"This is troublesome, Kisuke," Yoruichi said while rubbing her temples.
"Those strange parts on this kid's body… they won't all be this difficult to deal with, will they?"
"Now's not the time to think about that," Urahara Kisuke replied calmly.
"Yoruichi, suppress him."
"I've been wanting to try this for a while!"
In a flash, Yoruichi appeared directly in front of Hollowfied Tsuna.
Her fists and kicks flowed continuously, using her masterful Hakuda techniques to suppress Tsuna's movements.
And she succeeded.
The moment Sajō Sabaku ended, Yoruichi's relentless strikes forced Tsuna backward again and again.
By contrast, Tsuna seemed completely incapable of defending himself.
His limbs moved as if they had just been attached—his arms lacked coordination, making it impossible to withstand Yoruichi's attacks.
Yoruichi clicked her tongue slightly, feeling a bit disappointed.
She had expected that, judging by the Hollow's earlier tricks, this would be a tough fight.
Instead, it was surprisingly easy.
Seeing her expression, Urahara immediately understood what she was thinking.
"Yoruichi! Watch his arms. Something strange is definitely going on!"
"What could possibly—"
Before she finished speaking—
A crimson claw suddenly slashed across her body, tearing her clothes.
Yoruichi immediately jumped back.
The clothes she wore were specially made by Urahara and normally extremely durable.
Only now did she notice that Tsuna's right arm had grown even larger, resembling a monstrous dragon claw.
Red flames burned around the claw.
Those flames had clearly scorched her clothes.
"Well then… let's have some fun."
Yoruichi tore away the damaged clothing.
A dense surge of Reiatsu erupted from her body.
High-density compressed Kidō energy enveloped her shoulders and back.
Shunkō.
This was Yoruichi's unique technique—channeling Kidō into the user's limbs.
Even a light strike could unleash devastating power.
For someone like Yoruichi, who specialized in close combat, it was an enormous boost.
The next instant—
She vanished.
Moving faster than the eye could follow, she appeared in front of Tsuna and threw a devastating punch.
Tsuna was blasted away.
His right shoulder was blown open, and his body smashed through several rocky hills in the distance.
"Kisuke, should I continue?" Yoruichi asked casually.
"Watch out!" Urahara shouted.
The Hollowfied Tsuna suddenly shot back toward them.
With the aid of his wings, his speed was just as fast as when he had been blasted away.
Even more shocking—
The massive wound Yoruichi had inflicted had completely disappeared.
Tsuna's left hand ignited with yellow flames, which spread across his body.
His speed suddenly surged.
In the blink of an eye, he caught up with Yoruichi and began fighting her directly.
Yoruichi frowned.
She could clearly tell Tsuna was still unfamiliar with his limbs—his attacks were sloppy and posed little threat.
Yet somehow he had matched her speed.
That yellow flame was suspicious.
Yoruichi quickly noticed the flames originated from Tsuna's left hand.
If that was the source…
"Sorry about this, kid."
Her fist exploded with power.
She struck Tsuna's left forearm.
But what happened next shocked her.
Tsuna's arm was completely severed.
Yoruichi had only intended to break the bone—not destroy the arm entirely.
What was going on?
That brief moment of confusion created an opening.
The severed arm suddenly grew back instantly.
Tsuna's regenerated fist slammed into Yoruichi's face, sending her flying.
Urahara used Shunpo to catch the airborne Yoruichi.
"It's not High-Speed Regeneration," he analyzed quickly.
"It's far faster than that."
High-Speed Regeneration was a common Hollow ability, where the white substance covering the body rebuilt lost limbs.
But Tsuna's arm had grown back instantly, far beyond normal Hollow regeneration.
"Don't attack his left arm!" Tessai suddenly shouted while launching a Hadō spell.
They looked where his attack landed.
From the severed arm, a humanoid Hollow had begun forming.
Only after Tessai destroyed it with Kidō did it disappear.
"Now that's troublesome, Mr. Tsunayoshi," Urahara muttered.
At the same time, he stepped forward to shield Yoruichi and Tessai.
A crimson barrier appeared before him, blocking the red flames fired from Tsuna's right arm.
Blood Mist Shield (Chikasumi no Tate).
"Please hurry up, Mr. Tsunayoshi," Urahara sighed.
"If this continues, we're the ones who'll be in trouble."
Inner World
Facing the towering flame pillar unleashed by Byakuran, Tsuna had no options left.
Unable to dodge, he could only close his eyes and wait for the inevitable.
Suddenly—
A faint voice echoed in his ears.
[Call… my… name…]
[My name… is…]
Tsuna's eyes snapped open.
His gaze became incredibly serious.
And he spoke the release command.
"Sweep away and devour everything… Great Sky."
An orange flame ignited on Tsuna's forehead.
It quickly grew into a blazing fire.
This was the symbol of Hyper Dying Will Mode.
At the same time, a pair of gloves appeared on his hands.
White fingers, black palms.
On the back of each glove was the emblem of the unsealed Vongola Sky Ring.
These were:
X-Gloves Ver. V.R.
Tsuna's equipment from the Future Arc.
But Tsuna had no time to celebrate.
The X-Gloves had almost no defensive power.
He still had to face Byakuran's attack head-on.
The pillar of flames was already right before him.
Tsuna instinctively tried to cross his arms to block.
But the voice spoke again.
[Stay calm…]
[Observe carefully…]
[Find the flame's critical point…]
Without realizing it, Tsuna abandoned his defensive posture.
Instead—
He spread his arms, embracing the incoming flames.
The moment his hands touched the pillar—
The Dying Will Flame on his forehead vanished.
"Dying Will Zero Point Breakthrough."
He muttered the words unconsciously.
Following pure instinct, he activated the technique.
Cracking sounds filled the air.
Ice rapidly spread from Tsuna's hands.
In an instant—
The terrifying pillar of flames was frozen into a massive column of ice.
"So you finally couldn't resist stepping in… Vongola."
Byakuran showed no frustration over the failed attack.
He casually kicked the frozen pillar aside and opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.
Tsuna noticed something strange.
Earlier, Byakuran had called him "young Vongola."
But this time—
He simply said "Vongola."
Before Tsuna could think further—
A tall black silhouette stepped in front of him.
A black suit, spiky hair, and blazing flames on his forehead.
It looked exactly like him.
Just older.
More mature.
More composed.
And the gloves on his hands were identical to Tsuna's X-Gloves.
This was clearly—
Adult Sawada Tsunayoshi.
"He passed the test," the older Tsuna said calmly to Byakuran.
"Shouldn't I appear now?"
He then turned and extended a hand.
"Nice to meet you… another me."
"Or rather, Sawada Tsunayoshi from another world."
Tsuna grabbed his hand and stood up.
Hearing those words, Tsuna had a strange guess.
"Wait… are you really the Tenth Vongola Boss?"
The older Tsuna smiled.
"I'm not the Tsunayoshi from the Reborn world."
"You already know that."
"I'm simply the manifestation of your inner power."
"And not just me."
He pointed casually at Byakuran.
"He is too."
"Hey, hey! Vongola!" Byakuran protested.
"I hadn't decided whether to tell him yet!"
Tsuna suddenly understood.
The two figures before him were the two powers inside him.
Looking at their colors—
Black and white.
"So… let me get this straight," Tsuna said.
"I'll call you Tenth."
"Tenth, you represent my Shinigami power…"
"And Byakuran represents my Hollow power, right?"
The older Tsuna smiled silently.
Which was as good as confirmation.
"Then what about everyone downstairs?" Tsuna asked.
"The Vongola Guardians and the True Six Funeral Wreaths?"
Byakuran answered first with a mischievous grin.
"Young Vongola… that's just someone's bad sense of humor."
"They were just illusions," the older Tsuna explained.
"Byakuran and I created them to test your resolve for obtaining power."
"Tch," Byakuran muttered, clearly annoyed at being dragged into it.
"Illusions?" Tsuna said in shock.
"You two can use illusions too?"
"Of course," the older Tsuna replied.
"Our power is your power."
"If you can do it, we can too."
Tsuna suddenly realized.
His Fullbring allowed him to use equipment embodying the seven Sky Flames.
Which meant both the older Tsuna and Byakuran also possessed the power of all seven attributes.
"I'm glad," the older Tsuna continued.
"Even when you had no power, you never abandoned Lambo during every danger."
"Even when facing Byakuran alone, you still prioritized Lambo's safety."
"You know this well."
"Sawada Tsunayoshi's power comes from protecting others."
"A Tsunayoshi who fights to protect his companions is incredibly strong."
"So when you chose to let Lambo escape…"
"You passed my test."
"Tch," Byakuran muttered again, clearly recalling unpleasant memories.
"I see…" Tsuna said with a relieved smile.
"So I've gained your recognition."
"Of course."
The older Tsuna patted his shoulder.
Tsuna's white robe instantly transformed.
He now wore a Shinigami Shihakushō.
"Hey, Vongola," Byakuran said while leaning on the older Tsuna's shoulder.
"Your recognition doesn't mean mine."
"Come on, Byakuran," the older Tsuna sighed.
"With his knowledge, how long do you think you could hide the truth?"
Tsuna suddenly understood everything.
"So both of you are my power."
"Byakuran, your hostility was just an act."
"You were never going to truly harm me."
"As long as I accept you, I can use your power."
"In fact, your very existence is to give me power—and protect me."
Byakuran's expression darkened more and more as Tsuna spoke.
He shot the older Tsuna a glare.
"You talk too much, Vongola."
The older Tsuna laughed happily.
As long as Tsuna understood their purpose, that was enough.
From the beginning—
Neither of them had ever intended to harm him.
But the more Byakuran saw that smile, the more irritated he became.
He glared at Tsuna.
A surge of spiritual pressure blasted Tsuna backward.
"Time's up."
Then he added coldly:
"One last reminder."
"Until you master Vongola's power…"
"Don't even think about using my power."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 200+chapters ahead on P@treon →patreon.com/NextChapterStudios
