Yoruichi smiled as she saw Kisuke leading Itachi and Jiraiya towards the main group. Her Third Seat had taken his sweet time, and she had a feeling it had to do with the sudden cessation of Hollow cries.
If I had to guess, I'd say the boys had a little fun with our uninvited guests, she mused, I'd expect nothing less from Kisuke. I can't wait to get the details!
She folded her arms and smirked as her friend approached. "Nice of you three to finally join us. Done taking in the sights, Kisuke?"
Her Third Seat chuckled. "In a manner of speaking. Sorry about the delay, but we had to deal with some pests back there."
"I see," she replied, "Well, since you three don't look any worse for the wear, am I safe in assuming that things went well?"
Kisuke smiled. "Very."
"Lady Yoruichi," said Soi-Fon, "Forgive me for interrupting, but we really should get the students out of here. We have no idea how many more Hollows may be out there."
Yoruichi nodded. "Agreed. How many did you three have to deal with?"
"Eight in total," said Itachi, "We spotted no sign of enemy reinforcements, but they could be lurking just out of sight."
"I'd hate for our exercise to be cut short early," said Jiraiya, "but there is that old bit about discretion being the better part of valor to consider."
True, she thought, but if the rest of your classmates were gone and it was just you two here, I'd be tempted to let you stick around and see what you can do. I guess I'll just have to settle for getting Kisuke's report later this time.
"We've put a pretty good dent in the number of souls that were wandering around here," Kisuke chimed in, "My team should be able to manage things from here if you want to get the students back to the Academy."
"All right," said Yoruichi, "I know it's earlier than we'd originally planned, but I think everyone got in a decent amount of practice today. Next time we take you all into the field, we'll try to find a less volatile spot. For now, let's head home. Soi-Fon?"
"Already on it, Lady Yoruichi," her bodyguard replied.
Indeed, her Zanpakutō was already drawn, and a moment later Soi-Fon thrust it forward. She then turned the blade so its edge ran parallel to the ground, and a second later there was a flash of light as a rift appeared in the air. A set of rectangular sliding doors appeared and opened up, and behind those were another set of doors, this time forming a circle. Those doors slid open as well, and a small flock of Hell Butterflies flew out.
"Okay, everyone, you know the drill!" Yoruichi barked, "Stay close to Soi-Fon and I, and we'll all be back in the Soul Society before you know it. Let's move!"
….
Taking a sip of tea, Kisuke smiled as he looked across the table at Yoruichi. "I'm glad you had me along for the ride on this one. You were right; those two really are something special. Especially Itachi."
They were back at the Squad Two barracks going over the post action reports. It had taken Kisuke a little while longer to get back to the Soul Society due to having to oversee efforts to send the remaining souls from the battlefield on to the afterlife, and there had been a few more Hollows that required dispatching as well. Overall, it had been a full day's work, and Kisuke was grateful for the chance to kick his feet up and relax a little now.
That little exercise was a lot more interesting than I thought it'd be, he mused, Itachi and Jiraiya… I can definitely see now why Yoruichi's been keeping her eye on the two of you.
Yoruichi grinned as she finished filling out the last form in what had once been a rather imposing stack of them. "He's a real gem, right? It's been a long time since I've seen someone take to all of this as naturally as he does."
Kisuke nodded. "The way he handled his first Konsō alone was impressive, but the fight with the Hollows… I think you hit the nail on the head with him. Whatever he and Jiraiya were before coming to the Soul Society, they definitely had some combat experience, and it's carried over to their next life. Hell, if they joined Squad Two tomorrow, I bet they'd do quite well. Three more years at the Academy almost seems like a waste of time."
Yoruichi sighed. "I know what you mean. I was considering asking the old man if I could pull them both out and have Minerva complete their training herself, but I think I've already pressed my luck with the Head Captain enough as it is. I'm sure he recognizes their talent, or at least Itachi's, but you know how he is with regards to going through the traditional process and all."
Kisuke shrugged. "Well, look at this way; at least they'll be a little more refined by the time graduation rolls around. From the way I see it, it appears that they'll be able to hit the ground running once they go on active duty."
Yoruichi smiled. "That's what I was thinking, too. Man, I can't wait for that day to finally come!"
Kisuke smirked. "You do realize that you don't necessarily have a lock on the two of them, right? The other Captains aren't blind, after all. With the waves these two have been making, I'd be surprised if your colleagues aren't plotting ways to bring them into their divisions."
Yoruichi nodded. "Oh, I'm well aware of that. The competition's going to get pretty stiff the closer we get to graduation. I'd rather get the two of them as a set, but if I have to haggle with another Captain, I can let Jiraiya go. Itachi, though… well, let's just say that he's not up for negotiation."
Kisuke chuckled. "I wonder how he feels about that."
"I think he might be warmer to the idea than you realize," Yoruichi replied with a knowing smirk, "After all, not only did I save his life, but I helped him out after that incident with the soul fracture set him back. Don't forget that he specifically challenged me to a sparring match in his Hakuda class the same day that took place, either. Also, from what Minerva told me when she was training him, he sounds like he's pretty open to the idea of joining Squad Two. I don't think that's changed if your report's any indication."
"Maybe," said Kisuke, "but that doesn't mean he won't be tempted by some of the other Captains. Depending on the openings in their squads when graduation comes around, they could make some pretty impressive pitches to him."
Yoruichi nodded. "I know. It'll be about more than just who can offer him the best starting position, though. If I've read him right so far, he'll want a division that can put his talents to the best possible use and still give him a chance to expand and improve upon those abilities. Given the kind of work we do in Squad Two, I think he'll have a hard time in passing us up."
Kisuke smiled. "I hope you're right. He definitely seems like he'd be interesting to watch, especially once he unlocks his Zanpakutō's Shikai. Depending on how he turns out, he might even make a fun test subject if I can talk him into it!"
Yoruichi laughed. "Maybe, but don't pull him into anything too dangerous! I want him in one piece, Kisuke."
"Well, he still has to get through the rest of his term at the Academy either way," said her Third Seat, "Today won't be the last time that he goes out into the field, after all. He still has to survive the rest of the trips the advanced track goes on, and this was a relatively easy one."
Yoruichi smiled. "True, but I think he's up to the challenge. If anything, those trips will help him tap into more of his abilities and further refine them. I'll have to see if I can get Squad Two involved in more of them; it was pretty fun playing overseer this time around. It'd be even better if I could observe him myself next time instead of relying on you. No offense."
"None taken," said Kisuke with a knowing smirk, "I know how you like to enjoy your eye candy."
Yoruichi wouldn't deny it. Itachi might not have been a skirt-chaser like his pal Jiraiya, but he was very easy on the eyes, and it hadn't been hard to tell based on observing his classmates that he was rather popular with the female students in the advanced track. Yoruichi couldn't blame them; if anything, three years of training in the Soul Reaper arts had simply enhanced what had already been a particularly handsome figure.
Good looks, brains, impressive skills and an enormous amount of potential, she mused, Itachi, you really are the whole package, aren't you?
"So," said Kisuke, interrupting her pleasant train of thought, "who do you think your biggest competition is for recruiting him?"
Yoruichi's brow furrowed as she carefully considered the question. "Tough call. I remember Kirio really wanted to get the two of them into Squad Twelve when I introduced Itachi and Jiraiya to her at that meeting after the entrance exams. The other Captains that were present seemed interested in them too, but to varying degrees. Unohana might be another one that I'll have to watch out for; she's had about as much exposure to the two of them as I've had, so she knows just how promising they are."
Kisuke chuckled. "Even with Jiraiya acting a little bolder than a man should around her?"
Yoruichi laughed. "Yeah, although if he doesn't watch out she'll do more than just mess up his shoulder next time! I can't really see the two of them being healers, but their Kidō scores have been top notch, so they could always pick up some skill with Kaidō. Minerva's not the only person I know to have spent some time in Squad Four to work on their healing abilities before moving on to another division. Not many people go that route, but it's not unheard of, either."
"Would she let the two of them go that easy?" asked Kisuke, "Unohana's got just as much of an eye for talent as you do, after all. She could decide to hold on to one or both of them; if they proved capable of maintaining their combat abilities even as their skills in Kaidō progressed, they'd be very useful for her division."
Yoruichi nodded. "You make a good point there. Still, I don't really think that Itachi and Jiraiya are the kind of recruits Unohana's looking for. She typically scopes out the students who excel in Kidō first and foremost, which puts her more in competition with the Kidō Corps than Squad Two. Itachi and Jiraiya do very well when it comes to spell casting, but from what I've seen their real strengths lie in Hakuda, Hohō, and Zanjutsu."
"So it's the more combat-heavy squads that you need to watch out for, then," said Kisuke, "Sound about right?"
"Exactly," she replied, "Jiraiya and Kyōraku seemed to hit it off pretty well after the entrance exams, while Yadōmaru warmed up to Itachi, so Squad Eight could definitely be gunning for them. Thanks to his work on that light novel series of his, Jiraiya's also gotten plenty of exposure to Squad Nine. I don't think he's Kensei's ideal type of recruit, but Mashiro's a wild card; you never know what she might talk him into."
"The Head Captain could come into play here too, at least as far as Itachi's concerned," Kisuke pointed out, "He did oversee that special examination for him after he recovered from the soul fracture. From what you told me, the old man seemed pretty impressed with what Itachi was capable of back then, and he's only gotten better since."
Yoruichi sighed. "I know. Going head-to-head with Yamamoto for a recruit isn't a fight I'm looking forward to, but it might just come down to that. The old man's definitely a potential threat there, no doubt about that. Still, I'm hoping that I can use the talent Itachi displayed during the exam to convince the Head Captain that he's got a natural aptitude for a division like mine. As long as I can make a solid and logical argument, I should be able to get the old man to see things my way."
Kisuke nodded. "Well, I hope it goes well should it come to that. It'd be a real shame for Squad One to hog all the best students; they tend to get a disproportionate share of each class's cream of the crop, so a little shakeup this year would be nice."
"You got that right," Yoruichi replied, "Outside of Squad One, I guess the only competition I'm really worried about would be from Squads Six and Ten."
Kisuke raised an eyebrow. "You mean Kuchiki and Drakken? They haven't even met Itachi and Jiraiya yet, right?"
"To the best of my knowledge," said Yoruichi, "Still, as far as status goes, they're both like me; members of powerful noble families with plenty of pull inside the Seireitei."
Kisuke's eyes narrowed as he considered the two Captains. "Drakken I can see scouting the two of them at some point, but I don't think Jiraiya would mesh well with Kuchiki. Old man Ginrei would be more likely to target Itachi for recruitment."
Yoruichi nodded. "I agree. Squad Six does everything possible to maintain its image as a 'model division', so someone with Itachi's skills and bearing would appeal to Captain Kuchiki. Squad Ten's a little more easy-going in comparison, but they've gained a reputation for daring and jumping into the heart of the action under Captain Drakken. Of course, that special dispensation he received from the Head Captain and the Central Forty-Six played a role in that. They've become quite popular as a result."
Kisuke chuckled. "You don't say? You know, it's pretty easy to see why that's the case. After all, no other division has a mascot quite like that."
Yoruichi smirked. "Yeah, and it packs a real punch in a fight to boot. It's a little hard for other units to compete with something like that when it comes to impressing new recruits, even for divisions like mine with a noble heading them."
Kisuke smiled. "True, but since when have you let that stop you?"
Yoruichi grinned. "Never!"
Just you wait, Itachi, she thought, I don't care how hard I have to work for it; I'm getting you into Squad Two no matter what!