Tessai's gaze remained fixed on the gradually disappearing fissure, "Magnificent. Manager's judgment was correct, as expected."
"Well? Aren't you going to say thank you at least?" Ichigo looked at the panting Uryu before him, "I'm the one cleaning up your mess. A simple 'thank you' wouldn't kill you."
No sooner had the words left his mouth, for no apparent reason, Ichigo suddenly collapsed to the ground.
"I... can't muster any strength..."
At the same time, the Zanpakutō in his hand began to warp and twist uncontrollably. Reiatsu ran rampant, surging violently from his body in visible waves of orange-yellow energy that battered their surroundings.
"This is bad! If this continues, Ichigo's body will be dissolved by his own Reiatsu!" Rukia watched on, frantic and anxious.
"I have to... do something..."
Uryū Ishida's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene, an idea seeming to strike him.
He forced his severely injured body to move, pushing against the scorching spiritual pressure as he struggled to approach step by step.
With every step, the rampant Reiatsu sliced new wounds into his arms like knives.
He planted one foot firmly on Ichigo's humming Zanpakuto, enduring the discomfort, and began using the Reiatsu Ichigo was releasing as his own arrows, firing them one after another into the sky.
The rampant energy had finally found an outlet.
"If I do this... it should work. I just need to release the Reiatsu Kurosaki can't control..."
Ichigo, who had suddenly regained consciousness, jerked his head up to see what was happening, his face filled with panic.
"What are you doing?! Your hand will be ruined!"
"Shut up."
Uryu ignored him, simply drawing and releasing arrow after arrow.
"If you don't survive this duel... I'll have no opponent left," he gritted his teeth, straining to speak through the effort, "Survive. So I can punch you properly, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"And then... so you can hit me back, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
As the arrows were shot out one by one, the storm of Reiatsu around Ichigo that was on the verge of spiraling out of control finally began to gradually subside.
"Hah..." Uryu let out a heavy breath. His body swayed. He pushed up his glasses, now stained with blood, and muttered under his breath, "This... makes us even."
As the words fell, he could hold on no longer. Having exhausted the last of his strength, he fell backwards, unconscious.
"Tch. With a face like that, how could I possibly hit him?" Ichigo stared at the unconscious Uryu and complained, though without any real heat.
"Alright, Tessai." Urahara pointed his fan at the youths on the ground, "Take them all back to the shop. They need treatment. They're all quite badly injured."
He himself walked over to Sasuke, glanced at the bone-deep wound on his body, and grabbed the back collar of his Shihakusho.
"Jinta, pick up Sasuke's sword." Urahara said, hoisting Sasuke up by the back of his collar.
This time, Jinta surprisingly obeyed without complaint.
He walked over to where he roughly remembered Sasuke's Zanpakuto had fallen. Spotting something beneath the rubble, his movements halted. He turned his head.
"Hey, Urahara, do we have a fifth Shinigami here?"
Urahara shook his head, "No. Why do you ask suddenly?"
Jinta bent down and picked up the object from the ground, "There's another sword here."
One was pale blue. The other was an Asauchi.
"This pale blue one is his, right? It's kind of cool." Jinta hefted Takemikazuchi in one hand, then raised his other.
"And this one?"
He held the plain, ordinary Asauchi high, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Whose Zanpakuto is this?"
Urahara turned sideways. His eyes, usually hidden in the shadow of his hat brim, instinctively fell upon Sasuke.
...
Sasuke's consciousness slowly returned.
He expected to see the familiar ceiling of Urahara Shop, or smell the scent of medicine.
Instead, what met his eyes was that loathsome, damp, dark sewer.
"This place is..."
He sat up abruptly, looking around.
The red barred gate etched with the character 'Seal' still stood not far away. Behind it, the aura filled with hatred and brutality seemed somewhat diminished compared to before.
'What's going on? How did I suddenly end up back here?' Sasuke's brow furrowed tightly.
He remembered clearly being in Karakura Town, losing consciousness after the fight with the Gillian.
'Why had I suddenly returned to this idiot Naruto's Inner World?'
'Had that force that transported me back and forth activated again?'
'And the seal I had previously broken was actually repaired.'
Just as he was utterly perplexed, a gentle voice sounded abruptly from behind him, without any warning.
"Hello."
Sasuke's heart jolted violently. Every muscle in his body tensed instantly.
'There was a third person in this mental world, besides me and the fox?!'
He whipped his head around, his pupils constricting sharply.
Behind him stood a man wearing a white Hokage Robe.
He had striking golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and a gentle smile on his face.
Sasuke stared fixedly at the figure before him, his mind racing as the face carved on the Hokage Rock in Konoha flashed through his thoughts.
"The Yondaime Hokage... Namikaze Minato."
Minato seemed to sense Sasuke's shock. He began to explain slowly, "This is a portion of my Chakra that I left inside Naruto long ago. It's only triggered when he's on the verge of being completely consumed by the Kyubi."
Sasuke asked, "Why him?"
"The Yondaime Hokage just randomly picked a child, and it happened to be this orphan, Naruto?"
Minato continued his explanation, "I believed he would create a future as the Jinchuriki. I don't know why, I just felt that way."
"After all, he is my son."
Sasuke froze.
'This idiot Naruto... is the Yondaime Hokage's son?!'
"How is that possible?" Sasuke couldn't believe it.
'The Hokage's son would be hated by the entire village?'
'The Hokage's son would have no friends?'
"What's wrong?" Minato seemed to notice Sasuke's confusion, a hint of curiosity in his eyes, "It seems you are a child of the Uchiha Clan, right?"
He paused, his tone carrying a note of understandable relief, "I never thought Naruto had already found a friend who could enter each other's mental world. It seems he has been doing well these years."
"Friend?"
Sasuke chewed on the word, a barely perceptible sneer curling at the corner of his mouth, "You seem to be mistaken about something. The reason I'm here is simply due to an accident."
He raised his head, his Sharingan staring directly at Minato.
"Moreover, I don't know why you would think he's been doing well."
Minato's smile faltered slightly. He looked at Sasuke with some confusion, "Why do you say that? Although sealing the Kyubi within him would bring some trouble, Sandaime should have taken good care of him."
"And, as the son of the village's hero, everyone should also..."
Sasuke snorted coldly. "The son of a hero?"
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