Facing Tsuna's sudden assault, Ichigo hastily raised his guard. But this attack was formed from condensed Cero, and his arms were instantly torn open with fresh claw marks. In close combat, he was completely outmatched—Tsuna had turned Cero into a melee technique.
Smoke rose from Ichigo's body as his Hollow's High-Speed Regeneration restored his wounds. Since he couldn't win up close, he would use what Hollows excelled at most—
Cero.
Ichigo leaned forward slightly, aiming his horn at Tsuna. At the point where his horns converged, a crimson sphere gathered. This was the first time he had actively used Cero since entering Hollowfication.
"Honestly… good thing there's a barrier reinforced by the former Kidō Corps Vice Commander. Otherwise, Ichigo, that short-tempered old man would've cut you down already," Tsuna remarked as he sensed the rising Reiatsu.
Ever since Tsuna and the others had taken the Shihōin Residence as a temporary base, he had brought Hachigen Ushōda over to reinforce the secret training ground with Kidō, ensuring their Reiatsu wouldn't leak into the Seireitei.
That was the only reason Renji and the others could train here without worry. Otherwise, with Renji's habit of going straight into Bankai in every fight, Shinigami would've come to investigate long ago.
Ichigo, of course, knew nothing about the intricacies of Soul Society.
The Cero at his horns suddenly expanded into a beam five meters wide and blasted straight toward Tsuna. Its power was terrifying—just the residual force carved a massive trench into the ground.
Tsuna had no intention of clashing head-on. He calmly raised his hand, forming a crimson shield—an advanced application of Cero, inspired by Urahara Kisuke'sBlood Mist Shield.
Ichigo's Cero struck the shield.
There was no violent collision.
Moments later, the Reiatsu of the attack simply… vanished.
Aside from the scar carved into the ground, the entire battlefield returned to stillness.
"…What is that?" Ichigo muttered, stunned. No matter how hard he pushed, Tsuna neutralized everything with ease. Was his Hollow power really this useless?
"It's just an extension of Counter-Kidō," Tsuna explained. At the moment of impact, he had adjusted his shield's Reiatsu to perfectly match Ichigo's Cero, using Counter-Kidō's properties to cancel it out entirely.
Compared to the complex nature of Kidō, something as straightforward as Cero was far easier to analyze and neutralize.
"That's impossible! Zangetsu said Hollows can't do that!" Ichigo protested. He could communicate with White Ichigo in real time.
"That's because Hollows raised in Hueco Mundo rely on direct, instinctive attacks. Survival of the fittest doesn't leave much room for finesse," Tsuna replied.
Cero was the primary attack of most Hollows. Only those who evolved into higher-level Hollows developed techniques suited to their bodies.
Ichigo fell silent. He had thought gaining Hollow power would finally pressure Tsuna—but once again, Tsuna dismantled everything with methods he couldn't even understand.
Sensing Ichigo's frustration, White Ichigo spoke up within his mind.
"Tsuna… Zangetsu says he'll take over," Ichigo said.
"Oh? You can switch consciousness mid-battle in that state?" Tsuna quickly grasped the situation. "So it's still the Hollow lending you power. Ichigo—you've got a long way to go."
Right now, Ichigo's state was a fusion layered with White Ichigo's power. If he had fully mastered it, there'd be no need for a consciousness switch.
"I know. I only just started communicating with Zangetsu. I'm switching now!" Ichigo said.
Ever since accepting Zangetsu's existence, control of the body remained with Ichigo. Whether White Ichigo could emerge depended on his permission.
"Wait," Tsuna interrupted. "If you can switch… can you bring out that black-clad old man? The one you used to think was Zangetsu."
Compared to White Ichigo, Tsuna was far more interested in the Father of the Quincy—whose shadow manifested as "Old Man Zangetsu
Ichigo's expression turned awkward. After some internal exchange, he said sheepishly, "I can't use his power… and also… Zangetsu is kind of angry right now…"
"Why bother with him, Ichigo?!"
Ichigo's demeanor suddenly shifted—wild, arrogant.
White Ichigo had taken over.
"Watch closely, Zangetsu! This is how you use it!"
The first part had been Ichigo speaking to Tsuna. The second—White Ichigo shouting in Ichigo's mind, furious at Tsuna's attempt to "switch players." The moment he took control, he was ready to teach Tsuna a lesson.
With a casual flick, a long bandage uncoiled into his hand—attached to the massive cleaver-like blade:
Zangetsu.
Ichigo, even in controlled Hollowfication, hadn't used his sword against Tsuna. He knew that fighting barehanded meant relying on Hollow power—but drawing Zangetsu meant using Shinigami power.
And against Tsuna's bizarre Zanpakutō… his chances would only drop.
White Ichigo, however, had no such concerns.
Hollow power, Shinigami power—it was all his.
He yanked the bandage sharply, sending Zangetsu snapping forward like a projectile. As it arced back, it slashed toward Tsuna mid-flight.
Such an obvious sneak attack failed instantly.
Tsuna simply flipped backward, effortlessly evading. Zangetsu returned to White Ichigo's side.
But instead of gripping the blade, White Ichigo spun it like a windmill using the bandage.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A crimson crescent shot out—but it wasn't a simple projectile. It spun midair, transforming into a blood-red full moon.
"Hey… that's not really a 'crescent moon,' is it?" Tsuna muttered.
He finally drew his white Zanpakutō. With White Ichigo in control, the pressure had clearly increased—this was no longer something he could treat as play.
Blue flames coated the blade. With a swing, three droplets of flame scattered like raindrops, rapidly expanding into three nautilus-shaped projectiles that collided with the incoming Getsuga.
Even without entering Resurrección, Tsuna could still utilize the power of the Box Weapons of the Real Six Funeral Wreaths—though weaker, he usually preferred fighting in Shikai. This was a good chance to use them.
Boom!
Through the smoke, the massive cleaver burst forward—Zangetsu had already reached Tsuna.
Tsuna calmly raised his blade to block. As the dust cleared, White Ichigo stood before him, grinning wildly.
Using the bandage, White Ichigo swung Zangetsu from every conceivable angle. His attacks carried a sense of momentum redirection—each strike flowing into the next, faster and faster, until Tsuna was suppressed.
Tsuna had no choice but to draw his second Zanpakutō.
Now he understood—
White Ichigo's combat instincts were extraordinarily sharp.
In pure swordsmanship, Tsuna held no advantage. His weapons were short blades, while Zangetsu had both reach and mid-range control through the bandage. As White Ichigo accelerated the tempo, he seized momentum and overwhelmed Tsuna completely.
This was the spirit of Zangetsu.
Not just its oversized blade—the bandage wrapped around the hilt was also part of the weapon.
Yet Ichigo only ever used it for straightforward strikes, even wrapping it around his arm as a transformation aid.
In White Ichigo's hands, it became a lethal weapon—almost like a smaller version of Zabimaru.
A style Ichigo would never conceive of.
Tsuna finally understood—
White Ichigo was using this opportunity to demonstrate Zangetsu's true fighting style.
So Tsuna stopped resisting.
He simply defended, letting White Ichigo treat him like a training dummy.
Seeing this, White Ichigo scoffed. He knew Tsuna had seen through him.
So he went all out—demonstrating every possible application of Zangetsu:
Throwing techniques, fast-slow blade combinations, long-range control, even compressing Getsuga Tenshō onto the blade for close-range slashes.
Just as he said—
No pattern. No set form.
Pure instinct.
Only by wielding Zangetsu freely could its true power emerge.
Gradually, White Ichigo grew bored.
He had come out to crush Tsuna's arrogance—but this strange tacit cooperation made it seem like he wasn't that much stronger.
That wouldn't do.
He glanced at Zangetsu, preparing to unleash something greater.
The blade flew back into his hand. The bandage wrapped naturally around his arm.
Just as he was about to speak—
"Bankai… is off-limits."
Pain struck instantly.
Four small Velociraptor Box Weapons clamped onto his wrists and ankles. A massive force slammed into his back, pinning him to the ground.
Tsuna crouched in front of him.
White Ichigo was about to curse—but Tsuna spoke first.
"That's enough for today, Zangetsu."
Tsuna grabbed Ichigo's Hollow mask and crushed it.
The mask shattered.
Ichigo's consciousness returned.
Tsuna also recalled the Cloud Velociraptors and Sun Rhinoceros.
"Ah… Tsuna… Zangetsu's really pissed right now," Ichigo said, rubbing his head. Being forcibly pulled out of Hollowfication left White Ichigo fuming in his inner world.
"He was about to use Bankai—Tensa Zangetsu plus Horned Hollowfication. Don't make things harder for Hachigen," Tsuna replied.
If Ichigo pushed both powers to their limit, Tsuna wasn't sure the barrier would hold.
"Yeah… that was close," Ichigo nodded. He respected Hachigen too much to risk it.
"Zangetsu already showed you what it can do—Hollowfication, and Zangetsu's own swordsmanship. Focus on those two directions," Tsuna advised.
"Got it. Let's go another round, Tsuna."
"Sure—"
Tsuna was just about to agree—
When a communication signal suddenly rang.
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