The three figures who stepped out of the Garganta were led by a laid-back man.
He had short, dark-brown curly hair, unshaven stubble, and wore a gray-and-white wolf-pelt cloak. Gray fur covered his limbs, contrasting with the white of his body. From a distance, it almost looked like he wore an eyepatch—his overall appearance resembling a mix of a hunter and a pirate.
The most eye-catching detail, however, was the pair of pistols in his hands.
Both were short guns—black as the base color, adorned with silver jet-like patterns and wolf-head designs.
Tsuna raised an eyebrow.
He immediately recognized them.
They were Hollows—or rather, evolved Hollows approaching Shinigami form:
Arrancar.
Arrancar were Hollows who had broken their masks, revealing human-like faces—an evolutionary path of Hollows.
And the one at the front—
Holding twin guns—
Was the Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk.
What looked like an eyepatch over his left eye was actually his Hollow hole, and there was another in his chest.
He was already in his Resurrección form.
Resurrección could be roughly compared to a Shinigami's Shikai or Bankai, though their principles were entirely different.
Shinigami release their inner power through their Zanpakutō.
Arrancar, on the other hand, release their Zanpakutō to return that sealed power back into their bodies, reverting closer to their original Hollow forms.
In simple terms—
Starrk, as the Primera Espada, was currently operating on a level comparable to a Captain using Bankai.
Tsuna now understood where that earlier attack came from.
It had undoubtedly been fired from Starrk's guns.
Among Starrk's abilities, what left the deepest impression on Tsuna was—
Cero.
For most Hollows, Cero required charging and consumed significant Reiatsu.
But for Starrk—
Using Cero was as effortless as breathing.
His ability to unleash endless Cero was unforgettable.
Standing beside him was an even more recognizable figure—
One of the most popular characters in Bleach:
The Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer.
Emotionless. Cold. Almost completely devoid of visible expression.
As for the last one—
Tsuna had to bite his lip hard to stop himself from laughing.
That person—
Was Inoue Hao.
With Tsuna and Urahara Kisuke's help, Hao had Hollowfied using a human soul, shattered his mask, regained his consciousness, and walked a completely different path.
After gaining the strength to protect himself, he had voluntarily entered Hueco Mundo to repay Urahara.
Now—
He had successfully infiltrated Aizen's ranks.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be standing alongside two Espada.
The moment Ichigo saw him, he clamped a hand over his mouth.
To outsiders, it looked like shock.
The others from the Human World also forced themselves into composure.
Orihime even hid behind Arisawa Tatsuki, afraid she might instinctively call out:
"Brother."
Fortunately, Tsuna and Urahara had not kept Hao's undercover identity a secret.
Otherwise—
Ichigo would have already rushed forward demanding why he abandoned his sister.
While Ichigo's group struggled to maintain control—
Hao was doing the same.
Only when he looked at Orihime did a faint trace of warmth appear in his eyes.
Before departing, Urahara had trained him thoroughly.
Under the alias "Hao," no one in Hueco Mundo suspected his origins.
Through sheer ability, he had risen as a natural Arrancar, earning Aizen's attention.
Interestingly—
The Arrancar sent to Soul Society this time were all naturally evolved Arrancar.
Ulquiorra, however, was a half-Arrancar, forcibly elevated by Aizen using part of the Hōgyoku .
These three were also Aizen's most trusted subordinates.
Even before meeting him, they possessed immense power.
Aizen had invested significant effort to recruit them.
In his view—
Their loyalty wasn't due to strength or benefits—
But his charisma.
And when Aizen called for help—
It was these three who answered.
As for the rest of Hueco Mundo—
He didn't trust them.
Most were unstable and unpredictable. The fact they didn't betray him was already fortunate—expecting rescue was unrealistic.
Starrk's timely arrival brought a smile to Aizen's face.
Only when Kyōraku Shunsui used his Shikai did Aizen realize—
This deceptively lazy man had already cut off his retreat.
Now, with Starrk and the others present—
His lack of high-tier combat power was resolved.
Silently, Aizen activated Kyōka Suigetsu.
The four—Urahara and the others—who had trapped him with Bakudō #73: Tozanshō were already under hypnosis.
They just hadn't noticed yet.
Aizen also knew Kyōraku was hiding in the shadows.
The moment he appeared—
He would be controlled.
No chance for a sneak attack.
"These are… Hollows?"
Yamamoto Genryūsai slightly opened his eyes, surprised.
Since when did Hollows look so human?
There was no need to guess—
This was Aizen's doing.
"Aizen… you've truly allied with Hueco Mundo!"
Yamamoto's anger surged.
Betrayal was one thing—
But collaborating with Hollows?
Unforgivable.
To him, Aizen had abandoned the pride of a Shinigami.
As his anger rose—
The flames intensified.
"Head Captain, if you don't restrain yourself, Soul Society will be destroyed by your own hand first."
Aizen suddenly appeared before him.
Yamamoto knew—
He was under illusion again.
Without the Tozanshō barrier, he couldn't pinpoint Aizen's true body unless he raised the entire temperature of Soul Society—
Which he couldn't afford to do.
Even now, the heat was already affecting the realm.
If he fully unleashed Ryūjin Jakka—
He might destroy Soul Society before defeating Aizen.
Aizen was using Soul Society itself as leverage.
And Yamamoto—
Had no answer.
The flames receded, returning to his blade.
He sheathed it.
Against illusions, large-scale attacks would only harm allies.
But Yamamoto wasn't one to surrender.
As the flames withdrew, they briefly burned the hands of Unohana Retsu and Zaraki Kenpachi—
A signal.
The rest—
Was up to them.
Still—
It wasn't enough.
Three Arrancar, plus Aizen.
They couldn't win.
Urahara's group had already fallen silent.
So—
Only the Human World allies remained?
"Sawada Tsunayoshi… I wish to make a deal."
This immediately caught Aizen's attention.
With a glance from him, Starrk fired a shot.
Under hypnosis, Yamamoto was speaking blindly—unaware of what Tsuna would do.
"Aizen, it's just a deal. Anyone can make one," Tsuna said as he appeared before Yamamoto—casually swatting away the Cero.
Aizen knew he was right.
If Tsuna could deal with him—
He could deal with others.
That made things troublesome.
Before Aizen could act—
Unohana and Zaraki attacked.
They couldn't defeat him—
But they could stall him.
Unaware of the outside situation, Yamamoto continued:
"Help Soul Society stop Aizen's plan. In return—"
Aizen's expression changed.
"Starrk—kill him!"
Starrk sighed internally.
He had little interest in fighting—
But if his comrade asked—
He would act.
He raised his hand—
And unleashed a fully charged Cero.
A massive beam, over five meters wide, shot toward Tsuna.
This was no Bala—
This was true Cero.
Tsuna sighed.
"Can't anyone let people finish talking?"
He extended both hands—
Rear hand: Soft Flame (Sky Flame – Harmony)
Front hand: Hard Flame (Sky Flame – Power)
X BURNER!
A beam of equal magnitude collided with the Cero.
Blinding white light engulfed Sōkyoku Hill.
The shockwaves spread across Soul Society.
Because Tsuna stood close to Yamamoto, he heard the full terms:
Grant Tsuna and Ichigo Substitute Shinigami authorityAllow their group Captain-level privileges and free access to Soul SocietyClear Urahara and the Visored of all past charges
The first didn't matter much to Tsuna.
The third would happen anyway after Aizen's fall.
But the second—
That mattered.
He didn't want to be treated as an intruder every time he came.
And training opportunities in Soul Society—
Were invaluable.
"I accept your terms," Tsuna said. "But I won't fight Aizen. That's part of my deal with him."
Suddenly—
Yamamoto could hear him clearly.
A warm orange flame enveloped his body.
No burning—
Only warmth.
Sky Flame – Harmonization.
Tsuna neutralized Aizen's Reiatsu influence, restoring his senses temporarily.
"Deal!"
Yamamoto agreed immediately.
He still needed to act.
He had to recreate a sealed space like Tozanshō—
Only then could he fight Aizen properly.
Tsuna seemed to understand.
The moment Yamamoto finished speaking—
Tsuna turned—
And kicked him in the abdomen.
Yamamoto was sent flying—
All the way off Sōkyoku Hill.
Landing deep within the Seireitei.
…That brat.
Yamamoto cursed inwardly—
But didn't blame him.
Urahara's group was already out.
If he wanted to rebuild a barrier—
He needed manpower.
If quality wasn't enough—
Then quantity would suffice.
The Kidō Corps would have to act.
And Tsuna's kick—
Bought him time.
Under the relentless assault of Unohana and Zaraki—
Even Aizen couldn't maintain long-range hypnosis control.
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