Standing before the entrance gate, Tsunayoshi felt somewhat reluctant to step inside.
This was Squad Eleven's barracks.
Inside lived a particularly troublesome individual—someone who loved fighting, could erupt in power at any moment, and yet absolutely couldn't be killed.
According to Tsunayoshi's original plan, he should have visited Squad Ten first.
However, Hitsugaya Tōshirō had recently fought Isshin Kurosaki and gained some new insights. He had entered seclusion for several days.
So Tsunayoshi simply skipped Squad Ten for now and came to Squad Eleven instead.
The moment he stepped through the gate, the members of Squad Eleven noticed him.
But in the next instant, they all pretended they hadn't.
They simply went back to whatever they were doing.
The warriors of Squad Eleven might love battle, but that didn't mean their brains were made entirely of muscle.
Anyone wandering freely around Seireitei wearing such unusual clothing had to be the man their captain constantly shouted about fighting—
Sawada Tsunayoshi .
Whoosh!
A small pink-haired girl suddenly appeared on the roof of one of the buildings.
She sniffed the air like a curious animal.
Then her eyes lit up.
"Ah-Tsuna! Long time no see!"
"Yo, Yachiru," Tsunayoshi replied, waving.
Yachiru Kusajishi immediately spun around and shouted loudly, her voice echoing across the entire Squad Eleven compound.
"Ken-chan! Tsuna's here~~~!"
At the training grounds of Squad Eleven, Kenpachi Zaraki was already grinning wildly, waving his battered Zanpakutō.
"So you've finally stopped hiding, Sawada Tsunayoshi !"
Kenpachi ripped off his eyepatch.
A massive surge of Reiatsu erupted outward.
"Let's have a proper fight!"
People with such sharp battle instincts possessed terrifying intuition as well.
He had immediately sensed that Tsunayoshi had been avoiding him.
"Fine," Tsunayoshi said with a sigh, rubbing his temples before drawing his Zanpakutō.
Against Kenpachi, Tsunayoshi had no real advice to give.
All he needed to do was gradually increase the intensity of their battles.
Kenpachi would eventually recover his true strength on his own.
"You've seen plenty of my abilities," Tsunayoshi said.
"Which power do you want to fight against?"
Kenpachi answered instantly.
"That blue swordsmanship from last time!"
During their previous battle, he had lost without fully understanding how.
That mysterious Rain-attribute power had defeated him.
Now he wanted to stand up from where he had fallen.
However—
A faint trace of awkwardness flickered across Kenpachi's face.
Tsunayoshi caught the subtle change immediately.
"You've got another motive, don't you?" Tsunayoshi asked.
Kenpachi's face twitched slightly.
Embarrassment flashed across his expression.
He swung his sword a few times irritably, carving lines into the ground with scattered Reiatsu.
"Just hurry up!" he growled.
"Show me the swordsmanship you used against that woman!"
That woman clearly meant Retsu Unohana.
Swordsmanship?
Tsunayoshi suddenly realized something.
"You want to learn swordsmanship?"
Kenpachi froze.
It was the awkward feeling of having a secret exposed.
For a moment he didn't know how to answer.
"Just start already!" he barked.
"Use Bankai, Hollow powers—whatever!"
"Kenpachi Zaraki," Tsunayoshi said calmly.
"You don't need to learn swordsmanship."
"When you recover your true power, every swing you make will already be the strongest sword technique possible."
For once, Tsunayoshi explained things slowly and clearly.
"Yeah, yeah. Just fight already!" Kenpachi snapped impatiently.
"Alright then."
With a helpless sigh, Tsunayoshi drew his second Zanpakutō.
He entered a combined state of Bankai and Resurrección.
Kenpachi in his current condition still wouldn't be able to win.
But letting him experience power he couldn't yet reach wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Bankai… Resurrección…"
Dual blades appeared.
His outfit transformed into a swordsman's attire, while fish-like fins and a tail formed behind him.
This was Tsunayoshi's strongest Rain-attribute form for now.
His Rain Transcendent Bankai had not yet been completed.
The Hollow aspect of Rain power was especially difficult to stabilize.
Feeling the pressure of this form, Kenpachi's wild laughter suddenly stopped.
Only now did he truly realize—
Even this version of Tsunayoshi was far beyond him.
Back during the Sōkyoku Hill battle, Urahara Kisuke's barrier had weakened the Reiatsu.
Kenpachi had believed he might fight Tsunayoshi like Unohana did.
But now, facing Tsunayoshi's killing intent directly—
Kenpachi's expression darkened.
He couldn't swing.
His instincts told him clearly:
The moment he attacked, the battle would end instantly.
Not a fight.
A one-sided beating.
Kenpachi's sword hand trembled slightly.
Too weak.
He hated how weak he was right now.
He couldn't even enjoy the thrill of battle.
Tsunayoshi silently sighed.
He could see the anxiety within Kenpachi.
Better to take things step by step.
Perhaps he should remove the Resurrección first and wait until Kenpachi adapted to Bankai-level pressure.
Just as Tsunayoshi was about to revert his form—
A small hand grasped Kenpachi's large one.
The trembling stopped instantly.
It was a strangely comforting presence.
"Don't worry, Ken-chan."
"No matter what happens, I'll always be with you."
The gentle voice belonged to Yachiru, who had returned after clearing the training area of Squad Eleven members.
"Ah-Tsuna," she said with a cheerful smile.
"Ken-chan and I will fight you together."
"Alright," Tsunayoshi replied softly.
For this pink-haired girl, he simply couldn't bring himself to be harsh.
"We're going, Ken-chan!"
Yachiru's expression suddenly turned serious.
She drew her Zanpakutō and shouted:
"Come out—Sanpo Kenjū!"
Yachiru's presence gave Kenpachi unprecedented strength.
"Got it!" Kenpachi roared.
The fierce, confident grin returned to his face.
"Stay close, Yachiru."
Kenpachi charged forward first, raising his sword for a powerful strike.
But Tsunayoshi ignored the attack.
Before Kenpachi even moved—
Swallow Rain had already begun.
A light drizzle started falling across the battlefield.
Kenpachi immediately felt it.
His body was slowing down.
He forced himself forward by unleashing bursts of Reiatsu.
But attacks made under such sluggish conditions posed no threat to Tsunayoshi.
Tsunayoshi simply stepped slightly to the left.
Kenpachi's blade passed harmlessly by.
This was Rain Flame enhanced by both Bankai and Hollow power.
Even Unohana had needed to exchange blood to regain mobility against it.
Kenpachi merely using Reiatsu to resist the slowing effect was already impressive—
But it still wasn't enough to hit Tsunayoshi.
This was the gap in strength.
However—
Kenpachi wasn't fighting alone.
Yachiru suddenly leapt out from behind him and slashed toward Tsunayoshi.
But within the calming rain, she froze mid-motion.
Yet suddenly—
A sharp glint flashed in Tsunayoshi's eyes.
He moved.
Both swords lifted simultaneously.
Clang! Clang!
Something invisible had been blocked.
Tsunayoshi leapt backward with Shunpo, knocking the immobilized Yachiru into Kenpachi's arms.
Then he recalled what had just happened.
Two strikes.
Invisible attacks.
Detected only thanks to his Hyper Intuition.
That was the ability of Sanpo Kenjū.
Two invisible beings accompanied Yachiru.
Sometimes one in front and one behind.
Sometimes one on each side.
They mimicked Yachiru's movements.
Whenever she attacked, the result became a three-pronged assault.
Whether those two creatures manifested visibly depended entirely on Yachiru's will.
If they remained unseen, the calming rain had no effect on them.
That was why—
Even though Yachiru had frozen, the attacks had still occurred.
"Interesting," Tsunayoshi murmured.
For the first time, he became genuinely interested in the training battle.
What he had expected to be a dull fight suddenly became far more entertaining.
"Ken-chan!" Yachiru called as Kenpachi caught her.
Kenpachi wrapped his body in Reiatsu to resist the rain's calming effect.
"Yachiru, work with me."
Kenpachi prepared to charge again while Yachiru looked for an opening.
Seeing his plan, Yachiru frowned.
"Ken-chan, you won't last long fighting like that!"
As long as Swallow Rain continued to fall, the slowing effect would remain.
If Tsunayoshi simply avoided attacking, Kenpachi would eventually fall back into complete immobility.
"Doesn't matter!" Kenpachi growled.
"Before that happens, I just need to land one hit!"
"No!" Yachiru said firmly.
"Ken-chan—follow my lead!"
For once, she didn't obey Kenpachi's command.
Instead, she gave orders.
"Wrap your Reiatsu around me. Reduce the consumption!"
Although he didn't entirely understand, Kenpachi followed her instructions.
An invisible instinct told him she was right.
Yachiru crouched on Kenpachi's shoulder, wrapped in his golden Reiatsu.
Kenpachi himself remained exposed to the rain, his movements slowing.
Tsunayoshi watched quietly.
This was training—not a life-or-death fight.
No need to rush.
Then suddenly—
Kenpachi started running.
His movements looked awkward, but he was clearly charging toward Tsunayoshi.
No—
It wasn't Kenpachi running.
It was Yachiru.
From his shoulders, she frantically made movements guiding his body.
Kenpachi followed those motions.
Pilot and mech?
The comparison popped into Tsunayoshi's mind.
Kenpachi's sword slashed toward him.
Tsunayoshi calmly raised his blade to block.
Kenpachi immediately changed the angle and struck again.
Kenpachi realized something.
His attack motions matched his body perfectly.
Even if he himself controlled his body, it wouldn't feel any different.
Yachiru understood him completely.
It was as if the two of them were sharing the same body.
Tsunayoshi didn't use any advanced Shigure Sōen-ryū techniques.
He simply exchanged blows with this "mecha Kenpachi."
And as the clash continued—
Kenpachi's movements became smoother and smoother.
Even the awkward motions gradually disappeared.
Sometimes Kenpachi suddenly burst with Reiatsu from his arms or blade to create explosive attacks—
And every time, Yachiru synchronized perfectly with his intent.
The minds of Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi were slowly aligning into the same rhythm.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 + chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789