Facing Tsuna's relentless barrage, Ichimaru Gin's eyes opened slightly.
Shinso instantly retracted back into its short-blade form. Gin wrapped the entire Zanpakutō in dense Reiatsu, then slashed directly at the incoming green-and-red beam.
Gin gritted his teeth as he struggled against the overwhelming attack.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had fought with his full strength while still in Shikai.
After a violent collision—
Gin's feet carved a long groove across the wall beneath him.
He had finally endured Tsuna's devastating strike.
But the price was clear.
Two drops of blood fell beside him.
When Shinso split the beam apart, the energy had scattered to both sides, leaving two wounds across Gin's shoulders.
"Captain!"
A man with blond hair and a long triangular fringe covering one eye appeared beside Gin.
His face was filled with concern.
Combined with the "3" armband on his arm, Tsuna immediately recognized him.
Kira Izuru — Lieutenant of Squad 3.
When Gin began fighting Tsuna, Kira had already sensed his captain's Reiatsu and rushed over in worry.
By the time he arrived, he saw two green-and-red beams cutting through the walls of the Seireitei in a Y-shaped path—
And Gin standing there with wounded shoulders.
After confirming Gin hadn't suffered any fatal injuries, Kira immediately drew his Zanpakutō and pointed it at Tsuna.
"Raise your head… Wabisuke!"
The blade's tip folded twice and extended, forming a hook-like shape.
That was Kira's Zanpakutō—Wabisuke.
Seeing Kira draw his sword, Tsuna didn't feel the slightest pressure.
He didn't even bother changing weapon systems.
Wabisuke's ability increased the weight of whatever it struck.
But against Tsuna's long-range Sistema C.A.I. combat system, that ability meant almost nothing.
Tsuna raised the skull cannon.
A Scarlet Flame Arrow was already fully charged.
Seeing the red Reiatsu gathering, Kira became tense.
Even Captain Gin couldn't stop that attack earlier.
Could he really block it?
A warm hand suddenly rested on Kira's shoulder.
Instantly, Kira felt the reassurance of his captain.
His eyes hardened with determination.
The captain and lieutenant of Squad 3 were both here.
They would definitely capture this Ryoka!
"Captain Ichimaru! I'll act as bait—please seize the opportunity to defeat the intruder!"
Kira understood Gin's abilities very well.
With Shinso, Gin excelled in assassination-style combat.
If he stayed hidden in the shadows, Shinso's lethality would rise dramatically.
Gin hadn't expected such words from Kira.
Originally, he had planned to withdraw.
But with his somewhat naïve subordinate here…
Perhaps he could play a little longer.
Test Sawada Tsunayoshi's limits a bit more.
"I'm counting on you," Gin replied.
Hearing his captain's answer, Kira's fighting spirit ignited.
If he could just land a single strike, the opponent's weight would multiply, creating an opening.
And if necessary—
He would even act as a human shield.
Captain Ichimaru would definitely seize the moment.
With that thought, Kira immediately rushed toward Tsuna.
Tsuna's charged Scarlet Flame Arrow fired.
"Hadō #33 — Sōkatsui!"
A burst of white spiritual flames shot forward faster than Kira himself.
The blast overtook Kira and intercepted the Scarlet Flame Arrow before it could hit him.
Kira's lips curled slightly in confidence.
Exactly like that.
This was the perfect teamwork of Squad 3.
The captain covered him from afar—
And he created the opportunity.
Without hesitation, Kira plunged straight into the thick smoke.
Tsuna switched ammunition again.
A Cloud–Storm fusion.
A network of Infinite Proliferating Orbital Beams spread outward before him.
These beams could form a V-shaped net to block an opponent's movement.
They could also spread outward from the muzzle like a woven barrier, forming a defensive field.
The proliferating beams pierced through the smoke.
In an instant, several wounds opened across Kira's body.
Yet he didn't make a sound.
With Wabisuke raised in front of him, he endured the attacks and continued advancing toward Tsuna.
Meanwhile—
Where was Gin?
Using the smoke as cover and Kira as a distraction, Gin had already vanished into the alleyways.
Like a poisonous snake hidden in the dark—
Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
As Tsuna's beams pierced through the smoke, he noticed Gin's disappearance.
He didn't believe Gin had fled.
His instincts told him clearly—
Somewhere nearby, in the shadows, a blade was watching his back.
"Take this!"
Ignoring his own injuries, Kira rushed forward and swung his sword.
Tsuna activated the Sistema C.A.I. mobility system, sliding sideways to dodge.
But Tsuna's eyes never lingered on Kira.
Instead, they scanned the surroundings carefully.
Watching for Gin.
Kira noticed this.
There was no way he would let Tsuna locate his captain so easily.
Like a mad dog, Kira launched attack after attack with Shunpo, ignoring his wounds.
Yet despite this frenzied assault—
His proud Zanpakutō never struck Tsuna even once.
Growing desperate, Kira grabbed a chunk of rubble from the corner of a wall.
Using Wabisuke like a baseball bat, he launched the stone toward Tsuna.
Because of the sudden gravity increase affecting the stone, Tsuna had to shift a barrier in front of himself.
And in that exact moment—
The opportunity Gin had been waiting for arrived.
A flash of white light burst from the shadows.
Shinso shot toward Tsuna's side.
It targeted the tiny gap created when Tsuna moved his defense system.
If the blade struck—
Tsuna would be gravely wounded.
A hint of approval appeared in Tsuna's eyes.
The coordination between Kira and Gin truly was excellent.
Against almost anyone else, the two of them would have succeeded.
But for Tsuna…
He had countless ways to recover from injuries.
As long as Gin wasn't using Bankai, there was no real threat.
Kira's face lit with joy.
Mission accomplished.
He had created the opening for Captain Ichimaru.
This Ryoka would fall to Squad 3.
But his excitement didn't last long.
Suddenly—
The wall beside Tsuna warped.
Like a door opening.
A figure holding a massive sword appeared beside Tsuna.
The great blade rose—
Blocking the snake-like flash of Shinso.
"Tsuna, I never thought I'd see the day I had to save you."
The newcomer grinned smugly.
It was Ginjō Kūgo.
"How did you get here so fast?" Tsuna asked in surprise.
They had only separated a short time ago.
Even if Ginjō sensed his Reiatsu, arriving during his fight with Gin should have been impossible.
"Heh. Someone helped me."
Ginjō tilted his chin toward the shadows.
Suddenly—
A stone pillar erupted from the ground in the alley's darkness, stabbing upward.
Gin's hidden position was exposed instantly.
Calm footsteps echoed from the wall Ginjō had burst through.
A tall figure stepped out.
Who else could it be but Tsukishima Shūkurō?
Seeing Tsuna now had two allies, Gin immediately used Shunpo and appeared beside Kira.
In the next moment—
White cloth spiraled around the two of them like a cocoon.
Then they vanished.
This was Senbon Hakutai, a high-level Shunpo technique Gin used to wrap himself and Kira in a shroud and vanish.
In the original events, he used it to instantly transport himself and Aizen from the Central 46 chambers to the Sōkyoku Hill.
With Gin and Kira gone, Tsuna and the others lowered their weapons.
"You two landed pretty close to each other, huh?" Tsuna said with a smile. "Lucky."
"Not luck," Ginjō replied, pointing at Tsukishima.
"Skill. Tsukishima found me first."
"Tsukishima inserted his existence into the Seireitei."
Only then did Tsuna remember The Book of the End.
That absurd ability didn't work only on living beings—
It could also insert itself into inanimate objects.
The moment Tsukishima landed, he stabbed his sword into the wall.
By doing so, he inserted himself into the memories of the Seireitei's buildings.
Instantly, the surrounding terrain fell under his control.
Then Tsukishima searched for Ginjō's Reiatsu.
While moving toward it, he slashed nearby buildings with his blade—
Altering their structure and guiding paths.
Using the shortest route, he quickly found Ginjō.
After that, they sensed Tsuna's fluctuating Reiatsu.
With Tsukishima manipulating the terrain again, they avoided the patrolling Shinigami and reached Tsuna's location by the fastest possible route.
That was why Ginjō appeared exactly when Tsuna was attacked.
And with Tsukishima's ability, Gin's hiding place was never truly concealed.
Because Tsukishima had already seen Gin's position in the Seireitei's past.
"I see," Tsuna said thoughtfully.
"So the layout of the Seireitei isn't much of a secret to you now?"
"Only the buildings around this area," Tsukishima replied calmly.
"The Seireitei is too large. Even my Book of the End is limited by Reiatsu. I can't fully insert myself into the entire history of the Seireitei with a single strike."
"That's still enough," Tsuna said.
"Can you locate Squad 13's barracks?"
"Tsuna… you mean?" Ginjō asked, anticipation in his eyes.
"Well, since you two already met up," Tsuna said,
"we might as well go meet Ukitake Jūshirō."
"I'd like to see what kind of person he really is."
If they explained their intentions clearly—
With Ukitake's personality—
He probably wouldn't attack them.
"Tsukishima," Ginjō said eagerly.
He waited for the answer.
Tsukishima closed his eyes, recalling the streets he had already carved through with his sword.
Soon, a memory surfaced.
Among those streets—
He had seen Ukitake Jūshirō walking there before.
A street that Ukitake often appeared on must be part of his regular route.
"I found the road Ukitake frequently uses," Tsukishima said confidently.
"Follow that street…"
"And we'll reach Squad 13's headquarters."
◇ 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