One week later…
Soi-Fon raised her eyebrow as she finished reading the notice Yoruichi had given to her. "A joint operation with Squad Ten… and the Academy students will be involved as well? Lady Yoruichi, I know it's not my place to question the Head Captain, but still… is this wise?"
That was something Yoruichi had actually been wondering herself. "Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have concerns. Still, I can see the merits behind it."
"Mind if I take a look at that?" asked Kisuke.
Soi-Fon scowled at him, but a nod from Yoruichi was enough to make her relent and pass the sheet over to him. The Squad Two Captain saw her old friend smirk as he reviewed the notice, which she took as a good sign; that usually meant that Kisuke felt that a certain course of action was worth pursuing.
"Interesting," he said, "Possible large-scale Hollow nest just outside the eastern borders of the Rukon District… well, I can see why the old man wants this to be a joint operation."
"That much I can understand," said Soi-Fon, "but Academy students have no place in a mission like this. The level of danger involved is beyond what they're ready for."
Yoruichi smiled. "Not necessarily… at least, not for all of them. The Head Captain specifically ordered for students in the advanced track only to be brought in, and even then, only the ones in the top tier of the fourth, fifth, and sixth years. I can think of two who fit the bill nicely."
Kisuke nodded. "I agree. I think it's about time the two of them had another chance to shine in the field. They did quite well last time around, and I imagine they've only improved since then."
Soi-Fon sighed. "I have no doubt that Itachi and Jiraiya have both made progress with their training, but this may be too much even for them."
Yoruichi shook her head. "No. They can do this. They're ready for it, and I'm willing to bet that most of the other advanced track students that get picked for this mission will be as well."
Kisuke smiled. "Faith in the next generation… it's a beautiful thing. Of course, we need to make sure that they survive long enough to earn that faith first."
Yoruichi nodded. "You're right about that. I'll do everything I can for them, and I know you both will too. However, it won't be just us overseeing them this time… and that worries me."
"Why?" asked Soi-Fon, "I know Captain Drakken's family is a rival to yours, but you've never been particularly worried about that in the past."
"I'm not," she replied, "Rhaegon, on the other hand… he might be a problem."
Kisuke raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that? He has a pretty solid track record in the field. There might be some family friction there, but nothing that we can't work around."
Yoruichi sighed. "I'm not so sure. The Drakken Clan has always been prideful, and while that's to be expected of any of the Five Great Noble Houses, they take it a bit too far. Rhaegon never misses a chance to show off, and if he brings his pet along for this mission then that'll only exacerbate things. He could end up putting the students at risk."
"His own niece would be among them, though," Soi-Fon pointed out, "He wouldn't do anything to put her in danger… would he?"
Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "Hard to say. I don't know how close Rhaegon is with his siblings or their children. I'd like to think that having a niece in the fray would act as a restraint on his more hot-headed tendencies, but it might just further feed his ego."
"What do you want to do?" asked Kisuke, "Have you considered talking to the Head Captain about it?"
Yoruichi shook her head. "This is an official order, which means the old man's not changing his mind. These are the cards we've been dealt, so we just need to play them the best we can. Besides, it won't just be Squads Two and Ten; according to those orders, Squad Four's also dispatching one of their relief teams to provide rear echelon support. If something goes wrong, at least we'll have some qualified healers nearby. It won't be the same as having Unohana with us, but it's better than nothing."
Soi-Fon nodded. "So be it. Who all do you want on this mission, Lady Yoruichi?"
"You and Kisuke for sure," she replied, "I'll round up several of our top tier officers to cover our bases."
Kisuke smirked. "If they're top tier, then that means we're leaving our dear Lieutenant out of it, right?"
Yoruichi nodded. "Yup. We're gonna have enough on our plate without Ōmaeda strutting about like he owns the place. I'll saddle him with garrison duty; if I put him in charge of managing training drills for our reserves, we can slip away without him causing too much of a fuss."
Kisuke chuckled. "Sounds good to me! It's always nice to leave him out of the action and then watch him squirm when we hint about what happened afterwards."
Yoruichi laughed. "That's true! Maybe we've been a bit too rough on him in the past… but, then again, with how pompous and stuck-up he acts, he kind of deserves it."
Soi-Fon's brow furrowed in thought. "If we're bringing our best officers… then does that mean our new Tenth Seat will be along for the ride?"
"That's right," said Yoruichi, "He's already proven his worth in the past, after all, so it's time to break him into his new rank. What's up, Soi-Fon?"
"When Itachi passed the entrance exams and first started at the Academy, our Tenth Seat was Fourteenth back then," she said, "You told me back then that you wanted to wait until graduation to properly introduce him to Itachi, and that didn't change even after Itachi suffered the soul fracture. If we bring him on this mission now, there's a good chance that they'll meet."
Yoruichi nodded. "I know. I'd been hoping to keep him as a little surprise to spring on Itachi once I learned that they knew each other, but it's out of my hands now. We're going to need as many qualified officers and enlisted on deck as we can get for this one, and he's got more than his share of talent. He's coming along, which means Itachi's going to meet him early. That's all there is to it."
"Understood, Lady Yoruichi," Soi-Fon replied.
Kisuke smiled. "Well, if nothing else, at least that'll be interesting to see. I wonder how he's gonna take it…"
Yoruichi shrugged. "We'll find out tomorrow when the mission starts. In the meantime, we've got a lot of prep-work ahead of us, so let's get to it!"
….
The next day…
"So," said Jiraiya as he looked around the lecture hall, "any idea what's going on?"
"Your guess is as good as mine at this point," Itachi replied.
They had only just arrived at their first class of the day when the instructor had ordered them to go to a different room. While their teacher had assured them that they weren't in trouble, Itachi was more than a little concerned about the fact that the instructor had not offered any further information. Upon their arrival, they had recognized a few other members of their particular class already in the room, and a handful more had shown up since then. Other students were in the room as well, but not enough to bring it to full capacity.
They're all advanced track students, he thought as he studied them, and they're all from either our year or the ones ahead of ours. If the ones I recognize from our class are any indication, they're bringing only the top students from each advanced track group from years four, five and six to this room. The question is why…
He was surprised to see Visaelya approach him. When he met her gaze, he was relieved to see that she wasn't as tense as she'd been whenever she challenged him to a fight; she appeared to be 'lightening up a bit' as Jiraiya often put it.
"I take it the two of you are just as much in the dark as I am," she said, "Am I wrong?"
Itachi shook his head. "No, you're not. I was hoping you might have some insight into all of this, but it seems I was mistaken."
"At least we're on equal grounds here, then," she said as she looked around, "None of my friends have shown up here, but based on the faces I've seen it appears that only the very best of our class have been selected; the elite of the elite, as it were."
"So it would seem," said Jiraiya, "Maybe it's a pop quiz for us hotshots."
"I'm not seeing a proctor for an exam," said Itachi as he scanned the room again, "Of course, they may not show up until we're all assembled."
Visaelya shook her head. "I don't think they're going through all this trouble for a paper test, especially if the top tier students from the fifth and sixth year advanced tracks have also been brought in. They've got something else in mind."
Itachi nodded. "I agree."
Jiraiya smirked. "You two actually agreeing on something? I think that's a first!"
Visaelya folded her arms. "I may consider Itachi to be my competition in our class, but I respect him enough that I would be willing to concur with him should his point be valid. I'm glad to see that he seems to share the same level of maturity and mutual regard. I couldn't care less about your thoughts on the matter, Jiraiya the Perv Author!"
Jiraiya scowled. "Perv Author? You take that back! I'll have you know, young lady, that I'm a highly accomplished novelist! My series has been at the top of the Seireitei's best seller list since it made its debut!"
"Only because the masses are easily amused by the cheap smut you peddle!" Visaelya scoffed.
"Cheap smut?" Jiraiya replied incredulously, "It's a romantic-comedy series with no rival in the Soul Society! You just have no taste for good literature!"
Visaelya glared at him. "I'll have you know that I have excellent tastes when it comes to reading material! They just happen to be far too refined for a lout like you to properly comprehend."
If these are my teammates for this mission, then my sanity may not survive…
At least they'll be good for entertainment.
Glad to see one of us is able to find the silver lining…
The two of them were interrupted by the classroom door opening a moment later. Rather than one of the Academy instructors, Itachi was surprised to see none other than Yoruichi and Soi-Fon walk into the lecture hall.
Visaelya's eyes widened, and hers were hardly the only ones to do so. "Captain Shihōin? What is the meaning of this?"
"That's what I'd like to know," muttered Jiraiya, "Well, I guess that throws 'pop quiz' out the window."
"Indeed," Itachi murmured, his heartbeat picking up ever so slightly; he highly doubted Squad Two's Captain and her bodyguard had shown up just to administer a paper test.
Something much more interesting was in the works.
Yoruichi immediately caught Itachi's gaze and gave him a friendly smile and wink. He gave her a small nod in return while at the same time trying to figure out just why his face felt a little bit warmer all of the sudden.
You're an idiot.
I wasn't asking for your input.
That doesn't change the fact that I'm right.
Itachi didn't bother to respond; there was no point in trying to argue with her when she got like this. She would enjoy it more than anything else, and Itachi had much more important things on his mind than trying to take down the spirit of his Zanpakutō in a test of verbal barbs.
The assembled students ceased their chatter as Yoruichi addressed them. "Good morning, everyone! Sorry for the manner in which we dragged you out of your regular classes, but this came down the pipe rather quickly. Time is of the essence, something that you'll find is all too common once you graduate and join the rest of us on active duty."
She then nodded at Soi-Fon, who stepped forward. "When you become a Soul Reaper, you can be called upon at any time to take part in an operation. You must be constantly prepared for such an event, so consider this a taste of what's to come should you complete your education."
Yoruichi nodded. "Well said. Now, we're on the clock, so I'll jump right to the chase; you're all the best of your respective classes, and we're going to put you to the test in the field. Today, Squads Two and Ten will be conducting a joint operation just outside the eastern borders of the Rukon District, and you're coming along for the ride. A group of Hollows have set up a little nest in the foothills out there, and it's our job to clear them out!"
A collective gasp went out from most of the students. Itachi couldn't blame them. It wasn't unheard of for students to take on Hollows before graduation; the Konsō exercise from the year before was proof enough of that. However, for students to be asked to participate in a clear-out operation was another thing entirely.
And it's a joint operation on top of that, he thought, I guess we've either impressed the Thirteen Court Guard Squads significantly enough for them to desire to test us in the field, or they're short on manpower. The only way to find out for sure will be to get on site and see what forces they have assembled apart from us.
"The Hollows have taken up residence in a network of caves beneath the foothills that's rather expansive," Yoruichi continued, "Our objective is to take them all down. While the frontline fighters will all be active duty Soul Reapers, there will also be reserves stationed outside the caves to intercept any Hollows that attempt to flee. Given the nature of the environment will be operating in, it's more than likely that some will evade us in the caves and be able to make a break for the surface. That's where you come in; you'll be operating with the reserves to hold the perimeter and make sure that none of them slip through our net."
"You will not be expected to act on your own," Soi-Fon added, "You will be divided up and placed under the supervision of active duty Soul Reapers. Pay attention to their instructions, follow their lead, and you will make it through this operation alive."
Yoruichi nodded. "I won't mince words; this will be a dangerous mission. We'll do what we can to minimize the risk to you students, but out in the field it's impossible to guarantee complete safety. That being said, missions like this are what you all have been training for. Remember all that you've been taught up to this point, listen to the Soul Reapers that are supervising you, and you'll be all right."
So it's not entirely different from search and elimination missions that Shinobi might conduct, thought Itachi, Hollows may not be the same kind of prey as humans, but some of my old training should come in handy nonetheless.
"All right, then," said Yoruichi, "We've got a lot of ground to cover before we get to the mission site, and we don't have all day. Let's get moving!"