Bleach ©Tite Kubo

Naruto ©Masashi Kishimoto

The concept of Jiryokou ©Dahlia Derbyshire

xXx

( Land of Iron )

Suna shinobi…or at least, that's what Renji had been told to call them. During their little "trip", the two more talkative divulged more about the Elemental Nations' cultures, ranking system, and insignificant historical details. Renji, being the type of person who didn't like learning, was bored. Much to Temari's dismay, he yawned several times when she took the liberty of explaining. She was ignorant to the fact that a fair amount of his yawns were forced, their purpose being to get Temari to either shut up, or let Kankuro do all the talking.

Renji had made a lot of useful speculation of the three before him. First and foremost, there was Temari. She was a good-looking girl, Renji would admit, but that was it. When she wasn't acting pretty like a normal woman, she was either arguing with her brothers or batting her eyelashes at Renji. Just how bipolar was the woman? She changed moods and temperaments so often that Renji eventually lost any and all interest, taking the time to glance at their surroundings. (This, again, was just a front. He'd rather let her think he was more interested in the environment than he was her.)

Aside from the ever-so confusing Temari, there was Kankuro. Renji wasn't sure what he thought about Kankuro yet. All he could be sure of was that Kankuro was, undoubtedly, a determined, stubborn, unlikeable ass who tormented Renji for his appearance relentlessly. If anything, he and Kankuro were a lot alike. If a fight was to break out, not only would they both enter into it willingly, but they would refuse to back down. Thus, Renji's relationship with Kankuro was very confusing, and it didn't help that even as he tried to figure out Kankuro, Temari would suddenly intervene. That crazy female…

And then there was the head honcho; the man of the hour; their leader, Gaara. Unlike Kankuro, Renji knew what he thought about Gaara. This red-haired guy was a force to be reckoned with. Not once had he said a word since he practically ordered Renji to come with him. He was stone cold, and almost lifeless. Though Renji doubted that was it. There was more to this Gaara than what met the eye…a secret about him that nobody felt obligated to tell. Renji hated it. He hated the secrets, the mysteries, and everything about Gaara. Just by standing next to Gaara, Renji got the feeling of being inferior. It was the same thing he felt next to Byakuya! It made him so irritated, that he almost wanted to confront the situation.

Almost.

Renji was not a complete fool. If this air around Gaara was so similar to Byakuya, then there was a chance that his strength was as well. In Renji's weakened condition (no thanks to Jiryokou) there was no way he'd fair well in a serious fight, against a serious opponent. Kankuro was one thing; this Gaara was a whole other story…

While being engaged in his own thoughts and excuses as to avoid Temari's flirting and Kankuro's crude jokes, Renji hardly noticed how the weather seemed to change the more they traveled. The fact that the sand gradually thinned and disappeared, leading them to a land full of snow and trees was something Renji did not see. At least not until the cold from the snow began to seep into his sandals, sending a cold shock up his body.

This had to be it, the Land of Iron.

One thing was for sure, Renji didn't like it. Snow was so troublesome, and he knew all too well that cold weather and fighting didn't go hand-in-hand. Often enough hollows or stronger opponents had the advantage over Renji in such cold weather. It was, to put it simply, insufferable.

Up ahead Renji saw a single building, following a very old, traditional architecture style. It had layer upon layer of snow-covered roofing, until it the very tip morphed into a sharp point. Surrounding the building were strange, armor-clad men who had weapons the size of an average Zanpakutou. There was one person in particular that awaited the group as they approached. It was an older man, but not so old that he appeared weak or foreboding. Around his head above his eyebrows was a wrap, a little pointless in Renji's opinion. The man and his armored friends were all still shorter than Renji, but did not look any nicer. The older one especially had a constipated look to his face, only showcased by his long talon-like mustache and beard. Strange, strange man…

"We've been waiting for you." The old man spoke to Gaara, his voice portrayed wisdom with his many years. "I am the leader of the Land of Iron, my name is Mifune." The old man didn't smile, or give any sense of welcome. He merely stood there with his displeased look and waited for a response on Gaara's part.

"It's a pleasure. I'm Gaara, the Kazekage." Gaara spoke, pulling down his scarf (that Renji hadn't even seen the man put on) that was meant to keep him warm in order to talk. He lightly gestured to his friends, respectively saying, "This is Temari, Kankuro, and Renji."

That was the most Renji had heard Gaara speak in a long while. Just what else was the infamously young Kazekage (from what Renji had learned) hiding beneath that bleak stare of his? Even more importantly, just how did a person with his personality become the Kazekage in the first place? If Renji understood correctly, the Kazekage was the highest ninja rank in the Land of Wind, meaning Gaara was the most powerful shinobi of his village. Just how did someone like Gaara obtain such a title?

Renji, with no intention of being rude, couldn't imagine a scenario where Gaara gained such a title. He tried his best to picture it, but came up with nothing. It couldn't be a situation of honor, could it…? Which left Renji with the assumption that, of all things, Gaara had acquired it through birthright. That was hard to believe, since any mention of the former Kazekage had been left out during conversation, or Renji had been ignoring the others at the time.

Mifune was a little hasty to get them into the building, not wasting time for further introductions. Followed by two bald men, also looking equally as constipated, Mifune led the others into the building, Renji tracing over every detail with his eyes. This was quite a big, new experience to behold… Even more exciting was the tense aura that everyone seemed to give out.

'This Kage Summit must be pretty damn big,' Renji thought, smirking.

xXx

( Konohagakure no Sato )

Of all the decisions Rukia had made in her life, this was the only one she was fuzzy on. Joining the Kuchiki family had been an easy thing to think about; her entrance to the Academy followed that even more so. The point is that Rukia was always so sure about herself, so convinced that whatever may happen her decision was for the best. It was only natural that she was irritated with herself and confused about her position in Konoha. She was just a shinigami, what could she do that shinobi couldn't?

She may have looked completely positive when she told Ichigo and Sakura that this was her decision, this was what she needed. If she was going to be of any help to Ichigo, whom she knew wouldn't be rendered powerless here, she needed to become stronger. This training could help. Then again, it was easier said then done.

Ichigo and Sakura were not as convinced with her decision as she was. "Are you sure?" They would ask in turn, looking at her with a puzzled demeanor. As a response, Rukia would merely nod, or positively confirm it. She was sure…or at least, she would be sure. Besides, if (and that's a major if) the training did not even help, she could always stay on the side lines. Reluctantly, she could let Ichigo hold up the reputation for shinigami everywhere.

She was pulled from her thoughts when, if not for the hundredth time, she was asked if she was positive. She nodded, forcing a smile. "Yes, I completely sure of this. If I stay with Kon during his training, not only can I keep his behavior in line-" A rowdy 'Hey!' could be heard in the background. "-but I might be able to learn a thing or two that could prove useful to me in the long run."

Her answer, although shaky was sufficient. The two before her nodded, glancing to where Ebisu stood. The Jounin waved his hand in dismissal. With that one gesture he assured the two that everything would be alright; Ichigo who had always been a loyal friend felt relieved that they had found a solution; and Sakura, who had become fond of the shinigami in their short acquaintance, was happy to see Rukia settled. All in all, the meeting with Ebisu was successful in their eyes.

Though there was a certain mental strain Rukia inflicted upon herself as she watched the two walk away, left with Kon and Ebisu to begin. She had so many worries, impossible to count. They plagued her brain, making the second feel like minutes and the minutes feel like hours. Everything was longer, stretched out and very tedious. Yet, no matter how hard she was on herself, Rukia didn't back down. She turned to her ninja sensei, hands to her side, fingers flexing, ready to go.

Thus, the nightmare had begun.

xXx

( Still Konoha )

However worried Ichigo was, he did not let it get to him. Rukia was strong, and she could handle herself. He compiled his worries together and collectively pushed them aside, focusing on his surroundings.

Konoha was looking better. In just the select hours he had been there, truly examining his surroundings, Konoha looked like it was on the road to recovery. Around the crater was a stable fence, making Ichigo wonder if they intended to turn the crater into some memorial, or tourist attraction. He contemplated asking Sakura, and came very close to doing so, but stopped himself when he saw her. She was deep in thought. Any other moment Ichigo would have loved to break her deep thought process, causing her to scold him loudly and quite possibly violently. This time, however, he couldn't do that. This was a rare time for him, where he opened up and showed some civility. To maintain a good opinion of himself he turned back to looking at the village. He glanced at it all, examining whatever he could find. The buildings that were slowly being erected caught his attention, as did the hard-working, pink-faced construction workers. One of which merrily waved to Sakura as they passed, getting a "Hey Tazuna!" out of her.

A little eager to end the silence, Ichigo opened his mouth to inquire about this 'Tazuna' but what stopped short. The roseate halted, her eyes downcast. He came to a stop beside her, a sardonic look to his face. She saw it, clear enough, when she finally raised her eyes to look at him. Something was bothering her, and he had not a clue as to what it was. Though he could only assume based on what she asked soon after.

"So, what do you think Naruto left the village for? Do you think he's doing all right?"

Why she asked the question was for a reason unknown, but he felt obliged to answer her. "I'm sure he's doing fine. He left with Kakashi and some guy they called 'Yamamoto'. Sort of like Captain-Commander Yamamoto..." Noticing he had drifted off, and her gaze had fallen once again, he cut in, "Still, they're probably just doing some recon work. Isn't that usually what shinobi do?"

Quick to avoid answering that, Sakura started walking yet again. She shook her head. "No, not always. But it's probably better if you think that." She gave a weak smile.

He nodded in understanding. The silence continued, ebbing on and forcing him to end it once again with a question. Talking to Sakura when she was down was no easy task... "So you're in medicine?"

"Uh huh. I'm what we call a 'Medical Ninja' or a 'Medic Nin'. My sensei was Tsunade-sama, the Hokage before this 'Danzo' guy..." Her eyebrow twitched, just thinking about the Black Ops leader.

"He seems like a pretty shady character." Ichigo was sorely dissatisfied with his effort to make small talk.

Her response was short and unnerving: a brisk nod of the head told Ichigo she agreed.

Once again, it was left up to Ichigo to help heal this social disgrace of a conversation. He changed the topic back to medicine. Though at the beginning he did not hear much of what she said. As she blabbered on and on about what the priorities of a Medic Nin had to be, and what they could do, he thought to himself: Why was he so intent on getting Sakura to talk to him? Was there a reason why he wanted to be so nice to her, the girl who had made his first day in Konoha torture? He remember the sweltering heat in that tent like it was only hours ago. (Which, in truth, it was.) Eventually he was brought back by a shred of understanding in Sakura's words.

"Everyone has to make choices, and once Sasuke had left the village, I knew had to make mine." He rose a brow, not allowed a chance to respond for she hesitantly went on. "After Sasuke left...I just...I had a feeling that there was something I was doing wrong. Time and time again, Naruto and the others would leave to find him, or do something for him. Always for Sasuke, always... I was beginning to think that they would never bring him back where he belongs, home. I realized, soon after the last batched attempt to bring him back that the problem wasn't with the others, or Naruto, who had risked his life to fulfill a promise he made to me.No, there wasn't a problem with them. There was only a problem with me.

"The weakling. The screw-up. Sometimes I was worse than Naruto. I may have been book-smart, but how could that help me in a world of street-smarts? I was a fool to think that he would ever come back if I didn't do anything. For so long I fawned over him, and I let him preoccupy my mind when I could have been learning and becoming stronger, like Naruto. You could say Sasuke finally leaving was the best thing he ever did for me, the girl he never cared about..."

"Sakura..."

She held up a hand, her eyes watery as she continued. "With him gone, I had something to become determined about. My mind was clearer, and I realized what I had to do. Even so, it still hurt. He rejected me in every form possible, and even then I still thought I could win his heart. Even now I'm still delusional... Though if it wasn't for Tsunade-sama I would have never dug myself out of that ignorant hole I had been throwing myself in. She helped me so much. And now I owe her everything. But when she needed me...when she finally needed me I-I...I wasn't there for her."

'Aw hell,' Ichigo thought when he saw her salty tears spill over. This was a far different Sakura than he had ever seen before, and he had no idea what to think about it. Except, to comfort her. But how couldhe comfort her? Just what could he do? In the end, he decided to treat this like he would if it was Yuzu or Karin crying in front of him.

"You shouldn't think like that." He started, patting her shoulder lightly. "I'm sure you're misjudging yourself. This can't be true. I've seen you in action. Against those wolves you were stronger than I could have ever imagined. Tsunade, if she had seen that, wouldn't want you to be talking like this now."

She narrowed her eyes. It was right then and there he realized he had made the wrong move.

Sakura swatted his hand away angrily, stepping up her pace. "You don't know what you're talking about. That's not what Tsunade would think. She would be disappointed, and would have wanted me to use more force on those wolves. Furthermore, that doesn't excuse how much I failed her during the Pain Attack. I did my best to keep the Hospital afloat, but I should have focused more. Everyone was so distraught, nobody noticed Pain rise in the sky. Until it was too late. If I could have seen that, there might have been something I could do. Instead, I was suddenly a victim like every other person in this village. Lying in the rubble I was sure I was going to die. But I didn't, and do you know why?" She didn't give him time to answer. "Tsunade had used up all her energy to save every single last one of us. She'd poured her strength to keep us from falling, and even then tried to go head-and-head with Pain.

"But as usual, Naruto saved her. He always saves us. I know it's selfish to think this, but Ishould have been there for Tsunade. I should have sprung out from the rubble and rushed to her. If I could have been there sooner, maybe she could have been saved..." Sakura directed her eyes to the ground, her hands balled into fists. "I'm so tired of being able to do nothing. I'm still so hopeless."

No more, no more of this! Where was the Sakura that had tortured him? Where was the girl that seemed to surprise everyone with her strength? He wasn't hesitant anymore, and was sure that he had to change the direction of this conversation. He couldn't handle this like he would Yuzu or Karin, that much was obvious.

He took Sakura's shoulders in his hands, surprising her with not only the contact but his furious expression. "Quit it, stop that right now! If you keep talking like this you will never change. If you constantly denounce yourself, you will always be unhappy with yourself. So just, stop." His voice was loud, and booming. He caught the eyes of so many others, only making this even more strenuous to him. He sighed, taking his hands away. He had shocked Sakura into silence, and took this golden opportunity to continue. "Nobody is disappointing in you. You are not a disgrace. If you could see what we all see, then you wouldn't be spouting all this crap."

She crossed her arms, avoiding eye-contact. He'd proven his point. Finally, she had gotten the message, but not the same message Ichigo had been trying to give her. She saw this whole little conversation in a much different light.

"I don't know why I'm telling all this stuff to a complete stranger..." She mumbled, "This is all something only Naruto could really relate to, that fool." That thought began the domino-effect of her mind. Thinking of Naruto led her thoughts to another thing, and then another. Until she was far too curious about Naruto's departure from the village.

"I'm just not sure…" She mumbled, surprising Ichigo as she started at a run. He caught up, looking to her quizzically. Just what was she talking about? As if to answer his questions, she went on, "I'm just not sure! This is too suspicious! Naruto just up and left the village with Kakashi-sensei and Yamamoto without telling anyone what they were up to? This can't be right. He would have told me something, unless he already did tell me and I just wasn't listening…"

Ichigo was a little pleased to see Sakura as herself again. As much as he welcomed bonding with other people, bonding with Sakura was a different story. Their conversation had gotten far too personal, and it was nice to see it take a change for the better. A little too happily, he responded, "What do you think it is?"

Ominously, she began cracking her knuckles. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out. When he comes back, I'll beat the answer out of him… Oh, but I can't wait that long! I need to find out now! Or at least have someone tail him for me."

Someone tail him for her? Ichigo had a bad feeling about this…

The light bulb seemed to glow brilliantly over Sakura's head. Their running came to a complete stop as she swiveled to face Ichigo. "You. You will tail Naruto and figure this all out first-hand. Then you will come straight back to me and give me all the details if I had not heard already. Capiche?"

The devilish look to her eye was a force to be reckoned with. Before Ichigo knew it, he was nodding his head in approval. He couldn't believe himself. Sure, Sakura was a girl, and yes, she had just cried in front of him, but did that really mean he had to do anything she asked? He felt like he was talking to Rukia, and he realized almost too soon that there was no way to get out of this. Sakura was certain of this, and he was just a foot-soldier.

Just a foot-soldier…

( Approximately two minutes prior )

It was despicable. Abominable. Crazy… Sakura would have never expected Ichigo to be so gentle, at least not at first sight. Even more insane was how she had so willingly spilled out her worries to him, like a water fountain that could not be turned off or clogged. It was irritating, to say the least.

For someone like Ichigo to stand by and take everything she threw at him, now that was impressive. If Kiba had been there, he would have ran away or avoided it altogether. Lee would have gone off on one of his tangents about 'youth', no doubt soon to be accompanied by Guy. The only male Sakura could think of (before that day) that would have stood by her and listened was Naruto. She would have never imagined Ichigo to have such a welcoming demeanor with this kind of stuff.

Yet how did she thank him? She blew up in his face. Typical Sakura… He's right, you know, you wimp! Inner-Sakura would scream, demanding to be heard. She would just push that apparition away, letting her disgrace in herself dominate her thoughts. While talking to Ichigo, she felt she had no control over her body, or her voice. She did what she felt like, and she said what she felt like, without even a second-thought. It was crazy, and it infuriated Sakura!

To hide her shock and disappointment she had let reality sink in, finally seeing that despite how open he may seem, Ichigo was still just a stranger. Nothing more. Therefore there was no way she should be compelled to confess anymore, especially when he so roughly made it clear to her that this topic should never be discussed again. She had to admit, to take hold of the situation like that…Ichigo certainly did have a back-bone.

Her idea was brilliant, in her eyes. The suspicions she had about Naruto were enflamed, and she knew just how to ease her conscience. She had expected more resistance on Ichigo's part. He seemed so willing, even a little eager. It was unnerving. An obedient Ichigo wasn't one she had the pleasure of seeing that often, and a part of her wished to see him more often. If he acted like this all the time, fights would never break out. She would always have the upper-hand! Amazing!

But…there was a problem with her plans.

How would Ichigo tail Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamamoto? As far as she could tell, he was not a tracker like Kiba and Akamaru. Nor did he have a ocular ability that would lead him in the right direction. On his own, there was no way he could reach Naruto. She voiced her thoughts aloud, confusing Ichigo even more as she went on and on about the issues with her formally foolproof plan. They couldn't go through with it if Ichigo didn't know where he was going.

Thus, it was like a gift from above when Sakura heard familiar voices. Her speech froze, ears perked, as she focused on the direction of the voices. They were calling her, from behind. Eagerly she turned, extremely relieved to see who was approaching.

The first person she noted, and probably the most important person to her cause, was Hinata. Looking as carefree as ever the girl approached the two, smiling and waving at them. From the corner of her eye Sakura saw Ichigo wave back, a much too pleased smile on his face. For someone who wasn't great with most people, he seemed to get along with Hinata quite well. Almost too well…

With her eyes solely focused on Hinata, it startled the roseate when three other voices chimed in with their own greetings. She looked to them, a little forlorn to see who belonged to the voices. Of course, she could have recognized Ino's voice anywhere…that pig… Pushing any rude thoughts aside she gave a slight nod to Shikamaru and Choji, whom she blatantly ignored when her thoughts returned to her personal mission for Ichigo.

"You're just the person I wanted to see." Sakura said in a disturbingly sugar-sweet voice. Without her knowing it, the others gave her suspicious glances. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Shikamaru, after deducing what Sakura could want to talk about, knew he couldn't let it happen. He stepped in, one hand raised in dismissal. "No way, Sakura. Hinata with us on a mission, you can't use her Byakugan right now. Ask her later." He then turned his attention to Ichigo. He didn't look the least bit pleased. "Is this who everyone is talking about?" He asked.

"So who's your friend?" Ino cut in.

Shikamaru's words had deflated her hope, but not completely. To get on his good side, she answered his question gently. "Yes, this is him. Everyone, meet Ichigo." She gestured to him, then pointing to them respectively while saying, "And this is Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino. You already know Hinata."

He gave a classic anime sweat-drop at the others, a hand clutching his neck. He was put on the spot by Sakura's introduction. Their eyes had been so bored earlier, but when they saw him, something seemed to light up. Particularly in Ino's eyes. Little did he know she had a thing for tall, handsome strangers… He wanted to evade their eyes badly, and to do that he could only think of saying one thing. He smiled apologetically to Sakura. "Well, I think I will go tail Naruto now. He couldn't have gotten too far… It was nice meeting you all." He turned to exit, but a very delicate hand uncharacteristically held him back.

Sakura shook her head. "No, no, no. You'll never be able to find him if you go on your own. We don't even know where he is, and you have no tracking capabilities whatsoever." The fact that Sakura referred to him like an object, didn't seem to bother him, shockingly.

Choji, the ever-so kind ninja, spoke up. "You don't know where he is, Sakura? Didn't he tell you he was going to the Iron Country? It's got something to do with the Kage Summit, I think." Choji wasn't fazed by the look of pure delight that Sakura succumbed to.

She choked on her own words, still holding Ichigo back with her hand. "Really? Are you positive?" He nodded. "This is great! Did you hear that, Ichigo? My plan hasn't failed at all. Now that we know where you need to go, I can just point you in the direction and you will be there in no time!"

The rosette's momentary ecstasy was ended with Ino. The blond looked proud as she crossed her arms and said, "That's a foolish way to think. What if he's attacked? He'll be all alone, not able to do a thing."

"Not if he goes with us." Choji told Ino, once again surprising everyone.

Shikamaru sighed, muttering incoherent words that sounded like 'this is such a drag'. He looked from Sakura, to Ichigo, and then to the others. He knew exactly where this was heading… "Next you, Sakura, are going to want to force your new boyfriend on us for some rea-"

"BOYFRIEND!" Sakura fumed, immediately releasing Ichigo from her hold.

Shikamaru ignored her. "As I was saying, you will force him on us for reasons unknown. No matter what I say I can't change Choji, Ino, or Hinata's mind. They are all far too curious about this new stranger to give up such a great opportunity when we are, admittedly, heading in the same direction for a mission of our own. Even if the tables were turned, and we didn't want him to come along, we would still be forced. You would release your fury on us, demanding that we take him along. In short, there's no way to get around this. Hinata," he turned to look at the kunoichi, who was startled by the mention of her name, "I'm putting you in charge of Ichigo, since you already know him. Now let's go."

The ease that whole conversation had was a little relaxing. Knowing that she would soon understand everything, no longer left out of the loop, she felt content with herself. Even with Shikamaru's rude assumption, she was at ease. Boyfriend… 'Sheesh, I can't believe the nerve of him,' she thought to herself, shaking her head.

With just a few things to add, Sakura held Ichigo aside from the others. "Now listen closely," she started, "Anything you hear, anything of importance, tell me and don't leave it out when you report back to me, whenever that is. I don't know how you're going to return to Konoha, but it shouldn't be too hard to return alone. Your Chak- uh, Reiatsu is so subtle to our senses that staying hidden shouldn't be a problem. Just avoid Naruto, he's been around you a lot, and like me I think he might be able to recognize you from a distance."

This whole mission was cunning and well-thought, it sounded like something a spy would do. Ichigo had to admit, it was a little uplifting. He didn't like the idea of traveling there with three strangers, but his natural curiosity about what was going on made it bearable. For the first time since he had arrived, he gave a genuine laugh. "I think I'll be able to manage," he told her, "just stop worrying."

He was about to walk towards the others, who were waiting for him out of ear-shot, when he was once again pulled back by Sakura. She had a deathly serious look. This was no game to her… "Whatever you do, don't let them in about your special circumstance." She warned him.

Rolling his eyes, he countered, "I got it, Sakura, I got it. Shinigami aren't common knowledge. No big deal. I can handle myself."

The roseate raised an eyebrow to say "Are you sure about that?" but before she knew it, he was off, leaving her anticipating his return.

Author's Note::

The last chapter I wrote wasn't very long. I had originally wanted to make 10 longer, but I wanted it to flow, so I couldn't just edit the order of events in the plot. I feel chapter 11 is an extremely important chapter, and I've spent at least four days writing and rough-editing it. I hope you like it!

Sorry for all the filler crap. I just needed something to make this chapter a bit longer. All the good stuff is saved for later.

Also, if you're reading this and you're interested in becoming a beta-reader for it, contact me through fanfiction, not my email. I prefer to have a beta-reader who has been following the story along, rather than one I pick up from the streets. *Cough* Uh, I mean...the beta-reader list. : D

Please, oh please review!

~ Adieu