Not much to say except thank you guys for reading and enjoying. I hope you like this chapter and what's to come. Bleach is just two days away so I'm hoping we'll get an influx of bleach fics. Anyway, if you wanna chat feel free to join the discord server.

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Tsunade took very soft steps into the room as she gently closed the door behind her. Keeping the knob turned, she slowly released it so that no sound was made. Walking further into the room, her eye took notice of the sword Ichigo carried, and she gently ran her fingers over the cold steel as she walked past it. It felt almost…warm. As if it was alive. She quickly drew her hand away, unsettled by the feeling the blade gave off. Now approaching the bed, her smile returned as she envisioned the look on his face when she woke him up.

This would teach him to talk bad about her gambling skills behind her back. Blowing away a strand of hair that was covering her eye, she stopped as she finally made it to his bedside. Staring down, she took a moment to really look at the young man now that she had the chance. The expression on his face looked almost pleased. It was as if he was having a really good dream, and something had gone his way.

Her eyes studied his face further and she noted that, without the ever present look of annoyance and scowl, he was rather handsome. More so than anyone she'd seen over the past few years as they traveled. Tsunade shook her head as she snapped herself from her reverie, remembering why she was here. Not only was it creepy that she was staring at him while he slept, but every moment she didn't act risked him waking up.

Like an excited child, she smiled and kneeled down so she was closer to him. She took a deep breath and bellowed, "Rise and shine Ichigo!"

Her playful smile disappeared moments later when the man didn't wake up. In fact, Ichigo made no indication that he had even heard her at all. There was no change in his facial expression, no subtle twitch of his ear in response to her shout, nothing at all. She narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Looks like he's a heavier sleeper than I thought." She whispered to herself, now standing at full height. "No matter, he'll wake up this time."

Putting her hand on his shoulder over the blanket, she began to shake him roughly. "Alright Ichigo, wake up,, we have things to do." She said in a louder tone than usual. One that was sure to annoy anyone who was just waking up. Ichigo's body rocked slowly, and his head shook from side to side, but other than that there was no reaction. His face was still set in the same expression it had been when she had let herself in.

Any trace of playfulness disappeared at the lack of response. Her shaking became a little less erratic and more forceful.

"Ichigo?" She called out. "If you're trying to prank me back for sneaking into your room, ok, you got me. Now wake up."

Panic began to make its way into her system at the clear lack of response. By now there should've been something that he would've registered. Her right hand gripped the blanket and harshly threw it towards the end of the bed, completely disregarding the fact that he was in nothing but his underwear.

Placing both hands on his chest, the familiar light green coating of chakra covered her hands as she scanned his body to see what could be wrong.

"I swear if this is some sort of joke, then I'll leave you looking like Orochimaru." She threatened, staring at his face. She'd had a sliver of hope that the threat of being beaten black and blue would have him jump off the bed and ask for forgiveness, but he remained still.

Focusing on him, she frowned at what she was feeling. Disbelief flooded through her body at what she was picking up. Ichigo had no detectable chakra network within his body. Thinking maybe she had just placed her hands on a bad spot due to her worries, she moved her hands further up his chest, but the result was the same. There were no pathways through his arms or down his body.

"This isn't possible." She whispered, blinking rapidly. "Everything has chakra. People. Animals. Plants. But somehow you don't. What the hell are you hiding from me?" She muttered to herself in disbelief, the words being audible helping to focus her thoughts.

Tsunade knew that what she was detecting was the truth, but that didn't explain the feeling she got from him. She'd noticed that he gave off the feeling of having almost pure Yin chakra, but this debunked that theory. The first conversation she'd had with Orochimaru the day Ichigo and her had their falling out rung in the back of her mind, and even the snake had commented on how Ichigo's chakra felt 'imbalanced'.

She looked down at the hand she was holding, and cut the chakra flow she was sending to her hands. Wanting to make sure he was still alive, she turned his arm around and went to press two fingers on his wrists only to get another surprise. Grabbing the other one, she turned it around as well and noticed that it shared the same thing.

"What in the world?" She muttered.

Each of his wrists had a small hole on them, so minute she wouldn't have noticed unless she was touching it. This was something she'd never seen on any patient before. There was no blood coming out of it, so it wasn't a wound, and Ichigo had never mentioned or showed any discomfort from his hands either. Using her thumbs, she tried to feel how high up his arms they went, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. It was almost as if they weren't actually on his flesh, but she could feel them nonetheless.

Through his wrists she could feel the slow pulses of his heart, and that served to calm her,but the concern remained. What the hell were these holes for and how did he get them? Perhaps if he had chakra, she could see them being some sort of modification for wind style techniques, or even a kekkei genkai, but that couldn't be it. He had no chakra.

Thinking back to some of their conversations, it now made sense why certain tasks were left up to her or Shizune. She had never seen him open a storage seal, and he always carried the money he had in his pockets. He'd never walked on water, but his speed and jumping ability had them believe he just didn't bother with it.

Tsunade also thought back to his fight with Hidan. The man was an S ranked criminal, and yet he never found it necessary to use any jutsu. Part of her thought maybe he was trying to keep some cards close to his chest, as they didn't quite know each other that well.

"Is this what you're trying to tell me about?" She questioned softly. The medic stared at where she felt the holes, invisible to the naked eye though they were, for just a moment longer which only served to confuse her more the next moment. All across his arms, teal colored lines began to present themselves. To any regular person, they would assume there was no pattern in the lines, but she could tell instantly what they were. Those lines were tracing his veins all the way up to his shoulders.

Not having the slightest clue what that could be, she put his hands back on the bed and put one of her hands on his chest, before she leaned forward whilst turning her head to the side as she approached his face. She was facing the restroom now but could hear his steady breathing as well as feel the rising and falling of his chest. He was breathing just fine, and didn't seem to be in any pain, but that still didn't answer what was wrong with him.

Just as she was pushing herself up, a heavy weight pushed down on her. Her body instantly collapsed on him, pressing down harder and harder as it felt like the gravity in the room was steadily increasing. The feeling she got felt almost oppressive. The closest she could compare it to was when her grandfather had gotten mad one day and let his chakra flare.

This however, trumped that multiple times over. The walls began to strain until cracks formed. The bedside drawer collapsed into itself and the legs of the bed all but gave out. To make things worse, her head was forced to stare to the side and her eyes widened a moment later at what she saw. The bathroom door was disintegrating into dust, and it wasn't long until it was reduced to nothing.

"Ichigo!" She tried desperately, the weight not allowing her to speak as loud as she wished. "Ichigo! I don't know what you're doing, but you have to wake up, please!"

Her words had no effect and her panic increased. The broken drawer met the same fate as the door, and she realized whatever was happening was getting closer. The diamond on her forehead began to glow as she prepared to use her technique just in case. This was a move that paid off as moments later, her middle and index fingers began to disappear.

It happened so fast that her body didn't even register any pain, it was as if they were there one moment and gone the next. Before the unknown force had a chance to claim any more of her hand, bone began to grow followed by sinew and flesh as she recreated her fingers. The intervention of Ichigo during the battle with Orochimaru had ensured she still had plenty of stored up chakra.

Her heart was pounding within her chest in fear, but fortunately the sudden weight disappeared as if it had never been there. She swallowed the saliva that had gathered in her mouth, but didn't try to move just in case. Her eyes darted around, trying to see if there was anything else going on with the room.

The room itself was fine, but she did notice one thing that seemed to be out of place, or rather it was a new addition.

"Tsunade?" Ichigo asked in a very confused tone. "What are you doing in my room? And why are you laying on top of me? And is that drool?"

The blonde medic looked up at him, ready to tear into him but stopped. Her eyes were focused on the left half on his face where thick black lines trailed down. His left eye had changed as well, from white and brown to black and yellow. Did he have a dojutsu? As if that wasn't enough, there was a large bone-like horn protruding from the left side of his head and a large hole in the center of his chest.

From her spot on his chest, she couldn't see the tip so she knew it continued even outside of her peripheral vision. Registering the last question he'd asked, she frowned and stood up, quickly wiping her mouth with her hand. As he'd mentioned, there was a bit of drool that had escaped her while she was pinned down.

Taking a cautious step back, she brought her arms close to herself and looked down at him. Her mouth opened to speak, but closed a second later. Her mind was jumbled with a variety of questions that she wanted to ask. There was the issue with the holes in his wrists, to the glowing light in his veins, to the horn on his head, to the honest to god hole in his chest which she could see the bed underneath through.

Ichigo noticed her brown eyes focused intently on just a bit to his left. The events that had transpired inside his inner world replayed in his mind and he nearly groaned. This must have been what Zangetsu was referring to right before he was pulled out. Looking down, he saw that his blanket had been removed from his body, but his modesty wasn't what was on his mind at the moment.

Closing his eyes, he focused on reining in his power, and it responded to his will faster than it ever had before as the results were instantaneous. The horn slowly crumbled away, and the lines along his body faded. The hole in his chest was replaced with flesh once more, and his eyes had gone back to the regular brown color she'd grown accustomed to seeing.

"Tsunade?" He called out cautiously. Ichigo knew the gig was up. He'd promised that he would reveal everything in a few days when he had a chance to think about how, but now that option had been stripped from him. Now, he would need to explain things on the fly in a way that didn't make him seem too crazy. The only good thing that came from her witnessing his transformation was that it would be easier for her to believe what he said.

"What was that?" She demanded. Her voice was hard, but he could sense there was a bit of fear underneath that bravado.

Ichigo took a deep breath, and exhaled just as quickly. Sitting up, he hung his legs off the bed and rested his elbows on his knees before looking up at her once more. He locked eyes with Tsunade, and then patted the seat next to him on the bed.

"Take a seat. It might be a while."

Tsunade hesitated and remained in place. She eyed him and the bed warily. Ichigo couldn't blame her if she was scared or wary of him.

"Nothing will happen, I promise." He tried to reassure her, trying to not let his hurt at her reaction slip into his tone. "I have it under control just…you wanted to know what I was hiding right?"

The woman kept her gaze on him for a split second more, and then made a choice. Uncrossing her arms, she closed the distance between them and sat down. She kept her hands on her lap and turned to look at the young man. Like the last time they found themselves in this position, they sat in silence. Though this time, they both knew who would be the person to break the silence.

"Tsunade. Do you believe in shinigami?" Ichigo asked.

The medic blinked in surprise, she certainly hadn't expected that. Knowing that Ichigo wasn't the kind of person to simply say something for no reason, she answered positively. The Fourth Hokage had summoned it after all. He nodded at her response and looked…relieved?

Before she could ask how that had anything to do with what had happened, he continued. To say she was surprised by what came next would be an understatement. For the next hour or so, she was given a rundown of his life up until now. Everything from losing his mother as a kid, to somehow receiving the power of the shinigami. That in and of itself was a shock, but the knowledge that there was more than one threw her for a loop as well.

She kept quiet though, and let him say his piece. Her eyes studied his face as he spoke, but she made sure to continue listening raptly. One could tell when someone was lying by their facial expressions and the way he shifted from happiness when speaking of his friends, to sadness at the loss of his power and being sent elsewhere couldn't be faked easily.

If she was being honest, had she not seen proof of his claims with her own eyes, she would have had a hard time believing it. Now, though, a lot of things made even more sense to her.

Although she definitely believed it, it was still something unheard of. She was sure that in the history of their world, there had never been someone from a different dimension entirely, much less a god of death at that. The knowledge of what he was also brought forth another question. Would he have any sort of connection to the shinigami of her world? Would it recognize him or were they from different places altogether?

Once he was done speaking, Ichigo remained silent and turned to look at Tsunade. He was grateful that she hadn't once interrupted him nor did she make any sort of face that said she didn't believe him.

"That's about it. No more secrets." Ichigo said.

Tsunade tapped her thighs rhythmically as she tried to gather her thoughts. While a lot of the mystery that surrounded him was gone, there were still a few questions lingering in her mind.

"Well, I'm glad you finally told me, but I still have a few questions." She replied.

He nodded.

"What happened earlier?"

He knew exactly what she was talking about. "That was my reiatsu reaching dangerous levels. I just got lucky that it was suppressed in time before you were hurt."

"And the other stuff?" She followed up quickly, wanting to spare him the guilt about her fingers. "The holes in your wrists, your veins, the hole in your chest…" She listed.

Tsunade listened intently as he began to break down the anatomy of a shinigami. Though she could tell he was far from the most knowledgeable on the subject, the medic side of her still held onto every word as she was sure there would never be another person like him again. If his body worked differently than theirs, she may be able to learn a few things that could progress what they knew here.

"So the holes in your wrists release your reiatsu." She repeated. "And if they're sealed you'll burn from the inside out."

Another nod.

"Tell me more about how this Blut ability works." She requested. Of all the things he'd told her, that had been the one that had stood out to her the most.

"I just learned about it myself, so I can't give you exact instructions, but as long as I flow Reishi through my blood vessels, it basically gives me increased defense, at least the one I was using did." He tried explaining.

Tsunade made a mental note to research if something similar could be done with chakra. Most shinobi were already able to enhance their abilities with chakra but if she could replicate the effects of this Blut, it could be a huge step forward in regards to how chakra was used. The amount of deaths something like that could prevent was astronomical. She tried not to get her hopes up too high, though, as what he was doing sounded a lot like what Natural Energy did for those who learned Senjutsu.

"The rest is the effects of Zangetsu. That's why I took on hollow features, you remember those right?"

She did. What she'd learned wasn't something she would forget right away, if ever.

"What you saw was both my shinigami and hollow powers being used in perfect sync. That's the first time it's ever happened so things went out of hand." He explained.

His eyes caught the slightest motion from her hands, and he noticed that they still trembled lightly. Whether it was from what she had seen or what she had experienced, he wasn't sure. Both choices filled him with guilt despite it not being completely his fault. She was just a human, granted she was a powerful one with her own abilities, but a human nonetheless.

She had probably never felt anything like the crushing feeling of dense Reiatsu. The thought that she might be terrified of him plagued his mind. Tsunade and Shizune were really all he had here, and the thought of losing them due to an unfortunate incident filled him with dread.

"So, what happens now?" Ichigo asked, trying to keep the trepidation out of his voice. He was sure that even Zangetsu and Yhwach were paying attention to see how this would play out.

Tsunade remained quiet. Even though she was still mulling over the revelations, she managed to pick up on the fluctuation in his tone as he asked his question. Sure, she was still in some shock at the experience, but now knowing exactly what had happened, she felt more at ease. Looking over at him, she could almost see the anxiety building within him the longer she took to respond.

She thought back to the battle against Orochimaru, specifically the words he'd spoken to her. She knew Ichigo didn't fully realize or appreciate just how deep those words had gone, and how much they had resonated with her. It was because of him that she managed to conquer her fear of blood and fight back. He had given her part of her life back.

"Nothing." She replied simply as she stood up. Turning around to face him, she continued. "I told you yesterday. I trust you, and after what you've told me, I know you wouldn't do anything like that intentionally."

Before Ichigo could let the relief spread through his body, he froze when she took a step forward and bent down in front of him. A delicate finger made its way under his chin and lifted his head up and her lips soon softly planted themselves on his forehead. It lasted just longer than a peck, but quick enough that she pulled back before his brain could process what she was doing.

"Now…get dressed. We have to leave as fast as possible." She said with a smile.

Snapping out of his stupor, he replied. "Wait, what's the rush?"

"You really think I'm the only one that felt that? You damaged the hotel, and I got a glimpse out the window, too. There are quite a few things out there in rough shape. Unless you want to waste all of our winnings already, you better hurry up."

Once she stepped out of the room, he quickly got dressed and made sure he had everything he needed. Making his way toward his Zanpakuto, he paused momentarily and noticed that his blade had changed. The large cleaver he'd grown accustomed to seeing these past weeks had changed. It was thinner for one, and its dull side did not curve. The handle no longer sported the traditional tsuka ito, either, and had reverted to an all too familiar wrapping of white bandage. As Ichigo ran his hands across the metal, he absentmindedly noticed that it was entirely black, with no finish on its edge, silver or otherwise. His fingers traced its new addition, or more accurately its new absence, and that being a hollowed out portion towards the back of the blade. It stretched for about half of its length and a little under half of its width. An unwitting smile stretched across his face.

'This is you, Zangetsu.'

Ichigo grasped the handle as a feeling of warmth spread through him. It felt…better. Right. The bandages were impossibly soft, and yet his grip had never been truer. His hand slid across it, and he felt a slight give near the edge. Instinctively, he knew that if he wished it, a length of cloth would spool from it for him to grasp. His mind flashed toward his first encounter with who he now knew as Zangetsu, and his eyes crinkled with mirth.

He recalled Yhwach's words about fighting with his own strength now and realized this was one of the effects of him stepping back. Smiling to himself once more, he let it rest on his back and made his way out of the room. Tsunade and Shizune were standing in front of their own door and quickly began walking.

xxxx

The group of five had been walking for the better part of a few hours now and Ichigo was certain he could feel stares on his back. Tsunade had explained to them that they had also felt the heavy pressure in the morning, but that they didn't know who or what had caused it. Jiraiya looked skeptical but soon let the issue drop in favor of leading the group back to the village. Naruto had taken to talking to Shizune about his new jutsu, as well as who he needed Tsunade to heal when they got back.

The future Fifth Hokage and himself were walking in the front of the group with the woman rambling about how her times at the casinos were over. Part of him wanted to tell her that it was for the better, but he held his tongue and let her get it off her chest. Eventually however, the gates of the village were in sight and hope once again ignited within him. This had been his goal and now he was here.

Yhwach's words about potentially being stuck here played in his mind, but he quickly shut them out. It was a possibility of course, but as long as there was some hope he would hold onto it until his lead was proven to be useless. Even then, he would never give up on seeing his family again.

The two guards that stood at attention in front of the gate stiffened up upon seeing the group. Their eyes were wide and life seemed to come back to them. Their eyes soon landed on him and the look of recognition was present.

"Lady Fifth!" They saluted respectfully. Tsunade waved a hand, silently telling them they could relax and walked through the gate.

The group of five walked down the main street of the village towards a large building with the symbol for fire at the very top. Ichigo could feel the presence of people nearby, this time even more clearly than the last time he had been here. Their eyes were still on him but unlike last time, there was no feeling that they might strike. Knowing that they weren't a threat for the moment, he ignored them and continued his trek with the group.

"So, how does it feel?" Tsunade asked curiously. "I'd ask how you like it but you've been here before."

"I was only here for a few minutes anyways, and all I saw was the outside of the intelligence division." He responded. Taking a good look around, he had to admit it had a much better feeling than the many towns they had visited over the past weeks. The people seemed happy, but the biggest difference was the presence of the many shinobi that called the village home.

He could identify them by the greater amount of energy circulating through them, and quickly established a pattern in their attire. Most of them wore a combination of a uniformly dark blue shirt and pants, and a fair amount added on a dark green vest while others seemed to not have one. He also noticed their headbands, though the style in which they wore them differed greatly. On biceps and thighs, around waists and wrists, and adorned on heads and shoulders. The most common was for it to be over their forehead, but even then the colors of the bands varied wildly.

The one thing they all seemed to have in common, however, was the footwear. They were an odd design, at least to him. The closest thing he could compare it to were the traditional waraji of his home, but they seemed to be made out of more of a geta or zori like material from how they clacked against the ground. Now that he thought of it, most of the people he'd met in this world wore these same shoes.

There were a few who had completely different outfits, Naruto being the most notable with his orange two piece. Many of the shinobi bowed out of respect for the woman they knew would be leading the village soon, and shot him curious looks.

"As for how it feels, hopeful is the first word that comes to mind. I don't want to get myself too excited though."

Tsunade nodded in understanding. Now that she knew exactly why he needed to be here, she could see why he would be feeling that way. She was glad he knew there was a chance of failure, but the disappointment would be the same even if he was prepared for it.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the building which he learned was known as the Hokage Tower. Jiraiya had split, claiming that he had something he needed to do, prompting an angry grumble from Tsunade, and Naruto had decided to stick around. He was impatient, wanting nothing more than for Tsunade to visit his friend and teacher. It was only her word that they would see them after a stop in the office that he managed to remain quiet enough for them to have some silence.

When they reached the door, everyone noticed two small kids looking toward the door with worried expressions on their faces along with two guards dressed in dark blue clothes.

"Udon? Moegi? What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked.

"It's Konohamaru. He's locked himself in the office and doesn't want to come out." The little girl explained.

Ichigo glanced at the others, but only Naruto seemed to care. Tsunade looked plainly at the two guards.

"It's just one kid, what are you doing?" She asked. "He might just open his eyes if he gets roughed up a little. Now move it!" She ordered.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her command. He wasn't about to intervene, but it did seem weird to use force on a child from the beginning. Well, maybe they just did things differently here. Naruto seemed to be of the same mind as he pleaded to have a chance to talk to the boy.

Tsunade stared down at Naruto with a blank look, but he watched as it slowly softened, and she exasperatedly agreed. Turning on her heels, she nodded her head at Ichigo to follow her. Shizune yelled at Tsunade to wait for her, but a hand held her in place.

"I need to speak to Ichigo for a moment, Shizune. Alone. We'll be on the roof." She informed her. Looking forward once more, she spoke seemingly to herself. "Anbu! Make sure we're uninterrupted. No one makes their way to the roof until I give the word."

There was no audible response but Ichigo was able to feel the sudden shift. The Anbu reminded him of Soul Society's Onmitsukido. Tsunade led him up another set of stairs until they were on the rooftop. He had to admit that the view of the village from that point was pretty incredible.

The medic leaned over and rested her forearms against the railings and prompted him to stand next to her.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked, holding onto the rail.

"Everything you've told me about yourself will be kept between us." She began. "However, there is a clan here that has the ability to see the chakra pathways within a person." She said, referring to the Hyuga.

It didn't take long for Ichigo to pick up what she was alluding to. If one of these people were to look at him, they'd be able to see that he had no chakra.

"I'm certain they'll at least be able to see your…reiryoku." She added, remembering the term. "We'll say that it's an effect of a kekkei genkai. My word will be enough."

Ichigo didn't doubt her promise, but he wondered how long that would hold. He hadn't missed the looks Jiraiya had been sending him as they walked. The man definitely suspected something, at the very least, but he hadn't pressed the issue.

"That was all I wanted to say. Come on, I have to heal the brats friends and sensei." She told him as she turned around and made her way back towards the door they had come from. He wondered briefly why he had to go too, but he pushed the thought aside, it wasn't like he had anywhere to go or anything better to do.

They passed Shizune who joined them upon hearing where they were going. Naruto, who hadn't managed to talk the kid out of the office, instantly forgot about that issue and happily announced that he would lead them. Despite possibly not having been here for a few years, Ichigo doubted Tsunade didn't know how to get where they needed to go, but she didn't argue.

The hospital wasn't a far walk from the Hokage Tower and soon, they stopped at the first room where a young man with black hair was unconscious on the bed. For how desperate Naruto had seemed, it didn't take Tsunade long at all to rouse the boy from his unconsciousness. Ichigo guessed her title as the world's greatest medic was not at all unearned. He also didn't miss the sad look that crossed Naruto's face when a pink haired girl clung to the young man, as his eyes opened and he sat up.

The look quickly disappeared, and Naruto led them towards another room where another young man lay. This one was the strangest in his opinion. He had black hair styled in a bowl cut, and arguably the thickest eyebrows he'd ever seen. This checkup wasn't as simple as the last, however. After a few minutes of looking him over, hands glowing with chakra all the while, Tsunade explained that he was almost certainly beyond help and that his career as a shinobi was over.

The following few minutes were rather uncomfortable, as he felt he probably shouldn't have been there. Eventually though, Tsunade did promise to look into it a bit more to see if there was anything that could be done, but she emphasized not getting one's hopes up.

Their final stop was to heal someone Ichigo actually recognized. Tsunade stepped into the room, and placed her hand on the forehead of an older man with silver hair and a half mask covering the bottom part of his face. Her hand took on that now familiar green hue, and within a few seconds, the man groaned and opened his right eye. There was a vertical scar on the man's left eye which made Ichigo wonder if it was permanently closed.

It would explain why the picture he'd seen of him had his headband covering that eye.

Kakashi's lone gaze found Tsunade, and then Ichigo. He didn't speak, instead he remained silent as he took a few needed deep breaths.

Ichigo looked to Tsunade to see if she would say anything. Kakashi wasn't like the others she had healed, as he was an established shinobi. He wondered what Tsunade would say to raise the morale of one of her new subordinates.

"How disgraceful." She said in a lazy tone. "And here I thought you were a genius."

Ichigo deadpanned at the woman. Was she serious?

"Sorry." Kakashi apologized in a tired tone, not looking like he particularly cared. Glancing back up, he once again stared at Ichigo, his single eye taking in every detail of the unknown man in front of him.

"Don't mind him." Tsunade said to the man.

Not wanting to be rude, he stepped forward. "Kurosaki Ichigo." He introduced as he extended an arm.

Kakashi slowly brought his hand up, and managed to grasp his hand firmly. "Hatake Kakashi."

"I know. You're worth a few million." Ichigo replied without thought, before he realized just what he'd said.

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "Ignore him.. Get some rest, I'll check in on you in a few hours."

With a lazy wave, Ichigo followed after the woman. The last thing Kakashi heard before they were out of earshot was Tsunade chastising the orange haired man about his 'greeting'. He found that rather ironic considering what her own was.

xxxx

"Well, most of the pressing matters have been handled for the moment." Tsunade said with a tired sigh as they made their way back to the tower.

"Most?"

She nodded. "Yeah, and I've been thinking about Lee's condition. I know there's some books in the office that could probably point me in the right direction. A surgery like the one he needs is a delicate process, there's very little room for error."

"Do you think Naruto got the kid out of the office?" Ichigo asked curiously.

The woman shrugged. "I'm not sure, but he only has until we make it up the stairs to succeed. If not, I'll do it myself."

As it turned out, Naruto hadn't made any progress. The two kids were still with him, and Naruto had resorted to creating a clone to help him form a rasengan. The blonde didn't get the chance to try it, as Tsunade walked forward and unceremoniously shoved him to the ground as she passed by him.

Placing her right fist up to the door, she began pushing forward. The sounds of stacked books and furniture shifting around was heard. From the small gap that was visible, Ichigo was also able to see the shine of some wire.

'Probably used it to keep things in place.' Ichigo thought to himself. Unfortunately, nothing the kid had prepared was made to withstand someone of Tsunade's strength. The uninterested look on her face remained, even after flicking the door with her finger and destroying the small barricade that kept them out.

Stepping in line behind her, he looked up and saw a large stone hanging from the ceiling. His attention was forced back down when Tsunade's head tilted to the side, as she avoided a kunai that had been flung at her. Effortlessly, his left hand shot up and stopped the small blade well before it reached his face. The stone above them fell but was shattered like glass by the back of Tsunade's hand.

The young boy in the yellow shirt and blue scarf was wide eyed and very much fearful as Tsunade approached. Ichigo couldn't really blame him. The boy brought his hands up, covering his face to protect himself from the incoming assault. Tsunade's hand reached past him, and pulled a single book out of the shelf before turning around.

"Tsunade." Ichigo called out while she flipped through a few pages. "I just realized, what am I supposed to do while you're researching? For that matter, where am I gonna stay?"

The medic tapped her chin with a finger, still engrossed in her research, and hummed softly to herself. "There should be a few hotels you could stay at in the meantime."

"Um, actually Lady Fifth…" One of the guards spoke up as he entered the room. "Due to the invasion a lot of hotels were destroyed, and those that weren't are fully occupied as part of a relief effort."

'Damn.' Ichigo thought. Worst case scenario he would Shunpo to a nearby town and get a hotel. It wasn't a terrible idea but he'd rather avoid it if he could.

"What's the status of the Senju compound?" Tsunade asked her guard, finally looking up from her reading.

The man scratched his head in thought. "Pretty much abandoned."

She smiled. "Perfect. Until we can find you somewhere else, you can stay there. Pick a room and find a way to keep yourself occupied for the day. We can discuss your issue later." She told him. Ichigo knew what 'issue' she was referring to and nodded gratefully.

Ichigo followed the second guard out of the tower and to another part of the village, where a large white compound stood. It was surrounded by trees and had a relaxing feeling to it, he wasn't sure why.

The guard led him to the door and without so much as another word, made a single hand sign and disappeared. Making his way inside, he took a moment to inspect the interior. As he'd suspected, dust covered most of the surfaces inside, leading him to believe no one had stepped foot inside the place for years. The walls and floor were made of wood, much like the rest of the houses he'd seen since entering this world, but it felt…different. Firmer under his step and sturdier under his touch. More than that, though, it just felt more alive than cut wood should have any right to be.

Ignoring the dust and his weird feeling for the time being, he toured the house, wanting to know where everything was. He wasn't sure how long he would be here, so it would be beneficial to know where things were. He soon found the master bedroom, which would of course be going to Tsunade. Down the hall there was another room, smaller by a fair amount, but still much bigger than any room at his house in Karakura.

Deciding that it would work, he made his way towards the back of the house to check out the backyard. It was an open space and even had a few posts set up, which he assumed were for some sort of target training if the gashes in the wood were any indication.

A light went off in his mind after that last thought. He hadn't gotten the chance to think about everything that had happened, since the incident with Tsunade happened the moment he woke up. There was nothing holding him back now that Zangetsu and Yhwach were no longer at odds.

"I should be able to form a Garganta now." He realized. Excitement began to flood through him at the thought.

Just before he could tap into his power however, Yhwach's voice rang out within his mind.

"Before you attempt it, I must warn you that this almost certainly will not work the way you believe it might."

"What do you mean?" He asked inwardly. His hand gripped Zangetsu's handle as he pointed the blade out in front of him.

"This dimension is completely different than any of ours. It feels as if it's…disconnected from the three worlds we're familiar with. While the Garganta itself might open, the chance of it succeeding in getting you home is slim to none." The spirit finished.

Ichigo gripped the handle harder instinctually. He didn't like to hear it, but he knew that Yhwach was probably right. But still, if it had even the slightest chance of returning him to his family and friends, it was worth a try. He closed his eyes and concentrated on drawing out Zangetsu's power. Unlike before, where he needed to pull the mask down over his face, the power came to him easily, and almost eagerly in a way.

Once he felt ready, he opened his eyes. He couldn't see them himself, but he could feel that he had changed. His eyes bled black as his pupils turned yellow, and his shihakusho fluttered in the breeze as it went in and out of the hole that had appeared in his chest.. Ichigo felt fortunate that none of the Anbu followed him, most likely because they knew he was allowed to be here, as this would have been hard to explain.

He wasn't sure what to do next, but he followed the feeling in his gut. His instinct. He swiped in front of him with his blade, and felt a give as it made its way across the air. An unnatural pitch was torn on the space in front of him, writhing and extended as his power was subconsciously poured into it. A whine rang throughout the clearing as he finished his swing. The black writhed about as it hung in front of him, vertical lines extending from it in a haphazard fashion, and he continued to follow the feeling inside as he formed his fingers into a clawing motion, and then wrenched. The high pitched wail devolved into a frenzied buzz as he pulled, forcing the tear in space open as he dominated it to his will. He smirked in triumph when the black void of the Garganta was in front of him, and after a deep breath, he stepped inside.

The opening closed the moment he stepped inside, and he immediately knew something wasn't right. The darkness surrounding him felt…strange. More so than usual. His mind turned to when he and Unohana trekked back from Hueco Mundo, and he recalled the feeling of chaos and instability, but this was different. Pressure beared down on him, dissimilar from greater reiatsu, and it felt as if it was trying to tear him apart. He looked down at himself, but saw nothing out of place, and he had no difficulty moving his body. Glancing back, he saw the Senju estate fade away from view as the Garganta closed

Maybe he hadn't used enough power when opening it, so it wasn't stable? Knowing that he wasn't in Konoha anymore, no one would be in danger if he let out a bit more power to stabilize it just a bit.

"Bankai!" He yelled, as the space around him exploded with his reiatsu. The cleaver in his hand lengthened and thinned, but felt no heavier. His shihakusho tightened around him, the sleeves clinging to his skin as tufts of cloth sprouted around his wrists. His right arm felt even tighter for some reason, though, as if it was being wrapped with something. It wasn't unpleasant, however. Something behind his head fluttered in the breeze of his release. Thankfully, the amount of power he released did succeed in making the area feel a bit safer, but the memory of what had happened the last time he'd tried something like this surfaced, and so he quickly moved forward. This time the empty space in front of him didn't stretch on endlessly, though the pathway was nowhere near as immaculate as Unohana's had been, and soon an opening was created.

He jumped out, and landed on solid ground. Unfortunately, the area looked nothing like Karakura, Soul Society, or even Hueco Mundo.

"Where the hell am I?" He questioned. The sky above him was lime green in color, and the surface was nothing more than endless reddish mountains. The air around him felt dense, much more so than the Elemental Nations, but with chakra and not spiritual energy. It didn't matter what direction he looked in, only mountains greeted him. As far as he could tell, there was no life on the planet other than him.

Not wanting to give up just yet, he raised his blade and Zangetsu easily created another opening in space, and Ichigo once again jumped in. It felt more stable now that he had entered in his bankai, and, doing his best to envision where he was trying to go, he ran until another opening was created.

Once again, he landed on solid ground, except this time he seemed to be inside some sort of building. Instantly, he undid his bankai, the tightness around his right arm vanishing, and he put Zangetsu in its place on his back. The Garganta closed behind him silently, leaving him wherever he was. He could feel a similar energy in this realm, but it was nowhere near as dense as the previous one. His footsteps echoed through the room as he looked around. Wherever he was, it was old. The roof of the place was a dome shape, reminding him somewhat of Las Noches.

Along the walls were some old books and rotted scrolls. Ichigo tried to open one only for it to crumble away in his hand. Frowning, he pulled a few more out, but was met with the same result. Sighing in frustration, he haphazardly pulled and prodded until, finally, he found two that were in decent condition.

His head snapped up before he could begin to read, as the sound of steps rang out. They seemed to be getting closer. Turning his body slightly so that he could face the doorway that led to a darkened hall, he waited. Soon enough, he was met by two strange looking individuals, and if it wasn't for the lack of masks and the feeling of chakra he got from them, he would have thought they were hollows Their skin was unnaturally pale, and both seemed to sprout horns of some kind from the tops of their head. Their eyes, however, were a pupiless lilac, and the garments they adorned looked fine and noble.

"Hmm? Who are you? Answer me." One of them spoke.

Ichigo sighed and tucked the scroll in his pocket. "Is there any chance we can avoid any sort of conflict?" He asked, eyeing the strange weapon that one of the two men created out of red energy.

"Go." The shorter of the two commanded.

"I guess not."