"Zangetsu… no—what should I call you?"
Since "Old Man Zangetsu" wasn't actually Zangetsu, continuing to call him that felt inappropriate. Ichigo wanted to know his true name.
The man didn't make things difficult.
"My name is—
. ..."
Ichigo couldn't hear it.
Just like last time, he could see the lips moving, but no sound reached him.
"…Something's blocking it?"
Ichigo wasn't stupid. He quickly realized it wasn't intentional—his name had been erased or sealed away by something.
After hesitating for a while, Ichigo gave up.
"…I'll just keep calling you Old Man Zangetsu."
"Hey, hey—I'm Zangetsu," White Ichigo immediately protested, stepping forward.
"I know. You're Zangetsu, and he's Old Man Zangetsu… it's just to tell you apart…"
After thinking it through, Ichigo shrugged.
"Whatever. You're both my power anyway. It's fine if you both share the name. You're Zangetsu, and he's Old Man Zangetsu."
"…Fine."
White clicked his tongue but accepted it—though he still looked annoyed about sharing the name with a "thief."
"So, Zangetsu…" Ichigo crouched beside White with a slightly ingratiating smile. "Now that we've cleared things up… I won't lose control when I Hollowfy anymore, right?"
"Heh… who knows?"
White didn't give a straight answer. Ichigo still hadn't fully earned his approval.
"Come on, don't be like that." Ichigo patted his shoulder. "Tsunayoshi said you wouldn't lie to me. Just be honest."
"Hmph."
White turned his head away. He wouldn't lie—but he didn't have to answer, either.
"Old Man Zangetsu, say something too," Ichigo said, turning for backup.
The man looked at Ichigo seriously.
"Ichigo… do you know why we don't deceive you?"
"Huh?" Ichigo scratched his head. "Because you're part of me? My own power wouldn't lie to me, right?"
"That's not entirely correct," he said calmly. "Self-deception exists. And Zangetsu is the fusion of external Hollow power and your Shinigami power—it is not purely 'you.'"
"…Then why?"
Ichigo frowned, sensing the importance of the question.
White finally snapped.
"Idiot Ichigo! Think about it—when do I usually show up?"
That made Ichigo pause.
Every time he desperately sought power… he grew stronger.
When he was losing to Kuchiki Byakuya, it was Zangetsu's Hollow power that turned the tide.
And when he fully Hollowfied—when a Hollow Hole formed—he still managed to come back.
The only explanation…
"…You've been protecting me?"
Old Man Zangetsu smiled faintly.
White turned away, looking annoyed—but clearly pleased.
"That's right," he said. "Our existence is to protect you. Nothing else matters."
He continued:
"When you were young, I feared you would be consumed by Hollow power. So I used most of my strength to seal it."
White clicked his tongue at that—he had been the one suffering for it.
"Later, when you began training your power, I combined a portion of my Quincy power with your human self, creating your Fullbring. But since most of my power was maintaining the seal, you could only fire three arrows a day."
"When that was no longer enough, I used the power I had gathered from Zangetsu over the years to forge your blade—allowing you to become a Shinigami."
"But I didn't expect the Shinigami power to influence you so deeply. When you pursued Bankai, Zangetsu awakened. At that point, I no longer needed to maintain the seal, and Zangetsu fully emerged."
"And only then did I realize… even Hollow power exists to protect you."
That was his admission—he had tried to do good, but hadn't fully understood.
White immediately lost his temper.
"Damn it! Take this!"
He swung Zangetsu at him.
But Old Man Zangetsu casually raised a hand—another Zangetsu formed, blocking the strike.
"Why don't you use your own power?!" White snarled.
"Ichigo hasn't learned Quincy techniques yet," he replied.
"Tch…"
White clicked his tongue and withdrew his blade. They had fought like this countless times—always ending without resolution.
"Old Man Zangetsu," Ichigo asked, "if I learn Quincy abilities… can I use your power?"
"Yes. That is the path to awakening your true Quincy power."
"Oh—and does that mean my Fullbring no longer has a limit?" Ichigo quickly added.
"Yes. My power was those arrows. Without that restriction, your Fullbring becomes the ability to create bows freely—each one enhancing your attacks."
"…Bow creation? Sounds kind of weak…"
Ichigo couldn't help complaining, especially thinking of Tatsuki's more versatile ability.
"You can create any bow you imagine," Zangetsu said. "With that, you won't need a Quincy Cross like other Quincy."
"…Alright, that sounds a little better."
Ichigo nodded, though he still didn't fully grasp its potential.
Zangetsu could tell he wasn't convinced—but that could wait.
"Anyway… Zangetsu, can we talk?" Ichigo turned back to White with a grin.
"What?"
"About before… I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."
Ichigo didn't dodge responsibility.
White's expression softened slightly.
"…What is it?"
"Now that we've sorted things out… when I Hollowfy, you won't take over anymore, right?"
"You've got some nerve asking that," White snorted. "If you weren't about to get killed, I wouldn't even bother coming out."
"Well… if I could fully control that power, I wouldn't lose to Kuchiki Byakuya, right?"
That set White off again.
"You were completely outplayed! Even with Hollowfication, Tensa Zangetsu wasn't weaker than his power—you just didn't know how to use it!"
"Well, Zangetsu is just a direct-attack type, right? It doesn't have any special abilities…"
"Are you kidding me?!" White snapped. "Zangetsu is not that simple!"
He grinned.
"Here's the deal—learn how to fight properly with Zangetsu, and I'll give you part of my Hollow power."
"Deal. How do I learn?"
Ichigo's eyes lit up.
"The simplest way?"
White swung his blade.
"Fight me."
He had wanted to beat Ichigo up legally for a long time.
Ichigo, however, had no idea what he was in for.
This wouldn't be like Hollow training before—this time, White had no intention of holding back.
In his hands, Zangetsu would no longer be simple—it would become unpredictable and deadly.
Reality
Tsunayoshi crouched beside Ichigo, who lay unconscious on the ground.
Fragments of Hollowfication flickered across Ichigo's face—appearing and disappearing, never fully forming.
With his experience, Tsunayoshi could tell—
Ichigo was fighting inside his inner world.
And that was dangerous.
He couldn't leave him unattended.
Watching the shifting mask fragments, Tsunayoshi muttered:
"…I kind of want to take a look inside."
He was especially curious about that man Ichigo called "Old Man Zangetsu"—the one who held complete knowledge of Quincy abilities.
◇ 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