely wounded was 20… Fortunately, the death toll was zero."
"These are all the statistics compiled so far. In addition, there is detailed information regarding building damage and Zanpakuto damage…"
Isane Kotetsu looked up and politely asked,
"Excuse me, Captain Tsugikuni, would you like a copy to take with you?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni thought for a moment, then shook his head, choosing not to take it.
He just needed to know the specific numbers.
Although the death toll of zero seemed a bit absurd.
But by just considering the actual quality of the Zanpakuto Muramasa had hypnotized, it wasn't difficult to understand.
It should be noted that, due to prior precautions, the captains of each division had never used their Zanpakuto during this past year.
Hyōrinmaru, Myo-o, Hinagiku, and Kuro Neko were already the four strongest under Muramasa's command.
A glimpse reveals the whole; if the strongest are like this, there's no need to mention the others.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni quickly reviewed the cause, process, and result of the incident in his mind, then bid farewell to Isane Kotetsu and quickly left the Fourth Division.
Just then, Retsu Unohana arrived gracefully.
She descended from the sky riding Minazuki, who opened her large mouth and spat out a pile of injured.
Then, she looked towards the direction where Yoriichi Tsugikuni had disappeared, a red glow seeming to flash and vanish at the end of the building, and couldn't help but ask:
"Isane, who was just here?"
"It was Captain Tsugikuni of the Ninth Division," Isane Kotetsu replied while recording the number of injured again.
"It was him," Retsu Unohana nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly remembered something,
"His wife, I remember she's still nominally part of our Fourth Division, she used to be my disciple, very high-ranking, and her Kaido ability is not bad…"
"Isane, after things here are settled, would you be interested in visiting her with me?"
"Ah?" Isane Kotetsu stopped what she was doing when she heard this, looked up, her face full of confusion.
Clearly, she didn't quite understand what this sudden "visit" was about.
Later, after Retsu Unohana's explanation, she finally understood the situation.
It turned out that the Captain had recently joined an organization called the Female Shinigami Association.
This organization had only recently been established, and Retsu Unohana, relying on her prestige and ability, served as its director.
She was mainly responsible for handling potential conflicts between members and for seeking out suitable member candidates.
Since the organization's goal was to elevate the status of female Shinigami within the Seireitei.
Therefore, the early members had to possess a certain degree of influence to secure corresponding benefits among the many associations.
Poem Tsugikuni thus entered Retsu Unohana's field of vision.
Isane Kotetsu generally understood the situation and, at Retsu Unohana's invitation, reluctantly became a member… the most ordinary kind.
As for the visit, it was scheduled for two weeks later.
By then, the treatment of the injured should also be completed…
…
South Rukongai.
When Yoriichi Tsugikuni arrived with Myo-o, he unexpectedly saw someone in Kira Iziru's home.
Abarai Renji.
At this moment, Abarai Renji was practicing in the courtyard. The high temperature had soaked his clothes with sweat, steam faintly rose from his head, and his breathing was powerful.
Under the observation of Transparent World, there was a faint sense of breaking the limits of the human body. With just one glance, Yoriichi knew that this child's perseverance was extraordinary.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Myo-o were, after all, two living beings, so the moment they appeared, Renji noticed them.
The instant he saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Renji's breathing suddenly hitched, and then, his body, carrying several logs, fell abruptly due to the interrupted breathing.
He was about to be crushed by the trees; once the several-ton logs fell, he would at least suffer severe injuries.
Just at this critical moment, Yoriichi's figure instantly appeared beside him, single-handedly steadying several logs.
His effortless demeanor made Renji widen his eyes in surprise.
Immediately after, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's admiring voice clearly rang in his ear:
"Very good, Renji. It's been a while; have you actually become Gyomei's disciple?"
"What Breathing Technique did he teach you?"