Ichigo's True Zanpakuto Spirit

After several weeks of intensive training, Kai felt that he had taught Sado everything he could for the time being. It was now up to Sado to continue honing his skills and developing his Fullbring. With a sense of accomplishment, Kai decided to return to Urahara's shop, Yoruichi snuggled in his arms.

As they approached the shop, Yoruichi stirred, her golden eyes blinking open. She gave a soft purr and nuzzled against Kai's chest. "You did well with Sado," she murmured, her voice filled with pride.

"Thank you, Yoruichi," Kai replied, a hint of a smile on his face. "But it's Sado's determination and strength of character that have brought him this far. I just guided him in the right direction."

Upon entering the shop, Kai noticed the tense atmosphere. He furrowed his brow, concern flooding his expression. He could sense a powerful spiritual pressure emanating from the underground training room. Without wasting a moment, he made his way towards the source of the disturbance, Yoruichi still in his arms.

As Kai descended into the underground training room, his eyes widened in shock at the scene unfolding before him. Ichigo, who had been undergoing his own training to regain his Soul Reaper powers, was in grave danger. His Chain of Fate had almost completely eroded, and he was on the verge of turning into a Hollow.

Kai watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as a white mask began to cover Ichigo's face. He could see the fear in Ichigo's eyes as he struggled against the transformation, but it was clear that he was losing the battle.

Yoruichi's ears flattened against her head, her eyes wide with concern. "Kai, we have to do something. We can't let Ichigo become a Hollow."

Kai gently stroked Yoruichi's fur, trying to calm her down. "Don't worry, Yoruichi. Ichigo is still in control." He glanced over at Urahara, who appeared unbothered by the situation. "Ichigo didn't disintegrate and merge with the mask like normal souls transform into Hollows. He still has a chance. It's just a matter of whether or not he can overcome the Hollow within him."

Urahara nodded in agreement with Kai's assessment. "Yes, you're right. Ichigo still has a chance to regain control. We just need to have faith in him."

Everyone in the room held their breath as they watched Ichigo, his body now almost entirely enveloped by the white Hollow mask. Suddenly, a burst of spiritual pressure erupted from him, causing the ground to shake beneath their feet.

Urahara's friends, who had been watching the events unfold in terror, gasped as they saw the mask begin to crack. Kisuke, Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu stared in disbelief as Ichigo clawed his way out of the ditch, wearing his Shinigami clothes and the remnants of the Hollow mask.

The mask shattered, falling to the ground in pieces, and Ichigo stood tall in his Shinigami form, his sword gripped firmly in his hand. His eyes burned with determination as he surveyed the room, taking in the expressions of shock and relief on the faces of his friends.

Kai walked to Ichigo and, before he could stop him, touched his forehead. Suddenly, Ichigo found himself in a city with skyscrapers.

"Where is this place?" Ichigo asked, glancing around in confusion.

"This is your inner soul, where you can talk with your Zanpakto," Kai explained, his tone calm and steady. With his abilities, it was easy for him to enter a new Shinigami's inner soul.

Soon, a man appeared in front of them. He was a stoic middle-aged man with pale skin, high cheekbones, stubble, and long, ragged black hair with brown highlights. His attire consisted of a tattered white dress shirt with an upturned collar and cuffs, black pants, low-heeled boots, and a long, amorphous black overcoat with a burgundy highlight that flared out into ragged ends. He wore brown-tinted, semi-transparent wraparound sunglasses that obscured his eyes.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked, his voice tinged with curiosity and caution.

"I am your Zanpakto spirit, Ichigo. Call out my name..." the man began to say, but Ichigo couldn't hear him.

"You're not," Kai interjected, a grin spreading across his face as he looked at the spirit. "You're not his original Zanpakto spirit."

"Who are you?" the old man asked, anger flashing across his face.

"Where is the original spirit?" Kai inquired, his eyes scanning their surroundings. At that moment, a white version of Ichigo materialized seemingly out of nowhere, smirking as he spoke, "Man, I wanted to see how long it would take King to figure it out."

Ichigo stared at the white version of himself, his eyes wide in shock. "What is this? Who are you?"

The white Ichigo chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm your true Zanpakto spirit, Ichigo. The one you should be talking to."

Ichigo frowned, his gaze shifting between the two spirits. "But why were you hiding?"

The white Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly. "I thought it'd be fun to see how long it'd take you to figure it out. But your friend here," he gestured at Kai, "ruined the game."

Kai smirked, his eyes locked on the white Ichigo. "You can't hide from me, you know. I can sense the true nature of a Zanpakto spirit."

The stoic, middle-aged man scowled, clearly offended by Kai's words. "What does it matter? I am a part of Ichigo's power as well!"

Kai shook his head, his expression serious. "Yes, but you're not his true Zanpakto spirit. You're a manifestation of the... Oops, I almost told too much."

"What?" Ichigo asked, surprised, while the old man looked at Kai in dread.

"Nothing, for now, talk with your spirit and learn his name. When you do, you will gain more power. As promised, I helped you to get stronger in a short time." Kai said and vanished from Ichigo's soul.

When he returned, Yoruichi was clawing his chest, "What happened, you froze."

"Nothing, as I promised, I helped Ichigo. When he wakes up, he will be much stronger. I will return to my girls now."

"Take me with you," Yoruichi purred, as she snuggled to his chest.

----

Read 45(15 chapters for each novel) advanced chapters in my Patreon!

patreon.com/IWriteFanfi