Facing the incoming ice dragon, Tsunayoshi swung his blade backward, summoning surging water that spiraled around him and formed a high-density defensive wall.
Shigure Sōen-ryū, Defensive Form Seventh Style — Flourishing Rain!
The ice dragon slammed into the water barrier. A terrifying chill instantly seeped in, turning the water wall into solid ice. The swirling defense transformed into a frozen ring that trapped Tsunayoshi within.
"Close one. You really don't hold back, huh… Shiro-chan," Tsunayoshi said as he shattered the ice wall with a single slash, looking at Hitsugaya.
"Who told you to call me that?!"
Hitsugaya immediately rushed forward.
Because of his youthful appearance, he always spoke with a mature tone and handled matters with strict composure, all to prove he deserved the position of Captain.
But Tsunayoshi's casual nickname instantly shattered the imposing aura he had painstakingly built. If that nickname spread through the Seireitei, how could he possibly maintain authority as a captain?
Gripping Hyorinmaru, Hitsugaya launched a barrage of rapid slashes. Every swing released blooming frost, and even the slightest mistake would allow the freezing aura of Hyorinmaru to invade Tsunayoshi's body.
Yet at such close range, Tsunayoshi moved as if walking a tightrope, teasing his opponent. He never once swung his blade—his body continuously dodged, as though he could predict the direction of Hitsugaya's attacks. Each time he narrowly slipped past the icy edge.
Shigure Sōen-ryū, Defensive Form Fourth Style — Five Winds, Ten Rains.
A secret technique that reads the opponent's breathing and rhythm to evade attacks.
"You bastard!"
What Hitsugaya hated most was being treated like a child. Watching Tsunayoshi toy with him using Five Winds, Ten Rains only made his irritation boil over.
Hyorinmaru swung horizontally again.
This time it didn't produce ice blossoms—
It produced a tail.
The tail of the ice dragon.
Ice Dragon Tail Spin!
A massive semicircle of freezing ice was hurled outward. No matter what, Hitsugaya intended to force Tsunayoshi to draw his blade. He could no longer tolerate Tsunayoshi's relaxed demeanor.
And just as Hitsugaya expected—
Tsunayoshi finally moved.
Shigure Kintoki clashed against Hyorinmaru as Tsunayoshi intercepted the Ice Dragon Tail Spin.
Naturally, Hitsugaya wouldn't allow it so easily. He gripped his sword with both hands and pushed forward, determined to smash the attack directly into Tsunayoshi's face.
But suddenly—
Hitsugaya realized his sword was no longer under his control.
Under a strange force, Hyorinmaru's trajectory began shifting unpredictably—slashing upward, veering backward—no matter how he tried, he couldn't guide the blade.
As a result, the Ice Dragon Tail Spin lost all threat. If the blade couldn't even reach its target, the dragon's tail certainly couldn't strike Tsunayoshi.
Only then did Hitsugaya notice the anomaly.
At the point where Hyorinmaru touched Shigure Kintoki, a faint blue flame flickered—almost invisible to the naked eye.
It was this Ryoka before him that had altered the direction of his attack.
Cold air spread across Hyorinmaru, blowing away the flame on the blade. Hitsugaya quickly pulled back to widen the distance.
Too strange.
This technique had completely eliminated the possibility of close-range sword clashes.
Tsunayoshi sighed in regret.
Hitsugaya's reaction was far too fast. This move wasn't easy to pull off, and he had finally found an opponent who was reasonably strong without being overwhelmingly powerful.
He hadn't even had time to enjoy the fight yet.
This was—
Shigure Sōen-ryū, Defensive Form Sixth Style — Plum Rain.
This technique never appeared in the original Shigure Sōen-ryū., so Tsunayoshi had filled in the move himself.
Borrowing the concept of the endless plum rain season, the technique dissolved the opponent's attacks like Tai Chi, redirecting the enemy's strike path during a clash.
Once Plum Rain successfully activates, Tsunayoshi can continuously alter the opponent's attack trajectory.
However, such techniques are easily seen through, and against truly powerful enemies they cannot last long.
For Hitsugaya, avoiding close combat was hardly a problem.
After all, he wielded the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō in Soul Society. He could casually unleash countless ice attacks from a distance.
Channeling Reiatsu, Hitsugaya swung Hyorinmaru.
Fragments of ice rapidly gathered into flocks of flying birds and surged toward Tsunayoshi.
Ice Bird Swarm!
Facing the dense swarm of ice birds, Tsunayoshi merely adjusted the tip of his blade and launched rapid thrusts.
Shigure Sōen-ryū, Special Form Eleventh Style — Swallow's Beak!
The tip of Shigure Kintoki became like the sharp beak of a swallow. Each strike was a precise thrust, and every thrust pierced an ice bird perfectly.
Before long, Hitsugaya's Ice Bird Swarm was completely destroyed.
Troublesome.
That was Hitsugaya's first thought.
From beginning to end, Tsunayoshi had never seriously attacked him. Every move had been defensive.
Not a single true offensive technique.
Faced with such an irritating opponent, Hitsugaya—one of the Shinigami famous for releasing Bankai whenever facing strong enemies—tightened his grip on Hyorinmaru.
"Ban—"
"HAHAHA! So you're here! Nice work, Yachiru!"
A loud voice interrupted his release.
A man with a ferocious face, a scar across his cheek, wearing an eyepatch, holding a battered sword—and carrying a pink-haired little girl on his shoulder.
There was no need to guess.
They were the captain and lieutenant of Squad 11—
Zaraki Kenpachi and Kusajishi Yachiru.
"Hello! Mind if Ken-chan joins too?" Yachiru greeted cheerfully.
"Yachiru, go wait over there."
Kenpachi didn't bother asking for permission.
After setting Yachiru down, he immediately leapt forward, bringing his Zanpakutō down toward Tsunayoshi.
Hitsugaya watched the madman with exasperation.
Fortunately, Kenpachi could still distinguish friend from foe. If he had swung at Hitsugaya as well, things would have truly exploded.
Still, with Kenpachi around, Hitsugaya could conserve some effort.
Earlier, he and Matsumoto Rangiku had noticed someone wandering nearby—it turned out to be Kenpachi.
How those two had managed to roam all the way near the Shihōin estate was anyone's guess.
Tsunayoshi blocked the blow with his sword. Just as he tried using Plum Rain again—
At the instant their blades clashed, Kenpachi's Reiatsu exploded outward, shattering the Rain-Attribute Flames attached to the sword.
"What the hell was that?" Kenpachi spat disdainfully.
Then his face twisted into an excited grin.
"Come on—let's kill each other!"
The small relief in Tsunayoshi's heart vanished.
Against Zaraki Kenpachi, defensive techniques alone clearly wouldn't work.
He needed offensive moves.
Tsunayoshi released Shigure Kintoki from the clash, then suddenly shifted his grip. As Kenpachi's blade descended, Tsunayoshi caught his weapon with his other hand and counterattacked.
Shigure Sōen-ryū, Offensive Form Fifth Style — May Rain!
By suddenly switching his dominant hand, the rhythm and trajectory of his attack changed completely.
The abrupt shift caught Kenpachi off guard, forcing him back a step.
"Now that's interesting!" Kenpachi grinned.
Without strength, he wouldn't even bother getting excited. After all, he and Yachiru had spent an entire day and night searching the Seireitei for someone worth fighting.
Kenpachi slashed again.
His attacks were completely unstructured, like a wild beast.
Yet a beast's instincts always find the optimal attack path.
Kenpachi had never studied swordsmanship—
But somehow he possessed the strongest swordsmanship of all.
Pure instinct.
Tsunayoshi and Kenpachi clashed repeatedly, their blades striking again and again. The sharp ringing of steel echoed above the Shihōin estate.
"Shiro-chan, are you leaving?"
Watching the duel, Hitsugaya sheathed Hyorinmaru.
It was obvious the fight wouldn't end anytime soon. Rather than wasting time here, he might as well catch up to Rangiku.
Just as he prepared to leave—
That irritating nickname rang out again.
"It's Captain Hitsugaya!" he snapped at Yachiru.
That brief interruption prevented him from leaving immediately.
Tsunayoshi also noticed Hitsugaya's intention.
He couldn't let him go.
If Hitsugaya caught up with Yoruichi, her advantage would disappear.
He had to stop him—
Stop both Hitsugaya and Kenpachi.
Tsunayoshi used Reverse Rolling Rain to raise a curtain of water, blocking Kenpachi's vision.
At the same time, a rain swallow flew from his hand.
Holding Shigure Kintoki horizontally, the swallow crashed into the sword's hilt.
Green light flashed.
The blade transformed.
Most eye-catching was the tsuba, shaped like a swallow with wings spread, set with a blue gemstone.
At the same time, Tsunayoshi now held three bladeless sword hilts in his left hand.
This was the form created after combining Shikai with Fullbring.
At its core it remained Asari Ugetsu's Variant Four Blades, but after fusion its power far surpassed the original.
The swallow that struck the Zanpakutō—Kojirō—and the three daggers delivered by Akita Jirō were merely constructs formed from Rain-Attribute Flames.
They had no physical bodies.
Feeling Tsunayoshi's Reiatsu surge again, Kenpachi grinned even wider.
The stronger the opponent, the happier he became.
Just as he was about to attack—
A waterfall-like rain curtain suddenly surrounded him and Hitsugaya.
Within the rain, countless figures of Tsunayoshi appeared.
In an instant, the hunter had become the hunted.
Special Form — Waterfall Dance.
Originally created by Asari Ugetsu, this technique used a cascading rain curtain to reflect multiple images of the user.
In essence, it was an advanced version of Offensive Form Ninth Style — Reflecting Rain.
Through Tsunayoshi's refinement, it had been fully integrated into Shigure Sōen-ryū.
Naturally, Ugetsu's other techniques had also been incorporated.
Tsunayoshi raised his sword high and slashed downward.
Ten crescent-shaped Rain Flames appeared simultaneously, rapidly condensing—
Transforming into countless icicles that shot toward Kenpachi and Hitsugaya.
Special Form — Ice Rain!
Surrounded by the rain curtain, neither Kenpachi nor Hitsugaya could evade the attack.
There was only one option—
Block it.
Kenpachi burst out laughing and tore off his eyepatch.
The eyepatch was a limiter designed to suppress his Reiatsu, allowing him to match his opponent's level and enjoy the fight.
But now—
There was no need for restraint.
Kenpachi would unleash his full power.
Hitsugaya reached the same conclusion.
The density of these icicles surpassed even his Ice Bird Swarm.
There was no point holding back.
"Bankai—!"
"Bankai! Daiguren Hyorinmaru!"
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