In the following days, Tsunayoshi took Nozomi around and continued materializing the captains' Zanpakutō one after another.
Most Shinigami with captain-class strength had fairly harmonious relationships with their Zanpakutō. Only a few were worth specifically mentioning.
Soi Fon's Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, was extremely small and adorable, only about the size of a palm. She had brown twin tails and wore yellow-and-black clothing patterned like a bee. Her right arm resembled the stinger gauntlet that appeared after Soi Fon released her Shikai.
However, as soon as Suzumebachi appeared, she started arguing furiously with Soi Fon.
Muramasa had not added any unnecessary manipulation. Suzumebachi truly was dissatisfied with Soi Fon as her master.
The moment she appeared, she snapped at Soi Fon for constantly obsessing over that "stupid Shunkō training," saying that if she had the time, she should practice with her Zanpakutō instead, which would be far stronger than Shunkō.
Without another word, Soi Fon began fighting Suzumebachi.
To Soi Fon, insulting her was one thing. But insulting Lady Yoruichi's Shunkō was absolutely unforgivable.
Tsunayoshi did not stay to watch that grand spectacle of women fighting.
The main reason was that Soi Fon often kept in contact with Tatsuki. Tsunayoshi was afraid that if he stayed to watch the drama, Soi Fon would complain about him afterward.
Another Zanpakutō that did not get along with its master was Renji Abarai's.
Renji's Zabimaru materialized as two humanoid beings connected by a chain: a curvaceous female baboon and a smaller red-haired snake boy dressed in white.
The female baboon was fine. Aside from her rough personality, her recognition of Renji was extremely high.
The only troublesome one was the snake boy. He constantly sneered at Renji and treated him coldly.
The materialization of his Zanpakutō made Renji truly realize that his Zanpakutō was made up of two kings.
Ever since witnessing Tsunayoshi's Sōō Zabimaru, Renji had nearly driven himself mad through Jinzen training.
No matter how he trained, the one who spoke to him was always the baboon. The snake at the end of the baboon's tail always remained hidden within the mist.
Now, things were different.
Once his Zanpakutō materialized, the snake boy could no longer hide. Even if he tried to escape, the baboon would use the chain on her body to drag him back.
Faced with the snake boy's cold attitude, Renji began living like a desperate bootlicker.
No matter what, as long as that snake boy was willing to give in, Renji's strength would definitely rise dramatically.
As long as there was hope, there was motivation.
Even Renji's movements when serving tea and pouring water became much faster.
During the process of materializing the Shinigami's Zanpakutō, Tsunayoshi had deliberately avoided one particular person.
In the end, that person still cornered him in a dead-end alley.
"Captain Zaraki, haven't you been steadily improving lately? You should be consolidating your strength. Why are you looking for me?" Tsunayoshi asked, forcing himself to speak calmly.
Kenpachi Zaraki grinned.
Just looking at his expression was enough to make a person feel terrified.
"Why haven't you come to Squad Eleven lately? We still haven't had this week's fight."
"Let me put it this way, Captain Zaraki. I don't really have anything left to teach you. Would you believe that?"
Tsunayoshi showed a fake smile that anyone could see through at a glance.
"You don't really think I'm that easy to fool, do you?" Kenpachi said. "Tell me. Why have you been avoiding me?"
Tsunayoshi sighed.
A beast's instincts were always so accurate.
"Rather than saying I've been avoiding you, Captain Zaraki, I'd like to ask you something instead. Why are you looking for me?"
Kenpachi Zaraki's smile stiffened.
Why was he looking for Sawada Tsunayoshi?
Deep down, he already had the answer. But he had always tried to avoid it.
His body's instincts, however, drove him to seek the answer from Sawada Tsunayoshi no matter what.
In order to find Sawada Tsunayoshi, Kenpachi Zaraki had not even brought his directionally challenged lieutenant with him.
Tsunayoshi noticed Kenpachi Zaraki's expression clearly.
That was precisely why he had not wanted to meet Kenpachi Zaraki for the time being.
"Zanpakutō materialization, right?"
"Yeah," Kenpachi said. "I can never hear this sword's voice. Tell that little girl beside you to bring out its spirit. I'll have a proper talk with it."
Kenpachi Zaraki deliberately spoke in a fierce tone.
"Captain Zaraki, you clearly already have a guess. Why are you so fixated on getting an answer?"
Recently, as Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Kusajishi's compatibility grew higher and higher, Kenpachi's strength had also been rising rapidly.
Tsunayoshi refused to believe that Kenpachi was truly an idiot with no thoughts in his head.
Kenpachi Zaraki could no longer raise the corners of his mouth.
He pressed his lips tightly together. His gaze became seven parts stubborn and three parts lonely.
"I still need an answer," Kenpachi said. "Yachiru… is she my Zanpakutō?"
Kenpachi Zaraki was not stupid.
He simply did not want to face a truth he already knew.
"That's exactly why I kept avoiding you."
Tsunayoshi had also been avoiding this question.
Yachiru was far too lovable.
Once Kenpachi realized that Yachiru was his Zanpakutō and began reclaiming his original power, there would be only one outcome for Yachiru.
She would return to the Zanpakutō.
Or rather, she would disappear.
"No matter what the result is, it still has to be faced, doesn't it, Sawada Tsunayoshi?"
This was Kenpachi Zaraki's choice.
Tsunayoshi no longer had any reason to stop him.
"Nozomi , have Muramasa do it. Use Bankai."
Nozomi activated Mukōjōchū Muramasa.
Muramasa entered Kenpachi Zaraki's inner world.
It was pitch-black.
There was nothing inside.
Kenpachi's Zanpakutō had lost the spirit that managed it, so naturally, there was no proper environment to speak of.
Muramasa's figure slowly appeared.
"There is nothing in your inner world. But that place is indeed your inner world. Rather than saying there is nothing there, it would be more accurate to say that the spirit dwelling within it left long ago."
After saying that, Muramasa returned to Nozomi .
Whether Kenpachi Zaraki had a Zanpakutō spirit or not had nothing to do with him.
Kenpachi Zaraki closed his eyes in pain.
If he wanted his strength to advance further, he absolutely could not do so without his Zanpakutō.
Was it Yachiru, or was it strength?
That was something he had to decide for himself.
"A-Ken, why are you here? And Tsuna too?"
Yachiru appeared at the corner as if it were a coincidence.
As Kenpachi Zaraki's Zanpakutō spirit, she could naturally find Kenpachi Zaraki's location. This "coincidental encounter" was merely her attempt to continue hiding the fact that she was his Zanpakutō.
"Yachiru!"
Tsunayoshi greeted her and walked over with Nozomi .
As he passed by Kenpachi, Tsunayoshi said softly, "There's a power beyond Bankai called Beyond Bankai. Try reaching for it. Once you completely fuse with your Zanpakutō, whether she can appear again or not will be up to you, won't it?"
Tsunayoshi's words brought light back into Kenpachi Zaraki's dim eyes.
Beyond Bankai?
He would definitely achieve it.
After Tsunayoshi and Nozomi left, Yachiru hopped over.
She wanted to comfort her A-Ken.
She did not want to see him sad.
"Yachiru," Kenpachi Zaraki said, "let's go. Back to the barracks!"
Kenpachi Zaraki did not show any sadness on his face. Instead, he lifted Yachiru onto his back and headed toward Squad Eleven.
At the Sawada residence.
"Honestly, Tsunayoshi, you're the one who invited us here, but you're the one who showed up late."
The moment Tsunayoshi entered, he heard Ichigo complaining.
In the living room, Ichigo and the others had helped themselves to the tea and snacks Tsunayoshi had prepared without the slightest hesitation. They were acting as if this were their own house.
Tsunayoshi picked up a bag of snacks and sat beside Tatsuki.
"I ran into Kenpachi Zaraki," he explained. "That delayed me a little."
"You ran into Kenpachi and still came back this quickly?"
Ichigo's question was exactly what everyone else was thinking.
Everyone knew Kenpachi Zaraki was a battle maniac. If he caught you, you would have to lose a layer of skin before getting away.
"He just had some questions. After Nozomi answered them for him, he left."
"Captain Zaraki doesn't look like someone who gets troubled easily…" Tatsuki commented.
"Let's stop talking about that for now. Business first."
Tsunayoshi called everyone toward his training room.
With Kisuke Urahara's help, Tsunayoshi had also imitated the underground training space at his own home, creating an underground area as a training ground.
Inside the underground space, Ichigo asked in boredom, "So what is this about? Why did you have to be so secretive?"
"Nozomi , come here."
Tsunayoshi called Nozomi over and said to her, "Have Muramasa materialize Ichigo's Zanpakutō. Not the white Ichigo. I mean the uncle in black clothes and sunglasses. Understand?"
Nozomi nodded and directly summoned Muramasa.
Ichigo hurriedly asked, "Tsunayoshi, what are you trying to do? Isn't my Zanpakutō Zangetsu? Why are you calling out Old Man Zangetsu? And can Muramasa's power even affect him?"
Ichigo now understood that White Ichigo was his true Zanpakutō.
Old Man Zangetsu was his Quincy power.
He did not understand why Muramasa's ability could materialize the Quincy power inside his body.
"It definitely works," Tsunayoshi said with certainty.
At the very least, in the original course of events, Old Man Zangetsu had appeared in Soul Society and fought Ichigo once.
"Then why are you looking for him?" Ichigo asked.
"Don't you want to know why, despite already learning most Quincy techniques, you still can't properly form a Spirit Bow? Besides, I also have something I want to discuss with your Old Man Zangetsu."
Ichigo had not gone to Ryūken Ishida for training in quite some time.
Ryūken had said he had already taught Ichigo everything he could teach him.
As for why Ichigo could use a bow created through Fullbring more smoothly than one made with his Quincy power, Ryūken could not provide an answer.
Ichigo's current state reminded Tsunayoshi of his own Quincy power.
Who knew if anyone still remembered? On the entry representing Tsunayoshi's Quincy power, the abilities he had learned were also listed. Yet his bow and arrows still could not unleash their proper power.
That was why Tsunayoshi wanted to ask.
He wanted to ask Old Man Zangetsu, who resembled the King of the Quincy inside Ichigo, exactly what problem existed between him and Ichigo's Quincy power.
And there was one more crucial point.
How could one awaken the core ability belonging to the Quincy?
A Schrift.
It could be said that from the very beginning, Tsunayoshi had set his sights on Muramasa because of Quincy abilities.
He had a faint feeling that once he awakened a Schrift, the gate to Quincy power would open completely to him.
As for using Zanpakutō materialization to help the Shinigami train, that was merely a side benefit for Tsunayoshi.
Tsunayoshi had once considered asking Ichigo to question Old Man Zangetsu for him.
But considering Ichigo's personality, where he trusted his own people unconditionally, Tsunayoshi felt that Ichigo would absolutely be fooled by Old Man Zangetsu.
Just like back when Ichigo had mistaken Old Man Zangetsu's power for his Shinigami power.
Rather than trusting Ichigo's ears, which sometimes worked and sometimes did not, Tsunayoshi decided to trust himself.
That was why he had gone in such a roundabout way to obtain Muramasa
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