XX-level Hokage

Outside the window, a waning moon hung in the sky, radiating an ominous light.

In this distorted daily life, Ichigo Kurosaki finally realizes that he must find his true self, or he will be lost forever in this false world.

Chapter 295: The Truth About the Old School Building

The old school building sits in a corner of Karakura High School's campus, long abandoned since a new school building was constructed. The last rays of the setting sun cast dappled shadows on the dusty floor through the broken windows. Ichigo pushes open the creaking iron gate and steps into this space forgotten by time.

Hidekuro Tsukishima stood in the center of the classroom, his back to the entrance, holding the brown-covered book in his hands, as if he had anticipated Ichigo's arrival. "You've come." Tsukishima turned around, a gentle yet unsettling smile on his face. "I knew it. With your keen perception, you couldn't possibly be completely deceived."

Ichigo cautiously looked around.

Old desks and chairs were scattered throughout the classroom, and chalk marks from years ago still clung to the blackboard. Everything seemed normal, yet an indescribable sense of oppression permeated the air.

"What exactly did you do to me?" Ichigo asked bluntly. "Why are my memories confused? Why does everyone remember different versions of the past?"

Tsukishima gently stroked the book in his hand, his eyes filled with an almost pitying look: "I didn't do anything, Kurosaki-kun, or rather, I just showed you another possibility."

He turned the pages of the book, and what he saw were not printed words, but flowing light and shadow, reflecting various different scenes.

“This book,” Tsukishima’s voice echoed in the empty classroom, “records countless possible pasts. What you believe to be the truth is just one version of it.”

Familiar scenes of Ichigo emerge in the light and shadow: he saves Orihime Inoue from Hollows on the school rooftop; he defends Chad from Hollow attacks in the alley; he practices kendo with his father, Isshin Kurosaki, at home... But then, these scenes begin to distort and change.

The Hollow on the rooftop became an ordinary delinquent; the Hollow in the alley became a robber; the Zanpakuto training at home became an ordinary father-son sparring session.

“These are all real events from the past,” Tsukishima explained. “They occur in different forms across different possibilities, and the identity of the Grim Reaper’s agent that you firmly believe in is just one of many possibilities.”

Ichigo felt a wave of dizziness.

These images were so real, as if he had personally experienced each version. His brain couldn't process such a massive amount of information, and the boundaries of his memory began to blur.

"No." Ichigo grabbed the desk beside him, trying to stay awake. "I know what's real. I did become a substitute Shinigami, I did go to the Soul Society, and I did fight in Hueco Mundo."

Tsukishima closed the book, and the light and shadow vanished instantly. "So, what's the evidence?" he asked softly. "Besides your fading memories, what else can prove it?"

"Did those things really happen?" Ichigo was stunned.

He instinctively touched his chest, where the license to act as a substitute for Death once hung.

But now, the place was empty. He tried to sense the spiritual power within his body, but only felt emptiness. Even Zhan Yue's voice had long since faded from his mind.

“It seems you’ve already figured it out.” Tsukishima took a step forward. “As you become more accepting of other possibilities, your connection to that ‘Substitute Shinigami’ identity’ is weakening. Soon, you will become a completely ordinary high school student, living a mundane life.”

Ichigo's breathing became rapid.

Tsukishima's words were like a dull knife, slowly and cruelly severing his connection with the past. He began to doubt himself: Could it be that those thrilling battles and those comrades who shared life and death were really just a long dream?

"Why did you do this?" Ichigo looked up, his eyes a mixture of confusion and anger. "Why make me doubt my own past?"

Tsukishima's expression turned serious: "Because it is necessary, Kurosaki Ichigo. Your very existence is a mistake, an anomaly that disrupts the balance of the world. Only by returning you to normal can this distortion be repaired."

He pulled a badge from his pocket—it was Ichigo's familiar Substitute Shinigami License, but now it looked like an ordinary ornament.

“I found this in your room.” Tsukishima handed the badge to Ichigo. “Does it still mean anything to you now?”

Ichigo took the badge, the cool touch spreading from his fingertips. He tried to recall the meaning the badge represented, how it granted him the power of a Shinigami, and how it connected him to the Soul Society... but those memories were like sand in his palm; the tighter he gripped them, the faster they slipped away.

Ichigo's voice trembled, "Who am I?"

A look of satisfaction appeared on Tsukishima's face: "You are finding your true self, Kurosaki Ichigo."

An ordinary high school student, with ordinary worries, living an ordinary life. This is who you should be. The classroom door was suddenly pushed open, and Inoue Orihime and Chad stood in the doorway.

"Kurosaki-san, you're here!" she said with a smile. "Shall we go home together?"

Chad nodded silently. His self-glow swept over Tsukishima, but he showed no sign of anything unusual, as if Tsukishima were just an ordinary transfer student.

As Ichigo looked at his two friends, two versions of memories flashed through his mind: one was of them fighting side by side, and the other was of them going to and from school together.

Both versions were so realistic that he couldn't tell which was real and which was fake.

“Let’s go, Ichigo,” Chad said, his voice steady and familiar.

Ichigo hesitated for a moment, but ultimately walked towards them. As he stepped out of the classroom, he glanced back.

Tsukishima Hidekuro stood in the afterglow of the setting sun, the book in his hands gleaming faintly, his expression inscrutable. Ichigo walked home in silence.

And so, Ichigo and Chad chatted about school anecdotes as usual, everything seeming so natural. But Ichigo's heart was filled with unease.

At the crossroads where they were parting ways, Nakamaru suddenly said, "Kurosaki-kun, do you remember? It was the anniversary of our meeting." Ichigo was stunned.

In his memory, he had known Inoue for almost two years.

But when he tried to refute it, he found that the memory had become blurry. "Yes," Chad agreed, "time flies."

Looking at his two friends' smiling faces, Ichigo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

If even his closest people accept this altered past, then what else can he trust? That night, Ichigo lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Tsukishima's words, that magical book, the memories altered by Ephemeral Clouds... all of this entangled him like a dream.

Just as he was about to give up thinking and accept this "normal" world, an image suddenly flashed through his mind: under the sky of Seireitei, a petite figure plunged her Zanpakuto into his chest, granting him the power of a Shinigami.

"Kushiki..." Rukia murmured Ichigo's name, as if it were a key that unlocked the door to his sealed memories. He sat up abruptly, his pajamas soaked with sweat.

That name, that image, so clear, so real.

Hidekuro Tsukishima is lying. Those battles, those comrades, those emotions in life-or-death situations—they were all real!

Ichigo jumped out of bed and pulled a photo from deep inside the pantry. It was a group photo taken in front of Urahara's shop after the Battle of Karakura Town.

In the photo, he, Inoue, Chad, Yuuryu Ishigaki, and... Rukia are all laughing, and they all bear the scars of battle. This photo is the best evidence.

Under the moonlight, Ichigo clutched the photograph tightly, a resolute light rekindling in his eyes.

No matter what methods Hidekuro Tsukishima uses to distort the past, and no matter how many possibilities that book can demonstrate, one thing will never change—

He, Ichigo Kurosaki, is a Substitute Shinigami. This is the path he has chosen, and it is an undeniable truth. The next morning, Ichigo arrived at school early, heading straight for the old school building, clutching the photograph tightly in his hand. This time, he would not waver in the slightest.

He must confront Hidekuro Tsukishima and reclaim his past!

Chapter 296: Proof of Existence

The old school building appeared exceptionally quiet in the morning light. Ichigo Kurosaki clutched the yellowed photograph tightly, his fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure. In the photo, Rukia Kuchiki stood beside him, her purple eyes holding the familiar strength and concern he knew so well.

"This isn't fake," Ichigo muttered to himself, carefully tucking the photo into the deepest part of his pocket. He pushed open the door to the old school building, and dust danced in the sunlight.

Hidekuro Tsukishima was already waiting in the center of the classroom, the brown "Book of the End" emanating an ominous aura in his hands. "It seems you've made your choice," Tsukishima's voice was calm and even, "You've chosen that past filled with battle and pain."

Ichigo looked him straight in the eye: "I choose the truth, whether it's pain or joy, it's all part of my own life experience."

Tsukishima gently turned the pages: "What a pity. I could have given you a peaceful life, a future where you didn't have to fight and wouldn't lose anyone."

The light and shadow on the pages shifted again, revealing a series of "possible" futures: Ichigo successfully graduates from high school, goes to university, finds an ordinary job, gets married and has children, and lives a peaceful old age... Every scene is so beautiful and so alluring.

These could all become reality. "Tsukishima's voice was seductive, "As long as you let go of those false memories and accept this better world." Ichigo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he looked at me again, his gaze was incredibly firm: "Tsukishima, you made a mistake." "Oh?"

"In all the futures you've shown," Ichigo's lips curled into a mocking smile, "there's no Rukia." Tsukishima's expression froze slightly.

“It’s not just that Rukia isn’t there,” Ichigo continued, “it’s also that my Soul Society comrades aren’t there, not Urahara-san, not Yoruichi-san, not even that jerk Renji who always makes me angry.”

He took a step forward, and a faint light began to emanate from his body: "This beautiful world you created has robbed me of the most important thing—my comrades who fought alongside me!"

The Substitute Shinigami License began to heat up in his pocket, and a bright green light emanated from the fabric. Ichigo could feel that the severed connections were being reconnected.

"Impossible..." Tsukishima's expression turned to surprise for the first time. "The rules of the 'Book of the End' should already be..."

"Rules?" Ichigo smiled, a smile brimming with undeniable confidence. "Tsukishima, you seem to have forgotten the most important thing—"

He abruptly pulled out the Agent Death Certificate, the badge now radiating a dazzling emerald green light, interspersed with azure and jet-black red lines.

"I've never been one to follow the rules!"

A burst of light illuminated the entire classroom. When the light faded, Ichigo was now dressed in a completely new outfit: his left half was covered in black Hollow armor, while his right half was clad in a pristine white Shinigami uniform. The Substitute Shinigami License on his chest had transformed into an emerald gem, with golden veins perfectly connecting them all.

Tsukishima took a half step back, the "Book of the End" in his hand trembling violently: "You actually... forcibly reconstructed the foundation of your own existence?"

"It's not a reconstruction." Ichigo raised his hand, the four powers flowing harmoniously in his palm. "I simply reclaimed what was rightfully mine."

He looked at Tsukishima, his eyes sharp as knives: "Now, it's my turn to ask you questions—why did you do this? What good does it do you to force me to regain my power?"

Tsukishima was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter started softly, then grew louder and louder, echoing in the empty classroom.

“Finally… finally this moment has come.” He stopped laughing, his eyes turning fanatical. “You’re right, Kurosaki Ichigo, I was indeed forcing you to regain your power. Because only when you are fully awakened can you draw out the true Book of Origin!”

He held up the "Book of the End," and the book suddenly began to burn. From the black flames, an even older and heavier book slowly emerged.

The book's cover was pure white, with no words on it, only a deep, blood-red engraving. "This is it," Ichigo sensed the terrifying aura emanating from the book and unconsciously assumed a fighting stance.

"The Book of Origin." Tsukishima stroked the pages, his eyes filled with fascination. "The book that records the laws of the origin of all things, and your existence, Kurosaki Mamoru, is the key to unlocking its final seal!"

The book opened automatically, and crimson characters began to appear on the blank pages. The characters twisted and changed, eventually coalescing into an ancient prophecy.

"When the four forces unite as one, and when the line between falsehood and truth becomes blurred, the gate to the origin will open."

Ichigo felt the four powers within him begin to boil uncontrollably, surging wildly towards the emerald gem in his chest, where they converged and collided. "From the very beginning, this was your plan?" Ichigo gritted his teeth, resisting the rampage of power. "Tampering with memories, shaking my very existence, it was all for this..."

Tsukishima smiled and nodded: "That's right. Only when you make a choice between falsehood and truth, when the foundation of your existence is shaken and then re-established..."

Only then will the four powers truly awaken. And now...

The "Book of the Primordial" emitted a blinding light, and the entire old school building began to shake violently.

Ichigo felt himself being pulled by some force, as if to be sucked into that strange book. "Welcome to the Primordial Realm." Tsukishima's voice gradually blurred in the light.

When Ichigo's vision cleared again, he found himself standing in a pure white space. There was no sky, no ground, only endless emptiness.

Before him, the "Book of the Primordial" floated silently in the air, radiating a soft yet unsettling light.

Tsukishima stood beside the book, his body gradually becoming transparent. Ichigo watched this scene in shock.

"My mission is complete." Tsukishima's voice was calm and content. "As the holder of the Book of the End, my purpose was to guide you..."

"Here you are. Now, it's time for you to face your own destiny, Ichigo Kurosaki."

His body completely dissipated, leaving only his last words echoing in the space:

"Remember, before this Book of the Beginning, you will not be facing an enemy, but... yourself."

Ichigo stood alone in the pure white space, facing the mysterious book that recorded the origin of all things. He could feel that the book contained unimaginable power and also hid the ultimate secret about his origin.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward. Whatever awaited him, he was ready. Because he was Ichigo Kurosaki, the substitute Shinigami who always chose to face the truth.

Chapter 297: The Primordial Realm

The pure white space was boundless, with no ceiling or ground. Even the light seemed to emerge from the void, evenly enveloping every corner.