Yo everybody! Didn't expect to post this chapter up so soon. But I just didn't stop writing. I'm skipping the academy and jumping straight to their graduation.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach.
Chapter Two: The Squads
First Division Headquarters
One Year Later
Sakura Haruno:
Kido: A+
Hakuda (Hand-to-hand combat): A
Hoho (Agility): B
Zanjutsu (Swordsmanship): B
Notes: Top student of Kido classes of this year, particularly in the healing spell branch. She's able to preform Kido up to 35 without the chant. Additionally, she possess a surprising level of physical strength.
Kenshi Mitsurugi:
Kido: B+
Hakuda: B
Hoho: B+
Zanjutsu: A+
Notes: Top student of Zanjutsu classes of this year. After four and a half months of attending Zanjutsu classes, the instructors determined that he no longer needed to attend Zanjutsu classes.
Sasuke Uchiha:
Kido: A
Hakuda: A+
Hoho: A
Zanjutsu: A+
Notes: Overall, one of the top students of this years classes. (It's Sasuke, could we expect anything less?)
Naruto Uzumaki:
Kido: C
Hakuda: A+
Hoho: A
Zanjutsu: A
Notes: One of the top students in all fields, save Kido. Possess high levels of physical endurance and stamina as well higher than normal reiatsu levels.
"As you can see, they have completed training at the Academy and ready to become members of the 13 Court Guard Squad." Yamamoto said to the assembled captains. "Now the question is, what Divisions to put them in?"
"Now that is a question." "With their abilities and training from their world, they'd be suitable in just about any Division. What are their zanpaku-tos like?"
"They are quite interesting." Yamamoto replied. "I personally inspected them after they were created. Two of them have twin-blade zanpaku-tos."
The eyes of the captains widened in surprise. Only two soul reapers had ever possessed a twin-bladed zanpaku-to. Captains Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake.
"Whoa...So let me guess, you want them to be in our Divisions?" Shunsui said.
"Yes."
Shunsui grinned. "Okay then. I'll take the blond. He looks to be an interesting fellow. Jushiro, you can have the other one."
Jushiro smirked. "Giving me leftovers, eh...Shunsui?"
Shunsui chuckled. "Nothing of the sort. I would have thought you would have wanted to have top student."
"More like you want the one that less likely to try to stop from lazing around." Jushiro replied.
"You know me too well Jushiro."
"Than it is decided. Naruto Uzumaki will be placed in the Eighth Division and Sasuke Uchiha will be placed in the Thirteenth Division." Yamamoto said. "Now, what about the other two?"
"Captain Yamamoto." Unohana said. "I would like for Miss Haruno to become a member of the Fourth Division."
Yamamoto nodded. The young woman had a large medical knowledge and would be valuable asset to the Fourth Division.
"Actually, Captain Unohana." Captain Urahara said. "I believe she would be a greater asset in my Division."
"Explain." Yamamoto said to the Captain of the Twelfth.
"As you know, I've had very limited success duplicating their unique abilities. So it would be ideal for us to have one in my Division to aid me in my research. While it is true that with her knowledge of her world's medical techniques and procedures and medicine would be an asset to the Fourth. But if she was placed in my Division, she could experiment on combining her medical techniques and medicine with our own, creating stronger and more effective healing spells and medicines."
Yamamoto nodded his head. It would make more sense in the long run to have her in the Research and Development Division. True, she could save lives in the Fourth, but if she was working in the Twelfth on better medicine and healing spells, she could save more lives in the long run. "I have to agree. Captain Unohana, do you have any counter argument?"
"No Captain Yamamoto. I have no problem with what Captain Urahara is proposing." the Captain of Squad Four said.
"Then Sakura Haruno is now a member of the Twelfth Division."
"Captain Yamamoto, I would like to have Kenshi Mitsurugi in my Division." Captain Kensei Muguruma said.
"Hey! Not so fast Kensei." Captain Kenpachi said. "I want one of those four in my Squad."
"Let me guess, you want another strong guy in your Division to fight." Kenshi said.
Kenpachi grinned. "So what if it is."
"Well, you already got your four top officers in your Division, whom you were allowed to have despite the fact they received no real formal training. So why don't you let me have this." the Captain of the Ninth said.
Kenpachi growled and was about to say something when Yamamoto spoke, "Kenshi Mitsurugi will be placed in the Ninth Division and that is final."
West Rukongai First District
Later that Night
Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Hawk were celebrating their graduation from the Academy along with all the other graduates. They were all in a restaurant in the western First Rukongai District. Apparently, it was a tradition for the few graduating students and a bunch of the students who didn't graduate, to come here on the night of graduation and eat and party. The Academy apparently covered the bill.
Sitting at a table in a quiet corner of the restaurant was Naruto and his friends, eating their dinners. Hawk was eating a seafood platter with a side of fried rice and mixed veggies with Karasu occasionally eating some of the food from his plate. Saukra was eating a chicken stir-fry while Sasuke was a beef stir-fry. Naruto...well, everyone knows what Naruto was having. Ramen. Which Naruto was very happy about, as the cafeteria at the Academy served ramen only occasionally.
"You know Dobe, it never ceases to amaze me how you can live off ramen and nothing else."
"Why should it, Teme?" the ramen addict said in between mouthfuls. "Ramen's the food of the gods."
Sakura sighed and shook her head. "How many times have I or others told you that it's not healthy to eat nothing but ramen?"
"Let him be." Hawk said. "He hasn't had ramen, in what? A month and a half?"
"And what a long and dark time that was." Naruto added.
All of them chuckled at Naruto's comment. Even Sasuke. Naruto had to admit, Sasuke had changed since this all started. It was true that most of the time, Sasuke remained in his quiet, arrogant, Teme attitude, but now there were times when he would 'let his hair down' as it were and would smile and laugh and actually have a good time. Something that Naruto, Hawk and Sakura were all happy to see.
Naruto finished the last of his seventh bowl of ramen, burped and let out a sigh of contentment. "That was some good ramen." he said as he patted his belly.
When the others finished their meals, a waitress came around, collected their dishes and place a tray with four cups and a bottle of sake on the table.
"Ah, we didn't order this." Sakura said to the waitress.
"It's a tradition." the waitress replied. "Graduating students makes toasts with each other. Usually about friendships or the future."
"Don't be an old lady, Sakura. It's just one little drink." Naruto said.
Only to get hit in the head by Sakura.
"Ow...Ow...Ow..." the blond said as he clutched his head. "What was that for?!"
"Calling me an old lady."
Hawk chuckled. "So, what should we toast to?"
"To graduating and becoming soul reapers." Sakura said as she raised her cup.
"To becoming the strongest soul reapers ever!" Naruto shouted as he raised his cup.
"To all of us becoming Captains." Sasuke said as his raised his cup.
"To the future and to the road we all walk. Though the road may eventually fork. We won't stop walking. Even though the road may eventually end. We still won't stop walking." Hawk said as he raised his cup.
"Wow. That's beautiful Hawk." Sakura said.
"You think so? I got from a manga." he replied.
"To the future and whatever it brings." they said together before downing the contents of their cups.
"Whoa...That's a strong drink." Naruto said.
Sakura coughed a few times and replied, "Yeah, I wonder how Lady Tsunade could stand drinking it all the time."
"Maybe she's like Shujinko." Hawk said as he put his cup on the table. "He drank so much alcohol that he had built up a tolerance to the stuff."
"Yeah, but don't forget, he was a master of the Drunken Fist Style." Sakura pointed out.
"True."
"Of course, if Lee was here, we'd be struggled to restrain him right now." Naruto commented, causing all of them to laugh at the thought of a drunken Rock Lee rampaging through the restaurant.
Then they all sighed dejectedly. True be told, they missed Konoha and their friends. But at least they knew that the fate they suffered wouldn't happen to their friends. Konoha wouldn't be destroyed by the Akatsuki.
"We'll never seem them again. But at least, we still have each other." Sakura said.
Naruto poured more sake in the cups and said, "To Konoha and our friends. Though we'll never see them again, they'll always be in our hearts."
"Here, here." Hawk said before they all took another drink.
"So, what division do you think we'll all be placed?" Sasuke asked.
"With my medical knowledge and skills, I'll probably be put in the Fourth." Sakura said.
"Not necessarily." Sasuke said. "Captain Urahara, has been repeatedly making us give him demonstrations of the ninja abilities we still possess. I think he's been trying to duplicate our abilities and will likely try to get one of us in his Division to help him with his research. In which case, you, Sakura, are the best candidate."
"Really?"
"Yes. You have the broadest field of knowledge over all of us. Hawk's knowledge is more geared towards weapon techniques and his clan's techniques which would make him more suited to a Division like the Eleventh. While Naruto's knowledge and my own knowledge is more focused on the techniques we know."
"I'll likely be in the Eighth or Thirteenth." Naruto said.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Hawk said as he scratched his chin. "The instructors made a big idea out of it when your zanpaku-to took the form of two katanas. They said that there was only two other people that ever possess twin-bladed zanpaku-tos. Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake. Said you were destined for great things. Course, they probability think the same for all of us."
"Well, we did appear from a vortex that opened up in the middle of a captain's meeting and completed the Academy in a year." Naruto said.
"Yeah. Course, if you think about, back in our world, people probably thought the same thing. The First and Second Hokages taught the Third. The Third taught the Sanin. Jiraiya taught the Fourth. The Fourth taught Kakashi. Kakashi taught us. Then we each learned under a Sanin. If you look at that, then it seems like we were destined for greatness." Hawk said.
"Never really looked at it like that." Sakura commented. "But you're right. It does seem like he were destined for greatness, regardless of what world we're in."
One of the graduating students, who was clearly drunk, walked up to the table. He made some rather pathetic boasts and attempts at hitting on Sakura. It ended with him trying to grope Sakura and receiving one of her fists to his gut, sending him flying halfway across the restaurant, sparking a drunken brawl between a number of patrons.
"Come on, we should leave before we get in any trouble." Sakura said as she stood up.
"Yeah. Things are getting a little noisy." Hawk said as he, Sasuke and Naruto stood up.
They left the restaurant and started wondering the Rukongai District they were in. Ultimately, stopped at a small bridge that reminded them of the bridge they used to meet at when they were genin. They spent an hour or so talking and staring at the stars.
"This is a nice place. Quiet and peaceful." Sasuke commented.
"Yeah. Reminds me Konoha." Hawk said.
"You know, since we're likely to be put in separate Squads, we should meet here one night out of the week." Naruto said.
"That's a great idea Naruto." Sakura said.
"Yeah." Hawk said.
"The Dobe actually came up with a good idea." Sasuke said.
"Teme." Naruto grumbled.
"So one week tonight, we return to this spot." Sakura said. "And we'll keep on returning to spot every week unless we have an assignment to the Living World."
Sasuke nodded.
"Yeah, that's the plan." Hawk said.
"Yeah!" Naruto shouted.
Outside the Thirteenth Division
The Next Day
Sasuke Uchiha quietly walked towards the Thirteenth Division Compound. Today was his first official day as a soul reaper. He had to admit, he was a little excited, though he didn't show. He had his normal, emotionless Uchiha face on. His zanpaku-to was tucked in the back of his obi. The sword resembled his sword from when he was alive. The odd thing was, he felt like something that was missing had been returned to him. Yet, until he picked up his zanpaku-to, he had never felt like something was missing. Perhaps they were onto something when they said that a zanpaku-to was a part of a soul reaper's soul.
When Sasuke arrived at the gates to the Thirteenth Division Compound, he was greeted by the Division's Lieutenant.
"Sasuke Uchiha reporting sir." Sasuke said , saluting his new superior officer.
"So. You're one of those four. There's alotta people saying alotta different things about you and your friends." the lieutenant said.
Sasuke had some of the rumors about them. Most of them weren't all that pleasant or true. "And do you believe them?"
The lieutenant grinned. "Not a single one." The Lieutenant then saluted and added, "I'm Lieutenant Kaien Shiba. Welcome to Squad 13."
Sasuke nodded his head.
"Hey! What kinda greeting is that?! Just nodding at me!" Kaien shouted at him. "I'm a lieutenant! You're suppose to say "Hello sir. It's pleasure to meet you sir." Uchiha!"
Sasuke just stared at his lieutenant for a moment.
'Great...This guy's almost as bad as the Dobe.'
"Well?! I'm waiting Uchiha!"
"Hello sir. It's a pleasure to meet you sir." Sasuke said in a deadpan voice.
Kaien stared at him for a moment before he broke out laughing. "You're alright Sasuke. You're alright."
'Correction. He is as bad as the Dobe.'
"C'mon. The Captain's waiting."
Kaien lead Sasuke through the through the Thirteenth Division's Compound, towards the Captain's office.
"You see, because of the Captain's poor health, I pretty much run the show around here most of the time. Though you're lucky, today's one of the Captain's better days."
Sasuke had heard of the Captain of the Thirteenth Division and his poor health. Sasuke wondered why, if the Captain suffered from poor health like he did, did he remained in command of the Division? Perhaps, the Captain was stronger than most people gave him credit for.
"Here we are." Kaien said as they arrived at the Captain's office.
Kaien opened the door and two of them entered the office.
"Ah. Our newest member has arrived." the Captain said as he rose from his desk. "Hello Sasuke, I am Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of Squad 13."
The two shook hands. "Hello sir."
"No need to be so formal Sasuke."
"Sorry si-Captain."
"Now, why don't we give you the full tour and then get you settled in." Captain Ukitake said.
Ninth Division Headquarters
Kenshi was not having a great time. The second he arrived at the Ninth Division Headquarters, a green haired girl, one he remembered from that meeting a year ago, appeared, stole his forehand protector and ran off, giggling as she ran. Now he and Karasu were hot in pursuit.
"Dammit! Give me back my headband!" he shouted.
"Gotta catch me first!" the girl shouted back.
Hawk growled in annoyance. "Karsu, it time to show her just who's messing with."
Karasu started multiplying, going from a single raven to two dozen, all of which flew towards the girl. They dive bombed her and started pecking at her. "Ah!...Stop it! Bad birdies! Bad!" she screamed as swarmed her.
Suddenly, she tripped and fell on her face. Karasu's clones disappeared as Karasu returned to his perch on Hawk's right shoulder. Hawk knelt down next to her. "I caught you. Now, give me back my headband."
"No! You cheated! Cheater! Cheater!" she screamed and started to throw a tantrum.
"What the hell's going on here?!" a man shouted.
Hawk turned around saw a gray haired man in a captain's coat approached the two of them. It was his new captain, Kensei Muguruma.
"Kensei!" the girl shouted. "This guy's a big meanie! He started chasing me and then attacked me with his birdies!"
"What?!" Hawk shouted in disbelief. "I was chasing after you because you stole my headband!"
"No I didn't, lair!" she shouted back.
"What?! You're the lair!" he shouted back. "If I'm lying, than what's that in your hand then?!"
"Enough!" an irritated Kensei shouted. "Mashiro, I told you to bring the new kid to my office when he arrived, not play one of your little games with him. Now give him back his headband."
"Aw...Kensei, you meanie!" Mashiro shouted. "Fine."
Mashiro stood up and threw Hawk his headband.
"Thank you." Hawk said in mixture of sarcasm and annoyance as he tied his forehead protector back on.
"Now, I think it's time for a proper introduction. I'm Captain Kensei Muguruma and that little annoying pest is my lieutenant, Mashiro Kuna. Welcome to Ninth Division."
"Well, as I believe you already know, I'm Kenshi Mitsurugi, though I prefer to be called Hawk." Hawk said.
"Welcome to Squad 9, Birdie!" Mashiro shouted as jumped up and down in the air.
A vein on his forehead twitched. "I said, call me Hawk, not Birdie."
"But they're the same thing." the lieutenant replied.
"No they're not! A hawk is a bird of prey. A strong and noble animal. Birdie is the name you'd give some tiny pet bird that spends all it's time singing in a cage!"
"Ohhh...You can sing? Let me here you sing!"
Both Hawk and Kensei both sweatdropped.
'Is she even listening to me? Or am I having a conversation with a wall?' Hawk thought.
Hawk turned to his captain. "Is she always like this?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, for as long as I've known her." Kensei replied. "But it could have been worse."
"How so?"
"Kenpachi wanted you." the captain replied. "And that probably would have been much, much worse than dealing with Mashiro."
"C'mon Hawkie! Sing me a song!" Mashiro shouted.
A single thought came to Hawk's mind. 'This is gonna be a long, long day.'
Twelfth Division Headquarters
Sakura was a little surprised when she found out that she had been assigned to the Twelfth Division. Then she reached the Division Headquarters and met her lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki. A girl with serious anger issues.
Currently, Hiyori was taking her on a tour of the labs on their way to Urahara's office. The 3rd seat of the Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, was creepy to say the least. But the other people were alright.
The two of them walked past a short, bald, fat man. Who grabbed Sakura's butt when she passed him. A second later, he was sent flying to the other side of the room from a single punch, crashing into the wall and leaving a dent in his size. He everyone in lab stared at her in disbelief. "He grabbed my ass." she said.
Most of the people in the lab simply shrugged and went back to work. Hiyori, however, looked at her with a new found respect.
"That was actually a little impressive." Hiyori said. "I didn't think you were that strong."
"Actually, it's not about physical strength. It's about gathering and focusing the reiatsu in the body and releasing it at the right moment. Only those born with perfect control over their reiatsu achieve the degree of strength I have."
A few minutes later, they arrived at Captain Urahara's office.
"Hey. You've arrived Miss Haruno." Urahara said as he looked up from one of his experiments. "I assume that you, Hiyori, were the cause of that loud commotion a few minutes ago."
"What?! Why are you always blaming me for everything?!" the blond haired lieutenant shouted.
"Actually, Captain Urahara, sir. That was me." Sakura said. "A man in one of the labs grabbed my butt and I punched him."
"That must have be one powerful punch." Urahara commented with a grin.
"It was sir." she replied.
"Please, don't call me sir. It makes me sound like an old man. Just call me Captain or Kisuke." Urahara said. "Now, once Hiyori gets you settled in, I want you create a list of all of the medicines and techniques you know as well as their effects. Cause, you're gonna help me experiment on bridging the gap that separates your ninja abilities from the rest of us."
Outside the Eighth Division Headquarters
When Naruto arrived at the gates of the Eighth Division, he found no sign of life. "Hello! Anyone home?!" he shouted at the abandoned gates.
Suddenly, cherry blossom petals started to rain down. Followed by a person wearing a straw hat and a woman's coat. His new captain, Shunsui Kyoraku.
"Hello. I'm Shunsui Kyoraku, Captain of Squad 8." he cheerfully said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Naruto stared at his new captain in disbelief. This guy looked like he was almost as bad as Prevy Sage. "Ah...Naruto Uzumaki. It's a pleasure to meet you too." he said as more petals rained down.
Shunsui opened his mouth to say something but paused and stared at the falling petals. He turned around and looked up at a woman standing on top of the gates, holding a basket full of flower petals and dropping hand fulls of them.
"Hey! Lisa! You can stop!" he yelled.
Petals continued to rain down.
"What? Didn't you hear me, Lisa?! Lisa! That's enough! Oh, Lisa! Sweet, sweet, Lisa! Lovely, precious Lisa!"
Suddenly, the woman, Lisa, dumped the entire contents on Captain Shunsui's head, burying him in flower petals. Naruto did what most people would do in that situation, he started laughing. "Wow! You have got to be one of the funniest looking people I've ever met. Right up there with Fuzzy-Brow and Mega-Brow." Naruto said in between laughs.
Shunsui stared at the laughing blond for a moment before he too started laughing. Lisa Yadomaru, on the other hand, just stared at her captain and the newest member of her Division, with a single thought in her head, 'Great. Just what this Division needs. Another goofball.'
West Rukongai First District
"So, how was every bodies' first week?" Sakura asked.
"My Divisions awesome! Though Captain Kyoraku can be a lazy drunk at times, but most of the time, he's good guy and fun to be around. My lieutenant's a little uptight but I found out her secret, she reads dirty novels like Kakashi."
"Seriously?" Sakura asked.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I saw her reading one of them in secret. Apparently, no one else in the Division knows about her hobby."
Sakura and Hawk both started chuckling.
"Hey, what about you Sasuke?" Naruto asked.
"Captain Ukitake is good man, although he suffers from poor health. Though the lieutenant is like a smart version of the Dobe." Sasuke said.
"What's that suppose to mean, Teme?!" an angry Naruto shouted.
"Exactly as it sounds, Dobe."
"You think he's bad Sasuke, you should see the lieutenant of the Ninth." Hawk said. "She's beyond irritating. The second I arrived, she stole my headband and forced me to chase her through the Division Headquarters until I finally managed to catch her. Now she's determined to get me to sing and was been butchering my nickname repeatedly all week."
"Really? How so?" Naruto asked.
Hawk hesitated for moment. "She calls me Hawkie."
Naruto started laughing hysterically at him. Sakura attempted to suppress her own laughter and failed. Sasuke tried to pass his off as a series of coughs.
"Ha...ha...ha...Very funny." Hawk said, his voice full of sarcasm and annoyance. "Laugh at the guy who's got the irritating lieutenant."
"Sorry, but it is funny." Sakura said.
Hawk grumbled. "How'd you fair?"
"Aside from a few perverts, whom I straightened out by the end of the first day, it's nice. My lieutenant is alright, at least to me anyway. She has some serious anger issues."
"Reminds me of someone I know." Naruto quietly said.
SMASH!
"Ow...ow...ow..." Naruto moaned as he clutched his head.
Hawk smirked. "You really need to learn to keep those kind of comments to yourself Naruto."
"The Dobe will never be able to." Sasuke said.
"Ah come on, Teme." Naruto whined.
"True." both Hawk and Sakura said.
"He has yet to do so and I doubt he ever will." Sakura said.
"If he does, it will signal the end of the universe." Hawk added.
"Sakura, Hawk, not you too!"
I imagine some people are wondering why I put Sakura in Squad 12. Well, I thought long and hard on what Squad would fit her, besides the Fourth. Every time, it was the 12th. So I put her in there. As for Hawk, when I first thought of this idea, I was torn between putting him in the 11th or the 9th. So I flipped a coin. The 9th won.
Next Chapter: The Shikais
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