Most of this chapter was written before I posted the story, but I had some issues with filling in the gaps. My apologies for the delay.
Enjoy!
Someone muttered 'good morning', the sound muffled and accompanied by sleepy grumbles. Sasuke blinked, quickly rising to alertness – a carefully cultivated habit – and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, before sitting up to inspect his feet. He had meant to do that last night but without any light source besides a couple of stars he hadn't really been able to get a proper look. There were a few places where the skin was a bit reddened from the rough terrain, but nothing too serious, which was good because he had nothing but callus to protect his most important mode of transport. It would be pretty bad if he had to take time off to let them recover. It wouldn't do to lose the Shinigami now.
Silently he removed himself from the roof, relocating to one of the trees on the forest edge that allowed him clear view of the door.
Settling down in anticipation of the group's departure, he took some of the hare out of it's wrapping of leaves. Not the most brilliant of breakfasts, but certainly not the worst either. He paused his eating to take a swig out of his canteen – one of the first things he'd gotten himself after his arrival – and grimaced. He'd have to find more water soon. He stood up, stretching a bit. The villagers wouldn't be able to remain here without a water source, so with a bit of luck he could refill before the Shinigami left. If not, it wasn't as if you could be ANBU without some skill at tracking.
Water was fortunately easily found on the other side of the village; a deep well, which explained why he hadn't seen any of the usual signs of water in the area. Nice. Groundwater was sometimes better than mountain streams. Some soils easily surpassed the best artificial purifying methods. This particular well had very clear water. Sasuke refilled his canteen, taking care to avoid the newt that was sitting on the bottom of the bucket. Animals in your drink wasn't entirely sanitary but he had drunk far worse the previous days. This hardly mattered.
When he returned the Shinigami were just leaving. Taking care to remain out of their line of sight Sasuke wandered away into the nearest forest edge, nonchalant as any villager taking a routine morning stroll. Once there he circled around the village to the road he suspected they'd take, quietly resuming his position in the trees where the Shinigami were less likely to notice him, for the umpteenth time lamenting the loss of his chakra control. It was so much harder to bolster his speed without it. He had difficulties keeping up with the Shinigami while remaining hidden right now, and it grated. Following them without getting noticed was so much harder than it should have been.
Not that they were that likely to notice him anyway. They might be trained fighters, but when it came to situational awareness they had a long way to go before they could be considered on a par with shinobi. Or rather, the kind of shinobi Sasuke had thought worthwhile to put up with. They were about Genin level when it came to being observant. Given that he was used to ANBU and Kage level shinobi... Yeah. Pathetic was one way to describe it. Even with only the minimum of access to his chakra he had right now, he had little trouble traveling along unseen, and given how used he was to being able chakra during these kind of things? That was just sad.
Still, following them was turning out to be more interesting than wandering around aimlessly, and at least this way he had found something that was worth his time. Like learning those techniques. He was not facing this world with just one weapon and hand-to-hand combat. That would be idiocy of the highest degree.
It was well into noon when the forest abruptly ended in a grassy plain, the knee-high waving stalks reaching to the horizon, where a dark smudge revealing where the forest had deigned to continue again. Too far away to reach before dusk fell. Sasuke scowled. He had never been very skilled at stealth in grass plains, especially grass plains that didn't reach up to your waist or higher. That was more Kusagakure's area of expertise. Of course, before he had died he had been more than decent enough at it to fool anyone below Jounin, but at the moment his chakra was still a wreck. Getting away unnoticed when everything was covered in rustling stalks of this length was nearly impossible unless you were a master at grass-walking. Given the still unruly nature of his energies and the delicate control needed not to damage stalks while reinforcing them with your chakra, Sasuke was pretty sure he wouldn't be pulling off that trick anytime soon.
Not to mention that he didn't like the idea of spending the night in a plain. Say what you wanted about stereotype Konoha shinobi being too attached to their trees, but having nothing but grass that was barely tall enough to cover you even if you laid down left him feeling way too exposed.
Still, the Shinigami were clearly going to cross this plain, so if he wanted to continue following them he either had to do so close range or he had to fall back and follow their tracks.
With another annoyed look at the inconveniently short grass the Uchiha decided to back off and track them later. No need to risk cluing clueless Shinigami in on his presence. With a sigh he nestled himself among the branches of a comfortable tree, fully intending to catch up on some sleep. He'd give the Shinigami a couple of hours head-start, maybe even until the next morning. Though tracking them at night would be good practice...
After some careful contemplation Sasuke decided against that. He wanted to get a good look at the land he was traveling through. It wouldn't do to miss something just because he felt like traipsing around in the dark.
Which meant he would have all night to sleep. He shot a glance to determine the sun's position. Late afternoon. That was still pretty early. He estimated he would have about ten hours until sunrise.
He observed the Shinigami until their forms were no more than black spots lost in a sea of waving green.
Hn. That was bit too much time to spend on sleeping.
Maybe some other kind of exercise was in order. He hadn't gotten around to attempt the Shinigami woman's jutsu yet. And come to think of it, now was actually a pretty good opportunity to do exactly that.
Decision made, the Uchiha set off to find a good place to practice, preferably with some room for shots going awry and with enough surrounding foliage to hide the light of the technique.
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Learning a new jutsu without knowing any of the basic techniques turned out to be an exercise in frustration and was as painful as improvising the Shishirendan had been.
Sasuke scowled at his slightly smoking hands, ignoring the pain radiating from red skin and aggravated chakra channels with experienced ease as sunset covered the forest around him with autumn hues. Right now he hated his lack of a real Sharingan more than anything. He knew how the jutsu went, had seen it in the finest detail, but the effortless, reflexive flow of his Kekkei Genkai carrying him through the steps was no more.
It reminded him a lot of the time he had tried to mimic his father's Goukakyuu. It was kind of pathetic, but after living with the Sharingan for so long he had forgotten exactly how much effort learning had always required.
Not that Sasuke would let it deter him. His handicap would not keep him from figuring out this trick. He would get it right, even if he had to burn down half the forest with the unruly lightning.
Aiming at the battered tree stump that was his target, he started the chant once more, mimicking the vocal pattern of the Shinigami woman down to the last inflection.
"Wild blazing tempest, sweep aside and disrupt! Ringing bells, razing claws, destroy! Rise from the grave. Consume the unneeded. Strangle like a firework of stars! Hadou number eleven: Tsuzuri Raiden!"
He let go, energy snapping out like a whip of lightning. But before it could reach the stump a tremor shot through the lint of light, making it fly apart in an explosive shower of sparks. Sasuke cursed as the resulting backlash singed his hands. The scabs from when he failed to break the Hollow's mask with his bare hands looked about two attempts away from being toasted off of his fingers entirely. Blood dribbled lazily over his hands.
Sasuke scoffed and flicked the drops off. How annoying.
He glared at the tree stump. His spiritual energy refused to move the way he wanted. The moment he thought he had it, it just... jumped, or twisted in a direction he didn't expect, and the jutsu would collapse like a house of cards.
Sasuke sighed, deciding to take a break, taking out a piece of roast and nibbling on it as he reviewed what he'd learned so far. He wasn't sure where he was going wrong. He thought he had found all he important details, but clearly he had missed something.
Leaning back, he closed his eyes, scrutinizing the memory and everything he instinctively knew about the technique. In his mind's eye he slowly went through all the steps. Here was the fountain-like upwelling of energy, there was the twisting and braiding it into a rope on the cadence of the incantation, coiling like a spring with hair-thin lightning jumping between the arches, an then the whip-like release that somehow always shattered like hot glass dropped in ice water.
But he had all those steps. Followed them exactly like he had seen. Maybe the flow wasn't as smooth and practiced as the woman's had been, but it should have been at least functioning.
He frowned, digging deeper into the underlying layers. What was it that he'd missed? Where was the instability? He could see the way the woman's chakra had welled up, rushing from her palm like water from a faucet, curling into sun-bright braid where the energies met and mingled-
Sasuke's eyes snapped open. Of course. So basic. So simple. He groaned, facepalming, calling himself a hundred types of fool. No mixing. No mingling. One type of chakra. Not two.
Get it through your thick skull that you're dead, moron!
Kami, Naruto would have been laughing his ass off had he seen this. Not so much of a genius now, are you?
Well, Sasuke consoled himself, at least now you know what the problem is, you can do something about it.
Gathering himself, he stood once more, grimly determined to get the technique to work. He wouldn't rest before he got it right.
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Nine hours later, a tired but satisfied Sasuke tracked down the Shinigami in the first bleak morning light. Treading on the footsteps of the Shinigami, Sasuke used the clear footprints to disguise his own. Any decent tracker would know that someone had taken special care not to leave his own footprints behind, but until Sasuke had a better idea of the general skill level of Shinigami he was assuming that the black-clad warriors didn't have someone that observant among them. At least, not right now. He wasn't assuming anything about the rest of their organization.
Up ahead the trail of crushed stalks disappeared into the forest edge, being replaced by broken twigs and disturbed leaves. Seemed like the Shinigami weren't concerned about paths. Then again, Sasuke hadn't seen signs of human habitation since yesterday.
It was really quite convenient. Tracking people over roads was much more difficult than tracking them through pristine woodland. If he had thought Shinigami got anything resembling a shinobi education then he would have thought that they wanted him to follow them. They really were making it too easy.
Oh, well. He wouldn't complain. Being handicapped was enough of an issue already.
Sasuke found the Shinigami by following his ears. The cacophony of ringing steel, dull thuds, and monster roars was hard to miss once he had entered hearing range. As soon as he had pinpointed their location he climbed into a nice tree and prepared to watch from a safe distance.
The forest floor dipped down into a gentle slope at the foot of his tree, and was covered in wild shrubbery and a few young trees. Sasuke suspected that this slope was more unstable than it looked, if the vegetation was any indication. The clearing below was a battleground. The Shinigami were rushing around to fend off a dozen of Hollows. Swords flashed, reflecting the sunlight as the Shinigami fought valiantly against the small horde. From time to time a jutsu crashed through the fray, and Sasuke paid great attention to the only two in the group that seemed capable of using them in battle. As for the others, their fighting style really was too much samurai, so Sasuke only kept a casual eye on them. Not that Sasuke minded samurai – those of the Land of Iron had some truly skilled people among their ranks and should not be underestimated – but acting so honorable when battling monsters when you didn't have the skills to make up for that disadvantage was just asking to get killed.
Talking about asking to get killed… Sasuke's eyes narrowed, realizing that there was something odd about the way the Shinigami fought the Hollows.
Were these guys always aiming for the masks? He understood not going for the chest, given that most of the monsters had a hole there and seemed perfectly fine despite it, but why the masks? Wouldn't the neck be better? It was far less armored. Yet as he watched, it was clear that the monsters regarded the masks as vital too, the way they seemed to only really try dodging when a blade was aiming for their head.
There had to be something about the masks, Sasuke decided. Otherwise they would never be the prime target.
A few more minutes of observation made clear that the Shinigami were in trouble. One of the more foolish ones had acquired a large gash in his side that was bleeding heavily and rendered him incapable of getting up. The others were guarding him to their best abilities, but it was obvious that their wounded teammate was a liability they couldn't afford.
Pity, Sasuke thought dispassionately. He had wanted to see their superior. It could only be a good thing to be capable of recognizing a Shinigami Lieutenant on sight, but it seemed that it wasn't meant to be. If he hadn't been alone and weakened he might have jumped in to at least make sure the Shinigami got out alive and indebt them to him, but as it was, there was too much of a risk he'd die as well. And he wasn't willing to risk that. His family was waiting for him. He couldn't die yet.
Sasuke sighed, preparing to make himself scarce.
Suddenly, a black blur darted across the impromptu battlefield, startlingly reminiscent of a Jounin adept at shunshin techniques, and Sasuke blinked, surprised. Mentally, he swore a blue streak, because he now had undeniable proof that his chakra sensing was indeed messed up. From what he could see he should have been able to sense whoever it was before the new Shinigami had arrived. Damn.
Well, that changed things a little. If something happened he would have to improvise.
The cries of "Lieutenant!" and "Kuchiki-fukutaichou!" clued him in on the identity of the one who had just entered the fray. Sasuke sat up to attention, clamping down on his chakra to hide it as much as he was able to. It was shoddy at best, much to his ire.
For a moment, the Lieutenant paused to give some orders before he blurred out of sight again, but it was enough for Sasuke to get a good look at the man's appearance.
The Shinigami Lieutenant turned out to be a man that looked about Sasuke's age. He was slender, with straight black hair, pale skin, and an aristocratic face. Behind his left ear he wore a silver, tubular piece of jewelry in his hair. Sasuke wondered if it was a sign of his rank or just a personal accessory. The Shinigami Lieutenant was wearing the same black outfit as the other Shinigami, with the addition of a wooden badge decorated with a black emblem that might be a stylized flower, and a symbol that might be a kanji. The badge was secured to his upper left arm with a white strip of cloth.
It was obvious why the man was a Lieutenant. The man certainly was a highly skilled fighter, moving with a level of grace only the best could make look so effortless. He reminded Sasuke a lot of the samurai of the Land of Iron. The really good ones, unlike the other Shinigami. Fast as a Jounin, with a clear no-nonsense bearing, and, if what Sasuke had overheard about the Shinigami Lieutenant was accurate, upholding a level of noble dignity that would be a serious liability for anyone less capable. The man looked a bit too pale to be healthy, but that meant nothing. Itachi had been ill enough to cough up blood and he'd still been able to kick Sasuke's ass without any serious effort.
Granted, Sasuke had been sixteen back then, and blinded by hatred to boot, but still. The only reason why Sasuke had been the one to walk out of that fight was that Itachi had planned it that way. His brother had been insanely powerful and Sasuke wouldn't have stood a chance had Itachi fought seriously.
Sasuke hoped Itachi was still that powerful. Now that they were no longer mortal enemies he really hoped Itachi would be willing to teach him.
But those were musings for another time, Sasuke decided firmly, forcing his attention back on the situation at hand. Because right now, Sasuke knew for sure he shouldn't underestimate the Lieutenant, whether he was ill or not. Obviously, whatever ailed the man didn't hinder him, and seeing the man in action made clear that should Sasuke try to fight him with the way his chakra was now, he would lose. Badly. The way the man moved indicated that he was miles and miles above his subordinates; far more skilled than Sasuke had expected when he'd observed the Shinigami he had followed. Sasuke only hoped the difference wouldn't be too big. He would be in a lot of trouble otherwise.
Unfortunately, the man turned out to be perceptive too, and capable of sensing people pretty damn accurately, because once the battle was over, the man's eyes zeroed in on Sasuke's location like the nose of a ninken.
Sasuke tensed, aborting his reflex to suppress his chakra completely. He wouldn't succeed anyway, and trying would only give the man a clue about Sasuke's own abilities. Quickly, the Uchiha let himself drop out of the tree and let his blade fall into one of the dense bushes at the base. The Shinigami Lieutenant had him outmatched and outnumbered, so should the man decide to come his way and investigate, letting the Shinigami catch sight of his improvised shikomizue would only decrease his chances at a peaceful confrontation.
Not wanting to be too far from his sword should the situation go belly-up, Sasuke choose to hide himself as well. Given the Shinigami Lieutenant's speed, running wouldn't do him any good anyway.
His best bet right now would be to pretend to be an ordinary civilian vagrant who had heard the sounds of battle and had gotten curious. Trying to hide once spotted should be a normal reaction for a civilian.
He was just in time. Seconds after the branches of his hiding place had stopped rustling, the Shinigami Lieutenant's chakra signature appeared a mere five meters away. Gods, the man was fast, even through dense shrubbery. Sasuke was glad he'd decided against running. He wouldn't have gotten far.
The Shinigami Lieutenant was soon joined by three of his subordinates. Sasuke assumed the rest had orders to stay behind or something.
And yeah, the man was good, Sasuke acknowledged with grudging respect when the Lieutenant turned to him without the slightest hesitation.
"I know you are there. Please reveal yourself. Do not fear, we will not hurt you," a calm, authoritative voice called. Sasuke assumed it belonged to the man he was quickly coming to respect as a very dangerous individual. He couldn't really see, what with his hiding place blocking most of his field of vision.
Sasuke waited for a moment to feign hesitation, before he slowly crawled out of his hiding place, not bothering to hide the sounds of his movements. Why would he, when they already knew he was there?
As he rose to face the Shinigami Lieutenant and his people, Sasuke remembered just in time that he could not let them see his eyes. The red would put even powerful shinobi on edge. Shinigami? He wasn't going to bet on them being more composed. And them getting their guard up any further would be counterproductive. Quickly he let his eyes fall shut, leaving them only the tiniest bit open so he could still peer through his lashes and watch the Shinigami. It wasn't as if he really needed his sight right now. One of ANBU's requirements was that you had to be able to fight blind. Since his enemies always tried to take out his eyes, Sasuke had learned to be very good at it. Good enough to manage even without reliable chakra-sensing, as long as he wouldn't have to fight.
As a finishing touch Sasuke made sure to stand just a bit off balance. If the Lieutenant was any good then he would spot the signs of Sasuke's own training immediately, but with a bit of luck a few small flaws would conceal the full extent of it.
Dusting the leaves and dirt off his clothes, Sasuke quickly appraised the Shinigami the Lieutenant had brought with him. Hm, not the ones he had tailed before, except for one. That Manbou guy. From the way the unknown Shinigami held themselves, Sasuke judged they were fairly skilled but far below the level of their leader. Chuunin, maybe. And from the way they eyed him, Sasuke deduced that they didn't think much of him now he stood before them.
"Man, this is what had you keyed up, Kuchiki-fukutaichou-sama?" one of the Shinigami Sasuke didn't know remarked derisively once he'd taken in Sasuke's appearance. "It's just an ordinary Rukongai tramp!"
Sasuke would have liked to punch the rude moron on the nose, but that wouldn't go over well. Instead he kept his eyes trained on the Lieutenant, who was watching him with equally assessing eyes.
"Not ordinary," the man murmured to his subordinate, before addressing Sasuke with a polite nod. "Greetings, stranger. My name is Kuchiki Soujun, Lieutenant of the Sixth Division of the Gotei Thirteen. These are my men, Manbou Asakuchi, Rirujika Takeya, and Taro Mitaku." Kuchiki Soujun gestured at his subordinates as he introduced them, which was pretty convenient.
Sasuke paused, weighing his options. The Lieutenant was a lot less guarded than he'd expected, and what he had said had contained an intriguing amount of info. Clearly the man hadn't recognized him as a shinobi. Or at least, Sasuke amended, a hostile shinobi. That was good, but it changed things a little. Quickly Sasuke reevaluated his strategy and decided on a course of action. The man sounded as if he was used to people knowing his name. In that case, Sasuke prior decision not to give his real name was cemented. Who knew who else would learn it?
"My name is Shinrin," Sasuke replied, deliberately not stating a second name as he dipped into a shallow bow, fully knowing that his bow should have been deeper if he had intended to show proper respect to one of high rank. He made sure to behave just inches shy of rude to give the impression of someone who had never met one of the upper classes before, but who tried to be polite nonetheless. No need to seem anything more than what he looked like: a dirt-poor, unsophisticated vagrant of a derelict district. Unsophisticated vagrants rarely knew enough about upper class sensibilities to avoid insult, which was a good cover to test someone's character without actually seeming to do so.
He just hoped that afterlife etiquette was pretty similar to living-world etiquette. It would be bad if he ended up making a different impression than he intended.
As for the name, Sasuke had first planned to give an different name, but Shinrin was a common name among Konoha shinobi to give on the fly. If they recognized it they would know his affiliation, but in return it would tell Sasuke whether or not the Shinigami were familiar with Konoha. If they didn't they would think nothing of it.
"A pleasure meeting you," the Shinigami Lieutenant said, giving no sign that he was offended or had recognized the significance of Sasuke's chosen name. The other Shinigami didn't seem to recognize it either, though one of them growled in reaction to Sasuke's rudeness. Oh, how amusing. Growling at someone who seemed to be completely oblivious to the perceived slight was just asking for a fight. The man was lucky his superior was smarter than that.
But the fact that they didn't recognize the name was reason for concern. Especially the Lieutenant, who looked powerful and intelligent enough to be aware of at least the most common codes of the Hidden Villages. Surely the Konoha shinobi who had perished before him would have rebuild the village here? Maybe they changed some details?
Sasuke scratched the back of his head, faking uneasy self-consciousness. "Yeah, me too... How did you know I was here?" Sasuke asked, testing the waters as he cast his first line of inquiry. He was already pretty sure he knew the answer, but he was curious to see whether the man would tell him the truth.
"Your reiatsu is remarkable. You are good at hiding, but I could sense it," the Lieutenant said kindly, a glint of amusement in his bluish-purple eyes.
Huh. Odd color, Sasuke thought. Though he supposed he wasn't one to talk with the way his eyes were now. And the Shinigami was at least willing to be a little honest, or else he didn't deem the information important enough to protect. Assuming that reiatsu was the same as chakra.
The Shinigami Lieutenant tilted his head a little. "With that much reiryoku you need to eat every day, is it not?" he said conversationally, interrupting Sasuke's train of speculation.
Sasuke stared at the man from between his lashes, caught off guard by the odd non-sequitur. As far as fishing for information went, this question wasn't exactly subtle. Though why on earth the Lieutenant would ask such a thing... Trying to catch him off balance? But why such a weird question? Who didn't need to eat every day? Granted, Sasuke, like most other skilled shinobi, could last a few days without food if it was necessary, but that didn't mean it was a good idea to do so.
Sasuke frowned. Then again, the man lived here, and this was the afterlife. Who knew how odd a dead person's metabolism was? Or a Shinigami's, for that matter? Who knew what he didn't know about himself?
"Are you telling me you don't?" Sasuke inquired warily, taking note of a slight restlessness in the other Shinigami. It didn't seem to be caused by the almost rude way he asked his questions, which was both interesting and worrying. Clearly, he was missing something.
Kuchiki Soujun smiled as if Sasuke had said something amusing. Sasuke was getting a bad feeling. "Oh, I do," he assured. "But most souls in the Rukongai don't. If they don't have reiryoku they don't need sustenance at all. Only those with power feel hunger here."
Say what? Sasuke forgot to hide his surprise. That was... well, bizarre was one word for it. "And how often is usual?" he asked, warily. Because while he was perfectly capable of suppressing his own hunger, he certainly knew when he was feeling it. And so far, he'd felt it at least three times a day, and that was even when he snacked a little between the meals. What did that say about him, if there were a lot of people who required nothing?
The man tilted his head, a knowing look in his eyes. Clearly he had read between the lines and had drawn his own conclusions about Sasuke's food intake. "Most of the souls with power only have a little, and require a light meal once every two to four days. Those with above-average power often require a piece of fruit or a small bun every day. But from your reaction I get the feeling you need more than that."
Wait, what? One meal every few days? And a light one at that? Had he been less in control of himself, Sasuke's jaw would have dropped. As it was, he barely managed to abort the knee-jerk reaction to widen his eyes in surprise. The Lieutenant probably caught a glimpse of his true eye color, though it was difficult to tell whether the man had realized it wasn't just an odd shade of brown.
The man's eyes were kind. "How often do you need, I wonder?" he said mildly, as if musing to himself. "A meal once a day? A meal twice a day? Though given what I can sense from you, twice might be excess."
For a moment, Sasuke debated the merits of revealing his true requirements. On one hand it would give the man a more accurate estimate of Sasuke's reserves, but on the other hand, he seemed very knowledgeable and willing to share that knowledge. Not a common combination. And since there were clearly more differences between the living world and the world of the dead that Sasuke had been able to detect yet, Sasuke needed information. As it was, this guy seemed to be his best chance to get the more vital tidbits. Who knew what else he didn't know about living the afterlife?
Good thing he had made sure to keep a few cards up his sleeve then. People with power were only dangerous when they knew how to use it. So far, he was pretty sure the Shinigami Lieutenant was a pro at it. Though he should brush up his assessing abilities. From the way Kuchiki Soujun talked to him, he didn't expect much from Sasuke despite knowing that Sasuke's level of power was above average.
Which was just the way the Uchiha liked it.
Sasuke pretended to cave beneath the inquiries, letting a hint of uncertain apprehension slip into his stance. "Three small meals a day," Sasuke stated, as if unsure why he would need to eat more than someone else. And had to keep himself from smirking when through the entire group jaws dropped and eyes bulged. He hadn't even mentioned the snacks, and already the Shinigami looked like fish. Not a flattering appearance.
Gods, Naruto was a terrible influence on his sense of humor.
The Lieutenant had better control over his reactions. He was clearly taken aback, but at least he didn't make a fool of himself. He needed a second to compose himself, but his genial face was soon plastered back on, though he still looked a bit nonplussed beneath his gentle mask. Hmm, not just like the samurai of the Land of Iron then. This guy could have been one of their Captains.
Sasuke decided he liked him. He also decided he was not going to trust the Lieutenant with any information about his past anytime soon. Anyone who was comparable to those of the Land of Iron was too dangerous for that.
"How odd, I only sense-" Kuchiki Soujun murmured, confused, before his eyes widened in realization and he cut himself off. His calm masked cracked a little, astounded disbelief leaking through. "Are you hiding your reiatsu?"
Sasuke raised a mental eyebrow. He was keeping his chakra signature at a low key – or was attempting to – but from Kuchiki's words it sounded like chakra and reiatsu were the same. On the same note, Sasuke assumed that reiatsu and reiryoku were related. Outwardly, he shrugged. "Don't know. Depends on what you mean by reiatsu."
Kuchiki stared for a moment. Then he shook his head, muttering something that sounded like, "Father is never going to believe this."
Sasuke briefly wondered who this 'father' was. From the way the Lieutenant held himself he wouldn't be surprised if his parent was an important noble. Something to keep an eye on.
Collecting himself and straightening, Kuchiki gestured invitingly at the clearing where his men had been fighting. "I think we should sit down for this. It may take me a while to explain."
Sasuke hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to leave his sword behind, but... Damn, he accidentally dropped a kunai in his foot, now didn't he? Say yes and he'd have to leave his blade. Say no and the Shinigami Lieutenant would wonder why.
He sighed internally. Well, better to keep the Shinigami Lieutenant ignorant and wring some more info out of him. He could always come back for his weapon later.
Decision made, Sasuke gestured as politely as he could you first. The man smiled genially and complied.
One of the men, Taro Mitaku, if Sasuke remembered right, opened his mouth to protest, but a small gesture from his Lieutenant cut him off. Sasuke politely refrained from smirking.
His not-a-smirk changed into a look of confusion when the Lieutenant offered him a hand. "We will reach the others far easier if you allow me to carry you," Kuchiki explained. "Walking the normal way will take quite long."
For a moment Sasuke was sorely tempted to show the Lieutenant exactly what a Konoha shinobi was capable of in terrain like this, but swiftly kicked that desire in the back of the knees and hogtied it. While he probably wouldn't be able to pull off the normal civilian routine in front of someone like Kuchiki Soujun, there was absolutely no need to show off. Plus he was curious how the Lieutenant intended to reach the clearing if they weren't going to 'walk the normal way'.
"Alright," Sasuke agreed, keeping a sharp eye on the Lieutenant when the man slung Sasuke's arm over his shoulder and wrapped his own arm around Sasuke's waist.
If he tries something, Sasuke thought grimly, as he opened his eyes a smidgen to observe the other man's actions, I'll at least be in the right position to kill him for it.
Then he sucked in a startled breath as the world blurred and he was smoothly pulled along at incredible speed.
Not quite shunshin, Sasuke realized, feeling a sharp flash of envy. But close enough.
At least he had now seen the technique in action. He would figure out how to use it himself soon enough. His own attempts at shunshin had been pathetic at best, and he had stopped experimenting when he was tailing the Shinigami so he wouldn't alert them by crashing into things or tripping. Those were some of the most embarrassing ways to be discovered he could think of.
Coming to a standstill was smooth too, the Lieutenant's movements lacking the jerkiness of the other Shinigami's movements. One jump was all Kuchiki had needed to clear the distance, unlike his subordinates, who needed two or more. As if Sasuke needed any more proof that Kuchiki was on a whole different level.
Slipping out of the Shinigami's hold, Sasuke observed the rest of the Lieutenants group. The Shinigami were staring at him with various amalgams of curiosity and wariness. A few of them seemed displeased to see their Lieutenant carrying someone. Apparently it was regarded as beneath his station or something. Sasuke ignored their displeasure. It had been Kuchiki's own decision after all.
"Please follow me, Shinrin-san," Kuchiki requested, appearing not in the least bit fazed by his subordinates' none too subtle frowns as he guided Sasuke to a patch of grass a little away from where the battle had been. The three that had accompanied the Lieutenant settled down as well.
"Well then," the Lieutenant began conversationally, sitting in flawless seiza. "I could simply start explaining, but perhaps you prefer to have some questions answered first."
Sasuke nodded, choosing a seemingly sloppier version of the formal position which allowed him to defend himself as easily as if he had been standing. He casually ignored the lower ranking Shinigami's sneers. He was pleasantly surprised when Kuchiki did the same, and even directed a mildly admonishing look at the worst of them.
"What did you mean with 'reiatsu'? And just out of curiosity, do you always start talking about dietary habits when you meet someone?" Sasuke inquired, honestly interested in the answer. It was a bit ruder than he would like, but it was a very fitting thing to ask given how Kuchiki had introduced that topic.
Kuchiki chuckled. "Not usually, but it is a good way to get an idea of someone's reserves, so given the chance we do try to bring it up at one point or another," the man explained. "And I will admit that I was curious what your reaction would be. It is not often that I find someone with the nerves to observe one of our battles from such a meagre distance. Most Rukongai citizens would run away as fast as they could. And I was not sure I would get a chance to ask at a later moment, since I couldn't help but notice you were ready to either attack or flee." Kuchiki tilted his head, thoughtfully regarding Sasuke. "Which I found a little odd, since you didn't seem afraid of us. At least it was quite effective in capturing your attention."
Huh. That was pretty clever, Sasuke admitted. An unusual approach, but clever. And now the Lieutenant mentioned it, Sasuke realized the odd remark had made him involuntarily lower his guard as well. He almost smiled. How much like a shinobi. It was certainly a tactic Naruto would have appreciated.
"As for reiatsu," Kuchiki continued when Sasuke refrained from commenting, "it is the pressure exerted by one's reiryoku. Reiryoku is the power one's soul possesses. Everyone has some amount of reiryoku, and the amount reflects the strength of one's soul. Reiryoku is emitted in the form of reiatsu, which can be sensed. Those with great skill at manipulating their reiryoku can learn to reduce the emission of reiatsu, or use seals or items to reduce it for them. I have never heard of someone being capable of suppressing their reiatsu without being a Shinigami, yet you seem to be doing it to a minor degree. That is very impressive," the Lieutenant told him earnestly.
Sasuke mentally nodded to himself. Yes, that did sound a lot like chakra, only without the division between physical energy and spiritual energy. "Am I right to assume that the need to eat comes from the fact that I leak reiryoku all over the place?"
The Lieutenant looked amused by his choice of words. "That would be a fair assumption, yes. Once you have gained some control that will decrease, though you would still need food to replenish the reiryoku you expend during activities."
Sasuke nodded. "I see. So what is the normal food-intake for a Shinigami?"
Kuchiki looked thoughtful. "I believe that would be three meals and a similar number of snacks a day for an average Shinigami." A sunny smile. "Which would make you one of the most powerful untrained souls we have ever come across."
Sasuke felt like facepalming. Of. Course. Shinobi training coming to bite him in the ass, Kami, the world had a terrible sense of humor. Outwardly he only grimaced and said, "I see."
The Lieutenant nodded, visibly nonplussed by his lack of reaction. "I am glad you do. Most souls have difficulty accepting this." The man gave him an appraising look. "Which makes me wonder how experienced a soul you are... How long have you been here? Usually people are far less composed."
Sasuke shrugged. "Not that long," he replied, deliberately vague. "I have to say, I didn't expect the differences between life and death to be this subtle."
The man stilled. "You remember your life?"
Sasuke paused. Sighed, annoyed and resigned. "I take that isn't normal?"
The man shook his head. "No... Souls are supposed to forget their human life. Though it happens sometimes that someone remembers a few things." He paused, thoughtful. "How much do you think you remember?"
Sasuke frowned mentally, a dark suspicion settling heavy in his gut. He considered how much he should reveal. He shrugged. "Enough to remember some of my military training," he lied. Better to have something to point at should Kuchiki figure out he was more capable than he pretended to be. "So how unusual is that?"
The man sighed. "Very. Most do not recall more than the very basics, like how currency works or how to prepare food. Sometimes a vague recollection of what had been the most important to them in life. The fact that you recall something as specific as receiving military training is exceptional."
Sasuke stilled. Then, after several long seconds, he slowly let the air in his lungs escape. He bowed his head, eyes stinging.
Well... that sucked. So even if he found his family, or anyone from Konoha, there was a good chance they wouldn't remember him? Even Itachi? He could barely believe it. That- That was...
Sasuke cut of that line of thought and forcefully yanked himself out of his funk. No. He wasn't going to dwell on it, not when he was in the middle of a conversation with someone as skilled as Kuchiki. If his family and his comrades really didn't remember... then he would just have to get used to it. He had thought he had lost most of them for forever before, so it was not as if it would make that much of a difference.
He adamantly refused to acknowledge how much getting his hopes crushed hurt.
"Do people remember their names?" he asked. Probably too brusquely, but he could always apologize later.
The Lieutenant seemed to sense his pain and gave him a sad look. "Few do," he replied. "Very, very few."
Sasuke took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face. And if his breath shuddered a little and his eyes were probably a bit more moist than they should be, well, it was a good thing the Shinigami couldn't see it.
Luckily for Sasuke, Kuchiki was perspective enough to drop the subject of memories. "So how old are you?" he inquired instead. "Not everyone retains the appearance they had at the end of their lives, so it can be a bit hard to tell at times."
Sasuke took a deep breath, shoving grief aside and locking it away in a big black pitch along with all the other negative emotions he had accumulated over the years. Compartmentalizing wasn't the most healthy thing to do with your emotions, but it had gotten him through more sticky situations than he cared to count. Better to concentrate on himself than on people who might no longer know him.
"I look a bit younger than I used to," he assented, remembering seeing a face he hadn't seen for at least five years in the mirror after he had gone to check his eyes. "But I'm twenty-three years old."
One of the men, Taro – the same moron from before – snorted. "Man, your training must've sucked if you died that young."
Sasuke glanced at him and gave him an icy look. The one he had used to terrify annoying subordinates with. "You're a fool," he told the moron coldly, not in the mood to deal with the idiot. "If you had any common sense at all, then you would know that age is a very unreliable indicator for ability. My death was caused by lack of fortune, not by lack of skill."
And yeah, maybe he wanted to keep a low profile. But that didn't mean he would just let such an insult go. That would be disrespectful to everyone who had ever put their trust in his skill.
"So you have some military training, on top of being a very powerful soul," Kuchiki interrupted thoughtfully, ignoring his spluttering subordinate. The Lieutenant smiled in a way that was a bit too pleased. "Say, do you want to be a Shinigami?"
Sasuke frowned, instantly suspicious. "What, you'd offer me a place just like that?"
The man chuckled. "Not exactly. You will first have to graduate from the Academy before you can become one of my Shinigami. But I cannot deny that you have a lot of potential, so once you have graduated I would not mind if you joined my Division."
Ah, so the Lieutenant was just looking for recruits. Sasuke could understand Kuchiki's actions now. He himself would be willing to invest some time into coaxing someone with a lot of potential into becoming one of his subordinates.
"And it cannot be denied that with your reiryoku levels you need training, or else your reiatsu will act out and become a danger to those around you," the man continued, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
Sasuke became a lot more interested at the word 'training'. Regaining his old techniques would go so much faster if he could skip the whole 'trial and error' phase. "And who would train me?"
"The instructors of the Academy, at least for the years you remain at the Academy. Once you join a Division you will be trained by your seniors."
Sasuke mentally frowned. The more prideful part of him balked at the idea of going through an Academy again at his age and skill level, but the more practical part of him quickly whacked the prideful part over the head, reminding it of the fact that at an Academy you didn't just learn fighting. You learned history, laws, behavioral codes, and, most important, jutsu. His control over his spiritual energy was still shoddy, and he barely could perform any jutsu with it.
So yeah, he admitted the Academy would probably be useful. His seniors on the other hand…
Sasuke cast one look at the Shinigami who would be his seniors, and carefully kept the sneer that wanted to form from his face. With the exception of the Lieutenant, there was very little these people would be able to teach him once he had gotten his chakra control back.
Maybe Kuchiki was able to detect some of his thoughts, because the man looked increasingly amused. "Of course you will also be granted free access to our library," he added, watching carefully to see how Sasuke would react to the additional bait, clearly having cottoned on to the fact that Sasuke was interested in improving himself.
Sasuke eyed him skeptically, ruefully amused by the eagerness he detected in the Lieutenant's countenance. Looked like the man really wanted to recruit him.
Well, it's not as if the offer isn't tempting. And if anyone has retained some of their memories, they too will investigate the Shinigami at one point or another. Not to mention that if there really was no one who remembered, then joining the Shinigami might just be a good place to start anew.
It's not as if I won't find a way to leave if I don't like it, he reassured himself. I was the ANBU's second Commander. Once I have my control back, they won't be able to stop me.
He nodded to himself and returned his attention to Kuchiki. For the first time that day, he returned the Lieutenant's smile. "Fine, fine. I'll go to that Academy of yours."
And there you go! To be honest, I'm not entirely happy with this chapter. Some of it just feels clumsy. However, I don't think I can improve that unless I rewrite the entire thing, and I really want to move on with the story. So forgive me if things feel a little odd here and there.
For those that are interested: 'shinrin' means 'forest/woods'; I assume I don't have to explain why this has a connection to Konoha.
Please let me know what you thought! Constructive criticism is welcome!
