Tsuna's chain of analysis cleared away the fog of doubt in Ukitake's heart. He held his chest and remained silent for a long time.
Ukitake had always believed he was the weakest among the captains of the Gotei 13. The constant hollow cough in his chest often prevented him from displaying his true strength in battle. But now that he had this illusionary lung, did it mean that he would no longer automatically carry a "built-in disadvantage" whenever he fought?
Seeing through Ukitake's thoughts, Tsuna continued,
"Since your missing lung won't affect you anymore, don't throw your life away every time you face a strong enemy. Seriously, Ukitake Jūshirō, at least try using your Bankai. Aren't you a captain?"
Tsuna's complaint carried a hint of regret—he had never seen Ukitake use his Bankai.
Looking at Ukitake's past battles, he either relied on Sōgyo no Kotowari to absorb and reflect enemy attacks while staying on the sidelines, or he cast a few Kidō spells just to show he was present. Yet when the situation truly became desperate, he would literally risk his life, directly invoking the power of the Soul King's Right Arm inside his body.
"Using Bankai places tremendous strain on my body. In the past, it wasn't that I didn't want to use it—once I did, I couldn't continue fighting normally," Ukitake said. "But now, with Lord Sawada's help, using Bankai should no longer be difficult."
He bowed deeply to Tsuna in gratitude.
Silver-haired Ginjo leaned toward Tsuna and whispered,
"Hey, is your illusion technique really that powerful? It can keep working without even releasing your Zanpakutō?"
Then he lowered his voice even further.
"You're not planning to use this to threaten Ukitake, are you? Like—if he doesn't cooperate, you blow up his internal organs or something?"
Tsuna had to admire Ginjo's imagination. The man had already drunk Ukitake's tea and still trusted him so little.
"First of all, what I left in Captain Ukitake's body is just an illusion formula. It consumes his own Reiatsu to maintain it."
"Second, Ukitake's life continues because of the divine oracle. Even if I blew up his internal organs, he wouldn't die. Did you really think the Soul King's Right Arm was something ordinary?"
Ginjo clearly underestimated the significance of the Soul King's Right Arm.
The power representing stasis had completely locked Ukitake's life force in place. So even though he always looked sickly, as long as the Right Arm remained still, there might not be many people who could outlive him.
"Hey! You just said that out loud!" Ginjo jumped in alarm. How could Tsuna blurt out a "secret" directly to the person involved?
"Relax," Tsuna said casually. "If I really wanted to kill Ukitake, I wouldn't need tricks like that."
"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Sawada," Ukitake said. "But I have a question. Since earlier you have repeatedly mentioned the Soul King. How did you learn that I possess the Soul King's power?"
This was extremely important—not only for him, but for Soul Society itself.
"There's nothing strange about it," Tsuna replied. "We also possess the Soul King's power."
He released the teacup in his hand. A streak of green light lifted the cup gently and placed it back on the table.
It was the power of Fullbring.
"The Soul King's power manifests in humans as extraordinary abilities—what we call Fullbring. In Shinigami, I suspect it appears as something similar to the 'divine oracle' effect that Captain Ukitake has. The three of us are all Fullbringers."
As soon as Tsuna finished speaking, Ginjo Kūgo and Tsukishima simultaneously activated their Fullbring abilities.
Three streaks of green light appeared at once, each carrying a distinct spiritual signature.
For the moment, Ukitake accepted Tsuna's explanation.
"Fullbring… I remember, Ginjo Kūgo—you once managed a group of Fullbringers, didn't you?"
"Hmph!"
Ukitake's words immediately angered Ginjo.
"You've got the nerve to say that," Ginjo snapped coldly. "Wasn't it you who sent Shinigami to slaughter all my companions?"
"That's impossible!" Ukitake frowned. "That's completely different from the information I obtained. According to the records, you requested help from Soul Society—then killed every Shinigami sent to the Human World as reinforcements."
"In the investigation reports from the scene, there were only the corpses of dead Shinigami. There were no human Fullbringers among the bodies at all."
Ginjo and Tsukishima exchanged glances.
Having already heard Tsuna's deductions before, they quickly realized the problem.
There was corruption inside Soul Society itself. Even a captain like Ukitake Jūshirō had been deceived.
Ginjo gradually calmed down.
"Would you be willing to hear a hypothesis from me?" he asked quietly. "One without any evidence."
"I would like to hear it," Ukitake replied.
Ginjo repeated Tsuna's earlier deductions—the same analysis Tsuna had explained when they first met.
The more Ukitake listened, the more shocked he became. Without realizing it, his palms began to sweat.
"Lord Sawada… Are you saying all of this is the scheme of the Tsunayashiro Clan?" Ukitake summarized. "They altered the records, deceived the Gotei 13 and the Substitute Shinigami Ginjo Kūgo, all to capture the Fullbringers around Ginjo and research the Soul King's power?"
"There's no evidence," Tsuna said calmly. "Whether you believe it is up to you."
Then he suddenly turned his head toward the door.
"The person outside—would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"
The door of the tea room slid open.
A man wearing a straw hat, a bright floral haori, and a small braid walked in with a helpless expression. His demeanor looked somewhat carefree.
"This is really bad timing," the man sighed. "I heard a secret I wasn't supposed to hear. Ukitake, you've really dragged me into trouble."
"As one of Head Captain Yamamoto's students," Tsuna shot back, "are you afraid of noble authority, Captain Kyōraku?"
Kyōraku Shunsui removed his straw hat, glanced at Tsuna, then said to Ukitake with certainty,
"Ukitake, I'm pretty sure my arrival was part of this kid's plan too."
"How could that be?" Ukitake asked.
"There's no way someone could calculate everything like that," Tsuna said, refusing to admit it. "But considering how inseparable you two senior brothers are, once Captain Ukitake learns the truth, sooner or later he'll drag Captain Kyōraku into it as well."
"After all, we're talking about the Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Houses."
"See?" Kyōraku said to Ukitake with a knowing look.
Then he turned to Tsuna.
"So, young man—what exactly is your purpose for invading the Seireitei? To clear the Substitute Shinigami's name? Restore his title?"
When Kyōraku asked this, Ginjo clenched his fists.
"Being a Substitute Shinigami doesn't matter," he said through gritted teeth. "I just want the truth. And I want to mourn my innocent friends who were slaughtered."
"That's the situation," Tsuna said calmly. "There's no harm in telling you our objective."
"We came here for Kuchiki Rukia. Investigating Ginjo's case is just a side matter."
"Because the fundamental evidence has already been tampered with, we have no guarantee that you would investigate it."
"The Records Archive, huh…" Kyōraku murmured. "That's quite troublesome."
He fell into deep thought—should he intervene in the matter of the former Substitute Shinigami?
During the brief silence, a strange fluctuation of Reiatsu suddenly appeared inside the tea room.
Both Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō changed expressions instantly.
"You injured Squad 3?" Kyōraku asked, his face turning serious as his hand rested on the hilt of his Zanpakutō.
At the slightest provocation, he would draw his blade.
Most likely, the two captains had just received a message through Tenteikūra.
"Hey, Ichimaru Gin attacked first," Tsuna argued. "I only injured them. I didn't take anyone's life. That's already showing mercy. It's called self-defense!"
"The Head Captain has issued an order," Ukitake said. "The Bankai restriction in the Seireitei has been lifted. You're in trouble now."
Under normal circumstances, captains were forbidden from using Bankai within the Seireitei. But because Ichimaru Gin had been injured, that restriction had now been completely removed.
"Whether we're in trouble or not isn't the important question," Tsuna replied calmly.
"The real question is whether you are willing to face the trouble."
His words left Kyōraku and Ukitake silent.
After thinking for a long time, Ukitake finally sat upright.
"I will investigate the Substitute Shinigami warrant incident," he said solemnly. "But I need time. Please wait a while longer. I will give you—Ginjo Kūgo—an answer."
"As expected," Kyōraku sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Have you really decided, Ukitake?"
"Whether it's the Substitute Shinigami or the deaths of Shinigami in the Human World, these matters fall under the jurisdiction of my squad. I cannot ignore them."
"Fine," Kyōraku said. "If you need anything, tell me."
Ginjo leaned close to Tsuna again and whispered,
"Tsuna… can we trust them?"
Being hunted by Soul Society in the past had clearly left him with severe PTSD.
"Don't you know the answer already?" Tsuna said. "Why do you think I brought you to Soul Society?"
"Ginjo—what kind of person Ukitake Jūshirō truly is… it's better if you witness it with your own eyes."
Then Tsuna turned to Ukitake and made a polite request.
"Captain Ukitake, would you mind letting Ginjo stay by your side for a while? Just from now until we leave."
Before Ukitake could answer, Kyōraku interjected,
"During your time in the Seireitei, rescuing Kuchiki Rukia isn't the only thing you plan to do, is it?"
"There are still some stage plays that haven't begun yet," Tsuna said.
"Even if I told you the truth now, you wouldn't believe it."
"But Captain Kyōraku, Captain Ukitake—please believe this much."
"We came to the Seireitei only to save someone. We have no malicious intent."
Telling them right now that a captain would soon betray Soul Society would be impossible for them to believe.
All Tsuna could do was plant a warning in advance.
Both Kyōraku and Ukitake could vaguely sense it.
In the coming days, something enormous was about to happen in the Seireitei.
"Very well," Ukitake said at last. "Ginjo Kūgo, you may temporarily stay by my side."
Although he did not know what would happen in the Seireitei, keeping Ginjo close also meant he effectively held him as a form of hostage—giving Ukitake some degree of initiative.
Ukitake asked Kotetsu Kiyone to bring two sets of Shihakushō.
Ginjo and Tsukishima changed into them.
From this moment onward, they were members of Squad 13. Their importance even surpassed that of the two Third Seats, and Ukitake personally ensured their protection.
While they were changing clothes, Kyōraku began chatting with Tsuna.
"So, Mr. Sawada," Kyōraku asked, staring at him carefully, "what are you planning to do next? Go rescue Kuchiki Rukia directly?"
"That job will be handled by an idiot," Tsuna replied calmly.
"My job is to protect my companions."
"So next, I'll be searching every corner of the Seireitei to find them."
Kyōraku studied Tsuna's expression, but could find no flaw.
Still unwilling to give up, he asked another question.
"If one person can rescue Rukia, why did you invade the Seireitei as a group? To create chaos and divide Soul Society's attention?"
"You have to make some noise," Tsuna said with a faint smile.
"If nothing happens… how would that person who's been hiding for so long ever step onto the stage?"
At last, Kyōraku Shunsui finally obtained a useful piece of information from Tsuna's words.
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