Meetings

Two months estranged in another dimension and Ichigo felt he was about to break a personal mark on that, he just needed to remember how long was his first stay in Soul Society but he was just to mad to care.

He felt he was jailed and would never be free and that was making him anxious.

"Relax, Ichigo" Chad put his hand in Ichigo fake shoulder and the substitute shinigami wanted to crawl away.

The stupid gigai was getting more and more annoying by the second, too weak and too small for him. Being prisoner of skins and bones was something Ichigo didn't believe was possible, but he was in that annoying situation.

"I know" Ichigo forced himself to say.

The forest was endless and they had yet to find any place with more than a hundred of citizens. Perhaps that was the reason for his uneasiness, he wasn't taking his vampire dose of energy and animals and trees weren't enough.

The rocks under his steps were getting more annoying each step and the air was too dusty on his nose. Even the butterfly wings made a lousy sound. His eyes went to the dark butterfly and he almost made a double take.

A hell butterfly was flying near him. What the..?

He raised his middle and index finger, mimicking the pose he had seen other shinigamis use when using those insects. The butterfly rested on his fingers and he found himself with new information at every flutter of the black wings.

So, he wasn't supposed to stay inside the gigai for more than a week; he needed to be outside it a few hours at least; everyone else was already working on the hospital; and Ichigo should go back to Konoha in the next week to change of gigai.

The butterfly went away after relying it's message and both, Ichigo and Chad, looked up to the blue sky feeling confused at the whole thing.

They had no time to talk about it, because a strong spiritual pressure was traveling to them fastly. Ichigo almost laughed at his own luck, as always a strong unknown enemy was going to face him.

The teen looked between his shinigami badge and the pocket where Kon's pill was. What should he use? Perhaps he should even try to fight with his gigai and somehow he would unlock an ability of his fake body. That was how it usually worked for him.

The energy tried to fade away, but riatsu couldn't be hided that way from Ichigo or Chad. It was moving with a lot of speed and even if his senses could catch the figure about to attack his gigai couldn't move fast enough.

Chad could.

His friend used his Brazo Derecho to punch the ninja out of the way.

The man was a bulky, dark skinned and had dark shades over his eyes. He had a a buck beard and blue tatoos under his left eye. He looked dangerous and well, like a gangster. Still, compared with Kenpachi very few men could made his skin sweat cold with their assassin aura.

"You are strong, aren't ya!" The man wiped his mouth and next second he draw out a sword and tried to cut Chad neck at the same time he trowed a small black knife towards Ichigo.

The Fullbringer had no problem to dodge the attack and then with his left hand punched the man. And he puffed. Ichigo catched the knife from the eye and then searched the spiritual pressure. Six meter to to his left.

The unknown man barely dodged the knife before being attacked by Chad. He raised another sword and there was lighting over it, not that it could do anything against the other arm. Ichigo knew hierro was a really a good defense, and even with that name it wasn't an electricity conduct.

The two sides clashed, at some point the man had draw yet another blade but it failed to pierce the hierro and slice Chad head. Both men were pushed by the force, but only Chad could maintain his ground.

Still, it wasn't going well, the man had failed his murder because he couldn't see el Brazo Derecho, just a plain arm. It was just a matter of time until he tried an attack from behind, on their necks. Fullbringer versus Ninja magic...if the ninjas weren't mercenaries Ichigo would give the edge to his friend. Killing wasn't the same as brawling. Never.

"Your arm isn't what it looks like" the man said as he got up of the ground, so smoothly that Ichigo barely registered the movement "What are ya playing at?"

Ichigo raised at eyebrow at the playful tone the man was using. He looked as a straight forward brawler but maybe he was playing a mental game to use his Ninja magic. There was a shift in the riatsu, something kinder but even then Ichigo keep his guard up.

"We are just travellers" Ichigo answered honestly. The man grip on his swords was still strong, but Ichigo knew that in worst case scenario he could be fast enough to use the shinigami badge and tip the scales to his favor. The other dropping his killing instinct just meant Ichigo would know the ninja intentions before the man himself.

"From wich village, brats?" The man began to walk, making small steps, searching for a new spot to attack and defend "Your Ninja skills are really bad"

Ichigo just blinked at the man words, and maybe his mouth droppep in confusion. After some seconds he recomposed himself.

"From no one. We aren't ninjas" he still decided to play his honest card without knowing how would the man react.

The ninja spatted blood to the ground and smiled. He was pretty confident for a man that had been punched twice without delivering any hit. Ichigo hand went to his badge but did nothing, waiting for the counter attack or shif in energy that would follow, instead the man laughed.

"I like your style!" He sheathed his swords and raised his fist as he showed a toothy smile "I will take you under my wing, kids!"

Ichigo stared with disbelief at the friendly gesture, but after Chad nod, he pumped fists with the stranger. The man smile widened and his posture relaxed.

"You are exactly what I believe. I'm Killer B and who would you be?"

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki and he is Sado Yasutora"

"Ichigo? Strawberry? ... Not a ninja definitely!"

A small part of Ichigo wondered when had he become collected. Even his name being misinterpreted didn't made him want to punch something. Probably it was after his first death at Ulquiorra hands. Or the second one.

Kumokagure was another Ninja village, one that was build in a rocky landscape and incorporated the difference places to the nature. Orihime would have loved such an odd architecture, it was her nature to see beuty and charm in the strange, but for Ichigo the place was only a reminder of how far away from home he was.

No faction back home used such organic architecture, all of them liking big bland towers, perhaps Bach had tried a more flashy palace but the whiteness just made everything look the same kind of dead that all the rest.

He was on a chair, looking through a window without being capable to process what happened.

Ichigo would still be grateful about his luck. Killer B was pleading on Ichigo and Chad behalf, something about becoming bodyguards or some stuff like that. Even without changing words with his friend, the shinigami knew that Killer B "friendship" branch could be just a ploy to keep the two outsiders under continuous vigilance and unable to plan something.

As long as he had Kon and his shinigami badge any plan to spy on Ichigo would end in failure. For some reason neither Chad or Ichigo had to give up any of their belongings. The show of faith put Ichigo over the fence, his rationality pleading him to mistrust and his feelings finding Killer B an honorable trustworthy friend.

"Are we going to become ninjas?" Chad finally broke the silence as he sat in the chair across Ichigo.

"Looks like it" his friend didn't say anything about more, but just in case, Ichigo pointed at his badge to signal that they could get away at any moment. Chad exhaled and nodded at Ichigo plan.

Before anything more could be done, Killer B walked inside the room alongside another bulky dark skinned man, the stranger was older and in his eyes there was a hint of honed killing abilities. Ichigo wondered if the ninjas could see his own killer's eyes.

From Aizen to Ukitake, Ichigo was able to see something dark in the eyes of people that had killed other humans beings (or so much as a Quincy and Arrancar still counted as human beings). There were different shades of darkness, and Ichigo preferred not to think about it, he was just glad that no one of his friends had that kind of eyes.

Maybe, in his gigai, Ichigo brown eyes would appear harmless to the assassin gaze, after all why would a traveller be a killer? The probabilities were high.

His only other hope was that maybe just Ichigo could see the glint that hided even in the kinder faces. He knew that he lacked that ability before going to Hueco Mundo, but he couldn't pin point when did he learnt it, before dying on the dome or until he clashed his swords against Aizen's. He wasn't sure of what to make about it.

Ichigo frowned at his disarrayed thoughts, when facing a killing machine being distracted was almost a death wish, so he forced himself back to reality and tried to not observe the assassin eyes.

"I'm Sado Yasutora" Chad bowed his head and took the initiative in the talking for the first time "He is my friend, Ichigo Kurosaki"

"I am the Fourth Raikage" the man said with authority "What were you doing in our territory? And why did you attack my brother? "

Ichigo looked between the two men, there was a resemblance without a doubt, but even riatsu sensing was pretty much useless when searching kinship. At first Killer B saying he would convince his leader sounded as plausible, but someone attacking the leader family without retribution sounded crazy.

"Calm down, would ya bro!" Killer B stood in the middle of Ichigo and Chad, his smile as honest as ever. "They are cool, and have talent. Told ya, they are perfect to be my new guard"

Ichigo stared at Killer B and stopped the urge to hit his forehead. He knew already that was the man plan, but hearing it again, it sounded stupid. He liked the man already and protecting was on Ichigo core in stronger ways that his blood, but being a bodyguard of a ninja they had attacked was mad man talking.

"What was their rank again? Didn't they told you they had no village? Didn't you said they weren't using any kind of jutsu? You are talking madness"

Ichigo nodded in agreement. The man might be talking over their heads but Ichigo wanted an answer already, he was even putting attention to the riatsus that failed to conceal themselves inside the walls and roof, ready to fight once the leader decided them unworthy to protect his brother.

"Ssss... trust me bro. I know their hearts already, we interchanged fists. So what do ya say?" Killer B raised his fist to his brother and the black eyes of the Fourth Hokage widened in surprise. His riatsu shifting from aggressive to calm.

"Fine, do what you want!" And the man went away, leaving his grinning brother behind.

Ichigo did not know how to take that. Chad send him a hesitant smile and Ichigo just dropped his head. Follow the flow already...his life was fantastic.

Chad shrugged in agreement.

Orihime read again the diagram of chakra points, it was necessary to learn everything she could about the human body in the ninja world. Superficially they were the same, but the chakra energy flowing in their innteranl channels let them to use "jutsus", and like any body part, those chakras could be hurt and needed healing.

She was utterly confused about the whole thing, apparently the stomach was really important to build energy when riatsu came from the heart according to Aizen.

Orihime winced when she remembered Aizen, Uryu was on the other end of the room and gave her one of those silents asks.

"I'm thinking...this peace, with Aizen..." Orihime shakes her head and turned back her attention to the book "Sorry, forget I said anything"

The Quincy nodded and tried to force himself to smile, but his lips barely turned up. But gratefully the boy decided that he needed to finish the book too.

Orihime was unable to concentrate again, instead her mind wandered to their new place. Two rooms, a living room with a small kitchen, one bathroom and a basement (and an underground basement in building, Aizen had took a page on Urahara secret facility or something... Maybe they had been friends and...)

Orihime laughed at that idea and her friend looked at her curiously. His mouth was already forming a verbal question when there was a soft knock on the door followed by someone entering the living room.

Aizen got inside the house and looked at the teens with half closed eyelids. She had been used to the evil overlord being a smiling villian out of books, but after living with him almost two months the times when the man looked human were a normal occurrence.

"Do you want tea, Mr. Aizen?" she asked knowing the answer already.

"Yes, it will be appreciated, Miss Inoue"

Uryu stopped Orihime raising a hand and went to the oven, putting the water to boil and searching for the tea bags. They were far away from getting a comfy life and lacked a lot of things, luckily Aizen could be charming enough to rent a house and pay much later. And Orihime received a lot of gifts...

"You are early" Uryu asked with a small edge on his voice.

"Already finished my rounds" Aizen said as he searched the device that let him get out of the gigai, it was a small gauntlet that the overlord carried with him all the times "Yours is in the afternoon, isn't it?"

Uryu nodded as he poured the hot water in a cup and then he let the small bag of tea fall inside the water.

The Hospital was big and there was enough room for the patients, but for some reason it lacked enough doctors and nurses for the facility, it was such a lonely place.

Aizen took a deep breath and gave himself a slap in his chest. The gigai felt to the ground unceremoniously and the man exhaled out of relief. He still had those nasty looking black bonds around all his body, the only one he had gotten rid of was the one on his left eye, and that one was still wrapped over his brown hair.

The man walked towards Uryu and Orihime's friend handed the cup of tea to Aizen, that took it between his covered hands. The Quincy retreated when he could, the bit of the riatsu of the shinigami lingering on him even when he stood at Orihime side and away from Aizen.

"It looks like the gigai is giving up. Miss Inoue, would you be so kind as to check it?"

Orihime went to the body, careful to not get near Aizen. His face darkened before forming a mocking grin.

The gigai head was bleeding and as always there were burn marks on the front. The feet were normally the ones nearer to Aizen and would have been the worst part harmed by the man riatsu. She called her Shun Shun Rika and began the healing.

Uryu stayed in the room all the process. By the time she finished it was already time for Uryu to go, and Aizen got inside it with a smirk, cleaning out invisible dust as he raised up.

"I have things to do" the older man said before walking out of the house, leaving two old teens behind.

After Aizen riatsu faded away, Uryu adjusted his glasses and looked at Orihime with sharp blue eyes, a hint of a smile in his lips.

"For a centuries old shinigami; he sure acts as a child"

Orihime grinned in return. Typical of Uryu to be collected enough to make jokes like that.

Naruto looked at his test sheet, the two digit number mocking him every single time.

It hurt. He had really tried, he had studied all the week before the exam, copying the characters on his notebook hoping that at least his muscles would remember. He could barely sleep after finishing his studies, the sense of failure looming nearer and unbeatable. And indeed, he had failed. Only four answers right out of thirty.

Whatever! Tests didn't make Hokages!

He made the sheet a small ball and trowed it behind him and tried to make his best "I'm great" smile. He was so focused in the act that he walked straight up against a man. His head hit the man strong back and he lost balance, so his feet decided to trip.

Falling against the ground didn't bother him, his bruised pride did.

"What's your problem, old man?!" He yelled at the unknown person; a civilian that even if tall, looked nerdy with those squared glasses. His brown eyes barely registered Naruto on the ground.

He was tired of receiving that look. He was real! He was going to be Hokage and everyone would see him! He felt his ire building up in the pit of his stomach and more because he could hear the whispers. Always there, in the borders of his life, those whispers hiding secrets about Naruto but never reveling anything, haunting his soul and mind every single time.

The man looked around him, observing the people with mild curiosity, and then his brown eyes focused in Naruto again, studying him with deep interest. There was something dangerous in that gaze, his Ninja instincts buzzing in the back of his head asked him to raise a kunai and put distance beteween them.

The lips of the man turned up and his kind smile disarmed every one of Naruto's defenses and reserves.

He was so craved for any sign of human warm that any show of kindness caused him to feel something akin to wholeness. Even if one second ago he had feel afraid, the next he was taking the man hand and smiling back. He was so happy for that show of civility that he didn't notice the man eyes piercing the scenario around them.

"It seems you have dropped something" the stranger pointed out to the paper ball.

"It's nothing!" Naruto said as he gestured with his hands, trying to bath in the offered kindness while it lasted. How long until yet another person decided to give him the could shoulder?

"I saw a trash can in the corner of the street"

Naruto felt his good mood fadding. Adults were very stuck on the rules and not funny at all. Even if the stranger was nice he was annoying.

"Why does it matter to you?!" He said with eyes almost closed, squinting almost at the man. The adult first looked taken back, but he regained his composure and his smile was back with a small edge.

"You shouldn't litter, little boy" His smooth voice and the presence of his being did the charm. Naruto was back at the academy and a teacher had ordered him to do something in that commanding voice. So the little Ninja in training went and took back his test, stopping before raising again, unfolding the paper one more time and feeling a pang again.

Failure the people said, and Naruto had failed to prove them he was more.

The man waited for Naruto to follow his unsaid order, peering over the boy shoulder at the test. The young boy looked back without turning the rest of his body. His eyes focused on his toes.

"Jerk!" Naruto screamed and ran away from the man. He couldn't dare to watch the man face again. His shame was again his only company.

To continue

...

Thanks for reading.

P. D. There would not be any pairing, sorry to the shippers but...nah, I just wanted to write some versus and friendship sort of things.