Itachi regarded the Squad Eight Captain's second-in-command. She was a slender woman with turquoise eyes, red-rimmed oval glasses and raven hair that was braided into two pigtails. Her attire was a shortened variation of the standard black Soul Reaper robes, with her hakama resembling a skirt. The sword at her hip appeared to be a nodachi with a dark blue hilt and a square tsuba with two rectangular attachments on two ends, while a badge was tied to her left arm. She turned to face both of them, but after a moment Itachi could tell that she was more focused on him than Jiraiya.
"My name is Lisa Yadōmaru, Lieutenant of Squad Eight," she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
A tall man with long-white hair and a friendly light in his green eyes leaned forward. His white haori identified him as another Captain, but unlike Shunsui his physique actually struck Itachi as slightly emaciated. His skin was slightly paler as well, and while there was a warm energy about him he did seem to be a little under the weather. A single katana with a rectangular bronze cross guard and a dark red handle was tied to the sash of his robes.
"Captain Shihōin has told us quite a bit about the two of you," he said, "I'm Jūshiro Ukitake, the Captain of Squad Thirteen. Well met, my friends."
"So you two are Captain Shihōin's amateur Hollow killers, eh?" said another man from across the table, "It's not every day we get applicants with your kind of potential coming through the Academy entrance exams."
The speaker had very long blond hair that flowed over his Captain's haori. There was a sharp, evaluating look in his brown eyes even as he had an amused smirk on his face that revealed some of his teeth. A katana with a red hilt and sheath hung at his side, and its guard was shaped like an hourglass.
"Oh, sorry," the man continued, "where are my manners? I'm Shinji Hirako, Squad Five's Captain. Congrats on making it through the exams."
"Indeed!" said a woman not too far down from him, "Your results were absolutely splendid!"
Taking a closer look at the new speaker, Itachi saw that she was a slender but very well-endowed woman. She let her long violet hair flow wild and freely over her Captain's haori, and she had a very warm and cheerful aura. Itachi saw Jiraiya's smile grow as the Sannin feasted his eyes on the lady's ample bosom, and he could only hope that the sage didn't do anything that might get the two of them on this woman's bad side, especially since her katana was no doubt as sharp as that of everyone else's at this gathering.
"Hearing you say that is music to my ears, miss…" Jiraiya began.
"Oh, forgive me!" said the woman with a friendly smile, "My name's Kirio Hikifune, Captain of Squad Twelve. Captain Shihōin won't stop singing your praises, and I can see why!"
"As can I," said a deep-voiced man on the other side of the table, "Written test, the Pillar Run, and the Crystal Lens; you guys soared through on all three."
It was another Captain, and this one sported sunglasses and a round afro. He was definitely on the taller side and looked very well-built as well. The katana at his side had a white hilt and a heart-shaped tsuba.
"You're too kind, Captain…" said Itachi, waiting for the man to fill in the gap in his knowledge.
"Love," the man replied, "Love Aikawa, Squad Seven's Captain. It's always nice to meet the new talent coming into the Academy."
"The prowess the two of you showed in the exams is impressive for new recruits," said another man, his voice much gruffer in contrast to Love's smooth basso, "Killing a Hollow without Soul Reaper training even more so. Who scored the final blow against the beast?"
The new speaker was a Captain as well, and the way he carried himself strongly reminded Itachi of a Chūnin drill master. A tall and muscular man with sharp features, his silver hair gave him a rather frosty look, which was further accented by the steely glint in his brown eyes. Despite the much more military air about him when compared to his colleagues, he actually sported a handful of piercings, with one on his left eyebrow and three on his left ear. As if that weren't enough, through the opening in his robes Itachi could spot what looked like the uppermost portion of a tattoo on his torso, and he was curious as to what the full design was. His weapon appeared to be a wakizashi with an H-shaped tsuba and white hilt.
"That would be me," said Jiraiya, "although I couldn't have taken it out were it not for Itachi drawing its attention, plus he got a few good hits on it in his own right. So overall it was a team effort, Captain…"
"Muguruma," the man finished for him, "Kensei Muguruma, Captain of Squad Nine. I'm glad to see that you know how to share credit when it's due; that's important for maintaining good teamwork and comradery."
"Are you really that strong already?" came a female voice from behind Kensei, "I wanna see you two fight!"
A second later a petite woman with wavy lime-green hair popped up over Kensei's shoulder. In addition to her robes and the badge on her left arm, she also wore a pink scarf and a pair of glasses atop her hair. The sword at her side was an average-length katana with a green hilt and rectangular guard which had circles on each corner. Contrary to the Captain she was lurking behind, Itachi's first impression of her was that she was rather perky.
Kensei rolled his eyes. "Mashiro, first of all, it's rude to tell two people to fight like that. Second of all, you should introduce yourself properly; it's polite!"
The woman nodded and smiled. "Oh, okay! I'm Mashiro Kuna, Lieutenant of Squad Nine. Nice to meet you!"
"Likewise," said Itachi.
Jiraiya gave her a friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. If I'd known the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had so many lively women in them, I would've applied for the Academy as soon as I arrived here."
"Which was barely over two weeks ago," Itachi quipped, "So you still would've wound up taking the entrance exams today anyway."
"You got a point there," said Yoruichi as she sat down at the table before motioning for Itachi and Jiraiya to join her and the others, "Then again, if Unohana and I hadn't found you when we did then you wouldn't be here at all. Talk about good timing, huh?"
"About that," said Jūshiro, "Captain Shihōin, which part of the Rukon District did you say you encountered them in again?"
"West Rukon 37," Yoruichi replied.
Shunsui stroked his chin. "West 37… that's not good."
Lisa's eyes narrowed. "When was the last time Hollows made it that far into the Rukon District?"
"Years at the very least," Shinji answered, "Usually the closest they get these days are the 60s or mid-50s. I think our patrols are getting sloppy again."
"Or the Hollows may be getting smarter," Kirio countered, "At the very least, they do seem to be getting bolder."
Love sighed. "Lucky for us they were just common Hollows this time. Can you imagine the damage a Menos Grande could've done had it gotten that far inside the Rukon District?"
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Menos Grande? What's that?"
"Trust me," said Kensei grimly, "if you saw one, you'd know; each one's taller than a palace. You get a Menos when Hollows become cannibalistic, which is rather common with them. A bunch of the cannibal Hollows try to devour each other, and they end up merging into a Menos Grande. They're not the smartest Hollows out there, but they make up for it with brute force."
Yoruichi shook her head. "You're only describing Gillians, Kensei. One of those alone would be a mess, but one that we could dispatch relatively quickly. An Adjuchas, on the other hand, would be much more problematic."
Jiraiya leaned forward. "Adjuchas? Can anyone explain that to us new guys?"
"Oh, I know! I know!" chirped Mashiro, bouncing up and down in her seat, "Kensei, can I answer? Can I? Can I?"
Kensei folded his arms. "You don't need my permission to answer a question, you goofball!"
Shunsui chuckled. "Looks like someone got more than her usual amount of sugar today."
"Adjuchas are the second classification of Menos Grande," said Lisa, "They're much smarter and stronger than Gillians, but fortunately are fewer in number. They are also smaller than Gillians, although one could argue that that particular quality may actually make them even more dangerous due to their increased mobility."
"Hey, no fair, Lisa!" pouted Mashiro, "I wanted to give the answer!"
Lisa shrugged. "Then you should've given it right from the start."
Mashiro sighed. "Oh, man, it's just like the Academy all over again."
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "If Gillians are formed from Hollow cannibalism, then are Adjuchas formed from Gillians eating each other?"
Kirio smiled. "You catch on quickly, don't you? My, my… you definitely found a sharp one here, Yoruichi."
Yoruichi grinned. "What can I say? I got an eye for talent!"
"In truth, you may only be partially right, Itachi," said Jūshiro, "While cannibalism is a component of Hollow evolution, we believe that other factors come into play when Gillians evolve into Adjuchas, although at this stage these are only theories."
"What sort of factors?" asked Jiraiya.
"From what little we've been able to observe," Shinji chimed in, "we think that the creation of an Adjuchas is at least in part determined by which of the many Hollows that made up the original Gillian is the dominant one."
Love sighed. "In truth, there's a ton we don't know about the Adjuchas. The Soul Society's never really done an in-depth field study of them. Squad Twelve's supposed to hold most of the archived reports on them, though."
Kirio nodded. "Indeed, although even then our knowledge is far from complete. Studying even Gillians is difficult when one recalls how rare it is to encounter one in the field. They typically remain in Hueco Mundo, something that the rest of us should be very grateful for."
"Hueco Mundo?" said Itachi, "Is that their home?"
Kensei nodded. "It's a dimension that exists between the Soul Society and the Realms of the Living. Hollows are able to travel freely between worlds thanks to their ability to create spiritual pathways called Garganta. Unfortunately, the only way to get to Hueco Mundo is through a Garganta, something the Soul Society has never been able to replicate."
"So let me get this straight," said Jiraiya, "Hollows can pop up in any world they want, snack on some human souls, and then run right back home without anyone being able to chase them? Man, that's just not fair."
"No kidding," groaned Yoruichi, "It's actually possible for Soul Reapers to go after them if they're able to make it through the Garganta before it closes, but only a few have ever managed to pull it off… and none of them have ever returned to tell the tale. As far as Hueco Mundo goes, we're unfortunately flying blind."
"That's a major disadvantage," said Itachi as his brow furrowed in thought, "Especially if the same is not true for the Hollows. The ones that we encountered the night before seemed to be little more than primal beasts, but if what you say about these Adjuchas is true then it is entirely possible that they've conducted advanced reconnaissance of the Soul Society. That's a potentially staggering information gap."
Jūshiro smiled. "I think you're overreacting, Itachi. It is true that Adjuchas are much more clever than other Hollows, but from what we've seen in the field their intellectual prowess is merely on the tactical level. They are strong enough and smart enough to command Gillians as foot soldiers, but aspects of long-term strategy such as detailed intelligence work and analysis is beyond them."
"Jūshirō's right," said Shunsui, "Above all, Adjuchas are driven by the same urge as other Hollows; the desire to feed. In addition to them attacking lesser Hollows, we've also spotted them on rare occasions trying to devour one of their fellow Adjuchas. They may possess the capacity to cooperate for short-term gains, but their predatory and cannibalistic natures make them incapable of acting strategically."
"With all due respect, Captain," Lisa protested, "that strikes me as an idea based more in wishful thinking and circumstantial evidence than anything else. Anecdotes and the occasional field report aren't enough for us to make conclusive statements on the nature of the higher orders of Menos Grande. I'm with Itachi on this matter; the idea that the Hollows have far more information on us that we do of them is an alarming prospect, especially if they prove capable of effectively organizing to take advantage of it."
Shunsui winked at Itachi. "Well, well; it seems you already have a fan in my Lieutenant, Itachi. I bet you're pretty popular with the ladies in general, aren't you?"
"Well, he's definitely not lacking in the looks department," said Yoruichi with a playful smirk, "I caught more than a few of the female applicants eyeing him during the exams, and I can't say I blame 'em!"
"He is pretty cute!" chirped Mashiro.
"That he is," said Kirio with a grin, "I think I could find a place for him in my division once he graduates."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Well that's typical."
"My appreciation of Itachi is based on the intelligence he has displayed here," said Lisa, although Itachi was keenly aware of her looking him over from head to toe, "although I am not above admiring his physical qualities. I am a curious woman with healthy interests, after all."
Shunsui smiled. "That you are, Lisa."
"We're getting sidetracked," said Itachi, quite eager to steer the conversation back towards its original course, "Lieutenant Yadōmaru, a few seconds ago you mentioned 'higher orders' of Menos Grande; are you implying that there is another classification that goes beyond that of Adjuchas?"
Lisa nodded. "Yes… although evidence for their existence at this point beyond anecdotal reports is rather slim. Still, they cannot simply be dismissed out of hand."
"Indeed," said Kirio somberly, "Not when the potential threat they could pose if conclusively proven to be real is so grave."
Itachi saw Jiraiya's eyes narrow. "So what is it? What's out there that could be worse than an Adjuchas?"
"The Vasto Lordes," Shinji answered, "There have supposedly been a few sightings of them, but those reports came from survivors of teams that were almost entirely wiped out, and the witnesses were so badly shaken that it was almost impossible to get solid information out of them."
Love sighed. "If the ravings of a few badly wounded and severely traumatized Soul Reapers are to be believed, these Menos Grande are about the size of normal humans. However, supposedly they're both smarter and far more powerful than those of the Adjuchas rank."
"How much more powerful?" asked Itachi, his gut telling him that he wouldn't like the answer.
Kensei scowled. "If the fear mongers' are correct, their strength surpasses that of a Soul Reaper Captain."
Itachi was floored. From what he and Jiraiya had witnessed the night before, the barest glimpses of Yoruichi and Unohana's abilities had indicated that the powers of Soul Reaper Captains were in a league of their own. Was there truly a level of Hollow out there capable of surpassing that?
Jiraiya shook his head. "Well… shit."
Itachi nodded after a moment. "Yes… I suppose that's as good a way to put it as any."
Shunsui raised his hands. "Now, now, there's no need to panic. Sightings of these things have been extremely rare. From what we can tell, if they do exist they hardly ever leave Hueco Mundo."
Jūshiro gave what Itachi guessed was supposed to be a reassuring smile. "Let me put it this way; you have a far greater chance of being struck by lightning than encountering a Vasto Lorde. Besides, us Captains aren't exactly pushovers. A Vasto Lorde may sound like a truly daunting foe, but no enemy is invincible."
Yoruichi nodded. "True, but that being said, if they do exist then they should be handled with extreme caution. I actually spoke to the Head Captain about them a while back, and he was thinking of issuing a decree regarding them; any sighting of a Vasto Lorde is to be reported directly to him, and they are not to be engaged until at least two Captains and their Lieutenants have arrived on the scene."
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "The Head Captain actually said that?"
"First I've heard of it," said Shinji.
Love's eyes narrowed. "Something like this should've come up at the last Captains' meeting."
"He's right," said Kensei, "If this is true, then why has it been kept from us, Yoruichi?"
"Because it was an informal conversation that I had with him," Yoruichi replied, "If the Head Captain decides to make it official policy, he'll announce it accordingly."
Lisa shuddered. "I hope the likes of the Vasto Lordes remain in Hueco Mundo. Fighting one of those does not sound fun."
"Now, now, Lisa, there's no need worry," said Shunsui as he patted his Lieutenant on the back, "If we have to go up against one, you can just leave the heavy lifting to me."
Lisa scowled. "With all due respect, Captain, as your Lieutenant I will do my duty in battle no matter what the nature of our opponent may be. I will not allow you to take on a powerful enemy by yourself out of some misguided sense of chivalry."
Shunsui chuckled. "As feisty as ever. There's just no arguing with you when you get like this."
"I wanna fight one!" chirped Mashiro, "Kensei, we can take one, right?"
Kensei glared at his Lieutenant. "Mashiro, were you not paying attention to the others at all? We should hope that we never have to face one of these Vasto Lordes at all!"
"We shouldn't be worrying about the likes of them anyway right now," said Kirio as she smiled at Itachi and Jiraiya, "After all, wasn't the reason we all came here today was to review test results and scout potential recruits? I'd say that we're not doing a very good job if the two most talented applicants in the pool are right here in front of us and we're talking about something else!"
Jūshiro nodded. "You're quite right about that. Itachi, Jiraiya, if you don't mind me asking, where did you acquire your hand-to-hand combat skills? To be able to go up against a Hollow without proper Soul Reaper training is no small feat."
"You haven't been in the Soul Society very long, right?" asked Shinji, "I doubt you would've had much of a chance to train here."
"That's correct," said Itachi, "The skills you refer to were ones we both had when we were alive, although we never had the opportunity to use them against Hollows until last night."
Jiraiya chuckled. "We didn't even know that Hollows existed until we got here. Maybe we were good fighters when we were still alive, but after watching Captains Yoruichi and Unohana last night it's clear that we both have a lot to learn."
"True," said Shinji with a smile, "but the fact that you recognize that means you're off to a good start; you're not overconfident. If you manage to maintain a sense of perspective then I think the two of you'll do just fine in the Academy."
Love nodded. "If your skills are already sharp enough to defeat a Hollow in unarmed combat, then if nothing else the two of you should ace your Hakuda classes."
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Hakuda?"
"The hand-to-hand fighting arts utilized by Soul Reapers," Kensei answered for him, "We're taught to fight with more than just our Zanpakutō, after all."
Now it was Jiraiya's turn to voice the pair's confusion. "Zanpakutō?"
Mashiro's eyes widened. "What? You two don't even know what a Zanpakutō is?"
"Mashiro, be nice," Lisa gently chided her, "Remember, they said they only arrived in the Soul Society a few weeks ago. There's still a lot they have to catch up on."
Mashiro nodded and smiled at Itachi and Jiraiya. "Right, I forgot about that. Sorry!"
"To answer your question," said Yoruichi, "a Zanpakutō is a Soul Reaper's sword. They're our signature weapons, and only one trained in the Soul Reaper arts can properly wield them. Your instructors at the Academy will go over them in greater detail, but for now just know that they're not normal swords by any stretch of the imagination."
Itachi nodded. "Very well, then. Thank you."
"Yeah," said Jiraiya, "It's nice to have a little bit cleared up, at least."
Yoruichi smiled. "Your instructors should cover this on the first day, but I don't see any harm in giving you two a running start. There are four different styles of combat that Soul Reapers can practice. We've already covered Hakuda. Zanjutsu is the art of fighting with a Zanpakutō. As you might imagine, traditional swordplay is a major part of Zanjutsu training, but the unique nature of the Zanpakutō means that there's more to it than conventional fencing. You'll see what I'm talking about once your classes start."
"What are the other two arts?" asked Itachi.
"One's called Kidō," Yoruichi replied, "You two got a taste of it in the second phase of the exams."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "The last leg of the Pillar Run… that was those balls of energy the people on the shore were shooting at us, right?"
Shunsui chuckled. "I still can't believe Tessai let you drag him and his subordinates into Phase Two like that. You really are a devious woman, Yoruichi."
Yoruichi grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Jūshiro smirked. "You are correct, Jiraiya. Kidō, also known as the Demon Arts, is a form of combat that involves using spirit energy to cast spells. The people that were firing those blasts of energy at you and Itachi during the Pillar Run were members of the Kidō Corps, a branch of the Soul Society's military that specializes in spell casting as their primary method of combat."
"Tessai's the head of the Kidō Corps," said Yoruichi, "You saw him during Phase Two; he was the guy with the fancy blue robe."
Lisa's eyes widened. "You had the Grand Kidō Chief personally involved with the Academy entrance exams? I've never heard of him doing something like that before!"
"How'd you talk him into it?" asked Mashiro.
"Tessai's an old friend," Yoruichi replied, "Him, Kisuke and I all go way back."
"Who's Kisuke?" asked Itachi, scanning the room in case he'd missed someone earlier.
"He's the Third Seat of my division," said Yoruichi, "Kisuke Urahara's in charge of the Detention Unit, but he also likes to tinker and has all sorts of research projects that he's conducting on the side. Those trick pens from the first phase of the exams were made by him."
Jiraiya smirked. "Sounds like an interesting guy."
Yoruichi nodded. "That's certainly one way to put it. I'd say he's one of the smartest guys in the Soul Society, and he's always coming up with some crazy new invention. He's pretty friendly once you get to know him, but he can definitely come across as a bit of an odd-ball at first. Life's never dull with him around, that's for sure!"
Itachi leaned forward. "You said he's the head of the Detention Unit, right? Would I be correct in assuming that's some sort of prison detail?"
Yoruichi nodded. "Yup. Basically, the Detention Unit's in charge of the imprisonment and supervision of all criminals in the Soul Society. It's under Squad Two's umbrella, which means I'm supposed to be the boss, but I like to let Kisuke run things on his own; he knows what he's doing and doesn't need me micromanaging him. Mastery of both Hakuda and Hohō are required for anyone working in the Detention Unit, and Kisuke's got both of those nailed down."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Hohō? Would that be the fourth style of Soul Reaper combat?"
"Yes," said Lisa, "It's a defensive style based on footwork. The key elements of it are speed and agility."
"The signature Hohō technique is Shunpo," said Jūshiro, "The user moves so fast that their movements aren't even perceptible to those of untrained beings. It's commonly referred to as the Flash Step."
Itachi's eyes widened in comprehension as he turned to Yoruichi. "That's what you did during Phase One, wasn't it?"
Yoruichi smiled. "You got it!"
Shunsui chuckled. "I still can't believe there was applicant dumb enough to pick a fight with the Flash Goddess."
"Flash Goddess?" Itachi repeated in confusion.
Shinji smirked. "Yoruichi's the best Shunpo practitioner in the entire Soul Society. She can make Flash Steps as casually as you and I might walk through a park."
"Don't forget she's also the fastest!" chirped Mashiro.
"Aw, you guys are way too nice to me!" said Yoruichi with a laugh.
Even with her faux-protest, there was an unmistakable hint pride in her voice, and it wasn't hard for Itachi to see why. Her movements both during the exams and the fight the night before had been nothing short of outstanding; Flash Goddess truly was an appropriate title for her.
"Hohō by itself isn't enough to win a fight," said Kensei, "That's why users combine it with either Hakuda or Zanjutsu."
"You'll get the full rundown soon enough," Love added, "It should be interesting to see how quickly you two take to it."