“Your comrades are there to make up for what you cannot do and to prevent you from ignoring things that you actually might have been able to do.” — Itachi Uchiha. 

°

°

°°°°°°°

Months had passed since Kisuke and his group defected from the Soul Society and the Shinigami of the Gotei 13 were slowly getting back to their normal lives before that whole event, except that it wasn’t easy to fill the space left behind by old Captains. 

With such great changes caused by loss, it was apparent to anyone remotely aware that a greater change needed to take place in order to balance it out, and certain individuals were working towards that change. 

In Itachi’s case, he wasted no time in challenging Marenochin for the position of Lieutenant which basically gave him some form of control over the 2nd Division. 

On the other side of the coin, with Soi Fon quickly becoming the most skilled member of the Executive Militia and Onmistukidō along with also managing them under Yoruichi’s command, she became their pseudo leader as no one had yet been named the 2nd Division’s Captain. 

Looking at it from a specific viewpoint, they both had the Division and all its subdivisions locked down from any foreign influence as they now practically reported directly to the Head Captain or his Lieutenant. 

With Itachi having long cast off whatever complicated feelings he might have for positions of power, he quickly acclimatized into his role of overseeing the Division and smoothly managing its affairs as soon as he got into his comfort zone. 

It reminded him of his ANBU days, though on a much larger scale. 

Currently, he was in the office he shared with Soi Fon, the two having gotten into a comfortable rhythm after that day, going through the last of the reports that concerned the reason why they were currently in the position they were. 

“This confirms that they’ve taken residence in the World of the Living. With Kisuke Urahara’s genius, I reckon he’ll have no problem hiding from our notice and blending in with humans.”

“Hmm.” Soi Fon gave a noncommittal hum and put the report to one side, deciding to tackle any other report that didn’t have Yoruichi Shihōin mentioned in it. 

“Unless something important comes up in the future, we’ll be on a normal routine for the next few years. How long that will last is currently unknown. Hmm?” Itachi stopped what he was saying as his eyes darted over the lines of the current report he was holding. 

Noticing Itachi’s slight frown, Soi Fon took the paper from his hands and gave it a quick read-through before handing it back to Itachi. “Hollow activity in Hueco Mundo in a complacent ratio to that of the World of the Living? Any particular reason for this?”

“I was going through past records concerning the rise in Hollow activity here in Soul Society in the last decade and correlating it with that of Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living. It’s nothing substantial, but I figured it’d be worth taking a look at.”

“Want me to dig into it on the side?” She offered but Itachi shook his head. 

“There’s no need. Maybe if there was a way to travel to and from the Hollow world of Hueco Mundo.” Itachi casually remarked. 

“Yeah, unfortunately that’s impossible. Unless you have a Hollow that’ll willingly open a garganta for you at your convenience.” Soi Fon snorted at the thought of it as she stood up to leave. “See you in a day or two, Itachi. I have a group of terrorizing Shinigami to apprehend and discipline.”

“Mm, see you soon then.” Itachi said without lifting his head up from the report he was engrossed in. 

“A personal Hollow, huh? So that’s how you get your test subjects.” The fact that the Shinigami paid so little attention to Hueco Mundo was a gross oversight in Itachi’s opinion. 

He knew any instance of attacking Hueco Mundo would destabilize the reincarnation cycle, but that didn’t mean that they should just overlook that world. 

While he appeared at ease on the surface, Itachi’s inner schedule was anything but easy. 

With Yoruichi and half of the Captains gone, it was only a matter of time before other Shinigami filled in the gaps as the new Captains and Itachi knew that that was his most opportune time to take down Aizen. 

The Captain evaluation. There would be no way for Aizen to hide his Bankai behind an illusion as long as Itachi was there, and if he truly was the illusionist and being the one behind the experiments then there was no way he wouldn’t know this. 

‘To be this bold and daring, I don’t doubt that he has already achieved his Bankai. For quite a long time to boot.’

Not willing to think any longer on it, he picked up another report but instead of the standard report this was a transfer document to request Itachi’s approval for someone to transfer into his Division. 

Now this was surprising. 

Of all people, why would Hiyori Sarugaki want to transfer into his Division? There were no similarities whatsoever between the Second and the Twelfth. The Twelfth were mainly scientists while the Second was three subdivisions of the strictest Division among the Gotei 13. 

“That’s enough for me.” Neatly arranging the stack of papers into neat piles, Itachi nodded to himself before puffing out into smoke. 

…… 

[World of the Living] 

“Some of you have done this, and it might be the first time for some of you, but the assignment is simple: perform Konsō on any Plus you encounter and purify any Hollow you come across in your quadrant.”

The small group of 15 academy students nodded their heads in determination while one of them raised their hands. 

“Yes?”

“Um, it’s not exactly an important question but I was wondering if there are any reasons why a Lieutenant is personally supervising our purification exercise.”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about. There’s no special circumstance behind my being here.” Itachi dismissed the inquiry and sent them on their way before going his own way while leaving only a crow to watch the group activity. 

He might have told a small lie by downplaying the reason for him being here but in his opinion that was the better choice than having then needlessly worry or become distracted from their excitement when he could take care of the little issue without any of them being the wiser.

“Even if you’re corrupted souls, don’t you think desecrating the grave of the dead is a line you shouldn’t cross? Though I guess for you it’ll be nothing more than robbers breaking into someone’s house.”

The Hollows that had been snacking on the defenseless souls turned around to see who was interrupting their meal as none of them were happy, showing Itachi their discontent by rushing to take the first bite at him. 

“And you’d even lift your hands against your comrades.” Itachi walked away from the Hollows who were now suddenly biting into the masks of their fellow Hollows and killing themselves in a maddened frenzy. 

Walking upward on Reishi platforms, Itachi stopped when he was at a high enough platform and began his job as a supervisor. The exercise took a few hours to complete, during which Itachi sat close eyes midair in a meditative position. 

He opened his eyes just in time to see a few Hollows tearing open a garganta and jumping in. 

Seeing the garganta closing up immediately after, Itachi briefly wondered what the other side would be like. The reports and images he’s seen of Hueco Mundo were all second-hand representations, and though he knew it was nothing but an endless mass of white sand and devoid of any natural life, he still wanted to visit it someday. 

‘I just might.’

“Let’s go.” He wasted no time in compliments or consolation as he activated his end of the Senkaimon and stepped through it. 

….. 

After Itachi left, three people stepped out from behind a panel of glass with two wearing happy faces while the third was set in a mask of stoicism.

“I hold you he wouldn’t be able to sense us with this thing in the way.” Kisuke said with a large grin on his face as he softly caressed the panel’s edges. 

“Yeah, and you brought us over three cities just to test it.” Yoruichi said with a slightly upset voice but there was no hiding the smile on her face. She couldn’t help but ask after seeing the group of Shinigami leave through the gate of the Senkaimon. “Hey, Kisuke. How close do you think he is to a Bankai?”

Kisuke held his chin in a serious speculating look before suddenly shrugging nonchalantly. “I honestly have no idea.”

“You too huh.” Yoruichi folded her hands under her bust with a serious look on her face. “At least he didn’t ignore my warnings and head straight for Aizen.”

Kisuke looked at Tessai, both sharing a silent conversation with their eyes, and they both nodded while Tessai asked Yoruichi a question. 

“Do you really trust him that much?”

Yoruichi smirked. “Do I trust Itachi that much? Of course not. Do I trust his morals and code of duty? Absolutely. I know he will do the right thing, but I just don’t trust how he will do it. Such a confusing soul.”

––––––

Read 15 Chapters ahead on pat

Patreøn*com/QuackVader

––––––