The next day, Tsunayoshi pushed open the guest room door.
The room was spotless, as if no one had stayed there at all.
The only proof that Hitsugaya had been there was the neatly folded Squad Ten captain's haori and a letter placed on the desk.
The envelope was addressed to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
Tsunayoshi scratched his head.
Hitsugaya really knew how to make use of people—he clearly assumed Tsunayoshi would return to the Soul Society anyway.
After picking up both items and locking the house, Tsunayoshi didn't head straight to Soul Society.
Instead, he went to the Kurosaki household first.
Carrying a captain's haori like this felt like holding a hot potato. If he delivered it directly to Yamamoto, it would practically look like Hitsugaya had thrown it back in his face.
Better to return it to its original owner first—then Hitsugaya could reclaim it himself later.
"Huh? Tsuna? What brings you here?"
Ichigo stood outside his house, yawning. He and Orihime were about to leave for school.
These past few days had been exhausting for him.
School during the day.
Training afterward.
Occasional patrols around Karakura Town.
And yesterday he had even helped search for the "runaway captain" Hitsugaya.
Ichigo had been complaining lately too—wondering when the Squad Thirteen stationed Shinigami would finally arrive in Karakura.
Instead of answering, Tsunayoshi simply raised the Squad Ten haori in his hand.
Ichigo's eyes widened immediately.
"You found Hitsugaya?!"
"Found him?" Tsunayoshi snorted. "He was hiding in my house last night."
Ichigo instantly switched into gossip mode and grabbed his shoulders.
"There's a story there, isn't there?!"
"Orihime grabbed Ichigo by the back of his collar.
"Ichigo, we're going to be late!"
No matter how much he struggled, she dragged him toward school.
"Damn it!" Ichigo shouted. "Why do you get to skip school, Tsuna?!"
Tsunayoshi ignored him completely and walked into the Kurosaki house.
For him, entering the place felt no different from going home.
He quickly found Isshin Kurosaki, who was preparing to open his clinic for the day.
"You brat," Isshin said with a grin. "Your decision to stop going to school has Ichigo completely jealous."
Ichigo's distant complaints could still be heard outside.
"So what brings you here?"
Tsunayoshi placed the captain's haori on Isshin's desk and explained the situation with Hitsugaya.
After hearing everything, Isshin scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sorry to trouble you with this, Tsuna."
After all, Hitsugaya was the successor Isshin had personally chosen.
If the haori were returned directly to the Seireitei, it wouldn't just embarrass Yamamoto—it would embarrass Isshin too.
"Uncle Isshin," Tsunayoshi said, "keep an eye on the Human World for now."
"That friend of Hitsugaya's somehow lured him here."
"I'll head to Soul Society and cancel the arrest order first."
He waved the letter addressed to Yamamoto.
"I understand," Isshin nodded.
"You're probably the only one who can talk to that old man Yamamoto right now. I'm counting on you."
"Alright, I'll head out now—"
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion suddenly shook the house.
The entire building trembled violently.
Tsunayoshi and Isshin exchanged a glance.
They both instantly understood.
The Kurosaki house was under attack.
Fortunately, Masaki had already taken their daughters to school.
Only Tsunayoshi and Isshin were inside.
The two rushed to the rooftop and leapt out through the hole blasted in the ceiling.
Floating in midair were two girls.
One had red hair, the other blue.
Both wore red-and-blue school uniforms, but bone-like ornaments protruded from their foreheads, and sword-like weapons were embedded at the backs of their heads.
Arrancar.
Their ability to stand in the air and the remnants of Hollow masks confirmed it.
"Hand over Hitsugaya Tōshirō!" the red-haired one shouted.
"How do you know Hitsugaya is here?" Tsunayoshi asked calmly.
"We marked him with a tracking Reiatsu," the blue-haired girl replied.
Tsunayoshi understood immediately.
So that was why Hitsugaya had discarded his haori.
He hadn't just been abandoning the uniform—he had been ditching the tracker attached to it.
He must have known these Arrancar were far weaker than Tsunayoshi.
Using the haori as bait allowed him to slip away and search for his old friend.
"And the two of you think you can capture him?" Tsunayoshi asked with a grin.
He felt no pressure from them whatsoever.
His dismissive attitude instantly enraged the Arrancar.
They drew the short blades from behind their heads.
The red-haired one formed a flaming sword.
The blue-haired one created a lightning whip.
A blazing fireball wrapped in crackling lightning shot toward Tsunayoshi.
That attack had probably been what blasted part of the Kurosaki house earlier.
Yet neither Tsunayoshi nor Isshin moved.
They simply stood there as the attack approached.
"I can't stand you sometimes, you scheming brat!" Isshin suddenly shouted.
He shed his Gigai, transforming into his Shinigami form and leaping into the air.
"Burn, Engetsu!"
A massive wave of flames erupted, devouring the incoming attack instantly.
With a single swing of his blade, Isshin easily blocked the strike.
"Well, Uncle Isshin," Tsunayoshi said, floating beside him, "you're always so low-key. Now people think they can attack your house."
"You're just too lazy to move!" Isshin shot back.
"Doesn't matter to me," Tsunayoshi shrugged. "It's not my house behind us."
Isshin's temper flared.
If he weren't completely sure he couldn't beat the kid, he would've smacked him already.
"You two…!"
The Arrancar sisters were furious at being ignored.
One charged with her blade.
The other swung her whip.
Tsunayoshi had already switched into soul form, avoiding the need to use Fullbring in broad daylight.
The red-haired Arrancar targeted Isshin.
Both wielded fire-based blades, and she clearly wanted to prove she could defeat him.
That left Tsunayoshi facing the blue-haired one.
Her lightning whip wrapped around Tsunayoshi's arm.
He didn't even try to dodge.
Electricity surged along the whip and into his body.
Idiot.
The blue-haired Arrancar smirked.
No one had ever resisted her sustained electrical attacks.
Lightning crackled across Tsunayoshi's body.
Yet his expression didn't change at all.
Confused, she poured more Reiatsu into the attack.
Still nothing.
What she failed to notice was that two horns had appeared on Tsunayoshi's head.
He had activated his Lightning Attribute Shikai.
Beyond controlling lightning flames, its most important trait was inherited from Lambo—
Electric Resistance Skin.
Lambo had been chosen as the Vongola Lightning Guardian precisely because electricity couldn't kill him.
His body was literally forged through lightning.
In the Bleach world, attacks weren't purely elemental—Reiatsu formed their core.
Against overwhelming attacks like Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi, this defense would only reduce damage.
But this Arrancar?
She simply wasn't strong enough.
No matter how much power she poured into the attack, she couldn't harm Tsunayoshi at all.
Instead, Tsunayoshi grabbed the whip and yanked her closer.
"By the way," he asked casually, "where's your Resurrección?"
"You think you can fight me without releasing it?"
"What Resurrección?!" she snapped. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
She waved her hand.
Multiple Garganta opened in the air.
Hundreds of Hollows poured out.
Even Isshin paused slightly at the sight.
The two Arrancar retreated and stood back-to-back.
"Die!"
Seeing they were only low-level Hollows, Isshin relaxed again.
"These Arrancar aren't as impressive as Ichigo said."
Ichigo had once claimed he fought Ulquiorra evenly, so Isshin had been judging Arrancar based on Bankai-level Ichigo.
"These are probably just failed experiments from Aizen's research," Tsunayoshi explained.
The Arrancar couldn't understand most of what they said.
But they definitely caught the phrase "failed experiments."
Furious, they summoned another wave of Hollows and charged together with the swarm.
Just as Tsunayoshi was deciding which attribute would clear the crowd fastest—
A rain of black and pale-blue arrows suddenly tore through the Hollows.
"Everything okay, Dad? Tsuna?"
Ichigo stood in the alley, his Fullbring activated.
Beside him, Ishida Uryū held his Quincy Spirit Bow.
They had fired the arrow barrage.
"Honestly, Kurosaki," Ishida said calmly, "did you really think Uncle Isshin or Tsunayoshi would be in danger?"
"Uh… reflex reaction," Ichigo laughed awkwardly.
"Brat!" Isshin shouted. "You skipped school again?!"
Ichigo and Ishida had sensed abnormal Reiatsu and rushed over.
Their other friends were currently covering for them in class.
"Wait a second—" Ichigo suddenly noticed the ruined corner of his house.
"WHO BLEW UP OUR HOUSE?!"
Isshin pointed lazily at the sky.
"Those two Arrancar."
Ichigo looked up.
The red-and-blue sisters were now completely surrounded—
by Tsunayoshi alone.
"Hey," Tsunayoshi said casually.
"Tell me something."
"How far has Aizen's Arrancar research progressed?"
If you ignored the lightning crackling from the horns on his head, he looked surprisingly friendly.
"Aizen?" the red-haired girl scoffed. "I have no idea who that is."
"Then who do you serve?"
The blue-haired one grinned.
"Lord Kusaka will rule the world!"
Tsunayoshi sighed.
So there was no useful information after all.
And since they were still Hollows—
He might as well send them to join the ones he had just eliminated.
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