Today, Tsunayoshi had come to a mountainous area.
The reason was simple—his training partner's Zanpakutō was rather special. Its attacks were wide and devastating, making it unsuitable for practice inside a division barracks.
"Hey, Komamura—I'm here," Tsunayoshi called out to the tall figure ahead.
Today's trainee was Sajin Komamura, Captain of the Seventh Division.
Komamura's Zanpakutō, Tenken, manifested as the gigantic limbs of a warrior even in Shikai. Training with it required a wide-open environment like this.
"Sawada-dono."
Komamura turned around and greeted him respectfully.
Whether it was Tsunayoshi's strength, Captain-Commander Yamamoto's attitude toward him, or Tsunayoshi's understanding of Kaname Tōsen's past, all of it earned Komamura's respect.
Even the nickname "doggo," which had initially sounded strange to him, he had already gotten used to.
"I heard that Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai both gained something from your guidance," Komamura said with admiration.
"As expected of you, Sawada-dono. How do you plan to guide me today?"
"Komamura, just call me Tsuna," Tsunayoshi waved casually. "All that formal speech is tiring."
"Before we start training, let's talk about your Zanpakutō."
"Your Bankai — Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō is a gigantic armored warrior, while your Shikai only summons parts of that warrior's body. Correct?"
"That is correct… Tsuna," Komamura quickly adapted to the new form of address.
"Your Zanpakutō is very unusual," Tsunayoshi continued.
"In Bankai, any damage suffered by Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō is directly reflected onto your own body."
"So tell me—does that armor really need to exist?"
Komamura pondered briefly before answering.
"You could consider Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō to be a giant version of myself. The armor still has defensive value."
"In the Soul Society, there are very few who can break through that armor."
That conclusion came from Komamura's own experience traveling through Seireitei and Rukongai.
Once he released Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō, he usually held the overwhelming advantage.
Very few opponents could break his defenses.
And anomalies like Kenpachi Zaraki had appeared only once in a thousand years.
"But our hypothetical enemies aren't Shinigami," Tsunayoshi replied.
"They're the unknown—and far stronger—Quincy."
"We must assume every one of them is at least Captain-Class."
"In other words, every future enemy might be capable of damaging Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō."
Komamura nodded slowly.
"So… Tsuna, what exactly are you suggesting?"
"Simple," Tsunayoshi said.
"Remove the armor."
"Take all the extra Reiatsu used for defense and pour it into offense."
"Also, remember—your Shikai only manifests parts of Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō's body. Enemies can't harm your real body through it."
"So wearing all that armor is basically wasting spiritual power."
During the Thousand-Year Blood War, Komamura sacrificed his heart to transform into human form.
At that time, his Bankai evolved into Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō: Dangai Jōe.
When that form struck with its blade, the power was terrifying.
Yet despite such strength, Komamura had only used it to defeat Bambietta Basterbine, one of the Sternritter.
In Tsunayoshi's opinion, unless he was fighting the Royal Guard-level Quincy, that power should have been used against far stronger opponents.
Still, Dangai Jōe proved something important—
Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō was fully capable of discarding its armor.
And Tsunayoshi's goal today was to guide Komamura onto that path.
He didn't expect Komamura to reach the same level as the Thousand-Year Blood War version—that required sacrificing his heart.
But even a slightly weaker version would still be extremely valuable.
"Remove the armor…?" Komamura frowned.
"My Bankai naturally appears that way. How could it be changed?"
"Do you mean compressing Reiatsu like Captain-Commander Yamamoto?"
"No," Tsunayoshi shook his head.
"When training Zanjutsu, the practice of Jinzen is essentially communication with your inner self."
"And the thoughts in your inner world will reflect onto your Zanpakutō."
"Komamura… in the past, didn't you always hide your face?"
"Because you were part of the Wolfman Clan, you didn't dare show your true appearance."
"Scarves. Helmets. Anything that concealed your real self."
"All those things manifested as the armor of Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō."
"But now you show your true face openly."
"Has anyone ever discriminated against you because of your appearance?"
"Your mindset has already changed."
"So that armor…"
"…is no longer necessary."
Tsunayoshi's analysis was almost entirely correct.
The manifested spirit of Tenken resembled a half-bare man—without armor.
Which meant the armor of Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō was something Komamura had unconsciously imposed upon himself.
Komamura fell silent.
He hadn't expected Tsunayoshi to understand his psychology so clearly.
Thinking back over the past days, none of the captains or seated officers had ever looked at him strangely.
Even Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who loved studying bizarre subjects, had never stared at him with curiosity.
Of course… Mayuri barely looked at anyone directly anyway.
Was the armor truly a self-imposed restraint?
"You don't have to worry about how you'll fight without armor," Tsunayoshi added.
"You can simply change your combat style."
"A fully unarmored Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō could fight like an assassin."
"Concentrate all your Reiatsu into the blade."
"If a strike fails to kill the opponent—retreat immediately."
"Right now your fighting style is the opposite."
"Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō stands in the center of the battlefield like a giant target."
"Whether the enemy can defeat you or not, they'll throw a few attacks your way just because you're so obvious."
Komamura imagined the scenario.
And Tsunayoshi was right.
In past battles, full-scale melee warfare had been rare.
Even the number of times captains released Bankai was extremely small.
But once a war with the Quincy truly began—
The enemy wouldn't care about Komamura's actual strength.
They would immediately target the giant warrior standing in the middle of the battlefield.
"Sawada—no, Tsuna-dono!"
Komamura bowed deeply.
"Please guide me. What should I do?"
"The key lies in your own heart," Tsunayoshi replied.
"You've already accepted showing your true face. That means the armor can be removed."
"There's still plenty of time."
"How about this—we try a spar using just Tenken first?"
"See if you can start by removing the arm armor."
"Then you can continue refining it through Jinzen afterward."
"That sounds excellent!" Komamura agreed immediately.
Compared to the tedious practice of Jinzen, he preferred real combat training.
After witnessing Tsunayoshi's strength, he was also curious about fighting him.
"Alright then," Tsunayoshi said.
"Let's start with Shikai. We'll keep it controlled."
Green lightning flickered.
Two curved golden horns appeared on both sides of Tsunayoshi's head, partially wrapped in bandages.
These were Lambo's horns.
Tsunayoshi's Lightning-attribute Shikai.
He rarely had a chance to use it, but it was perfect for sparring.
"Forgive me."
"Roar, Tenken!"
A gigantic arm appeared in midair, gripping a massive blade.
Komamura wasted no time and swung it down toward Tsunayoshi.
BOOM!
Whether it was thunder or the impact of steel was unclear.
Tenken's blade suddenly stopped.
A cluster of green lightning flames blocked the strike.
The characteristic of Lightning Flames was hardening, making them excellent for defense.
Komamura narrowed his eyes.
Instead of continuing downward, he turned the strike into a horizontal sweep.
The massive blade tore through the air, kicking up clouds of dust.
It was a powerful blow.
Tsunayoshi didn't dodge.
Instead, he bent slightly and spoke calmly:
"Lightning Horn Armor."
A thunderclap exploded in the sky.
Lightning struck Tsunayoshi and stabilized into form.
A ten-meter-long green horn grew from his head.
The electricity extended further, lengthening the horn.
With a casual tilt of his head, Tsunayoshi knocked aside the sweeping Tenken blade.
Then the lightning reshaped itself back into the massive horn.
Electro-Horn.
Lambo's signature technique.
When used by the 20-years-later version of Lambo, it was especially impressive.
Tsunayoshi lowered his body and charged forward like a raging bull.
But his target was not Komamura.
It was Tenken's arm holding the blade.
Komamura instinctively withdrew the right arm holding the sword and swung the empty left arm down like a giant slap.
Electro-Horn looked powerful, but its trajectory was somewhat fixed.
So Komamura could easily predict Tsunayoshi's path.
However—
Tsunayoshi had trained extensively with Yoruichi, and his Shunpo mastery far exceeded Komamura's expectations.
"Utsusemi."
In an instant, Tsunayoshi's position changed.
He appeared on Tenken's left arm.
And his charge hadn't slowed at all.
The massive horn slammed directly into the arm.
Crack.
Though faint, Komamura clearly heard it.
He quickly recalled Tenken's arm.
At the same moment, a needle-sized hole appeared in Komamura's own left arm, with blood slowly seeping out.
Tsunayoshi landed gracefully with a backflip.
Then he said,
"Try summoning that arm again."
Komamura raised his left hand.
Above him appeared the gigantic arm mirroring his movements.
Tsunayoshi stepped through the air with Shunpo and arrived above it.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Just as he expected—
After the lightning horn strike, Tenken's armor had cracked.
Because the Electro-Horn concentrated its force at a single point, the damage was limited.
There was only a bowl-sized hole in the armor, with spiderweb cracks spreading outward.
Tsunayoshi returned to Komamura's side.
"Now you see the situation, right?"
As Tenken's master, Komamura had naturally sensed the armor breaking.
He nodded.
Now he fully understood Tsunayoshi's intention.
Tsunayoshi planned to help him remove the armor through real combat.
"Here's the plan," Tsunayoshi said.
"Today we'll try removing the armor from your arm first."
"When you go back, continue training through Jinzen."
"Don't let the arm regain its armor."
"Let's see if we can make it permanent."
"I'm willing to try!" Komamura replied firmly.
"Good."
Tsunayoshi once again assumed the Lightning Horn Armor stance.
Since Tenken's damage transferred directly to Komamura's body, this method of gradually breaking the armor was the safest approach.
Still—
Watching Tsunayoshi carefully chip away at giant armor with a lightning horn somehow had the strange elegance of Zhang Fei doing embroidery.
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