At a corner near the entrance of Squad 13's barracks, Ginjō Kūgo was sneakily observing the situation.
"Strange… Squad 13 is way too calm. They don't look like they're trying to capture the Ryoka at all," Ginjō whispered, reporting what he saw to Tsuna and Tsukishima.
" Squad 13 specializes in Hollow purification and Soul Burial.," Tsuna explained. "Their main work is performing Konsō in the Human World and purifying Hollows. Arresting people is something other squads usually handle."
He pulled Ginjō back and stepped forward.
"If you ask me, we should just knock and ask for a meeting."
"Wait!" Ginjō quickly grabbed him. "What if you end up attracting every Shinigami in the Seireitei?"
"It's not that serious. Worst case, we just run," Tsuna replied casually.
Against overwhelming power, large numbers of weaker Shinigami were just numbers.
"How about this," Tsuna suggested. "You and Tsukishima hide here. I'll go knock. If something happens, I'll lure them away, and you can sneak in to find Ukitake."
"…That actually sounds reliable," Ginjō said after thinking it over.
Then he tried to justify himself.
"Not that I'm scared or anything. It's just that you've never been to Soul Society—you don't know how fast the Shinigami mobilize."
Tsuna ignored the lecture and walked straight toward the entrance of Squad 13.
Two Shinigami stood guard at the gate. During this critical period of Ryoka invasion, they weren't assigned to hunt intruders, but they still remained vigilant.
"Stop right there! Which squad are you from? Why are you wandering around at a time like this?" one of them demanded.
A trace of confusion crossed his mind.
The stranger's clothing didn't look like a Shihakushō.
"Hello. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi," Tsuna said politely. "I'd like to visit Captain Ukitake Jūshirō."
"Do you think just anyone can see the captain? There are Ryoka invading right now—you should return to your own squad immediately!" the other guard scolded.
"Ryoka, huh?" Tsuna grinned.
"I wonder if a Ryoka's identity would qualify for meeting your captain."
"Ryoka!"
The two Shinigami instantly realized who they were dealing with.
They reached for their swords—
But before they could draw them, two sharp blows struck their hands.
Their Zanpakutō were forced back into their sheaths.
Tsuna suddenly appeared beside one of them, casually draping an arm over his shoulder.
"Can you help notify your captain now?" Tsuna said to the other guard.
"Until you return, this guy will be my hostage."
The free guard instinctively stepped backward.
Tsuna's strength had shocked him—he subdued both of them in an instant.
Meanwhile, the one Tsuna had grabbed seemed calmer.
"Go," he told his partner. "Inform the captain—and the two third seats."
Shaken out of his panic, the other guard pushed open the barracks gate and rushed inside.
Tsuna released his hostage and stretched lazily while waiting.
The guard who had been captured slowly edged toward the open gate.
Tsuna didn't seem hostile—but he still didn't dare remain alone with him.
Finally mustering his courage, he dashed inside as well.
"Why run?" Tsuna called after him. "If I really wanted to attack, you wouldn't escape anyway."
After a while, hurried footsteps echoed from within the barracks.
Leading the group was a thin man with long white hair, wearing a captain's haori.
This was the man Tsuna came to see—
Captain of Squad 13, Ukitake Jūshirō.
Behind him were two others.
A mustached man who looked like an older gentleman, and a short-haired blonde girl.
They were Kotsubaki Sentarō and Kotetsu Kiyone, both serving as 3rd Seat officers of Squad 13.
Squad 13 currently had no lieutenant.
After the death of former lieutenant Kaien Shiba, the position had remained vacant, leaving the two third seats to manage the squad's operations.
Cough… cough…
Before he even arrived, Ukitake's coughing could be heard.
"You must be Sawada Tsunayoshi," Ukitake said gently. "What brings you here?"
"Captain, be careful! He's a Ryoka!" Sentarō immediately stepped in front of Ukitake defensively.
Kiyone followed suit, standing guard as well.
"I already told you," Tsuna said calmly. "If I wanted to attack, would I come knocking at your door?"
"This gentleman makes a fair point," Ukitake said with a gentle smile.
"Sentarō, Kiyone—stand down."
Then he turned slightly and gestured inside.
"Mr. Sawada, would you like to come in and talk?"
"Captain, that's dangerous—" the two officers protested.
Bringing a Ryoka into the barracks was extremely risky.
There were many ordinary squad members inside.
If the intruder went berserk, the consequences would be serious.
"Kiyone, please go prepare some tea."
When Ukitake gave the order, Kiyone noticed the subtle signal in his eyes.
"Yes, Captain!"
She immediately ran inside.
Tsuna noticed the signal too.
But he didn't care.
Most likely, Ukitake's contingency plan was simply to call his close friend—
Kyōraku Shunsui.
If Tsuna turned violent, the two captains could easily trap him inside the barracks.
"Captain Ukitake," Tsuna said, drawing his attention again.
"I'm not the only visitor today."
"The first Substitute Shinigami, Ginjō Kūgo, and our friend Tsukishima Shūkurō are here as well."
Ukitake immediately raised his head, revealing a shocked expression.
He had long suspected something was wrong with the Substitute Shinigami incident, but he had never been able to find Ginjō afterward.
Now—
Ginjō had appeared on his own.
Cough… cough…
"Where are they?" Ukitake asked seriously. "Please invite him to come out."
"Ginjō! Come out. Ukitake agreed to meet you," Tsuna called.
Ginjō and Tsukishima stepped out from their hiding spot.
Ginjō looked irritated.
"Idiot, Tsuna! Why reveal my location so quickly? What if they had bad intentions?"
"Ginjō Kūgo…" Ukitake said quietly. "We finally meet again."
"Heh. What is it? Been dreaming about arresting me all these years?" Ginjō replied with a cold smile.
He remembered all too well the years he had been chased across Soul Society by Shinigami.
Ukitake didn't answer directly.
Instead, he glanced around cautiously.
"Let's go inside first," he said.
Inside Squad 13 – Tea Room
After tea was prepared, the two third seats stood quietly against the wall while Ukitake handled the conversation.
"Former Substitute Shinigami… cough… Ginjō… Kūgo… cough… may I ask your purpose for coming to Soul Society this time?"
His constant coughing made listening somewhat difficult.
Ginjō bluntly asked:
"Your illness… it still hasn't improved after all these years?"
When he first received the Substitute Shinigami Badge from Ukitake, the captain had looked just as frail.
And now—nothing had changed.
"An old condition… cough… nothing to worry about," Ukitake said after taking a sip of tea.
"If you don't mind," Tsuna said,
"I might be able to help."
"Oh?" Ukitake looked curious. "And what solution does Mr. Sawada propose?"
Shing.
Tsuna suddenly drew his Zanpakutō.
Sentarō and Kiyone immediately panicked and rushed forward to shield Ukitake.
Ironically, Ukitake himself remained calm.
"Sentarō, Kiyone—stand down. Mr. Sawada has no ill intent."
The two hesitated but ultimately obeyed.
"That might not necessarily be true," Tsuna chuckled.
Then he spoke his release command:
"Ethereal Mirage… Mist."
Before the two officers could react—
Tsuna thrust his trident straight toward Ukitake's chest.
This time even Ukitake placed a hand on his Zanpakutō.
But at the final moment—
The tip stopped just before Ukitake's heart.
Thin white mist flowed from the trident and entered his body.
Suddenly—
Ukitake felt something strange in his chest.
A sensation of fullness.
For the first time in years, the emptiness inside his chest seemed filled.
The suffocating discomfort he had lived with for decades disappeared.
Ukitake pressed a hand to his chest in disbelief.
No matter how he moved—
The familiar pain was gone.
And the urge to cough had vanished.
"How… is this possible?"
Ignoring his shock, Tsuna calmly withdrew his weapon and picked up his teacup.
"This isn't Kaido, and it's not Kidō," Ukitake said, puzzled. "Mr. Sawada… your ability?"
"It's illusionary technique," Tsuna explained.
"I created a false lung inside your body using illusion."
"A fake organ capable of maintaining your body's basic functions. That's why your coughing stopped."
"An illusion… astonishing…" Ukitake murmured.
For years, he had tried everything to fix his condition.
Even the greatest medical experts of Squad 4 had been powerless.
Strictly speaking—
Ukitake wasn't suffering from an illness.
It was a defect created by sacrifice.
"There's nothing mysterious about it," Tsuna said.
"If you understand the real cause, the solution is simple."
He glanced at the two third seats.
Ukitake understood immediately.
"Sentarō, Kiyone—please leave us."
After they exited, Ukitake bowed respectfully.
"Please enlighten me."
Tsuna said one sentence that made Ukitake's eyes widen.
"Your lungs are gone, aren't they?"
Ukitake stared at him.
Tsuna had pinpointed the truth exactly.
"Your organs were sacrificed to a god—or rather, to the Soul King," Tsuna continued.
"In exchange, your life was preserved."
"That means your chest cavity has been empty all along. You've only survived because of the divine power sustaining you."
"And because your life depends on that sacrificial contract, any normal transplant would fail. Any restored organ would eventually be taken again by the contract."
"That's why I created a false lung with illusion."
"It relieves the suffering caused by the missing organ without interfering with your pact."
"The illusion formula I left inside you can be maintained with a small amount of Reiatsu."
"As long as I remain alive, the technique will continue to function."
"And you'll never have to suffer from that coughing again."
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