Yo, back with another chapter. Just so you know there will be about two more chapters before the story finally links up with the cannon events. I hope you enjoy it.

Nothing but trees had been seen on either side of him as he walked alongside the two ladies. They had only been on the road for about an hour and without any kind of landmarks, he still had no idea where they were going. He had of course seen the map of the land but only for a brief moment. It wasn't enough time for him to have a clear picture in his mind about where exactly they were heading. He knew for sure they weren't going in the direction of Kusa, as he'd gone a different route earlier. Though he supposed it really didn't matter.

From the brief time spent in the company of Tsunade and Shizune, he'd learned that the black haired woman often tried to be the voice of reason only to be ignored. Wherever they were headed, Shizune seemed to be against the idea.

As a direct result of her words falling on deaf ears, the debts the busty blond owed across the land kept piling up higher than the boxes he'd had to stack for Ikumi. The thought of debts also brought up a rather important question in his mind.

If Tsunade was from such a prominent family within Konoha and was regarded as the best medic in the world, how did she not have money? Ichigo was certain that in the single day he'd spent in the land of fire, he already had more money to his name than she did. It just didn't make sense to him.

Turning his attention away from the foliage, he turned his attention to the two bickering women and almost chuckled at the ensuing conversation.

"It'll be fine Shizune, it's just a drink or two." She tried reasoning.

"It's never one or two drinks." She huffed. "We only have a little bit of money left, I can't let you go blow it to get drunk…again. You drank enough last night, that's why you woke up an hour ago."

That caused him to release the chuckle he'd been holding at bay, though he quickly coughed in an attempt to cover it up. Quickly pulling out his bingo book, he began flipping through the pages, opting to read as he knew the eyes were on him. Skipping over the first few that he'd seen, the page landed on a rather interesting individual. Not only him but also another who's image he'd managed to catch while flipping through them.

He'd found himself in the Kiri section of the book and was staring at the strangest man he'd seen. Now he wasn't one to judge on appearance as he'd gotten to know a certain Captain who was literally an animal but this one was different.

'Hoshigaki Kisame' He read mentally. The man had small white eyes and dark blue hair styled upwards. The strangest part however, were the three lines underneath each eye, they sort of resembled gills. Either they were actually fish gills or were self made cuts made to resemble them.

Of all the things he'd learned of the world so far, finding out that they had fishmen was certainly at the top of the list in terms of surprises. He'd only ever seen something like that in some of the Manga he'd read.

'S rank criminal wanted dead or alive by Kiri' He continued before turning his attention to the prize for his capture. It was just as high as Uchiha Itachi. Again he wished they would say exactly what he did to warrant such a monetary prize but didn't dwell on it for long. It wasn't like he was going after him any time soon if at all.

Flipping through the pages, he stopped at the other that had caught his attention. Compared to Kisame, he looked like a regular guy at least in terms of physical appearance. His facial expression told a completely different story. This one happened to be from his 'home village' of Yugakure. He was a young man, maybe three or so years older than him at most.

His silver hair was combed back and wore his headband around his neck. One could vaguely see the handle of some sort of weapon over his right shoulder. He doubted it was a sword of any kid since there was also a rather thick cable protruding from the end of the handle.

'Hidan. What do you know…also S class.' Either the villages gave S rank too easily, or it was simply coincidence that the last few he'd checked out just so happened to be S rank. The maniacal grin on the man's face radiated madness. In a way it sort of reminded him of Grimmjow and Kenpachi whenever they found someone worth fighting but Hidan was a bit different.

At least Kenpachi saved it for the enemies…most of the time. With just a simple look, one could tell Hidan was unhinged. He'd have to look into him a bit more. As someone from Yugakure, it would stand to reason that he of all people would have at least known or heard of him.

Looking at the image again, he chuckled as the comparisons of Hidan, Grimmjow, and Kenpachi surfaced again.

"Something funny Kurosaki?" Tsunade asked.

Ichigo controlled himself and shook his head 'no'. "Just thinking about something funny." He replied.

The woman didn't seem to buy it but kept quiet and turned her attention back on the path ahead of them. Stuffing her hands in the pockets of her green jacket, Tsunade walked ahead but made sure to look at him with a suspicious gaze before looking away.

He shook his head and looked over at Shizune who smiled at him and covered her mouth to stifle her own laughter. The pair was sure Tsunade could hear them chuckling but fortunately, she seemed to let it go and continued walking.

Hours of slow paced walking later, the trio arrived at another town named Nagamistu. Just like the last one, it seemed to be a hotbed for people looking to win big. Even the sign at the top of the entrance shined in bright flashing lights. Unlike the last area which seemed to want to draw in tourists with many different attractions, this one seemed to be catered almost specifically to gambling.

This caused him to wonder if the entire land of fire was like this. If there were towns dedicated to gambling, then it had to mean the act was either illegal in major villages, or at the very least frowned upon. Slowing his step, he maneuvered himself so that he was walking to the right of Shizune.

Shizune noticed and looked up at him with a questioning look on her face.

"What kind of business does she have here exactly? Cuz I have one guess in mind." He questioned. His tone did little to suppress the suspicion he felt.

Hearing the question, both Shizune and Tonton sighed.

"Your hunch is right." She confirmed before quickly waving a hand in front of him. "But it's not for pleasure…not completely at least." She said, adding that last part because she knew the statement wasn't completely true.

Ichigo stared back at her with a puzzled expression. From what he knew about gamblers, they kept chasing the feeling that came from winning which was how they got addicted in the first place. It had to be for pleasure.

Scooting just a tad bit closer to him, she spoke in a hushed tone. "Lady Tsunade has raked up a lot of debt across the nation."

"So she goes gambling in the hopes of winning the money back." He finished for her in the same hushed voice. "How much does she owe?"

"A lot"

The same question he'd been wondering about since he learned of Tsunade came back to the forefront of his mind.

"I don't understand though, isn't she a member of the Senju clan?" He asked, glancing over at the woman up ahead to make sure she wasn't looking back. "They should have some money to their name."

Shizune once again shook her head. "You would think so but no, almost all of the money the clan had has been spent."

Ichigo wanted to say he couldn't believe it but he definitely could. The woman was a chronic gambler whether she knew it or not, and a bad one at that. It wouldn't be far fetched to believe that she had burned through most of it. At the rate they were going, whatever money they had would deplete and she would be in debt once more, then the cycle would repeat.

The Shinigami stared at the blond woman's back and once again wondered what happened to get her to this point. For a moment he considered asking Shizune since she seemed to be very close with her but decided against it. That was something he was sure she wouldn't reveal. If he wanted answers, he'd need to get them from the woman herself.

Following her into a small restaurant, the three were seated at a small table with four chairs. Shizune sat on one side, while Ichigo and Tsunade sat next to each other on the other.

"Alright." Tsunade spoke, getting their attention. "Once we finish eating up, we'll be heading out."

Her two travel companions blinked in surprise, neither having expected those words to come out of her mouth.

"We're not staying here?" Ichigo asked slowly.

"No." The blond replied simply. "The real town we're going to is just about an hour away. At the speeds we're going at least."

Ichigo looked her in the eyes with a deadpan expression.

"Let me guess, another gambling town."

The blond smirked and sat back in her chair. "Look who's catching on."

"You sure it's a good idea to go to another town to lose more money? You never know if someone might be able to cheat you." He replied with a smirk of his own. As expected, the woman's look disappeared and a tick mark could be seen appearing on her forehead.

Turning to face him, she leaned forward and jabbed his arm with a finger. "I'll have you know I'm going to be on a hot streak soon, I can feel it."

Unaffected by her reply, he followed her actions and leaned back in his own chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so. "I'm certain I've heard that plenty of times from gamblers, and oddly enough they always end up in a similar situation."

He was sure the comment would've gotten under her skin, he even expected some sort of outburst followed by the two childishly bickering, with Shizune trying to control them but that didn't happen. A proud look crossed her face but she didn't elaborate on how exactly she planned on winning.

"Don't worry about it, just know it'll be different this time. Now let's eat." She said, having already decided on what she wanted to get.

Shizune however, had an idea as to what would be the backbone of her friend's plan. The look Tsunade wore was the same one she herself had seen plenty of times in the past, usually before she was dragged into a new get money fast scheme. She felt sorry for the young man as he was already unknowingly a part of Tsunade's plan. Admittedly, if it was what she was thinking, it was one of the better ones this time.

He'd proven himself capable of beating a casino, as even the dealers cheat to win. For him to almost clean the house as easily as he had showed that he had some experience with underhanded techniques. Techniques that the blond would have no problem exploiting for her benefit. The question now would be how he would react to it and how long it would take for him to be roped in.

Ignoring the feeling he got from the look she sent him with regards to her hidden plan, Ichigo took a sip of his water and turned to look out the front entrance from his seat.

'From what I've seen, most of the world resembles old school Japan.' He thought. At first he had figured maybe it was that specific town he'd arrived near. Even back home there were still plenty of towns and villages that kept their historic routes, albeit with some modern amenities.

It wasn't too much of a difference, having spent plenty of time in Soul Society so to a degree he was used to it. It still felt strange knowing that for an unknown amount of time, he'd be without a lot of the things he now realized he took for granted. Things like cars, phones, and television. He'd only been here for a day so it wasn't too bad, but without a time frame it really got him thinking.

Sure, he could live without a car, phone, and tv but that didn't mean he wouldn't like to enjoy everything once in a while. There was a reason people had mostly stopped sending letters everywhere with the invention of the phone. Here, it seemed that was the main form of communication, that and scrolls.

"Something on your mind?"

Ichigo blinked and turned to look at both women who were staring at him. Shizune had a curious look on her face while Tsunade just had a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing much, just comparing this place to home." He answered truthfully.

Shizune nodded. "I've never been to Yugakure but I can imagine it has to be beautiful since it's very well known for its hot springs. I've only heard about them but have never seen them myself. Compared to that I imagine a town like this doesn't really compare."

"They're both tourist attractions, only Yugakure doesn't prey on people." Tsunade said, sitting up a bit straighter as her food was placed in front of her. Ichigo and Shizune also had their dishes brought out as well as having some chopsticks laid down next to them.

"So what was it like over there?" Tsunade question, taking a bite of her food. "Before they got rid of their shinobi." She clarified.

Shit. Ichigo thought to himself. He'd fabricated something of a background for himself but never ironed out the details. Without panicking, he took a bite of his food and a drink to buy himself just a few more seconds as his brain began concocting a story. From what he'd read in the history of the chakra, there was a very brief mention of villages teaching how to use it through a shinobi academy. Having that little bit of information in mind, the pieces began assembling themselves.

"Like any other shinobi village I assume." He replied casually. "I was just finishing the academy when the village made the decision to abolish the military. Some saw it as a good thing since it showed we didn't rely on missions to be self-sustaining. Others, namely the existing shinobi, didn't see it that way. Some were more vocal about their displeasure than others."

"So you were never a part of a three man squad?" Shizune asked, taking an interest in the conversation.

He shook his head. "No. The furthest we got was receiving our headbands and the decision that Yugakure would be a tourist destination had been solidified and that was that. The academy closed down and anyone who wasn't already a shinobi, would never be one."

Tsunade sipped her drink and looked over his upper body. "So you graduated and were officially recognized as a shinobi but they axed you shortly after? That's harsh. So what did you do with your headband? I can't imagine it really means anything to you if you never got the chance to represent it on the field."

Two sets of eyes followed his hand as he reached into his pockets and pulled out the wad of money he still had. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the metal plate that showed the symbol of Yugakure.

"So you did keep it." Shizune commented with a small smile. "You told us we wouldn't find anything on you to identify your home village yesterday, but you still carry it around with you because it's special to you."

Seeing that he had no answer, Tsunade spoke once more. "So you became an official shinobi and then left the village?"

"Not exactly. I became an official shinobi and trained under a few different people for a few years." He continued, mixing in his experiences from back home into the new life he was fabricating. "Once I figured I was strong enough, I took my talents onto the field."

"And so you became a bounty hunter right? That's why you carry a bingo book with you." Shizune said, putting the pieces together.

"Something like that, yes."

"And life outside of the academy?" Shizune prodded, trying to learn more about their newest addition. "What was there to do on the off days?"

"Not much honestly." He replied simply before taking another bite of his food. "Just hot springs."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at his response. "Really?" She asked in a skeptical tone. "There was nothing to do in the village?"

He shook his head. "When you've been to one hot spring, you've been to them all. That's all we had going for us."

The blond locked eyes with the younger woman, trying to see if she was feeling the same thing she was. With a simple look the message was conveyed and a nod followed. No matter where one was, there was always something to do, even in the smaller villages.

Surely there were friends to hang out with, women to go out with, local spots to explore. Something didn't add up. Perhaps she was looking too far into things but anyone would have things to do in their home village.

She left it alone for the time being but definitely kept it in mind. There was more to him than he let on, and she was now curious as to what that was.

After eating their food, making small talk, the trio was back on the road. Unlike when they left the first time, this smaller journey proved to be much more interesting. Within half an hour, the group came to a stop on Tsunade's orders. A moment after stopping, four figures appeared in front of them.

Three were dressed similarly in tan one piece outfits with black x marks going down the center. All three had bandages over their eyes although one had an eye visible, another had both, and the third was completely covered. They also wore something akin to snorkels over their mouths and had the same headband around their head featuring four vertical lines.

The fourth was an older man in a similar outfit, although his was all black and lacked a mouthpiece and blindfold like the others. He was clearly the leader of the group. The man locked eyes with Tsunade and Ichigo noticed his body tense up. The man's arms extended behind his students and he took a step forward.

'Amegakure' Ichigo thought to himself, recognizing the symbol.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. "Relax, we aren't going to attack." She said,

"You can never be too sure these days." The man replied in a gruff tone. "After all, with how Konoha left our village, we can never let our guard down." He added with a bit of resentment.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the man's words. He quickly went over what he'd read but was coming up blank. At the time he'd been focused on the villages as well as looking for specific information. There was no real info on any major conflicts but it was clear that Amegakure had some sort of resentment towards Konoha.

Tsunade sighed and pinched her nose in frustration. "We're not going to attack you. Just take your team and hurry up. I doubt Konoha will allow them entry into the exams if you're late." She said.

The sensei of the team walked along the path with carefully placed steps. Every step he took his hand got closer and closer to a pouch that had been strapped to his thigh.

Ichigo kept his eyes locked on the man's hand as it hovered over the pouch. If he tried anything, Zangetsu would be swung before anyone even knew what had happened. His hand twitched ever so slightly, an action that was caught by Shizune, but it quickly settled down along his side once the team had passed.

Just as quickly as they had arrived, they disappeared. The rustling of the trees overhead told them they had decided to travel by branch at high speeds. His eyes followed the light shaking of the trees down the road until he could no longer see movement and turned to follow the women once again.

'Gotta make sure to look into whatever happened between Amegakure and Konoha. She mentioned something about exams happening at Konoha too. If shinobi from other villages are allowed entry, then it must be some sort of shinobi evaluation perhaps.' He thought to himself.

The rest of the trip went off without a hitch. Other than some random traveling merchants, no more surprise guests made themselves known to them. The new town they'd arrived at was even more granoise than the last one. It seemed if there was one thing some of these towns didn't skimp out on was lighting. Every building was well illuminated with bright lights describing the various games to be played and prizes to be won.

"Alright, so what's your brilliant plan to win?" Ichigo asked.

He should've known something was wrong when Tsunade smiled at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Appearing next to him, her arm wrapped around his shoulder, letting it hang idly.

"The question you should be asking is what's our brilliant plan to win." She said. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. How he didn't see this coming, he would never know. "You're gonna be my partner here for a few days. Now come on, we have time for a few games tonight."

Just like last time, the woman led him away with her. He supposed it wasn't as bad as being grabbed by the neck and dragged into a bar to have his throat burn.

To Shizune's amazement, Tsunade's plan actually worked for the few hours they played that night. Of course Ichigo had to adjust it so that it looked natural. Walk in at different times, signal to each other when stakes were getting high and go in for the kill. By the time they checked into their inn, the two had won a few thousand Ryo each. Most of which was won by Ichigo with the occasional lucky win by Tsunade. Unsurprisingly, the blond was in a much better mood for the rest of the night.

The next day operated almost the same, although Ichigo had decided he would skip cheating casinos for the day. The plan was to stick around for a few days but if they continued winning on a daily basis, eventually they'd piss some people off. He wasn't worried about anyone here, nor did he believe Tsuande or Shizune were either. That didn't mean that he'd welcome problems though.

Sitting on the edge of his bed first thing in the morning, Ichigo pulled out the bingo book. Skipping through all of the high ranking shinobi, he kept his eyes open for some of the lower level ones. Even though the high B rank all the way to S rank offered a substantial amount, even the C ranks and below offered at least a million. That would serve him well for a while as they traveled around. He thought back to the encounter with the shinobi from Amegakure and went to that section in the book.

He smiled when he saw the face of a rather blank C rank shinobi with a couple hundred thousand Ryo bounty on him by Konoha.

'That should be more than enough for a little while.' Ichigo thought to himself. 'He's a low level shinobi on the run…that means he probably wouldn't risk leaving an area he's familiar with. He'll be around the area, it's just a matter of finding where.'

Tapping the page with the bottom side of the pen that he'd found in the room, he formulated a plan of action. With the speed of his Shunpo, he could cover the distance between here and the land of rain within minutes. Depending how cooperative anyone was would determine how long it would take to complete the job.

Closing the book, he strapped Zangetsu on his back and left the room, making his way over to the ladies shared room. Knocking on the door, Shizune answered.

"Hey Ichigo, did you need something?" She asked.

"Just giving you a heads up I'll be gone for a few hours. I'm going on a bounty hunt to earn some quick money." He replied.

The woman looked interested and asked who he would be going after. Showing her the page in the book, he watched her face change from curious to pensive.

"Hmm, well from what I know, Amegakure is almost impossible to enter as a foreign shinobi unless invited for something like the Chunin exams. It looks like Konoha set the bounty on him but I'm not sure what for. If he's inside the village you're out of luck." She informed him.

He made note of the information in the book. "Either way it'll be nice to do something other than helping Tsunade gamble. Is she still asleep?" He asked curiously.

Shizune ruefully shook her head. "She woke up a little while ago and said she would get a head start on the day. I wouldn't doubt it if she lost everything you guys won yesterday."

Ichigo stared up at the ceiling of the hallway and mentally wondered why the one person he needed on his side happened to be a chronic gambler.

"Alright..just…"

"I'll let her know you'll be gone for a couple days. We won't leave without you, don't worry." The black haired woman promised.

Thanking her, he exited the inn and made his way towards the entrance of the town. Using Shunpo, he began his journey towards the land of rain. Shizune's words echoed in his mind as he dashed through the area. If the man wasn't in the surrounding area, he would either have to infiltrate the village itself or cut his losses.

The man was a C rank, hardly enough of a reason to enter. Plus, if on the off chance he was caught, they'd see the Yugakure headband. Even though they lacked shinobi, they would probably send someone to investigate or attack out of 'retaliation'. Putting innocent people in danger like that was not in his plans.

Soon, the sky above him began to change from the clear skies he'd started to get used to, to the dark gloomy overcast clouds he'd grown to hate over the years. One drop hit him, then two, before a downpour caused him to stop under a large tree. The foliage granted him some cover, though a few drops continued to land on his shoulders and head.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the excess water, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could feel people in the area, not much a few up ahead.

'A small town no doubt.'

With one more Shunpo, he was at the border of the small town. It was the first one that looked different than what he was used to. Compared to the flashy towns he'd traveled to in the land of fire, this one lacked in comparison. A few crudely built homes along what seemed to be a path, and the occasional shop here and there. The few people he did see walking about with umbrellas over their heads lacked the light in their eyes that he'd seen from others.

The area was mostly devoid of light, with only a few visible from the small homes and a decently sized food stand just a bit ahead.

'Maybe town was being generous.' Ichigo thought to himself. Heading to the small food stand, he opened the flaps and walked inside, taking a moment to survey everyone in the area. He wasn't surprised to find that his target wasn't present, although there was someone who looked oddly familiar.

Apart from the small tables, there was also a counter situated right in front of the kitchen area where people could see the chef's cooking. Taking a seat, he selected a warm soup they advertised and waited. There was only one person working, a young man with black hair that wore the same defeated look on his face.

He was efficient and had clearly been cooking for a while as in only three minutes, the steaming bowl was placed right in front of him. Muttering a 'thanks for the meal', he slurped the noodles and nodded in appreciation of the taste.

"This is really good." He complimented, making some small talk.

"Thanks….haven't seen you around here." The chef replied.

Ichigo shrugged and took down some more noodles. "I won't be around long." Pulling out a few loose bills from his pocket, he folded them up so they would be concealed within his palm. "I do have a question if you don't mind though." He added, placing the folded bills on the counter top.

The man's eyes glanced at the bills and knew where this was headed.

"You wouldn't happen to know this person would you?" He asked, flashing the image of the shinobi he was looking for.

"You won't find him around here." The man replied, taking the offered money. "He's in Ame, nobody has seen him for a few weeks now. My guess is he's probably dead." He said with a noncaring shrug.

Ichigo sighed.

"Hmm I see." He said. Looking to his right, he noticed a man with greenish hair and an umbrella situated on his back. He was looking down at his food but Ichigo could tell he was completely focused on him. In the back of his mind, the orange haired Shinigami once again had the feeling that he'd seen him somewhere.

Skipping through the pages of his bingo book, he quickly found out why.

'Rokusho Aoi' He read. 'C rank, wanted alive by Konoha. 3 million ryo bounty.'

Closing the book, he tucked it away and stood up, making a show of doing so. Pulling out the wad of money, he made sure the light reflected off the headband to show the symbol of Yugakure. He knew the other villages would know about the situation, and who would fear someone from a nation without shinobi?

Inwardly he smirked when he saw that the man had stood up and made his way out. He could sense that he was still lurking around…waiting. He'd taken the bait.

Paying for the meal, he made his way out and back the way he came. Eyes were following him and with every step he took, the distance between him and Rokusho never seemed to close.

Once they were far enough out, he stopped and turned around staring at the empty space in front of him with a bored expression.

"Well? Are you gonna come out or not?" He called out.

A second later, the man materialized in front of him, holding a strange looking hilt in his hand.

"I couldn't help but overhear you back there." He called out. "I'm not sure what you were thinking by coming here but that mistake will be your last."

The crackle of lightning reached his ears and the hilt began to glow. Suddenly, a large blade of lightning formed at the end of the hilt and Rokusho's face split into a grin.

Reaching upwards, he grabbed the hilt of Zangetsu and prepared himself. This would be his first battle in the new land he was in. He couldn't feel anything special about the man and mentally compared him to some of the unseated officers he'd met back in Soul Society.

Turning to the side, he easily avoided the downward slash of the blade followed by the horizontal slash. His bored look stayed in place throughout the weaves and dodges of every strike, infuriating the man as the battle went on.

Bringing Zangetsu up, he stopped a diagonal slash and pushed the lightning blade to the side. Not wanting to show anything of use, he went on the offensive at the slowest speed he could. The blades clashed but the force behind the attacks was greater than Rokusho had anticipated. The man's jaw was clenched tight and the grip he had on the hilt was tight.

Single handed strikes collided with the yellow lightning, resulting in sparks flying in all directions. Parrying a counter strike, Ichigo broke his stance and kicked him in the chest. Even though he held back considerably, he was sure he heard a crack on impact.

Aoi grunted in pain and held his side before reaching over his shoulder and opening up his umbrella.

"Ninpo: Senbon Shower" He yelled as he threw the umbrella into the air. Ichigo watched with mild interest as this would be the first technique he'd see up close. The umbrella began spinning in the air at high speeds before shooting off thin long needles in his directions.

Raising an eyebrow, he swung Zangetsu in the air, releasing a strong pressure blast. The needles stopped their descent and were shot back into the air, penetrating trees.

"What?!" Aoi yelled in shock, seeing his attack be completely disregarded. Frowning in rage, he charged forward, the blade glowing a bright yellow as he pumped more chakra through it.

Having had enough disappointment, Ichigo let his guard drop and allowed Aoi to get close.

With an angry yell, he let out a horizontal slash, fully intending to bisect the Yugakure 'native'. To his complete shock however, the blade was caught barehanded in his left hand. Ichigo stared back at the shocked Aoi with a bit of mirth and began applying pressure to the blade.

In the spot where Ichigo's hand had caught the blade, a hairline crack began to form, slowly traveling across the chakra construct. Seeing this, Aoi tried to pull back only to find himself completely stuck. Not giving him a chance to let go of the blade, Ichigo went on the offensive.

Applying more force, the blade shattered. Before Aoi could process what had happened, Zangetsu was brought down with precision. From his left shoulder to the right side of his hip, a red line formed before splitting open, letting the blood flow from his body.

It was a shallow cut but enough to do damage. Aoi fell face first into the small puddle beneath them, the hilt he was holding onto falling into the water. Pulling the hilt out, he inspected it quickly and tucked it into his pocket before slinging the unconscious man over his shoulder.

The sound of his Shunpo was drowned out by the rainfall that had begun to pick up once more.

The skies soon cleared up, back to the familiar and much preferred clear skies. In only a few minutes he was well past the town that Tsunade and Shizune were waiting for him in. At the speed he was going, Konoha would be reached within the next minute or so. He mentally thanked Yoruichi for her training, as this would easily be a few days' travel without her signature move.

He stopped on a tree branch in the outskirts of the village. He could see a large wooden wall in the distance and knew he was there. Part of him was rather curious as to how different a major hidden village would be compared to the touristy areas he'd been in so far.

Hopping down, he walked up to the large gate and made note of the two men situated at the front. That was already a major difference, there seemed to be security. They were dressed in matching uniforms consisting of blue pants and long sleeves, along with a green vest and a headband with the same symbol that was displayed proudly above the gates.

One of the men noticed him along with the body over his shoulder and took a step forward.

"Halt." He ordered. "State your name and business."

"Kurosaki Ichigo. Just here to claim a bounty." He replied, lifting Aoi's head up for them to see.

The two looked at Aoi and he saw a flash of recognition in their eyes. One of the men moved over to a small stall they had set up and pulled out a black book before flipping through the pages. Looking at his comrade, the man nodded.

"Follow me." The first man ordered.

Ichigo stepped through the gates and took note of the designs of the village. While they weren't catered to gambling like the others, the buildings were mostly the same as what he'd seen before.

"Normally we would have the Hokage deal with this one considering his circumstances but he's a bit preoccupied at the moment." The man told him.

"The Chunin exams are being held here right?" Ichigo asked, already knowing the answer.

"That's right so things are pretty hectic right now. Instead of the Hokage, you'll be handing him over to our T&I department head. They have a little history you see…" He trailed off.

"Right…" He replied. The man seemed friendly enough but behind that, he could tell he wasn't walking with just him. All around him he could feel different signatures following along.

'Six different shinobi trailing from above.' He thought, making sure to not look in their direction. 'Definitely won't be able to look around without drawing suspicion.'

He was led to a large white and green building where he saw the person he would be handing the man over to.

He was dressed differently than the others. He wore dark pants and a matching shirt, over a long black coat. The man had a bandana style headband and a diagonal scar running across his face.

"Ibiki." The guard greeted, motioning to Ichigo. "He's the one cashing in the bounty."

"Kurosaki Ichigo." The Shinigami greeted politely. "I'm here to collect the bounty on Rokusho Aoi." He declared, letting the body fall off his shoulder and catching him by the beck of the shirt before he hit the ground.

Ibiki glanced at him and then the body before nodding to two other subordinates who stood alongside him. The two men walked forward and grabbed the body, laying it on the ground and inspecting it. They put two fingers up to his neck to confirm he was breathing and nodded back at the scarred man.

"He's alive." The man told his superior.

"Perfect. You know what to do." He replied with a sadistic smile. Looking back towards Ichigo, the man reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a white scroll. Stepping forward, he held it out.

"Your payment."

Ichigo glanced at the scroll and then back up at the man. Had this been Urahara paying him or anyone back from his world, perhaps he'd have taken it and left. But he was in the world of shinobi now, and from what he knew, they did things differently.

"If it's not too much to ask, can I request it be counted in front of me before accepting."

Ibiki stared back at him and gave the smallest of smirks in response. Moving aside to the sign that read 'Intelligence Division', he unfurled the scroll and placed his hand in the center. A puff of smoke revealed a small stack of green bills which he then began to count.

Once done, he sealed them back up and handed the scroll over.

"A pleasure doing business." Ichigo replied. The guard which had brought him motioned for him to follow and just as quickly as he'd gotten in, he was back outside the village.

Thanking them for their help, he walked into the forest until he knew they wouldn't be able to see him anymore and used Shunpo to disappear. Without the added weight of Aoi on his shoulder, he was able to move much faster. The trees came and went in a blur and soon, the town was once again in sight.

The sun was still shining bright in the sky, letting him know just how little time had actually passed. The entire capture and delivery of Aoi had taken no more than an hour. Stopping at the entrance of the town, he made his way towards the inn and to his surprise, he could sense two specific signatures a few rooms over.

Knocking on their door, he didn't have to wait long until Shizune opened and stared at him with surprise.

"Ichigo? I thought you were going on a bounty hunt?" She asked.

Stepping inside, he nodded. "I did."

"I take it he wasn't found?" Tsunade asked from her spot where she layed on the bed.

"No he wasn't. I got word that he was in Ame, but my good luck seems to stretch beyond casinos since I found another. Rokusho Aoi."

Tsunade and Shizune blinked. They of course knew of him and that he was wanted alive by Konoha which was what surprised them.

"And you're going to cash in his bounty when we go back?" Tsunade asked. "I hope you don't lose the scroll you sealed him in."

He smirked. "He's already been dealt with." He said triumphantly, tossing the scroll in her direction. He didn't do it to gloat that he was finished but rather for Tsunade to be the one to release the money held inside. Without chakra, he had no way of collecting his winnings, meaning he'd need someone else to do it in a way that wouldn't raise questions.

"He also used this weird sword. Not sure how to activate it though." He said, getting their attention. Their surprise further increased when they saw him tossing the second Hokage's legendary blade up and down like it wasn't an important relic.

"Wait." Shizune suddenly said. "You went to the land of rain, captured him, went to Konoha to cash in the bounty, and came back all within an hour?"

Tsunade turned her attention away from the money to him. "How is that possible?"

"I'm fast." He replied. Seeing the unamused looks he was getting, he went over to the bed where the money was laying and wrapped his Yugakure headband around the bills. It was a great thing they were large denominations and could still fit in his pockets.

"Anyway, what do you say we get a nice meal and some drinks? On me."

That was all Tsunade needed to hear to be onboard. She could put aside her suspicion of what he'd pulled off for the time being. For now, she'd enjoy getting the best alcohol she could. Maybe with enough drinks she'd be able to get some answers, if not, well she was resourceful.

"Come on Shizune, join us." Tsunade said, putting Ichigo's head under her arm once more. "All we can eat…"

Ichigo wanted to point out that was what he'd said but let it go. He was pretty well off, he could afford whatever they decided to eat and drink.

Shizune smiled and got her stuff, following them out the door.

xxxx

"Is there something wrong?" A female's voice echoed through metal walls.

"Someone was nearby. Someone I didn't recognize." A deep male voice replied. "They were on the outskirts of the village. Along with Rokusho Aoi." The man continued.

The women hummed. "You think he's stupid enough to try to pass information?" She asked.

"No, Rokusho was unconscious which leads me to believe he was beaten by someone. The other person's signature was strange, I can't exactly describe it. He disappeared shortly after I started the rain."

"Disappeared?" The woman asked in a curious tone.

"Disappeared. He remained in the rain for only a split second before he was gone."

"Could it have been him?" She asked.

The man shook his head. "No, this was speed. Nothing more."

The woman seemed troubled by the information and made her way to the small opening in the side of the building. Facing away from the man, she spoke.

"I'll see if anyone knows something."

The man didn't reply and kept his gaze out towards the dark skies above Amegakure. Whoever this person was would be someone to look out for. The kind of movement displayed was…unnatural.