Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a good Christmas. Here's the next chapter. It's slightly longer than normal, so I figured it would be a nice way to start '08. Hope you enjoy.


In the outskirts of Seireitei, a few people walked around the dilapidated district. There was a soft murmuring of the inhabitants speaking, but other than that, the streets were quiet as usual. But what was usual changed in the recent days, as new souls found themselves stepping through the barrier.

"What is this place?" a voice that belonged to a teenaged girl asked. The strangers' flat soled sandals tapped the loamy earth in unison as they observed their surroundings.

"We have been walking for several hours now, but I still can't recognize anything around us. This place is not familiar." a male voice gave his own comment, tracing his unusual eyes across the sullen landscape.

"It is so desolate… Are the people here unhappy?"

"It appears so… But they shall fear not! With our presence, their faces will start to glow in exuberance and witness the SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!! Watch as our magnificence spreads through like a wonderful disease!" Several heads of bystanders turned and looked at the new speaker strangely, ushering the children inside.

"Yes! You are absolutely right, Sensei!" The boyish voice rose in volume to express his support to the bizarre man, earning distinctive groans from the two beside them.

"Now, let us infect every single being with the unstoppable plague of youth!" Some of the bystanders rushed into shambled homes behind the children, shutting the doors in response to the eccentric declaration.

The female moaned and scuffed her sandal on the ground, cheeks flaring from both irritation and utter embarrassment. "Can you two not attract so much attention for once?" A soft but masculine sigh followed the reproach, coming from a tall young man who closed his pale eyes.

"Give it up, TenTen."


Team 7 used the morning to recover their wounds, feeling much better with the help from the medical division. For the remainder of their time, they discussed the agenda ahead of them and received a basic tour of Soul Society. While it took time to settle in, they eventually accepted their situation and grudgingly agreed to work for the shinigami (though of course, there was much more resistance on Naruto's part).

It was revealed that their plan for the day was to demonstrate their combative abilities for Seireitei to decide which squad each of them belonged in. As Naruto complained to Kakashi and Yamato, Sakura and Sai got ready for the exhibition without much fuss.

"So, what do you think of this test?" Sakura asked, double-checking the equipment in her pouch. Sai snapped the ink tray into his scroll and answered without looking up. "I don't think anything of it. We are told to treat this as a mission." he replied nonchalantly.

Sakura tied her red headband around her hair, pulling it into a knot. She straightened her clothing and slipped on her gloves, flexing her fingers to get a better feel for them. The team's personal outfits were washed and mended after two days, allowing them to wear the more battle suited attire in time for the fighting.

"Well, at least we get our clothes back. I don't know how we'd be able to fight in those robes." she said thoughtfully, considering her own combat style. The sleeves of the shinigami robes would have gotten in the way, hindering her punching and mobility.

"It doesn't matter what you wear; you're pretty either way." Sai complimented, but only earned a wry smile from Sakura. "You're getting good at learning proper social skills, but I know you still don't mean it."

Sai blinked at her statement as he stood, done with his preparations. "I really don't understand. It's either making fake compliments and getting appreciation… or being honest and getting hit in the face. It's a lose-lose situation with you."

Sakura laughed a little at his observation. "You really are something else. Maybe it's better if you kept your mouth closed in these situations. But in the end, it's probably best if you were sincere about your comments."

The two walked towards the exit of the medical division with Sakura smiling and Sai pondering. They stopped at the doorway, waiting for Naruto and their teachers to join them. "In that case, I'll be more truthful while being nice," Sai spoke with an affectionate tone, using a more genuine-seeming smile, "Thanks for your help, Ugly Dog."

Sakura's teeth grinded together as the vein in her hand bulged. She socked him in the face, causing him to fly back inside. "THAT'S WHERE YOU STARTED, DUMBASS!!"


A deep, tired sigh was pushed out steadily, followed by a muttering of a word. "I still don't understand why we're here, but is what you're saying true?"

The brisk sound of a fan unfolding wedged through the quietness of the room as a man fanned himself lazily. "Of course! I have no reason to lie to you. I'm quite surprised at this whole scenario myself, but I can't say this is the most shocking situation I've faced." he said airily, earning a frown from another person across the table.

"How can you be so relaxed about this? Don't you think this deserves to be taken more seriously?" The speaker leaned forward, hands pressing against her knees as she expressed her disapproval at his levity.

"No need to be so grave, Miss. It's not the end of the world—well, not yet—but we'll sort this all out in due time. This seems to be a similar dilemma as the one Soul Society is handling…"

"Is there something you're not telling us? I still don't know what this 'Soul Society' really is, but I get the feeling you know more than you're telling us." The annoyed boy frowned but kept his composure.

There was an uncomfortable silence, littered with a few munching noises and the steady fanning. "To be completely truthful, I'm getting new information only through a messenger of Soul Society. I can assure you I don't know much more than that."

The teenager narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you acting so calm and… happy about it?" A light chuckle escaped the older person with the fan.

"Don't mind me. It's just my personality."


As Sai nursed his sore cheek, the others stood in an arena of some sort that was closed off from the main region. "Just as I thought; you shouldn't say anything after all." Sakura gave Sai a dull look of displeasure, making him sigh at his lack of progress. He would never understand it.

While they were waiting, Kakashi and Yamato used the time to coach their students for a brief moment. "Some of the squads of the Gotei 13 will be here to watch you fight. We've already demonstrated our skills and were placed into squads." Kakashi said as Yamato nodded in affirmation.

Naruto blinked a few times in surprise. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? Which squads are you in?"

"I'm placed in Squad 5. Yamato is in Squad 9." Kakashi replied. Sakura knit her eyebrows in thought. "Wait, didn't Captain Unohana say that squads 3, 5, and 9 were without leaders because of the treason of… erm…" She paused, trying to think of the name.

"Aizen," Yamato provided, "and yes, we were assigned to those particular squads because of that reason. Apparently we 'exceeded the standard', so to speak, during the demonstrations. We're acting as assistants to the lieutenants, who are currently regarded as substitutes for their captains."

In the middle of their conversation, Yamamoto's voice boomed over the area. "The exhibition will begin momentarily. Captains, watch carefully; these three can be assigned to your squad upon assessment of skill."

The two teachers turned to their kids and gave them a few words of encouragement before starting to walk off. "Good luck."

Once Kakashi and Yamato exited the area, a screen of spirit energy raised itself around the dome. "This must be to keep us in…" Sakura noted, feeling particles prickle at her skin as she lightly touched the invisible wall.

"W-what the hell is that?!"

All heads turned to the front as Naruto made his outburst. Sakura's eyes widened in shock when she saw large, bizarre monsters bearing white masks loom over them. Sai didn't waste time in gawking like his teammates as he unraveled his scroll, taking out his brush and dipping it in ink.

Naruto noted his teammate's readiness to fight and smirked a little to himself. "I don't know what these freaks are, but I guess all we have to do is kick their asses." He bent his knees before springing forward, eager to fight. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Six clones formed in a row, prepared to attack the lion-like Hollow that was ambling their way. Five of them charged at the massive creature, punching and kicking at its sides. "What the-? Its skin is…!" a clone said, noticing that regular, mediocre-force taijutsu did little to harm it. The Hollow thrashed about, tossing the clones off as it bellowed a roar that resembled more of an eerie screech. Puffs of smoke shot in the air as the clones crashed to the ground.

Naruto gritted his teeth at the lack of effect. He held out his right hand as a clone at his side started to rapidly form energy around it in spherical motion. "Alright, then how about th-"

"Ninja Art: Great Beast Painting."

The clone was suddenly knocked forward by something from behind. "Gah!" he yelped before vanishing. Lions of smaller proportion than the Hollow but made of ink lunged at the monster, tackling and biting at its legs. Naruto whipped around to see Sai squatting on the ground with a scroll in his lap and his brush raised above the paper.

"Aarggh! SAI! What'd you do that for?! I was going to get it with my Rasengan!" he shouted in aggravation.

Sai blinked once in mild confusion at his outburst. "Your clone was in the way. Trying to evade it would have taken more time to attack that thing, which would have struck you before then. Friends protect each other, right?"

Naruto sagged at Sai's explanation, but his attention was immediately diverted when the Hollow's shriek returned. The ink lions had splattered against it, looking almost like spurted blood on a body canvas. After being defeated, the Hollow began to dissipate into particles. The three watched in curiosity and slight bewilderment. Even as an unearthly creature, they expected it to fall to the ground and stay there, but apparently such a creature dissolved into nothingness when killed.

"Look out, there's more coming!" Sakura warned, pulling out a kunai from her pouch and gripping it firmly. Naruto cracked his knuckles and hunched over slightly in preparation.

"Alright, bring it on."


Twenty minutes later…

SMASH.

A sphere with the power of a typhoon ripped through a white mask, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. A screech tore through the air as a Hollow's remains evaporated, causing Naruto to grin cockily. "Heh! They're as bad as those guys we fought when we got here!"

Team 7 had been fighting for half an hour, plowing through Hollow after Hollow. The difficulty was eventually bumped to where they had to fight against the Menos Grande, but the new enemies did not pose too great of a threat to them either once they had time to discover their weaknesses.

"Don't get arrogant, Naruto. You've gotten hurt a couple of times already; don't underestimate them." Sakura cautioned. Since Naruto and Sai handled the monsters just fine on their own, she stayed back to support just in case.

"Heh, don't get so worried Sak-" Naruto didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when a hefty claw struck at him, knocking him away. Sakura's alarmed expression quickly transitioned into a dull look. "Ugh, Naruto you idiot…" Sakura muttered, shaking her head. The fox growled at the interruption and slid on his feet, using his hand to break his glide across the ground. His clones beat at the weaker Hollow until it dissolved into smaller, black particles and disappeared.

As they fought, the squads attending watched with some intrigue. "They're not bad…" a rather tidy young man from Squad 11 commented, but his bald companion scoffed. "That's nothing. They haven't proven anything yet."

The somewhat effeminate looking one turned to him, raising an unusually colored and feathered brow. "That's true by our standards, but compared to many of the weaker divisions, these fighters seem to be something else." The bald one rested a loose arm on his zanpakuto's hilt, still unimpressed. "Eh. The only one that might be interesting is that blond kid."

The other turned his head to Naruto, who was fighting in a wild style his partner would identify with. His gaze shifted to Sai, who fought with much more tact. Despite his fighting style being strange with the use of paintings, they seemed to work in great effect. The pale boy quickly defeated his fair share of Hollows with nimble movement of his fingers, handling the brush. After lingering at the unique style, he switched his eyes to Sakura, who had yet to fight at all. She had been evading attacks quite well as her teammates disposed of the creatures. Occasionally, she displayed her healing powers, closing up minor wounds for the blond because he was slightly careless.

"That other boy has some talent. I've never seen such a technique before. On the other hand, the girl doesn't seem to be able to fight at all. She's obviously just there to support, judging from her fragile appearance." he observed.

Naruto's Rasengan glowed as he drove it into a Menos, eating away at its body until it swirled away into oblivion. "Take that!" he crowed.

Sai's brush moved rapidly across the paper, creating many ink creatures at a time. Ink wolves bit and tore at several Hollows while they ganged up on the stronger ones. Sakura jumped away from a large red orb of energy a Menos fired, watching as some debris became incinerated from the blast. She didn't have time to make many observations as she saw a large shadow loom over her. Turning around, she saw a large Hollow bend over to claw at her. Curling her fingers into a solid fist, she rammed a heavy punch into the Hollow's face, causing it to shatter and vanish after being knocked back quite a ways.

The bald one of Squad 11 snorted, almost laughing. "So much for 'fragile'."

During the fight, Yamamoto was pulled aside by an informant. They exchanged a few words before he nodded and walked back to his office without being noticed.


An hour had passed since the exhibition ended. Team 7 had been fighting for a total of 45 minutes, making them a little worn-out. As the captains assembled in a separate house, they were treated again for minor injuries in the medical division.

"I wonder what squad we'll be put in… I know that some of them specialize in certain areas, like Squad 12 being the science, technology, and research division." Sakura contemplated as she healed the small wounds she received. Green chakra glowed from her palm, repairing the cut at a swift rate.

"Oh, you know how to heal with kido?" A woman's voice prompted Sakura to turn around. It was the lavender haired young woman from before. "Kido?" she queried, dropping her arm to her side. "I heard about that from Captain Unohana, but where we come from, we don't use kido… Well, we might, but we don't call it that." Sakura corrected, tying in the elements of her world with Soul Society's.

"I see… You seem to be good at it, in any case." Isane smiled politely. Sakura smiled as well, "I was trained by our village's greatest medical ninja, Lady Tsunade. I'm still training, but it's become natural for me."

As the two medics-in-training conversed, they learned a bit of each other's techniques. Sai began to learn and connect the relations between the worlds by listening as well. He had already deduced that their 'chakra' was most likely equivalent to their 'reiatsu'. Likewise, kido and other arts the shinigami practiced were similar to what they had deemed as 'jutsus'.

He looked up, noticing that Kakashi and Yamato were missing. Before he could wonder why, the group was notified that it was time for them to be cast into their respective squads.


Hurray, squad time! Guesses are welcome, though I've already made decisions. Please drop a review! I'd greatly appreciate it.

Next- Chapter 5: Convergence; Team 7 have shown off their skills in battle and are cast into their respective squads. But what's this? Who are the others that are starting to show up? Team 7 isn't alone after all!