Sakura immediately reached for her zanpakutō, after she heard Hisana yelp softly after being grabbed by the wrist roughly by some red-haired boy. She glared at the academy student. He wore the usual blue shitagi, a white kosode with blue stripes, blue hakama. There was a circular symbol on both breasts of the kosode.
Before Sakura can speak, Hisana's husband, Byakuya-taichō spoke up first, demanding who the boy was and why was he touching his wife. "Stay away from my wife, you commoner. Know your place!"
The boy whose hair resembled a red pineapple, snorted, before growling back at Byakuya-taichō, "Rukia? Your wife? Don't joke with me! I don't care if you're some aristocrat or something, you can't make me stay away from my friend!"
Hisana was about to inform the idiot that he didn't know what he was talking and that she never even met him in her whole life, but he hushed her, "Rukia, don't interrupt, I'm talking to this arrogant bastard!"
Unexpectedly, Byakuya-taichō's handsome lieutenant unsheathed his zanpakutō and placed its tip on the boy's forehead. He had a calm demeanor on, but he seemed annoyed by what was happening. He spoke, sending shivers down Sakura's spine, "I will not let you talk to my captain like that, you fool. Hand over taichō's wife, or you will face the consequences."
The boy gritted his teeth, and began sweating bullets. He pulled the confused Hisana behind him, somehow trying to protect her. "Rukia, stay behind me," the red-haired boy whispered to Hisana, who just gave a shook her head in confusion. The young man looked back at Itachi and glared, "You don't scare me!"
Sakura rubbed her temples, before stepping forward. She grabbed Itachi's hand which was clenched tightly around the hilt of his katana, ignoring the strange feeling and the goosebumps on her skin, before lowering it down to his waist, forcing him to sheath his sword back in its scabbard. "Uchiha-fukutaichō, there's no need to scare the fellow," Sakura whispered softly, before turning back to the red-haired boy, "I'm sorry, but you've mistakened Hisana-chan—"
"That's Lady Kuchiki to you." Byakuya corrected icily.
A vein throbbed in Sakura's temples, but she nodded. "Uh, yeah... You've mistakened Hisan— er... Lady Kuchiki as your friend. She doesn't even attend this school, so if you don't mind, we would like her back with us because it's clear in her face that she is quite confused right now."
The young red-haired man widened his eyes a fraction, before he gaped, "E-Excuse... Excuse me... b-but...! Did you just... D-Did you just say 'Lady Kuchiki'?"
Sakura raised a pink eyebrow, before she nodded, shrugging. "Well, yeah..." She trailed off, fighting the urge to laugh at the boy's face, "I sure as hell didn't say anything else. Hisana is the wife of the Head of the Kuchiki Family, so you should release her right now if you don't want to get in big trouble."
The redhead whipped around and examined Hisana's face. He gaped noticing that this girl looked exactly like his friend. The only difference was that Hisana's bangs were frayed, unlike his midget friend's. He backed away, nervously, before he turned around to apologize truthfully for his mistake, "I am so very sorry! Please forgive me—" He went on his knees, before he began bowing down, "—Please, please forgive me! I did not know! It's just Lady Kuchiki resembles my best friend! I'm really, really sorry."
'That's it,' Sakura thought, 'I can't hold it any longer!' With that, she burst out laughing at the poor kid. She held her stomach, gaining a cramp already because she was giggling so hard. She then spoke between laughs, "It's alright, kid! But, it would be nice if you can escort us to our next class. We're here to recruit some potential graduates."
The academy student nodded, still looking rather apologetic. "I'm Abarai Renji, by the way," He introduced himself, releasing Hisana, who walked back to Byakuya quickly, "May I ask which building you are heading to right now?"
Sakura nodded. "Nice to make your acquaintance, Renji-san. I am Kusajishi Sakura, lieutenant of the Eleventh Division—" She turned around and introduced the others, "—That is Kuchiki-taichō and his wife, Kuchiki Hisana. That is Uchiha Itachi, Kuchiki-taichō's fukutaichō. And these are my siblings, Zaraki Kenpachi, Eleventh Division Captain, and Kusajishi Yachiru, co-fukutaichō. We're all trying to look for the Zanjutsu building."
Renji snickered, before answering her, "You are already in the Zanjutsu Building! Which class? Practical or theory?"
Byakuya, Itachi, and Sakura glared at Kenpachi and Yachiru. They were the one insisting that the Zanjutsu building was two buildings away from where they were currently located. Sakura replied venomously, still glaring at her niisan, "Practical."
Renji beamed, "Ah! Practical Zanjutsu is my next class! Please follow me. Again, I'm very sorry for this!"
"You are forgiven." Itachi, Hisana and Sakura said in unison, while Kuchiki-taichō said otherwise, still not trusting the redhead.
With that, they followed Renji.
Once entering the Practical Zanjutsu Classroom, all students whipped their heads towards the visitors. They stared at them intently, waiting for their introduction. Their teacher nodded, when the older pink-haired girl whispered something in his ears.
He clapped his hand, before he announced, "Alright, class! We have a few visitors from the Thirteen Court Guards Squads today! First up, we have the Eleventh Division Captain, Zaraki-taichō! He also brought along his co-fukutaichōs, Kusajishi Sakura and Kusajishi Yachiru. Second of all, we have the captain of Squad 6, Kuchiki-taichō and his fukutaichō, Uchiha Itachi. Of course, his wife, Kuchiki Hisana has decided to tag along too!" He sent a kind smile around the class, before asking if there were any questions.
No one raised their hands. Murmurs were being sent around the room, wondering if Hisana was related to a certain girl. The professor clapped his hand, trying to silence the students. "They are here for recruitments, so you must behave yourself and try your best. Now, we will be having spars, and since we have an odd amount of students in this class—" He turned to one of the visitors, asking if someone would like to volunteer and spar with a student in zanjutsu. Sakura and Itachi volunteered, but in the end, the professor chose Sakura, finding her to be a more suitable spar partner to the student, and not the cold, emotionless Uchiha. "—okay! So, Kusajishi-fukutaichō will be sparring with Yamanaka Ino!"
Whispers erupted in the room. "Yamanaka-san and that pink-haired girl? But, the fukutaichō looks so fragile! I'm laying my money on Yamanaka-san!"
Someone agreed, "Yeah, I heard that the pink-haired girl only became a lieutenant because Zaraki-taichō and her are siblings! Talk about favoritism. That's absolutely not fair to anyone."
Sakura chose to ignore all of the incredulous stares, while the teacher gave an apologetic look. "Class, class! Now, don't say that! You should know Kusajishi-fukutaichō is one of the strongest lieutenants of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads! Underestimating her would be a bad thing to do!"
Sakura flustered, sending a quiet 'thank you' to the kind teacher. The teacher shook his head, muttering, "No, not at all, fukutaichō—" He turned his attention back to the class, who still hesitated on believing their professor, "—Alright, so can we please have Abarai Renji and Izuru Kira? You will both spar first. Remember to do your best, because two captains, three vice-captains, and a clanhead's wife has their eyes on you."
The two nodded nervously, before making their way towards the fields. Renji was in the left side, while Kira was in the right. They stared at each other down, Kira saying 'good luck', while Renji gave an arrogant smirk. The professor shouted, "BEGIN!"
With that the two future graduates charged. Sakura narrowed her eyes, interested in the fight. Renji's form wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. He was focusing more in power than speed, Sakura noticed, due to his slow swings. While on the other hand, Kira was quick, yet he was somehow hesitating. Sakura shook her head. Renji would be a good choice in recruiting, but Kira... Kira wasn't excellent in combat. He needed to work on it, and he must not be so reluctant.
After a while, Kira suddenly found himself on his back, with a sword near his throat. Thus, the teacher announced Renji, the winner. Renji chuckled, pulling his disappointed friend up on his feet. They began talking, but Sakura couldn't hear a word they were saying.
"Alright, so we have Yamanaka Ino and Kusajishi-fukutaichō next! Please make your way here to the field!" Sakura sighed, walking up to the field. Ino was standing across her with a kind smile.
They bowed at each other, before the teacher announced, "BEGIN!"
Before anyone can even realize that Sakura shunpo-ed next to Ino, the blond-haired girl was sent flying to a tree. Everyone gasped at the girl's speed and power. A mere punch sent the class' best Zanjutsu student, flying.
Yachiru began cheering her big sister on, "WHOOT! GO, SAKI-NEE! GO!"
Sakura sent a kind smile towards her little sister's direction, before unsheathing her zanpakutō from its scabbard. Ino appeared behind the tree, blood dripping down her chin. Sakura looked away, feeling guilty all of the sudden. She furrowed her eyebrows, before rubbing her temples. She was having those stupid headaches again. She examined her opponent, and her eyes began to twitch.
The class watched, confused. "What's the lieutenant doing rubbing her temples like that?"
"Ino underestimated Sakura-fukutaichō before, but knowing Ino... she won't make that mistake again," Renji commented seriously, "Right now, Sakura-fukutaichō is underestimating Ino. Why is the lieutenant just standing there like that?"
The rest of Renji's classmates nodded in agreement, shaking their heads in disappointment towards Sakura's direction. She was still rubbing her temples and grimacing. To their standpoint, it seemed like she was annoyed and frustrated because of how easy it was to hit the top student of the Zanjutsu class.
Sakura groaned, massaging her throbbing temples. She closed her eyes and grunted, tapping her foot impatiently. A scowl appeared on her face, and she began muttering curses, "Chikyū, you damn brat, I'm calling out to you! Why won't you reply? Are you trying to piss me off again? Is this some kind of joke?"
The class gave Sakura a weird look, before murmurs erupted through the class again.
Sakura growled, stabbing the ground with her zanpakutō and began shouting profanities at it, "Chikyū, do you hear me? I'm trying to call out to you, you stubborn brat! Why won't you listen? Chikyū!" Sakura was practically pulling her own hair in frustration now.
Ino gave a blank look before she shook her head. She immediately unsheathed her sword, using Sakura's confusion to her advantage. "Poison, Mokuzai Chūdoku." The blade of her sword suddenly morphed into a purple fog before it slowly circulated around Ino's body. She stared, twitching hard, when the vice-captain kept cussing her zanpakutō like there's no tomorrow. Ino held onto the hilt of her sword tightly before charging towards the fukutaichō, the purple haze quickly following her. She swung her sword and the haze around it solidified into a blade.
To her, it seemed as if Sakura didn't even acknowledge her because she continued to stare hard onto her soul cutter. Ino gritted her teeth before she shrieked in frustration. "Don't you underestimate me just because you're a full-pledged Shinigami!" She shunpo-ed behind Sakura and swung her sword. Sakura felt the breeze from the shunpo and immediately went on defensive. She whipped her head around and stopped the sword by clapping it with both palms. The blade was now near her face.
Sakura looked and smirked. "You're going to have to do better than that, Yamanaka-san." Her smirk dissipated when Ino returned it with an arrogant one.
"That's what you think," Ino suddenly heaved a deep sigh, before she shouted, "Sengiri Hana." The sword suddenly glowed purple and it then morphed into a vine whip. Sakura winced and yelped when the thorns of the whip dug deep in her palms. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from making any painful noises. She jumped back and began the process of healing her hands. Finally, after only a few seconds, her hands were almost back to normal.
Ino snorted, before she charged again. "This is what happens when you underestimate me, Sakura-fukutaichō!" With that, she attempted to whip Sakura with the long, thorny vine.
Sakura cursed when she noticed her zanpakutō near Ino's side of the battlefield. Without her zanpakutō, Sakura can't possibly block the attack. Now she was desperate, therefore she chanted, "Bakudō # 39, Enkosen!" With that, a shield made of condensed reiatsu appeared before Sakura and protected her from immediate harm. Unfortunately, Ino did not give up and persisted on making the vine hit Sakura. Ino decided to continue swinging her vine whip until the shield was no more.
Ino's plan was working because a crack suddenly appeared on the shield. Sakura jumped up, leaving a crater on the ground due to the force. Desperate times, called for desperate measures, so she immediately worked on an incantation, "Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō # 61, Rikujōkōrō!" Six thin beam of lights suddenly slammed into Ino's midsection and the blonde gasped in surprise.
"Coward!" Ino snarled, while Sakura stared at her shamefully. She wanted to pull her hair out in frustration because she wouldn't have to do something so lame if her zanpakutō wasn't being a total snob at the moment.
/Is that so, Sakura?/ An unfamiliar, feminine voice suddenly erupted in Sakura's mind.
'Huh?' Sakura replied stupidly, whipping her head around in every direction of the classroom. This, of course, earned her some strange looks from the spectators.
/Must you depend on your zanpakutō so much?/
Sakura answered, annoyed, 'Shinigami always depend on their zanpakutō! Why are you asking me this now of all times? And, who are you anyway?'
/My name is.../ The mysterious voice said.
Sakura raised an eyebrow, before she tilted her head to the side. '... What was that?' Sakura asked, confused.
/My name is...!/
'Sorry, I didn't hear you. Can you repeat that again?'
/My name is—/ Realization dawned on the mysterious female and she chuckled inside Sakura's mind, /I see... you are still not ready to take me on, Sakura. You are still far too weak. Perhaps when you become stronger, will I tell you my name./
'Wait!' Sakura shouted mentally, but it was too late. The voice was gone and her mind was blank. She sweat dropped, before cursing once again. Sakura clicked her tongue, before she shunpo-ed right beside her zanpakutō, which was a few metres away from the binded Ino. She smiled widely, before picking up her beloved soul cutter. Upon picking it up, her zanpakutō's spirit snarled at her mentally.
/Who the heck d'ya think ya are, you stupid roseate? Just 'cause you couldn't summon me, you gotta abandon me like that?/ Her annoying zanpakutō shouted, peeved.
Sakura snarled back, equally annoyed as her zanpakutō, Chikyū. 'Shut up, Chikyū, you bastard! I left you accidentally, okay? So, stop bitching about the past already and just lend me your damn powers, brat!"
Her zanpakutō began to murmur, before he finally gave in. /Fine, whatever. But, because of this... you'll have to visit later and train with me for hours, okay?/
Sakura approved, 'Gladly.'
"Initiate a tremble upon your approach, Chikyūtoumi!" The ground suddenly shook and everyone, excluding the captains, vice-captains, Hisana, and the professor, watching the scene fell down, unbalanced. The students stared in shock, as the nodachi turned into a beautiful guandao.
Sakura stabbed the guandao's blade on the ground and she chanted a technique, "Chikyūnomāshī (Earth's Mercy)!" The earth cracked starting from the zanpakutō, slowly making its way towards the terrified Ino. "Now, you have a choice, Yamanaka Ino. You can either give up and save your life or be persistent, but die. My zanpakutō is suprisingly merciful, so pick your choice."
Ino bit her lip, before she mumbled her answer, "I... I... I give up..."
Sakura smiled kindly. "Smart decision. There is no reason for someone as potential as you to pointlessly give their life away because of their stupid pride. Not to insult Ukitake-taichō's principles in the battlefield, or anything... but honestly, I find it... dumb. Fighting to protect is a good thing, but fighting to preserve your stupid pride, in exchange for your precious life, is idiocy. Yamanaka Ino, I have a proposal to make. The Eleventh Division would be more than happy to have someone like you to join our squad!"
Ino was immediately released from the binds, as the ground beneath her reformed almost instantly. She stared up at the grinning pink-haired girl, before she clenched her hands into fists. "... I... I'm not so sure yet. I can't easily forgive someone like you. I'm sorry, but please do keep this proposal open still. I would like to think about it first. Thank you." With that, she bowed forcefully, leaving the fukutaichō stunned and guiltier than ever.
As Sakura continued to watch the flaxen-haired girl walk away towards the crowd of surprised students, her older brother walked up to her and ruffled her hair. "That was one nice speech you got there, Sakura! I am soooo proud of you," Kenpachi said sarcastically, "But, ya know... you did kinda steal my speech from years ago, when I fought Ikkaku."
Sakura bit the insides of her cheeks, refusing to laugh out loud because of the reminder of the corniest speech that Kenpachi has ever spoken. She can remember every single thing her brother said on that day.
"In a minute, Sakura," Kenpachi turned to Ikkaku and scowled, "Sorry, I've got no obligation to hand over your suffering."
Ikkaku stood up and forced himself to speak, "I'm a warrior! I have my pride! Kill me!"
Kenpachi suddenly stomped up to him and grabbed him by his collar. "Shut up. If you like fighting so much, then stop whining and moaning for me to kill you. Don't accept loss, then wish for death! Never admit defeat until you're dead!" Sakura fought the urge to roll her eyes. Her brother always wanted to say that after battle, "If you lose and managed to live, then consider it your lucky day. When that happens, only think about surviving. After all, there's a goal in your future."
Ikkaku whispered in a strained voice, "What's that?"
"Live and dedicate yourself on killing the one that left you alive." They continued to stare each other down for a few seconds, before Kenpachi smiled, "You know, I didn't hold back while I was fighting with you. You have plenty o' luck and that's why you're alive. Live and try to kill me another day. See you around." He let go off the man's collar and turned around, walking away with his family.
"Wait," Ikkaku shouted, "Tell me your name! Don't go! Not until you tell me what your name is!"
Kenpachi looked back and replied, "Kenpachi. Kenpachi from Zaraki."
"... Kenpachi from... Zaraki...?" Ikkaku repeated, watching as the three siblings walked away.
Now that Sakura thought about it, that speech was actually pretty cool. But, there's also a downside to it because her brother's speech, especially the part where he mentioned the work 'luck' to Ikkaku, made the bald man invent a new dance – a dance that he called his 'Lucky Dance'. Just thinking about it made Sakura cringe at how traumatizing of a experience that was for the whole Squad 11.
"Wow, Sakura, you must've really gotten that blond chick pissed because she's been avoiding you like the plague," Zaraki Kenpachi mentioned out loud, as he sat on the tree branch with his younger sibling, "What exactly did you do to her?" He continued cluelessly.
Sakura snorted, biting the riped apple in her grasp. "Honestly, I have no idea," She shrugged, her emerald eyes following Yamanaka Ino, who was sparring with Abarai Renji, "I guess I kinda went too far when I binded her. It was a lame move, and she got caught in it. That would make anyone mad. And to make it worst, I made her surrender the fight."
Kenpachi raised an eyebrow, before grabbing the riped apple, and taking a bite. "You made her surrender? Really, Sakura? If I recall, you actually gave her a choice, and she decided that her life was more important," He brought his hand up and, once again, ruffled the pink-haired lieutenant's head, "You gotta stop blaming yourself on everything, you little brat."
Sakura smiled bitterly, remarking, "I'll stop, only if you do, Kenpachi-niisan."
Kenpachi narrowed his eyes, before grunting in annoyance. "What are you talking about, Sakura?"
Sakura replied sadly, "You know very well what I'm talking about! That incident happened four years ago, and Yachiru and I forgave you. Wait, we didn't have a reason to forgive you in the first place, since we weren't mad at you at all!"
Her older brother seemed to have ignored her.
"Kenpachi-niisan," Sakura said dangerously, causing her brother to grimace, "Listen to me. It was Yachiru and I's fault, alright? You warned us! You told us to get out of your way, but what happened? We got on your way, so you accidentally hit us, instead of that damned hollow—!"
Zaraki-taichō gave her a warning look. "Don't talk about that, Sakura. I'm not in the mood." With that, he shoved the apple in Sakura's hand and jumped off, causing the branch to wobble slightly. He patted his shihakushō and trudged off, a dangerous aura radiating off of him.
Sakura stared at his retreating back, before clicking her tongue for the umpteenth time that day. "That stubborn idiot," She growled, "Why can't he just forgive himself already?" She balled her hands into fists and punched the branch she was sitting on. This caused the branch to suddenly emit a nasty crack, and break. Sakura shrieked, and fell from the tree. She hit several branches on the way down, hard, until her head finally impacted with the hard ground—
Wait. Why isn't she unconscious yet then? She opened her eyes slowly, only to see a handsome young man below her. He stared back at her emotionlessly with his onyx eyes. They stayed like that for a few seconds, until the cold man said, "Are you alright, lieutenant?"
The lieutenant of the Eleventh Division turned red all over, before hopping of the man and bowing down in apology. "I am sooooo sorry, Uchiha-fukutaichō! I am so, so, so, so very sorry!"
The Sixth Division looked mildly intrigued, before standing up and brushing the dirt off his uniform coolly. He stared at Sakura, before smiling a small smile, "It is alright, lieutenant. But, you did not answer my question: are you alright, lieutenant?"
Right about now, the two were surrounded by a crowd of students who examined the two with great interest.
Sakura tilted her head to the side obliviously, before rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Mm, I think I'm okay, thanks to you, Uchiha-fukutaichō! I mean, you did catch my fall." Sakura suddenly twisted her face, when she realized what she just said.
Abarai Renji, who was one of the watchers, whistled, "Real smooth, Sakura-fukutaichō."
The handsome Uchiha chuckled, before shaking his head. "Not at all, lieutenant. Glad you are not hurt." With that, he walked away, leaving a disappointed Sakura.
Sakura sighed, pouting. Out of nowhere, a random bystander shouted, "What did you expect? A date?"
The pink-haired girl growled menacingly, "Alright, who the hell just said that?" The people surrounding her ran off, scared for their lives. The roseate shook her head, before she chased after the Uchiha.
"Fukutaichō, fukutaichō, wait up," She yelled out, sprinting towards the man who halted on his tracks.
Before Itachi can turn around and ask what she wanted from him politely, a black butterfly suddenly appeared and flew between them. Their eyes widened a fraction, when they heard a voice. "Calling for all squads! Calling for all squads! Report to Squad 1's barracks immediately! This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill! There has been strange, yet strong spiritual pressures spotted in the Living World! Report immediately!"
The two fukutaichōs glanced at each other, before exchanging nods and disappearing towards the exit, via shunpo. Arriving there, they saw Kenpachi, Byakuya, Hisana, and Yachiru waiting for them patiently. "Kenpachi-niisan! What's with these strong spiritual pressures that the Twelfth Division just uttered?"
Kenpachi shrugged, a smirk evident on his face, "I don't know, but I'm likin' where this is going. If it really is a strong spiritual pressure, then it should be worth my time. I'm goin' to the Living World to challenge these things!"
Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose, before shaking her head and muttering, "Why do I even bother?"
"Enough," Byakuya demanded, his patience wearing thin. His eyes hardened and he turned to his wife, "Hisana, I'm sorry, but you'll have to head to the manor." Hisana nodded, understanding the situation very well.
With that, the high officers headed straight to Squad 1's barracks.
After arriving at Squad 1's barracks, Sakura was beyond shocked to see every single officers standing there, chatting amongst each other in confusion. It seems like they, too, were not given full report of the problem. Whatever it was, it was definitely serious. Yamamoto-taichō has never ever made orders for all members of all squads to attend these meetings. It was usually for captains only, and if they were in a desperate time, they would also call in the vice-captains.
But, because everyone was here, it seems that trouble was stirring. Even Kyoraku Shunsui looked serious for once, as he commanded his usually laid-back officers to be still and silent.
Sakura looked around and spotted her squad's Third Seat, Madarame Ikkaku. She walked towards him, and asked him what exactly was going on, only to receive a shrug. "Beats me, fukutaichō. I was just nap – I mean, working, when a hell butterfly appeared and interrupted me from my hard work."
Sakura gave a blank look, before resisting the temptation to smack his bald head silly. "You seriously have to find a better and more believable story than that, Ikkaku. That was just ridiculous."
Ayasegawa Yumichika, who somehow myseriously appeared behind the pink-haired lieutenant, nodded and agreed, "I'm going to agree with Sakura-fukutaichō on this one, Ikkaku. That was an absolutely unbelievable."
Sakura jumped slightly when Yumichika was practically breathing down her neck. She shivered slightly and shied a few inches away. Yumichika was a maniac. Everytime he saw her, he would sneak up behind her and breathe down her neck. Sakura had guessed that it was probably because of his obsession with her hair. Or perhaps it was with the color pink. Either way, it didn't really matter.
"Anyways," Sakura started, continuing to inch away when Yumichika was practically eyeballing her, "I think we should tell our squad members to behave themselves and—" She dirceted a shout towards the brawling psychopaths of her squad behind her, "—stop fucking fighting!" They immediately realized that their horrifying lieutenant had already arrived and straightened themselves up, feigning innocence.
Sakura rolled her eyes and growled something lowly about how she should've just joined the peaceful Fourth Division. They were giving her an invitation to join, but nooooo, her brother has refused and practically demanded her to be put in his squad.
That bossy asshole.
When all Shinigami officers were finally present, the First Squads captain tapped the ground with his staff loudly and asked for the officers attention. "Kurotsuchi-taichō. Please go on with explaining what these strange spirituals are in the Living World."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Captain of the Twelfth Division, stepped forward with an unwavering, toothy grin etched on his white-powdered face. "Nearly about two thousand years ago, a human has ambushed Sereitei with his army of Hollows. At first, no one seemed to have understood how a mere human being was able to manipulate such creatures like Hollows. But, this human was not human at all. His name was Arturo Plateado and he was a fully-evolved hollow."
"A fully... evolved hollow...?" Sakura muttered, fear evident in her voice.
"Arturo Plateado wanted nothing more than to seek revenge on the whole entire population of Sereitei for locking him up for two thousand years..." Kurotsuchi Mayuri trailed off, leaving the other shinigami officers in suspense. Unfortunately for him, Kenpachi wouldn't tolerate this, so he said:
"Would you just get to the point?"
"Don't rush me, you barbarian! Anyways, as you have already been told, strange spiritual pressures are currently in the Living World, and they are wreaking havoc in a certain town called Karakura Town. These hollows are also fully-evolved, and from what I have seen in my laboratory, it seems like there are two of these hollows, and they seem to be stronger than even Arturo Plateado."
Everyone was silence, in exception of Zaraki.
"This is gettin' interesting, don'cha agree, Sakura?" The tall barbarian chuckled, looking at his sister's direction. The sounds emitting from his throat stopped abruptly, when he saw the pink-haired girl shaking in fear, with hands clenched rather tightly at the side of her thighs.
With that, he decided that perhaps this was a pretty good time to at the very least, shut his mouth, for the sake of his sanity and his life.
After Kurotsuchi finished explaining the situation, Squad 1's captain, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, began giving out orders to many of the squads. The highest seated officers of the Eleventh Division were the ones selected to attack the fully-evolved hollows head on. This meant that Zaraki, Sakura, Yachiru, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. A few selected healers were also ordered to tag along to help them if needed, which Kenpachi reluctantly approved of after whining.
"If even the Eleventh Division cannot stand a chance against these creatures, we will have the Sixth Division ready if reinforcements are needed. Now, if there is nothing left to say, you are to all head on to your given missions!"
Everyone nodded firmly and headed to their assigned destination.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor Bleach.
author: you're beautiful.
notes: I am soooo sorry about the very late update. I tried to make it up to you guys in September. I wrote about 12k words, but it got deleted because fanfiction was having technical difficulties about a month ago. I attempted to report my problem, but it simply did not work.
edited: 4 February 2012.
