Days passed one after another. Tsuna had already completely mastered his Shikai.
On his way home from school, after casually eliminating a Hollow, Tsuna arrived at Urahara Shop as usual.
Becoming a Shinigami had obvious advantages.
The wandering souls of Karakura Town who had nowhere to go could now simply receive a tap of Tsuna's Zanpakutō hilt on their foreheads. With a Konsō (Soul Burial), they would be sent to Soul Society.
There was no longer any need to painstakingly persuade them to pass on themselves, nor worry about them eventually transforming into Hollows.
Another thing worth mentioning—so that Tsuna could use his Shinigami powers anytime, Urahara Kisuke had created a portable Reishi Converter for him.
It allowed Tsuna to convert Kishi (physical matter) into Reishi (spiritual particles) on his own, enabling him to transform into a Shinigami.
Tsuna had traded intelligence in exchange for this device. He had no intention of letting someone else safeguard his body while he entered spirit form.
Because the device was portable, it could only function for a single person—but that was already enough for Tsuna.
"Hello."
After skillfully shaking off the small tail following him yet again, Tsuna opened the door of Urahara Shop.
"Mr. Tessai, you're here? The shopkeeper asked me to come."
"I know. Please follow me, Mr. Sawada."
As usual, Tsukabishi Tessai opened the hidden door leading to the underground training area.
"Yo, Tsuna-kun, you're here."
As soon as he entered, Tsuna saw Urahara waving his folding fan at him.
Beside him stood Ururu and Jinta, who were working together to carry a large crate.
"Shopkeeper, isn't Mr. Yoruichi here today?"
After being beaten by Yoruichi countless times during training, Tsuna had actually grown somewhat fond of her. Their relationship had become something between teacher and friend.
Not seeing her arrogant figure today felt a little strange.
"Brat, if you miss me you can just say so."
Tsuna suddenly felt something land on his head.
A rather annoying black cat had appeared there, grooming its fur leisurely.
"Your Shunpo improved again?" Tsuna asked cautiously.
During the past period of training, he had already fully adapted to Yoruichi's Reiatsu. It had become impossible for her to bypass his Hyper Intuition and ambush him.
Yet now she had suddenly appeared on top of his head.
"Hmph. Just a little progress. Don't make such a big deal out of it," the black cat said proudly.
She had intentionally hidden herself just to surprise Tsuna.
"Alright, alright. Let's begin today's training."
Urahara pulled a human-shaped dummy out of the large crate.
"Tsuna-kun, today's lesson is… Bankai."
The moment he heard the word Bankai, Tsuna immediately understood what the object was.
Tenshintai—a device that could forcibly materialize a Zanpakutō spirit.
As expected, Urahara began explaining.
"After observing you for a while, I've determined that your Reiatsu has already reached the level necessary to learn Bankai. This device is called a Tenshintai. It forces your Zanpakutō spirit to materialize so you can subdue it and obtain your Bankai."
Urahara didn't explain the principles in detail.
Tsuna already knew enough about how the training worked.
Just as Urahara expected, Tsuna had no questions.
"I understand," Tsuna nodded. "I just need to insert my Zanpakutō, right?"
"Brat, if you fail, you'll never be able to learn Bankai again," Yoruichi warned.
"It's fine. Mr. Yoruichi, please step aside."
Tsuna grabbed the black cat and tossed her back into Urahara's arms.
Then he transformed into his Shinigami form and thrust his black Zanpakutō into the Tenshintai.
A tremendous surge of Reiatsu erupted from the device.
The Tenshintai began to change.
A figure emerged—
Wearing a black suit, in Hyper Dying Will Mode, equipped with X-Gloves.
It was essentially an adult version of Tsuna.
"Oh… a Zanpakutō spirit that looks exactly like its owner. This is the first time I've seen something like this," Urahara commented.
The adult Tsuna opened his eyes.
Looking at the Tsuna before him, he immediately understood the situation.
"Tenshintai, huh? So… my other self. Are you trying to learn Bankai?"
"That's right, Tenth," Tsuna said, patting the taller man's leg. "Please guide me. What's the trial?"
Unexpectedly, the Tenth Generation simply smiled gently and shook his head.
"There's no need for a trial between us. If you want Bankai, I can simply give it to you."
"WHAT?!"
Urahara and Yoruichi shouted in shock.
"What kind of Zanpakutō is this?! You can just get Bankai that easily?!" Yoruichi complained.
She recalled her own Bankai training—her Zanpakutō had been completely incompatible with her and absolutely refused to cooperate.
Thinking about it again made her grind her teeth.
"That does seem a bit too easy," Urahara added. "When I learned Bankai, Benihime gave me quite a bit of trouble."
"Hm… when you put it that way," the Tenth said thoughtfully, "perhaps a sense of ceremony wouldn't be bad."
Urahara and Yoruichi froze.
He had actually taken their complaints seriously.
"There's really no need, Tenth," Tsuna quickly tried to stop him. "We're all members of the Vongola. Cooperation is enough."
The Tenth immediately shook his head.
"Just like you said, if we are Vongola, we should have Vongola-style ceremony. In that case—let's use this opportunity to give you a Vongola Trial."
Tsuna shot a resentful glare toward Urahara and Yoruichi.
Because of their sarcastic remarks, a trial that should have ended instantly had turned into something complicated.
The two quickly hid behind a large rock to watch secretly.
Tsuna withdrew his gaze and asked:
"Tenth… what's the trial?"
"Very simple," the Tenth replied.
"Show me how much you've grown after obtaining your power."
Without another word, the Tenth Generation threw a punch straight at Tsuna's face.
Tsuna blocked instantly and used the force to retreat.
The Sky Flame ignited around him as he entered Hyper Dying Will Mode.
High-Speed Glide.
Sky Flames erupted from the X-Gloves, and Tsuna began circling the Tenth at extreme speed.
Tsuna believed that everything he could do—
the Tenth could also do.
Possibly even better.
Which meant a frontal attack would be foolish.
Tsuna suddenly switched modes.
Flying behind the Tenth, he changed to the Storm attribute and launched a barrage of rocket bombs.
"How nostalgic," the Tenth murmured.
He turned calmly, ignited Sky Flame in his hand, and casually waved.
A wall of flame instantly blocked all the rockets.
Explosions erupted, filling the area with smoke.
Through the smoke—
a blade flashed.
Shigure Sōen-ryū — Offensive Form One: "Axle Rain."
The Rain Flame-coated sword thrust forward.
The Tenth didn't even attempt to dodge.
He simply raised two fingers and caught the blade.
The flames on the sword instantly vanished.
It had no effect at all.
Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough — Revised: Barehand Blade Catch!
Tsuna hadn't expected it.
The Tenth didn't even need the hand seal to activate the technique.
Just two fingers were enough.
The moment the blade was caught, Tsuna switched attributes again.
Still Storm.
The Skull Launcher fired at point-blank range.
A Scarlet Flame Arrow erupted with maximum Reiatsu output.
The red flames completely swallowed the Tenth.
When the flames faded—
the Tenth stood there calmly.
"Don't forget," he said with a smile,
"I can use the other attributes as well."
A layer of green lightning covered his body.
Lightning Flame.
Its hardening property had blocked the attack.
Tsuna switched equipment again without hesitation.
Holding Cloud Flame tonfa, he launched a close-range assault.
The weapons whistled through the air.
Thanks to his training with Yoruichi, Tsuna's Hakuda had improved dramatically.
"Attacks like this aren't enough," the Tenth commented calmly.
Tsuna had chosen Cloud Flame.
But Hibari's strength came from his personal combat ability. Tsuna still lacked the experience to match the Tenth in close combat.
After dodging three strikes, the Tenth suddenly smiled.
"I see."
He suddenly stopped moving, allowing Tsuna's attack to pass through him.
At the same time—
three identical Tsuna clones appeared beside him.
All three threw punches simultaneously.
Sun Attribute — Extreme Charge!
The Tenth smiled slightly.
He split into two copies of himself and caught each attack one-on-one.
"Nicely done."
The earlier Tsuna wielding tonfa had actually been a Mist illusion.
The real Tsuna had hidden nearby, waiting for the perfect moment.
Even Tsuna feared triggering the Tenth's Hyper Intuition, so he stayed hidden until the last second before launching a multi-angle attack.
It had almost worked.
The moment the Tenth caught his fist—
Tsuna switched again to Sky Flame.
But strangely, the X-Gloves showed no visible flames.
Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough!
To block Tsuna's attack, the Tenth's hands had been wrapped in flame.
That was enough to activate the technique.
The Tenth's flames instantly froze.
A flower of ice formed in his hand, sealing one of his arms.
"Ah… but you forgot," the Tenth said calmly.
"We possess all seven flame attributes."
With his free hand, the Tenth ignited flame after flame:
Sky.
Storm.
Rain.
Sun.
Lightning.
Cloud.
Finally—
Mist.
The combined energy of the seven flames could easily shatter the ice.
Tsuna simply replied calmly:
"I know."
While the Tenth dealt with the ice—
Tsuna released a massive surge of Reiatsu.
His goal had always been the same.
Buy time.
Behind him, a soft orange Sky Flame erupted like a pillar.
In front, his fist gathered enormous Reiatsu.
The color deepened.
All of Tsuna's power was concentrated into one move.
"What technique is that?" Yoruichi muttered. "The brat never used that during our training."
"It clearly requires time to charge," Urahara analyzed. "And the opponent must remain still. Against you, Yoruichi, using such a move would be suicide."
"I see," the Tenth said.
Just as the ice shattered—
Tsuna's fist opened.
Using himself as the central pivot, the rear soft flame acted as propulsion while the rigid Sky Flame formed the attack.
This was—
X BURNER!
A blazing beam of flame shot forward, carving a massive trench into the ground.
The Tenth simply raised one finger.
He released rigid Sky Flame as well.
With his mastery, he no longer needed both hands.
One finger was enough to unleash an X BURNER equal to Tsuna's.
BOOOOM!!!
The two flames clashed violently.
Tsuna sighed silently.
His mastery wasn't enough.
The Tenth had reacted in time.
Tsuna immediately changed tactics.
He redirected the soft flame downward, canceled the rigid flame output, and used Shunpo to leap into the sky.
Without resistance, the Tenth's flame surged past his previous position.
The Tenth stopped his attack and fired several guided missiles from his left hand.
High-mobility missiles—Gokudera's style.
The missiles rushed toward Tsuna.
Midair, Tsuna inverted his body and formed a rectangular hand seal.
Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough — Revised!
Explosions erupted.
Tsuna fell from the smoke.
Thanks to the technique absorbing the flames, his Reiatsu had partially recovered.
He dropped from the air unharmed.
But then—
his pupils shrank.
The Tenth Generation was suddenly right in front of him.
"It's an illusion," the Tenth explained.
Just like Tsuna's earlier trick.
The missiles had been Mist illusions.
Meanwhile, the real Tenth had already caught up.
Was this the end?
Tsuna felt unwilling to accept it.
He had been too arrogant.
Trying to defeat the creator of X BURNER with that move had been foolish.
If he had switched to the Storm C.A.I. System earlier and prevented the Tenth from breaking the ice—
the outcome might have been different.
But it was too late.
At this distance—
a single Flame Punch would defeat him.
Yet the attack never came.
Instead, a gentle flame guided Tsuna's hand to his chest.
The Tenth mirrored the motion.
Their hands faced opposite directions, backs touching.
Between them—
a massive Vongola Crest appeared.
Tsuna's eyes trembled.
He realized what this meant.
It was the Tenth Generation's inheritance.
"I'm glad I could fight you," the Tenth said.
"Congratulations. You have earned my recognition."
"All of the Vongola's power is now released to you."
"Go become stronger, Sawada Tsunayoshi."
The Tenth's hand moved closer.
The crest shrank and merged into Tsuna's X-Gloves.
At that moment—
all Bankai release commands of the Zanpakutō were unlocked.
To dye everything… to embrace everything…
Sky.
The attacking core, the endless raging storm…
Storm.
The baptism of blood, the requiem of the soul…
Rain.
Shattering adversity, illuminating the earth…
Sun.
Bearing damage, erasing threats…
Lightning.
Unbound, solitary, and proud…
Cloud.
Creating from nothing, turning existence into illusion…
Mist.