"Those who do not fear the sword they wield, have no right to wield a sword at all." — Tousen Kaname.
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"Let's run it back again." Itachi said and the students all shuffled into their respective positions against their fellow classmates.
The class of sixth year students stared at each other with tensed muscle and serious expressions on their faces.
"Begin." Itachi called out and promptly moved away from the field to watch them from outside.
His hands were filled with tiny rock pebbles which he threw with 100% accuracy at any student he found doing something wrong – either in their swordplay, footwork, posture or any bad habits he found – as he paid attention to the sparring students.
"Lieutenant Itachi, glad you could make it despite your busy schedule." One of the first instructors he met the first time he came here greeted him casually which Itachi returned.
While he was no longer under any obligation to continue in his position as a combat instructor after becoming a Lieutenant, Itachi still found himself drifting back here every now and then. Initially he kept coming back because Junpei was still a student so it was him killing two birds with one stone – which wasn't even hard to do in his opinion – but over time he found himself helping out the fifth and sixth year that he just added it to his list of duties.
TA. TA. TA. TA.
Two stones flew out and hit five students in quick succession and on different parts of their bodies by ricocheting off their targets at the perfect angles.
The instructor having a casual conversation with Itachi whistled in amazement at the flawless trajectory of the stones.
'I'm standing bare centimeters from him and I couldn't even see when his fingers moved.' He thought in awe of Itachi's talents, even with simple projectiles.
"What are your thoughts on this year's batch of graduating students?" The instructor, Aoto by name, and also a member of the Kidō Corps, asked.
"My opinion is purely subjective."
"I know. That's why I asked." Aoto said with a neutral smile.
Itachi sighed. He had long noticed that his fellow instructor liked asking him for his personal opinion on most of the things the students did.
"If I said average then that would mean that they are somewhere in the middle of the Shinigami ladder." He said with a brief pause. "They are baseline at best. Nothing spectacular and within the confines of general expectation."
Aoto's smile faltered. "You're very hard to please, Lieutenant Itachi. I somehow pity the Shinigami of your Division."
"They'll be done after a few more rounds so I'll be leaving now." Itachi said after sparing a last glance at the practicing students before walking away and disappearing on his third step.
A week has passed since his return from Hueco Mundo and he had seamlessly switched with his clone without anyone being the wiser.
His thoughts churned from what he had learned from Gin about Aizen along with the little of what he knew of Aizen's plan.
He already knew about Aizen's plan to use the Hōgyoku to evolve above his racial limits but it turns out that the part about evolving above the limit was just a prerequisite to his real end goal.
Ascension to godhood.
He had broken Gin's mental defenses down to the roots that by the end of it there was no question he asked that Gin didn't provide an answer to. And it was also because of what he'd learnt from Gin that prevented him from bringing him back to the Seireitei, because he was 99% sure that Aizen could play Gin's eventual death to produce a greater effect that would benefit him even if he was ousted.
He knew men like Aizen. Great minds weaving intricate manipulations that unveiling their guise meant nothing if you still couldn't predict their next move. Danzō Shimura, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Madara Uchiha; these were some of the greatest minds and manipulators he knew.
Gin's condition was stabilized for now so he kept him hidden so he could weigh his choices. Either deliver him to Kisuke Urahara's group, have Unohana heal him – while seeing if he could make her keep it a secret for a short while, or just kill him.
And this was the reason why Tsukuyomi suggested keeping him alive, Itachi had easily realized after seeing the tangents between him and the young man.
The things men would do for love, if nothing else, was something he understood. Dare he say, more than anyone he knew.
Whereas Gin had sold his soul to the devil in a bid to return to the girl he loved the stolen piece of her soul, Itachi had sold the love of his family for his love for the village.
Where Gin had mercilessly killed hundreds of the same Shinigami he had always considered his enemy, Itachi had massacred his clan and family. His own flesh, blood and love.
Drawing such parallels, he was the bigger monster of both of them.
'Aizen should have reported Gin's disappearance by now since he had not been on any official mission when he sneaked off to the Rukongai.'
...
When he arrived in the area surrounding the Second barracks, he held open his hand and spoke one word while walking at a uniform pace.
"Report."
A scroll landed in his open hands while a shadow appeared behind him and kept the same pace with him.
"The Research Division is currently looking into the disappearance of the Fifth Division's 3rd Seat, Ichimaru Gin, on the behest of the Fifth Division's Lieutenant, Sōsuke Aizen. A team of four Lieutenants is being put together to investigate Ichimaru Gin's last whereabouts."
A black quill appeared in Itachi's hands with its tip lighting up as his Reiatsu flowed into it which he used to scribble something into the scroll before passing it back to the shadow behind him.
"Pass that to the Cat."
The shadow who could now be seen to be wearing a pitch black mask with an eagle face etched into it affirmed Itachi's orders as he took the scroll and he was gone in the next moment.
Instead of continuing onward to the Second, Itachi summoned a crow and started walking away from its general direction.
Of course while using the Jigokuchō(Hells Butterfly) was the easiest and most efficient way of passing on messages, Itachi preferred using his crows for passing important or personal information. His distrust for the Shinigami postal services was due to how easily Aizen had infiltrated the main database of the 12th Research Division and the Kidō Corps.
He sent it to Soi Fon who was currently in a meeting and went towards the Fourth with the barebones of a plan in his mind.
He couldn't risk leaving illegally for the World of the Living at this time for a series of reasons, plus he had already released his stand-in clone and Gin wasn't going to survive for much longer. If he wanted to leave for the World of the Living without anyone knowing, he had to plan it ahead by weeks, which meant Gin wouldn't be getting help from Kisuke Urahara's group anytime soon. And that was if he could even survive that long.
Unohana was the only viable choice at the moment and while he had somewhat of a good read on her, he would have to probe her covertly to reassess the likelihood of her helping him while keeping it a secret from the Head Captain.
"Eh? Itachi? What brings you here?" Isane called out to him in surprise when she spotted him. The calm and poised way he walked was too identifiable.
"I'm sorry for coming unannounced but I came looking for Captain Unohana."
"No worries. She's attending to a few of her personal patients right now so if you can—"
"I'll wait." He thanked her and made his way to the room he usually waited in. Thirty minutes passed by slowly, which was also when the door to Itachi's waiting room slid open and Unohana stepped in.
She sat gracefully opposite him and poured a cup of tea for herself and while she was at it also filled up Itachi's cup that was still 2/3 full with a chuckle as she saw the look he gave his cup.
"Isane told me that you've been waiting for sometime now. It's already rare to see you here, so what is the important thing you wanted to tell me that has you waiting this long?"
It was only now that he was in front of the woman that he remembered while he had so much trouble getting any deeper read on her than the warm and accommodating way she appeared.
"Oh my. It seems like it'll be more complicated than I thought if you're still mulling your words. Well," she glanced at the clock, "unless they call for a Captain's meeting in the next two hours, I will be free for the next hour and a half. So how about enjoying your tea while you gather your words."
He could attribute it to her profession but she was too perceptive sometimes and if it wasn't that he knew her somewhat, he would have been more guarded had it been anybody else.
"Let's start with the simpler ones then." Itachi started slowly and asked curiously. "How do you heal an intensive soul wound?"
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